WEBVTT 00:00:00.479 --> 00:00:03.759 Thank you for tuning in to Newsong Church's Sermon Podcast. 00:00:04.000 --> 00:00:12.240 Newsong is a gospel-centered community-serving Anglican church in Port Perry, Ontario, and a parish of the Anglican Network in Canada. 00:00:12.400 --> 00:00:13.759 We'd love to connect with you. 00:00:13.919 --> 00:00:19.760 If you'd like to reach out to us, you can find our contact information at Newsongport Perry.ca. 00:00:20.239 --> 00:00:22.719 God bless you through the ministry of the Word. 00:00:25.600 --> 00:00:30.640 First reading is from Proverbs, chapter 11, verses 1 through 15. 00:00:31.679 --> 00:00:38.159 A false balance is an abomination to the Lord, but a just weight is his delight. 00:00:38.719 --> 00:00:42.159 When pride comes, then comes disgrace. 00:00:42.479 --> 00:00:45.200 But with the humble is wisdom. 00:00:45.520 --> 00:00:52.000 The integrity of the upright guides them, but the crookedness of the treacherous destroys them. 00:00:52.640 --> 00:00:58.719 Riches do not profit in the day of wrath, but righteousness delivers from death. 00:00:59.280 --> 00:01:06.239 The righteousness of the blameless keeps his way straight, but the wicked falls by his own wickedness. 00:01:06.640 --> 00:01:13.439 The righteousness of the upright delivers them, but the treacherous are taken captive by their lust. 00:01:13.840 --> 00:01:21.120 When the wicked dies, his hope will perish, and the expectation of wealth perishes too. 00:01:21.519 --> 00:01:27.840 The righteous is delivered from trouble, and the wicked walks into it instead. 00:01:28.719 --> 00:01:36.640 With his mouth the godless man would destroy his neighbor, but by knowledge the righteous are delivered. 00:01:37.040 --> 00:01:44.879 When it goes well with the righteous, the city rejoices, and when the wicked perish, there are shouts of gladness. 00:01:45.280 --> 00:01:52.640 By the blessing of the upright, a city is exalted, but by the mouth of the wicked, it is overthrown. 00:01:54.159 --> 00:01:57.760 Whoever belittles his neighbor lacks sense. 00:01:58.079 --> 00:02:01.120 But a man of understanding remains silent. 00:02:01.599 --> 00:02:05.439 Whoever goes about slandering reveals secrets. 00:02:05.760 --> 00:02:10.719 But he who is trustworthy in spirit keeps a thing covered. 00:02:11.280 --> 00:02:14.479 Where there is no guidance, a people falls. 00:02:14.719 --> 00:02:18.479 But in an abundance of counselors, there is safety. 00:02:18.879 --> 00:02:23.439 Whoever puts up security for a stranger will surely suffer harm. 00:02:23.759 --> 00:02:28.800 But he who hates striking hands in pledge is secure. 00:02:29.280 --> 00:02:31.120 This is the word of the Lord. 00:02:31.360 --> 00:02:32.719 Thanks be to God. 00:02:36.159 --> 00:02:37.439 Let's pray. 00:02:40.639 --> 00:02:53.280 Heavenly Father, we give you thanks and praise that you have given us your word to read, to study, to meditate on, to mark up with a pen. 00:02:54.080 --> 00:03:05.840 Lord, as we continue um looking at Proverbs, I just ask that you would speak to our hearts and our minds as we uh tackle certain topics that are struggles in our own lives. 00:03:06.159 --> 00:03:10.719 Lord, we just want to we just want to bring glory to Jesus. 00:03:10.960 --> 00:03:12.319 Please show us how. 00:03:12.639 --> 00:03:14.240 I pray us in Jesus' name. 00:03:14.479 --> 00:03:15.120 Amen. 00:03:15.439 --> 00:03:16.879 Please be seated. 00:03:22.159 --> 00:03:27.680 So we're continuing our service, or our service, our series in the book of Proverbs. 00:03:27.919 --> 00:03:31.439 We've gone through two topics already, and we're continuing now. 00:03:31.680 --> 00:03:33.919 We're gonna be going through it for the next couple weeks. 00:03:34.080 --> 00:03:38.639 Well into, we'll stop in Advent and then we'll pick it up again in January for a couple weeks. 00:03:38.879 --> 00:03:51.919 And the reason why we're doing this is because we want to reflect, we want to meditate on what it truly means to live wisely by God's design, to live in a chaotic world. 00:03:52.319 --> 00:03:56.800 The world is very chaotic, and it's good to reflect on how do we do that? 00:03:56.960 --> 00:03:59.360 How do we live in a world that's chaotic? 