On the Subject of Pride | Bible Study | 4th March 2026

Defining Pride and Lucifer's Rebellion in Isaiah 14 So let me again ask this question. From what Manny and Sister Tossing have said, have we ever found ourselves overestimating our abilities or ourselves? So you are proud people, right? OK. Have you ever come across as condescending to anybody? So you are really very proud people. You need this. All right, let me just read to you from Webster's. Pride is exaggerated self esteem or conceit. That's just what the brother and sister just said. Now an inordinate or excessive opinion of 1's own importance or ability and there's a picture to go with it. So what do you see? You see the cat bar what the image the cat has of himself or herself that I'm a lion. You know right, That there is a picture of pride. Now we are going to read 2 texts and I want you to interrogate, you know both of the texts. I have removed some portions so that it will fit into one slide. So if you are volunteering to read, I would advise that you turn to the actual passage in Isaiah and read to us from Isaiah chapter 14 verses 12 to 14. Isaiah chapter 14, verse 12 to 14. Speaker 2 How you are falling from heaven, the Lord, this son of dawn, How you are caught down to the ground. You who lead the nation alone you set in your heart. I was sent to heaven above the stars of God. I will set my throat on high. I will sit on the mouth of assembly in the far reaches of the north. I was sent above the heights of the clouds. I will make myself like the Most High. Speaker 1 Man, thanks for watching. Yes, I've highlighted some things there and I've got some things, but even from the highlighted portions and maybe portions that are not highlighted, what can you draw from? Yes, Manny and please this particular topic as we have done even when Pastor Jada was seeking us through Back to Basics, this is very self applicatory as we go through slide after slide, do not be thinking of something or somebody very far away because there is a reflection of each and every one of us in all of these things. Yes, Manny. Speaker 3 Yeah. I think one thing I will pick out from there is where you highlighted, you said in your heart, Yep, right, Because that's the that's the way it starts from. And so many times we have pride that doesn't manifest because we said it in our hearts. For maybe we didn't say it with our lips or whatever, you know, but God sees all those things we went over when Genesis 18, when Sarah said in her heart, she laughed in her heart, but God saw it. And so I think it's the same way with our pride. Speaker 1 Thank you, Manny. Any other brother or chair then brother Jose? Speaker 2 So the OK, the numbers of I will that I see. Yeah, one of the definitions I gave is that the written importance of you that you have yourself. So that I will, I will, I will. Speaker 1 Yeah. Now, how many of us have said even today that I will, I'll be in church, maybe somewhere. Would you be? I'll be there. I will go to the office tomorrow. I will do this. I will do that. Do you know that if you look at it critically from a biblical point, because James, remember what James said, that you who say that, OK, we'll go to Joss on on on Saturday, buy potatoes, you know, get cheese and milk and then come back on Monday on time. I'll leave Joss around 5:00 so that I'll just straight to the office. And you just think it's normal. No, that is actually pride speaking. I know when people hear some Christians always qualify their desires by saying by by God's grace, if God wills, it looks as if that person is being overly spiritual, right? If you think that way, that is pride that is making you think that we're about that person because in reality that is the kind of hearts disposition we should have. This is what I have planned, but I know that I will only be able to do this if the Lord wills it. So yes. How have you fallen? Because pride? Usually the Scripture says pride goes before or fall and money, you know, nailed it. You have said in your hearts that's where it starts. And there are some people who are so proud, but they will not make any noises. Yeah, that quiet sister. You don't know what is inside their heart. And then you see the I wills, I will set my throne on high. I will sit. And when the Bible talks, I remove that portion. But you read it from your hard copies when the Bible talks about the sides of the North is simply reference to where God's throne is. So Lucifer here is actually saying I'm going to plan a coup and I'm going to overthrow God and I will make myself like the Most High. The King's Self-Exaltation and God's Hatred of Pride Let's look at the next text we'll be looking at. OK, Daniel. Chapter 4 Read from 28 to 30 somebody, Yeah. Speaker 2 But all these things did happen to Nebuchadnezzar 12 months later. He was taking a walk on the flat, on the flat roof of the Royal Palate in Babylon. As he looked across the city, he said, look at this great city of Babylon. By my own mighty power, I have used this beautiful city as my royal residence to display my majestic splendor. While these words were still in his mouth, a voice called Down from heaven, O King Nebuchadnezzar. Speaker 1 Stop there. 