A lesson by Pastor John Skaggs

Sovereign Grace Baptist Church

P.O. Box 1447, Claypool, Az. 85532

520-425-8345 or 520-402-9134

Email: pastorjohn@gila.net

Date: 5-23-99

Sermon Number: 142

Text: Luke 22:24-34

The Sin of Pride

We return this morning to Luke chapter twenty-two. When together last we dealt with verses fourteen through twenty-three. These verses describe a solemn and holy occasion. In the upper room, secured by Peter and John, Jesus and His disciples celebrate both the Passover and the Lord’s Supper. The Passover commemorates the killing of an animal lamb and the smearing of its blood over the door posts of the Israelite’s homes in Egypt. This blood protected them from the Death Angel sent by God to destroy the first born of the Egyptians. That lamb and its blood was a picture or a shadow of the New Testament reality that is Jesus Christ the Lord. Jesus is our Passover! He is the Lamb of God who came to take away the sins of the world meaning Jew and Gentile alike. His body and blood were given for our salvation. The blood of Christ is applied to God’s elect people one at a time by the power of the Holy Spirit. As Christians we understand that when the judgment comes it is the blood of Christ, and nothing else, that will cause God’s wrath to pass over us.

On this same occasion Jesus instituted the Lord’s supper. After the Passover meal was completed He took the bread and the cup and instructed His disciples to eat and drink these symbols in remembrance of Himself. The Passover was a memorial in remembrance of the animal lamb and the temporary redemption its blood purchased. The Lord’s Supper was a memorial of the Lamb of God whose blood purchased an eternal and permanent redemption for all God’s elect, believing, people. In addition Christ’s blood inaugurated a New Covenant. The Old Covenant had served its purpose which was to condemn sinful man and point him to Jesus Christ. Now that Christ has come, died, and risen from the dead, we who are a Christian relate to God through this New Covenant. It is a covenant that emphasizes grace as opposed to law. Sinners have always been saved by grace through faith but the Old Covenant did little to make this clear. Its emphasis was on our sinfulness. Its purpose was to convince us of our need of a Savior by pointing out our sin, our consequent guilt, and our inability to do anything about it. This New Covenant makes it very clear that sinners relate to God not by virtue of their law keeping but by faith in Christ completely apart from the law. The New Covenant tells us that Christ has kept the law in our stead. God graciously accepts Christ’s keeping of the law on behalf of all believing sinners. The Christian rests in the righteousness and obedience of the Son of God for his salvation. The Christian does not look to the law as means of finding acceptance with God. This is not to say we have no law to live by. For in this age the New Covenant law of God is written upon our hearts so that all the saved know instinctively when they have crossed into disobedience, that which is displeasing to our Lord. In other words, no one needs to watch over my shoulder. No one needs to tell me what is right and what is wrong in each and every situation I face. For God the Holy Spirit impresses God’s truth upon my heart and mind. He is always at work in me either convicting or comforting my conscience and thereby guiding me through life. God’s law is written upon my heart. As we continue to study God’s word and expose ourselves to the preaching and teaching of it its effect on us intensifies. So that we move from faith to faith to faith or from infancy to maturity. This is all a work of grace in us apart from the keeping of the Law.

The material we look at today will be very personal for each of us. I know this has been true for me. Look with me at Luke chapter twenty-two and verse twenty-four.

(Luke 22:24-34 NASB) And there arose also a dispute among them as to which one of them was regarded to be greatest. {25} And He said to them, "The kings of the Gentiles lord it over them; and those who have authority over them are called 'Benefactors.' {26} "BUT NOT SO WITH YOU, but let him who is the greatest among you become as the youngest, and the leader as the servant. {27} "For who is greater, the one who reclines at the table, or the one who serves? Is it not the one who reclines at the table? But I am among you as the one who serves. {28} "And you are those who have stood by Me in My trials; {29} and just as My Father has granted Me a kingdom, I grant you {30} that you may eat and drink at My table in My kingdom, and you will sit on thrones judging the twelve tribes of Israel. {31} "Simon, Simon, behold, Satan has demanded permission to sift you like wheat; {32} but I have prayed for you, that your faith may not fail; and you, when once you have turned again, strengthen your brothers." {33} And he said to Him, "Lord, with You I am ready to go both to prison and to death!" {34} And He said, "I say to you, Peter, the cock will not crow today until you have denied three times that you know Me."

