The Fiery Arrow of Pride

Amen. I want you to turn in your Bibles. I hope you have your Bibles.

I'm going to start saying that for the next while. I hope that you feel bad if you don't have a Bible in your hands. Shouldn't be in this church if you don't have a Bible in your hands.

Mr. Spurgeon, many years ago, he said that every time he went to Scotland, he loved to hear, obviously the English didn't do it, he said he loved to hear the rustle of the pages in the church gathering as people turned to the text and followed them in the Scriptures. And that ought to be the mark of a Bible-believing church. For my eyes' sake, I often use the Bible app, but I hate that unless your eyes have a problem.

Use a Bible. Turn to it. Mark it.

Be familiar with this book. Will you turn with me in your Bible to Luke chapter 10 here this morning? And I'm continuing. I want to begin to come down to the end.

I had a terrible wrestle over this message over the past couple of days, and especially yesterday, I was battling over two specific messages and also had great liberty in many other messages that I was preparing. But it was a great battle just to get settled on the mind of God and find the will of God for this. But I really believe this is right for this morning.

I wanted to go in several different directions, but this is where we're going is to Luke chapter 10, and we're going to begin reading in verse 1. And we're still dealing with this issue of fiery arrows. We have been dealing with this attack of hell that is very specific to individuals. Satan's attacks are not just general.

They are actually finely honed. His weapons, his arrows are specially prepared. They're not prepared for the person beside you.

They're prepared for you. The devil knows you. He knows who you are.

He knows your weak points. He knows where you're vulnerable. He knows where you're wide open to his attacks, and he will hit you when you're vulnerable.

He doesn't hit you when you're on a high. He hits you when you're on the low. And I want to tell you, this devil is such, he will stomp his foot on you when you're in the depths of depression.

He doesn't show mercy. He doesn't love you. Our God loves you.

Even when you're undeserving, our God mixes his wrath with mercy. He is a God like none other. But I want to tell you, the devil is vile indeed.

And we've been dealing with these specific arrows that are common to men, that are very regular within a church. Because the beginning of this year, we began, and I believe that we were under a time of very real assault in this church. I believe my mind was coming under an abnormal attack.

In fact, I believe for a period of months, many of us, if not all of us, were being assaulted constantly in unusual ways, or in very vicious ways that almost tormented us. When you begin to get thoughts that torment you, you ought to take note of that. You don't like them.

You're not embracing them. You're not enjoying this. But thoughts are actually common that are a torment to you.

Since you need to waken up and realize you're in a spiritual battle. My message here this morning, part nine, the fiery arrow of pride. Looking at Luke chapter 10, reading from verse one.

After these things, the Lord appointed other 70 also, and sent them two and two before his face into every city and place, whether he himself would come. Therefore said he unto them, the harvest truly is great, but the labors are few. Pray ye therefore, the Lord of the harvest, that he would send forth labors into his harvest.

Go your ways. Behold, I send you forth as lambs among wolves. Then I want to jump over all that's written here about the 70 going out, and I'm going to jump to them returning.

So I'm reading what he says before, and I'm reading what he says after. We're not going to look at them going. Just go down to verse 17.

And the 70 returned again with joy, saying, Lord, even the devils are subject unto us through thy name. Notice what they're saying here. They come back with great joy, genuine joy, because of the mighty works of God.

They're caught up in ministry, caught up in Christ, caught up in the power of Christ. Notice what they say. The devils are subject unto us through thy name.

They find by experience the devil is subject to them using the authority in Christ's name. Then notice what Jesus says in verse 18. And he said unto them, very telling statement, I beheld Satan as lightning fall from heaven.

Behold, I give unto you power to tread on serpents and scorpions and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall by any means hurt you. Notwithstanding, in this rejoice not that the spirits are subject unto you, but rather rejoice because your names are written in heaven. Let's pray together.

Father, we just bow our heads and our hearts as we deal with the danger of pride, this fiery arrow, how the devil uses pride against a real believer in Christ. Oh God, how fiery arrows can be fired that can do damage. And Lord God, we tremble at the thought that pride could enter into our heart.

And Lord God, we get lifted up and not realize the danger of Satan's devices, of the thoughts that come into the very intense of our heart. My God, it makes me to tremble to think, oh God, that I could callously get lifted up with pride and arrogance, that the very thoughts of Satan, that the evil one, the wicked one that plans our destruction, that fires fiery arrows, that waits, that watches, that studies the saints of God. Lord God, I am so aware that we as a church are in a battle.

And even as a church, my God, we want to humble ourselves this morning. Lord God, lest our hearts be lifted up with casualness, with arrogance. Lord God, not even realizing that we become proud, that we become independent, that we become independent of the body of Christ.

Lord God, looking down on others. Lord God, lifting ourselves unaware. Lord God, of how we're getting carried away with thoughts.

Oh God, we ask this morning for your grace, oh God, to puncture this attack of the evil one. Lord God, we ask for the water of the word. Lord God, that there be a brokenness and a contrition and a rending of the hearts this morning, that the word of God would make us to fear.

The word of God would warn us and rebuke us and chasten us and lead us and guide us. Lord God, that we might bow before you and submit ourselves. Lord God, even in our relationship with one another, that we would watch over our thoughts, we would watch over emotions and attitudes and words of the mouth, that we might walk humbly with each other and submit ourselves to one another.

And Lord God, through good works and words of the mouth, oh God, to show ourself an example unto all. Lord God, help us because we know, Lord God, how faulty we are. Lord God, how lacking we are, how, Lord God, negligent that we can easily be without a thought.

But oh God, we want to be so conscious this morning of what your word says in Jesus' mighty name. Saints, we need his help this morning. I really mean it.

We really need his help. My message, part nine, the fiery arrow of pride. Pride closes the eyes.

Pride closes the ears. Pride closes the heart. Pride cuts you off from individuals.

Pride damages. Pride does more damage before you ever realize it. I actually believe pride, it's one of the most dangerous manifestations of the flesh.

It's one of the most dangerous temptations, one of the most dangerous sins, one of the most dangerous things that can enter a man's heart. A thought that is proud, an attitude entering the heart that is proud, an attitude towards others, an attitude concerning yourself, an attitude concerning the church, an attitude concerning that you're okay in your walk. All these pride things can be very dangerous.

