THE PRIDE OF LIFE

The speaker begins with a prayer thanking God for His mercy and love. They talk about the privilege of being able to see God's face and make pleasing choices. They mention studying the book of 1 John and focusing on the pride of life. The speaker shares an experience they had with someone from the LGBTQ+ community who explained the concept of pride. This leads the speaker to discuss the pride of life as a war against the children of God. They explain how pride originated with Lucifer and how it was used to tempt Eve. They talk about pride being a universal human problem and how it leads to disobedience and spiritual ruin. They mention that pride is seen in family, society, and culture, especially through social media. They highlight the consequences of pride and share biblical examples. The speaker emphasizes the need to recognize and combat pride in our own lives. Dear Heavenly Father, I thank you so much for your loving kindness and your tender mercies towards us. Undeserving we are, but we thank you, Lord, that you do not treat us as we deserve. Father, you are a God of mercy, you are a God of love, compassion, and here we are. You have granted us another privilege for us to see your face, to make choices that are pleasing and acceptable in your sight. But before we take on the day, Lord, we thank you that you have impressed our hearts so we can come before thee now to consecrate our all to thee, so you can fill us with your Holy Spirit. Lord, you can fill us with your love. Father, I pray that you will help us know that as you are about to speak to our hearts that we will come as interventions because we need thee more than anything in our lives, Father, to help us in all our endeavors. So help us that we will come as empty vessels to be filled by you and your Holy Spirit. Lord, humble me, Father, as you have chosen this vessel even to speak your word this morning. Humble me and may everything of self be trampled under feet and you, Christ, the beauty of you and your words will be seen. Thank you for this privilege again in Jesus' name, Amen. We have been studying the book of 1 John and so far we are in chapter 2. For some reason we have been lingering in chapter 2 now for several weeks. Why? I guess because there are precious gems and truth that are in there that keep resurfacing and why these things are resurfacing, why God allowed them, because He wants us. I believe He wants to elevate our spiritual walk and to lead us to love Him and to help us to grow closer and closer to Him. So whenever, Bridget, I have to go back to something that we already gone over, I look at it as God allowing it to happen for a reason in my life or your life. So this morning, Bridget, I know we have been looking at verses 15 to 17 for several weeks now and those verses combined together, John warns us about do not love the things of the world and then he went on to say all that is in the world is the lust of the flesh, the lust of the flesh, the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes and the pride of life. So we saw where John categorized sin, actually put sin in three categories where he mentioned the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes and the pride of life. And for the past couple of weeks, we kind of break them down, every week we look at one of the categories. We look at the lust of the flesh and we look at the lust of the eyes and the last one we looked at was the pride of life. But this morning, Bridget, this morning, I must say to you that I had an experience last week Thursday that I am so impressed to go back on the pride of life. Let me share my experience with you. Somebody called me, referred me to this person to rent their house for them and they didn't really go into any details to tell me who the person was or what the person do or what the user said. Carol here, I'm giving you this number, it's a referral, they want to rent their house, give them a call. So I gave the person a call and met with the person last Thursday and when I saw the person, I said, okay, this was a strange one. But what really, I kind of figured out who the person is from when I got there. But when I was leaving, the person said to me, hey, Carol, happy pride day. And I was like, happy pride day? I said, what does that mean? And he said, girl, you don't know what happy pride day is? He said, oh, let me tell you, and Bridget, I'm not even speaking it like how he does, I'm just kind of putting my little swing on it. He said, oh, let me tell you, we, the LBG community, we are the generation that we want to be the generation that help the world to accept what love is. And when you accept what love is, it doesn't matter who you are, that will put you in a prideful position because you're accepting who you are. I'm just trying to speak it as he did. And that's why we never stopped until we got this happy pride day implemented and we also have happy pride month. So I said, so what is the happy pride, what is prideful about it? He said, Carol, when you get to the position where you accept who you are and people accept who you are, you're prideful about it. And I'm like, okay, now. And based on the attitude and the hands and the waving of the hands and everything, Bridget, you could see how prideful he was about it. Anyway, I had to get to the understanding of it, not that I didn't want to do business, I was happy to do