(Luke 22:24-34 NASB) "And there arose also a dispute among them as to which one of them was regarded to be greatest."

Isn’t this an amazing and sudden change of concerns? A moment ago these men were in somewhat of a panic about who was going to betray Jesus. What a terrible thing they thought, could there be such an evil person among us? They even began to doubt themselves asking, "Who is it Lord, is it me?" Now, only minutes later, they are in a dispute as to who was the greatest among them. This is an amazing thing but it is not surprising. For here we see the fickleness and instability of the heart of man, in this case the Christian. One moment we are frightened, as we ought to be, at the thought of committing some awful sin against our Lord while the next we are wallowing in sin without any immediate conviction of it. Thus, the Spirit wars against the flesh and the flesh wars against the Spirit even in the most sacred of circumstances and places. And what sin do we see rearing its ugly head in the upper room? It is perhaps the root of all sin, PRIDE. This black thing has become a god to modern humans but God’s word on the subject tells us that pride has no place in the Christian’s life. Why, because human pride is contrary to the divine goal which is the glorification of God. Human pride glorifies itself, its accomplishments, and talents. The proud human puts himself on display for the admiration of others. We see this sin in the question, "Who do you think Jesus regards as the greatest among us?" We see it again in Peter’s, self confident and ignorant statement, "I am ready to go to prison for you or to die with you."

In my studies this week I came across a few insightful quotes from some puritans. William Gurnall, declared, "Pride loves to climb up, not as Zaccheus to see Christ, but to be seen." Stephen Charnock’s comment on this subject reminds us that it is not just a problem for the unbeliever. He wrote, "The more godly a man is, and the more graces and blessings of God are upon him, the more need he has to pray, because Satan is busiest against him, and because he is most likely to be puffed up with a conceited holiness." Henry Smith once said, "When the devil cannot stray us from a good work, then he labors by all means to make us proud of it." In this way, I add, a good work is turned into sin. Pride is a black thing that lives in the heart of every man. What does God have to say about this? Hear the word of the Lord.

(Proverbs 6:16-19 NASB) There are six things which the LORD hates, Yes, seven which are an abomination to Him: {17} Haughty eyes, (a proud , self-glorifying, look at me, unthankful attitude) a lying tongue, And hands that shed innocent blood, {18} A heart that devises wicked, Feet that run rapidly to evil, {19} A false witness who utters lies, And one who spreads strife among brothers. God does not love such people and have a wonderful plan for their lives. He hates them and will damn their unrepentant souls to hell. God is opposed to the proud.

Proverbs 8:13 "The fear of the LORD is to hate evil; Pride and arrogance and the evil way, And the perverted mouth, I hate." God hates these things and if we fear Him we will hate them too.

Proverbs 11:2 " When pride comes, then comes dishonor, But with the humble is wisdom." The humble know who they are and who God is. The humble have learned to take their place and give God His in their speech and actions.

Proverbs 16:18 "Pride goes before destruction, And a haughty spirit before stumbling." Pride is the enemy of walking steadily with the Lord. It causes God’s children to fall in destructive situations.

Is there anything that a man may brag about that is acceptable? Yes there is. Jeremiah 9:24 "but let him who boasts boast of this, that he understands and knows Me, that I am the LORD who exercises lovingkindness, justice, and righteousness on earth; for I delight in these things," declares the LORD." In other words the only thing worth bragging or boasting about is God. Instead of saying "I am this and I did that, please admire me," brag about God. Tell the world of His greatness, and kindness, and justice, and power to save sinners. That is acceptable boasting

Romans 12:16 "Be of the same mind toward one another; do not be haughty in mind, but associate with the lowly. Do not be wise in your own estimation." If you think you are too smart and advanced to associate with certain Christians whom you think are not worthy of your company, you are wise in your own estimation. You are proud of yourself and God is opposed to the proud.