00:04:00.240 --> 00:04:08.639 The Bible is very wise, it has many different stories, many different topics, and then it has a section called the wisdom literature. 00:04:08.800 --> 00:04:11.520 And there's Psalms, there's Proverbs, and there's other ones. 00:04:11.680 --> 00:04:19.600 And then we're looking at Proverbs because it can at first glance, it can look like a book of just random sayings. 00:04:19.920 --> 00:04:22.000 Just why why are these sayings in here? 00:04:22.160 --> 00:04:23.360 Why have they been compiled? 00:04:23.439 --> 00:04:28.800 It makes no sense that these verses are so scattered. 00:04:29.040 --> 00:04:40.480 But it's a very wise book, and the more you read it and the more you meditate on it, the more it begins to form your mind, the form your thoughts, and how you view life. 00:04:40.800 --> 00:04:50.079 The thing that's so good about Proverbs is that there's 31 chapters, and you're able to read one a day if you just follow the calendar days, one to thirty one. 00:04:50.480 --> 00:04:58.319 And the thing that Proverbs hinges on, the main verse that's said over and over again through it in different ways, is this. 00:04:58.480 --> 00:05:00.160 It's chapter one, verse seven. 00:05:00.319 --> 00:05:04.000 And it's the fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge. 00:05:04.240 --> 00:05:06.959 Fools despise wisdom and instruction. 00:05:07.199 --> 00:05:13.120 And then Proverbs continues with this verse through it in certain sections and repeats it in certain ways. 00:05:13.360 --> 00:05:20.240 The thing with Proverbs is that it covers certain topics, but it continues recovering them over and over again. 00:05:20.319 --> 00:05:26.000 You'll see it as you read that the same topic is covered, but it comes from at different ways, different angles. 00:05:26.160 --> 00:05:32.720 And because of that, the reason why it's doing that is because Proverbs is meant to be read in a group setting. 00:05:32.800 --> 00:05:35.759 You can read it on your own, and I highly encourage you to read it on your own. 00:05:35.920 --> 00:05:44.399 But it's meant to be read in a group setting and then talked about and discussed because it gives it gives different angles about how to look at topics. 00:05:44.560 --> 00:05:51.600 So it creates this dynamic of different points of views to how you can talk about a topic. 00:05:52.480 --> 00:05:56.319 Then also, the book of Proverbs is not an instruction manual. 00:05:56.480 --> 00:06:01.759 You can't come to it and be like, I'm just gonna do this and this and this and check it off and I'm good to go. 00:06:02.000 --> 00:06:12.000 The book of Proverbs provides a picture about how a wise person is to live, or they'll become a fool. 00:06:12.639 --> 00:06:20.160 It's like in construction, when you go, when you're working on a project, there's many ways to do that one job. 00:06:20.319 --> 00:06:21.680 There's many ways. 00:06:22.000 --> 00:06:27.199 But there's certain ways that you can do it that makes it safe and that would make it last longer. 00:06:27.360 --> 00:06:29.199 And that's what Proverbs is. 00:06:29.519 --> 00:06:35.600 So today we're looking at the name of the sermon is the heart of the righteous and the heart of the wicked. 00:06:35.839 --> 00:06:44.160 Now in Proverbs, it's this dynamic between the wise and the foolish, and there's different names to them for those two people through it. 00:06:44.319 --> 00:06:46.720 And today it's the righteous and the wicked. 00:06:46.959 --> 00:06:48.399 So let's look at it. 00:06:48.639 --> 00:06:53.040 If I look at your bulletin, we're gonna look at um chapter 11, 1 to 15. 00:06:53.199 --> 00:06:55.920 And we're gonna begin by just talking about what is the heart. 00:06:56.560 --> 00:07:00.480 What does the heart mean in the Bible when when it brings up the heart? 00:07:00.720 --> 00:07:03.279 Um, what it means is that it's not a love song. 00:07:03.439 --> 00:07:05.600 We're not talking about some love thing. 00:07:05.839 --> 00:07:17.360 What it's talking about is that your heart, when it's written in in Hebrew and in Greek, it is this this idea that your heart is what directs you in life. 00:07:18.000 --> 00:07:20.879 What your heart wants is where you're gonna be led. 00:07:21.759 --> 00:07:24.240 What's gonna come out of your mouth, it comes from your heart. 