ROADBLOCK TO REAL REVIVAL
2 Chronicles 7:12-15
Introduction: What is a roadblock? Most of you do not know me.
I spent two years as a police officer in Petersburg, Virginia.
We would find a place where you could not turn around and block
the road. Usually it was for traffic violations such as the city
stickers that each location issued to each vehicle owned by citizens
of the Commonwealth of Virginia. In North Carolina, we have
seat belt checks.
If I would ask you what is the roadblock to revival, I am sure
that there would be a various and great diversity in answers.
I will be asking because one of you may know the answer and steal
my thunder so to speak. Some may say that prayerlessness is the
roadblock to revival. No prayerlessness is a symptom of the roadblock.
Some would name the sin of gossip, anger, or various other sins
as the roadblock to revival. Actually these are the symptoms
and not the roadblock.
Let’s look at verse fourteen and you will find the roadblock.
It is the word "humble". The opposite of humble is
the roadblock of revival. It is the sin PRIDE.
Every word is inspired of God in this Bible and also the order
that each word is placed is inspired of God. Isn’t remarkable
that God placed in our text this sin that is the roadblock to
revival first? It is placed before prayer. Pride proceeds prayer.
It is placed before seeking God’s face. It is placed before
turning from their ways.
I do not know how to read Hebrew. But when I can read English.
The word "humble" means be subdued, be brought down,
be low, be under, be brought into subjection. It is my understanding
that the position of humility is found on one’s knees. Why
is that? When one is on his knees, he is at a position that he
can not really defend oneself.
So why come to a pastor’s fellowship and preach this subject?
The question maybe should why not come to a pastor’s fellowship
and preach on PRIDE? It is the sin that has a way to worm into
anyone’s life no matter how spiritual a person may be. Let’s
be honest, it is very easy for pride to worm into our lives.
Last night, I was in a revival meeting. I had been called upon
to lead in prayer at the beginning of the meeting. I asked the
Lord to deal with us as the individuals that we are and to work
on each of our lives. Boy, did God answer that prayer! The man
preached on this subject.
I went home last night and researched the words pride and proud
in my King James Bible on my computer. I found them ninety-seven
times. That was without the different various forms of the word.
A careful study of the Bible shows not one positive note with
pride. You never find that the Lord says He was proud of His
children. Jesus never said he was proud of his disciples. It
behooves us to rid ourselves of that word from speech. It is
far better to use Biblical terms.
Does God hate pride? How severely does God hate pride? Have
I allowed pride to worm into my ministry?
Proverbs 6:16-19
"These six things doth the LORD hate: yea, seven are an abomination
unto him: A proud look, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent
blood, An heart that deviseth wicked imaginations, feet that be
swift in running to mischief, A false witness that speaketh lies,
and he that soweth discord among brethren."
Proverbs 16:5
"Every one that is proud in heart is an abomination to the
LORD: though hand join in hand, he shall not be unpunished."
Proverbs 21:4
"An high look, and a proud heart, and the plowing of the
wicked, is sin."
If there will be one sin that the world could point out in the
lives of Fundamental, Independent Baptist preachers, it is this
sin. The Pharisee in Luke 18 was the fundamentalist of Jesus’
day. With many fundamental preachers and including myself, if
we would be honest, this account in Luke 18 is our testimony.
To use a phrase from our dear Brother Paul, GOD FORBID.
Let me give three reasons why God hates pride so much.
I. GOD HATES PRIDE SO MUCH BECAUSE PRIDE IS DECIETFUL. Obadiah
1:3
"The pride of thine heart hath deceived thee, thou that
dwellest in the clefts of the rock, whose habitation is high;
that saith in his heart, Who shall bring me down to the ground?"
It is deceitful because it makes us pretend. When we are around
other preachers, we pretend that all is well. When we are with
our church folks, we pretend that all is well. Roy Hession wrote
the book "The Calvary Road". He said, "Openness
is a willingness to know myself." Since I cannot know myself
entirely, I must be open to the One who does know me completely:
the Lord Jesus Christ.
