Pride Will Be Your Downfall

1 Corinthians 10:5-12 ESV

 

“Nevertheless, with most of them God was not pleased, for they were overthrown in the wilderness.

 

“Now these things took place as examples for us, that we might not desire evil as they did. Do not be idolaters as some of them were; as it is written, ‘The people sat down to eat and drink and rose up to play.’ We must not indulge in sexual immorality as some of them did, and twenty-three thousand fell in a single day. We must not put Christ to the test, as some of them did and were destroyed by serpents, nor grumble, as some of them did and were destroyed by the Destroyer. Now these things happened to them as an example, but they were written down for our instruction, on whom the end of the ages has come. Therefore let anyone who thinks that he stands take heed lest he fall.”

 

What was really the biggest thing going against these people at this time in history? They didn’t believe God. They didn’t take him seriously. They didn’t really believe that he would cast them out if they continued in deliberate and habitual and premeditated sin against him. For, they were convinced that they were God’s chosen people, and so, as his people, they thought nothing could touch them. And so even when they were rebuked, they didn’t feel sorrowful for their sins. If anything, they probably resented being rebuked.

 

For these were very prideful and stubborn people who thought they knew better than God, and that they knew better than God’s servant Moses. And in so doing they were putting God to the test, because they didn’t really believe that he would judge his “chosen people.” But he did! He put the majority of them to death in that wilderness because of their evil deeds, and because of their stubbornness of heart, and because of their refusal to bow to him as Lord and to repent of their sins and to obey him.

 

And there a lot of professers of faith in Jesus Christ in America today who are treating God in exactly the same way as the Israelites of the Old Covenant treated God/Christ. In their pride and in their stubbornness of hearts and minds they will not submit to Christ as Lord (Owner-Master) of their lives. They will not surrender their all to him. They will not turn from their sins, and die to them daily, and follow Jesus in obedience to his commands and in holy living. They believe they don’t have to.

 

And if they are confronted with their sins and instructed in what must be done to have freedom from slavery to sin, they will respond with pride and with resentment and bitterness and a “My do it” attitude. They want to “figure it out” for themselves. But their “My do it” approach has not worked for them, and it never will work. For the only way any of us are going to be free from slavery (addiction) to sin is by full surrender to Jesus Christ to do it his way, not our way, and via humble obedience to his commands.

 

But to those who think that just because they made a profession of faith in Jesus Christ once in their lives that it secures heaven for them, and it can never be taken away, this New Testament passage of Scripture debunks that notion. For these things took place as examples for us, that we might not desire evil as they did. And these things happened to them as an example, and were written down for OUR INSTRUCTION, so that we won’t follow their example, and so we won’t, in pride, resist the Lord and keep sinning.

 

Now we have a New Age philosophy permeating the church in America which is telling people that a profession of faith in Jesus grants them forgiveness of sins and eternal life with God which can never be taken away from them regardless of how they live. And then we have all these social media memes enforcing that theology by making it a good thing to admit to living in sin and a bad thing to admit to living a holy life in obedience to the Lord. And so it is like a badge they wear to admit that they are habitually sinning.

 

But that is from man, not from God, and it is a lie from hell, and not from heaven. And this passage makes it clear that what happened to the Israel of the Old Covenant in the wilderness (most of them) will happen to us, too, if we take the same attitude and the same approach to sin as they did. So, if you are someone who is counting on going to heaven when you die, but regardless of how you live, you are in for a big surprise, and not a good one. God will cast you out. You will not get into heaven (Matthew 7:21-23).

 

So, don’t play with fire! Don’t test God! Don’t hold on to your sinful practices and your “My do it” approach to how you live. For if you are deliberately and habitually and/or premeditatedly sinning against the Lord, and against other humans, especially in areas of idolatry and adultery and sexual immorality, and in revelry and wild living and in self-indulgence and in sensual pleasures, and if you are ignoring the rebukes of the Lord, thinking that you can handle this yourself your way, heaven is not your eternal destiny. Hell is!

 

Pride will be your downfall. Stubbornness will be your downfall. And because you thought you knew better. But the Scriptures make it clear that if sin is what we practice (habitually, addictively), and if righteousness, holiness, godliness, moral purity, honesty, faithfulness, and obedience to our Lord and to his commands (New Covenant) are not what we practice, we will die in our sins. We will not inherit eternal life with God. And this is because we would not submit to Christ as Lord, and we would not obey his commands.

 

[Matt 7:21-23; Lu 9:23-26; Jn 6:35-58; Jn 15:1-11; Rom 1:18-32; Rom 2:6-8; Rom 6:1-23; Rom 8:1-14; 1 Co 6:9-10,19-20; 2 Co 5:10,15,21; Gal 5:16-21; Gal 6:7-8; Eph 4:17-24; Eph 5:3-6; Col 1:21-23; Col 3:5-11; Titus 2:11-14; 1 Jn 1:5-10; 1 Jn 2:3-6; 1 Jn 3:4-10; Heb 10:23-31; 1 Co 10:1-22; Heb 3:1-19; Heb 4:1-13; 1 Pet 1:17-21; Rev 21:8,27; Rev 22:14-15]

 

Seek the Lord 

 

An Original Work / July 20, 2012

Based off Isaiah 55

 

“Come to Me all you who thirst; come to waters.

Listen to Me, and eat what’s good today,

And your soul will delight in richest of fare.

Give ear to Me, and you will live.

I have made an eternal covenant with you.

Wash in the blood of the Lamb.”

 

Seek the Lord while He may be found; call on Him.

Let the wicked forsake his way, in truth.

Let him turn to the Lord, and he will receive mercy.

Freely, God pardons him.

“For My thoughts are not your thoughts,

Nor are your ways My ways,”

declares the Lord, our God.

 

“My word that goes out of My mouth is truthful.

It will not return to Me unfulfilled.

My word will accomplish all that I desire,

And achieve the goal I intend.

You will go in joy and be led forth in peace.

The mountains will burst into song… before you,

And all of the trees clap their hands.”

 

https://vimeo.com/379408296