00:07:24.399 --> 00:07:26.800 Jesus talks about that in the Gospels. 00:07:27.040 --> 00:07:33.040 It's like um in the Disney movies, um, Pirates of the Caribbean. 00:07:33.279 --> 00:07:38.800 That all the movies revolve around the main character, Jack Sparrow, and he has a compass. 00:07:39.040 --> 00:07:41.920 And the compass is very key in all the movies. 00:07:42.079 --> 00:07:48.480 And that what the compass does is when you are holding it, it points to what your heart wants the most. 00:07:49.040 --> 00:07:51.839 And that's what our hearts are like in real life. 00:07:52.000 --> 00:07:58.480 Is that when we our hearts point us to what we truly want in life or what we truly desire. 00:07:58.879 --> 00:08:05.920 So the verses today that we're looking at, verse two, would we would call that our map. 00:08:06.160 --> 00:08:10.800 And then our hearts are the compass as we look as we look at it. 00:08:18.639 --> 00:08:19.600 So what does it say? 00:08:19.759 --> 00:08:21.199 What does verse two say? 00:08:22.079 --> 00:08:26.800 It says this when pride comes, then comes disgrace. 00:08:27.439 --> 00:08:30.000 But with the humble is wisdom. 00:08:30.480 --> 00:08:35.679 Now, pride in the Bible is it it talks about it as the root of all evil. 00:08:35.840 --> 00:08:38.559 It's what corrupts everything, what corrupts the heart. 00:08:38.720 --> 00:08:43.759 It's what directs the heart to go in certain ways that are against God's plans. 00:08:44.000 --> 00:08:52.320 And we see it playing out here in chapter 11 that when pride comes, the heart leads you to start doing all these different things. 00:08:52.879 --> 00:09:00.559 So we're gonna look at this topic of pride, because it's something that's very prevalent in the Bible, it's very prevalent in our world. 00:09:00.639 --> 00:09:03.120 And we're gonna look at it through under three headings. 00:09:03.360 --> 00:09:09.039 And it's this what is pride, who is prideful, and where is the solution? 00:09:09.279 --> 00:09:10.879 So what is pride? 00:09:11.200 --> 00:09:14.799 Who is prideful, and where is the solution? 00:09:15.039 --> 00:09:16.879 So point one, what is pride? 00:09:17.120 --> 00:09:24.000 So verse two says, When pride comes, then comes disgrace, but with the humble is wisdom. 00:09:24.240 --> 00:09:31.840 Now, we're not talking about the when it talks about pride, it's not talking about like pride for a country or pride for a sports team. 00:09:31.919 --> 00:09:36.320 It's something that's deeper, something that's at the root of everything. 00:09:36.639 --> 00:09:46.960 And the topic of pride begins in Genesis 1 to 3, the story of Adam and Eve, the story of God creating the world, creating paradise. 00:09:47.200 --> 00:10:08.480 And if you're if you're watching this later on, and if you're sitting here and you struggle with believing certain stories in the Bible, regardless of what you think of what Genesis is, the beginning of Genesis, this story gives the best, in my mind, the best example of what pride truly is. 00:10:08.960 --> 00:10:11.039 So God creates the world. 00:10:11.200 --> 00:10:12.799 He creates a perfect paradise. 00:10:12.960 --> 00:10:13.840 It's perfect. 00:10:14.000 --> 00:10:15.759 Nothing's wrong about it. 00:10:16.000 --> 00:10:24.960 Everything is he calls good, and then he creates man and woman in his image, and he calls that very good. 00:10:25.519 --> 00:10:36.159 And then he lets the man and the woman, Adam and Eve, be in the garden, to work the garden, to take control of the garden, to multiply. 00:10:36.399 --> 00:10:39.360 But he tells them, you may do all things. 00:10:39.519 --> 00:10:49.120 You may eat of every um every fruit, every thing off the branch of the trees, but you just can't eat from the tree of the good and evil. 00:10:49.360 --> 00:10:50.240 And he does that. 00:10:50.320 --> 00:10:55.600 He gives them one command, actually, two commands, because he says, be fruitful and multiply and tame the earth. 00:10:55.919 --> 00:11:07.360 And what happens in these in this story is that man decides to not listen to God's command and take the apple. 00:11:07.519 --> 00:11:12.639 And don't get caught up on this idea of, oh, it's just a fruit that created all this evil in the world. 00:11:12.799 --> 00:11:15.120 It's something that lies behind that. 00:11:15.279 --> 00:11:17.120 And it's the it's pride. 