2:30 Yeah. Can we also interrogate this? First of all, let me ask, was Nebuchadnezzar talking to somebody? He was talking to himself because in the Aramaic, what is being presented here and the king answered is simply and the king said he was talking again with himself. How many, how many, how many times have you gotten up and maybe just looked at your your living space and said wow or more you get this. Don't get me wrong, go there is an aspect of appreciating creativity that God has given you, but there is also this aspect of maybe you, even you are, you are the car wash. And when they've washed the car and they finished it, look at it and say this car. You know, that's the kind of thing that Nebuchadnezzar is saying here. And he says for the glory of my majesty. So what does the Bible say about pride? What does the Bible say about pride? God hates it. God hates. Yes. Did you see my slide before? No. OK, very good Bible students. God hates pride. In fact, of the six things that the writer of Proverbs 6 lists, which God hates, one of them is a proud. The Bible says that pride goes before a fall. It precedes destruction. God opposes the proud, James 46 and first Peter 55 and pride itself exaltation. You remember the Pharisee who was praying next to the tax collector and what was he saying? Thank God. And sometimes pride conceals itself in spirituality. You will think the man was giving glory to God, thanking God, but in reality the man was blowing his own trumpet. Why does God hate pride? Yes, was it? Speaker 4 I think we see it in the what Lucifer said pride is self ex is self exalting. You're, you're always looking to exalt yourself and, and at the heart of this is. Speaker 5 You. Speaker 4 Look to elevate yourself over without even using those as that was. You're looking to elevate yourself over God, right? That it plays out in various ways, but at the heart of it is you not being submissive and elevating yourself over whatever states you are. Speaker 1 In OK I think one of the reasons why God hates pride is because it's implies an independence of God where the person doesn't need God and he has done since by himself. Like be ready in Daniel, you can, as I said, that he builds the palace by his mighty power, that kind of thing. So. Speaker 6 The same thing, but it's like the world has arises would be shame God's glory taking God's glory, yeah. Speaker 7 Continue that theme of taking God's glory. God is the creator, right? Everything he has made, He orders the world by His Providence. So the creature cannot boast of anything, has nothing so but the creatures who now want to vote themselves about the creator. It's just a state of logicality. It's not reasonable. It's it's, it's fact, it's against reality. So in fact the creature is insane, is making a representation of something that is not true. And since God is all truth, He has to oppose all untruths. Therefore, my good and necessary consequence got his prize. Speaker 1 Thank you all three of you. So you see the foolishness of Lucifer and Isaiah 14, a creature saying that I am going to be thrown my creator and I'm going to sit upon his throne. But in our own lives, how, how do we, how can you apply this? How Pride Dethrones God and Leads to Inability to Forgive Because there are moments and there are times and there are situations where we actually like, dethrone God and sit upon His throne. Can you think of any? You know? Yes, money, and then you know. Speaker 3 So I think what I was even going to say in the earlier parts is that pride always, and I'll connect you to the question that you've asked, pride always births evil. There's any anytime somebody thinks a proud thought and acts on it, especially only something evil can come out of it. Like, you know, I was making the point that God has order, right? And so when we now start to seek, when we now have pride, which we're in some way, we're going to undermine order, you know, opposite in certain ways. And I think one example, one example that I think we we cite often, it's traffic light. You know, God has given the powers to order our society to the government. The government puts, you know, traffic lights and other laws, right? You can use that as an ex, you know, as an analogy for other laws. And then when we seek to break it, we're acting in pride in that moment. And you know, from that all kinds of things happen. Car accidents, you know, I think would be 1 good example. Speaker 1 Yeah, while you bring the mic to Yemen. Yeah, pride actually distorts reality. And to buttress what you said, the full title is actually in my pride Rebellion and ruin because that's the trajectory. Really. Yeah. OK, sorry. Just repeat the question. Let me know that I'm answering the correct question. Why does God hate? Right. The one that I raised my hand. You asked something like an example of Yes, Yes. And what came to mind immediately was a refusal. We have an inability to forgive the wrongs that others have done to us. What that says, especially after God has made the ultimate sacrifice so that you can be forgiven, is that your sense of morality and righteousness is better than God's. Your own personal violatedness is superior to whatever like what God has has put within himself and us. And related to this, I find that the there is a very, very direct correlation between pride and the degree, the frequency, the ease with which one gets offended. They are inseparable and it goes hand in hand with if you see what it caused God to forgive you and how far you are from his standard, it is virtually impossible not to forgive those around you. Yeah, I'll, I'll forgive all the correct responses you've made because I know you. There was no way you would have looked through my slides. So yeah, yes, we we will get to the point where we'll look at signals and signs that will tell us that we are being proud. And you see the the points you made the initial points at the risk of pre empting other slides, who in scripture kind of encapsulates that where it was like their own sense of morality was higher than God's. There's somebody there, Jonah. You remember Jonah now Jonah was angry that I knew it. Now chef, it is what I said. You are going to forgive this people. That was right at its peak because what Jonah was saying is that he, Jonah was more offended by the wickedness of Nineveh than God himself and that God sending him to go preach to the Ninevites so that they may repent was really unnecessary. At that point. Jonah felt he was more righteous than God. OK, so let's just see these things are in no by no means exhaustive. I just a few. God hates pride because pride