Dealing with Pride

You say what kind of tiotle is that for a series dealing with the end of time? Well alot actually. The sin of Pride will be all time highs in the last days. Pride is the sin of ther devil its what turned the Son of the Morning to the Father of Night.

Ezekiel 28 tells us that Pride lifted up his heart because of His beauty and violence was found in him.

Alpha and Omega- is the first and the last letters in the Greek Alphabet. If the New Testament was written in English in that first century Jesus would be saying the he is A- Z and everything in between. He is The King He is it.

Philippians 2:9–11 ESV

9 Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, 10 so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11 and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

Now this is not arrogance this is fact. In fact if you do a little reading in Philippians the verses that [precede this great exaltation was recieved because He first humbled himself like no man has ever humbled himself before.

1. Most of the time when someone wants to be acknowledged in the church they do so with elbows. They want titles, they want glory but they don’t want to get it the way God tells us we can get it. They try to get it through pride, they want it because of jealousy. They want to be seen and heard, not because they love God but because they love self. Listen all throughout scripture both in the stories told of men and scriptures that share the mind of God. Pride always comes before a fall, and great honor always comes through great humility. learn that it will set you free. You have heard heavy is the head that wears the crown, well light and easy is the yoke of the Lord.

In the Book of Daniel right after the story of the fiery furnace when Nebuchadnezzar tries to execute Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego in the furnace. After His failed attempt because a greater King was in the fire with them, The Lord Jesus Christ. Nebuchadnezzar has a dream. And in his dream he sees a large tree, and this trees top reached to heaven and it was visible from every corner of the Earth. This trees leaves are beautiful and its fruit abundant and food for all. But the King saw a watcher a holy one coming down from heaven, And the Holy one commands that the tree is chopped down all the way to the stump.

Now Daniel who was interpreting the Dream for ol King Neb told him that he was that tree, was he the King and that God would chop it down and he would become insane until (Daniel 4:25)

Daniel 4:25

…till you know that the Most High rules the Kingdoms of men and gives it top who he will.

In 1923, a group of the world’s most successful financiers met at the Edgewater Beach Hotel in Chicago. These tycoons were extremely rich & altogether they controlled more wealth than there was in the US Treasury. The meeting was said to have been both a celebration of their success as well as an opportunity to plan their future exploits and dominance. These were the captains of their respective industries and some of the most successful businessmen of the era

1. Arthur Cutten – The greatest wheat speculator. 2. Albert Fall – The Secretary of Interior in President Harding’s cabinet. 3. Leon Fraser – The president of the Bank of International Settlements. 4. Howard Hopson – The president of the largest gas company. 5. Ivar Kreuger – Head of the world’s greatest monopoly.

6. Jesse Livermore – The greatest bear in Wall Street. The most successful market speculators in the history of Wall Street 7. Charles Schwabb – The president of the largest independent steel company. 8. Richard Whitney – The president of the New York Stock Exchange.

9. Samuel Insull- the president of the largest gas company and contributed greatly to creating an integrated electrical infrastructure in the US

Withing 25 years this is what happened to them

But how did things turn out for these distinguished gentlemen?  Within 25 years, all of these great men had met a horrific end to their careers or their lives:

The president of the largest steel company,Charles Schwab, died a bankrupt man; the president of the largest utility company, Samuel Insull, died penniless; the president of the largest gas company, Howard Hobson, suffered a mental breakdown, ending up in an insane asylum; the president of the New York Stock Exchange, Richard Whitney, had just been released from prison; the bank president, Leon Fraser, had taken his own life; the wheat speculator, Arthur Cutten, died penniless; the head of the world’s greatest monopoly, Ivar Krueger the "match king", also had taken his life; and the member of President Harding’s cabinet, Albert Fall, had just been given a pardon from prison so that he could die at home.

And as for the Wall Street Bear, Jesse Livermore, famous speculator in the stock and commodities markets, his end is perhaps the most tragic of all.  A week after Thanksgiving in 1940, Jesse walked into the Sherry-Netherland Hotel in New York, had two drinks at the bar while scribbling something in his notebook, then proceeded to the cloak room where he sat on a stool and shot himself in the head.  He was 62 and left behind $5 million, down from the $100 million fortune he had amassed just ten years earlier.

If you want more recent examples all you have to do is look at some of the biggest stars. Michael Jackson, Whitney Houston and Prince.

THE FOLLY OF PRIDE

Pride is a monster, in fact it is the sin of the devil. Pride is what cause Lucifer the son of the morning, to become Satan the Father of the night. The tricky thing about pride is its easy to catch when its wrapped in arrogance and a short temper but extremely hard when its wrapped in false humility and religion. There is pride inside the church and outside the church. Pride wants glory but glory is reserved for God and God alone and He doesn’t share his glory with anyone.

Pride will cause you become a lonely fool. Many people go through divorce after divorce because of their pride. They will always blame it on their partners, but the truth is it is their pride. Because Pride is not willing to humble itself or submit to another and the Bible telss us to submit one to another

Ephesians 5:20–21 ESV

20 giving thanks always and for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, 21 submitting to one another out of reverence for Christ.

