The Prideful Saints - Bible Study

What if the path to salvation isn't paved by our actions, but by faith alone? Join us in a captivating exploration of the perilous trap of legalism within Christianity, where we challenge the notion that following religious rules can earn one's place in heaven. By examining biblical figures like the Pharisees and drawing parallels with some Catholic practices, we underscore the essence of nurturing a sincere relationship with God over mere outward compliance.

Venturing further, we tackle the formidable interplay between pride and humility by reflecting on Lucifer’s fall and its relevance to today’s societal challenges. Pride's ability to distort truth and lead to spiritual downfall is laid bare through scriptural insights and contemporary parallels, including issues like Pride Month and transgender identity. With the Pharisees as our guide, we contrast the facade of piety with true humility, advocating for a humbler, more fulfilling spiritual journey.

In a heartfelt conclusion, we explore the liberating power of forgiveness and the spiritual growth it fosters. By shedding grudges and embracing forgiveness, we not only align with God's grace but also experience profound freedom. We share personal stories of distancing from toxic relationships and the transformative journey toward grace, mercy, and the new covenant. Listen in for a meaningful conversation that promises introspection and a deeper connection with Christ, leaving you with love, prayers, and a blessing for the week ahead.

Chapters

• 0:00 Dangers of Legalism in Christianity
• 17:18 Roots of Pride and Humility
• 26:56 Embracing Humility Over Pride
• 35:16 Finding Freedom Through Forgiveness

Transcript

Speaker 1: 0:00

Before we get into today's video, I just wanted to say thank you to all of the new subscribers. If you haven't yet, consider subscribing, hit that bell notification so that you can see every time I put out a new video. A major portion of you that watch my videos haven't subscribed yet, so why not? It's free. You can also find a PayPal link below if you want to give a one-time or give a monthly to support the channel. Anything, great or small, is appreciated.

Speaker 1: 0:26

Now let's get into the video. What is going on? My faith and failures. People, it is a lovely Monday morning and we just passed Thanksgiving, so happy Thanksgiving to all of you, but I did not see you in person.

Speaker 1: 0:51

So this episode I wanted to kind of dial in on something that I think is very problematic for the church. This subject is in my sphere of people, my denomination church of God is called legalism, and legalism is, um, something that is very dangerous to the church. Now, why is it dangerous to the church? Legalism makes it where you, in essence, have become God and you, in essence, are in control of salvation. Sorry, adjusting some things on my screen. So, that being said, catholics do this a lot. I know Catholics. They get pretty upset and comment on my stuff, but that's okay, it's a problem.

Speaker 1: 1:51

Now, what is it about legalism that is so damaging? It ends up making a uh. It makes what we do or how we live determine whether we are accepted into heaven, and that is actually in direct conflict with what Jesus said about. No one comes to me but through the Father. And then the Bible also talks about that. It's not by our works, it's not by what we do, so that no man can boast, which is saying it's making it very clear that you cannot earn your way into heaven. And Catholics pay a penance for something that they do wrong. Legalism is no different. Legalism is a way of dressing. If you think about this, catholics and legalism they're pretty much hand in hand, although defined differently by the people involved in each one.

Speaker 1: 2:54

Um, it is a, a way of becoming and this is very, very is a strong way of putting it, but it's accurate. It is a way of putting you as the in control of whether you make it to heaven or not. Now, faith without works is dead. Okay, let's just go ahead and say that right now, but you have to understand that you are not the one that paid the price. You cannot do anything to earn your way into heaven. You cannot live a certain type of life, although we are called to be holy. We're going to have some episodes coming up on that Because God is holy, he desires for his people to be holy, but that is not what gets you into heaven. Jesus is the doorway or the bridge however you want to look at it into which we are saved and then out of that, salvation works is produced.

Speaker 1: 3:56

Out of that um, it's like for for a good example that probably most of you that watch my channel have experienced. You've been in a relationship or you've been married. It's very hard to stay married when you make the marriage about you. It's very hard to stay married. It's very hard to have a successful marriage when you always feel you have to do something to make them stay. But we in relationships and our sinful nature and the way we see things in our fleshly eyes, this is how we view things in life and we think that it is how things are and in reality it is not at all how things are. In reality, it is not at all how things are. Jesus came and died for us so that we could be saved, and it's nothing that we have done, but it is something that Christ has done in us, for us and through us.

