THE CURE FOR YOUR "I" PROBLEM

Breaking Free - Part 2 of 8
James 4:6

Last week we began a sermon series about how to break free from the habits, hurts, and hang-ups that mess up our lives. We saw that all of us have areas in our lives that seem to have control of us. No matter how hard we have tried to change, no matter how much we want to do good, we just can’t seem to get rid of those bad habits. Many of you took the first steps last week toward being set free when you A) Acknowledged that the root problem in your life is sin; B) Believed that Jesus Christ can make the difference; and C) Committed all of yourself to God.

Today I want to deal with the power issue. If you truly want to set free, if you truly want to live that godly life, then you need the power within to do so. The question that I want to answer today is, "How do I get the power to make the changes I want to make in my life?"

The Bible says that there is one great source of that power, one great obstacle to that power, and one great key to that power. James 4:6 says, "God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble." The one great source of God’s power to change is grace. The one great obstacle to God’s power in your life is pride. And the one great key to that power is humility. When we’re full of humility we can receive the grace we need to change. When we’re full of pride we are in trouble.

A minister received a note from a lady in his congregation. She was very complimentary about his preaching, and compared him with Billy Graham. She finished by writing, "I think you are one of the really great preachers of all time." Later that day he showed the note to his wife and said, "This is from a very intelligent woman who loves great preaching." He then asked his wife, "How many great preachers do you suppose there really are in the world?" She replied, "One less than you think."

You and I understand that there are two kinds of pride. Self respect, dignity, satisfaction in a job well done, that kind of thing is the good kind of pride. Conceit, arrogance, egotism, an attitude of superiority - that’s the bad kind of pride, the kind that kills the spirit and shuts us off from grace.

How many of you would say you know somebody or have met somebody or work with somebody that has a problem with pride? On the other hand, how many of you would say, "I have a problem with pride."? Pride is easy to see in other people; it's hard to see in ourselves.

So, how do I recognize pride in me? Here are some indications pride is creeping up in your life: A weak prayer life may suggest that you are not actively relying on God, nor aware of your need for him. Weariness is often the result of trying to do more than God intends, which means you are not letting him order your day. A critical spirit - the act of bringing others down in order to lift yourself up - often points to an inflated sense of self. A defensive reaction to criticism or an inability to laugh at your mistakes may suggest that you are taking yourself too seriously and thinking of yourself too highly. An unwillingness to associate with a certain person or people who do not live up to your standards may indicate undue pride. Romans 12:16 says, "Don’t be proud, but be willing to associate with people of low position."

The truth is, pride causes all kinds of problems in our lives. For one, it prevents us from growing. When the head starts swelling the mind stops growing. Pride causes us to deny that we have any weaknesses. "If I knew my faults I'd be glad to work on them. But I can't think of any right now." Prov. 26:12 says, "There is more hope for a fool than for a man who is wise in his own eyes. Prov.10:17 says, "Anyone willing to be corrected is on the pathway to life. Anyone refusing has lost his chance."

If you’ve got marriage problems and won't talk to anyone about it, that's pride. When we've got financial problems and don't want to get help on it, that's pride. When we're not cutting it as a parent or not making it at work and we don't want anybody to know about it, that's pride and it keeps us from growing.

Pride also causes problems by poisoning our relationships. The root of so much of our conflict is pride. People ruled by pride tend to be demanding and egotistical. They hold grudges. They keep score. They're unsympathetic. They explode in anger when criticized. Mostly they don't want to admit it when they're wrong. Proverbs 13:10 says, "Pride only breeds quarrels." That's the truth! When my pride competes with your pride there's a clash. I don't want to admit that you may be right and I might be wrong. Jesus said in matt.7:5, "Take the log out of your own eye first, and then you will be able to see and take the speck out of your brother's eye." So many conflicts could be resolved if we would just acknowledge our own fault, but our pride gets in the way. Pride causes relationships to be damaged.

