3st Spirit, Soul, Body (9)
2005-01-16 | Pastor Dr. Jaerock Lee | 1 John 2:24-25, 2:15-16
Continuing from the last time, I would like to testify about the elements of the flesh that must be cast off in order to be transformed into the soul and body belonging to the spirit. We are witnessing the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, which we must block ourselves because it is the driving force that makes us drunk. Today, we will look at the pride of this life.
1. Pride of this life, the driving force that makes you drunk
The pride of this life refers to the ‘attribute to boasting in order to reveal oneself in pursuit of all the pleasures of reality’. By boasting about the things of the flesh and wanting to reveal themselves in front of others, they pursue various things of the flesh.
There are many people in the world who say, “He was such a great man in the past,” or boast about his family or children. When women gather, they brag about their husbands, expensive clothes, houses, or jewelry. They secretly brag about their looks or talents, wanting others to know them, and sometimes boast that they are acquainted with powerful or famous people.
People who value worldly wealth, fame, knowledge, talent, and appearance like this, pursue the pride of life in order to be recognized in the world through this. Instead of valuing truth, goodness, and eternal things, we value things that the world can boast of, and we use evil methods to obtain them. Others deceive others for riches or power, instigate competitors or use scheming, and others use bribes and violence.
But what profit is it to take good things and boast in untruthful ways? As Psalm 103:15 says, “Life is like grass, and its glory is like the flowers of the field.” Nothing in this world can boast true value and life.
The case of the rich man in Luke 16 can be seen clearly. In this life, the rich man had many servants and lived a luxurious life, feasting every day, but because he did not believe in God, he died and was punished in the flames of the lower hell. Even if we had many things on this earth, we were in such a miserable situation that we could not even get a drop of water to wet our tongues when we died.
According to Ecclesiastes 1:2-3, King Solomon, who enjoyed great wealth and glory as the king of Israel, also, when he entered the twilight of his life, said, “Vanity, vanity, vanity, vanity, all things are in vain. ‘ he confessed. He realized that he could neither gain eternal life nor find true satisfaction through the worldly glory.
Moreover, the wealth and glory gained in the world can be destroyed in an instant. Even around us, we can see how miserable it is in the words of those in power who have sought the pride of this life in evil ways. In some cases, people who once enjoyed great power lose their power and are pointed at by the people, and in other cases, they have a lot of financial hardship because they have luxury that does not fit into their fractions to show off themselves.
The biggest problem is the fact that God is far from those who take the pride of this life. Proverbs 16:5 says, “The LORD hates all who are proud in heart, and if they hold hands with one another, they will not be punished.” ” I did.
In the Bible, there are people who were forsaken by God and destroyed by seeking their pride in such wicked ways. In the case of Saul, the first king of Israel, when he was appointed king, he was very embarrassed and hid rather than trying to become king. However, once he became a king and tasted power, he turned into a person who disobeyed God’s commands for his own glory.
On one occasion, God commanded to strike Amalek, and he destroyed all the people and animals of Amalek. After winning the battle, Saul spared the good of Amalek’s sheep and cattle. He felt that it was a waste to kill the good sheep and cattle, and it seemed that capturing the enemy king would make his victory more brilliant. In this way, we can see that they disobeyed God because of covetousness and the pride of life.
So God sent the prophet Samuel to inform him that God had abandoned Saul because of disobedience. Even so, Saul did not immediately repent and ask for forgiveness, but instead insisted on raising his face in front of the people. In the end, Saul did not get an opportunity for forgiveness from God, and later suffered a tragic death after losing a war with the Gentiles.
Therefore, you should know that seeking the pride of this life and trying to exalt yourself will not only benefit you from a spiritual point of view, but will also lead to your own destruction by sinning before God.
2. Those who boast must boast in the Lord
1 Corinthians 1:31 says, “He that boasts, let him boast in the Lord”, which means to boast in the glory of the living God, not to seek the glory of this life, which is vain and useless, and to exalt oneself.
We are proud of the cross of the Lord who saved us, and we are proud of the kingdom of heaven prepared. In addition, you must boast to your heart’s content about the grace, blessings, and glory that God has given you. The blessings and glory that God gives are not changeable or perishable, they are eternal and truly valuable. They are to give glory to God, to prosper our souls and to receive heavenly rewards, and to give faith and hope to those who hear. It is to instill zeal to plant and longing for spiritual things.
I too have been proud of myself in the Lord since I was a beginner. When I go to a revival or overseas crusade, I am proud of the God I met. I am proud of the God who healed me from an incurable disease, who made me rich out of poverty that seemed impossible to get out of, and who made my whole family happy and reconciled. Also, I am proud of God, who called people like me who had lost even the hope of living as the Lord’s servants and allowed them to exercise His power to testify of the gospel to millions of people. At that time, it becomes life and faith for those who hear it, and you can see many people entering through the door of salvation.
Since I first experienced God’s grace, I loved God the most and lived a life of faith, so God took responsibility for my family and children and gave me many blessings. One of those blessings was that my eldest daughter won many awards at school. One day, I tried to stick them in the room wondering how many awards there would be, but strangely, my eldest daughter hasn’t received a single award since then. As time went on, I started to wonder why, and I soon remembered what happened at that time.
I myself did not think that it was because of some pride or that I was seeking the pride of this life, but God did not take pleasure in even such a thing and gave me enlightenment. So, I hope that you too will check your own mind well in all matters. Of course, if you have heard the gospel of holiness, you will not have much desire to boast about the things of the earth. Because we know how vain the glory of the world is, it is unlikely that we will be lifted up by it just because we have worldly honor, knowledge, power, or wealth.
However, in some cases, there are people who try to seek the pride of this life in the church and in their religious life, but do not realize it themselves. On the outside, it looks like he is proud of himself in the Lord, but deep in his heart, he wants to be acknowledged by saying, “I am such a person.” For example, ‘I have many positions in the church’ or ‘I know many spiritual secrets and I have fellowship with spiritual people’.
Also, when you hear about spiritual things, or when you open your spiritual eyes to see something and share it with others, you need to discern what kind of heart you are speaking from. If you are a person who preaches to share grace with others and to glorify the Lord, you can discern whether the situation is truly worth telling, taking into account the faith level and heart of the listeners.
As Romans 15:2-3 says, “Let each one of us please his neighbor, for the good and for the edification, for Christ did not please himself.” But someone said, “I am such a spiritual person. He is a man who loves the Lord and loves the shepherd.” In this case, the words you convey are not virtuous, but your pride.
Also, by examining how you look when you are praised and rebuked, you can see if you have the heart to seek the pride of this life. If you do not have the heart to seek the pride of this life, you will not get excited because you are praised or discouraged when you are rebuked. When you are praised, you look at yourself more humble, and even if you are rebuked, you will be able to change. So, I ask you to review and check your own words and deeds in everything so that you do not have a chance to be recognized and exalted.
Dear saints,
Our ultimate citizenship in the Lord is in Heaven. However, even if we are citizens of heaven, the glory is not the same, and each person’s glory and light in heaven are different depending on what kind of pride each person seeks on this earth. As John 13:32 says, “If God has been glorified in him, God will also glorify him through him, and he will immediately give it to him.” In Esau, he gives glory according to justice, but the more he gives glory to God, the more he makes them dwell in the splendor of glory.
Therefore, I pray in the name of the Lord that you may fully enjoy the glory and glory that God has given you, both on earth and in heaven, by putting your hope in the eternal heaven and seeking only the glory of God, rather than trying to gain any glory in a vain world that will pass in a short while. .