Here we have in Luke chapter 10, we have the 70 sent out. And notice earlier in this in verse 3, Jesus is actually encouraging them. He says, behold, I send you forth as lambs amongst the wolves.

As they're going out, he's making them aware. You're like little lambs. You 70, then I'm going to send out two by two, group, 35 groups, 70 men sending out in twos, not alone.

Don't go alone. Go out two by two. And you know, he's so conscious there are only lambs.

They're like lambs being sent out amongst vicious wolves. Christ knew that. Yet he's sending them, he's making them aware of the dangers.

He's encouraging them. He's sending them saints of God. There are different things in this Christian life.

Sometimes we need protected and encouraged. There's other times we need warned and things pointed out dangerous in our walks. There's sometimes we need to protect yourself.

There's other times you need to make yourself vulnerable and humble yourself and allow the word, the word of God to do its work in your heart. I want to tell you, pride is a very dangerous thing. Power tends to corrupt.

It doesn't corrupt. It tends, has the tendency to corrupt. We used to say in the army, give a man one stripe, that's the lowest you can get.

You're nothing. You've got one stripe, but I seen it with my own eyes. Give a man one stripe and you'll see who the man was.

That's what soldiers, unsaved, ungodly men in the world said. Give a man a little bit of rank, a little bit of position, a little bit of influence and you see the true man. Because I tell you that little bit of influence lifts him to such heights that his head becomes all fuzzy.

Very few people can tolerate being lifted up on high. Very few can actually tolerate being blessed of God. And so we said that that stripe, that rank, that position actually revealed something.

There's some people that are prone. They don't stand stable and established. They're either going down in discouragement or they're getting lifted up in pride.

A little compliment could make them proud. It's nothing. You haven't done anything.

You're hardly established in your walk. You can hardly walk straight for a year and yet a little compliment at the right time, or should I say the wrong time, could actually allow thoughts in your heart. Just let God begin to bless you, use you, and you think it's you.

You need to be very, very careful. There was an elder I knew once in a church in Scotland. He was a good friend, a godly friend.

We evangelized together. But as soon as he'd become an elder, and I wasn't appointed to be an elder, the relationship changed. I lost him forever.

He was never a friend again. He'd become a sheepdog. No one told him or taught him what a shepherd was.

B.H. Clendenin, that man of God. And this is the most fearful thing for me when I think about it. He told me at 80 years old, told many others, but he certainly told me.

He said, son, the Lord has shown me what he's going to show me in my heart so I won't get discouraged. The Lord spoke to him at 80 years old and said, I am going to show you how much pride is in your heart. That shocked me because this is the most humble man of God I've ever had to do with in the entire body of Christ.

And yet at 80 years old, at the height of ministry, at the height of spiritual maturity and accomplishment, here's a man broken that would lie on your floor to preach to 30 people and yet go and fly to other countries and preach to tens of thousands. See, miracles have leaders from all over the world. A humble man.

But when God began to deal with him and open that heart, pride is found in places that you'd never imagine. Saints, I'm so conscious that you can think you're humble and yet be a very proud and arrogant man. Here's Christ dealing with the 70.

They've been out preaching the gospel, healing the sick, casting out demons. They've had a real experience, a Holy Ghost experience, a real personal experience of the power of God. They've seen God's power.

They've seen Pentecost. They've seen the reality of the power of Satan defeated. They've seen people that were bound by hell suddenly set free.

This is real. This is for us saints of God. And listen to me, God doesn't stop sending you in case you get proud.

Neither does he go, oh, they're going to get proud. So, I won't send them or I won't use them. He doesn't do that.

He warns you. He teaches you like everyone else. But God still uses life.

Here in these verses in Luke 10, as the 70 return and say, look, master, what's the one thing they said? They talked about demons from hell being subject to them in his name. What did he say? One statement, one simple statement, I beheld Satan as lightning fall from heaven. What did he mean? Do you know what he meant? The same pride I see coming into you, that you're in danger of right now, is the same pride that had Satan cast out of the very presence of God.

What a sobering thing when you've done the will of God and the work of God and seen a manifestation of God. And I've seen the blessing of God and you're filled with the joy of God. You're not in depression.

You're filled with the joy of God. And your master, your Christ says to you, I beheld Satan as lightning fall from heaven. Saints of God, let me preach to you about the danger of pride.

I want you to be horrified with pride. I want you to be scared of pride. I want you to hate pride.

I want you to the test, the test pride, because that is the heart of our God. In Proverbs 8 verse 13, it says the fear of the Lord is to hate evil. That is the fear of God.

Do you fear God? Then you hate evil. Then he lists some things that are evil. What is it to hate evil? Pride.

See, this is the fear of God. You hate pride. How do I know a man who fears God? He hates pride.

Second, arrogancy. Third, the evil way. Fourth, the forward mouth.

Do I hate? God is saying here, he hates these things. First is pride. There's things God hates.

God utterly detests. He cannot tolerate. He cannot accept them.

He doesn't want to have anything to do with them. Pride is so dangerous. Pride is so evil.

Pride is so dark. Pride is so dangerous to you and I that God hates it. That means he utterly detests it.

There's no space for it. There's no room for it. Then listen to Proverbs 16 and 5. Everyone that is proud in heart is an abomination to the Lord.

An actual person who's proud in heart is an abomination. They're like an idol. They're like a despicable, disgusting thing.

Saints, the Bible has very strong things to say about pride. It's not a small thing. It's not an incidental thing.

It is a dangerous thing. God utterly hates it and I can't emphasize it strongly enough here this morning. It says in Proverbs 16, 18, pride goeth before a destruction.

I'm so glad as a child, as a young boy, as a young man, this scripture was drilled into me. It was written on my heart. Pride goeth before destruction.

Let pride come into your heart. You are gonna fall flat on your face. You're heading for trouble, son, sir, madam.

If you let pride arise and steer your decisions and your thoughts and your actions and your words, you're heading for destruction. Those who threw off God, threw off humility, threw off the warnings of or heading for destruction and you know what? Pride makes you willing to do that. Sure, I'll be okay.

You're proud. Oh no, I'm not proud. I just don't feel.

You're proud and I want to tell you how dangerous pride always goes before destruction because you get puffed up. Your ears close. Your heart is no longer open.

You don't really care anymore. That is pride, not just callousness. Let's call it what it is, sin.

