WEBVTT

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 If you ask people what the biggest problem in the world is, in their opinion, you're going to get a variety of answers.

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 What is the single biggest issue that we should be most concerned about?

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 A lot of thoughts about that.

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 There was an interesting study done last year by the World Economic Forum asking this very question to young adults, millennials, all around the world.

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 And here are the top five answers given from around the world.

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 Biggest problem facing us that we need to deal with.

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 Fifth place, government corruption and lack of accountability.

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 That's a pretty big one.

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 In fourth place, poverty.

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 In third place, religious conflicts, particularly in the Middle East.

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 In second place, large-scale war.

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 That's a pretty big deal.

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 And then the first place issue that we should be most concerned about, climate change and the depletion of natural resources.

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 So all of these are major issues.

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 And in fact, probably there are people in this room who your job is directly related to trying to solve some of these major problems around the world.

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 All major concerns.

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 Scripture, however, tells us that there is an even greater problem.

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 Something that we should actually be more concerned about.

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 And the reason is because this thing is actually the thing behind all of these issues.

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 It is the thing that drives government corruption.

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 It drives religious conflict.

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 It drives the lack of change around climate care.

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 Around creation care.

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 And of course, this issue is the issue of pride.

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 Now, I don't know about you, but that comes as a surprise to me.

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 As I think about all that's wrong with the world, it's hard for me to think that pride is at the top of the list.

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 But in fact, it is.

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 C.S. Lewis in Mere Christianity devotes a whole chapter to the topic of pride.

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 By the way, it's a fantastic read.

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 I'll be drawing heavily from it today.

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 But he titles the chapter, The Great Sin.

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 Pride, The Great Sin.

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 And he says in that chapter,

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 It is pride which has been the chief cause of misery in every nation and every family since the world began.

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 That's a huge claim.

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 Pride has been the chief cause of misery in families and in nations ever since the world began.

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 Pride.

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 We've been studying Habakkuk, which is a minor prophet in the Old Testament.

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 Short book, just three chapters.

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 And we've been studying it because it explores the questions surrounding suffering and evil and injustice in the world.

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 We've been looking at this for the past few weeks.

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 And as we come to chapter 2, particularly verses 4 through 20, we see that God gives Habakkuk a vision.

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 And he wants Habakkuk to write this vision down and to give it to heralds so that they can run and share this vision with the world.

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 And the vision is essentially God's way of saying this.

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 If you want to understand human evil and corruption and injustice and suffering,

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 if you want to understand why this is so pervasive and why it is so hard to solve these issues,

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 you have to understand pride and the role it plays underneath all of this evil.

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 And so this passage shows us two things about pride.

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 It shows us the sickness of pride.

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 And then it shows us the cure for pride.

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 The sickness of pride, that it's a sickness.

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 And then the cure for it.

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 Let's pray as we open God's word together.

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 Lord, we do pray as we recognize your promise to speak through your written word,

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 that you are here with us now.

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 And that we desperately need to hear what you have to say.

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 And so we pray that by the power of your spirit, you would open your word to us

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 and through it reveal to us your living word, Jesus Christ.

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 And it's in his name that we pray.

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 Amen.

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 So if we look at this passage together, the vision opens in verse 4.

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 It says, behold.

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 That's how you know the vision has started.

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 Behold, his soul is puffed up.

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 It is not upright within him.

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 But the righteous shall live by his faith.

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 Behold, his soul is puffed up.

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 Now, at face value, this is talking about the Chaldeans, as it says,

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 or as we know, the Babylonians.

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 But we know that this is a vision meant for everybody.

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 And so this is really a description of the human condition apart from the righteousness of God.

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 Human beings on their own have a condition.

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 Their soul is puffed up.

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 Now, just to give you a sense of that word, that Hebrew word actually is translated as either bloated or even tumorous.

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 So in other words, it's saying, behold.

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 Pride is the tumor in the soul of humanity that is making the world sick.

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 There's a bloated, grotesque tumor on the soul of humanity, and it's making the world sick.

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 Now, I just want to be clear that by pride, I don't just mean having a high opinion of yourself.

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 More accurately, pride is a high self-preoccupation, a high sense of self-importance or self-mindedness.

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 That's what pride really means.

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 And the reason that pride is so dangerous is because it is what drives other sins.

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 You wouldn't realize it, but pride lurks underneath the other sins and struggles in life.

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 So Lewis gives the example of greed.

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 And he says, to a point, greed leads us to want money and a nice house and a nice car and all of those things.

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 He says, only to a point.

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 But then after that, it doesn't just become about wanting money.

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 We want more money.

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 Right?

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 We don't just want to be rich.

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 We want to be richer.

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 We want to have a nicer house.

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 We want to have a nicer car.

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 In other words, at that point, it becomes pride.

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 Because pride is essentially competitive.

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 I want to have more than that person.

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 I want to have it better than that person.

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 That's pride.

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 It's no longer greed.

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 Take lust as another example.

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 Right?

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 And I think lust for many men is not just about sexual desire.

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 To a point, it is.

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 To a point, it's just sexual desire.

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 But then at some point, it begins to shift.

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 And it's about conquest.

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 It's about attaining.

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 It's about having.

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 It's about taking what I want and giving nothing in return.

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 It's about having what I want on my terms.

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 That's the allure of pornography.

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 I can take and take and take asks nothing of me.

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 Right?

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 And that makes me feel powerful.

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 And that's pride.

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 That's pride.

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 Right?

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 I think for many women, not all women, but I think for many women, the experience of lust is different.

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 To a point, it's maybe about sexual desire.

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 But then after that, it becomes something else.

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 It's about wanting to be desired.

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 It's about wanting to be the object of desire.

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 And then to be seen as being more desirable than other people.

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 And then at some point, maybe, the desire to be the most desired of all.

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 And again, we've crossed a line.

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 It's no longer about sex.

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 It's become about pride.

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 I want to be more desired than anyone else.

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 Right?

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 So pride is lurking behind so many other sins.

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 It's the hidden source of all different kinds of evil.

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 And if you look at the rest of chapter 2 in Habakkuk, it gives us a series of woes.

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 Right?

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 The oppressed, those people who have been exploited and taken advantage of.

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 It says those people will one day pronounce woes over Babylon.

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 And as you look at them, one thing we might do is just look at each of the woes pronounced.

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 But they all actually trace the same theme.

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 And as we look at them together, they all show how pride does harm in every sphere of life.

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 So if I had a board back here, I would draw concentric circles.

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 Imagine concentric circles.

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 And it's saying pride does damage in every sphere, every dimension of life.

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 And there are four areas we see that are highlighted.

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 The first circle, the furthest circle out, environmental harm.

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 You say, the Bible talks about that?

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 Yeah, it actually does here.

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 It says that pride and living a life based in human pride leads to us exploiting and destroying and depleting the environment.

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 If you look at verse 8 and verse 17, they talk about the violence that is done to the earth.

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 The violence done to the earth.

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 The Babylonians were rapacious and exploitative.

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 They would move to an area and conquer it and then they would plunder all of the natural resources.

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 One heartbreaking example is the cedars of Lebanon.

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 Lebanon was known for these beautiful cedar trees.

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 And the Babylonians came in and they clear cut all of the trees.

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 So that they could turn the wood into timbers to build their palaces.

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 And so that's why in verse 11 you have the beams, the cedar beams in the palace walls crying out for justice.

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 Because of what's been done to them.

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 Pride is what drives environmental exploitation and degradation.

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 It wants to take but not give because it is self-centered.

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 It believes I am more important.

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 Right?

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 So that's why after years, I mean our generation has grown up since I was a little kid, being told by everybody that we need to care for the environment.

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 That we need to make radical changes in life if we hope to see the world continue for future generations.

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 And yet still CO2 levels are at historic highs.

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 Still today 58,000 square miles of forest are cut down each year.

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 Still we have species going extinct at a rate 100 times faster than ever before in recorded history.

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 There are a lot of reasons for that.

