The Dangers of Being Arrogant
INTRODUCTION.
A. Christians face a particular challenge within their lives. Depending upon the individual, the challenge will be faced in differing degrees. This challenge, to which I am referring, is the challenge not to become arrogant; the challenge not to become self-confident in our own Christianity. Consider what we have going for us:
1. We have a pretty good knowledge of the Bible.
2. We made the decision to become children of God.
3. We made the decision to be baptized into Jesus Christ.
4. We are Christians and we live by a higher standard than does most of the world.
a. We say, "We do not commit murder."
b. We say, "We do not steal."
c. We say, "We go to church at least once a week."
d. We say, "We worship the one true God."
e. We say, "At least we aren't like the sinners of the world."
5. There is a degree of temptation to become arrogant regarding our faith. We recognize ourselves to be different from the world. We say that we live above the ways of the world.
B. There are times when the arrogant attitude will manifest itself when we are around other saints or in religious discussions.
1. We talk about the Bible.
2. We participate in the Bible classes.
3. We publicly agree that lying is wrong.
4. We will agree with the teacher when he condemns sin from passages such as Galatians 5:19-21.
5. We will take a stand with other Christians who are already standing.
C. Then there are times when we feel better about ourselves because of the sin in other people's life. (Cf. Luke 18:10-14)
1. "Thank you Lord that I am not like that drunkard."
2. "Thank you Lord that I am not like that person who manufactures meth."
3. "Thank you Lord that I am not like that prostitute."
4. "Thank you Lord that I am not like woman who killed her kids."
5. "Thank you Lord that I am not like kid who joined the gang."
D. It is always easier to find someone that has done those things which are "worse" than the things that you have done. Automatically, you are now living by a higher standard. You look so much better than they do.
E. A little known fact to most Christians (based upon their lives) is this: Followers of God can be led away. Followers of God can be led away.
1. Just because you are Christian does not mean that you cannot be led away from God. Consider the example of Simon. (Acts 8:12-13,17-24)
2. Just because you have been baptized into Jesus Christ does not mean that you are now and forever protected from being led away from Christ.
a. There are those who would try to lead you away. (2 Peter 2:18-22)
b. There are some who have turned so far away that there is nothing that neither you nor I can do to restore them. Their hearts are hardened. (Hebrews 6:4-8)
c. We can become “reprobates” (KJV) or “disqualified” (NKJV). (2 Corinthians 13:5-7)
3. As long as you live and walk this earth, there will always remain the possibility of someone or something leading you away from the Lord.
a. Understand that a person is lead away of their own volition or deliberate choice. Just as you can “work out your own salvation with fear and trembling,” you can forfeit your own salvation.
b. Take comfort in the fact that as long as you follow the Lord, then nothing can lead you away from the love of Christ. Paul wrote:
"For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord." (Romans 8:38-39, NKJV)
F. If we allow ourselves to become arrogant, then we will blind ourselves to the efforts of Satan to lead us away from the Lord. (1 Peter 5:8-9)
"Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. Resist him, steadfast in the faith, knowing that the same sufferings are experienced by your brotherhood in the world." (1 Peter 5:8-9, NKJV)
G. With this lesson, we will show from the scriptures how that children of God, when they become arrogant and self-confident, can be led away by Satan.
I. THE ARROGANT ISRAELITES. (1 Corinthians 10:1-13)
A. All the Israelites enjoyed the same blessings from God.
1. “all our fathers were under the cloud” (v. 1) (cf. Exodus 13:20-22)
2. “all passed through the sea” (v. 1) (cf. Exodus 14:20-22)
3. “all were baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea” (v. 2)
4. “all ate the same spiritual food,” (v. 3) (Exodus 16:14-15)
5. “all drank the same spiritual drink” (v. 4) (Exodus 17:5-7)
6. “they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them, and that Rock was Christ” (v. 4)
a. Jehovah stayed with the Israelites through wilderness.
b. Paul equates the Christ with Jehovah.