Pride, where it lifts you up where God can't even speak to you anymore. What a dangerous position to be. Have you ever had a deal with someone whose ears are closed and heart is closed? Better it is to be of a humble spirit with the lowly than to divide the spoil with the proud.

Jonathan Edwards, that great revivalist who preached along with Whitfield and Wesley, listen to what he says or defines pride as. Pride is a person having too high an opinion of himself. Pride is the first sin that ever entered into the universe and the last sin that is rooted out.

Pride is the worst sin. It is the most secret of all sins. There is no other matter in which the heart is more deceitful or unsearchable.

Alas, how much pride the best have in their hearts. Pride is God's most stubborn enemy. There is no sin so much like the devil as pride.

It's a secret and supple sin and appears in a great many shapes which are undetected and unsuspected. Saints, I hope I'm horrifying you and I'm only beginning. Sin is dangerous.

You don't want to touch it. There's nothing I fear more than pride. There's nothing more deceptive, more dangerous, that can more get behind the very motives of the heart than pride.

There's nothing that looks more spiritual or religious than pride. It can close itself and dress itself up. It is very, very dangerous and very destructive and I want to tell you, this is one of the fiery arrows of the wicked one.

This is an arrow on fire of hell and if it hits you and there's no shield of faith, you're in serious trouble, I want to tell you. If there's no faith to extinguish it, no water to douse it, no truth of the word of God to quench the fire of this arrow, it is a very dangerous thing. I have seen men hit by this arrow, carried by this arrow and no one could touch them.

They get so far off the earth, no man can reach them again. You can't touch them or speak to them. I want to preach on this and give you three points here from this statement of Christ.

I beheld Satan as lightning fall from heaven. Three points. Number one, Satan's fall into pride.

Who was Satan? One of the archangels, one of the covenant angels, one of the supreme angels. I would say the most superior of all angelic beings that was ever created of God. Listen, it says in Ezekiel chapter 26 and 27 in the Old Testament, the prophet is prophesying concerning the city of Tyre in the Old Testament.

Tyre was just north of Jerusalem. It was on the coast of what is today Lebanon. This is the country in our Bibles that is known as Phoenicia in our Bibles.

The city of Tyre was its capital and Phoenicia, modern day Lebanon, was an extraordinary country from the year 1200 through until the year 300 BC. It's three capital cities. Tyre, Sidon, and Byblos were remarkable cities of trade.

Boats went out from there all across the Mediterranean, all through the Mediterranean. They established communities and cities for trade. And Lebanon today, as well as Phoenicia in those days, was known for its mountains and its snow and its trees.

And its trees were sold to Israel for the building of the temple. Listen, for two chapters, we have prophecies about the city of Tyre. But then in chapter 28, verse 2, we read about the prince of Tyrus or the prince of the city of Tyre.

Listen to what he says. Thus saith the Lord God, because thine heart is lifted up. This is a man, a prince of one of the strongest cities in that hour, one of the richest, one of the most dominant, the greatest seafarers on the entire planet.

They went everywhere, including Spain, Britain, Ireland, and Norway. Solomon traded with them and they traded all through the islands of the oceans. But look at this king here.

God is speaking in prophesying, saying, your heart is lifted up. Thou hast said, I am a God. I sit in the seat of God in the midst of the seas, yet thou art a man.

I want you to notice something. This prince of Tyrus is a man, but he's getting lifted up and he's calling himself a God. He was so rich, so powerful, so influential.

He began to think high thoughts of himself. And we know this has happened in our world. Hitler, Mussolini, many men, they get beyond themselves and think they're a great power.

Yet thou art a man and not a God. Though thou set thine heart as the heart of God, behold thou art wiser than Daniel. There is no secret that they can hide from thee and thy wisdom.

And with thine understanding thou has gotten the riches and has gotten gold and silver into thy treasures. By thy great wisdom and thy traffic has thou increased thy riches and thine heart is lifted up because of thy riches. Therefore, thus saith the Lord God, because thou has set thine heart as the heart of God.

From verse 7 to 11 following this, God begins to prophesy judgment, finally death, and that this man, this great king who is so proud is going to go down to the pits of hell. God so hates pride and arrogance in this man that he says, I'm going to judge it. But listen what he says next in the very next verse.

This is very important. He's been prophesying about the prince of Tyrus. Now he's about to prophesy about the king of Tyrus.

There was no king of Tyrus. Listen to what it says. Son of man, take up a lamentation upon the king of Tyrus and say unto him, thus saith the Lord God, thou sealest up this son, full of wisdom, perfect in beauty.

Thou has been in Eden, the garden of God. God has prophesied to the prince of Tyrus, a man in this very powerful city of trade in the old world. But do you know what he begins to do? He begins to prophesy to another person, not a man, not a human.

And his name is the king of Tyrus. He is actually the power behind the prince. He is the power, the influence behind the pride of this man.

So the prince is getting very proud thinking he's a God, but look at who's behind him. Look at who's using him. Look at who's taking control.

There is another creature called the king of Tyrus. And God actually says, you have been in the garden of Eden. Very few people were in the garden of Eden.

But this king of Tyrus, who is an influence in Lebanon, who is involved in world politics, he was in the garden of God. Every precious stone was thy covering. The sardis, the topaz, the diamond, the beryl, the youngs, the jasper, the sapphire, the emerald, the carbuncle, and the gold, the workmanship of thy tablets.

He's speaking to a creature. He says the workmanship of thy tablets and of thy pipes was prepared in the day that thou was created. Notice when God created this creature, his body was a musical instrument.

He had pipes, he had tablets. His entire internal being was structured like an instrument. Do you want to know why the devil has influence in world music and is always at the cutting edge of secular music in our world? That isn't incidental, you know.

This was the creature created to lead worship in heaven itself, to bring glory to God, to bring praise. God created his body as an instrument of worship unto God. Here he is, he was in the garden of Eden.

Verse 14, the anointed cherub, the covereth. There's only three cherubs or cherubim mentioned in the Bible. And saints of God, it's very rare for there to be a cherub.

And only once in the Bible are they mentioned alone. They're always together, two together. But here's a cherub by himself.

He was the covering cherub. He was a cherub, not just an angel. He was a cherub, meaning he had four wings.

And here he is, he covereth. What does he cover? The glory of God, the presence of God. He's there in the immediate presence of God.