1 Corinthians 1:31 that, just as it is written, "LET HIM WHO BOASTS, BOAST IN THE LORD." 1 Corinthians 4:7 "For who regards you as superior? (Probably no one but you.) And what do you have that you did not receive? (We have nothing, absolutely nothing that God did not give us. From the breath we breath to the faith with which we have trusted in Christ it is all of grace. We have nothing that we have not received as a gift from God.) But if you did receive it, why do you boast as if you had not received it?" That is, why do you act and speak as if what you have, and what you are, and what you can do, originated with you? What warrant do you have for being proud of yourself as opposed to thankful to God? This text is the end of the discussion on the subject of PRIDE. People have nothing to be proud of because nothing that they have, or are, or can do, came from them. Rather, it came from God. So, we may boast in God and about God but boasting is never appropriate when we are the subjects. Well, almost never. Consider the following words.

2 Corinthians 11:18 "Since many boast according to the flesh, I will boast also. . . . 30 If I have to boast, I will boast of what pertains to my weakness."

2 Corinthians 12:5 On behalf of such a man will I boast; but on my own behalf I will not boast, except in regard to my weaknesses." In other words if I must brag about something I will have to speak the truth. And the truth is, weakness and sinfulness is all we have to boast about if we are speaking of our selves and not God. All things good and praise-worthy have come from God.

Galatians 6:14 "But may it never be that I should boast, EXCEPT in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world." The only acceptable boasting is that boasting which exalts God, His Christ, God the Holy Spirit, and their corporate work of redemption.

The next reference reveals that the salvation of sinners was designed to eliminate the possibility of the saved becoming proud of themselves for being Christians. God, in His great wisdom, designed a salvation that involves no human contribution whatever. Therefore, when one is saved, he can only be thankful, never proud. Consider the familiar words of Ephesians 2:8-10 NASB. "For by grace you have been saved (Grace is God’s favor bestowed upon a person who deserves exactly the opposite. In other words it is unmerited mercy.) "For by grace you have been saved through faith; (Sinners are saved when they exercise faith in or believe in Jesus for salvation. Many say that this is the sinner’s contribution to his own salvation. However, the sinner cannot take credit for faith because it was a gracious gift to him from God.) "For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, (The faith by which a sinner believes does not originate with him. Rather, . . ) it is the gift of God; (This reminds us of the Corinthian text we read earlier which asked the question, "What do you have that you have not been given? The answer of course is nothing, I have nothing that has not come from God, not even the faith by which I have believed in Jesus for salvation. Salvation then is all of grace . . . ) {9} not as a result of works, that no one should boast." God designed salvation this way to keep men from boasting about what they did to get themselves saved. There is no place in the believers life for PRIDE for we have nothing that we have not been given.

1 John 2:16 "For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the boastful pride of life, is not from the Father, but is from the world."

It is funny how the world’s ways, its doctrines, as it were, creeps into our lives and into the church itself. The worldly and sinful desire for recognition, position, and power, was at the root of the contest between the disciples in the upper room. Who is the greatest among us? Let’s see now how Christ answered the question.

{25} And He said to them, "The kings of the Gentiles lord it over them; and those who have authority over them are called 'Benefactors.' {26} "But not so with you, (You are not to live in the same way. You are not to seek the same things. You are not meant to rule over people.) but let him who is the greatest among you become as the youngest, and the leader as the servant. (Normally the younger brother is the servant of the older brother. This was especially true in the ancient world. But, says Jesus, things don’t work that way in family of God. The one who would be served in the world becomes the servant in the church. The one who wants to be the greatest among you needs to become the servant of others.) {27} "For who is greater, the one who reclines at the table, or the one who serves? Is it not the one who reclines at the table? (This is the way it is in the world but this is not how it works out in the world of Christianity. Jesus continues . . ) But I am among you as the one who serves. We know that Jesus was the greatest of all men yet, He was the servant of all. Thus He sets the example. Those who wish be great in the Kingdom of God must be the servant of all men. Thus Jesus has proven the sinfulness of one striving for worldly greatness in the church.

I suppose Christ could have spoke very harshly to these foolish men but He did not. He understands their weakness and immaturity in the faith. So, He commends them for things commendable and while doing so continues to address the question of greatness. And as He does He shows them that they have already attained to some measure of greatness in the Kingdom of God.