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 But I think underneath a lot of this, there is human pride.

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 Pride is not the only cause, but I think it's much more than we would like to think or admit.

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 Because deep down, I believe that my convenience, I believe that my income, I believe that my lifestyle,

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 or for some of us, I believe that my political office is more important than future generations.

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 Who will inherit this planet?

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 It's pride.

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 So pride leads us to exploit and deplete the world, the environment around us.

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 It says me first.

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 But if we move to the next concentric circle in, we see that pride also does tremendous social harm.

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 Not just environmental, but social.

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 It harms our relationships with one another.

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 And I think many of us would probably agree with that.

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 Pride is what leads you to treat people with contempt or indifference.

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 It's what allows us to say that certain people groups don't matter as much.

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 Lewis says, quote, other vices may sometimes bring people together.

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 Right?

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 So you find good fellowship among drunk people.

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 It's a lot of fun.

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 A bunch of people all get drunk together.

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 That's a fun time.

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 Right?

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 There's fellowship there.

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 Right?

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 There's fellowship, as Lewis says, with unchaste people.

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 Right?

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 That's really bringing people together.

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 But Lewis says, Lewis says, pride is different.

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 Pride is different.

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 Because pride, by its very nature, is enmity.

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 It is enmity.

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 It is hostility toward the other.

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 The woes in chapter 2 talk about exploitation and unjust gain and bloodshed and debauchery.

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 This is happening in the ancient Near East.

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 Think about recent history in our country.

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 Think about the massive financial crisis in 2008, 2009.

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 The subprime lending crisis.

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 Right?

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 That's driven not just by greed.

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 It's driven by pride.

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 It's people saying, my gain is worth whatever it costs these people.

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 This people group can be put at great risk of ruin.

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 Thousands of lives can be destroyed.

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 Because I matter more.

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 That's pride.

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 Right?

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 What drives sex trafficking?

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 What drives modern day slavery?

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 We talked about this last week with IJM and Freedom Sunday.

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 It's not just lust.

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 Don't be deceived.

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 It's not about sex.

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 It's about some people saying that it's worth exploiting other people to have more money and more power.

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 That's what drives it.

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 Right?

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 Pride drives the ongoing racism and the equally, equally pernicious classism that exists in our country.

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 It's driven by pride.

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 Preferring certain people over others.

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 It even affects, I think, our relationships in much more subtle ways in an ongoing daily basis, even in our own community.

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 There was an interesting piece in the New York Times called The Stories We Tell Ourselves.

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 And if you saw this, it's interesting.

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 This writer basically says that we are constantly narrating and revising history in ways that make us look the way we want to look.

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 So he says, we tell stories that make us seem adventurous or funny or strong.

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 We tell stories that make our lives seem interesting.

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 And we tell these stories not only to others but also to ourselves.

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 I caught myself doing this the other day.

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 Don't tell anybody.

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 Doesn't leave this room.

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 But here's what happened.

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 Hard day.

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 Busy day at work.

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 A lot going on.

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 Kind of stressed out.

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 Fighting traffic coming home.

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 I walk in the door.

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 Totally spent.

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 And I look up.

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 And before I've even set my stuff down, my wife just runs over and just shoves a screaming child into my arms.

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 Eight week old, right?

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 Just inconsolably screaming.

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 Kids are freaking out.

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 And so then I take her and I start to kind of, you know, shush her and walk around the living room.

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 And about 15 or 20 minutes later, I caught myself red-handed doing this thing.

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 Do you ever catch yourself red-handed doing something?

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 You're doing it before you even realize you're doing it and then you realize that you're doing it?

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 About 15, 20 minutes in, I realize that I have begun to spin this narrative in my mind.

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 I've begun to weave this story about how I've worked so hard and I've put it all out there and I'm so exhausted.

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 And I deserve to be able to just come home and flop down and take a break.

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 And nobody understands how blah, blah, blah, blah.

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 Self-pity.

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 This martyr story.

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 Where's that coming from?

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 It's pride.

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 Pride.

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 It's pride saying my needs matter more.

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 It's this story rooted in my sense of self-importance.

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 And by the way, rule of thumb in marriage.

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 Rule of thumb.

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 If you're the spouse who's out working and the other spouse is the one at home with an infant all day,

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 when you come home, unless you have a major bleed from an artery happening right then,

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 they've had a harder day than you have.

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 It's just a great rule of thumb, right?

00:16:07.720 --> 00:16:17.420
 And if you, as I did, say otherwise, it's like throwing a live hand grenade into the living room, okay?

00:16:17.620 --> 00:16:21.700
 And I'm still picking shrapnel out from the explosion.

00:16:21.840 --> 00:16:22.320
 And I've learned.

00:16:22.379 --> 00:16:24.100
 And I had to repent of my pride.

00:16:25.600 --> 00:16:26.000
 Pride.

00:16:26.160 --> 00:16:26.700
 It's ugly.

00:16:26.920 --> 00:16:27.600
 It's nasty.

00:16:29.220 --> 00:16:29.620
 Right?

00:16:29.779 --> 00:16:32.580
 So now I'm going to turn it a little bit.

00:16:32.600 --> 00:16:34.620
 I'm going to say something that might get me in trouble with some of you.

00:16:34.620 --> 00:16:35.420
 I'm going to say it anyway.

00:16:37.720 --> 00:16:47.680
 Is it possible that some of you who are not married, who want to be married, are still not married because of pride?

00:16:48.740 --> 00:16:49.680
 Is it possible?

00:16:49.779 --> 00:16:52.120
 Just before you attack me, just hang with me.

00:16:53.480 --> 00:16:54.680
 Let me just say this.

00:16:55.399 --> 00:16:56.340
 Is it possible?

00:16:56.420 --> 00:16:56.980
 It may not be.

00:16:57.040 --> 00:16:57.920
 This may not be you.

00:16:58.040 --> 00:16:58.940
 So don't even listen.

00:17:00.720 --> 00:17:04.420
 But if you have ears to hear, just listen.

00:17:04.420 --> 00:17:15.900
 Listen, is it possible that there are people who are available, who are amazing, who are believers, who are in your life, whom you have prematurely written off?

00:17:17.080 --> 00:17:21.220
 That you've said, you've heard again and again and again, don't settle.

00:17:21.920 --> 00:17:22.620
 Don't settle.

00:17:23.180 --> 00:17:23.820
 Don't settle.

00:17:24.220 --> 00:17:28.320
 And so there are people in your life that you didn't even consider because you said, well, I don't want to settle.

00:17:28.319 --> 00:17:31.960
 Is pride part of it?

00:17:32.079 --> 00:17:32.879
 Not all of it, right?

00:17:32.919 --> 00:17:34.919
 I know it's a lot harder and a lot more complicated than that.

00:17:35.179 --> 00:17:35.859
 Is it part of it?

00:17:37.659 --> 00:17:38.059
 Suggestion.

00:17:38.240 --> 00:17:38.879
 Not prescription.

00:17:39.039 --> 00:17:39.720
 Here's a suggestion.

00:17:40.439 --> 00:17:41.039
 Take that.

00:17:41.679 --> 00:17:42.359
 Pray about it.

00:17:42.720 --> 00:17:43.720
 Pray about it for a week.

00:17:43.720 --> 00:17:50.779
 If the Lord brings anybody to mind in your life and they're a believer and they're available.

00:17:55.980 --> 00:17:56.779
 Very important.

00:17:57.160 --> 00:18:02.160
 I want you to go onto your knees, repent before the Lord and ask that person out.

00:18:03.259 --> 00:18:04.259
 Just pray about it.

00:18:04.700 --> 00:18:05.900
 It's between you and the Lord.

00:18:06.039 --> 00:18:07.120
 I don't need to know about it.

00:18:08.860 --> 00:18:12.019
 Pride harms our relationships in all kinds of ways, right?

00:18:12.019 --> 00:18:15.559
 So if you think about environmental harm, it does social harm.

