An Antidote for Pride
Elisabeth Elliot's sermon emphasizes the destructive nature of pride and the necessity of humility through God's Word as an antidote.
Elisabeth Elliot delves into the root of sin, identifying pride as the basis for all sins, tracing back to Adam and Eve's disobedience. She highlights the danger of the pride of privilege, where individuals forget that their positions are given and not earned. God's provision against pride is found in His instruction to appoint a king who must keep and read the law (Word) daily to learn to fear the Lord and stay humble. Attempting to keep the commandments reveals our inability to do so, leading us to the realization that salvation is through faith, not works, which humbles us and diminishes pride.
Text
The basis of all sin of whatever kind is pride. This was what inspired the disobedience of Adam and Eve, and it is always with us. One very common form it takes is the pride of privilege. When a man is given a special position, he forgets that it was given. He becomes proud, as though "his own arm" had gotten him the victory.
God knows well the heart and made provision for this sin of pride when He instructed the Israelites about appointing a king. He was to make a copy of the law. This would be the antidote, necessary for him and likewise for all of us (for "law" read "Word"). "He shall keep it by him and read from it all his life, so that he may learn to fear the Lord his God and keep all the words of this law and observe these statutes.
In this way he shall not become prouder than his fellow countrymen nor shall he turn from these commandments to right or left" (Dt 17:19, 20 NEB). The attempt itself to keep the commandments, one by one and day after day, will be sufficient to humble us, for the "straightedge of the law" (Rom 3:20 JBP) will only show us, as Paul found, how crooked we are. We will find, in fact, that we cannot keep it. "The whole matter is on a different plane--believing instead of achieving" (Rom 3:27 JBP). Pride won't find much foothold on that plane.
Sermon Outline
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I
- Definition of pride as the basis of all sin
- Historical context: Adam and Eve's disobedience
- Pride of privilege in leadership
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II
- God's provision against pride
- The importance of the law for humility
- Reading and keeping the law as a lifelong practice
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III
- The role of the law in revealing our shortcomings
- The contrast between achieving and believing
- The antidote to pride through faith
Key Quotes
“The basis of all sin of whatever kind is pride.” — Elisabeth Elliot
“He shall keep it by him and read from it all his life, so that he may learn to fear the Lord his God.” — Elisabeth Elliot
“The whole matter is on a different plane--believing instead of achieving.” — Elisabeth Elliot
Application Points
- Regularly engage with Scripture to combat pride in your life.
- Acknowledge that any position or privilege is a gift from God, not a personal achievement.
- Shift your focus from achieving success to believing in God's grace and guidance.