Vainglory

Matthew 6:1–8 NIV

1 “Be careful not to practice your righteousness in front of others to be seen by them. If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven. 2 “So when you give to the needy, do not announce it with trumpets, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and on the streets, to be honored by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. 3 But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, 4 so that your giving may be in secret. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you. 5 “And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. 6 But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you. 7 And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words. 8 Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.

ROTC: Arnold Air Society Pledge

Today’s we are in part two of a seven week series on Glittering Vices.

Our focus is on what’s often referred to in church history as pride, or vainglory.

When Pastor Lynne gave me this topic and gluttony, I wasn’t sure if we were supposed to be giving sermons or testimonies.

Seemed a little personal, if you know what I mean!

Pride and Vainglory, took me back to 1996 at Southern Illinois University.

Pledging for Arnold Air Society as an ROTC cadet...“I want to be the best Air Force officer who ever lived.”

I don’t know how many of you are familiar with military rank structure...

My dream did not include standing before you today and saying that at the ripe old military age of 46, I achieved my dream and can now proudly declare...

“I AM A 46 YEAR OLD CAPTAIN!!!”

In all seriousness, as I’ve reflected through the years on that comment...

I think we all have those moments in life where we’re like, where on Earth did that come from?

That statement has been one of those things for me.

Even then I had the sense that there was something spiritually off about it.

Vainglory was at the heart of what was wrong.

Let’s start by looking at the symptoms of vainglory.

Pride and Vainglory

Matthew 6:1 NIV

1 “Be careful not to practice your righteousness in front of others to be seen by them. If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven.

The difference between pride and vainglory is this...

Vainglory excessively desire YOUR praise.

Pride receives that praise and gives a person an excessive sense of self-worth.

We all desire praise for a good job.

We feel good when a person compliments us.

The problem is when our desire for praise from people outweighs our desire for praise from God.

There are three classic symptoms for vainglory and pride...

Symptoms

Symptom One: The desire to be praised for something that isn’t truly praiseworthy

Can you think of someone who is famous for being famous?

Their lives might be a mess, but they love the praise and recognition of the mess.

In ugliest form, it allows people to seek praise for sinful actions.

The college student who gains respect for sexual exploits, cheating on an exam, or for refusing to grow up and take responsibility.

Our culture is awash in Princess Syndrome and Peter Pan Syndrome

The princess who obsessively fusses over making life a fairy tale in which she is the star.

Little to no focus on Godly, ethical, moral, or emotional development.

A person with Peter Pan Syndrome doesn’t want to grow up and mature, and they never get past the egocentric, narcissistic, immature phase of childhood.

They make an effort to avoid hard work and responsibility...

And they want you to praise them for the childishness...

Symptom Two: Seeking praise from people with unsound judgment

Today is Father’s Day, so I want to say something to that end.

There are a lot of fantastic dads in this world.

Personally, a lot of my life has been wanting to make my father proud because, frankly, my father is my hero.

Everyday as a child I watch him put on a flight-suit, kiss my mom goodbye, and serve his nation while providing for us as well as he could.

In most things, my father was a Godly man even when he wasn’t trying to be.

Even so, no parent, boss, spouse, child, or friend is perfect.

We must be careful not to desire praise from someone we admire that, on the whole, exhibits Godly qualities, but has unsound judgment in some areas.

For example, you might have a friend who is a fantastic listener, but isn’t so great with money.

If that friend praises you on your listening abilities, SWEET!

If that friend praises you on financial decisions, watch out!

We’ve all heard of “Keeping up with the Jones’s,” right?

Well, if the Jones’s look good but are broke, I probably don’t need that praise when I go out to make the same poor financial decisions as them.

Symptom Three: Desiring human praise more than God’s praise

Matthew 6:4 (NIV) ...your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.

This one’s tough because it often accompanies legitimate accomplishment.

this is where my ROTC statement went wrong...

I didn’t expect to get excessive praise for doing nothing.

I wanted excessive praise for doing some pretty cool things!

What’s abesent?

God. God is absent.

If I’m being honest, I wanted to appear to others as the best ever, even as such a thing is impossible to quantify or qualify.

God’s praise wasn’t even in the conversation...

Fortunately, I’ve learned a few things over the years...

The Cure

Colossians 3:23–24 NIV

23 Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters, 24 since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving.

What is at the heart of vainglory?

It’s the belief that human praise is more valuable than God’s praise.

See, we all want praise.

The question is whose praise we ultimately want.

If God’s praise is most valuable, my life is going to be ordered toward Godly pursuits.

If human praise is what I most want, I may get it in abundance, but it will never be enough.

We simply cannot get enough praise from people when only God’s praise will fill the void, especially if the praise we seek is through an ungodly life.

The first step then, is to rightly affirm that God already appreciates you, loves you, and affirms the gifts that he has given to you.

Secondly it means we align our lives and actions with things that are truly praiseworthy in the eyes of God.

When those things are recognized by other people…BONUS!

God knows everything you do in service to Him.

It doesn’t have to go on social media.

You don’t have to humblebrag.

2 Corinthians 10:17–18 NIV

17 But, “Let the one who boasts boast in the Lord.” 18 For it is not the one who commends himself who is approved, but the one whom the Lord commends.

The Right Thing When Nobody Is Looking

This week I want you to find 7 opportunities…1 each day...that are focused on doing a Godly thing, when nobody else is looking.

If you’re tempted to tell someone, as I often am, sit in that emotion with God and ask Him to examine your heart.

“God, would you make the praise I receive from you enough today and everyday?”

So, friends, go into the world and work unto the Lord...

Bathe in the reward of His praise, and let that be enough.

Would you join me in standing for our hymn of response, number 597, Take My Life and Let It Be Consecrated...