00:18:15.680 --> 00:18:22.400
 Then move the next circle in, getting closer to home, and we see that pride does psychological damage.

00:18:22.539 --> 00:18:24.359
 It does emotional damage.

00:18:25.660 --> 00:18:29.619
 Verses 4 and 5 say, the puffed up soul is not upright.

00:18:29.759 --> 00:18:31.440
 That's a biblical way of saying unhealthy.

00:18:31.839 --> 00:18:32.740
 It's not upright.

00:18:33.420 --> 00:18:35.379
 The puffed up soul is self-deceived.

00:18:35.519 --> 00:18:37.779
 The tumorous soul is restless.

00:18:38.019 --> 00:18:40.500
 The tumorous soul is unsatisfied.

00:18:42.019 --> 00:18:45.700
 This is psychological and emotional distress, right?

00:18:46.779 --> 00:18:49.240
 There's a famous Harvard psychologist, Gordon Allport.

00:18:49.539 --> 00:18:55.460
 He wrote about neurosis and the nature of neurotic disease.

00:18:55.460 --> 00:18:57.079
 And he says,

00:18:57.079 --> 00:19:04.200
 Any neurotic is living a life which in some respects is extreme in its self-centeredness.

00:19:04.840 --> 00:19:10.759
 The region of his misery represents a complete preoccupation with himself.

00:19:11.420 --> 00:19:15.019
 The very nature of the neurotic disorder is tied to pride.

00:19:15.019 --> 00:19:25.079
 How amazing and horrifying is it that one of the ways Satan would attack people is by taking their misery,

00:19:25.279 --> 00:19:30.680
 taking their suffering, taking their hurt, taking their pain, and using it against them.

00:19:30.680 --> 00:19:33.980
 Real hurt and real suffering.

00:19:33.980 --> 00:19:35.539
 And turning them inward.

00:19:37.340 --> 00:19:40.240
 And using pride, right?

00:19:40.460 --> 00:19:43.340
 Like a wound that then becomes infected.

00:19:44.480 --> 00:19:46.680
 Pride comes in and infects that wound.

00:19:47.900 --> 00:19:49.820
 And you become mired in self-pity.

00:19:51.120 --> 00:19:51.279
 Right?

00:19:51.279 --> 00:19:57.180
 Even if that's not you, think about the ways pride undermines us on a daily basis.

00:19:57.319 --> 00:20:01.740
 Think about your hang-ups and your issues and the things that you wish were different about your character.

00:20:02.940 --> 00:20:04.279
 Let me ask you some questions.

00:20:05.500 --> 00:20:07.480
 Why don't you admit when you're wrong?

00:20:08.619 --> 00:20:08.980
 Immediately?

00:20:10.279 --> 00:20:12.740
 You know, why does it take, if you're anything like me,

00:20:13.519 --> 00:20:15.960
 especially in my marriage, it normally takes me a day or two.

00:20:16.639 --> 00:20:17.019
 Why?

00:20:17.019 --> 00:20:20.879
 Why don't you admit when you need help?

00:20:22.039 --> 00:20:22.819
 And just say it.

00:20:23.940 --> 00:20:27.279
 Why don't you admit that you need friends and that you're lonely?

00:20:28.639 --> 00:20:30.279
 Why are you a people pleaser?

00:20:32.180 --> 00:20:35.779
 Why are you so threatened by the success of other people?

00:20:37.579 --> 00:20:40.039
 Why are you chronically indecisive?

00:20:42.339 --> 00:20:45.779
 Why do you always criticize yourself and beat yourself up?

00:20:47.019 --> 00:20:51.460
 Why can't you take the criticism of other people who love you?

00:20:53.299 --> 00:20:56.460
 Why do you have such a paralyzing fear of failure?

00:20:58.480 --> 00:21:01.079
 Why do you lie to make yourself look better?

00:21:03.639 --> 00:21:04.319
 Pride.

00:21:05.160 --> 00:21:07.799
 It all comes back to pride.

00:21:09.420 --> 00:21:10.379
 All of it.

00:21:11.920 --> 00:21:14.139
 This is not autobiographical at all.

00:21:14.140 --> 00:21:18.620
 I had to interview lots of very screwed up people to get these examples.

00:21:20.920 --> 00:21:23.960
 But this is what I hear about pride and what it does to people.

00:21:25.460 --> 00:21:29.580
 So pride is a tumor that does harm environmentally.

00:21:30.400 --> 00:21:31.259
 It does harm socially.

00:21:31.400 --> 00:21:33.259
 It does harm psychologically and emotionally.

00:21:33.680 --> 00:21:35.420
 And then lastly, and most importantly,

00:21:35.780 --> 00:21:39.020
 pride is spiritually devastating.

00:21:39.019 --> 00:21:44.720
 The last three verses in these woes, verses 18, 19, and 20, talk about idolatry.

00:21:45.599 --> 00:21:49.200
 And you ask the question, what does pride have to do with idolatry?

00:21:49.339 --> 00:21:50.119
 What's the connection?

00:21:50.119 --> 00:21:55.079
 C.S. Lewis in that chapter says, in essence,

00:21:56.359 --> 00:21:59.679
 in God you come up against something that is, in every respect,

00:22:00.079 --> 00:22:02.479
 immeasurably superior to yourself.

00:22:03.119 --> 00:22:07.319
 So as a result, you see yourself as nothing by comparison.

00:22:07.739 --> 00:22:08.559
 And here's the key.

00:22:08.859 --> 00:22:11.019
 Unless you know God in that way,

00:22:11.839 --> 00:22:13.799
 you don't know God at all.

00:22:13.799 --> 00:22:19.339
 Chances are you are worshipping a God of your own creation.

00:22:20.139 --> 00:22:21.879
 A God of your own imagination.

00:22:23.220 --> 00:22:23.339
 Right?

00:22:23.599 --> 00:22:25.539
 If you say to God,

00:22:25.759 --> 00:22:27.099
 well, I believe in God,

00:22:27.180 --> 00:22:30.019
 but I would never believe in a God who X, Y, Z.

00:22:30.960 --> 00:22:32.019
 Or if you say, you know,

00:22:32.079 --> 00:22:33.319
 I believe in God,

00:22:33.399 --> 00:22:34.919
 but I believe in a God of love.

00:22:35.059 --> 00:22:36.779
 And those other things that he says

00:22:36.779 --> 00:22:38.639
 about how I should live my life

00:22:38.639 --> 00:22:40.379
 or about sin or about,

00:22:40.380 --> 00:22:42.220
 I reject those things

00:22:42.220 --> 00:22:44.960
 because I believe that God is only a God of love.

00:22:45.500 --> 00:22:48.400
 Any version of that that you choose,

00:22:49.700 --> 00:22:51.040
 what are you ultimately doing

00:22:51.040 --> 00:22:52.300
 other than creating a God

00:22:52.300 --> 00:22:54.540
 who is subservient to you

00:22:54.540 --> 00:22:56.780
 rather than superior to you?

00:22:56.860 --> 00:22:57.480
 And Lewis says,

00:22:57.540 --> 00:23:00.540
 unless you know God in such a way

00:23:00.540 --> 00:23:03.220
 that he is immeasurably and vastly greater than you,

00:23:03.220 --> 00:23:04.400
 you don't know God.

00:23:05.360 --> 00:23:06.520
 And that's why he goes on to say,

00:23:06.620 --> 00:23:07.680
 as long as you're proud,

00:23:07.780 --> 00:23:08.780
 you cannot know God.

00:23:09.080 --> 00:23:09.860
 It's impossible.

00:23:11.060 --> 00:23:13.260
 A proud person is always looking down

00:23:13.260 --> 00:23:14.540
 on things and people.

00:23:14.780 --> 00:23:15.280
 And of course,

00:23:15.440 --> 00:23:16.860
 as long as you're looking down,

00:23:17.120 --> 00:23:20.000
 you cannot see something that is above you.

