Pride Falls as Grace Calls

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Prayer:  Oh, Lord, our Lord and Savior, help us to show humility in all we say and do today.  Amen!

Main Scripture: Romans 12:3

For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the measure of faith God has given you (vs. 3). 

Associated Scriptures:

Pride goes before destruction, a haughty spirit before a fall.  Better to be lowly in spirit and among the oppressed than to share plunder with the proud (Proverbs 16:18-19).

Live in harmony with one another. Do not be proud but be willing to associate with people of low position.  Do not be conceited (Romans 12:16).

Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up (James 4:10).

Correlative Quotes:

Being humble is not a matter of pretending to be worthless, but is a form of realism, not only regarding the real badness of one’s sins and stupidities and the real depth of one’s dependence on God’s grace, but also regarding the real range of one’s abilities. Humble believers know what they can and cannot do. They note both their gifts and their limitations, and so are able to avoid both the unfaithfulness of letting their God-given powers lie fallow and the foolhardiness of biting off more than they can chew.[1] – J.I. Packer

Our words, to be high minded, very nearly express the sense of the Greek, which is to have the thoughts and feelings habitually turned in a certain direction. This is brought out with emphatic repetition in the phrase “to be sober-minded,” to keep sobriety of mind constantly in view as the object or ideal towards which all the thoughts and feelings converge.[2] – John Charles Ellicott

When honor visits a man's house, it casts its shadow before it; it is in the fashion of humility. "Before destruction the heart of man is haughty;" pride is as surely the sign of destruction as the change of mercury in the weather-glass is the sign of rain, and far more infallibly so than that. "Before honor is humility," even as before the summer, sweet birds return to sing in our land. Everything hath its prelude. The prelude of destruction is pride, and of honor, humility. There is nothing into which the heart of man so easily falls as pride, and yet there is no vice which is more frequently, more emphatically, and more eloquently condemned in Scripture.[3] – Charles Spurgeon

Study:

It is only by grace through the Holy Spirit that we have power over pride.  All pride is not evil.  It is fine to have pride of country, family, friends, and ministry for example.  For example, I have pride in my son, daughter, and grandchildren.  It is when our pride rules our lives that it becomes sin.  It is when we become prideful people that we have stepped over the line. 

Micah 6:6-8 (NASB) says, “With what shall I come to the LORD and bow myself before the God on high?  Shall I come to Him with burnt offerings, with yearling calves?  Does the LORD take delight in thousands of rams, in ten thousand rivers of oil?  Shall I present my firstborn for my rebellious acts, the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul?  He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?”

Several years ago, I had the pleasure of hearing a message on Micah 6:6-8 given by Dr. David McKinley, teaching pastor at Prestonwood Baptist Church in Plano, TX.  He began his message by looking back to 1919 when America was preparing to go to war with Germany, World War I, “The war to end all wars.”

David told us that the American Bible Society was providing each man with a New Testament as part of the gear that they would carry with them into battle.  The Bible Society requested that President Teddy Roosevelt write something to put in the front of each Bible as a motivational and inspirational message to each man.  President Roosevelt wrote back that there was no need for any other message to these men than was to be found in Micah 6:6-8.  In essence, the President was saying to each man going into action, we cannot come to the Lord with anything that will give us favor.  He owns everything already.  We cannot make any sacrifice great enough to gain God’s attention or help.

As Dr. McKinley was finishing his message, he related an interview that he had seen on Larry King Live.  Larry’s guest was Lisa Beemer.  Mrs. Beemer was the wife of Todd Beemer who was one of the heroes of the American Air Lines flight that went down outside of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania as part of the infamous 9/11 terror attack. 

Larry asked her if they had ever found any part of Todd’s body.  Lisa said that the local coroner had found at least some part of every passenger’s body.  Larry asked if they had been able to have a burial.  She said that they had in a small cemetery adjacent to a church in the town where they live.  He asked her what was on the tombstone.  Lisa said that Todd’s name, the date that he was born, and the date that he had died. 

Then she said that there was one other thing that she had placed on the tombstone; the Old Testament verse Micah 6:6-8.  This was the verse that Todd had quoted to her before he said the famous words “let’s roll.”  In this time of great need and sacrifice, Todd Beemer also understood that God’s grace is all sufficient. 

If we know Him as our Savior and Lord and if we live a life that pleases Him, God’s will for our lives may be accomplished.  He has told us “what is good” and what is required of us.  The message is simple that we, as believers, live justly, love in kindness, and walk in humility before God.  Todd Beemer made the ultimate sacrifice to obey these principles when He and others sacrificed themselves so that thousands might not have to die.  Love is an action even when it is a noun.