business with him, but I just wanted to understand what was this happy pride day. And Bridget, that brings me right back to what we have been looking at, the pride, the pride of life. It's like you have to let people know that this is who I am and this is what I do. And when you know who I am, that lets me feel as if I'm accepted. Bridget, that was just, as Brother Verna would say, a wow to me. So that really led me to go back to do this category of things, the pride of life. Bridget, the pride of life is one of the things that war against the children of God. As John so eloquently writes in 1 John 2 verse 16, the pride of life. Now what does it mean, the pride of life? Now I wonder if any one of us know what pride is or its meaning. I don't think we have to look far to know what the meaning is. All we have to do is look right within ourselves and we will see what pride is. Just look within ourselves, our choices, our words, our mannerisms, how we behave, things we say. Bridget, that's enough to tell us what pride is. Bridget, we all struggle with pride in our lives. Pride is just a universal human problem. Everyone suffers from it to some degree because it is the root of all sin. The very lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes is founded in the pride of life. Although pride originated with Lucifer in heaven, but it appears first in the Bible in Genesis 3 where we see the devil using pride as the avenue by which to seduce our first parents. He took the form of a serpent. His approach was simple but yet deadly. First, he arrogantly contradicted what God had said to Eve about eating the forbidden fruit and then had the audacity to charge God with lying. Now this shocking rejection of God's word introduced Eve to the unknown possibility of unbelief and was intended to arouse doubt in her mind about the truthfulness and reliability of God. In the next breath, the devil drew her into deeper deception by contending that God's reason for lying was to keep her from enjoying all the possibilities inherent in being God-like. Virgin, this was a clever plot aimed at undermining her confidence in the love of God. Here we see the desire to lift up and exalt ourselves beyond our place as God's creature and that lies in the heart of pride. Virgin, Eve got weakened by unbelief, enticed by pride, and ensnared by self-deception. She opted for disobedience to God's command. Sadly, the devil was able to use pride to bring Eve downfall and plunge the human race into spiritual ruin. My dear Virgin, this very common and all too familiar process confronts us, each and every one of us, every day. Day in, we are confronted with this. James 1 verse 14 to 15 tells us that each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire. Then desire, when it is conceived, gives birth to sin and sin, when it is fully grown, brings forth death. Virgin, from this point on in the Bible, we see the outworking of pride and unbelief in the affairs of individuals. Every turn you turn in life, you see the outwork of pride. We see it in our family lives. We see it in a nation. We see it in our own individual selves. We see it in our culture. Everywhere you turn around, it's just prideful action, prideful words, prideful behavior, prideful deeds. Everything is just prideful, prideful. As people lose or suppress the knowledge of God, guess what? Spiritual darkness rules. In their thinking, God becomes smaller and self becomes larger. It's all about me. It's all about how I look. It's all about my achievements. It's all about what I can do. We don't remember God anymore. So pride takes over our mind. Everybody now is the center of the world. And how we know that? Virgin, if you have a social media platform, Virgin, and you go on there, you will see that it's just a showcase with everybody. This is who I am. This is what I do. This is where I'm going. This is what I accomplish. Virgin, we just live in a prideful, prideful generation. Everybody is seeking attention. People just want you to see their progress. Because what? It gives them a sense of satisfaction. And this, when people see this, it leads other people to what? The lust of the eyes? The lust of the flesh? And what it does? It urges people now, oh, I want to do that. I want to do this. I want to be like that person. I want to go where this person goes. Because I saw it on a social media platform a couple days ago. It's like it's just, it is so rampant that it's destroying. It is destroying this generation. Prideful people become the center of their world. It's not about God anymore. God is conveniently moved to the least. And when God is moved to the least, then a denial of His existence or His character is pushed to the side. And self-importance now becomes stronger and stronger. Virgin, the cycle that follows is familial. People exalt themselves above God and over others. Pride increase, arrogant or abusive behavior ensues and people will eventually suffer. Because everybody wants to be on the top. And if people have to trample you to get on the top, Virgin, they will. So people will always suffer because people have to exalt pride. I'm sure we see that happening today. Now, there are also many biblical examples of pride and its consequences in the lives of individuals. And they offer valuable lessons for our own lives. In 2 Corinthians 26, there's an account there of, I think it's Uzziah, who was a