00:11:17.360 --> 00:11:23.279 It's the wanting to make yourself like God, to call yourself I am. 00:11:23.600 --> 00:11:26.159 That's what's going on here in Genesis 2. 00:11:26.320 --> 00:11:31.279 And from that moment that that happens, it spills out into the rest of the world. 00:11:31.360 --> 00:11:33.440 And you see it work out through the Bible. 00:11:33.600 --> 00:11:36.799 And if you look around in the world, you see it spilled out through that. 00:11:37.039 --> 00:11:44.399 That pride has become this plague within the world, that all humanity tries to make themselves like gods. 00:11:45.519 --> 00:11:54.320 To bring, to elevate oneself, to follow the rules of your own devices, what you decide to be right and wrong. 00:11:54.559 --> 00:11:59.600 And if you look again at verse 2, because it's the map, it's very important that we look at it. 00:11:59.840 --> 00:12:03.840 It says, When pride comes, then comes disgrace. 00:12:04.159 --> 00:12:08.879 See, pride, it's not something that's just instant that happens. 00:12:08.960 --> 00:12:10.240 It's like a slow burn. 00:12:10.320 --> 00:12:11.759 It's a thing that sets on. 00:12:11.919 --> 00:12:14.480 It takes time to build and build and build. 00:12:14.639 --> 00:12:17.200 It plays out into many situations. 00:12:17.759 --> 00:12:21.519 Little decisions create big outcomes. 00:12:21.759 --> 00:12:24.240 Pride becomes bigger and bigger and bigger. 00:12:25.360 --> 00:12:28.240 In the Pixar movie, I have movies on my mind right now. 00:12:28.720 --> 00:12:43.039 In the Pixar movie, Inside Out, I don't know if anyone's familiar with it, but it's the story of there's the main character living in the world, and then there's these characters within the mind of the different emotions that help the character navigate life. 00:12:43.279 --> 00:12:55.919 And what goes on is that every time there's a good memory or the character does something good, this memory turns into a ball, and then the ball goes into this river, and these strands go up and create a tree. 00:12:56.000 --> 00:12:59.039 And the tree is supposed to similize the perp's personality. 00:12:59.440 --> 00:13:06.879 So it's like whenever time we make a decision to maybe have an unjust weight, as it says in verse 1 here. 00:13:07.039 --> 00:13:11.759 Or the dude make these decisions, it makes us more prideful and prideful and prideful. 00:13:11.919 --> 00:13:17.840 And then our entire heart, our entire being becomes super plagued with pride. 00:13:20.799 --> 00:13:24.559 So now we might be thinking, well, I don't I don't think I'm prideful. 00:13:24.799 --> 00:13:26.720 See, no one wants to be called prideful. 00:13:26.879 --> 00:13:28.080 No one does. 00:13:28.639 --> 00:13:31.120 But point two, who is prideful? 00:13:31.279 --> 00:13:32.879 We all are prideful. 00:13:33.519 --> 00:13:40.720 It it is something that if we reflect on it and if we reflect deeply on it, that it is something that we struggle with. 00:13:40.879 --> 00:13:44.320 We all struggle with it, including myself. 00:13:44.799 --> 00:13:47.519 See, we're all prideful, so we should talk about it. 00:13:47.679 --> 00:13:50.399 Because it's something that we need to work through. 00:13:50.559 --> 00:13:55.200 We need to come together and work through it and talk about it and bring it to light. 00:13:55.279 --> 00:14:00.559 Because when you bring it to light, it's easier for it to break to break from you. 00:14:01.200 --> 00:14:02.720 For people to walk with you. 00:14:02.879 --> 00:14:14.639 And it's just pride is something that plagues us, that builds up in us constantly, and we always have to keep pushing it down. 00:14:14.799 --> 00:14:16.320 But there's a way to do it. 00:14:16.559 --> 00:14:19.759 If we do it on our own, it will never go away. 00:14:19.919 --> 00:14:21.600 There's a way to do it, and that's coming. 00:14:21.679 --> 00:14:22.799 We're gonna talk about that. 00:14:23.039 --> 00:14:24.639 But what it who is prideful? 00:14:24.799 --> 00:14:29.519 Well, there's pride takes many different forms if we break it apart, if we look at it. 00:14:29.679 --> 00:14:42.559 There's the classic pride that we think about when we if we think of someone who's prideful, we think of the one who tries to elevate himself above other people and push down other people to bring himself higher, to be a ladder climber. 