Psalm 139:23-24
"Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know
my thoughts: And see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead
me in the way everlasting."
Pride causes us to blame others for our problems.
You are not responsible for all what is done to you but you are
responsible for how you respond. Instead of playing the blame
game, which pride says, it that person’s fault, let’s
take personal responsibility for our reactions.
Pride makes us critical. A man who is proud is suspicious of
others and a humble man is suspicious of himself. Let me see
if I can illustrate this with a simple test. Is there anyone
around that you feel that you are better than that person? Why
we are better than a crooked politician is, are we? Or may be
a harlot or drunkard? When we understand that potential for all
sinful behavior lives within our heart, we will find that we are
proudfully critical. Only by the grace of God, I am what I am.
Pride causes us to water down sin and rename it. Almost every
sin is the Bible is now linked with a disease. Drunkenness is
now called alcoholism. Anger is called Internal Expulsive Disorder.
D. M. Hardison says that we have given sin pretty disease names,
which says we are sick. Who could blame a man whom is sick?
II. GOD HATES PRIDE SO MUCH BECAUSE IT IS THE ESSENSE OF ALL
SINS.
1 John 2:16
"For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh,
and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the
Father, but is of the world."
Pride removes God from our minds. When Adam took of that fruit
in the Garden, it was that desire to make one wise that was the
eraser of pride that remove God from his mind.
Pride keeps Christ from being Lord of all areas of our lives.
We have allowed ego to come in. Ego is nothing less than edging
God out.
Pride is the very nature of the devil. It was pride that caused
Satan to be cast down from his lofty position.
Pride is the worship of self. In the middle of the word pride
is the letter "I". In the middle of the word sin is
the letter "I".
Once a Sunday School teacher gave a lesson on the parable
of the Pharisee and the publican. The Pharisee stood and prayed
with himself thanking God he was not like other men: "adulterers,
extortioners, and publicans." The teacher really blasted
the Pharisee because of his proud, condemning attitude. He was
glorying in the fact that he was better than common sinners—"not
as other men." As the class ended the teacher said, "Students,
let’s bow our heads now and thank the Lord we’re not
like that Pharisee!"
III. GOD HATES PRIDE SO MUCH BECAUSE IT IS DESTRUCTIVE. Proverbs
16:18
"Pride goeth before destruction, and an haughty spirit
before a fall."
Andrew Murray said to welcome anything that helps us to humility.
William Law said that pride must die or nothing in heaven will
live in you.
Pride keeps folks from salvation. It was pride that kept me in
the pew during the first verse of the invitation on the night
that I was saved.
Pride is keeps us from going on with God. It is pride that says
that we are satisfied with our present level of spiritual growth.
Prayerlessness is the first sign of pride.
Pride kills those relationships with those around us.
Proverbs 13:10
"Only by pride cometh contention: but with the well advised
is wisdom."
Every time we have a dispute that ends godly relationships,
it is pride that causes that rift to occur and remain. This is
true almost every time that my wife and I have a fuss between
us. It is true almost every time a church member and I have a
fuss between us.
Conclusion: Let’s go back to our text verse. Look how
this worded. It is worded this way "shall humble themselves".
Humility is our responsibility. Humility is a choice.
"Lord, bend that proud and stiffnecked I,
Help me to bow that head and die;
Beholding Him on Calvary,
Who bowed His head for me."
Let me close with these words from that Isaac Watts’ song.
WHEN I SURVEY THE WONDROUS CROSS
When I survey the wondrous cross
On which the Prince of glory died,
My richest gain I count but loss,
And pour contempt on all my pride.
Forbid it, Lord, that I should boast,
Save in the death of Christ my God;
All the vain things that charm me most—
I sacrifice them to His blood.
See, from His head, His hands, His feet,
Sorrow and love flow mingled down;
Did e'er such love and sorrow meet,
Or thorns compose so rich a crown?
Were the whole realm of nature mine,
That were a present far too small:
Love so amazing, so Divine,
Demands my soul, my life, my all.