Speaker 1: 5:00

So I want to talk about a little bit about the dangers of this type of religion. And legalism means you've got to dress a certain way, you have to do a certain thing, and I have friends, brothers and sisters in Christ that this is their conviction, and I'm not trying to push my conviction on somebody else. But what I'm saying is that our convictions must align with the Word of God, not a manipulation of the word of God. There's a big difference. So let's dive into this. I want to show you some scriptures. It says Pride goes before destruction and haughtiness before a fall.

Speaker 1: 5:39

So legalistic mindset. It's about what I do, it's about how I dress, it's about the procedures, it's about the, for instance, let's go to the Bible. We're talking about the Bible, the Pharisees in the Bible. They were on point with religious law, religious procedures, religious everything. They had it down and Jesus called them whitewashed tombs. Why? Because they were having an external change, for the showing of how holy they are compared to other people. They would even pray out loud and put other people on blast and all these things. And it is not. It is not the heart of God. They didn't have a relationship, they didn't have something internal that manifested on the external. They actually had something external that was trying to cover up what was truly in the internal.

Speaker 1: 6:43

So I want you to ask yourself this question Are you a prideful saint? Do you live your life in such a way, your Christian walk, do you live in such a way that you are the salvation in your life? You've got it figured out, you've done it, and this is something I've been guilty of as well, especially after you do salvation for a while, you're in it for a while. You you're what I call a seasoned Christian like you. You do it and you do it good, and eventually, what can happen is you end up doing it so well that you end up excluding the spiritual aspect and the relationship with God because you're playing the role and the part, instead of being a part of that body of Christ that God desires for all of us to be a part of.

Speaker 1: 7:56

So in the church, we often will talk about humanity as a virtue to be embraced. Sorry, I said humanity, humility, as we say oh, I don't want any accolades, I don't want this and that. But when we don't get them we throw a little hissy fit, just like we can say we love our neighbor but never take the time to really get to know them, uh-oh. So let's get real churchy for a second. If you are a church goer, a believer in Christ, and you go to church and you say you are the body, you are a believer but, and you say you love your neighbor, can you, can you right now, name people in your church that you've been going to church with for a while? That you probably should know their name, but you don't? I'll wait, Chances are. There's probably a lot of people, especially if you go to a larger church Much harder to fall into this trap at a smaller church because most smaller churches you've been going there for years, your family went there for years. You may be related to everybody there. It's a lot easier to know what's going on in people's lives and get up in their business and be aware of things. When you actually go to a smaller church Because I mean small church you're in everybody's business business.

Speaker 1: 9:31

So what would be, as a Christian, what would be one of the key ingredients to falling into this trap that the Pharisees fell into? One of these would be pride, being a prideful saint, acting as if we have done it, and we end up falling into this very common trap of acting as if we went ourselves hung on the cross and we died for our own sins. We forget very easily and I'm guilty. I have to remind myself. I ask God for two things in my life, and one of those is for me to always be humble and never be proud. I can be confident and still be humble, but and another thing is, always have godly wisdom in everything, and I feel that God's given me this that I've asked for, but it's really been a desire of my heart, not so that I can say that I am humble, but so that God, that people will see God in me and not see me, because and it may have been the reason that God well, god allows us to do whatever we want. He gives us free will. But it may be a big part of why God allowed me to go into the drug world, go into alcoholism, go into all the other things that was tied to those things, and it was so that I could be able to actually stay humble, because I realized very clearly that anything and everything that God does in my life is 100% because of him and not because of me, like it is him. He has done it, he does it all the time and he has elevated beyond anything I deserve. I can't give a good reason why, except for my wife, but she won't receive that. So we're going to look at why is pride so?

Speaker 1: 11:27

Legalism is wrapped up in pride when you get down to it, saying that you have to do a certain thing, wear a certain thing. You can't do this, you can't do that. A vast list of laws, regulations and reasons why you can't do, do, do, do, do. Okay. Now, there's also good sides to this. I got some, like I said, brothers and sisters, wrapped up in legalism.

