Title: Lenten Words (4) Abandoning pride...
Contents
Let go of pride and be humble (Luke 18:9-14)
People who come to church can be broadly divided into four groups. (1) No matter who praises or criticizes, he is a member of the church who is faithful and devoted to God only. (2) When someone praises you, you show zeal, and when someone criticizes you, you are easily discouraged. (3) A member of the church who always comes out with a sense of guilt. It's a guilty conscience that I can't even come to church. (4) A church member who attends formally. It can be said that he is a church member who goes back and forth habitually without much emotion or feeling.
Among these four, the first church member who only looks to God, is faithful and devoted, is the first-class member. However, the fourth believer, who just habitually comes and goes, is a sick member who, like the Laodiceans, cannot help but be rebuked before the Lord. The problem is with the second and third members. If you were to judge which of the two is better and which is worse, which church member can you say is better? Today's text gives the answer well.
In today's text, there are two types of people: one is a Pharisee and the other is a publican. When two people come to the temple to pray, their attitudes are very contrasting. When the Pharisee stood in prayer, he stood up and prayed separately, saying, “God, I thank you that I am not like other men, who commit extortion and adultery, and not like that publican. Twice a week I fast, and I give tithes of my income.”
At that time, the devout people of the Jewish nation had a law to pray regularly, three times a day, at 9 am, 12 am and 3 pm. A Pharisee was one who kept such laws. Jewish law also required fasting on the Day of Atonement. In addition, those seeking special merit also fasted on Mondays and Thursdays. In the eyes of others, he could not be a first-class church member.
However, another person appeared, who was a publican. Compared to the Pharisees above, the publican was too shy. Far from praying, fasting, tithing, or living a good life, he was a traitor to the nation, a Roman agent, extorting and exploiting the property of his people, and even committing adultery. He was a man who did not dare to come to the temple.
Objectively, it is absurd to compare a Pharisee, a first-class member of the church, with an ugly publican. No matter who you look at, a Pharisee is a person who deserves a hundredfold praise and respect, and a publican is a person who deserves a hundredfold rebuke and contempt. Now, what is surprising is that among these two people, Jesus strongly criticized the Pharisees and, on the contrary, praised the tax collectors for being justified. No, how could this be? Why did Jesus make this evaluation?
Pride is the root of all sins.
A man named Thomas Aquinas referred to this pride and said, 'Pride is the mother of all iniquity'. Pride is the mother of iniquity, and all iniquity is its children. Pride breeds jealousy, anger, and covetousness. Excessive pride that we can live without God makes us proud. Today's Bible can see the culmination of the pride of the Pharisees. The Pharisees considered themselves righteous and others were sinners. If you put your own righteousness first, you will despise others. Therefore, pride is a disease that only oneself can enjoy. Pride may please itself, but it will hurt others.
Today's text is the story of the parable of two so-called Pharisees and tax collectors going up to the temple to pray. Through this parable, Jesus is exposing the sin of pride to the Pharisees.
Pride can be said to be the sin of building a wall between you and your neighbor./ Building a wall between you and yourself is pride. Verse 11. “The Pharisee stood and prayed by himself, saying, O God, I thank you that I am not like other men, extortioners, unrighteous, adulterers, not like this tax collector” (verse 12). In verse 11, does the Bible emphasize how the Pharisees prayed and prayed? Separated from the publicans, he even stood apart and prayed separately.
Pride doesn't really depend on God. / Pride is a disease of ego worship. Satan tempted Eve of Eden to eat of the forbidden fruit by tempting her to "become like God." The people who built the Tower of Babel tried to confront God by building a tower high in the sky.
Do you know the narcissism of narcissism? Isn't this the funny story of falling in love with one's own face reflected in the spring water, but dying without fulfilling it? Without love and without the substance of faith, only echoes remain, only sound Christians disturb the kingdom of God. A healthy Christian can only be healed of the disease of pride that makes one's own claims absolute.
God does not use proud people. There is one more thing we should note. The devil's favorite sin is "pride imitating humility." Let's come down from God's seat and worship God.
Pride builds walls and walls with neighbors. The Pharisees thanked the tax collectors 'separately, not as sinners," not like the publicans (v. 11). The Pharisees are separatists. The Pharisees did not sit with the publicans. The tax collector also has the image of God, and he did not have compassion on that tax collector as he was someone who needed to be saved.
A humble person lays a bridge. Let's build a bridge to reconcile those who are uncomfortable with each other. Let's examine ourselves and humble ourselves whether the church community is at peace or is suffering because of me. Beware of being overly aggressive and critical of your neighbors. Pride is self-disguise. The subject of the Pharisee's prayer is "I". I am not like them, I fast and pray twice a week and pray that I pay tithing. Even before God, they emphasize their own righteousness. The prayer should be, "Lord, have mercy on me. I am a sinner." The Pharisee's excessive self-emphasis seems to show symptoms of obsessive-compulsive neurosis.
Most people who do not change their self even though they pray a lot have many stomachs. People who have a more severe sense of inferiority in their heart strengthen their self-disguise to relieve their anxiety by praying more about themselves. The subject of prayer is God, not me. Prayer is not asking for something, it is about saving someone.
Pride does not admit one's sins. Healing is impossible for those who do not admit their sins. If you pray sincerely and naked before God, you will be restored with the help of God's mercy and compassion. Let's be truthful before God. Pride blocks the channels of prayer and grace. Look at the results of the prayers of the Pharisees and publicans. "I tell you, then this man, not that Pharisee, was justified and went down to his house. Everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted" (verse 14).
Pride blocks the channels of prayer and grace. A proud person cannot be saved. Those who live by their own righteousness cannot receive Jesus as their Lord. The only basis for the salvation of the proud is self-righteousness.
“I have done this well”, not “Lord, save me.” If our own righteousness precedes, we do not know grace. In order to be saved, we must see our own sins. We must know how miserable I am before God. The poor are citizens of the kingdom of God (Matthew 5:3) God opposes the proud and gives grace to the humble (1 Peter 5:5) Pride is the essence of the devil The devil has no repentance.
The Way to Overcome Pride: Descend to the position of a publican
The tax collector said, "I am a sinner," beating his chest, unable to raise his head, and wept and prayed. Repentance is the best prayer. “The publican stood afar off, and did not dare lift up his eyes to look at heaven, but beat his breast and said, “Have mercy, O God, I am a sinner” (verse 13). The humble person needs God’s help. A humble person is a person who walks the path of life warmly, holding God with one hand and a neighbor's hand with the other, while a proud person rejects God with one hand and holds the other hand. He is a man who rejects his neighbor and goes to ruin by himself alone. A humble person is like a child (verses 15-16) God loves simple people God loves honest people God loves obedient people You like people.
Pride is a spiritual cancer
Reckless superiority, excessive self-respect, arrogant opinions about one's own beliefs, vanity, arrogance, arrogance, arrogance, bluff, snob, self-centeredness, cleverness, arrogant friend. Pride is the forerunner of destruction, and a haughty heart is the forerunner of falling.
prayer and praise
As if confessing to a loved one for the first time, let me confess my shameful sins to the Lord today with a little fear and trembling, and rebuke me for the foolishness of borrowing from time to time to provide the oil to light the lamp of prayer and love. Set fire to the forest of my heart, where the thorns of pride and vanity grow, and the weeds of indifference and selfishness. I am always slow to forgive, and I have no desire to ask the Lord for forgiveness, so I quietly kneel down and shed tears. Lord, who always loves me first and forgives me first, who puts me at ease, open your big ears and allow me to praise the grace of the Lord who is silently standing in front of me as a mountain in the four seasons.