Sermon Date: Feb. 20, 2011
Sermon Title: Burn Up
Sermon Text: Prov. 14:12, 16:25, 11:2
Small Group Text: Exodus 7-10 Question of the Day: Is my pride in check? If not, a burn notice is probably on its way. All of you, clothe yourselves with humility toward one another, because, "God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble." [6] Humble yourselves, therefore, under God's mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time. 1 Peter 5:5-6 (see also James 4:6)
We do not want God’s opposition in our lives. We want God’s grace and favor in our lives. And it’s our choice, which we have – contingent upon our willingness to humble ourselves under the mighty hand of God. Pride is a hard concept to define. We just know it when we see it; and more often than not, we tend to see it in others before we recognize it in ourselves. Pride is the opposite of humility – which is a Christ-like grace (Rom. 12:3; 15:17, 18; 1 Cor. 3:5; 2 Cor. 3:5; Philip. 4:11) and a condition of mind and heart that is well pleasing to God (1 Peter 3:4). Usually, pride exposes itself in an overinflated sense of one’s own skills, accomplishments, social status, or possessions. The Scriptures use various words to describe the concept including arrogance, presumption, conceit, self-satisfaction, and boasting. But in the long run, pride is actually a form of idolatry – the object of worship being oneself – as a person attributes to him/herself the honor and glory properly due God alone. Full-blown pride precludes repentance because there is no sense of one’s own sin and culpability before God. It’s a short step between this attitude and a spirit of superiority, contempt and cruelty as other people’s inherent value is dismissed – their abilities and roles devalued or even exploited for personal gain. Pride can be vicious. In Christian circles, pride is sometimes considered the “root of all evil.” It has even been designated as the final degradation of unrepentant sin. Either way, pride is a serious problem and ends only badly for the arrogant of heart. Perhaps this is why there are manifold warnings against this particular sin throughout the Bible, e.g., Proverbs 16:5, Romans 12:3; 1 Cor. 13:4; Phil. 2:3; James 4:6 (and dozens more!) One of the best known examples of the destructive power of self-willed pride comes from the book of Exodus and is personified in the person of Pharaoh who set himself up as a god – refusing to recognize the true and living God of heaven and earth (Exodus 5:1-2; 7:812:33). A contest ensued, forcing God’s hand in opposition to the arrogant Pharaoh, causing Egypt to release the Israelite slaves, God’s covenant people. The events reported in this passage of Scripture are important for their contribution to the Biblical concept of God’s ultimate sovereignty over the prideful conceit of humanity. We would do well to take the lesson to heart. Read Exodus 5:1-2 In an unguarded moment of self-importance and fancying himself as Israel’s liberator, Moses had murdered an Egyptian taskmaster forty years prior to this story. But the old Pharaoh, Thutmose III, was dead and a new, younger Pharaoh, Amenhotep II, now ruled the empire. Imagine a 22 year Pharaoh being confronted by the 80-year-old Bedouin shepherd, Moses. It was more than mere ages being contrasted in this confrontation. 1
Humility and arrogance were set at odds against one another. His years as a humble desert shepherd had taught Moses a life-lesson in humility. He was now meek and unassuming. It’s been said that for his first 40 years, Moses thought he was somebody. But 40 years on the backside of the desert had taught him that he was nobody. Now God would show him what He could do with a somebody who had learned to be a nobody. Not so, the case with young Pharaoh. In Egypt, the entire social structure took it’s lead from a religion in which the secular and sacred merged. Pharaoh was considered a god. Inscriptions such as neter nefer, “the perfect god” were carved into official monuments ascribing divine status to the Pharaohs of Egypt. Archeological finds have revealed records in which a courtier describes Amenhotep II as neter aa, “the great god!” Imagine the indignant shock of Amenhotep II as Moses demanded the freedom of Jewish slaves in the name of the Lord God of Israel (i.e., “God of slaves!”). No wonder Amenhotep II was prompted to snap back at Moses with such an arrogant retort: “Who is the Lord that I should obey Him and let Israel go? I do not know the Lord, and I will not let Israel go” (Exodus 5:2). But in the judgments that followed, Pharaoh learned of the true and living God and was forced to recognize the destructive consequences of his obstinate pride – over and over again. Review the chart of the ten plagues God brought upon Egypt:
Reference/Plague
What Happened
Result
Exo. 7:14-24/ Blood
Fish die, the river smells, the people are without water
Pharaoh’s magicians duplicate the miracle by “secret arts” and Pharaoh is unmoved
Exo. 8:1-15/ Frogs
Frogs come up from the water and completely cover the land
Again Pharaoh’s magicians duplicate the miracle by sorcery and Pharaoh is unmoved
Exo. 8:16-19/ Gnats
All the dust of Egypt becomes a massive swarm of gnats
Magicians are unable to duplicate this; they say it is the “finger of God,” but Pharaoh’s heart remains hard
Exo. 8:20-32/ Flies
Swarms of flies cover the land
Pharaoh promises to let the Hebrews go, but then hardens his heart and refuses
Exo. 9:1-7/ Livestock
All the Egyptian livestock die—but none of Israel’s is even sick
Pharaoh still refuses to let the people go
Exo. 9:8-12/ Boils
Horrible boils break out on everyone in Egypt
Magicians cannot respond because they are struck down with boils as well—Pharaoh refuses to listen
Exo. 9:13-35/ Hail
Hailstorms kill all the slaves and animals left out or unprotected and strip or destroy almost every plant
Pharaoh admits his sin, but then changes his mind and refuses to let Israel go
Exo. 10:1-20/ Locusts
Locusts cover Egypt and eat everything left after the hail
Everyone advises Pharaoh to let the Hebrews go, but God hardens Pharaoh’s heart and he refuses
Exo. 10:21-29/Darkness
Total darkness covers Egypt for three days so no one can even move—who have light as usual
Pharaoh again promises to let Israel go, but again changes his mind
Exo. 11:1-12:33/ Death of Firstborn
The firstborn of all the people and cattle of Egypt die—but Israel is spared
Pharaoh and the Egyptians urge Israel to leave quickly; after they are gone, Pharaoh again changes his mind and chases after them
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At first Pharaoh mocked the judgments and even replicated a couple of them with his own magicians. Finally, under the pressure of God’s mighty hand, Pharaoh relented – but only to harden his heart time and again once the miraculous plagues were removed. Even after the ultimate “burn notice” – death of his son and every Egyptian firstborn, Pharaoh again hardened his heart, changed his mind and sent his army to a watery grave in pursuit of the newly liberated Israelites. This true, historical event is a lesson in contrast between a humble, steadfast faith in God and a self-exalting pride. And its quite possible that, in our own day, this very pride can cause a person to ignore the love, grace and salvation God has provided through the blood of His own Son, the “lamb of God which takes a away the sin of the world.” (John 1:29, 36) God as Savior Behind this story of Israel’s exodus from slavery is the revelation of God as Savior of the world. The lambs blood sprinkled against door posts of Jewish homes on that first Passover night (Exodus 12:12-14) serves as a “type” (a graphic depiction) of God’s salvation for all people through the blood sacrifice of His son, Jesus Christ (John 1:29, 36). Had any Egyptian humbled him/herself before the mighty hand of God and obeyed the word of God through Moses, salvation would have come to that home every bit as much as the Jewish homes. What God did through the blood of lambs sprinkled on doorposts, is a graphic representation of what God has done for all people through the “blood of the lamb, Jesus Christ, who’s death and resurrection secure for us freedom form enslavement to sin and eternal death. The question remaining: Will you take God at His word, humble yourself before His mighty hand and respond in obedience? If you will, then, “in due time, He will lift you up.” (1 Peter 5:5-7) Applications: Here’s a thought: How often do you ask yourself: “To what extent is my pride subdued? Where does my self-will hinder my relationship to God and others?” The single best way to see if pride is affecting your life negatively is to ask the people closest to you, e.g., people in your small group, your spouse, your colleagues at work. You might say something like this, “Do you ever sense from me a prideful spirit in/or around my relationship to you? You might be thinking, “I’d never have the nerve to ask that question!” Well, then, you may be dealing with a pride issue. We all need to get on the humble side of this question! Let’s endeavor this week to do a little introspective inventory and ask ourselves, is my pride subdued; or could I soon be receiving a burn notice?
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