There are millions of people living in pride in their relationships

Remember Pride is an attitude of independence from God

TWO TYPES OF BELIEVERS

1. Fleshly- Carnal

There are two types of Christians here this morning. 1. those who are walking in their flesh. meaning in your pride you are living life apart from the Spirit of God. You say in your heart God didn’t do that, I did that. I provided with these own two hands of mind. I don’t need other Christians, I don’t need instruction from the word of God. I can do it on my own. Listen no man is an island

Listen Pride is an attitude of Independence from God. Pride defies God. Pride admits no mistakes. Pride itself is in competition with Other People. Always competing always comparing, always needing the “W”. People go into financial ruin because of Pride. Why? Because your neighbors keep buying things you can’t afford

2. Spirit Filled Christian

The Spirit filled Christian says I can’t do it on my own. I can’t even tackle the smallest sin or take on the weakest demon apart form the help that comes from God. I can’t live life on my own. I can’t live apart from God people and God’s word. If God takes his hand off of me for one second I will fall on my face. I need the Lord, I need to stay as close as I can to the Lord. Because within me that is in my flesh dwellest no good thing. The Spirit filled Christian says I am not too big for any little job, I am the least of the least of the saints.

Yous ay well what does this have to do with the End Times series? It has everything to do with it because the Bible tells us that in the last days Pride is going to fill the earth

2 Timothy 3:1–7

But understand this, that in the last days there will come times of difficulty. 2 For people will be lovers of self, lovers of money, proud, arrogant, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, 3 heartless, unappeasable, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not loving good, 4 treacherous, reckless, swollen with conceit, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, 5 having the appearance of godliness, but denying its power. Avoid such people. 6 For among them are those who creep into households and capture weak women, burdened with sins and led astray by various passions, 7 always learning and never able to arrive at a knowledge of the truth.

Let me tell you the secret to avoiding the snare of pride, and what keeps you from constantly comparing yourself and getting this crummy world from wrapping its slimy fingers around your heart.

Let me introduce you to a new vision of the King of Kings, the Valiant One.

Revelation 1:10 ESV

10 I was in the Spirit on the Lord’s day, and I heard behind me a loud voice like a trumpet

English Standard Version Chapter 1

12 Then I turned to see the voice that was speaking to me, and on turning I saw seven golden lampstands, 13 and in the midst of the lampstands one like a son of man, clothed with a long robe and with a golden sash around his chest. 14 The hairs of his head were white, like white wool, like snow. His eyes were like a flame of fire, 15 his feet were like burnished bronze, refined in a furnace, and his voice was like the roar of many waters. 16 In his right hand he held seven stars, from his mouth came a sharp two-edged sword, and his face was like the sun shining in full strength.

17 When I saw him, I fell at his feet as though dead. But he laid his right hand on me, saying, “Fear not, I am the first and the last, 18 and the living one. I died, and behold I am alive forevermore, and I have the keys of Death and Hades.

THE RESURRECTED CHRIST

Lamp stands are the Church-

Revelation 1:12–13 ESV

12 Then I turned to see the voice that was speaking to me, and on turning I saw seven golden lampstands, 13 and in the midst of the lampstands one like a son of man, clothed with a long robe and with a golden sash around his chest.

Let this be a clarion call all across America to pulpits everywhere. We are just the under-shepherds, But this uis the True Shepherd. No matter what happens I want you to know Jesus is in the midst of his Churches. He is the groom and she is his bride. He laid down not his life for the whole world but he laid down his life for the church. Those that will put their pride aside and bow down.

But May God have mercy on those that constantly try to sow division ion the Church. people who slip in and cause problems. The Church is His Bride and listen to me, you can mess with me if you want. You can even take jabs at me, you can take jabs even at some of my family, but listen the gloves come off if you mess with my bride. The Lord feels the same about his bride.

CLOTHED WITH A LONG ROBE AND SASH around his chest

He is the Unopposed Kingly Judge

English Standard Version Chapter 1

13 and in the midst of the lampstands one like a son of man, clothed with a long robe and with a golden sash around his chest.

HIs Purity

Revelation 1:14 ESV

14 The hairs of his head were white, like white wool, like snow. His eyes were like a flame of fire,

His Observance

eyes like a flame of fire

His unstoppable Judgement

Revelation 1:15 ESV

15 his feet were like burnished bronze, refined in a furnace, and his voice was like the roar of many waters.

Revelation 1:16 ESV

16 In his right hand he held seven stars, from his mouth came a sharp two-edged sword, and his face was like the sun shining in full strength.

Fear Not- there is so much pride in the Lord that thery have lost a healthy fear of God. Rev 1:14

Revelation 1:17–18 ESV

17 When I saw him, I fell at his feet as though dead. But he laid his right hand on me, saying, “Fear not, I am the first and the last, 18 and the living one. I died, and behold I am alive forevermore, and I have the keys of Death and Hades.