He has seen God. He has seen the presence of God. It goes further here.

It says, and I have set thee so. Thou was upon the holy mountain of God. Thou hast walked up and down in the midst of stones of fire.

Can you imagine there's someone walking in the fire of God, in the manifest presence of God, seeing the glory of God, being there with God, hearing the words of God? Could you imagine falling from such a place? Can you imagine having proud thoughts in such an environment? The fire of God is in around you. Thou was perfect in thy ways from the day that thou was created, till iniquity was found in thee. Perfect, made perfect, sinless, no sin in you.

And yet we're told that this creature that was in the garden of Eden and later in Lebanon, influencing the king, sorry, the prince of Tyrus, here he is a great political power in that hour with great influence in the world. He was in the presence of God, the immediate presence of God. But iniquity is found in his heart.

Never think that you can sit in a church and be okay. You better get on your face and cry out to God. Oh God, help me.

Don't rely. Well, let brother Keith preach. Let everyone be in around me.

I'm fine. I'll make it to heaven. Saints, you need to be very, very careful.

Men went from the preaching of Paul the apostle straight into an eternal hell. It's real what we're dealing with. The Lord then goes on to prophesy of this creature by the multitude of thy merchandise.

In other words, in his fall, he was trading in heaven. He influenced others by the multitude of thy merchandise. They have filled the midst of thee with violence and our sin.

Therefore, I will cast thee as profane out of the mount of God and I will destroy thee. Oh, thy covering cherub from the midst of the stones of fire. Thine heart was lifted up because of thy beauty.

Do you see nothing he had wasn't given but by God. God gave him his beauty. What does he get proud of? His beauty.

Saints, you need to realize the only things you ever get proud over are things that God has given you. These disciples cast out demons and here they are getting lifted up thinking there's something and somebody. Jesus said, you better rather rejoice that your name's written in the Lamb's book of life.

Don't rejoice the demons listen to you or that you've been used or done something or preached or evangelized. Don't do that. You better be aware your name's written.

I'm saved. I'm saved. I'm washed in the blood of the Lamb.

That's my rejoicing. Well, look at this creature. God made him beautiful and here he is getting lifted up proud because of beauty.

Thou has corrupted thy wisdom by reason of thy brightness. So, wisdom becomes cunning. Wisdom was a pure thing, a godly thing.

Now, sin begins to destroy it. Pride destroys wisdom. Do you realize if your heart gets pride, everything that was good in your heart and life becomes corrupted and twisted.

Every gift, everything God has given you, every knowledge, every ability, every position, all of these things, pride begins to destroy it and it says you corrupted your wisdom by reason of your brightness. You were so bright it blinded your eyes. Some people are infatuated with themselves and some people believe their own propaganda.

I will cast thee to the ground. I will lay thee before kings that they may behold thee. Thou has defiled thy sanctuaries by the multitude of thine iniquities.

By the iniquity of thy traffic, therefore will I bring forth a fire from the midst of thee. Notice this, that God is now saying, I'm going to judge you. You're trafficking in heaven.

What do you think Satan began to traffic in? Propaganda, words, we can be something, you can do something. Be very careful for thoughts that come into your heart thinking that you're someone or you can do something. Don't go there.

You need to know who it is. See, this is my first point. Satan's fall in the pride.

You know why? Because Satan warns his people, behold, I beheld, I saw Satan fall from heaven like lightning. Do you know when God is trying to warn his preachers, his believers, followers, disciples about pride, he points you to Satan and the fall of Satan. You know why? It's pride.

To warn you about pride, he wants you to gaze at this bright morning star who falls. He got blinded by his own light and he begins to trade in heaven. But God says this, I'm going to bring a fire forth from you.

Oh, I'll make your heart burn. All right. You've got jealousy.

You've got envy. You've got ambition. I'll make a fire burn in you that's unquenchable.

And so God says, I will bring the fire forth and it shall devour thee. Some of you are going to be in danger of a fire burning. You don't want this fire to burn on you.

You don't want selfish ambition to burn on you. You don't want a fire that comes from pride to burn on you. And I will bring thee to ashes upon the earth and the side of all them that behold thee.

And they that know thee among the people should be astonished at thee. Thou should be a terror and never shall thou be any more. What a statement.

What a remarkable thing. Then over to Isaiah 14, it's a similar thing. It actually says in Isaiah 14, speaking to God's people, thou shall take up this proverb against the king of Babylon.

The king of Babylon was a real man in the real city of Babylon. It talks about that city being the golden city and that this city influenced the kings of the nation. But listen, it says take up a proverb because I'm going to bring this king of Babylon down to hell.

Then later in verse 15, it again speaks about this king of Babylon says he's a man and he's going to go to hell. And it talks about his pride and his arrogance. But between verse four and 15, I want you to note what it says.

Verse 12, after talking about the king, the physical king of Babylon who had power over all the kings of the nations, this is what he says. Are thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer? Do you see in the midst of dealing with the king of Babylon, the Holy Spirit begins to deal with another creature. How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer? Son of the morning, art thou cut down to the ground, which did weaken the nations? This isn't the king of Babylon.

This is the devil. But notice they're aligned together. Where did the pride of the king of Babylon come from? It came from Lucifer himself.

For thou has said in thine heart, and I want you to notice these five things here this morning. I will ascend into heaven. This was in the heart of Lucifer.

He's in the throne of God, in the fire of God, in the presence of God. He's been created of God. He's been given beauty by God, the ability to worship from God.

Everything he has is from the hand of God. And yet in his heart, listen, this was the first sin ever found in all of creation. This is the first sin.

This is the beginning of sin. This is the great rebellion. I will ascend into heaven.

Second, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God. That means the angels. I will also, upon the mount of the congregation in the sides of the north.

Fourth, I will ascend above the heights of the clouds. Five, I will be like the most high. Yet God says, thou shall be brought down to hell to the sides of the pit.

Do you see in Ezekiel and Isaiah, God is dealing with the fall of Lucifer. The cause of it was pride. He was a great creature.

He was a perfect creature. He was a pure creature. He was absolutely beautiful in array.

He was a splendor of life. He was a musical instrument, a covering cherub. And yet pride was found in his heart.

Do you realize how destructive pride is? He got cast out of heaven, cast to the earth, cast out of the presence of God. He lost his position before God. You can reach for a position and lose God's position.