was the first rebellion. We read that from Isaiah 14 and that wherever there is pride, wherever there is self exaltation, what follows directly is usually separation from God. Because it was the same thing in Genesis chapter 3 verse 5. What did Lucifer say he wanted to become in Isaiah 14? Sorry. He will be like the Most High. He will be like God. What was it that the serpent used to tempt Eve to convince her that the reason why God did not want them to eat that fruit was what? They will be like God. And that thing, that thing has seeped it. It keeps bleeding out. Sometimes we can cover it with I'm a perfectionist, right? I strive for excellence. And then whoever you trample down and whoever you put and UN quote kill on the way towards achieving that excellence doesn't really matter. Pride replaces God at the center. The second thing there is that pride contests for worship through worship says Thou, O Lord are God alone, but pride says I am God. And when you see that, how how has this been Christianized in our contemporary Christianity? And they use the Bible to try to give it legitimacy. Yes. Have I not said you are gods? And you see Christians who will be arguing with you and they'll tell you, look, I am a God, small Jisha, but I'm a God. That is pride. That is pride masquerading as spirituality. And then of course, we know that where pride reigns, grace withdraws. We've read that from James 46, that God resists the proud. So now let's talk about the difference between pride and dignity. Finding Identity in Christ, Not Achievements or Entitlement Like I said earlier, we have to balance these things so that when we say that one should not be proud, when we say God hates pride, what are we saying? Is it that God has called his children to an existence of timidity? Paul, writing to Timothy, said God has not given us what? The spirit of fear? The spirit of the spirit of love? No, no. First of all, what has he not given us? The spirit of fear? That spirit of fear, what does it really mean? Yes. Speaker 8 Contrasting fear is boldness. Speaker 1 Both of you are correct that boldness is not the same thing as arrogance. All Paul is saying is anyone who has the Spirit of God, just like you've said. That which God has and sometimes where do we most manifest timidity when it comes to sharing the gospel, right. You are first, you are first of all concerned about if they rejected how, how are how are they going? How are you going to feel? What are they going to say about you right. So you cannot cross that huddle by saying no. Now, if I, if I share the gospel that it would be like, it would be like pride. I'm trying to know that's not that's what we are saying. Pride is different from arrogance, right? And pride is different from we are not saying that we we're. What we are not saying is that to show that you are not proud, you must have a timid attitude. No, God has not given his children that spirit of timidity. You speak when you have to and how you have to and on what you have to. So the difference I'm trying to make here is that there is a difference between pride and dignity, or what you could refer to as ashward worth. The difference here is simply this. A proud person finds their identity in one of those achievement. Your intelligence, your performance, your spirituality, and your status. And the binding glue for all of this is that the credits for all of these accomplishments go to the person. Are we together? But for the person who is walking in dignity, who is assured of their worth, you find even from saying assured worth, that they are looking beyond themselves to another person who gives them. You know what the Bible says in Colossians, Colossians 2 seven, that you are complete in Christ. So a person who is working in dignity and not in pride finds their identity in the truth and the reality that they are created in the image of God. Does that make sense? And every true Christian truly who understands this image of God theology is naturally or should naturally treat other people with some measure of respect. Now I'm going to ask you a question. If you don't want to answer it, you can just nod your head. How many times or have you ever by default, before you correct yourself, looked with scorn on those are margeries or those boys who try to stop you by force to sell things to you, this urban or junction. Yeah, thank you for your honesty. Pride is being chipped away. Small, small. Sorry. That's that's that's our default response. Sometimes we first of all see what is presenting in people before we see the image of God in them, and this is something we have to learn. Everybody deserves dignity, not because of any other thing first, but the fact that every human being was made or is made in the image of God. And the second thing there is that somebody who walks with a sense of assured worth at every point in time recognises that they are recipients of God's grace. Let's read first Corinthians 47. I would have given an example, but there are a few people who belong to that profession. But I've been in a place where the way the man was stalking, he wrapped it up by saying, do you think I spent six years in the university for nothing? Get quiet too, because I wanted to get well so. Speaker 8 First Corinthians 47. Speaker 1 For for who? Speaker 8 Sees anything different than you? What do you have that you did not receive? If then you received it, why do you boast as if you did not receive it? Speaker 1 Amen again, because like I said, I want this to be not just a participatory class but also a self reflective class. I want you to think of one thing you know that God has blessed you with. For some of you it could be your beauty. Maybe like Absalom or Adonija, I will come to them later. For some it could be. I'm not saying it's either or because there are some of you who have everything right. For some of you, it could be your intellect. You read