Strongholds: Pride

a. Strongholds

National ruin comes by pride. And if America does not humble herself, she’s going to join the graveyard of the nations.

i. Do not let he devil have a foothold

B. Domestic Ruin Comes by Pride

ii. Don’t give him legal right to be where he is in your life

Domestic ruin comes by pride. Many homes are battlegrounds, because in those homes, it’s ego against ego.

II. Pride

C. Financial Ruin Comes by Pride

Financial ruin comes by pride. We’re trying to keep up with the Joneses buying things we don’t need with money we don’t have to impress people we don’t like.

a.

i. Get rid of all bitterness, rage, and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice.

D. Spiritual Ruin Comes by Pride

Spiritual ruin comes by pride. It is not that God cannot use us because we’re not big enough; the problem is that God cannot use us because we’re not small enough. The Bible says, “God resists the proud, but He gives grace to the humble.” ()

b. Pride

E. Eternal Ruin Comes by Pride

i. Definition by Holman Dictionary Bible

PRIDE Undue confidence in and attention to one’s own skills, accomplishments, state, possessions, or position. Pride is easier to recognize than to define, easier to recognize in others than in oneself. Many biblical words describe this concept, each with its own emphasis. It is the opposite of humility, the proper attitude one should have in relation to God. Pride is rebellion against God because it attributes to oneself the honor and glory due to God alone

Holman Illustrated Bible Dictionary Pride

PRIDE Undue confidence in and attention to one’s own skills, accomplishments, state, possessions, or position. Pride is easier to recognize than to define, easier to recognize in others than in oneself. Many biblical words describe this concept, each with its own emphasis. Some of the synonyms for pride include arrogance, presumption, conceit, self-satisfaction, boasting, and high-mindedness. It is the opposite of humility, the proper attitude one should have in relation to God. Pride is rebellion against God because it attributes to oneself the honor and glory due to God alone

Eternal ruin comes by pride. Men are escorted to hell, chained in the cold steel chains of pride forged on the anvil of a hard heart. Most people in America are egomaniacs, strutting to hell, thinking they are too good to be damned. Eternal ruin comes by pride. The Bible says that “God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble.” () Pride is a dangerous sin. And pride is a deceptive sin. At least the drunkard knows he’s a drunkard. At least the thief knows he’s a thief. But most people will not admit to the fact of pride, except maybe in a joking way. We always think it’s the other man’s problem. How many of you here have a problem with pride? May I see your hand? Awful question, wasn’t it? To those of you who raised your hand, I’m going to be preaching to you today—but especially to those who did not.

Adrian Rogers described pride as:

And pride is the major sin, the father sin, the mother sin, the sin out of which all other sins come. It was pride that made Satan Satan. Lucifer, the son of the morning, became Satan, the prince of darkness, through pride. It was pride that corrupted the human race. It was pride that caused the fall of man in the Garden of Eden and turned this world into a wilderness and a graveyard. Look at every hospital, every insane asylum, every graveyard, every emergency ward, every tear that falls to the ground, and you can say, “Pride did this.”

Manifestations of Pride:

arrogance, presumption, conceit, self-satisfaction, boasting, and high-mindedness, contentious, controlling spirit, gossip, haughtiness, idleness, mockery, stubbornness, strife, rebellion, rejection of God

Rogers, A. (2017). Facing the Problem of Pride. In Adrian Rogers Sermon Archive (). Signal Hill, CA: Rogers Family Trust.Re

The Bible Exposition Commentary Chapter Twelve: From Grace to Glory! (1 Peter 5:5–14)

When World War II was being fought, I was a junior high school student, and the fighting seemed very far away from our northern Indiana city. But then the city began to organize Civil Defense units in each neighborhood, and officials appointed my father an assistant block captain. Often I went with him to watch the training films and listen to the speakers. (The best part of the evening was stopping for an ice cream cone!) But, no matter how many films we watched, we somehow didn’t feel that our neighborhood was in danger of being bombed. Our philosophy was, “It can’t happen here.”