00:23:21.460 --> 00:23:24.620
 So pride is this tumor in the heart of humanity

00:23:24.620 --> 00:23:26.860
 that is causing environmental and social

00:23:26.860 --> 00:23:29.260
 and psychological and spiritual devastation.

00:23:29.900 --> 00:23:32.020
 Now, before we go to the cure,

00:23:32.400 --> 00:23:34.300
 I want to stop and just ask,

00:23:34.680 --> 00:23:36.280
 as you're hearing this

00:23:36.280 --> 00:23:37.000
 and as you're wondering,

00:23:37.140 --> 00:23:39.000
 well, how big of an issue is this for me?

00:23:39.000 --> 00:23:42.160
 Let me give you a way to think about this.

00:23:42.460 --> 00:23:43.980
 A test, so to speak.

00:23:44.059 --> 00:23:44.859
 A litmus test.

00:23:45.259 --> 00:23:47.019
 Is pride an issue for me in my life?

00:23:48.000 --> 00:23:48.900
 Think about this.

00:23:48.900 --> 00:23:53.060
 when people snub you.

00:23:54.660 --> 00:23:56.340
 When people overlook you.

00:23:57.540 --> 00:24:01.460
 When you feel unappreciated at your job.

00:24:01.460 --> 00:24:03.460
 When you feel unnoticed.

00:24:03.460 --> 00:24:04.620
 When you feel unnoticed.

00:24:05.660 --> 00:24:08.460
 When you're really wanting to be asked out,

00:24:08.819 --> 00:24:10.140
 but nobody's asking you out.

00:24:10.779 --> 00:24:12.840
 When you feel rejected.

00:24:13.519 --> 00:24:14.819
 When you hear about all those people

00:24:14.819 --> 00:24:15.860
 that went and did that fun thing

00:24:15.860 --> 00:24:16.980
 and you didn't get to go.

00:24:16.980 --> 00:24:19.620
 Those things hurt everybody.

00:24:21.120 --> 00:24:22.539
 How much do that hurt?

00:24:24.240 --> 00:24:25.400
 Does it just hurt you?

00:24:25.740 --> 00:24:27.259
 Or does it devastate you?

00:24:27.740 --> 00:24:30.400
 Is it the kind of thing that you linger on for days?

00:24:30.940 --> 00:24:32.839
 Does it grind away at your soul?

00:24:33.660 --> 00:24:34.819
 That is one way to gauge

00:24:34.819 --> 00:24:37.860
 how much of a hold pride has on you.

00:24:38.640 --> 00:24:39.740
 How much does it hurt?

00:24:40.380 --> 00:24:41.839
 Does it undo you?

00:24:41.920 --> 00:24:43.259
 Does it destabilize you?

00:24:44.220 --> 00:24:44.940
 That's pride.

00:24:46.240 --> 00:24:46.539
 Right?

00:24:46.640 --> 00:24:48.619
 That's pride that has been scorned.

00:24:48.740 --> 00:24:48.920
 Right?

00:24:51.519 --> 00:24:54.799
 So now as we reflect on the sickness of pride,

00:24:54.879 --> 00:24:55.660
 we have to ask,

00:24:55.779 --> 00:24:56.420
 what is the cure?

00:24:56.779 --> 00:24:57.940
 What is the cure for pride?

00:24:58.480 --> 00:25:01.039
 And there are really only two possible ways

00:25:01.039 --> 00:25:02.539
 out of pride.

00:25:02.640 --> 00:25:03.660
 Out of the grip of pride.

00:25:03.759 --> 00:25:04.500
 And spoiler alert,

00:25:04.720 --> 00:25:05.720
 one of them doesn't work.

00:25:06.079 --> 00:25:07.279
 But we're going to talk about it anyway.

00:25:08.579 --> 00:25:10.480
 First possible way out of pride

00:25:10.480 --> 00:25:12.660
 is the way that we might call

00:25:12.660 --> 00:25:14.800
 the moralistic approach.

00:25:15.740 --> 00:25:16.460
 It's very simple.

00:25:17.160 --> 00:25:18.820
 You hear this and you say,

00:25:19.320 --> 00:25:21.440
 okay, pride is bad and humility is good.

00:25:21.580 --> 00:25:22.500
 So starting right now,

00:25:23.200 --> 00:25:24.840
 I'm going to stop being proud.

00:25:25.420 --> 00:25:27.759
 And I'm going to devote myself to being humble.

00:25:27.860 --> 00:25:29.080
 I'm going to become a humble person.

00:25:29.300 --> 00:25:30.960
 I'm going to become more humble

00:25:30.960 --> 00:25:32.420
 than anybody you've ever seen.

00:25:32.519 --> 00:25:34.779
 I'm going to become the most humble person ever.

00:25:34.920 --> 00:25:35.600
 And then guess what?

00:25:36.120 --> 00:25:37.240
 You're back into pride.

00:25:37.620 --> 00:25:39.360
 And it's a hamster wheel.

00:25:39.359 --> 00:25:40.959
 It's a hamster wheel.

00:25:41.619 --> 00:25:41.779
 Right?

00:25:41.979 --> 00:25:42.539
 I'm proud.

00:25:42.619 --> 00:25:43.339
 I'm becoming more humble,

00:25:43.439 --> 00:25:44.119
 more humble, more humble.

00:25:44.199 --> 00:25:45.619
 I'm so humble, I'm proud again.

00:25:46.359 --> 00:25:48.159
 And it just goes around and around

00:25:48.159 --> 00:25:49.099
 and around and around.

00:25:49.199 --> 00:25:50.119
 And you can't escape it.

00:25:51.459 --> 00:25:51.839
 Right?

00:25:51.959 --> 00:25:53.659
 And the reason,

00:25:53.660 --> 00:25:56.380
 the reason that it doesn't work

00:25:56.380 --> 00:25:58.960
 and that whole approach doesn't work

00:25:58.960 --> 00:26:00.140
 is the same reason

00:26:00.140 --> 00:26:01.500
 that the moralistic approach

00:26:01.500 --> 00:26:03.620
 doesn't work in any sphere of life.

00:26:04.759 --> 00:26:05.900
 Because here's the thing.

00:26:06.019 --> 00:26:07.660
 The more moralistic you are,

00:26:07.800 --> 00:26:09.560
 the more prideful you will become.

00:26:10.500 --> 00:26:12.300
 The more moralistic you are,

00:26:12.360 --> 00:26:14.480
 the more prideful you will become.

00:26:14.640 --> 00:26:15.640
 And the reason is simple.

00:26:15.640 --> 00:26:18.140
 It's because moralism is to pride

00:26:18.140 --> 00:26:21.400
 as gasoline is to a fire.

00:26:21.400 --> 00:26:23.900
 It fuels it.

00:26:24.000 --> 00:26:25.040
 And it stokes it

00:26:25.040 --> 00:26:26.540
 in unimaginable ways.

00:26:26.940 --> 00:26:28.000
 And if you just think about it,

00:26:28.259 --> 00:26:31.340
 we live in a highly moralistic society right now.

00:26:31.960 --> 00:26:33.860
 I think it's as or more moralistic

00:26:33.860 --> 00:26:34.880
 than ever before.

00:26:35.340 --> 00:26:38.140
 And we live in a very prideful society.

00:26:38.980 --> 00:26:39.340
 Both.

00:26:39.920 --> 00:26:40.300
 Both.

00:26:41.180 --> 00:26:43.000
 We live in a highly moralistic society.

00:26:43.000 --> 00:26:44.380
 You know, people talk about

00:26:44.380 --> 00:26:46.000
 the moral decline in the West.

00:26:46.460 --> 00:26:47.100
 And they talk about

00:26:47.100 --> 00:26:49.440
 the rise of moral relativism.

00:26:50.340 --> 00:26:50.720
 No.

00:26:52.400 --> 00:26:54.040
 We're not less moralistic.

00:26:54.200 --> 00:26:55.620
 And we're certainly not relativists.

00:26:57.060 --> 00:26:58.440
 We're pluralists.