it once and it sticks while people are putting their feet in pocket of water. How many of you know that theory? Pocket of water, 2 buckets of water. You put your feet so that you won't sleep and you'll Jack all through the night while people are doing that. You, you are, you are snoozing. I've read it, I've read it. Don't worry if it comes out, I'll, I'll give them, you know, think of anything. Sometimes it could be even material blessing or your station by dint of status in life. How many times do we actually intentionally thank God for that? And if there are things that you have had for so long, the danger is that you get to the point where you feel entitled to it. I mean, there's no other way. I've been coming first from nursery school. So what's the big deal? And that's where it gets so easy to call somebody a Ludo. Yeah. Blockhead, you know, but how many times, how many times have you seen people struggle to grasp a concept which you know, you can do, You can, you can do it while playing football or whatever it is you play that you see people struggling over what you don't sweat over. And then you actually go back and thank God for that gift. Once we've had it for too long, once it becomes second nature, we tend to feel entitled to it. And you get irritated when some other person is struggling with that thing to catch up. How many of you have tried to teach somebody something and they are struggling to get it and you get angry with them? You know why? That's pride. You are feeling you who knows it. It's because you are just something else. You are something. There are two tests that I I put there on how a proud person reacts or responds 1 is success, success and failure Let's look at success first. How Proud and Humble People Handle Success Differently A proud person who is successful is usually I think was Anna who said who said something about being person condescending right. A proud rich or successful woman or man would normally be contending and this cuts across every strata. If their success is financial, they will be condescending to people who are financially poor. And most times their explanation for the poverty of that person is what they are lazy. They are lazy, the lazy man. That's why it's poor. The second point there is that a proud person would always seek recognition. That thing that they are doing, they want people to know that they are doing it. Do you remember what Jesus brothers told him? Nobody who does these things, everybody who is doing this would want people to know that this is me, you know, and #3 is that the moment where you begin to, on account of your success, make comparison? You and others know that that is pride that is talking. Are we together? I know that a lot of these things apply to all of us in different ways, but somebody who is humble, that's on this corner, the way they handle success is with gratitude and humility. Let's read Jeremiah 9 verses 23 and 24. Jeremiah 923 That says, 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 this, that he understands and knows me, that I am the Lord who practices steadfast love, justice, and righteousness in the earth. For in these things I delight, declares the Lord. Amen. The prophet has given us different categories, and he says, Anyone who has all of these things should not boast in them. If you are going to boast, you should make your boast in the fact that you know me. So how many of us have boasted in anything other than of When we talk of pride, you know that we are talking about sinful boasting, but how many of us have posted posted at all? Some of you even boast about the things you don't have. You boast about EPL clubs, something you don't have, you know, OK, but these things are things we should reflect. If there is anything you must make your boast in, make your boast in the fact that you know God. I think it was a a shame with Pastor Geller on on Sunday, because in the course of the sermon, he kind of you know, and I told him you that when I was preparing last week's prayer in the course of reading what Peter was writing and I, I paused and I said to myself, not to myself. I said to God that you mean these other men that you have put me together with. That is, if you had a, a basket of your people of old Peter, Paul, James, John, Ezekiel, Isaac, even me, I will be in that. It's I just couldn't get over that. But what we are being told here is that if you must boast, let it not be. Yes, God has given each and every one of us something of a gift or let those gifts not assume the role of the giver of that gift. Then the next thing would be to look at I've been disconnected. Contrasting Responses to Failure: Blame vs. Humility OK, there's a difference between how the proud and the humble handle success. There is also a very telling difference in how the proud and the humble handle failure. How many of us have ever tried to hide the fact that we are failed at something or hide our failures? Why Please, please. Because I felt like someone like me should not be failing at that kind of thing. OK, you felt you were. You felt you were the lion in the mirror. Meanwhile, you had the cat looking at the mirror. OK, but the true reason for hiding your failure is what? Sprite, Sprite, Sprite. I know parents who have told their children that right from primary school. They always confess. Then as the children began to grow up, when they are now, you know, finding looking for their documents, they go back to make sure they hide those secondary school results so that the children, your children should be able to see you. It's not the failure, It is the how you handle failure. A proud person when they fail at something, one of the first sciences, they become defensive. And like I'm saying, as I'm saying this, please be asking yourself, you're asking yourself, you are driving. I'll go back to money and you are with your brother and you beat the lights and the