You can reach for some other man's place and you can lose the place that God has given you. That's my first point because this is what God said to his disciples. When you begin to see things arise in your heart, God begins to use you.

God begins to bless you. I tremble at the heart of this church becoming proud. Oh, sure God will use us.

He'll be there next Sunday. He'll always be here. He'll always speak here.

That's pride. That's dangerous saints of God. You are taking God for granted.

And I want to tell you, oh, sure God's going to use us. You better have a right heart. And since I tell you what Christ told the disciples, I, the hell, Satan, fall like lightning from heaven.

Do you realize that behind spiritual things, ministry, things, things of worship, things of evangelism on the streets, things of personal fellowship, one with the other attitudes towards each other, words towards each other, all manners of things. Do you realize how pride can come in? You ought to ask yourself, is pride behind that word? Is pride behind that attitude? Is pride behind my actions towards another person? You keep yourself from a person. What is it, pride or humility? Oh, but I'm right.

Oh, I know you are. I know you are. Number two, Satan's use of pride.

I want you to see this. See, Satan is the first to fall victim to pride. He knows how powerful it is.

It's a burn and fire within him. His ambition, his desires, he's still reaching. He can't stop reaching.

He can't stop being like this. This is who he is. But number two, Satan's use of pride.

Listen to scripture concerning leadership or eldership in the New Testament church. You know, in this church, there's 22 qualifications in Timothy and Titus for elders to be a leader or a preacher, to be a shepherd in the local church. You don't need to be a great preacher.

You have to be able or apt to teach the word of God. That's only one thing. Isn't it amazing how we judge preachers? Dynamic, powerful, profound.

You've just missed it. You're utterly unbiblical in how you're judging a preacher. See, scripture judges very differently.

That's why we make so many mistakes. It's our human nature. It's a proneness.

We know there's 22 qualifications. One is apt to teach the ability to lay out the word of God honestly, truthfully, and accurately. That is a qualification.

But the other 21 are about lifestyle and character. Two of these qualifications are directed related to Satan. Listen, you won't have maybe noticed this.

It says in 1 Timothy 3 and 6, not a novice. Don't make a novice an elder. It means a young Christian, a young believer, or immature.

You could be saved 20 years and you're a novice because you're immature, you're childlike, or you've got no maturity. You've never grown. Not a novice, lest being lifted up with pride, he shall fall into the condemnation of the devil.

Let me say it another way. Not a young believer, lest he gets proud and arrogant over having a position and a title and ability to preach and speak, and he fall into the same condemnation or judgment as the devil. So here in the eldership in the local church, a warning is given.

Be very careful about those you put in ministry in position and what you begin to do with people in the church. Do you know why? Pride can easily come in. Ministry is a very dangerous affair.

We're at warfare against the real devil. Saints, I am in a hand-to-hand combat with the devil himself, and if he can bring anything in, he will do that. You become a target in ministry.

You don't want to easily step into ministry. You become a target for the guns of hell. And look, he's saying here, one of the things the devil tries to bring is pride.

It's one of the things he uses. Pride, like pride came into the devil, and you get condemned like him. You come under the same judgment.

And so that's why you should never stick a young Christian. You could be 20 and an elder in a church because you're not a novice, you're not immature, and you've got an authority with you. Timothy was such a young man.

He could carry this. Timothy was not prone to pride. Fear, yes.

Pride, no. Everyone isn't prone to fear. We can all be hit by fear and our pride, and all of us have done.

Then listen to the next verse. Moreover, he must have a good report of them which are without, lest he fall into the reproach and snare of the devil. So I want you to see three things here.

The condemnation of the devil, the reproach of the devil, and the snare of the devil. You've got to make sure in leadership or in ministry in the church, you're not a novice, you're not immature, you're not ignorant of the devil's devices, but also you've got a good report of sinners, sinners in your family. If they think you're a hypocrite, you need to be very careful saints of God.

What the Bible says is one of the qualifications. If you're known to be a liar, to be lazy, to be negligent, you could actually fall into the reproach of the devil. It means to be badly spoken of.

The reproach of the devil is the devil is going to highlight that. He will hammer you into the ground. He will blacken you, and he'll blacken the church and the gospel and the testimony of God.

But you also are in danger of falling into the snare or the trap of Satan himself. And so in leadership or in ministry, here the devil is trying to trap you, is trying to gain you. You know what he uses? He'll use pride.

Pride is a very dangerous thing. You've always got to guard against it, saints of God. In 2 Corinthians chapter 2 and 11, it says less Satan should get an advantage of us, for we are not ignorant of his devices.

The word devices, numia, we've mentioned it before. It means the mind, thoughts, our perception. We are not ignorant of the devices, the thoughts, the perceptions, the thinking of Satan.

We're not ignorant of it. We mustn't be ignorant. You know what one of them is? Pride.

The devil traffics in pride. If he sees any room in your life concerning you and another believer, he'll bump you up in pride. He'll puff you up.

He'll make you look down on. You're better than them. Or in preaching or in ministry or the high street, if you walked off the high street yesterday thinking you were the best preacher, think again.

You'd never know who is behind thoughts and imaginations. We are not ignorant of Satan's devices. And you know why you mustn't be ignorant? Lest Satan gets an advantage.

Remember what the word advantage means? Remember the dice being defrauded? That's what that word advantage means. Satan, he has plans, thoughts, devices, and he's trying to trick you. He is literally trying to defraud you out of something.

God gives you beauty. I'll turn your beauty into a proud, arrogant, corrupt thing. Wisdom becomes cunning.

I can say this. I can do this. I could get this opportunity.

I can keep this person to myself. That's wicked. That's wicked.

I can get one up here. That's wicked. That's pride.

That's pride manifest. Saints, have you ever had it in your heart? Have you ever had where you sat there and pride thoughts either arose out of your heart or come flying like an arrow into your mind? You better hate that. It's dangerous.

It's on fire. It'll burn you. You don't want to mess with that thing.

We even see it with the second temptation of Jesus Christ. Remember when Satan took Jesus, what's Jesus doing? He's preparing to step out in ministry and preach for the first time. He hasn't preached.

He's been a carpenter in Nazareth for 30 years. There he is a carpenter until the age of 30, but now he's going to step out into ministry. Now he's going to preach.