00:26:59.259 --> 00:27:00.519
 Moral pluralism.

00:27:01.060 --> 00:27:02.400
 The whole world of morality

00:27:02.400 --> 00:27:03.980
 has become a giant game

00:27:03.980 --> 00:27:04.640
 of King of the Hill.

00:27:05.680 --> 00:27:07.240
 It's a game of King of the Hill.

00:27:07.500 --> 00:27:09.080
 And everybody wants to be

00:27:09.080 --> 00:27:10.140
 on the moral high ground.

00:27:10.880 --> 00:27:12.019
 And the only difference is

00:27:12.019 --> 00:27:13.259
 there's not just one hill.

00:27:14.300 --> 00:27:15.720
 Everybody has a hill.

00:27:16.180 --> 00:27:17.500
 And everybody's standing

00:27:17.500 --> 00:27:18.700
 on the moral high ground

00:27:18.700 --> 00:27:19.600
 of their little hill.

00:27:19.599 --> 00:27:21.759
 And everybody's saying

00:27:21.759 --> 00:27:23.639
 their hill conveniently

00:27:23.639 --> 00:27:24.959
 is the only one that matters.

00:27:25.859 --> 00:27:26.159
 Right?

00:27:26.319 --> 00:27:27.319
 So some people have

00:27:27.319 --> 00:27:28.419
 the Judeo-Christian

00:27:28.419 --> 00:27:31.079
 sexual purity traditionalism hill.

00:27:31.299 --> 00:27:32.699
 And they stand on top of that hill.

00:27:32.799 --> 00:27:33.919
 This is the real hill.

00:27:35.059 --> 00:27:36.319
 And then other people have

00:27:36.319 --> 00:27:38.319
 a hill that is built on

00:27:38.319 --> 00:27:39.779
 inclusivity

00:27:39.779 --> 00:27:40.980
 and open-mindedness

00:27:40.980 --> 00:27:41.599
 and tolerance.

00:27:42.059 --> 00:27:42.480
 And they say

00:27:42.480 --> 00:27:43.599
 this is the real hill.

00:27:43.799 --> 00:27:44.859
 This is the one that matters.

00:27:44.859 --> 00:27:45.839
 And then you have somebody

00:27:45.839 --> 00:27:46.419
 over here

00:27:46.419 --> 00:27:47.219
 on their hill

00:27:47.219 --> 00:27:47.599
 and they say

00:27:47.599 --> 00:27:48.879
 well the thing that really matters

00:27:48.879 --> 00:27:50.459
 the morality that really matters

00:27:50.459 --> 00:27:51.799
 is the food that we eat

00:27:51.799 --> 00:27:52.919
 and where it comes from.

00:27:53.119 --> 00:27:53.500
 And then you have

00:27:53.500 --> 00:27:54.439
 the hill over here

00:27:54.439 --> 00:27:55.359
 of the person who says

00:27:55.359 --> 00:27:56.639
 well what really matters

00:27:56.639 --> 00:27:57.919
 is how we give birth

00:27:57.919 --> 00:27:58.779
 to our kids

00:27:58.779 --> 00:27:59.639
 and how we parent.

00:28:00.199 --> 00:28:00.339
 Right?

00:28:00.459 --> 00:28:01.399
 And it just goes on

00:28:01.399 --> 00:28:01.899
 and on and on.

00:28:02.119 --> 00:28:03.399
 And there's a vast sea

00:28:03.399 --> 00:28:04.839
 of moral hills

00:28:04.839 --> 00:28:06.839
 and people shouting

00:28:06.839 --> 00:28:07.379
 at one another

00:28:07.379 --> 00:28:09.019
 from their moral high ground.

00:28:09.899 --> 00:28:10.899
 It's King of the Hill.

00:28:11.199 --> 00:28:11.959
 Gone wild.

00:28:11.960 --> 00:28:14.160
 This is the moral world

00:28:14.160 --> 00:28:14.980
 that we live in.

00:28:15.600 --> 00:28:16.799
 But the point I want to make

00:28:16.799 --> 00:28:18.600
 is that moralism

00:28:18.600 --> 00:28:19.819
 regardless of what hill

00:28:19.819 --> 00:28:20.720
 you're standing on

00:28:20.720 --> 00:28:22.640
 moralism fuels pride

00:28:22.640 --> 00:28:23.700
 by giving you

00:28:23.700 --> 00:28:24.299
 a measure

00:28:24.299 --> 00:28:25.460
 of your own excellence.

00:28:27.079 --> 00:28:28.279
 So if you define

00:28:28.279 --> 00:28:29.000
 moral excellence

00:28:29.000 --> 00:28:30.100
 as sexual purity

00:28:30.100 --> 00:28:31.220
 show everybody your ring

00:28:31.220 --> 00:28:31.579
 and tell them

00:28:31.579 --> 00:28:32.340
 how you're saving yourself

00:28:32.340 --> 00:28:32.799
 for marriage.

00:28:33.000 --> 00:28:33.860
 If you define

00:28:33.860 --> 00:28:34.480
 moral excellence

00:28:34.480 --> 00:28:35.640
 as inclusion

00:28:35.640 --> 00:28:36.980
 and open-mindedness

00:28:36.980 --> 00:28:37.500
 and tolerance

00:28:37.500 --> 00:28:39.420
 then post articles

00:28:39.420 --> 00:28:39.980
 online

00:28:39.980 --> 00:28:40.740
 that show people

00:28:40.740 --> 00:28:41.579
 how open-minded

00:28:41.579 --> 00:28:42.379
 you are.

00:28:43.500 --> 00:28:44.599
 But it doesn't matter

00:28:44.599 --> 00:28:45.480
 because the same thing

00:28:45.480 --> 00:28:46.299
 is happening underneath.

00:28:47.379 --> 00:28:48.480
 The same phenomenon

00:28:48.480 --> 00:28:49.339
 is playing out

00:28:49.339 --> 00:28:50.359
 again and again

00:28:50.359 --> 00:28:51.019
 and again.

00:28:51.599 --> 00:28:52.779
 It's all just pride

00:28:52.779 --> 00:28:53.740
 and virtue signaling

00:28:53.740 --> 00:28:54.659
 from one hill

00:28:54.659 --> 00:28:55.059
 or another.

00:28:55.779 --> 00:28:56.439
 And by the way

00:28:56.439 --> 00:28:57.159
 you're saying

00:28:57.159 --> 00:28:57.899
 okay what does this

00:28:57.899 --> 00:28:58.759
 have to do with Habakkuk?

00:29:00.220 --> 00:29:01.299
 Well we've got to go

00:29:01.299 --> 00:29:02.220
 back to chapter 1.

00:29:02.359 --> 00:29:03.439
 We intentionally

00:29:03.439 --> 00:29:04.659
 didn't talk about this

00:29:04.659 --> 00:29:05.579
 when we did chapter 1

00:29:05.579 --> 00:29:06.319
 because I wanted to wait

00:29:06.319 --> 00:29:06.799
 until now

00:29:06.799 --> 00:29:07.220
 because I think

00:29:07.220 --> 00:29:08.099
 it makes more sense

00:29:08.099 --> 00:29:09.659
 in this conversation.

00:29:10.259 --> 00:29:11.199
 In Habakkuk 1

00:29:11.200 --> 00:29:12.019
 he says

00:29:12.019 --> 00:29:12.920
 in verse 4

00:29:12.920 --> 00:29:14.799
 the law is paralyzed

00:29:14.799 --> 00:29:16.000
 and justice

00:29:16.000 --> 00:29:17.180
 never goes forth.

00:29:17.720 --> 00:29:18.740
 Now he's not

00:29:18.740 --> 00:29:19.860
 just talking about

00:29:19.860 --> 00:29:21.220
 the law of the land

00:29:21.220 --> 00:29:21.819
 the local

00:29:21.819 --> 00:29:22.819
 kind of civil

00:29:22.819 --> 00:29:23.400
 you know

00:29:23.400 --> 00:29:24.220
 statutes.

