Crashing the Pride Party
Isaiah 14:12-14
“How you are fallen from heaven,
O Day Star, son of Dawn!
How you are cut down to the ground,
you who laid the nations low!
You said in your heart,
‘I will ascend to heaven;
above the stars of God
I will set my throne on high;
I will sit on the mount of assembly
in the far reaches of the north;
I will ascend above the heights of the clouds;
I will make myself like the Most High.'"
Pride. If there is a "king" among the different kinds of sin, perhaps this would be it. Indeed, Isaiah directly speaks regarding the evil king of Babylon but he also alludes to the prideful spirit of Satan himself. The sin that caused God to cast Satan out of heaven is the same sin that causes us to believe that we have no need of God. To the mind of natural man, it is detrimental to think that he is dependent upon someone whom he cannot see, touch, or audibly hear. Even if he could, would he depend on God if given the choice? Considering that the intentions of man's heart is evil (Gen. 8:21) and that no one seeks after God (Rom. 3:11), the answer would have to be an emphatic "no!"
Western culture screams for autonomous living among its people, even reaching into marriages where a couple is encouraged not to live as one cohesive unit but rather as two individuals that are living under the same roof. Our anti-biblical culture proclaims that "happiness" and "rights" are of utmost importance in life, rather than "holiness" and "righteousness." Notice how pride easily flows with the former and goes against the grain of the latter? "I want to be happy!" "I want to have more money!" "I want a new job!" "I want to have a boyfriend/girlfriend!" "I want to do what I want to do!" Although there is nothing inherently wrong with being happy, having more money, getting a new job, having a boyfriend/girlfriend, or (ok, perhaps there's something wrong with the last one), the focus is self-willed, self-centered, and self-reliant. The same prideful spirit of these five "I" statements flow within the prideful statement noted in our studied passage.
Just as Satan sought preeminence in the heavenly realm, there resides in the heart of every human being the desire to be in the spotlight, whether to be seen or heard by others. Is this not why many children often act out because they feel that it will be the only way for their parent(s) to pay attention to them, or the girl that starts to dress liberally in order to attract attention from her male peers? The spirit of "I want people to notice me" has its place in the heart of every human being.
The beauty of the gospel, however, is that Jesus gladly occupies that place in the heart of every human being who trusts and serves Him as Lord. The spirit of "I want people to notice me" is replaced by "I want people to notice Jesus in me" (cf. Matt. 5:16). It is then Jesus Christ (not the individual) who gets put on display for others to see. The statement "I want to live a happy life" is replaced by "I want to live a holy life." Instead of being self-willed, self-centered, and self-reliant, one who is born-again of the Spirit yearns for a God-willed, God-centered and God-reliant life. Satan, if given the opportunity, will attempt to puff you up with sinful pride in any way that he can. While Satan is the author of sinful pride, it is Jesus who is the author of salvation. It is Jesus who has defeated Satan (Heb. 2:14-15) and gave us the authority over the power of his evil schemes (Luke 10:19). It is Jesus who has overcome the world (John 16:33). Has He overcome you?
Has Jesus crashed your pride party?
“How you are fallen from heaven,
O Day Star, son of Dawn!
How you are cut down to the ground,
you who laid the nations low!
You said in your heart,
‘I will ascend to heaven;
above the stars of God
I will set my throne on high;
I will sit on the mount of assembly
in the far reaches of the north;
I will ascend above the heights of the clouds;
I will make myself like the Most High.'"
Pride. If there is a "king" among the different kinds of sin, perhaps this would be it. Indeed, Isaiah directly speaks regarding the evil king of Babylon but he also alludes to the prideful spirit of Satan himself. The sin that caused God to cast Satan out of heaven is the same sin that causes us to believe that we have no need of God. To the mind of natural man, it is detrimental to think that he is dependent upon someone whom he cannot see, touch, or audibly hear. Even if he could, would he depend on God if given the choice? Considering that the intentions of man's heart is evil (Gen. 8:21) and that no one seeks after God (Rom. 3:11), the answer would have to be an emphatic "no!"
Western culture screams for autonomous living among its people, even reaching into marriages where a couple is encouraged not to live as one cohesive unit but rather as two individuals that are living under the same roof. Our anti-biblical culture proclaims that "happiness" and "rights" are of utmost importance in life, rather than "holiness" and "righteousness." Notice how pride easily flows with the former and goes against the grain of the latter? "I want to be happy!" "I want to have more money!" "I want a new job!" "I want to have a boyfriend/girlfriend!" "I want to do what I want to do!" Although there is nothing inherently wrong with being happy, having more money, getting a new job, having a boyfriend/girlfriend, or (ok, perhaps there's something wrong with the last one), the focus is self-willed, self-centered, and self-reliant. The same prideful spirit of these five "I" statements flow within the prideful statement noted in our studied passage.
Just as Satan sought preeminence in the heavenly realm, there resides in the heart of every human being the desire to be in the spotlight, whether to be seen or heard by others. Is this not why many children often act out because they feel that it will be the only way for their parent(s) to pay attention to them, or the girl that starts to dress liberally in order to attract attention from her male peers? The spirit of "I want people to notice me" has its place in the heart of every human being.
The beauty of the gospel, however, is that Jesus gladly occupies that place in the heart of every human being who trusts and serves Him as Lord. The spirit of "I want people to notice me" is replaced by "I want people to notice Jesus in me" (cf. Matt. 5:16). It is then Jesus Christ (not the individual) who gets put on display for others to see. The statement "I want to live a happy life" is replaced by "I want to live a holy life." Instead of being self-willed, self-centered, and self-reliant, one who is born-again of the Spirit yearns for a God-willed, God-centered and God-reliant life. Satan, if given the opportunity, will attempt to puff you up with sinful pride in any way that he can. While Satan is the author of sinful pride, it is Jesus who is the author of salvation. It is Jesus who has defeated Satan (Heb. 2:14-15) and gave us the authority over the power of his evil schemes (Luke 10:19). It is Jesus who has overcome the world (John 16:33). Has He overcome you?
Has Jesus crashed your pride party?
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