Speaker 1: 11:59

The women have to wear a certain thing. The men can wear whatever they want, which is kind of weird, but the women have to wear a certain thing, which men can wear whatever they want, which is kind of weird. But the women have to wear a certain thing, and uh, which is fine if that's their conviction. But the pool in this area, and it's the same on the other side, like, then there's, you have the other side of the coin, that, like there's no reference, no reference, no reverence for anything. Like God's house is just another building. Like nobody respects anybody. Nobody respects God's house, nobody respects the word, nobody even cares to dig into the word. Just let me come in and be so relaxed and this and that, and it's just. They wouldn't wear the things they wear. I mean, it's almost sometimes that they would wear the same thing to a strip club or to a football game and you're at church praising the Lord, like there should be a little bit of a difference.

Speaker 1: 12:48

But it should not be your idol, is my point. So we're going to look at pride and how it is such a dangerous sin and how it directly conflicts with God's desire for his children, for his children, and how even us inside of the church can fall into this trap. Much like I said a minute ago, like the Pharisees did, we're going to look at the fall of Satan, the ultimate example of pride's destruction. So point number one, if you're taking notes or you want to jot this down, pride is the root of many sins. So pride is not just another sin on a list, it is a sin that leads to most other forms of rebellion against god. You go back to the original sin of the fall of Adam and Eve. What was the original sin that they did? They wanted not, they made it about them. It wasn't no longer about what God told us to do. It wasn't about even enjoying what God had given us. It was. I deserve to know more. It was pride, like that was the root of the first of the fall. It was pride, like that was the root of the first of the fall.

Speaker 1: 14:06

So when we allow pride to take root in our hearts, it blinds us to our need for God and our dependence on him. Look at James 4, verse 6. And he gives grace generously. As the scriptures say, god opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble. So pride, actually, when we embrace it, we position ourself in direct opposition of God. I'll say it again when we embrace pride, we put ourselves in direct opposition of what God desires and wants for us, what he wants to do in us and what he would love to do through us. We begin to believe that we are self-sufficient, that we no longer rely on God's grace and provision. And I don't know about you, but I need God's provision. Like I understand I said it a minute ago I understand that everything that I have that comes to pass us through my hand is a direct blessing from God.

Speaker 1: 15:17

My family, our health we had a lot of sickness in the house Thanksgiving week. My wife actually didn't even get to go to the Thanksgiving meal with her family we do her family of Thanksgiving and we do my family on Christmas and it was hard for her to say I'm sick, I need to stay home. I don't want to give anything to anybody because she really wanted to go be with family and she cooked for hours. So I got to go and take the food and be the hero and bring the food that I didn't even help make. But it was hard for her. But when you have downtime like this and your health is tested for a little bit, for me personally it really reminds me of how lucky we are to have good health. Like it was just a head thing. You know, here in East Texas it's cold again, but we had it Wednesday, I think it was, or Tuesday. It was almost 70 degrees and then it was last night, I think it got down to freezing. It's like that kind of. You could probably hear I'm a little nasally right now just because gets me just this hot cold, hot cold. It's a bunch of junk.

Speaker 1: 16:26

So sometimes we think monetary, like God's blessing is in dollar signs, but a lot of times it's in not having to spend the dollar bills on medical bills and that, right, there is a huge blessing from God. The deception that we don't need God's provision or that our provision is not from God can lead us, will lead us, into rebellion, Thinking that we don't need God. Just like the fall of Satan, pride was the key ingredient. So why did Satan even fall? Lucifer once, a beautiful angel fell from heaven because of his pride. He wanted to exalt himself above God. He felt that he deserved what God was getting. I mean, think about this.

Speaker 1: 17:18

So when I read the Bible or I study things from scripture, I look at things a little bit different. Think about the angels that constantly surround the throne of God. What are they doing? They're constantly crying holy, holy, holy, holy, holy, holy. They're always praising him, always saying how holy he is and singing his praises, speaking his praises all the time. Now, apparently, angels have free will, because when Lucifer fell, he took a third of the angels with him. So he had been cooking this plan for a while and when he I'm thinking in my head like I'm seeing I'm seeing God on the throne. I'm thinking in my head like I'm seeing I'm seeing God on the throne. I'm seeing these angels that were specifically created to do this job, like they have no other job. This is it. They surround the throne and they sing how amazing he is. Or they say Holy, holy, holy all the time. Okay, I'm being a little liberal with my interpretation, but just follow me here and so you've gotten, you've got satan over there. I can sing like that. You know, like just all of a sudden, we do the same thing in the church. I can do what they're doing. I could do that. I could do even better.