As we look at Romans 13:1-14, we will study what Paul has said in light of what Micah, inspired by God, told Israel so many years ago.  Before Christ paid the penalty for our sin, Micah laid it out pure and simple the way God wanted it said so that all could understand.  In 1919, President Teddy Roosevelt repeated it for men to read as they went into battle.  Eighty-two years later, an insignificant figure in all of history, repeated this powerful message to encourage his wife.

Now that Paul has given us the challenge to live the Christian life and sacrifice ourselves continually to God and His service, he cautions us.  He wants us to understand that the gifts that allow us to perform the righteous acts and the power with which we do them come directly from God Himself. 

For this reason, we should not become vain and arrogant.  All the gifts are not equal in our eyes.  However, they are in God’s eyes.  It is not the gift that glorifies God, it is the performance of the gifts practiced in unity with the other gifts.  God is gloried when we execute the gifts we have received, in unity with believers, for the purpose of encouraging others.  Since God has given these gifts to us and He has given us the power to perform them, we cannot take any of the credit or glory for their execution.

A couple of years ago my wife and I decided, that after being homeowners for more than fifty years, we were tired of all the hassle of owning a home.  So, we sold our house and moved into an apartment.  From more than 2,000 sq. ft., not including an attic and a three car garage full of “treasures,” to just about 1,200 sq. ft. with no storage and a 1 car garage.  Naturally, after almost fifty years of marriage, we had accumulated a lot of stuff.

When we sold the house, we hired an estate sale company.  They told us to pack and mark everything that we wanted to take with us.  They moved us to our apartment.  Once we were gone, they staged everything that was left and sold it in three days.  What they couldn’t sell they gave to the Salvation Army.  We moved about 30% of our things.

Several of our good friends asked, “what about all the memories.”  I said, “The memories are in or minds.  The things we left behind were only symbols of those memories.”  For us, this was the right thing to do.

When we vacate this world, we will leave everything behind.  However, we will take the memories with us.  We will be united with loved ones who left before us and those who will come later.  The material things that represent the pride of life will be gone, but eternal life awaits.  Part of living a humble life is understanding that, in the end, eternity is all that really matters.

Summary Statement:

Christianity is a kind of looking glass world where everything works on principles opposite to those of the world around us. To be blessed, be a blessing to others. To receive love, give love. To be honored, first be humble. To truly live, die to yourself. To gain the unseen, let go of the seen. To receive, first give. To save your life, lose it. To lead, be a servant. To be first, be last.[4] – Keith Krell

Life is short and then you die.  Sounds fatalistic.  However, it gets worse.  Life is short and then you die and you leave everything you have worked for and desired behind; everything.  You don’t take anything with you.  Everything you worked for all your life.  All the stuff you accumulated.  All left behind. 

In this life and in the life to come, God, through His grace, provides for all of our needs (Philippians 4:19).  In this life, He will give us the job of His choice, the place to live where He wants us to be, the family He wants us to have, and the relationships He wants us to develop.  He will provide.  Remember it all comes from Him.  We must give Him the glory and the credit.

In the end, pride falls as grace calls.  Answer the call of God now.

Lessons within the Lesson:

What actions can you take today that will put your life on the road to humility?

What are some of the common characteristics and habits of people you know who you would call humble?[5]

How do you need to change the way you think about other people so that you can become more like Jesus?[6]

Describe giving  more honor to others than to yourself?[7]

[1] J. I. Packer, A Passion for Faithfulness: Wisdom from the Book of Nehemiah, hopefaithprayer.com/humility-isnt-pretending-to-be-worthless-j-i-packer/.

[2] C. J. Ellicott, (Charles John), A New Testament Commentary for English Readers, 1819-1905. Public Domain, Published by E. D. Dolton and Company, New York, 1897, P. 252.

[3] Charles Spurgeon, Pride and Humility, Copyright © 2001 by Phillip R. Johnson. All rights reserved, romans45.org/spurgeon/sermons/0097.htm.

[4] Keith Krell, 6. Work Your Way Down the Ladder (Philippians 2:5-11), © 2015 bible.org, All Rights Reserved, bible.org/seriespage/6-work-your-way-down-ladder-philippians-25-11.

[5] Rick Warren, Pride Destroys, Humility Builds Up. Saddleback leadership meeting, Public Domain.

[6] Ibid.

[7] Ibid.