Now it's time for him to do the will of God. The second temptation, Satan takes them to Jerusalem, takes them up to the temple. You notice where you're going up? Few people can handle it.

He sets them on the very tip of that temple. That's a very dangerous position. Some of you, I'm glad God hasn't blessed you the way you'd like blessed because see the blessing that you want in your life and you couldn't handle it.

It might've destroyed you. And maybe just maybe the grace of God is there protecting you because it'd be better for you to be in the trials than for you to get lifted up in pride and destroy. Too many have been like that.

And so Satan lifted up. Jesus said, and he quoted scripture, half a scripture, twisting it, taking it out of context and said, look, the Bible says, throw yourself down and the angels of God will save you. How many people have I met in my lifetime who said, God let me down.

No, he didn't. Don't you dare say that about my God. I've met them.

They're proud. They're arrogant. They said, I prayed, I served, I've done that.

God failed me. No, he didn't. No, he didn't.

The devil got a hold of you. The devil was playing with you and you thought it was God, but the Holy Spirit told me I've met girls. The Holy Spirit told me he's going to send me a boyfriend this year.

A husband didn't come. They went and married an unsaved man. That wasn't the Holy Spirit.

That was the devil. The devil was messing with you. You were tempted.

You were being played along. How dangerous this is. Do you remember in Genesis chapter three, how the devil came to Eve? Do you know what weapon he used? He's just fallen.

He's got cast out of heaven. He is burning with fire. He's no longer going to enjoy the presence of God or the burning stones of the mountain of God.

Saints, by grace, we get into the presence of God and we can experience the presence and the fire of almighty presence of God. We can get to the throne of God. He's been cast on.

He'll never enjoy it. But do you know what he done? He brought this fire to Eve. Eve created, given all things along with her husband.

Yea, as God said, that's where it starts. Let's get into a dialogue. Let's get into a conversation here.

Then he says, you won't die. You won't die. Oh, but it gets worse.

For God knows that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be open and you shall be as God's. Do you see what the of pride? He's challenging the word of God. It's not true.

It's not right. It won't happen. If you do what I'm telling you, you can have immediate knowledge, immediate wisdom, independence.

Don't do it God's way, the biblical way. You do it this way. You cut across the field.

You're going to be like God. You're going to know what God knows, knowing good and evil. Then she looked at the fruit.

She began to see with her eyes, a fruit actually to be desired, to make one wise. And she took it and ate it. Since Eve was hit with a fiery arrow of pride.

What about 1 Corinthians 21 and 1? Satan stood up against Israel and provoked David to number Israel. Who provoked David? Satan. Do you know what was behind this? To number his people to know it.

He tells Job, go number the people. Job goes, don't do this. You don't want to do this.

Job wasn't always righteous, but he was right here. David, don't do this. I said, do it.

Number the people. You know who's provoking David? The man after God's own heart. A godly man who walked with God.

The devil was provoking him, stirring him up. Count the people. Number the people.

Find out the number of people. Do you realize how much of this is in the church of God? You know the story. Or what about this man, Hezekiah? The greatest king in the Old Testament, apart from King David.

He became king at 25. He reigned for 29 years, saw a revival sweep the city, the nation, his generation. Everything was turned back again.

The temple was cleansed and consecrated and restored and the priestly ministry was put back into position. Everything was fixed within three months within the entire nation. We read of his friendship with Isaiah the prophet, and we read of Sennacherib of Assyria, that great general.

It was the super state. They brought their massive army against Jerusalem. Listen to what Isaiah prophesied.

They won't even cast a mound around Jerusalem or shoot one arrow against the walls. Can you imagine a prophecy like that? We then read about how God sends one angel, just one angel against the enemy and kills 185,000 Assyrian soldiers. We're told then how God begins to prosper King Hezekiah.

And then do you remember how he got ill? He was going to get sick. And Isaiah says, put your house in order. You're going to die.

So he begins to pray and cry out and say, Oh God, don't let me die. Listen to what it says in Isaiah 38 and two. Then Hezekiah turned his face towards the wall and prayed unto the Lord and said, remember now, Lord, I beseech thee how I have walked before thee in truth with a perfect heart and have done that which is good in thy sight.

And Hezekiah wept sore. Do you know what God done? God answered his prayer, said Isaiah, go back and tell him he's got 15 more years. What happens next? Second Chronicles 32, 25, but Hezekiah rendered not again according to the benefit done unto him for his heart was lifted up.

Would have been buried. You died. You're going to make serious mistakes.

Now you've been blessed of God, seen revival, seen many things, but you prayed and God healed you. And now in this 15 years, you're going to make mistakes you never made in your entire life. Can I tell you something? I've never told you before.

Never told anyone. Candice said to me during her time ill says, Keith, I've prayed. I do not want to stay here.

If I'm going to ruin my testimony, not reveals a certain kind of heart coming out of scriptures like this. I'm not saying that's why it was, but you're dealing with someone who doesn't trust their heart and says, Lord, I wouldn't want to stay here one hour longer than I ought to because I'd hate to finish bad. She finished well, but could you imagine being given 15 extra years and you mess it up? Here's a man who walked perfectly before God and he prays.

I'm perfect before you. I served you. So God heals them and his heart gets lifted up with pride.

Not withstanding Hezekiah humbled himself for the pride of his heart. Thank God he did. But something happened in that time.

How be it in the business of the ambassadors of the princes of Babylon who sent on to him to inquire of the wonder that was done in the land. God left him to try him that he might know all that was in his heart. Do you know what happened here? He got pride and heart.

God healed them. God healed them and turned the sundial, turned the sun back 10 degrees. God done a great work and he'd become casual, light, relaxed with the blessing of God and his heart got lifted up and then the Babylonians come and he says, Oh, come on in.

I'll show you all my treasures. The Babylonians, the enemies of God, all the pagan worship, they hate Israel, they hate the God of Israel and you bring them right in and show them the treasures. Isaiah comes says, what's happening here? Where, what are they doing in here? What did you show them Hezekiah? Oh, I showed them everything.

How could you be that foolish? You know why God's just left you to try your heart? You know why? Because you've got pride. See, you've been walking perfect all your days and here you are. God heals you and you become slack.