brother looks at you say Kyle, and you start, You know, you know now that sometimes this just accept that you did wrong. Amen. Or the tendency would be to blame others or feel threatened because a proud person's value is performance based failure attacks their identity. You recall what Adam did in the garden? Now what did Adam do? What did he say to God? Yes, you're going to see some. OK 1st to answer your question, what did Adam say? I was afraid so I hid. No, not that 10 Oh, the woman you gave me, she gave it to me. That's that's pride. But I did want to like another angle at least one thing that I I've seen with failure, the proud is especially when you are doing attempting something with a group of people. I don't know about others, but sometimes you hate or resent those who did well when you failed and then you want nothing to do with them. You hide or whatever, but sometimes you just actually do not like the people who have succeeded. Again, you have you have looked at my slides. Somehow you know, we'll get to that. Triggers to know whether you are a proud person. You know when, when, especially when you are working in a team and somebody, he doesn't even have to be a member of your team, but somebody who is doing well. How do you relate with their success? Are you genuinely happy? I mean what I mean, genuinely happy. We'll get to that point, right? Yeah, Adam said. The woman whom gave me will have to move a bit faster now. But the humble handles failure different. You should be able to admit when you are wrong. Learn from those mistakes. You can feel disappointment without losing your identity. This was where I was trying to quote from earlier Colossians 210. Because you know that you are completing Christ and when you are a secure person you can easily say I was wrong. Simple, I was wrong. Sorry. You recall what David said to Nathan. I have seen against the Lord Second Samuel 1213. That's the heart of a humble. You know, sometimes people wonder what is it that Saul, King Saul did that David didn't do more than but you can see the heart of of David. We'll get to the point of Saul after Saul had messed up. Saul, instead of owning his nest, told Samuel. It doesn't matter, but at least you bless me and honor me in the eyes of the people. Pride. That's the summary of all that we've just said. Now, a humble person, a person who works in dignity and assured was tends towards humility. So let's just have some examples of people who have been known for their pride in Scripture. Lessons from Saul, Cain, Absalom, Uzzah, and Other Proud Figures So OK, I mentioned so. So I give you the second one. Who else? Speaker 7 Every single person since the form. No one seeks God. He's the one see God. That is the experiment. Speaker 1 Of private procedure chichi I'm not saying anything about this I think one of the first place it shows up in in genesis Islamic who revels in in the fact that if you do me if you do me one I'll do you 2 I've I've killed a man who wounded me by to my childhood or something like that yes so I think that's one of the clearest Chris I. Speaker 6 Said. Speaker 1 Cain. Cain. OK, In what way He. Speaker 6 Came home, he's plenty. He came number one. You know, he was envious of his brother. He had no regard for God and his law because that made it clear that if he had done or was right, he had been accepted. He's not going to repent. He went ahead to kill his brother, so he had no regard for God. Speaker 1 Remember what I added to Pride, Rebellion, Ruin, Chris? Speaker 2 Queen varsity of the Persian Empire. How I refuse that to appear before the King's banquet. Us as a result of our pride. She feels she's too beautiful so. Speaker 1 That's that one is there's there's some contention there that's that's Chris we can discuss later to show you why some of the the arguments for why Vashti refused to make herself a spectacle. You know, four, yes, and also. Speaker 8 The the fool in the parable of the rich fool who says I will store and I will store and I will do this. And just to lay a point on that too as well, to be honest, I think you asked that question, how it has been so dumbed down today in our world. And it may look like chair, it may look like someone who's protecting his investments, somebody who is looking after his things. But he was so sure that he was going to do all those things and give himself life tomorrow and even still grow all of the things he has. And then, well, he didn't need to see because, bro, he said him and said he won't see. He would take it so far. Yeah. Speaker 1 The the the intro to why he was, he said it now so that he would. It was all about him. Him, Adityaji. And then Chichi then would look at what I have on the screen and I'll say Judas, Judas Iscariot. After he had betrayed Jesus, he could not face the others. And to protect his dignity, he decided to kill himself. I wonder what dignity Judas had after Chichi. I'm thinking about Leah and Rachel in the competition, about childbearing and giving their needs to. Yeah, And what was see what was what was Jacob's response to the competition that was going on between OK, let's just look at the few that I have on the on the screen. Somebody has mentioned Saul, what Absalom also allowed, you know who was I we're talking about somebody Absalom with someone. OK, it was money. I think physically speaking, maybe outside of Adam was perfect. The way Pastor Jonas talked about Absalom, you know that they were even wearing his hair on handsome man. The only flaw he had, if he had flaws, they were not external inside. And Absalom allowed his anger because it was vengeful anger. It's allowed him the gifts which God gave him, physical beauty, winsomeness, popularity and even his family. He lost it all on account of pride. And after Absalom, his brother Adonijah or Adonijah right in First Kings 5. Is it 5? I think it's six. I'm not sure. Now Adonijah the son of Haggath, exalted