00:14:42.879 --> 00:14:46.720 But there's other aspects of that, of this elevation pride. 00:14:46.960 --> 00:14:49.840 See, it's constantly using other people to better yourself. 00:14:50.000 --> 00:14:55.840 And if you look at verses 9 to 13, it shows another aspect of this element of pride. 00:14:56.159 --> 00:15:05.039 It says, With his mouth the godless man would destroy his neighbor, but by knowledge the righteous are delivered. 00:15:05.519 --> 00:15:12.720 When it goes well with the righteous, the city rejoices, and when the wicked perish, there are shouts of gladness. 00:15:13.120 --> 00:15:19.919 By the blessing of the upright a city is exalted, but by the mouth of the wicked it is overthrown. 00:15:20.159 --> 00:15:23.279 Whoever belittles his neighbor lacks sense. 00:15:23.600 --> 00:15:26.559 But a man of understanding remains silent. 00:15:26.960 --> 00:15:34.559 Whoever goes about slandering reveals secrets, but he who is trustworthy in spirit keeps the thing covered. 00:15:35.200 --> 00:15:41.440 See, that's talking about gossip, and gossip is another form of elevating yourself above other people. 00:15:41.600 --> 00:15:46.720 And we're gonna have a whole Sunday focused on that coming, so stay tuned for that. 00:15:46.960 --> 00:15:57.600 But the thing with gossip is that it destroys communities, it destroys communities of people, it destroys relationships. 00:15:57.840 --> 00:16:09.840 I was in um a coffee shop this week and I was working on my sermon, and I couldn't, there was a group of people beside me, and as soon as one of the people left, the whole group started just talking about that one person. 00:16:10.080 --> 00:16:12.080 And that's a very common thing that happens. 00:16:12.240 --> 00:16:15.039 We we all do it, we all try to do it. 00:16:15.120 --> 00:16:20.559 It's something I I personally think gossip is one of the biggest things that we all struggle with. 00:16:20.720 --> 00:16:22.799 We all deeply struggle with it. 00:16:23.360 --> 00:16:27.679 And it's just another form of pride, of elevating yourself. 00:16:27.919 --> 00:16:35.600 But then there's another form of when someone says something against you, critiques you, it destroys you. 00:16:35.840 --> 00:16:40.799 It destroys this image that you've made of yourself, or differing opinions. 00:16:40.879 --> 00:16:50.320 If you see in verse 14, it says, where there is no guidance, a people falls, but in an abundance of counselors there is safety. 00:16:50.639 --> 00:16:55.679 See, the thing with pride that you don't listen to advice, you don't listen to critique. 00:16:55.759 --> 00:16:56.720 It's another form. 00:16:56.879 --> 00:16:58.639 And you might struggle with that. 00:16:59.200 --> 00:17:04.960 See, it's cons it's concerned if people are talking about them or not talking about them. 00:17:05.119 --> 00:17:10.960 It's this idea that you can't handle the critique, but you want people talking about you. 00:17:11.200 --> 00:17:15.599 And then there's another form of it where you just don't care what people think. 00:17:15.759 --> 00:17:19.599 You just do what you want, you just do, you just do what you have to do. 00:17:19.839 --> 00:17:23.519 I was a photojournalist before I got into ministry. 00:17:23.680 --> 00:17:43.920 And the thing with photojournalism is that you have to go into situations where people are gonna yell at you for taking their photo because they're in a very um very emotional state or very hard state, and you have to, in a sense, be completely indifferent to them and just keep taking the photo because you want the photo for the story. 00:17:44.079 --> 00:17:54.160 And it's something that, because I did photojournalism for over 10 years, it's something I struggle with deeply is not caring about what people think. 00:17:54.240 --> 00:17:56.960 Um and it's something um I would ask prayer for. 00:17:57.119 --> 00:18:00.079 It's just it is really good to pray for your pastors. 00:18:00.240 --> 00:18:01.359 Please pray for me. 00:18:01.519 --> 00:18:07.680 Um, it is just something we all deal with certain aspects of pride, um, and we all have elements where we struggle with. 00:18:07.759 --> 00:18:12.480 If we're super honest with ourselves, and indifference is one of them for me. 00:18:12.640 --> 00:18:15.440 It's not caring what people think, but it's an element of pride. 