00:29:24.900 --> 00:29:25.940
 He's talking about

00:29:25.940 --> 00:29:26.519
 the Torah.

00:29:27.000 --> 00:29:27.600
 He's talking about

00:29:27.600 --> 00:29:28.360
 God's law.

00:29:28.600 --> 00:29:29.519
 Do you hear his complaint?

00:29:29.920 --> 00:29:30.279
 God

00:29:30.279 --> 00:29:32.559
 your law

00:29:32.559 --> 00:29:33.440
 isn't working.

00:29:34.100 --> 00:29:35.220
 There's all this evil

00:29:35.220 --> 00:29:35.680
 and injustice

00:29:35.680 --> 00:29:36.299
 and suffering

00:29:36.299 --> 00:29:37.039
 and you gave us

00:29:37.039 --> 00:29:37.400
 the law

00:29:37.400 --> 00:29:38.279
 to put a stop to this

00:29:38.279 --> 00:29:39.019
 and your law

00:29:39.019 --> 00:29:39.759
 is paralyzed

00:29:39.759 --> 00:29:40.599
 and justice

00:29:40.599 --> 00:29:41.759
 is not going forth.

00:29:42.019 --> 00:29:42.839
 It's not happening.

00:29:43.139 --> 00:29:43.579
 Your law

00:29:43.579 --> 00:29:44.299
 isn't enough.

00:29:46.139 --> 00:29:47.059
 And here's the great

00:29:47.059 --> 00:29:47.980
 truth that we see

00:29:47.980 --> 00:29:49.240
 emerge from the pages

00:29:49.240 --> 00:29:50.319
 of Habakkuk.

00:29:50.599 --> 00:29:51.700
 The law can never

00:29:51.700 --> 00:29:52.539
 cure evil.

00:29:54.000 --> 00:29:55.019
 It can never

00:29:55.019 --> 00:29:55.619
 cure evil.

00:29:55.899 --> 00:29:56.200
 Why?

00:29:56.720 --> 00:29:57.960
 Because it can never

00:29:57.960 --> 00:29:59.420
 deal with pride.

00:30:00.379 --> 00:30:01.399
 It can make you

00:30:01.399 --> 00:30:02.339
 appear a lot more

00:30:02.339 --> 00:30:03.039
 sexually pure.

00:30:03.319 --> 00:30:03.879
 It can make you

00:30:03.879 --> 00:30:05.980
 appear to be a lot

00:30:05.980 --> 00:30:06.700
 more pious,

00:30:07.019 --> 00:30:07.619
 care about the

00:30:07.619 --> 00:30:07.899
 Sabbath.

00:30:08.339 --> 00:30:09.039
 It can make you

00:30:09.039 --> 00:30:09.819
 appear to be,

00:30:10.039 --> 00:30:11.159
 even depending on

00:30:11.159 --> 00:30:12.039
 your moral framework,

00:30:12.159 --> 00:30:12.779
 if you reject

00:30:12.779 --> 00:30:13.599
 certain,

00:30:13.759 --> 00:30:14.879
 it can make you

00:30:14.879 --> 00:30:16.459
 seem more open-minded

00:30:16.459 --> 00:30:17.279
 or inclusive.

00:30:17.359 --> 00:30:17.939
 It can make you

00:30:17.939 --> 00:30:18.699
 appear to be all

00:30:18.699 --> 00:30:19.259
 kinds of things,

00:30:19.379 --> 00:30:19.919
 but it can never

00:30:19.919 --> 00:30:20.559
 deal with pride.

00:30:21.599 --> 00:30:22.339
 It's powerless.

00:30:22.659 --> 00:30:23.219
 All it can do

00:30:23.219 --> 00:30:24.000
 is fuel it.

00:30:27.419 --> 00:30:27.819
 So,

00:30:28.019 --> 00:30:28.979
 there is really

00:30:28.979 --> 00:30:30.119
 only one answer,

00:30:31.259 --> 00:30:32.619
 one cure for pride,

00:30:33.079 --> 00:30:33.779
 and you see it

00:30:33.779 --> 00:30:35.019
 in verse 14.

00:30:35.019 --> 00:30:36.539
 what is God's

00:30:36.539 --> 00:30:37.920
 cure for human

00:30:37.920 --> 00:30:38.359
 pride?

00:30:40.019 --> 00:30:41.220
 It's to fill

00:30:41.220 --> 00:30:41.879
 the earth

00:30:41.879 --> 00:30:43.079
 with the knowledge

00:30:43.079 --> 00:30:43.960
 of the glory

00:30:43.960 --> 00:30:44.500
 of the Lord.

00:30:46.139 --> 00:30:47.059
 God says the

00:30:47.059 --> 00:30:47.960
 world is filled

00:30:47.960 --> 00:30:48.539
 with pride,

00:30:49.079 --> 00:30:51.460
 and until it is

00:30:51.460 --> 00:30:52.420
 filled with the

00:30:52.420 --> 00:30:53.059
 knowledge of the

00:30:53.059 --> 00:30:53.859
 glory of the Lord,

00:30:55.160 --> 00:30:56.000
 pride will always

00:30:56.000 --> 00:30:56.559
 be a problem.

00:30:57.220 --> 00:30:57.879
 Imagine this

00:30:57.879 --> 00:30:58.700
 polluted water

00:30:58.700 --> 00:30:59.339
 and this clean

00:30:59.339 --> 00:31:00.079
 water begins to

00:31:00.079 --> 00:31:00.740
 pour into it

00:31:00.740 --> 00:31:01.940
 and push all the

00:31:01.940 --> 00:31:02.619
 pollution out

00:31:02.619 --> 00:31:03.199
 until there is

00:31:03.199 --> 00:31:04.000
 no trace of it

00:31:04.000 --> 00:31:04.659
 left,

00:31:04.759 --> 00:31:05.359
 to fill the

00:31:05.359 --> 00:31:07.379
 earth with the

00:31:07.379 --> 00:31:08.099
 knowledge of the

00:31:08.099 --> 00:31:09.119
 glory of the

00:31:09.119 --> 00:31:09.319
 Lord.

00:31:09.399 --> 00:31:10.279
 Another image,

00:31:11.019 --> 00:31:12.359
 if pride is a

00:31:12.359 --> 00:31:12.639
 tumor,

00:31:12.779 --> 00:31:13.619
 then God's glory

00:31:13.619 --> 00:31:14.139
 is like the

00:31:14.139 --> 00:31:15.659
 radiation that

00:31:15.659 --> 00:31:16.979
 burns the tumor

00:31:16.979 --> 00:31:17.979
 away until it's

00:31:17.979 --> 00:31:18.799
 no more.

00:31:20.519 --> 00:31:21.039
 And there is

00:31:21.039 --> 00:31:22.019
 one place where

00:31:22.019 --> 00:31:22.939
 we see God's

00:31:22.939 --> 00:31:23.659
 glory more

00:31:23.659 --> 00:31:24.439
 clearly than

00:31:24.439 --> 00:31:25.379
 anywhere else.

00:31:26.579 --> 00:31:27.539
 Paul says it

00:31:27.539 --> 00:31:28.199
 this way in

00:31:28.199 --> 00:31:28.959
 Philippians 2

00:31:28.959 --> 00:31:29.299
 when he is

00:31:29.299 --> 00:31:29.939
 talking about

00:31:29.939 --> 00:31:30.339
 Jesus.

00:31:30.539 --> 00:31:30.799
 He says,

00:31:30.799 --> 00:31:31.200
 Jesus,

00:31:31.599 --> 00:31:32.180
 who though he

00:31:32.180 --> 00:31:32.599
 was in the

00:31:32.599 --> 00:31:33.299
 form of God,

00:31:33.539 --> 00:31:34.339
 did not count

00:31:34.339 --> 00:31:35.220
 equality with

00:31:35.220 --> 00:31:36.119
 God a thing to

00:31:36.119 --> 00:31:36.740
 be grasped.