himself, saying, I will be king, and he went ahead to do all of that, prepared Chariots and you know, horsemen and all of that. What about Hezekiah? Second Chronicles 225 But Hezekiah did not make return according to the benefits done to him, for his heart was proud. Therefore wrath came upon him and Judah and Jerusalem. Who remembers this, the narrative around Hezekiah? I don't want to be looking at that or chill in the Dickens. Al Jabba is out. Let's try and read it. The Pharisee we have already talked about earlier. And meanwhile, I just mentioned Adoniger, A lesson in the story of Adoniger for parents who have children and for those who would have children later as a result of the single seminar on Saturday. You have to you have to be able to call your children to order. David as excellent as he must have been, he failed as a father where Adonijah was concerned. We read first Kings chapter one in verse 6 or so that at no time had David ever cautioned him to say, why are you behaving like this? Why are you behaving like that? And he, he ran. As I'm speaking this one down, I'm speaking to myself, actually. Yeah. OK, Peter. Peter's overconfidence and self over self estimation, though they all fall away because of you, I will never fall away. Hidden pride. He trusted his devotion more than God's sustaining grace. What about Miriam and Aaron? Sometimes we, a lot of us fall into this. And you will look for scripture to back it up. Are we not all kings and priests? Is not the same cross 1 Lord, 1 Spirit, one God. Right. So why should Pastor Martin now call me to his office and be telling me the things that he's telling me? Yeah. What happened to Miriam and Aaron? What was the cure? Who was now the instrument of the cure for the other person? The same person, BA. You know, there's a saying in Yorubala and that and then of course an Ibukadnezzar. We have seen that. And I, I tried to explain that while he said when he spoke, he was actually soliloquizing, a soliloquy of self congratulation. And then Uzza, this is when, when you read this, anybody, when you read this, you should pray. Can somebody read the story of Ooza for us? Quickly Chronicles 2614 to 16. Speaker 2 The Con Chronicles, chapter 2614 to 16 and Isaiah prepared for all the army Shields, Spears, helmets, coats of mail, bows, and stones for slinging in Jerusalem. He made machines invented by skillful men to be on the tiles and the corners, to shoot arrows and Gray stones, and his fame spread far, for he was marvellously helped. He he was strong, but when he was strong he grew proud to his destruction. But he was unfaithful to the Lord his God, and entered the temple of the Lord to burn incense on the altar of incense. Speaker 1 Amen. This is a scary story for everybody who is upwardly mobile. This guy did fantastic things for Israel during his reign. What the Bible says after he was marvelously helped what happened, he grew proud. There's a way success cannot end almost any man, not almost any man whose trust is not anchored on God. And the the lesson there in his hidden pride was presuming success authorizes you for responsibilities that God did not give this we should take very, very, very seriously. You may be very good at other things, but do not let your success make you zoom and get into areas where you have not been given either the calling of gift. If I could do this, if I could do that, What is what is what is there to carry incense? Is it not just to carry it and to shake it like this. And then we've talked about Jonah, who resented God's grace towards the Ninvites. Recognizing Offense, Defensiveness, and Comparison as Pride Now let's look at signs of hidden pride. This is those are some of the things you were talking about there. If you easily take offense, just know it. It's not because of the way he said it or the way she said it. It is because of pride. Forget about what to forget about. If I abuse you in my language, Yakko, which you don't understand, would you react or respond? You won't. We should get to that point where we have so killed pride in our hearts that even when I understand what you are telling me, there's no network to give you a response. It won't ring. Amen. And some of the triggers are when someone corrects you, you take offence. You know you are. You take offence sometimes it is when you do something that you are sure that you deserve an accolade and nobody seems to have seen it. I was discussing with the members of the in in the membership class and I asked a question. Have you ever done something good for somebody you know that you are expecting that when you see them next, they will really thank you, you know, really thank you and they just pass and you know, and you feel bad Sprite. So so ungrateful. So ungrateful. That is pride talking for some of us is when you think that you are the paragon of wisdom. You are the ahitophile of the clan. And then you have given advice and nobody takes the advice. And secretly what you are really wishing is sky they will see. And then sometimes truly that advice of yours which was not heeded perhaps should have been the way to go. And you are secretly very happy. I was telling them, yeah, that is pride. This ones are in in we have it. It seeps out. It bleeds out of us in different forms. So the second signal is when you have difficulty accepting correction, the moment somebody's correcting you, your your default response is defensiveness. And you already always have an explanation for why actually you were the one who was actually right. That is right. You explain rather than examine yourself. You see that Mary and Martha, who was it? I was asking Jesus that why wouldn't Mary help me with what I'm doing? You know what was really right? She's just sitting there and I'm the only one doing everything that is right. That's right. And when you are corrected, if you secretly resent the person who is correcting you, you