Peter knew that a “fiery trial” was about to occur, and he wanted the entire church family to be prepared. As he closed his letter, Peter gave the church three important admonitions to obey if they were to glorify God in this difficult experience.

Before we can stand before Satan we must bow before God.

The solution is twofold: (1) all believers, young and old, should submit to each other; (2) all should submit to God. “Be clothed with humility” is the answer to the problem.

Clothe yourselves with humility suggests that humility should be a part of the believer’s wardrobe. “To clothe” refers to a slave or servant putting on an apron or towel to serve someone else. This image was forever ingrained in Peter’s mind. He had firsthand knowledge of this kind of humility. The same night on which Peter denied Christ, Jesus took a towel and washed the feet of the disciples (see ).

Jesus had no doubts. The sinful tax collector was justified before God. He was righteous. He was clean. He was prepared for temple worship. His sins were forgiven. The Pharisee left the temple confident he had fulfilled his religious duty but still bearing his own guilt and sins. He had not prayed, because he never addressed God. He was not forgiven, since he never confessed his sins. He was not clean and qualified for worship, because he remained separated from God by his unconfessed sin. Jesus put it succinctly: praise yourself, God will humble you; humble yourself, and God will praise and honor you.

True humility does not involve an attitude of self-depreciation. As Charles Spurgeon once wrote, “Humility is to make a right estimate of one’s self.” Humility is to be aware of personal strengths and to be thankful to God for them. Humility is to be aware of personal weaknesses and to be dependent upon God to help you improve in those areas. Beyond this, humility describes an attitude which puts others first, which thinks of the desires, needs, and ideas of others as more worthy of attention than your own.…

Just as Jesus laid aside His outer garments and put on a towel to become a servant, so each of us should have a servant’s attitude and minister to each other. True humility is described in . Humility is not demeaning ourselves and thinking poorly of ourselves. It is simply not thinking of ourselves at all!

God resists the proud because God hates the sin of pride (; ). It was pride that turned Lucifer into Satan (). It was pride—a desire to be like God—that stirred Eve to take the forbidden fruit. “The pride of life” is an evidence of worldliness (). The only antidote to pride is the grace of God, and we receive that grace when we yield ourselves to Him. The evidence of that grace is that we yield to one another.

We can never be submissive to each other until we are first submissive to God

Submission is an act of faith. We are trusting God to direct in our lives and to work out His purposes in His time. After all, there is a danger in submitting to others; they might take advantage of us—but not if we trust God and if we are submitted to one another! A person who is truly yielded to God, and who wants to serve his fellow Christians, would not even think of taking advantage of someone else, saved or unsaved. The “mighty hand of God” that directs our lives can also direct in the lives of others.

Cast means “to throw something upon someone or something else.” This word suggests a deliberate decision of trust. We are to trust God with our anxiety, the things we worry about. The term (merimnan) means “to be drawn in different directions, to be divided or distracted.” Whatever we are anxious about tends to distract us from trusting God. It tends to pull us in different directions so that we do not depend on him. When we limp in this direction, we do not resist Satan, but play into his hand. He wants us to put more trust in ourselves and others as opposed to God.

Resist means “to withstand,” or “to stand up against.” It is a term of defense and victory.

To resist the devil effectively, we must draw on the power of Christ and not yield to Satan in our lives.

Respect him—he is dangerous.Since I have no mechanical ability, I admire people who can build and repair things. During a church building program, I was watching an electrician install a complex control panel. I said to the man, “It just amazes me how you fellows can calmly work on those lines with all of that power there. How do you do it?” The electrician smiled and said, “Well, the first thing you have to do is respect it. Then you can handle it.”

The three temptations Jesus faced parallel the tests Israel faced in the wilderness, and every Scripture that Jesus quoted in response to his temptations was drawn from God’s message to the Israelites about their wilderness test (). Israel failed its tests, but Jesus passed his and in doing so “fulfilled all righteousness” (see ). Thus he is qualified to create a new spiritual Israel.