00:18:15.519 --> 00:18:19.680 It's an element of making this image of myself, deciding what I want. 00:18:20.400 --> 00:18:24.160 Another form of pride is identity. 00:18:24.319 --> 00:18:26.400 It's making this image of yourself. 00:18:26.480 --> 00:18:29.119 It bleeds into all aspects of pride. 00:18:29.359 --> 00:18:39.200 Creighton talked about this more in depth in his sermon, I believe, last week, about this self-authentication, being your own self, defining your own truth. 00:18:39.279 --> 00:18:40.960 So look at his sermon about it. 00:18:41.200 --> 00:18:44.799 It's about finding your ultimate meaning in something besides God. 00:18:45.039 --> 00:18:47.279 And then lastly, there's moralism. 00:18:47.440 --> 00:18:50.079 And we looked at Galatians and the whole book of Galatians. 00:18:50.240 --> 00:18:56.160 Paul is writing to the Galatian church that they're going back to the law, the Moses law. 00:18:56.240 --> 00:19:00.559 And that's all about just doing the law, elevating yourself, earning your salvation. 00:19:00.720 --> 00:19:03.039 And then Paul is fighting against that. 00:19:03.279 --> 00:19:06.880 Now I hope everyone is feeling a bit uncomfortable. 00:19:07.119 --> 00:19:08.000 I hope. 00:19:08.319 --> 00:19:16.240 Because we have to see what we struggle with, the sin in our own hearts, and recognize it that we all fall into this one category. 00:19:16.400 --> 00:19:19.680 We all fall into the category of the fool and the wicked. 00:19:20.079 --> 00:19:32.160 But to truly fully understand the great truth of the gospel, we have to come to terms with what we struggle with deeply, where our hearts are leading us, where our bearings are. 00:19:32.720 --> 00:19:35.039 So you might be thinking, well, what do I do then? 00:19:35.119 --> 00:19:36.240 Where do we go from here? 00:19:36.400 --> 00:19:39.200 Well, point three, where's the solution? 00:19:39.440 --> 00:19:42.079 Look at verses five, six, and eight. 00:19:42.720 --> 00:19:50.960 The righteousness of the blameless keeps his way straight, but the wicked falls by his own wickedness. 00:19:51.440 --> 00:19:58.559 The righteousness of the upright delivers them, but the terrestrial are taken captive by their lusts. 00:19:59.119 --> 00:20:05.440 The righteous are del is delivered from trouble, and the wicked walks into it instead. 00:20:05.839 --> 00:20:18.160 You see, there is only one person who's ever walked this world on this earth who falls into the category of the righteousness, of the righteous person, and that is Jesus. 00:20:18.400 --> 00:20:26.960 See, Jesus came, God sent his son into the world to live a perfect life, to embody what righteousness means. 00:20:27.200 --> 00:20:33.359 And then Jesus died for us because we could never live up to being called righteous. 00:20:33.519 --> 00:20:36.960 We had to have someone come and stand before God, take our place. 00:20:37.200 --> 00:20:43.920 For we stood condemned, he stood condemned, and we took on his glory, on Jesus' glory. 00:20:44.240 --> 00:20:57.440 See, his heart, when it started to beat again on that third day, it allowed all who put their faith and trust in him to have a new bearing, for their heart to have a new bearing in life, to direct them in life. 00:20:57.599 --> 00:21:00.559 And that's to direct them to the cross. 00:21:00.880 --> 00:21:19.279 See, Jesus and his work on the cross provides the way that pride can be broken, that this struggle that we have, always wanting to do what we want and not do what God wants us to do, is there's a there's a way out, and that's through Jesus. 00:21:19.920 --> 00:21:22.079 See, let's look at verse 2 again. 00:21:22.319 --> 00:21:25.200 When pride comes, then comes disgrace. 00:21:25.440 --> 00:21:27.759 But with the humble is wisdom. 00:21:28.160 --> 00:21:34.000 See, the only way to be humble is to lay down your life daily for Jesus. 00:21:34.240 --> 00:21:37.119 To ask him, what do you want me to do for you, Lord? 00:21:37.279 --> 00:21:38.640 How can I serve you? 00:21:38.880 --> 00:21:51.920 And that's why we have the gospel reading of Math in Matthew 5, verses 13 to 16, where it talks about this salt, and the salt thinks if it doesn't it'sn't salty anymore, that it becomes useless. 