believer. When he became king of Judah at age 16, he set his heart to see God and put himself under the spiritual mentorship of Zechariah. And as long as he sought the Lord, God made him to prosper. As a result, he acquired wealth and became politically and militarily powerful. Then, things changed. His fame began to spread afar for he was marvelously helped. But when he was strong, Virgin, he grew proud to his own destruction. A lessening dependence on God and a growing reliance upon himself and his politically strength and his military power. Virgin, helped him to develop reliance on him and push God to the corner. The pride of Uzziah's heart led to presumptuousness before God and it brought serious consequences upon him. Virgin, his downfall illustrates the biblical warning mentioned in Proverbs 11 verse 2. That pride leads to disgrace and also in Proverbs 16, that pride can lead to destruction. Virgin, history at every point shows how easy it is for pride to increase as we become stronger and more successful, more prosperous. We start recognizing our endeavor and of course, we put God on the battle. I encourage us all, go back and read these stories and just meditate on them, especially 2 Chronicles 26. We also have an account of prideful behavior with the story of Haman in Esther 3. Also, we have Nebuchadnezzar in Daniel 4. Also, a great read about pride and prosperity is in Prophets and Kings chapter 3, where it's peace and Solomon, how he splattered himself with wisdom, power and pride. Virgin, these are very good reads. It just opened up my mind to help me to understand more the world that we live in and my prideful condition. But my question this morning, I wonder if religious people like me and yourselves, all who are on the line, if we are immune to prideful tendency or one would call it spiritual pride. I can say for a fact, no, we are not. Pride affects religious people too. But few people today seem to be aware of the danger of spiritual pride. Through the history of church, it has also been seen. It is a great plague and a tool that the devil used within the church. And some would say, pride is like a spiritual cancer in the church. So, it's not only in the world, it is much in the church also. It eats up the very possibility of love. Because where there is pride, virgin, humility sinks. And guess what? It's like it destroys love. Because it's all about me, me, me, me, me. What I can do, do, do, do, do. And it seeks to exalt itself among each other. Now, let us look at the lesson on religious pride from an account in the New Testament, which is found in the parable of the Pharisees and the tax collector. And this you can find in Luke 18. Now, this story can help us to recognize our own spiritual pride. It tells of a much despised tax collector and a self-righteous Pharisee who went to the temple to pray. Now, listen to this closely, which I know we all know of the account. Now, the Pharisee proceeds to commend himself to God because of his careful observance of law and to look down with cornful contempt on the sinful tax collector. These are the words of the Pharisees, God, I thank you that I'm not like other men, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week. I give tithes of all that I get. Well, can you imagine that prideful prayer? Now, notice in his prayer that his focus is not really on God at all, but on how good he is and how bad others are. Here is pride wrapped in the cloak of religion and given it a bad name. This prideful man only trusts in himself and his deeds for righteousness and treated others with contempt. But guess what? He was a churchgoer. He was part of the religious circle. But here is a simple tax collector humble position. The man is aware of his faith and unworthiness before God that he cannot even lift his eyes as he stands in the back of the temple. Far from the altar, he was standing, holding on his breath in sorrowful contrition over his sins. He can manage only the desperate plea. God, be merciful to me, a sinner. God, be merciful to me, a sinner. You see, Virgin, his focus is very much on his own sins. Not the sins of others or looking at others or what others could do or the prayers that others pray. He was just in humbleness asking God to look at him, look at his heart. And especially, he was in realization of his need for God's mercy. Virgin, that should be our position. We're all in need of God's mercy in our life. Not to go to God and tell him what you do, what you have, your accomplishments and that you're not like other people. Or looking down on other people. But to know that we are constantly in need of God's mercy. And Virgin, humility, which is the opposite of pride, is really a scarce commodity today. Humbling of self seems as if it's out of fashion in today's world and seems unappealing to most of us. But as Christians, we most view humility as one of the most essential things that characterize true Christianity. Our perspective on humility can be radically changed and banished the old selfish pride and arrogance from our lives if we will ponder and meditate on the great examples of the humility of Jesus Christ. Just look at what Christ did for us. By leaving heaven, coming to earth, taking on the form of man, he demonstrated humility. Just, Virgin, by coming here to die for us, to save us from the ruin of sin. Virgin, as one song says, he left the splendor of heaven