Recognize him—he is a great pretender (; ). Because he is a subtle foe, we must “be vigilant” and always on guard. His strategy is to counterfeit whatever God does. According to the Parable of the Tares, wherever God plants a true Christian, Satan seeks to plant a counterfeit (, ). He would deceive us were it not for the Word of God and the Spirit of God (). The better we know God’s Word, the keener our spiritual senses will be to detect Satan at work. We must be able to “try the spirits” and know the true from the false ().

Resist him. This means that we take our stand on the Word of God and refuse to be moved. instructs us to “stand … withstand … stand.” Unless we stand, we cannot withstand. Our weapons are the Word of God and prayer () and our protection is the complete armor God has provided. We resist him “in the faith,” that is, our faith in God. Just as David took his stand against Goliath, and trusted in the name of Jehovah, so we take our stand against Satan in the victorious name of Jesus Christ.

Also, never try to fight Satan in your own way. Resist him the way Jesus did, with the Word of God (). Never get the idea that you are the only one going through these battles, because “your brethren that are in the world” are facing the same trials. We must pray for one another and encourage each other in the Lord. And we must remember that our personal victories will help others, just as their victories will help us.

Jesus, the embodiment of the new Israel, had unwavering trust in God’s care.

Jesus quoted . His reference to every word that comes from the mouth of God recalls the OT theme that God’s words are not idle but are to be received as commands. , emphasize the need to obey God’s commands, and teaches that man lives by following God’s commandments just as 8:3 says that man lives by what comes from God’s mouth (). Thus the OT text that Jesus quoted teaches that obeying God is more important than being well-fed. Israel struggled to learn this truth (; ). In contrast, Jesus hungered for righteousness more than bread and thirsted for obedience more than water.

a“ ‘Man shall not live by bread alone,

but by every word thatcomes from the mouth ofGod.’ ”

This is more than a hope; it is an assertion of what God will do. God will restore or repair whatever is damaged, so the believer will be able to face up to whatever lies ahead. Failure in the past does not doom a person to failure in the future. “Restore” could be used in a medical sense of “setting a broken bone” or of repairing and refitting a damaged boat. Peter the denier who became Peter of Pentecost spoke from deep

Jesus, the embodiment of the new Israel, had unwavering trust in God’s care.

Establish means “to fix firmly, to set fast.” Christians must not be unsteady in their stand for Christ. Our hearts need to be established (; ), and this is accomplished by God’s truth (). The believer who is established will not be moved by persecution, or led away by false doctrine ().

Strengthen means just that: God’s strength given to us to meet the demands of life. What good is it to stand on a firm foundation if we do not have power to act?

Jesus quoted . His reference to every word that comes from the mouth of God recalls the OT theme that God’s words are not idle but are to be received as commands. , emphasize the need to obey God’s commands, and teaches that man lives by following God’s commandments just as 8:3 says that man lives by what comes from God’s mouth (). Thus the OT text that Jesus quoted teaches that obeying God is more important than being well-fed. Israel struggled to learn this truth (; ). In contrast, Jesus hungered for righteousness more than bread and thirsted for obedience more than water.

Settle is the translation of a word that means “to lay a foundation.” It is used this way in . The house founded on the rock withstood the storm (). A believer who is equipped by God will “continue in the faith grounded and settled” (). He will not be “tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine” (…

know that our trials are building Christian character. The Greek word translated “make you perfect” means “to equip, to adjust, to fit together.” It is translated “mending nets” in . God has several tools which He uses to equip His people for life and service, and suffering is one of them. The Word of God is another tool (, where thoroughly furnished means “fully equipped”). He also uses the fellowship and ministry of the church (). Our Saviour in heaven is perfecting His children so that they will do His will and His work ().

A. National Ruin Comes by Pride

National ruin comes by pride. And if America does not humble herself, she’s going to join the graveyard of the nations.