B. However, not all of the Israelites were pleasing to God. (v. 5) Just because an Israelite was a Jew did not mean that he was necessarily right with God. Just because an Israelite partook of the blessings of God did not mean that he was righteous in the sight of God.
C. How were the Israelites led away from God? (1 Corinthians 10:6-10)
1. The Israelites lusted after evil things. (v. 6)
a. As shown earlier, after the Israelites had been led from Egypt, the Lord provided them with manna.
b. The manna provided by God to Israel did not satisfy the Israelites. They murmured and complained. The longed for the days of captivity in Egypt because of what they had in Egypt. (Numbers 11:4-6)
c. The Lord gave Israel what they “lusted” after. (Numbers 11:18-20)
d. The Lord plagued Israel because they “lusted” after the ways of their days in Egypt. (Numbers 11:33-34)
2. The Israelites became worshipers of idols. (v. 7)
a. When Moses was delayed in coming down from Mount Sinai, the Israelites turned to idolatry. (Exodus 32:1-6)
b. The Lord greatly punished the guilty. (Exodus 32:19-20, 25-29)
3. The Israelites committed sexual immorality. (v. 8)
a. Consider the case of when the Israelites began to commit sexual immorality with the women of Moab. (Numbers 25:1-3)
b. The Lord punished them greatly. (Numbers 25:4-9)
4. The Israelites tempted God. (v. 9)
a. On another occasion, the Israelites complained against the Lord. (Numbers 21:4-5)
b. Again the Lord punished Israel. (Numbers 21:6)
5. The Israelites murmured against God. (v. 10)
a. In the rebellion of Korah, 250 men who sided with Korah was killed by the Lord. (Numbers 16:31-35)
b. The next day, the congregation of Israel murmured against the Lord. (Numbers 16:41)
c. The Lord punished those who murmured against Him. (Numbers 16:42-49)
D. Despite all that the Lord had done for Israel, many of Israel still chose to leave God through disobedience. They probably took for granted that they were God’s chosen people. They did not take it to heart.
II. LET CHRISTIANS NOT BECOME ARROGANT. (1 Corinthians 10:1-13)
A. The story of the Israelites serves as a lesson and example for God’s people today.
1. “Now these things became our examples” (v. 6)
2. “Now all these things happened to them as examples, and they were written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the ages have come.” (v. 11, NKJV)
3. Examples = tupos {too’-pos} which means “1) the mark of a stroke or blow, print 2) a figure formed by a blow or impression . . . 3) form . . . 4) an example” (Enhanced Strong’s Lexicon)
4. The whole of the lesson seen within the rebellion of the Israelites serves as an example for Christians today.
a. They were God’s chosen people. We are God’s own special people. (1 Peter 2:9, NKJV)
b. They rebelled against God and was punished. If we rebel against God, then we shall be punished.
c. While the means of the punishment may be different, the example of God punishing His people for their disobedience remains the same.
B. Let us not follow in the footsteps of Israel.
1. Do not lust after evil things. (v. 6)
a. Lust = epithumeo {ep-ee-thoo-meh’-o} = “to set the heart upon, i.e. long for (rightfully or otherwise):-- covet, desire, would fain, lust (after)” (Strong, J. (1997, c1996))
b. Evil things = kakos {kak-os’}= “worthless (intrinsically, such; . . .), i.e. (subj.) depraved, or (obj.) injurious: -- bad, evil, harm, ill, noisome, wicked (Ibid.)
c. Paul is warning Christians not to lust or set their hearts upon those things which are bad, evil, harmful, wicked, etc.
d. This would fall within the realm of loving the world. (1 John 2:15-17)
2. Do not become worshipers of idols. (v. 7)
a. While we do not face the temptation of bowing down to false gods, there are other material things can lead us away from the Lord.
b. Covetousness (greed) (Colossians 3:5)
c. Various addictions become idols within our lives.
(1) Sexual addiction.
(2) Alcohol addiction.
(3) Smoking addiction.
(4) Drug addiction.
(5) Television addiction.
