In many ways 21st century American Christianity is often focused on feeding our ego. When in truth the greatest pleasure is not found (as Piper says) in God making much of us (our ego) but in our ability, thanks to redemption to make much of God.
It's All About Me...this video would be fun to watch if it were not so near reality for many in the church today.
In recent weeks I have been preaching on the topic of Battling Unbelief. This sermon series is taken directly from John Piper's book of the same title. Much of the following post comes directly from Piper's writings found on his website, desiringgod.org, his sermons and of course his recent book, Battling Unbelief. As I have often said, I understand one of my roles as your pastor is to lead you to the good stuff theologically and this material by John Piper is some really good stuff.
Check out the sermon:
Let me begin by defining belief and unbelief.
It's All About Me...this video would be fun to watch if it were not so near reality for many in the church today.
In recent weeks I have been preaching on the topic of Battling Unbelief. This sermon series is taken directly from John Piper's book of the same title. Much of the following post comes directly from Piper's writings found on his website, desiringgod.org, his sermons and of course his recent book, Battling Unbelief. As I have often said, I understand one of my roles as your pastor is to lead you to the good stuff theologically and this material by John Piper is some really good stuff.
Check out the sermon:
Let me begin by defining belief and unbelief.
Jesus said in John 6:35, "I am the bread of life; he who comes to me shall not hunger, and he who believes in me shall never thirst."
I take it, then, that unbelief in Jesus (NOT believing in Jesus) is a turning away from Jesus in order to seek satisfaction in other things. And BELIEF in Jesus is coming to Jesus for the satisfaction of our needs and our longings.
Belief is not mainly an agreement with facts in the head;
it is mainly an appetite in the heart which fastens on Jesus for satisfaction. "He who comes to me shall not hunger and he who believes in me shall never thirst!"
Therefore eternal life is not given to people who merely think that Jesus is the Son of God. It is given to people who drink from Jesus as the Son of God.
"The water that I shall give him shall become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life" (John 4:14). He is the bread of life for those who feed on him—who get their nourishment and satisfaction from him. That is what it means to believe on the only begotten Son of God and be saved.
The Deepest Form of Unbelief
One more form of unbelief that we need to talk about is the unbelief of a haughty spirit, or pride. There is a very close relationship between unbelief and pride.
Unbelief is a turning away from Jesus (or God) in order to seek satisfaction in other things.
PRIDE is a turning away from God specifically to take satisfaction in self.
Covetousness is a turning away from God to find satisfaction in things.
Impatience is turning away from God to find satisfaction in your own swift plan of action.
Lust is turning away from God to find satisfaction in sex.
Bitterness is turning away from God to find satisfaction in retaliation.
But deeper than all these forms of unbelief is the unbelief of pride, because self-determination and self-exaltation lie behind all these other sinful dispositions.
The battle against pride is the battle against unbelief; or to put it positively, the fight for humility is the fight of faith.
Several Biblical Passages About Pride
All these passages contrast pride with something. They show something that is the opposite of pride.
James 4:6-8
[God] gives more grace; therefore it says, "God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble." Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. Draw near to God and he will draw near to you.
The opposite of pride here is submitting to God and drawing near to God. Pride wants to be independent, self-governing, autonomous. Therefore it inevitably comes into conflict with God. This is why people who do not love to submit to God's teachings stay as far from God as they can.
If they come to church and hear God confront their lifestyle, they will go away and not come back, because they enjoy calling the shots themselves and pulling their own strings.
But James says that such people should stop running and draw near. They should stop rebelling and submit. Because God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble (v. 6).
1 Peter 5:5-7
Likewise you who are younger be subject to the elders. Clothe yourselves, all of you, with humility toward one another, for "God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble." Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that in due time he may exalt you. Cast all your anxieties on him, for he cares about you.
Here Peter says that all of us should be clothed with humility. And then he says that one of the things we will do in that humility is cast our anxieties on the Lord.
Why is this casting of our anxieties on the Lord the opposite of pride? Because pride does not like to admit that it has any anxieties, and it especially does not like to admit that it needs help from someone else to cope with them.
So here we are right at the nub of what faith really is.
Faith admits the need for help. Pride won't.
Faith banks on God to give that help. Pride won't.
Faith casts anxieties on God. Pride won't.
Therefore one way to battle the unbelief of pride is to admit freely that you have anxieties, and to cherish the privilege of being invited to cast them on God.
One very practical way to cultivate the atmosphere of humility and faith in the family and the church is to express personal need for God when you pray.
Jeremiah 9:23-24
Thus says the Lord: "Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom, let not the mighty man glory in his might, let not the rich man glory in his riches; but let him who glories glory in this, that he understands and knows me, that I am the Lord who practice steadfast love, justice, and righteousness in the earth; for in these things I delight, says the Lord."
What a battle we have on our hands.
The enemy of pride comes at us on every front.
We love to be made much of because of how we use our minds—what good grades, smart solutions, clever one-liners, victory in a game of Scrabble.
We love to be made much of because of our bodies—that we can work long and hard, or that we are muscular or shapely, or that we can run fast or lift a heavy weight or run far.
We love to be made much of because of our possessions—that we live in a certain neighborhood, or drive a certain car, or have a certain stereo, or hold a certain portfolio.
But Jeremiah says, Defeat the enemy of pride by making much of God. Glory in this, that you know God.
Do you want to boast in intellect? Boast in God's.