Speaker 1: 18:43

It probably started somewhere like that. Like the devil is not an eternal being. Lucifer is not an eternal being. He was created, and so I believe that he took time to let this fester in his heart and, just as any child does, no matter what the parent says, once they get something in their head and they see it a certain way my teenager does this he will remember it in a different way. That never even happened. Like he'll think he'll remember me saying something, or he'll add to it and it's something that I never said. That's called lying, and I don't think he's doing it to be malicious. Maybe he is, I'm not sure, but I can just see like the devil being like man. They're praising him all the time, like when am I going to get the praise that I deserve? I'm busting my butt, you know. He goes probably through this whole list and this is I'm just. This is probably 100% assumption, but all I have to go on is how we do and how we fester in very real life scenarios and situations. So why would his probably be any different, since he likes to cause those same types of things to happen in the church and on earth. So it seems like he's just reproducing what he constantly is experiencing, because he's gone so far that he cannot be forgiven. So he wants us to go so far that we won't want to be forgiven, and I think that's one of the reasons that now he is.

Speaker 1: 20:25

If you've ever dealt with somebody that's so prideful and full of themselves, you can't tell them anything Like you can't argue with them, you can't, and some of y'all comment on my videos that you're the same way and some of you claim to be Christians and you just try to like, prove things wrong or say that and I'm like. Bible calls us to be peacemakers. I think you probably skipped over those verses. But, that being said, pride was the root of the rebellion, which was the fruit of Lucifer's fall. It was the reason. Look at Isaiah 14, 13-15, chapter 14 for you.

Speaker 1: 21:09

Actually sorry, this is a little bit just too much scripture. Fit it on there. There we go. Alright, for you said to yourself, I will ascend to heaven and set my throne above god's stars. I will preside on the mountains of the gods. For a way far away in the north, I will climb to the highest heavens and be like the most high. Instead, you will be brought down to the place of the dead, down to its lowest depths.

Speaker 1: 21:47

Let's look at another example Ezekiel 28, 17. Your heart was filled with pride because of all your beauty. Your wisdom was corrupted by your love of splendor, so I threw you to the ground and exposed you to the curious gaze of kings. Now, this passage right here is actually talking about the king of Tyre, but it's symbolically referring to how pride can corrupt our hearts, leading us to our downfall. Now, pride distorts our sense of reality and makes us believe that we can be equal or superior to God. I mean, this is not even the month, but I'm going to touch on it just for a second. I think it's no coincidence that there is a celebration of an abomination of how God created us and it's called Pride Month. That right there, I mean it, says all we need to know. That is the root of the rebellion. So this is talking about? No, sorry, I already said that Pride distorts our sense of reality. I just talked about Pride Month. Look at this transgender stuff. Reality has been so distorted and so perverted Like it doesn't to the logical just not even a Christian. To the logical person, it makes zero sense of what they're trying to do and what they'll do to themselves because of their confusion, and those people need Jesus too. It makes us believe that we can be equal or superior to God.

Speaker 1: 23:33

Point number two is pride is a deception that contradicts humility. It is the opposite. Pride deceives us into thinking that we are humble when in reality we are not. This is the most evident in how the Pharisees betrayed themselves. They displayed outward humility and piety, but were filled with pride and self-righteousness. So let's look at this scripture in Luke Pride is the deception that contradicts humility. Look at Luke, chapter 18, 11 and 12. The Pharisee stood by himself and prayed this prayer. I thank you, god, he's being real. What a jerk that. I'm not like other people cheaters, sinners, adulterers. I'm certainly not like the tax collectors. Then he had to twist the knife. I fast twice a week and I give you a tenth of my income.