are doing so for me proud that another signal is when you you know, you may not be very overt, but suddenly you are looking at others and and checking yourselves out. There are places you go to as you are standing talking to the person. They are looking at your shoes, but they are not looking at it. Why they are trying to value you valuation. You know, they are trying to size you up to know whether they should give you audience or not. If you are also doing that, That's that's right. Some of us the way somebody walking right and it's excuse me, please, and they need direction. The way we will respond to them is different from the way somebody who drives a Range Rover comes and asks for the same direction. The way we will attend to the man in the Range Rover is different. Don't give me that thing about well, I do you know what I had it that do you know whether the man in the Range Rover has it gone? But these are some of those subtle things. How do you people who you think are beneath you, how do you relate with them if you shortly mention or compare yourself with others? 2nd Corinthians 1012 says comparing themselves one with another, they are not wise. And if you feel good when others fail, I think there's a German word for that. Schadenfreude. Schadenfreude. Yeah, you are. You are happy when your brother comes and says, ah, did you go for that interview? Ah, yes, I did. How did it go, bro? I didn't get it. Ah, it is well, but secretly you are happy. Secretly you are happy. Secretly you are happy. That's that's not good. And when you feel threatened by someone doing better than you at the same thing you are doing these things are all as a result of the fall. I said when we started that all of us to varying degrees are susceptible to some of this. Practical Steps to Combat Pride and Embrace Christ's Example Now let's look at the practical guardrails against hidden pride. Number one, daily confession before God. James 410 humble yourselves before the Lord and he will exalt you because confession affirms our dependence. And it is strange that in some places of, of Christianity, I mean, I've been in a place where the mark of spiritual advancement is how less you pray, especially on a particular issue. And so if you have prayed on one thing and you people are still praying on that thing, they will tell you that you are you, you don't have faith. God heard you the first time, you know. But the reality is that the place of prayer is where we truly affirm and acknowledge to God that we are weak and cannot help ourselves. So action points admit specific scenes, not general way. If there's a sister or a brother that you know you do not like, not that they have done or maybe they have done something, don't gloss it over. You've heard the other say here, temp the prayer. The place of prayer is a place where you must be open before God. I know that it is sinful, but I, I struggle to accept this brother. I struggle to accept I, I know. Help me acknowledge your dependence on grace and thank God even for undeserved person #2 You can practice serving quietly behind the scene. I know that the media team has announced that they don't need more people. But people love the media. Why? Yeah, and what we have been waiting to see is what are the people that have been pulled out of the media have found other places to serve? No, everybody. Well, not everybody. Some people just grave the spotlight or the microphone. One way to kill pride. Practice serving quietly behind the scene. You can call the kilena privately. When will you be in? In church in the morning, I want to come, I want to come and arrange the chairs. I want to come and dust. I want to come and do somewhere nobody knows so that nobody is going to tell you any thank you. We are not saying that you should do it. And then when you come on Sundays, CC them city. They didn't even know that beyond that arrange serve where no one applauds, no recognition. You don't even nobody sees you. So nobody until you can deal with that. By doing so, you are dealing with #3 Pray for those who surpass you. Genuinely. You not that well. Pastor said I should pray for him. No truly asking God that this brother, this sister is doing very well. They are more gifted than me. Lord, please continue to advance them sincerely. You know what the Baptist said about Christ, right? John 331 He must increase and I must decrease. That attitude must be in US. Pray that they continue to succeed. Intentionally bless them and thank God for their gifts. If you can do this consistently, envy and pride will be cured. Truly, how many of you have practiced that thing that if you genuinely begin to pray for somebody that you have issues with death, it vanishes? Genuine prayer, a prayer that begins with Lord. I know that it is wrong to say this, but it's the truth. I don't like this sister, but I want to change. I want to love her like you have commanded, the way you have loved me. Genuinely, it has worked from you, but I won't tell you the presence. It worked not because it's me but because it's the truth of Scripture 1 Something you invest in you will be bound to care for fasting. I didn't put anything on fasting there because we just not so I want you to supply. How do you think fasting can help cure pride? Speaker 3 It's impresses on you your dependency, so I think that's one thing because you know that. Speaker 1 Oh, if, if it were. Speaker 3 Not for God's provision. I would waste away that things like that. Speaker 1 Any addition? Pride comes from where? To start with, it's pride is an expression of flesh. OK, giving you extra pride, Yeah. Speaker 8 So all I want is add is still people who have at the past see the nothingness of what they have and they see the totality of they have in Christ like from the Colossians references. Speaker 1 Because pride is actually the flesh trying to vaunt itself and you are saying look flesh you must die. My