You know what God says, I'm removing my felt presence and we're going to test you and he let the enemies of God in and as a judgment, they were going to come and take his children and the generation to come. It says in 1 Corinthians 10-12, wherefore let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall. There has no temptation taken you but such as is common to man.

Third and finally, the only protection from pride. Let me give this as I close because saints in Ephesians chapter six, we read of the wiles of Satan, the fiery darts are the wiles. When it talks about these stratagems of the devil, these plans of the devil against Christians and against churches, some churches don't realize the devil has studied them.

Do you realize all your churches up and down the Hintzivackia in America, wherever it is, do you realize the devil studies churches and pulpits and ministries and groups of Christians? Do you realize the devil has studied this church? That's why I want you to be very careful saints of God. We can do a great work for God but we can also be dashed to the ground and scattered asunder. We can do a great work of God as a small remnant in his hand.

We can do great exploits in the earth to the ends of the earth but you let a wrong attitude come in or a wrong heart come in and I want to tell you the devil is waiting to scatter us and bring it in. And so those plans and stratagems are pictured like fiery arrows that are dangerous. So what is the cure for pride? You have the answer here.

Listen, Ephesians 611, put on the whole armor of God that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. Put on the whole armor, the complete armor, each individual piece of it, the panoply of it. Notice this is God's armor.

It's not just theological. You put it on. These aren't statements of truth.

You put it on. It's your experience. This word put on the armor of God is the word endure.

We talk about endure something. Put on. It means to mantle or to endure you.

Put on all the armor of God. It's not the world's armor. It's not psychology or philosophy or youth culture or the latest strategy.

It's not a mixture of truth and secular wisdom. This is the armor of God. He also says in verse 13, wherefore taken unto you the whole armor of God that you may be able to withstand.

In the light of this, take it up that you'll be able to withstand. That means to oppose, to resist. When? In the evil day.

Can I ask you, is this an evil day? In Ireland isn't an evil day. In Europe, in Western culture, he says this armor is primarily or more so important in the evil day. You'll be able to stand.

Do you want to stand in this hour? Immorality is sweeping our world. Pride and arrogance, false teaching. Do you want to stand? Here's the answer.

Do you want to stand against pride, sexual immorality and perversion, darkness coming in? Because I'll tell you what, many in the church are fallen. Many are fallen. But do you want to walk the world in white? Do you want to stand when others have gone? Do you want to be able to be here at the end? Do you want to be like Hezekiah, that God blesses you and then you get proud and arrogant? Or do you want to walk with God right to the end? Listen, it says this armor is for the evil day.

That means the hurtful day, a day of decay. This is an actual title of a day and time. This period was notorious, noted, unusual.

These are infamous days of iniquity when it abounds everywhere. In an extraordinary way. This is our day, saints of God.

In the world, it is one of abounding iniquity. In the church, we see compromise, false doctrine, worldliness, loss of holiness. My heart is breaking over the immorality sweeping the church.

Loss of holy conviction, no preaching of truth, no desire for the presence of God, no sensitivity to the Holy Spirit. Saints, what is this armor of God? It's called the armor of God, not your armor. It's the armor of God for this church.

This is the answer for this hour. It says in Romans 13, I'm going to show you what the armor is before I close. You need to understand what I'm about to say.

Romans 13, 12, the night is far spent. The day is at hand. Let us therefore cast off the works of darkness, including pride, and let us put on the armor of light.

Notice here what he calls the armor, the armor of God. Now he's saying it's an armor of light. This armor, when you put it on, it's light and darkness.

It is truth. Then two verses later, it says, put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ. The armor of God is the armor of light.

In Romans 13, it says the armor of light is putting on Jesus Christ. How do you put on the armor? Well, I put it on. I put on my helmet.

I put on my breastplate. I put on my belt. I go through the ritual every day.

Lord, I'm putting it on. This armor is the armor of light, but then Paul explains in Romans 13, put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ and make no provision for the flesh to fulfill the lusts thereof. What is the armor? It is putting on Jesus Christ.

You put off, you cast off the works of darkness and you put on Jesus Christ. Saints, listen to me as I close. This is a dark day, a proud day, an arrogant day.

It's a day when Satan is attacking the church with pride. He is a proud being. He is after the church of Jesus Christ, proud in attitudes of the heart.

And you know what he's saying here? Put off pride. Put on the humility of the Lord Jesus Christ. This is armor.

Do you realize the character, the nature, the life of Christ is humility. What is your definition of holiness? How would you define holiness? I'll tell you how I define it. Christ-likeness, putting on the Lord Jesus Christ.

This is my message and theme, Jesus Christ, the life of Jesus Christ. This is holiness. This is purity.

What is humility? It's Christ. Utterly contrary to the devil, utterly contrary to the world, utterly contrary to religion, utterly contrary to world politics. Saints, be very careful of your spirit.

Humility is Christ. Christ is humility. And when you put on Jesus, put on his attitude, his humility and lowliness of heart, as you do that, you actually kill the lust of the flesh.

You deal with pride and arrogance. You make no provision for the flesh. I want to finish on one scripture, 1 Peter chapter 5 and 5, and it's a command.

Likewise, ye younger, younger ones in this church, under 10, under 20, listen to what it says to you specifically. Ye younger ones, submit yourselves unto the elder. And of course, if you're younger than me, that means the same.

Ye, all of you be subject one to another. If you don't submit yourself to the elder, don't think everyone's going to be submitting to you. We're to submit ourselves.

I submit to you, but also there's an order in this. You submit to the elder. There's a respect.

There's a way of walking. Ye, all of you be subject one to another and be clothed with humility. Why? For God resisteth the proud.

He will actively resist. Do you know that word resist? God resisting the proud. It's not talking about sinners.

It's talking about Christians in the church. Born again believers who get proud, who have pride in their heart. God resists them.

The word resist is a military term. It means to arrange an army or to go to war. Do you see what God says? Those who are proud in the church, God goes to war against them.

Maybe some of your troubles along this way, maybe at some point pride has come in and it's God resisting you. You're saying, get behind me, Satan. It's God.

You need to humble yourself. He's been resisting you, stopping you moving forward. You've tried to go forward.

You've tried to get an answer. You've tried to get a breakthrough. God's resisting you because of pride.

This is a military term. He's going to war, but he gives grace to the humble. You humble yourself.

The grace of God, the strength of God. What brother Paul said? The joy of God. All of this comes flooding in.