Speaker 1: 24:32

Though the Pharisee's actions seem pious and humble, his heart was filled with pride. He compared himself to others, believing that the works made him more righteous than other people before God. But God desires humility, not in our outward appearance but in the heart. Look at Matthew 23. Make sure I got it on the screen. 27 and 28. What sorrow awaits you, teachers of rebellious law and you Pharisees, you hypocrites. For you are like whitewashed tombs beautiful on the outside but filled on the inside with dead people's bones and all sorts of impurity. Outwardly you look like righteous people, but inwardly your hearts are filled with hypocrisy and lawlessness. In the same way, many disguise their pride as humility, wearing the mask of righteousness, while their hearts remain far from God. True humility requires an honest assessment of ourselves and a recognition of our need of God's grace.

Speaker 1: 25:56

Point number three pride conflicts with God's will for his children. Pride conflicts with God's will for his children. God desires his children to walk in humility and dependence on him, recognizing that we all have pride and we all, all that we have and all that we are comes from him. Recognizing that all we have and all we are comes from him. Pride directly conflicts with this, as it shifts the focus from God to ourselves. When we exalt ourselves, we push God out of his rightful place on the throne of our hearts. He should be Lord of our lives. Go over in Philippians, chapter 2, 3 and 4.

Speaker 1: 26:56

Don't be selfish. Don't try to impress others. Be humble, thinking of others as better than yourselves. Don't look out only for your own interests, but take an interest in others too. It's a no brainer that you have to take care of your interest. You have to take care of yourself. You have to do what's right for you. You have to make sure that you survive. That's kind of a no duh moment, but when you're willing to step on others to make that happen, that's when you've crossed a line to where you are not worried about anybody else but yourself.

Speaker 1: 27:36

Pride is inherently selfish, seeking to glorify self rather than God. Humility, however, reflects the character of Christ, who did not seek his own glory, but glory of the Father. Jesus himself taught us that the essence of humility, choosing the path of service over the pursuit of status and recognition. Look in here, matthew, chapter 23, verse 12. But those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted. This is God's design for his children.

Speaker 1: 28:18

Humility leads to exaltation and I know this feels. It feels like it's actually not. And I know this feels it feels like it's actually not. Like when the Bible tells us to forgive our enemies, to pray blessings on our enemies, that's really hard to do. It feels like it is the opposite of what we actually should be doing, but in reality it's not about the other person. When you do things like this, it will strengthen you and it will build character in you. It will build a forgiveness in you. It's like the. I tell my people all the time that faith is like a muscle the more you use it, the stronger it gets and the more you can build up.

Speaker 1: 29:01

Forgiveness is no different Like the more you forgive and I'm not saying to let people walk all over you, but when you're holding onto stuff and it's always on your lips, you have not truly forgiven. So that right there will end up building up pride inside of you, because now you're like, well, I'm never going to let anybody do that to me again. And all of a sudden you've got this overwhelming swell of pride that you're wearing as a badge of honor because someone hurt you and you won't let it go or actually forgive them. Forgiveness is not letting them off the hook. Forgiveness is actually letting you become free and taking the chains off of you. There's nowhere in the Bible it says to forgive them and to hang out with them every day. That's not a part of scripture, but forgiveness. And you may never be able to have this conversation of forgiveness with the person that actually did something to you or against you and hurt you, but you can forgive them and let that go to where you're not letting it drag you down. And it could, because it will be the dead weight. Like you, you will not be able to be as close to Christ or be Christ like we are called to do, unless you forgive and let things go. You have to, if not it will be dead weight. It will be chains on your hands, ankles. You can't be the hands and feet of Jesus if you're wearing chains. The clinking is very loud.

Speaker 1: 30:27

So God's design for his children is humility, because it leads to exaltation and pride leads to our downfall. The greatest saints are those who humbly recognize that all they have and all they need comes from Christ. Pride is not just an issue for those outside of the church. It's something that creeps into the hearts of believers, sometimes masquerading as false humility, as we've seen today. Pride is dangerous because it conflicts with God's desire for our lives. It deceives us into thinking that we're something. We are not Just like the Pharisees and just like Satan, but there is hope. There is hope God's grace is available to those who will open up themselves and receive that grace and that mercy and that forgiveness and then take what has been given to you, to me, to us, and then give that same gift to other people, that same gift to other people. I want to ask you are you willing? This is going to be painful for you because it will feel like I don't know why.

