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Pride of Life
Sermonette by Clyde FinkleaWe are admonished to put out the leavening of pride and arrogance. Pride is something we loathe in someone else, but tolerate in ourselves.
Self-Confidence
Sermonette by James C. StoertzThis world often promotes self-confidence as a sign of capability, encouraging people to build themselves up through self-promotion and arrogance. However, God hates self-confidence, though He sometimes uses confident individuals for His purposes. There are warnings against self-confidence, urging instead a godly confidence rooted in faith. Jesus Christ Himself demonstrates boldness when necessary, as when He drives the animals from the Temple and overturns the tables of the money changers. Yet, He also shows there is a time for silence, as during His trial when He deliberately drops all boldness and remains silent. True confidence, intertwined with belief and faith, is not about self-promotion but about relying on God's strength and guidance.
The Case Against Pride
Sermonette by James BeaubelleThree symptoms of pride include (1) lying to protect our self-image; (2) competitiveness; (3) believing our personal ideas are more valuable than God's Truth.
Envy: The Most Precious Daughter
Sermonette by David C. GrabbeIt is easy to follow in Satan's footsteps, courting his daughter Envy, reaping the disquiet which accompanies her. Envy comes from pushing God from our thoughts.
Living By Faith and Human Pride
'Personal' from John W. RitenbaughPride, a subtle yet powerful influence, is often considered the root of many sins. It drives us to exaggerate the value of our thoughts, elevate our opinions, and prioritize our perceived needs above God's and far above our fellow man's. This self-centeredness, stemming from Satan's spirit, fosters a competitive nature, easily stirred to anger, possessiveness, and suspicion, destroying loving unity. Pride's destructive fruit includes self-deception, blinding us to our spiritual condition and fostering a sense of infallibility, as seen in the Pharisee's condescending self-righteousness. It motivates resistance to God's Word and hinders submission to His authority. If unchecked, pride leads to destruction, as it separates us from the Creator, just as it separated Satan. However, humility, a developed characteristic through contact with God, can defuse pride's power, enabling us to meet our responsibility to submit voluntarily to Him.
Worshipping the Temple (Part Three)
CGG Weekly by David C. GrabbeWe have the potential to boast arrogantly or subtly about ourselves rather than God. We could be the desire of our own eyes, considering ourselves pleasant to look upon, perhaps not in a physical way but spiritually. We are supposed to be pointing people to God, not to ourselves. Perhaps we delight in ourselves, just as Israel delighted in the Temple at the expense of delighting in God. We can likewise make our strengths and abilities our source of confidence, focusing all attention and consideration on the self rather than on God and fellow man. If our trust and confidence is in ourselves, we will be unable to evaluate and discern properly, with disastrous effects on our relationships. Putting our trust and confidence in ourselves will result in various forms of oppression, personal injury, stealing, killing, unfaithfulness, and dishonesty. Moreover, if we place our trust and focus on ourselves, we will simply be unable to see God.
New Covenant Priesthood (Part Seven)
Sermon by John W. RitenbaughPride is the basis of resisting God, while humility is the key to a relationship with Him. We recognize it in others but we seldom see it in ourselves.
Our Part in the Sanctification Process (Part Two): Cultivating Love
Sermon by David F. MaasThe opposite of selfishness is not self-hatred, but mature self-love, loving ourselves as a responsible, caring parent would (or should) love a growing child.
Surprise Attack
Sermon by Bill OnisickAny thought not aligned to God's Spirit is satanic, including bragging, putting others down, being puffed up with arrogance, or putting anything before God.
If the Lord Wills
CGG Weekly by David C. GrabbeDo we prefer to take matters into our own hands, make our own plans, and look to God for a blessing only after we have decided what needs to be done?
The Heart's Self-Absorption
Sermon by John W. RitenbaughII Timothy 3:1-5 contains 19 characteristics of carnality. The common denominator is self-absorption and pride, placing the self above others.
Facing Times of Stress: Lovers of Self
Sermon by Martin G. CollinsWe face the same kind of pressures and stress that Timothy faced, with perilous times ahead of us, threatening the existence of the nation and the church.
New Covenant Priesthood (Part Eight)
Sermon by John W. RitenbaughPride leads to destruction, tricking us into thinking we deserve better than we have. Paradoxically, pride is a mark of inferiority, causing overcompensation.
Are You Sharp-Tongued? (Part Two)
'Ready Answer' by StaffJames' exhortation about the use of the tongue seems to stop with James 3:12. However, the rest of the chapter provides more wisdom on controlling our speech.
The Sovereignty of God: Part Two
'Personal' from John W. RitenbaughThat God is sovereign means that He IS God, the absolute governor of all things. This has profound implications for us: It means He chooses goodness or severity.
Faith (Part Six)
Sermon by John W. RitenbaughThe hallmark of Christian character is humility, which comes about only when one sees himself in comparison to God. Pride makes distorted comparisons.
WHAT?! Me Submit to Someone Else?
Sermon by Martin G. CollinsSubmitting is repugnant to the carnal mind. The church is no place for uncompromising people who demand their own way.
Is America a Christian Nation? (Part Five)
Sermon by John W. Ritenbaugh (1932-2023)Having experienced the turmoil of the Catholic—Protestant clash, the framers of our Constitution did not want any sect dictating religious doctrines or practices.
Autoimmunity in the Body of Christ
CGG Weekly by David C. GrabbeMisidentifying parts of the Body of Christ as enemies, or even being highly suspicious of them, causes pain and inefficiency throughout the whole Body.
The Secret Sin Everyone Commits
Sermon by Martin G. CollinsSelf-righteous people tend to trust in their own heart, be wise in their own eyes, justify themselves, despise or disregard others, and judge or condemn others.
The Two Reports
Feast of Tabernacles Sermon by Charles Whitaker (1944-2021)We must not complacently think our days are prolonged, but learn to sigh and cry for the abominations, thoughtfully numbering our days.