{28} "And you are those who have stood by Me in My trials; How could a man achieve greatness beyond this? How can anything be greater than faithfulness to Jesus? Matthew Henry wrote at this point saying, "But his disciples continued with him, and were afflicted in all his afflictions. It was but little help that they could give him, or service that they could do him; nevertheless, he took it kindly that they continued with him, and he here recognizes their kindness, though it was by the assistance of his own grace that they did continue. Christ's disciples had been very defective in their duty. We find them guilty of many mistakes and weaknesses: they were very dull and very forgetful, and often blundered, yet their Master passes all by and forgets it; he does not upbraid them with their infirmities, but gives them this memorable testimonial, "You are they who have continued with me." Thus does he praise them to show how willing he is to make the best of those whose hearts he knows to be upright with him." I find this a most comforting consideration. Christ does not deal with them according to what their sin deserves. Rather, He bears with their infirmities, encourages them with kind words, instructs them, and sets before them a promise.

{29} and just as My Father has granted Me a kingdom, I grant you {30} that you may eat and drink at My table in My kingdom, and you will sit on thrones judging the twelve tribes of Israel.

Although there is much to be said about the specifics of this promise we must, for today at least, be concerned with the reason such an encouraging statement was made. Basically I believe Jesus is telling His disciples that the suffering they encounter and the worldly things they give up in this life, such as status, power, rule, authority, all things which the flesh loves. Will not go unrewarded. In our text He hints at this being the reason for this promise when He precedes it with {28} "And you are those who have stood by Me in My trials; I believe this becomes even clearer if we look at a similar account in Matthew 19:27-29 NASB. Then Peter answered and said to Him, "Behold, we have left everything and followed You; what then will there be for us?" {28} And Jesus said to them, "Truly I say to you, that you who have followed Me, in the regeneration when the Son of Man will sit on His glorious throne, you also shall sit upon twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. {29} "And EVERYONE who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or farms for My name's sake, shall receive many times as much, and shall INHERIT ETERNAL LIFE."

The meaning seems to be this. Don’t be concerned about earthly or worldly greatness. Deny your desire for such exaltation of yourself. In the end you will have lost nothing of lasting value and you will have gained a place in the kingdom of God. You shall receive many times as much as you give up in this life, you shall inherit eternal life.

Throughout the Bible God calls His people away from the ways of the world. We are to think and act differently. We are to march to the beat of a different drummer. We are to be motivated not by the satisfaction of our flesh and pride. Rather, we are to think and act based on what we know pleases and glorifies God, not ourselves. The Gentiles, meaning the unbelieving world around us, all grapple for power, position, recognition, fame, authority, money, status, and so on. Jesus says, "Not so with you," verse twenty-six. The counsel of our Savior is that we abandon the world’s ways and adopt Kingdom behaviors. It is safe to say these are just the opposite of what comes natural to us. Our flesh desires recognition, praise, and greatness. Jesus says that in His kingdom, in the family of God the truely great are those who deny themselves and become the helpful servants of the other members of the family. "If you want to be great in God’s kingdom, become the servant of all."

However, as our text reveals PRIDE is the enemy of such service and greatness. So, we must pray for forgiveness of pride and learn, by practice, to be thankful. We must ask ourselves this question when PRIDE rears its ugly head, "What do we have that we have not been given?" The answer will always be the same, "NOTHING." "What has caused me to differ from my fellow human being?" Nothing but God’s mercy in my life! Therefore, we have everything to be thankful for and nothing to be proud of. Having reminded ourselves of this we should have no problem pointing away from ourselves to God with thanksgiving.

Remember the two quotes I read early in this lesson. "Pride loves to climb up, not as Zaccheus, to see Christ, but to be seen." Also, "When the devil cannot stray us from a good work, then he labors by all means to make us proud of it." In this way a good work is turned into sin. Why? Simply because man takes credit for what God has done thus He is robbed of His glory. Pride is a black thing that lives in the heart of every man. It is that which steals for itself the glory that belongs to God. By His grace and the power of the Holy Spirt let us make war against this instrument of Satan.