Either God resists you because of pride or he gives you grace because of humility. Since all people are not enjoying the grace of God in the church, definitely not. They're not walking in the grace of God.

They keep claiming I'm under grace so it doesn't matter what I do and I don't feel guilty. But do you have power? Do you have strength? Do you have joy? Do you have peace of mind? This is the grace of God and you know who he gives it to? The humble. Do you need the grace of God? Maybe you need to humble yourself this morning.

Maybe you'd find strength come into your life. Maybe you'd find the joy returning again. Humble yourself under the mighty hand of God.

Look what he says to all of us. Be subject one to another and clothed with humility. It's the only time this Greek word is used in the entire New Testament.

Clothed with humility. It's a command. It's a must.

It's a necessity. It's the armor of God. It's putting on the Lord Jesus Christ.

Without this clothing of humility, isn't it interesting the different clothes you have as a believer? The garment of salvation. The garment of rejoicing. But this is one you almost never get told about.

You're to be clothed with humility. If you don't have it, then you're naked. You're shameful.

You actually need to put this on. Put off the old garments of this world of the flesh. Do you know this statement, this Greek word, clothed with humility, is the exact statement of a servant.

It's the clothes that only a servant, a household servant, wears. There's no one more humble in the Bible than a servant. That's why Jesus said, I came as a servant.

The word used here, clothed, means to be girded about or to tie in around you in a knot, a knot that can't be opened. That garment identifies you as a servant. Without action as a servant, you're not a servant.

Don't tell me you're a servant when there's no humility. Oh, I'm a servant of God. Lots of people, preachers I've heard, I'm a servant of God.

What they mean is they're a big shot. When the Bible speaks of a servant, it talks about someone binding this garment about their body that you cannot untie it. It is a unique word, identifying a servant.

It's to be attached with strings, an apron where you tie a tie. Listen to what Moffat says on this. Put on the apron of humility.

Or Ellicott says, tie yourself up in humility. No room for pride. You're all tied up in humility.

Wouldn't that be lovely? Or Lightfoot says, this word isn't found in classical Greek. And then when it is found, this word, later and later times, it always means to be poor spirited or of the very lowest degree possible. God resisted the pride, but he gives grace to the humble.

Saints of God, I'm telling you the protection. What is humility? It's to be lowly, low lying, not far from the ground. That's what the word means.

It means to be afflicted, a deep true sense of your own littleness, a mind that thinks little of itself, a true perspective of yourself, it's produced by comparing ourselves to the Lord, not others. How do you produce this? Compare yourself with Jesus Christ. He came as a servant, humbled himself as a man, took on the form of our human flesh, went to the cross, let men ridicule them.

He didn't revile. He was reviled. He didn't revile again.

He didn't even answer his accusers. What do you have to say for yourself? Nothing. You know why? It's for you.

It was for you. It's modesty, meekness, poverty of spirit, loneliness, a low status, undistinguished, unnoticed. We spend all our life fighting for recognition.

Just want people to notice me. You get offended. No one's noticed me in the church.

Really? Really? What's your ambition? Jesus said, Matthew 11, 29, take my yoke upon you and learn of me for I am meek and lowly of heart and you shall find rest for your souls. Matthew 20, 27, whosoever will be chief among you, let him be your servant. Luke 18, 14, everyone that exalted themselves should be abased and he that humbles himself should be exalted.

Let this mind be in you that was in Jesus Christ. Saints, do you want to be protected in this hour? Put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ. That is the armor of life.

When you put on Jesus Christ, you are putting on a garment of humility, of servitude. And for us to say, oh Lord, make me humble or I want to be humble or I'm going to be humble is very easy. But then to serve one another, to be submitted to one another and to function in the body of Christ and to not to tolerate pride and arrogance.

Pride will remove you from the real blessing of God. I want to tell you that saints have got a lowly place. It's a safe place.

If you get lifted up, you'll get dizzy. And I've seen too many people get dizzy and they've gone off in pipe dreams and never been seen again. I once read of a preacher some 350 years ago.

The last time his friends seen him, he was leaving Northern Ireland, Antrim, and he was heading for Turkey to go to preach to the seven churches. Never seen from ever again. I want to tell you it would have been better if he stayed at home in that local church and prayed and preached.

Will you stand with me? Lord Jesus, we need him. Saints, we're in a warfare. We're in attack.

We're not ignorant of Satan. We're not ignorant of his devices. As brother Suf comes, saying can we humble ourselves just as we end this service, come to the end of this time.

We've been dealing throughout this year with this warfare, with these fiery darts of unforgiveness, of false doctrine, of ecumenism. There are many dangers in this Christian life. And I don't want to quench your joy and your peace and your happiness.

But I want to tell you the greatest addition to all of those things is humility of heart, loneliness, where you get low before your God. And I want to assure you as you're broken and contrite before him, the joy of God will come. The peace of God will come.

The fellowship and communion of God will come. It is such a real thing. Be clothed with humility.

Saints of God, even this morning, right now, cast off pride. Repent before the Lord. I tremble at the thought of this.

It is so cunning. Sin is deceptive. You don't see it.

You don't always realize what it is at first. But when the Holy Spirit highlights it, I want to tell you, you want to hide in the Lord Jesus Christ. You want to work the Spirit of God in your heart.

And as we close, this altar is open just for a few moments. Come and bow before him or where you are, kneel at your seat. But don't leave this church the same.

Let us hide ourselves in Christ. I want this to be a church that is so low, so unseen, that God can use us. That we're so broken, so small in our own eyes, that the grace of God can come.

The real grace of God that empowers us, that enables us to be a vessel in his hand. Saints, we can stop God working here by pride and arrogance and attitude, but we can allow the grace of God to visit our gatherings by simply humbling ourselves one towards the other, by taking a low place, by not seeking selfish ambition, but seeking after others more than ourselves. Father, we pray right now, let the grace of God come.

Let the Holy Spirit of God search our hearts. We want to work of God in this church. Lord God, we ask that you start, oh God, do a deep work.

Even as you warned the disciples, behold, I saw Satan fall from heaven as lightning. My God, let it burn into our soul that we have a dangerous enemy. But Lord God, we've got a great Christ, a humble Christ, and we want to walk with Jesus.

We know that if we're going to walk with Jesus, we must walk humbly and lowly at his footstool in Jesus' name.