00:21:52.160 --> 00:21:57.119 And that putting a lamp, you don't put it under a basket, you put it on a table to shine out. 00:21:57.599 --> 00:21:59.759 See, the gospel has to shine through. 00:22:00.319 --> 00:22:00.480 us. 00:22:00.880 --> 00:22:07.039 We have to be, we have to almost in a sense, as Paul says, we have to become foolishness to the world. 00:22:07.119 --> 00:22:12.720 We have to proclaim the gospel, share the gospel to people, because that is wisdom. 00:22:12.960 --> 00:22:17.279 It's Jesus's Jesus on the cross is the definition of wisdom. 00:22:17.359 --> 00:22:19.039 It's true wisdom. 00:22:20.240 --> 00:22:25.200 All wise people of the world will say that that is foolishness. 00:22:25.440 --> 00:22:26.079 Do this. 00:22:26.480 --> 00:22:32.799 But the cross says, Jesus says, follow me, follow what I've done on the cross. 00:22:33.039 --> 00:22:37.839 We have to lay down our lives daily, take up his cross and follow him. 00:22:38.240 --> 00:22:40.559 Let his light shine out from us. 00:22:40.720 --> 00:22:42.640 But this isn't an instant thing. 00:22:42.799 --> 00:22:48.240 This isn't something where you just snap your fingers and all of a sudden you're all humble and not prideful anymore. 00:22:48.400 --> 00:22:57.119 It is a daily struggle and it is something that we struggle with until we either Jesus will return or we will go and be with him. 00:22:57.519 --> 00:23:00.640 But the thing is you might be thinking well Matt, I can't do this. 00:23:00.799 --> 00:23:02.000 This sounds too hard. 00:23:02.160 --> 00:23:06.400 This sounds too hard to let the gospel take over my life completely. 00:23:06.559 --> 00:23:20.559 Well here's the thing see where the first Adam in the garden at the beginning of Genesis stood in the garden but then he decided not to follow God's command and make his own decisions and do what he wants. 00:23:20.799 --> 00:23:24.640 The second Adam came, Jesus, and also stood in the garden. 00:23:24.960 --> 00:23:34.720 But he did what God wanted him to do and he went to the cross for you and me so that there is a way because God knew that we could never do it on our own. 00:23:34.880 --> 00:23:41.920 We can never break this constant struggle that we have of wanting to be our own gods in a sense. 00:23:42.160 --> 00:23:45.680 And he provided a way and that was through Jesus his son. 00:23:46.160 --> 00:23:51.839 That when you put your faith and trust in him that Jesus provides the way for you. 00:23:52.079 --> 00:24:00.559 He provides the bearing he allows your heart to become a new heart that points to him that always points to him. 00:24:00.960 --> 00:24:02.480 And it is a daily walk. 00:24:02.640 --> 00:24:04.799 It is something that we will always struggle with. 00:24:04.960 --> 00:24:27.359 You might read the book of Proverbs as we go through it and see yourself in a lot of these verses but just remember that there is a way out there is a hope and that is the hope in Jesus and it's a daily walk and it is one that is hard one but it has been one and it is finished. 00:24:27.599 --> 00:25:23.920 Let's pray um heavenly Father Heavenly Father we first we just ask that you would always convict us Lord where we may fall and try to elevate ourselves above other people Lord just ask that um you would pour out your Holy Spirit upon us more and more that uh your gospel would work through every aspect of our lives Father I pray in the areas where we all struggle to hold on to things to make our own identities that we would lay them down at Jesus' cross and that we would find our true identity in Christ in being your um sons and daughters Lord made in your image and I pray us in Jesus' name. 00:25:24.160 --> 00:25:34.960 Amen thank you for listening today we follow a generous God who calls us to give willfully cheerfully and sacrificially towards gospel ministry. 00:25:35.279 --> 00:25:41.359 Newsong is one hundred percent funded by the generous giving of those who worship and journey with us. 00:25:41.599 --> 00:25:49.119 If you'd like to learn more about how to give towards Newsong's ministry you can do just that at newsongportperry dot giving. 00:25:49.279 --> 00:25:51.599 God bless you and keep you today and every day.