00:31:36.759 --> 00:31:37.200
 In other words,

00:31:37.399 --> 00:31:38.639
 he wasn't prideful

00:31:38.639 --> 00:31:39.500
 about it,

00:31:39.919 --> 00:31:40.879
 but instead he

00:31:40.879 --> 00:31:41.879
 emptied himself

00:31:41.879 --> 00:31:42.960
 by taking the

00:31:42.960 --> 00:31:43.480
 form of a

00:31:43.480 --> 00:31:43.799
 servant,

00:31:44.000 --> 00:31:44.720
 being born in

00:31:44.720 --> 00:31:45.480
 the likeness of

00:31:45.480 --> 00:31:45.819
 men.

00:31:46.339 --> 00:31:47.019
 And being found

00:31:47.019 --> 00:31:47.740
 in human form,

00:31:47.839 --> 00:31:48.799
 he humbled himself

00:31:48.799 --> 00:31:49.599
 by becoming

00:31:49.599 --> 00:31:51.119
 obedient to the

00:31:51.119 --> 00:31:51.899
 point of death,

00:31:52.440 --> 00:31:53.440
 even death on

00:31:53.440 --> 00:31:53.960
 a cross.

00:31:55.339 --> 00:31:56.059
 And the cross

00:31:56.059 --> 00:31:56.680
 is shocking

00:31:56.680 --> 00:31:57.339
 because that's

00:31:57.339 --> 00:31:57.799
 where you see

00:31:57.799 --> 00:31:58.419
 the person who

00:31:58.419 --> 00:32:00.339
 is most deserving

00:32:00.339 --> 00:32:01.279
 of praise and

00:32:01.279 --> 00:32:02.439
 most deserving

00:32:02.439 --> 00:32:03.379
 of glory.

00:32:07.299 --> 00:32:08.259
 Casting all of

00:32:08.259 --> 00:32:08.819
 that down,

00:32:09.579 --> 00:32:10.779
 humbling himself,

00:32:11.879 --> 00:32:12.559
 becoming a

00:32:12.559 --> 00:32:13.179
 slave,

00:32:13.500 --> 00:32:14.179
 and then dying

00:32:14.179 --> 00:32:14.859
 like a common

00:32:14.859 --> 00:32:15.299
 criminal.

00:32:17.879 --> 00:32:18.539
 And then Paul

00:32:18.539 --> 00:32:18.819
 says,

00:32:18.939 --> 00:32:19.639
 therefore God

00:32:19.639 --> 00:32:20.319
 has highly

00:32:20.319 --> 00:32:21.159
 exalted him

00:32:21.159 --> 00:32:22.459
 and bestowed on

00:32:22.459 --> 00:32:23.139
 him the name

00:32:23.139 --> 00:32:23.619
 that is above

00:32:23.619 --> 00:32:24.399
 every name,

00:32:24.699 --> 00:32:25.319
 so that at the

00:32:25.319 --> 00:32:26.000
 name of Jesus

00:32:26.000 --> 00:32:26.959
 every knee

00:32:26.959 --> 00:32:27.799
 should bow,

00:32:28.079 --> 00:32:29.000
 in heaven and on

00:32:29.000 --> 00:32:29.639
 earth and under

00:32:29.640 --> 00:32:30.400
 the earth and

00:32:30.400 --> 00:32:30.860
 every tongue

00:32:30.860 --> 00:32:31.500
 confess that

00:32:31.500 --> 00:32:32.200
 Jesus Christ

00:32:32.200 --> 00:32:33.840
 is Lord.

00:32:34.000 --> 00:32:34.900
 To the glory

00:32:34.900 --> 00:32:36.000
 of God the

00:32:36.000 --> 00:32:36.320
 Father,

00:32:36.440 --> 00:32:37.500
 filling the

00:32:37.500 --> 00:32:38.420
 earth with the

00:32:38.420 --> 00:32:39.200
 knowledge of

00:32:39.200 --> 00:32:39.960
 the glory of

00:32:39.960 --> 00:32:40.300
 the Lord,

00:32:40.400 --> 00:32:41.300
 beginning with

00:32:41.300 --> 00:32:41.800
 the cross.

00:32:41.880 --> 00:32:42.240
 So when we

00:32:42.240 --> 00:32:42.640
 look at the

00:32:42.640 --> 00:32:42.840
 cross,

00:32:42.960 --> 00:32:43.560
 we see the

00:32:43.560 --> 00:32:44.480
 glory of God

00:32:44.480 --> 00:32:46.000
 and we see

00:32:46.000 --> 00:32:46.640
 the truth about

00:32:46.640 --> 00:32:47.220
 ourselves.

00:32:48.080 --> 00:32:48.860
 That tends

00:32:48.860 --> 00:32:49.380
 to happen.

00:32:50.120 --> 00:32:50.580
 When you see

00:32:50.580 --> 00:32:51.120
 the glory of

00:32:51.120 --> 00:32:51.440
 God,

00:32:52.140 --> 00:32:53.420
 in that light

00:32:53.420 --> 00:32:54.040
 you begin to

00:32:54.040 --> 00:32:54.580
 see yourself

00:32:54.580 --> 00:32:55.000
 differently.

00:32:55.540 --> 00:32:55.880
 And you know

00:32:55.880 --> 00:32:56.300
 what you see

00:32:56.300 --> 00:32:56.740
 when you look

00:32:56.740 --> 00:32:57.380
 at that glory?

00:32:57.380 --> 00:32:59.000
 No matter

00:32:59.000 --> 00:33:01.060
 how great

00:33:01.060 --> 00:33:01.500
 you think

00:33:01.500 --> 00:33:01.820
 you are,

00:33:01.880 --> 00:33:02.100
 no matter

00:33:02.100 --> 00:33:02.480
 how you

00:33:02.480 --> 00:33:03.120
 measure up

00:33:03.120 --> 00:33:03.960
 on your

00:33:03.960 --> 00:33:04.600
 little hill

00:33:04.600 --> 00:33:05.280
 of morality,

00:33:06.120 --> 00:33:06.480
 that the

00:33:06.480 --> 00:33:07.100
 truth about

00:33:07.100 --> 00:33:08.300
 us all is

00:33:08.300 --> 00:33:08.700
 that we are

00:33:08.700 --> 00:33:09.740
 so bankrupt,

00:33:10.020 --> 00:33:10.500
 we are so

00:33:10.500 --> 00:33:11.720
 hopelessly lost,

00:33:12.060 --> 00:33:12.540
 that it took

00:33:12.540 --> 00:33:13.380
 nothing less

00:33:13.380 --> 00:33:14.580
 than the death

00:33:14.580 --> 00:33:15.220
 of the Son

00:33:15.220 --> 00:33:16.000
 of God

00:33:16.000 --> 00:33:17.460
 to save us.

00:33:17.900 --> 00:33:18.520
 We're all

00:33:18.520 --> 00:33:19.540
 on equal footing.

00:33:19.820 --> 00:33:20.660
 Nobody's on

00:33:20.660 --> 00:33:21.280
 a hill.

00:33:21.360 --> 00:33:21.860
 We should all

00:33:21.860 --> 00:33:22.420
 be on our

00:33:22.420 --> 00:33:22.900
 faces.

00:33:24.040 --> 00:33:24.700
 There's a reason

00:33:24.700 --> 00:33:25.300
 that happens

00:33:25.300 --> 00:33:26.040
 when people see

00:33:26.039 --> 00:33:26.480
 God.

00:33:26.839 --> 00:33:27.359
 They fall

00:33:27.359 --> 00:33:27.579
 to their

00:33:27.579 --> 00:33:27.980
 face.

