Pride

If you could see into the world of souls, you would see a lot of people carrying baggage. Sometimes people don’t realize they are carrying baggage. Some don’t want to admit it.  They have issues in life they don’t want to face. We carry this into our relationships and we don’t know how to function with them so we try to cover them up.

Our baggage comes between us and the relationships with others and God.

Jesus didn’t come to help you through your old life but to give you a new life. You don’t have to be tied to your past or what happened back then but with the power of Christ can redeem you, heal you and change you.

Why do we do things that we know it will hurt us? Paul wrestled with this in our text.

Text: Romans 7:15-19   ¹⁵ I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do. ¹⁶ And if I do what I do not want to do, I agree that the law is good. ¹⁷ As it is, it is no longer I myself who do it, but it is sin living in me. ¹⁸ For I know that good itself does not dwell in me, that is, in my sinful nature.^[a] For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. ¹⁹ For I do not do the good I want to do, but the evil I do not want to do—this I keep on doing.

It is our sinful nature. There is some kind of satisfaction but that is pride. Pride is the sin beneath the sin.  When we knowingly do things our way it is called pride. Often we believe we know best.

4 areas pride creeps into our lives:

>>When we put ourselves in a position we were never meant to hold. It is the root sin.  Sin is the symptom but pride is the sickness. We keep asking God to forgive us but we never ask why am I doing this. Pride is the root and cause of all sin.

Isaiah 14:12-14    ¹² How you have fallen from heaven, morning star, son of the dawn! You have been cast down to the earth, you who once laid low the nations! ¹³ You said in your heart, “I will ascend to the heavens; I will raise my throne above the stars of God; I will sit enthroned on the mount of assembly, on the utmost heights of Mount Zaphon. ¹⁴ I will ascend above the tops of the clouds; I will make myself like the Most High.”

The story of Lucifer falling.  Notice “I will”  somewhere he convinced himself he was equal to God. Genesis 3:4-5  he meets up with Adam and Eve and confronts them with the same attitude. This is what makes pride so tricky. Nobody thinks they deal with it.  “they are  prideful but I don’t deal with it.”  It is easy to see in others but difficult to see in ourselves.

>>When We Control-things we were never meant to control

A. Some are dominant anger aggression abuse, bully  to control people around us. It doesn’t matter who we hurt we leverage to get our way. Some here have people around you and you make them angry and hurt them to get your way.

We are to be like Jesus and serve others. We do this in our most personal relationships, we bulldoze our partner to get we want. It is a form of control. If we can get what we want why do we need God.  Pride.

B. Other people control in a passive way, flattery, but not our of genuine love. These are looking for significance, and hope when others like them they will feel better about themselves. This is where their significance comes from.  It is not genuine. It is manipulation and a way to control things.

C. Other people do this through serving but it is not with a genuine heart. We hope they will reciprocate and when they don’t we get angry with them.

D. Pouting is another way to control. We wear mask, it doesn’t look like pride but in reality it is.

>>When we Compare Ourselves to Other People

How many list do we have today… worst dressed, best dressed, who I better and who is not.  We have more awards to give each other than ever before… Grammies, etc.

It is crazy how we are constantly comparing to others. There is even a website you can go on and post your bio, profile and pictures so you can go on there and spy o those you used to know, used to date, went to school with…. It is called Facebook.

We find some significance with that.  Comparison….my house is bigger, I have more money…. People do this with morality. I better than they are…. “One up”… I have a better story than you.

Why do we spend so much time comparing ourselves to other…. No matter how high you climb it is never enough. It is like a weight or burden we were never meant to carry. 

The truth is deep inside we think maybe if I am good enough God will accept me.

>>When we Carry Burdens we were never Meant to Carry

Matthew 11:28  ²⁸ “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. ²⁹ Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. ³⁰ For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”

Worry, anxiety and regret… we are saying God you are not big enough and great enough so I have got to do this myself.

Jesus said don’t worry about tomorrow….

We get to thinking about what could have been.  We have a tendency to live with regret. As long as you are holding on to that you will not move on.

Isaiah 53:4-5  ⁴ Surely he took up our pain and bore our suffering, yet we considered him punished by God, stricken by him, and afflicted. ⁵ But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on him, and by his wounds we are healed.

Jesus can carry the stuff you can’t. The truth is, if we would take them off, he would take them. He is big enough to deal with our past , present and future. What are you carrying around? Jesus is saying let it go and let me carry it.

What are you holding on to.  Would you lay it down?

 

We Are Back

Another trip is now in the books. We arrived last evening from a two week mission trip to the Philippines. It goes without saying, we were all really glad to be back!!! We spoke at 64 different meetings and saw thousands come to Christ on this mission.  I will have to say, we had a great US team as well as Filipino team.  Everyone did such a phenomenal job and God used everyone to share the gospel to the unreached.  I never cease to be amazed at how God takes ordinary, willing and obedient people to share such a simple message of salvation with those far from God.  It should not amaze us to see thousands saved because the power of the Gospel. Paul tells us in Romans 1:16-17 “ For I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes: first to the Jew, then to the Gentile. For in the gospel the righteousness of God is revealed—a righteousness that is by faith from first to last, just as it is written: “The righteous will live by faith.”

Incredible Days

These are Incredible days.

In just a few days we have nine people going to the Philippines and one going to Southeast Asia. This past week, we had a college student who headed out to Washington State to do BSU Summer Missions.  I am so thankful for all of the people at NSC who are so actively involved in missions abroad. Sunday was awesome as we celebrated Father’s Day, Baby Dedication and the announcement of our Sun Stand Still receipts, which by the way, we went over our goal!!!  In addition to all of this, our local television station, WTVA, interviewed me this past week and was at both of our campuses this past Sunday.  They are doing a story on the impact of multisite campuses and the use of technology in reaching people for Christ in our culture.  Favor: The guarantee of His presence, the provision of His power to accomplish His purpose in our lives. Incredible Days

God's Favor

This week I am going to begin talking about God's favor. I wanted to get a head start by sharing some thoughts with you that I have gained from my study of God's favor. The word favor and the derivative of favor is in the KJV over seventy times. A lot of the things I thought about favor are not true. You will not ever understand something as supernatural as the favor of God. All through the bible it says different people found favor with God. What does the favor of God look like? Note: This is not about finding favor with God so your sports team can win. Some people talk about the favor of God like he is a genie in a bottle.
Sometime I hear preachers and I leave wondering if God likes me. Do you ever feel like God loves you but he doesn’t like you. He had rather not if he didn’t have to. When I understand God’s favor it gives me a new way of understanding how God feels toward me.

Listen to these statements about God's favor:

Favor is God doing for you what you can’t do for yourself.

Favor is God’s goodness displayed in an individual’s life in such a way that only he can get the credit.

Favor is a relationship with God and that no matter what happens you know you are going to come out on top.

Favor is acceptance and approval and assistance of God that is awarded to us through the finished work of Jesus.

Favor is God’s graciously working to optimize my life for my good.

I have leaned when I seek the favor of God I find it ….the challenge is to be a favor finder…. I pray God would give us a hundred church members that could find the favor of God.

Favor is not something you achieve, it is something you receive. You receive it by looking for it. Where you would find it? You find it in the place where you look for it. I’m looking for God in that bad report etc.. I’m looking for favor in this tough situation.

When you decide you are going to be a favor finder you just have to respond to what he is doing.

God can do for us in one moment of favor than you can do in a lifetime of labor. For now just believe and receive it.

It is not reserved to a special few. He made a way for all God’s children to receive favor. When you live this way it changes everything about how you view life. You don’t have to feel favor to find favor.