dependent is God. I need to deal with this. Number 5, accountability and submitting to spiritual authority. Accountability Shields us from self delusion. James 516 says therefore confess your sins to one another and pray for one another that you may be here. Let me ask how many of us here have actually ever met a brother who says see where I'm struggling read for me. I'm not talking about pastors who yes, yes, yes, I see my struggle here are there help me and Hebrews 313 says or exalt one another every day as long as it is called today that none of you may be hardened by the deceitfulness of seeing and then you can do a daily humility check how many of us review per day at the end of the day just to review how the day went. It's a good practice. Some people do it the following morning to start the day. But where pride is concerned, you can self examine yourself. Jeremiah Lamentations 340 says let us test and examine our ways and return to the Lord. The Apostle Paul says examine yourself to see whether you're in the 5th. Test yourselves so there are questions you can ask yourself at the end of every day starting from tonight. Did I seek recognition this week? How did I respond to correction or the bank I went to? Did I speak with the the people that give money for the counter? The teller? Was I rude to the teller? Was I irritated when I was overlooked? Did I rejoice in someone else's success or did I rejoice when I heard someone else's misfortune? These are very practical. You know can start with that and answer when the final analysis, Let us consider Christ's humility. Philippians 2529. We know that scripture very well say, who though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped. What he did, what he emptied himself by taking on the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men, the Lord's first humiliation was that he took on flesh, and being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death. Not just any death, but the death on a cross. And the action point remains. Looking to Jesus, the founder and the perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame. There will come a time where you'll have to despise whatever shame it is. That's the only way, not the only way. That's one veritable way to deal with with pride. So ultimately, the cross. Speaker 8 Yeah, it's a question. What? Despising shame means like. Speaker 1 Not consider the shame that was he didn't let his mind focus on that what instead he was focused on was you and I the joy that was said before him is not that he's going to be king in hell. I mean, he's already it's you and I that he saw that would come question answers and contributions in 5 minutes and then we call it Jana and then OK, I'll just with this something that I have observed what pride is not that is intersection between pride and dignity. That is, there really are differences in our abilities in different domains, and there are objective standards. Acknowledging this is OK, but you cannot assume that you are better than those who don't have as much of A talent as you do, because you only have it by God's grace. So if somebody asks you what you're good at, it's OK to say I'm good at this. You've trained at some things for 10 years, you are going to be better. It's OK then, that God has given us order and therefore hierarchy. It is not prideful for a king to expect his subjects to to be differential toward him, but it does not give him the freedom to treat their lives carelessly. That is true because that that chain goes both ways. Give honour to whom? Honour is you and the one who is receiving honour, even as He said of those who have sevens. First of all, the Lord says to sevens that even when you are working for somebody who is a believer, the fact that he's your brother in Christ shouldn't make you treat them with levity or treat their jobs, you know, casually. And then to the masters, yes, they are your servants, but also realize that you also have a master who is over you, so that just potressing the points that you don't treat them as objects. Yes, Ozan. Speaker 4 Same thing. I was going to say that I didn't. We didn't quite discuss the difference between pride and dignity, but she touched some. Just we don't have much time actually, but if we could interrogate that a bit more with more examples because it's a bloodline. Speaker 1 But not tonight. A Prayer for Humility and God's Glory I'll be in the office. Ana close also. Speaker 7 In Jesus name, our God in heaven, we thank you O Lord for today and we thank you for this teaching, O God, Heavenly Father, help us, O Lord, to look to Christ, for he is our example, O Lord, how he left the glories of heaven to come down to this earth, O God. And he humbled himself, taking the form of a man, and even more so to die on the cross for us. O Lord, Heavenly Father, help us. O Gods, we look to him, and we pray by looking to Him that His Spirit in US will break this humility of God to see ourselves, O God, in the light of your love and how you have poured such love on us and how you have mercy commanded us to pour such love on all those around us. O Lord. Help us, O God, that we would recognize our place, that we are your people. We are your creatures, O Lord, and that elder you have need. We are to show the same love to them, oh Lord. Help us, Oh Lord, not to think more highly of ourselves or to even think of ourselves above any other person, Oh God, who is around us, What? Help us, oh God, that we would look to you, oh God, and live in a way that will glorify you. Or we pray that even all the admonition, we'll listen to this night, all the practical advice and examples that we have learned from. Lord, help us to put this thing into practice even from today. And bless us, oh God, we pray that SGCC will be a church in which humility, true humility, will be one of our distinguishing marks. Lord, bless us with this. We pray in Jesus name.