If pride causes so many problems in our lives and keeps us from growing closer to God, humility is the antidote. Remember James 4:6, "God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble." Pride hinders us, grace empowers us, and humility makes the difference. Humility opens the door to a godly life.

Like pride, there are at least two kinds of humility. One kind of humility, the kind that causes us to debase and devalue ourselves, is bad. The goal of true humility is not to see ourselves as nothing, but rather to see God as everything. The proper kind of humility simply gives God the credit for all things. Here are some steps that may help:

If you want to achieve an humble spirit, admit your weaknesses honestly. Proverbs 28:13 says, "A man who refuses to admit his mistakes can never be successful. But if he confesses and forsakes them, he gets another chance." That's what God says.

Maybe you heard about the teenage boy who admitted to his sister, "I'm guilty of the sin of vanity." His older sister said, "How could you be guilty of the sin of vanity?" He said, "Every time I look into a mirror I think, ‘What a hunk!’" She said, "That's no sin. That's just ignorance!" To find humility we must admit our weaknesses.

I know that some of you might pray, "God, if I've sinned today, please forgive me." Trust me! You don't have to say "if". You have sinned! Some of you say, "When I pray to God, I can't think of anything to confess!" Just start guessing! You're bound to hit something. None of us are as strong, as good, as pure, as righteous as we would like to think. None of us are perfect. Humility is not found by denying our strengths, but by being honest about our weaknesses.

Second, if you want to achieve an humble spirit, evaluate your strengths realistically. Pride is based on a false evaluation of ourselves. Humility is based on truth and realism. When you know the truth, it will set you free. Romans 12:3 says, "Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgement..." The Phillips translation says, "Don't cherish exaggerated ideas of yourself or your own importance, but try to have a sane estimate of your capabilities." Circle "sane". Be realistic in your evaluation. Humility does not mean putting yourself down all the time: "Poor me, I'm junk, I'm a worm!" Friends, Jesus didn't die for junk and worms. He died for people. The fact is, you have strengths. You got them from God.

You have talents. You are very talented in some areas. I'm talented in some areas; but I'm also weak in some areas too. Humility is not denying your strengths, it's being honest about your weaknesses and being realistic about your strengths. The Bible says to think about ourselves with sober, sane judgement.

How do you achieve an humble spirit? Admit your weakness honestly. Evaluate your strengths realistically. Finally, enjoy your successes gratefully.

Paul said in I Cor. 4:7, "What are you so puffed up about? What do you have that God hasn't given you? And if all you have is from God, why act as if you got it on your own?" Everything you have comes from God. You don't have anything that wasn't from God. Maybe you feel that you have accomplished much through your talent, ability, and hard work. But where did you get that talent, that ability, that energy to work hard? We need to remember that God is the ultimate source of our success. James 1:17 "Every good gift and every perfect gift comes down from the Father." Stop thinking that every achievement in your life was by your hands. As someone once said, "The person who gets too big for his britches will eventually be exposed in the end!" Or as someone else put it, "A person all wrapped up in himself makes a pretty small package!"

This whole sermon series is to help us find the power God offers in order to set us free from the things that bind us and keep us from him. Next week we’ll get into some specifics as I talk with you about how to break our bad habits. Today I’m saying that the starting point is humility, because the only way you can get God's power in your life is by humbling yourself. "God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble." He gives grace, power to those who say, "God, I need help. I need you!"

This morning I invite you to open your heart to Jesus Christ by admitting your weaknesses honestly. Friends, nobody knows you like God does. He knows everything about you. Say in your heart right now, "God, I admit that I've had a problem with pride. I thought I didn't need you, that I could do everything on my own. I've tried to change my life by my own power. There are some parts of my life and personality that I'm scared to even admit to anyone else. Help me to feel your love for me, so that I can be open to you and honest about myself. God, I’ve got weaknesses, but you've given me some strengths too. I want to be realistic about both. I'm grateful for the successes that you've given me. Help me to get my eyes off myself and to give you the praise. Amen"