Before Destruction

Text: Matthew 26:31-41

 

I.         Solomon gives warning - Proverbs 16:18

            A.        A young man from Nigeria asked how this passage would apply to teenagers

            B.        Of course, its application is much broader, but it caused me to think about explaining this on level easy to comprehend and apply

II.        Pride is a motivator of sins - I John 2:15-16

            A.        Pride was an ingredient in Eve’s fall - Genesis 3:6

            B.        The wicked’s pride causes him to feel that he doesn’t need God - Psalm 10:4

            C.        They act with contempt for others - Psalm 123:4

            D.        Recall the core of the law is to love God and to love your neighbor - Matthew 22:37-40

                        1.         Perhaps then you can see why pride is behind many sins

                        2.         There is no self-restraint on behavior

                        3.         Those who exalt self will be humbled - Luke 14:11

            E.        The soul of the proud is not righteous - Habakkuk 2:4

III.       Pride keeps people from seeking help

            A.        It is a fault we often attribute to young people.

                        1.         They think they know everything thing they need to know - I Corinthians 8:1-2

                        2.         False teachers are proud, but know nothing - I Timothy 6:4

            B.        But it is not limited to the young. When we think we have it, we stop needing others - Proverbs 17:19

                        1.         The president of Coca-Cola was asked, “What separates those who achieve from those who do not?” He answered, “What separates those who achieve from those who do not is in direct proportion to one’s ability to ask others for help.”

                        2.         Sodom’s pride came from its abundance and the accompanying idleness - Ezekiel 16:49

                        3.         Abundance often precedes rebellion - Deuteronomy 32:15

                        4.         It is hard for the rich to be saved because in their wealth they see little need for God - Matthew 19:23-24

IV.      Pride keeps people from accepting help

            A.        I’ve seen the poor just as proud as the rich

                        1.         Offers of help are disdained.

                        2.         “If I accept aid, then I would be admitting that I’m not good enough to solve my own problems!”

            B.        The stubborn fall into calamity - Proverbs 28:14

                        1.         Remaining in affliction because they rebelled against God’s teaching - Psalm 107:10-12

V.        Pride keeps people from learning

            A.        Pride keeps people from learning from wisdom - Proverbs 8:13-21

                        1.         The fear of God, humility, precedes instruction - Proverbs 15:33

                        2.         A despising of instruction - Proverbs 1:7

            B.        Try to teach someone filled with pride and you get scorn for your efforts - Proverbs 21:24

                        1.         A rejection of learning leads to calamity - Proverbs 1:24-27

            C.        Do not lean on your own understanding - Proverbs 3:5-8

            D.        There is safety in council - Proverbs 1:5

                        1.         A fool thinks he is always right - Proverbs 12:15

                        2.         Without advice, people fall - Proverbs 15:22

                        3.         Yet the proud will argue instead of accept advice - Proverbs 13:10

            E.        How sad it is to see people spiraling downward, when the greatest body of wisdom and aid is at your fingertips, but people in their pride won’t ask for advice

VI.      Pride keeps people from being watchful

            A.        It is equally sad when you get to those “I told you so” moments

                        1.         You can tell someone of the dangers ahead, and they will agree with you in theory, but it won’t happen to them.

            B.        Notice the pleas in Proverbs

                        1.         Proverbs 1:8-10 - Warnings about bad influence

                        2.         Proverbs 6:20-24 - Warnings about sexual seduction

                        3.         Proverbs 23:22-27 - Warnings also about sexual seduction

            C.        Yet, despite the warnings, some fall into the traps anyway

                        1.         How embarrassing! You knew the dangers, but fell in anyway - Proverbs 11:2

                        2.         It is pride that stood in the way. It would never happen to me - I Corinthians 10:12

                        3.         Peter was warned - Matthew 26:33-35

                        4.         Notice the grief when it happened anyway - Matthew 26:74-75

            D.        Then there is pride in strength.

                        1.         “Sure I’ll face temptation, but because I know in advance, I won’t be taken.”

                        2.         The warning against the seductress - Proverbs 7:24-27

VII.     Pride keeps people from turning back

            A.        Jeremiah’s sorrow - Lamentations 3:37-50

                        1.         How sad when people will not turn back from paths of destruction

            B.        Repent or perish, that is the choice - Luke 13:3

            C.        Confess, admit your weakness, because that is a mark of humility - I John 1:8-9; James 5:16

            D.        God will raise up the humble - James 4:4-10