(6) Anything that controls us has become our idols.
d. Again refer to loving the world. (1 John 2:15-17)
3. Do not become sexually immoral. (v. 8)
a. Fornication (KJV) = porneuo { porn-yoo’-o} = “1) to prostitute one’s body to the lust of another 2) to give one’s self to unlawful sexual intercourse 2a) to commit fornication” (Enhanced Strong’s Lexicon)
b. The fulling of the sexual desires is limited to the lawful marriage relationship.
(1) The marriage is honorable and the bed is undefiled. (Hebrews 13:4)
(2) All sexual needs are to be fulfilled by one’s spouse, no one else. To do so is considered fornication. (1 Corinthians 7:1-5)
c. Stay away from any and all sexual activity outside of the marriage, include the use of pornography.
4. Do not tempt Christ. (v. 9)
a. In our lives a Christians, we must never test the Lord either in His capacity to save us or His willingness to punish us.
b. The church in Corinth tempted the Lord by participating in idol worship and other sins. All of the temptations so far covered in 1 Corinthians 10:6-9 would have been a result of their looking to the worlds practicing of worshiping idols.
c. We must never tempt or test the willingness of the Lord and the faithfulness of the Lord. The Lord will punish us if we sin. The Lord will let us walk away if we doubt Him. (Cf. James 1:6-8)
5. Do not murmur (complain, NKJV) against the Lord. (v. 10)
a. Do we find the sacrifices we must make in the name of the Lord too great to bear?
b. Do we often complain against the Lord because of our responsibilities as children of God?
c. The Lord’s judgment is just. He has set limits upon our lives to protect us from sin and condemnation. Let us never grumble or complain against the Lord.
III. THE DANGER OF BEING ARROGANT.
A. The problem of the Israelites that fell in the wilderness was that they apparently thought that they could not fall. They apparently believed that God would always take care of them, no matter what they did. However, they learned the hard way that God does not operate that way.
B. Therefore, Paul warned the brethren in Corinth, “Therefore let him who thinks he stands take heed lest he fall.” (1 Corinthians 10:12, NKJV)
1. A Christian is supposed to stand. (Ephesians 6:10-14a) To take a stand is to be active and working.
2. However, there is a difference between actually standing firm and thinking that you are standing firm. This person is deceiving himself.
C. What causes people to think that they are standing, when they are not?
1. They are self-confident. (1 Corinthians 10:12) They do not consider the possibility that they could be wrong, that they could be guilty of sin. They will acknowledge general sin, but when it comes to calling an action of theirs sin, they do not. In their mind, the sinful action is justified.
2. They are not watching. (1 Peter 4:7; Revelations 3:1-2)
3. They are not being vigilant (watchful). (1 Peter 5:8-9)
4. They are not resisting the devil. (James 4:7)
5. They are not drawing near to God. (James 4:8-9)
6. They do not humble themselves before the Lord. (James 4:10)
IV. HOW TO OVERCOME FEELINGS OF ARROGANCE?
A. Recognize that you have sinned against God. You are not perfect (sinless.) (1 John 1:8-10)
B. Accept the fact that you are simply a servant of God. (Luke 17:7-10)
C. While you are to work out your own salvation (Philippians 2:12), it is truly by His grace that you have been saved. (Ephesians 2:8-10)
D. The next time you may look to someone “more sinful” than you are, look again at yourself.
1. Until you are sinless, you have no right to judge yourself by the weakness and sins of others. (Matthew 7:1-5)
2. The only standard by which you are to judge yourself is Jesus Christ and His word.
CONCLUSION.
A. No one sitting here has the right to be arrogant. Let us all recognize our faults, our weaknesses, and our reliance upon the saving grace of Jesus Christ.
B. Many of the Israelites were arrogant and they fell. Do not follow the same path.
1. If you are a not a child of God, then turn to Him today by following the commands of Jesus Christ.
2. If you are a Christian, and you have allowed feelings of arrogance to lead you into sin, then humble yourself to God, repenting of your sins, and turning away from them.
-------------------------------------------------------------------
The Dangers of Being Arrogant - May 18, 2003 -- File # 2448 - Self-Righteousness
by John M. Duvall -- Lawton, OK