Speaker 1: 31:55

We're harping on forgiveness a lot, but I guess pride is kind of in that same sphere, like unforgiveness and pride a lot of times go hand in hand. Some people will live their entire life in bondage of unforgiveness because they will not forgive because they hurt me, and that is a form. That's just another form, a different mask of pride. That's all it is. Well, you don't know what they did to me. You don't know what they said to me. You don't know how they treated me. You know there's all kinds of it. Doesn't matter, it really does not matter. Lay down your pride, lay down your pride.

Speaker 1: 32:31

When you give up that pride, I promise you there is going to be a weight come off of your shoulders and lifted from your spirit that you have never experienced before, especially if you've been carrying this weight for a very long time, especially if you've been carrying this weight for a very long time, because, in reality, the way you feel about it is probably just as we're concerned. It's probably. It probably is exactly what they deserve, but chances are they have no clue or they don't care. And who ends up suffering when unforgiveness is ruling your life? It's you, not them. They have no clue. You're sitting there suffering. You're sitting there in misery, hurting, with these chains on you, and they have no clue or don't care.

Speaker 1: 33:23

Why give them that space in your life? Why give them that space in your life? Why give them that space in your mind. Why give them that space in your heart, why give them that space in your day-to-day routine? If they don't care? You shouldn't care. Even if they do care, if they're doing it on purpose and they're just having a blast, they're just doing whatever they can do. Let it go. Let it fall off your back, because if not, it will be the burden of your downfall.

Speaker 1: 33:54

God's grace is available to us that will humbly receive it, being humble before the Lord, acknowledging that without Him we are nothing. Look over 1 Peter, 5. In the same way, you who are younger must accept the authority of the elders. All of you dress yourselves in humility as you relate to one another, for God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble. So humble yourselves under the mighty power of God. So humble yourselves under the mighty power of God and all, and at the right time he will lift you up in honor. God desires for his children to be humble people.

Speaker 1: 34:50

Righteousness, holiness and humility is not tied up in something we wear. It's not tied in what church we go to, what denomination we're a part of, what bible we read, how your hair is styled. If you wear a tie, if you don't wear a tie, holiness belongs to god. But a holy God requires his people to be holy. That means when you come to Christ, the things that once was a part of your life should no longer be a part of your life.

Speaker 1: 35:16

The people and this is where I have I struggle with this the people I did struggle with this not anymore, but I used to struggle terribly because I didn't want to give up the relationships that I've had my entire life Because I like people, all shapes and sizes, colors, whatever. I just love being around people. It didn't matter to me. And so for me to say I can't be around people anymore, certain people anymore. It was very difficult for me to do people anymore. It was very difficult for me to do, but it was something I needed to do so that I can actually be free and live in freedom, the freedom God desired for me.

Speaker 1: 35:52

Like. There's absolutely, absolutely no way I would be where I am now, in Christ and elevated to the position that God has elevated me to in all areas of my life, if I would not have forgiven my past hurts of the people that hurt me and if I would not have forgiven myself because of all the hurting that I did, then maybe that's you. But be humble enough to come to the Lord and say you know what. But be humble enough to come to the Lord and say you know what. I don't know if I'm in the wrong, but if I am, lord, show me. I don't know if I'm still living in unforgiveness, but if I am, lord, show me. I don't know if I'm still letting these chains of.

Speaker 1: 36:41

Maybe it's legalistic, maybe it's ritual, maybe it's whatever, but God doesn't desire for us to live under those. That's the old law, old covenant, things of the old. Now we're under the new covenant. Those things do not apply. Yes, we can learn. That doesn't mean throw out the Old Testament. We can learn, apply and get good principles from the Old Testament, from teachings of the Old Covenant, but they should not be just like Jesus told the Pharisees.

Speaker 1: 37:19

He said was not the Sabbath made for the people, not the people for the Sabbath? Things like that that we cling to and say we need to make a whole theology out of it or fill in the blank with whatever. But ask the Holy Spirit, speak to me, lead me, guide me in your ways, not what I think or my opinion or my translation, but God, what do you say? What do you desire? What do you want? And I guarantee you, when you begin to allow the Holy Spirit to lead you and guide you, there is a weight that is lifted that I can't even explain to you. So I love you, I'm praying for you and I hope you have a great rest of your week. Faith and Failures Podcast.