00:33:28.279 --> 00:33:28.599
 Woe is

00:33:28.599 --> 00:33:28.799
 me,

00:33:28.879 --> 00:33:29.119
 for I'm

00:33:29.119 --> 00:33:29.379
 a man

00:33:29.379 --> 00:33:29.879
 of unclean

00:33:29.879 --> 00:33:30.180
 lips,

00:33:30.319 --> 00:33:30.599
 and I

00:33:30.599 --> 00:33:30.879
 dwell in

00:33:30.879 --> 00:33:31.099
 the midst

00:33:31.099 --> 00:33:31.319
 of a

00:33:31.319 --> 00:33:31.579
 people

00:33:31.579 --> 00:33:32.319
 of unclean

00:33:32.319 --> 00:33:32.639
 lips.

00:33:38.319 --> 00:33:38.920
 Considering

00:33:38.920 --> 00:33:39.519
 this,

00:33:40.779 --> 00:33:41.639
 Isaac Watts

00:33:41.639 --> 00:33:42.659
 wrote these

00:33:42.659 --> 00:33:43.559
 beautiful words,

00:33:44.480 --> 00:33:44.759
 When I

00:33:44.759 --> 00:33:45.420
 survey the

00:33:45.420 --> 00:33:45.799
 wondrous

00:33:45.799 --> 00:33:46.299
 cross,

00:33:46.599 --> 00:33:47.879
 on which

00:33:47.879 --> 00:33:48.440
 the prince

00:33:48.440 --> 00:33:48.960
 of glory

00:33:48.960 --> 00:33:49.480
 died,

00:33:49.960 --> 00:33:50.680
 my richest

00:33:50.680 --> 00:33:51.399
 gain I

00:33:51.399 --> 00:33:51.960
 count but

00:33:51.960 --> 00:33:52.480
 loss,

00:33:53.099 --> 00:33:53.659
 and poor

00:33:53.659 --> 00:33:54.619
 contempt on

00:33:54.619 --> 00:33:55.039
 all my

00:33:55.039 --> 00:33:55.480
 pride.

00:33:56.039 --> 00:33:56.779
 So the

00:33:56.779 --> 00:33:57.259
 glory of

00:33:57.259 --> 00:33:57.579
 God on

00:33:57.579 --> 00:33:57.920
 the cross

00:33:57.920 --> 00:33:58.759
 burns our

00:33:58.759 --> 00:33:59.720
 pride away.

00:33:59.960 --> 00:34:00.180
 And then

00:34:00.180 --> 00:34:00.460
 do you know

00:34:00.460 --> 00:34:01.019
 what happens?

00:34:01.779 --> 00:34:02.180
 When you

00:34:02.180 --> 00:34:02.680
 begin to be

00:34:02.680 --> 00:34:03.680
 liberated from

00:34:03.680 --> 00:34:04.099
 pride,

00:34:04.180 --> 00:34:04.500
 you know what

00:34:04.500 --> 00:34:04.960
 happens?

00:34:05.220 --> 00:34:05.759
 You become

00:34:05.759 --> 00:34:06.279
 more and

00:34:06.279 --> 00:34:06.619
 more and

00:34:06.619 --> 00:34:07.759
 more gloriously

00:34:07.759 --> 00:34:08.639
 self-forgetful.

00:34:09.440 --> 00:34:09.840
 If you can

00:34:09.840 --> 00:34:10.480
 imagine how

00:34:10.480 --> 00:34:11.099
 much time

00:34:11.099 --> 00:34:11.699
 and energy

00:34:11.699 --> 00:34:12.699
 you put into

00:34:12.699 --> 00:34:13.900
 protecting and

00:34:13.900 --> 00:34:14.940
 stoking your

00:34:14.940 --> 00:34:15.860
 ego, and how

00:34:15.860 --> 00:34:16.840
 amazing it would

00:34:16.840 --> 00:34:17.719
 be to just let

00:34:17.719 --> 00:34:18.880
 it all go,

00:34:19.039 --> 00:34:19.519
 to become

00:34:19.519 --> 00:34:20.860
 blessedly self-forgetful.

00:34:21.539 --> 00:34:21.800
 You know,

00:34:21.840 --> 00:34:22.340
 the quote is

00:34:22.340 --> 00:34:23.059
 often attributed

00:34:23.059 --> 00:34:23.659
 to C.S.

00:34:23.719 --> 00:34:24.440
 Lewis because it

00:34:24.440 --> 00:34:25.179
 comes from his

00:34:25.179 --> 00:34:25.940
 writing, but

00:34:25.940 --> 00:34:26.460
 really it was

00:34:26.460 --> 00:34:27.419
 penned by Rick

00:34:27.419 --> 00:34:28.099
 Warren, but I

00:34:28.099 --> 00:34:28.779
 love it anyway.

00:34:29.619 --> 00:34:30.699
 Humility is not

00:34:30.699 --> 00:34:31.940
 thinking less of

00:34:31.940 --> 00:34:32.639
 yourself, it's

00:34:32.639 --> 00:34:33.159
 thinking of

00:34:33.159 --> 00:34:34.359
 yourself less.

00:34:35.159 --> 00:34:35.779
 It's a great

00:34:35.779 --> 00:34:36.319
 definition.

00:34:36.839 --> 00:34:37.339
 It's a great

00:34:37.339 --> 00:34:37.839
 definition.

00:34:39.299 --> 00:34:39.899
 You just don't

00:34:39.899 --> 00:34:40.259
 think about

00:34:40.259 --> 00:34:40.699
 yourself.

00:34:41.559 --> 00:34:42.440
 You don't root

00:34:42.440 --> 00:34:42.879
 for yourself.

00:34:43.000 --> 00:34:43.179
 You don't,

00:34:44.119 --> 00:34:44.799
 because you're

00:34:44.799 --> 00:34:45.460
 too busy thinking

00:34:45.460 --> 00:34:46.179
 about God, you're

00:34:46.179 --> 00:34:47.419
 too taken up with

00:34:47.419 --> 00:34:48.219
 what God is doing.

00:34:49.559 --> 00:34:50.599
 You're too focused

00:34:50.599 --> 00:34:51.099
 on the people

00:34:51.099 --> 00:34:51.819
 around you.

00:34:51.820 --> 00:34:54.039
 You just don't

00:34:54.039 --> 00:34:54.539
 really think about

00:34:54.539 --> 00:34:54.940
 yourself.

00:34:56.120 --> 00:34:56.840
 You become

00:34:56.840 --> 00:34:58.080
 blessedly self-forgetful.

00:35:02.280 --> 00:35:03.200
 Summarizing all

00:35:03.200 --> 00:35:05.820
 of this, all of

00:35:05.820 --> 00:35:07.000
 life is a choice

00:35:07.000 --> 00:35:08.160
 between human

00:35:08.160 --> 00:35:10.240
 pride and God's

00:35:10.240 --> 00:35:10.539
 glory.

00:35:11.580 --> 00:35:12.660
 All of life

00:35:12.660 --> 00:35:14.039
 comes down to

00:35:14.039 --> 00:35:14.340
 that.

00:35:15.559 --> 00:35:16.460
 Human pride

00:35:16.460 --> 00:35:17.400
 broke the world,

00:35:18.059 --> 00:35:19.059
 and it continues

00:35:19.059 --> 00:35:19.680
 to break the

00:35:19.680 --> 00:35:19.940
 world.

00:35:19.940 --> 00:35:20.000
 world.

00:35:20.820 --> 00:35:21.559
 But one day

00:35:21.559 --> 00:35:22.340
 the promise is

00:35:22.340 --> 00:35:26.099
 this, that all

00:35:26.099 --> 00:35:26.860
 the earth will be

00:35:26.860 --> 00:35:27.579
 filled with the

00:35:27.579 --> 00:35:28.139
 knowledge of the

00:35:28.139 --> 00:35:28.940
 glory of the Lord.

00:35:29.079 --> 00:35:29.579
 When that day

00:35:29.579 --> 00:35:31.679
 comes, all will be

00:35:31.679 --> 00:35:32.619
 whole and well

00:35:32.619 --> 00:35:33.000
 again.

00:35:33.880 --> 00:35:34.500
 Let's pray.

00:35:34.500 --> 00:35:34.539
 Let's pray.