not knowing his destiny. But all of that was for you and me. Throughout his life on earth, Jesus Christ demonstrated a spirit of profound humility saying that he came not to be served, but to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many. And guess what he did? On his last night with the disciples, he took a towel and basin and washed their feet instructing them to follow his example of servanthood with one another. Virgin, the God of heaven came to earth and I can say he took my feet, my dirty old feet and washed them. Because what? He wanted to display the act of humility to us so that we should know that we are to be serving, serving every stage of our spiritual walk. Christ is the humility of God. Virgin, clothes and garb in the meekness and gentleness of heaven to win and serve and save. So should it be any difference for us? We who are called representatives of God, what are we doing with pride? Virgin, we are called to be humble just as our Savior displayed humility throughout his ministry. Now Virgin, developing the identity and attitude and conduct of humility does not happen overnight. It is like probably peeling off an onion. You cut away one layer only to find another beneath it. But eventually you will get to the good part of the onion. Eventually we will get to humility. And how we get there? As we see our wicked prideful condition and forsake it and ask God to humble ourselves daily. Virgin, we will grow, grow from day to day. Humility will start to grow in our lives. Virgin, in clothing, let me say, let us trust God. Pride should have no place in our lives. Virgin, pride makes us artificial but humility makes us real. Humility makes us real. Jeremiah 9, 23-24 Thus saith the Lord, Let not the wise man boast in his wisdom. Let not the mighty man boast in his might. Let not the rich man boast in his riches. But let him who boasts, boast in that he understands and know me, that I am the Lord who practice steadfast love, justice and righteousness in the earth. For in these things I delight, declare the Lord. Let us pray. Dear Heavenly Father, Thank you again Lord for speaking to my heart and speaking to my celebratory heart. You have sent words of wisdom, words of life. Father, I can't even say why was I impressed to go back over this. But as a fact, I do know that God, you're trying to eradicate pride out of my heart. Every time I go through this lesson, Father, there's just this nervousness that just covers me because God, I know my condition. So Lord, this morning I'm speaking to you and I'm asking you, please Lord, to search my heart, search my virgin heart. And please Lord, if there be any selfish, prideful ways within us, please Lord, eradicate it from us. God, there are so many things in my life and so many things in my virgin life, so many decisions that we have made, so many choices that we have made because of pride. And because of those things, dear Lord, it seems as if it destroys our mental health, it destroys our health, it destroys our bodies. Pride. Pride. Father, these lessons are truly helping me to understand the true nature of pride, how destructive it is. Dear God, it is a challenge. It is a challenge, oh God, to remove this selfishness from our lives. But this morning, the prayer of my heart is that you give us courage and give us the strength we need, oh God, to infiltrate this pride in our lives that is holding us hostage and holding us bondage. Where, oh God, we cannot see you and your greatness and what you want to do for us, Father. All we see is just our decisions because of pride. All we want to fulfill is just our agenda. Deliver us, oh God, from this ungodly state. Father, when I saw that young man last week at home, Father, all he could talk about is his prideful achievement. Father, it just brings me to realize that what John saw, and he categorized sin as the loss of the eyes, the loss of the flesh, the pride of life. And that's what I saw in this man, show me that that is what is in me too. Pride. It has destroyed our minds. It has destroyed our health. It has destroyed our bodies because all we do, Father, is look at others and it creates this greed within us that we have to get this, we have to do this, we have to achieve this. And all you're calling us to do is just be humble and follow me. Seek after you first and you will let everything else fall in place. Those are your words to our heart. Father, I don't want the words of Solomon in Proverbs to reach my life and to reach my spiritual life where pride becomes a fall or a destruction in our lives. But if we allow you, the light of the world, Father, to manifest in our lives, as John said, this is the message, that in you God is pure and light and there is no darkness and pride is utter darkness. Deliver me, O God. Deliver us all. That is the prayer of my heart. For deliverance this morning. And when we have that deliverance, dear God, we will choose to stay in that position and be strengthened and fortified in that position because only when we are anchored within you will we escape the lust of the eyes, the lust of the flesh, and the pride of life. So increase our desire this morning and let us choose to walk in this light and be aware of this light around us and to flee the darkness that will cause us to stumble and fall. Thank you, dear Lord, for hearing my prayer and it is the prayer of my brethren's heart in Jesus' name.