B. Domestic Ruin Comes by Pride

Domestic ruin comes by pride. Many homes are battlegrounds, because in those homes, it’s ego against ego.

C. Financial Ruin Comes by Pride

Financial ruin comes by pride. We’re trying to keep up with the Joneses buying things we don’t need with money we don’t have to impress people we don’t like.

D. Spiritual Ruin Comes by Pride

Spiritual ruin comes by pride. It is not that God cannot use us because we’re not big enough; the problem is that God cannot use us because we’re not small enough. The Bible says, “God resists the proud, but He gives grace to the humble.” ()

E. Eternal Ruin Comes by Pride

Eternal ruin comes by pride. Men are escorted to hell, chained in the cold steel chains of pride forged on the anvil of a hard heart. Most people in America are egomaniacs, strutting to hell, thinking they are too good to be damned. Eternal ruin comes by pride. The Bible says that “God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble.” () Pride is a dangerous sin. And pride is a deceptive sin. At least the drunkard knows he’s a drunkard. At least the thief knows he’s a thief. But most people will not admit to the fact of pride, except maybe in a joking way. We always think it’s the other man’s problem. How many of you here have a problem with pride? May I see your hand? Awful question, wasn’t it? To those of you who raised your hand, I’m going to be preaching to you today—but especially to those who did not.

National ruin comes by pride. And if America does not humble herself, she’s going to join the graveyard of the nations.

B. Domestic Ruin Comes by Pride

Domestic ruin comes by pride. Many homes are battlegrounds, because in those homes, it’s ego against ego.

C. Financial Ruin Comes by Pride

Financial ruin comes by pride. We’re trying to keep up with the Joneses buying things we don’t need with money we don’t have to impress people we don’t like.

D. Spiritual Ruin Comes by Pride

Spiritual ruin comes by pride. It is not that God cannot use us because we’re not big enough; the problem is that God cannot use us because we’re not small enough. The Bible says, “God resists the proud, but He gives grace to the humble.” ()

E. Eternal Ruin Comes by Pride

Eternal ruin comes by pride. Men are escorted to hell, chained in the cold steel chains of pride forged on the anvil of a hard heart. Most people in America are egomaniacs, strutting to hell, thinking they are too good to be damned. Eternal ruin comes by pride. The Bible says that “God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble.” () Pride is a dangerous sin. And pride is a deceptive sin. At least the drunkard knows he’s a drunkard. At least the thief knows he’s a thief. But most people will not admit to the fact of pride, except maybe in a joking way. We always think it’s the other man’s problem. How many of you here have a problem with pride? May I see your hand? Awful question, wasn’t it? To those of you who raised your hand, I’m going to be preaching to you today—but especially to those who did not.

I want to tell you, folks, that we have a problem. I have it; you have it. It is inherent in the human heart. And Jesus said that pride comes out of our hearts. () And pride is the major sin, the father sin, the mother sin, the sin out of which all other sins come. It was pride that made Satan Satan. Lucifer, the son of the morning, became Satan, the prince of darkness, through pride. It was pride that corrupted the human race. It was pride that caused the fall of man in the Garden of Eden and turned this world into a wilderness and a graveyard. Look at every hospital, every insane asylum, every graveyard, every emergency ward, every tear that falls to the ground, and you can say, “Pride did this.”

Now today we’re going to be talking about pride: “Facing the Problem of Pride.” And our lesson today is going to be couched in and pitched around the life of a man named Naaman. You find him over here in 2 Kings chapter 5. He was an incredible man, a well-known man, of his day. What a wonderful lesson we have here!

Rogers, A. (2017). Facing the Problem of Pride. In Adrian Rogers Sermon Archive (). Signal Hill, CA: Rogers Family Trust.Re

Strongholds: Pride

Intro:

Repent through humility

Resist by being watchful

Renew through hope

Conclusion:

Strongholds: Pride

Intro:

​

Repent through humility

Resist by being watchful

Renew through hope

Conclusion: