UNDETECTED SPIRITUAL PRIDE AND TRUE BIBLICAL HUMILITY

Luke 18:9-14 

Introduction: A parable is an earthly story with a heavenly meaning.  This is one of the parables of the Lord Jesus to show a contrast between two groups of people.  One of the most hated groups in Israel during the life of Christ on this earth in physical flesh was a group of publicans.  These men were the men who were charged with collecting taxes for Rome.  Many times these men were corrupt and collected more than they were suppose to collect.  They gave what Rome demanded and pocketed the rest.  Who were the people were getting fleeced going to report this abuse?  The Roman government did not care what was collected as long as they got what they demanded.  Is it any wonder that people despised these yesteryear IRS agents? 

      We find a man in this parable that perfectly illustrate something that I have said in the past that I learned from my pastor.  Here we find a man who is proud that he is humble.

      Some people don’t get the point of a story even if you call their name.  The Pharisees did not get the point of this parable even though Jesus calls them by name.  They just don’t get. 

      Today we want to explore this parable and try to glean truths from it to help us.  I encourage you to pray a simple prayer that I know will fit and benefit you.  “Lord, speak to me today.  I am willing to obey.”

      Before getting into the message, I feel that there are some comments that needs to be made.  First of all, the greatest event of any man, woman, boy or girl has in their life is that day that you come to Jesus for the salvation of your soul.  For me, that was May 10, 1972.  I remember the day with joy unspeakable.  I remember that Wednesday night and hope that I will always remember it.  I went to church under conviction.  If my pastor had taken his Bible the moment that I told him that I thought I would like to be saved that night, I would have been saved about one hour before I was saved by the marvelous, matchless and majestic grace of God.  I remember very little of the message. I do remember the invitation.  I remember that I raised my hand after the message that I was lost and wanted prayer.  I also remember singing that first verse of “Just as I am”.  I did not walk the aisle.  It seemed that I was glued to the floor.  There were only two families in the church that night.  The preacher and his family and my mother and my four brothers and two sisters were there that night.  Pastor Cutlip played the organ.  He stopped playing and looked at us and said this: “This verse says ‘Just as I am and waiting not, to rid my soul of one dark blot.’  If you will take that first step, God will help you make the rest.”  As soon as the verse started, I took the first step.  It almost seems that I ran the rest. I still rejoice in the fact that my name is written by Christ in the Lamb’s book of life.  But that fact does not make me better than others.

      Today we are going to take a look at each of these men and draw some important lessons from the passage.  It is my desire and prayer to help you draw closer to the Lord.  One of these men will help you know why you cannot and the other will show you how it is done. 

I.  UNDETECTED SPIRITUAL PRIDE

                                                Vs. 11-12

“The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, God, I thank thee, that I am not as other men are, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this publican.  I fast twice in the week, I give tithes of all that I possess.”

      This guy sounds like one who would make a good member of a Baptist Church.  He did not have any baggage from a previous life of sin. He fasted twice a week.  Not many people can say that.  He was a tither.  That is right for every Christian. 

1. The definition of pride

      The dictionary defines pride this way.  Pride is an overly high opinion of oneself, or an exaggerated amount of self-esteem.  It is also the showing of this behavior or being arrogant in the display of this behavior.

      When you really want to define pride as God and His Word does, you must go to the Word of God and see what God says about pride.  If you will be honest, you will not find one positive statement about pride in the Bible.  Never once did you find that God said He was proud of His people.  One verse kills this thought. 

                        Proverbs 8:13

“The fear of the LORD is to hate evil: pride, and arrogancy, and the evil way, and the froward mouth, do I hate.”

B. The definite of pride

      This man is full of pride.  Pride is seen in each of the statements of his testimony.  You could really call this a bragamony.  He was bragging on himself trying to get favor from God.

      I was reading an article from Jonathan Edwards.  His most famous sermon was “Sinners in the hands of an Angry God”.  He made this statement in regards to pride.  When I read it, I thought it was written today instead over two hundred years ago.  “The first and worst causes of errors that abound in our day and age is spiritual pride.  This is the main door by which the devil comes into the hearts of those who are zealous for the advancement of Christ.  It is the chief inlet of smoke from the bottomless pit to darken the mind and mislead the judgment.” 

2. The direction of pride

1. Pride is a secret enemy.  It is much more difficult to be discerned than any other sins.  Part of the reason is that takes many forms and shapes.  Pride encompasses the heart like the layers of an onion.  When you pull off one layer, there is another underneath.
2. Pride is the great faultfinder.  Spiritual pride causes one to speak of other people’s sins.  It is usually with an air of contempt.  The spiritually proud person shows it in his finding fault with others.  He or she talks how they are cold and dead to the things of God.  They are quick to discern and take notice of that person or persons deficiencies. 
3. Pride ministers in a harsh spirit.  It is the manner of spiritually proud people to speak of almost everything they see in others in the most harsh, severe language.  It is frequent with them to say of other’s opinion, conduct, advice, coldness silence, caution, moderation; prudence is from the devil or from hell.  The shame is this that they don’t only use such language against wicked men but also toward those who are true children of God.  This does not reflect Christlikeness whatsoever.
4. Pride is putting on pretenses.  Spiritual pride often causes persons to act differently in external appearances, to speak differently in a different tone of voice as to seem to be spiritual.
5. Pride often takes offence easily.  It takes notice of opposition injuries that are received and is prone to be often speaking of them.  They usually do this with an air of bitterness and/or indignity.
6. Pride is being presumptive before God and man.  We see this clearly in our text verses.  The Pharisee is bragging to God in front of this publican how good he is.  You could say that he is telling God how much He needs him.  God can do without us.  He did not have us when He created this world.  He did not need our companionship.  He was and still is the all-sufficient one. 

             7. Pride is hungry for attention.  Pride is always wants attention.  People often tend to act in a particular way as though others will give notice and have a special regard for them.  It is very natural to a person that is very much under the influence of spiritual pride to take all the respect that is paid to him.  Notice I said under the influence of spiritual pride.  It is heady like being under the influence of an intoxicating beverage to be under the influence of spiritual pride.

             8. Pride neglects others.  As spiritual pride causes persons to assume much to them, so it treats others with neglect.  To neglect others is be swelled with pride. 

      Herbert Lockyer in his book “All the Parables of the Bible” included this poem in his study on this parable.

“Two went to pray; O! Rather to say,

One went to brag: the other to pray.

One stands up close, and treads on high

Where the other dares not to send his eye.

One nearer to God’s altar trod,

The other to the altar’s God.”

      This Pharisee could have helped this publican.  He could have restored him back to the place that he needed to be.  Instead, he insulted the publican.

      Pride was so much a part of the life a Pharisee that he included these three parts in his prayer everyday.  It was a tradition that was engrained into every true Pharisee that he ought to thank the Lord for these three things.

1. That he was not created a Gentile.
2. That he was not an ordinary Roman citizen.
3. That he was not born a woman.

      Can you imagine someone like this?  I can.  I have been around some Independent Baptist Preachers that were almost that pious in their prayers.  This Pharisee had no pity for this poor publican.  He had only his pride.

      How much pride the best seem to have in their hearts!  It is the worst part of the body of sin and death.  It was the first sin that ever invaded the universe and it will be the last to be rooted out.  It is God’s most stubborn enemy!

      Pride is like the mote that is in your eye when there is a splinter in your neighbor’s eye.  You cannot see it.  You have not looked into the mirror of God’s Word with an honest assessment. Everyone except for the one who infected can detect it by the sin.  It is like bad breath.  Many times everyone around us knows we have it except for us. 

II.  TRUE BIBLICAL HUMILITY Vs. 13

“And the publican, standing afar off, would not lift up so much as his eyes unto heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying, God be merciful to me a sinner.”

1. Contrast is seen in their prayers. 

      The Pharisee had a thirty-four word prayer recorded and the publican had only a seven word prayer.  Yet his prayer reached the ear of God.  Why?  It had three features that basically is the prayer of every sinner who is saved by the grace of God.

1. I am a great sinner;
2. I am liable to and deserve punishment;
3. I beg for pardon of sin, mercy, and remission of deserved punishment.

      As I said, this is basically what it takes to be saved.  If a person is unwilling to confess that he or she is a sinner, there is no reason to pray for salvation. 

                        Romans 3:23

“For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God”

      Secondly, since all are sinners, all deserve and are liable for punishment.     Romans 6:23a

“For the wages of sin is death”

      We all deserve to be cast into hell.  There is nothing good in anyone of us to merit heaven.  The Pharisee was puffed up with his merit but the publican cried for mercy.

      Thirdly, we make that cry for mercy.  It is asking for that which we do not deserve and that only God can meet. Titus 3:5

“Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost”

      He makes full confession of his sin without excuse or justification, and without offset of righteousness. Moreover, he petitions for no temporal blessings, but simply asks for mercy.

2. Contrast as seen in their parting

      The Pharisee went home still wrapped in his same garment of self-justification.  The publican received righteousness apart from works and thus went home with his sins forgiven.

      I heard Erwin Lutzer preaching from this passage.  He said the reason why the publican could not so much as lift up his eyes is that he knew that if he did he would be looking into the face of True Holiness, the Lord Himself.  The holiness of God causes men and women to look away from Him. 

3. Contrast as seen in the principles

      The publican can be illustrated like a little child that is easily receives instruction.  You can show this man or woman how they are going astray and they will correct the course of their actions.  

Conclusion: Let me wrap this message with a few principles about humility.  Jesus concludes this parable with praise of humility.  So what are some of these principles?  I know I will not be able to give them all but probably enough to help us grow closer to the Lord.

1. The humble realizes that he has a lot to do at the home of his heart that he is not apt to be busy with other people’s heart.  He will esteem others better than himself.  He is more concerned over the coldness of his heart than he is with others.
2. He will realize that he is nothing without God.  He will try to treat others with the same gentleness as Christ treats them.
3. He does not set himself up to be viewed as one who is distinguished as desiring to be accounted better than others.  He desires to become all things to all men, to yield to others and conform to them and please them all but sin.
4. True Bible humility will cause a person to be more like his blessed Lord.  When he is reviled, he is quiet and does not open his mouth in his defense.  He commits himself to silence to Him who judges righteously.  For the humble Christian, the more the world is against him, the more silent and still he will be unless it is in his prayer closet, and there he will not be still.
5. The humble man is willing to ready to make a defense for the Lord but for himself. 
6. True humility does not look down on the sinner.  The humble Christian does not lower himself to participate in the sinner’s sin but does not look down his nose to even the seemingly vilest of sinners.  I realize this is hard.  But God helps with this as we draw near to Him.

      Friend, if you are here without Christ as your Saviour, then you should come to Jesus as a person without any merit on your part.  You cannot save yourself.  Only Jesus Christ can make you fit for heaven. John 14:6

“Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.”

      Christian friend, it is time to take a look ourselves for an honest assessment of ourselves.  Remember the illustration of bad breath that some people have.  Everyone else knows it but the person with it.  You can test yourself.  You can cup your hand in front of your face and you know if your breath is bad.  It is time to do just that spiritual so to speak.