Do you want to glory in strength and beauty? Glory in God's.
Do you want to brag on an estate? Brag on God's.
How to Best Fight Against Pride ?
When all is said and done, what is the rock bottom biblical answer to the question how to best fight against pride? The most effective way of bridling my delight in being made much of, to focus on making much of God.
Self-denial and crucifixion of the flesh are essential, but O how easy it is to be made much of even for my self-denial!
How shall this insidious motive of pleasure in being made much of be broken except through bending all my faculties to delight in the pleasure of making much of God!
The greatest thing God ever did was to clean me up so that I could make much of Him forever! – Look to the cross and defeat pride.
Taken from John Piper. www.desiringgod.org
I take it, then, that unbelief in Jesus (NOT believing in Jesus) is a turning away from Jesus in order to seek satisfaction in other things. And BELIEF in Jesus is coming to Jesus for the satisfaction of our needs and our longings.
Belief is not mainly an agreement with facts in the head;
it is mainly an appetite in the heart which fastens on Jesus for satisfaction. "He who comes to me shall not hunger and he who believes in me shall never thirst!"
Therefore eternal life is not given to people who merely think that Jesus is the Son of God. It is given to people who drink from Jesus as the Son of God.
"The water that I shall give him shall become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life" (John 4:14). He is the bread of life for those who feed on him—who get their nourishment and satisfaction from him. That is what it means to believe on the only begotten Son of God and be saved.
The Deepest Form of Unbelief
One more form of unbelief that we need to talk about is the unbelief of a haughty spirit, or pride. There is a very close relationship between unbelief and pride.
Unbelief is a turning away from Jesus (or God) in order to seek satisfaction in other things.
PRIDE is a turning away from God specifically to take satisfaction in self.
Covetousness is a turning away from God to find satisfaction in things.
Impatience is turning away from God to find satisfaction in your own swift plan of action.
Lust is turning away from God to find satisfaction in sex.
Bitterness is turning away from God to find satisfaction in retaliation.
But deeper than all these forms of unbelief is the unbelief of pride, because self-determination and self-exaltation lie behind all these other sinful dispositions.
The battle against pride is the battle against unbelief; or to put it positively, the fight for humility is the fight of faith.
Several Biblical Passages About Pride
All these passages contrast pride with something. They show something that is the opposite of pride.
James 4:6-8
[God] gives more grace; therefore it says, "God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble." Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. Draw near to God and he will draw near to you.
The opposite of pride here is submitting to God and drawing near to God. Pride wants to be independent, self-governing, autonomous. Therefore it inevitably comes into conflict with God. This is why people who do not love to submit to God's teachings stay as far from God as they can.
If they come to church and hear God confront their lifestyle, they will go away and not come back, because they enjoy calling the shots themselves and pulling their own strings.
But James says that such people should stop running and draw near. They should stop rebelling and submit. Because God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble (v. 6).
1 Peter 5:5-7
Likewise you who are younger be subject to the elders. Clothe yourselves, all of you, with humility toward one another, for "God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble." Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that in due time he may exalt you. Cast all your anxieties on him, for he cares about you.
Here Peter says that all of us should be clothed with humility. And then he says that one of the things we will do in that humility is cast our anxieties on the Lord.
Why is this casting of our anxieties on the Lord the opposite of pride? Because pride does not like to admit that it has any anxieties, and it especially does not like to admit that it needs help from someone else to cope with them.
So here we are right at the nub of what faith really is.
Faith admits the need for help. Pride won't.
Faith banks on God to give that help. Pride won't.
Faith casts anxieties on God. Pride won't.
Therefore one way to battle the unbelief of pride is to admit freely that you have anxieties, and to cherish the privilege of being invited to cast them on God.
One very practical way to cultivate the atmosphere of humility and faith in the family and the church is to express personal need for God when you pray.
Jeremiah 9:23-24
Thus says the Lord: "Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom, let not the mighty man glory in his might, let not the rich man glory in his riches; but let him who glories glory in this, that he understands and knows me, that I am the Lord who practice steadfast love, justice, and righteousness in the earth; for in these things I delight, says the Lord."
What a battle we have on our hands.
The enemy of pride comes at us on every front.
We love to be made much of because of how we use our minds—what good grades, smart solutions, clever one-liners, victory in a game of Scrabble.
We love to be made much of because of our bodies—that we can work long and hard, or that we are muscular or shapely, or that we can run fast or lift a heavy weight or run far.
We love to be made much of because of our possessions—that we live in a certain neighborhood, or drive a certain car, or have a certain stereo, or hold a certain portfolio.
But Jeremiah says, Defeat the enemy of pride by making much of God. Glory in this, that you know God.
Do you want to boast in intellect? Boast in God's.
Do you want to glory in strength and beauty? Glory in God's.
Do you want to brag on an estate? Brag on God's.
How to Best Fight Against Pride ?
When all is said and done, what is the rock bottom biblical answer to the question how to best fight against pride? The most effective way of bridling my delight in being made much of, to focus on making much of God.
Self-denial and crucifixion of the flesh are essential, but O how easy it is to be made much of even for my self-denial!
How shall this insidious motive of pleasure in being made much of be broken except through bending all my faculties to delight in the pleasure of making much of God!
The greatest thing God ever did was to clean me up so that I could make much of Him forever! – Look to the cross and defeat pride.
Taken from John Piper. www.desiringgod.org
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