The Supervolcano miniseries kicked off this past Sunday! This 3-part message series will uncover some key issues that boil just beneath the surface of each of us, waiting to explode. Jesus identified them himself, and warns us of the coming destruction. But he also provides a way to kill the supervolcano!
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Have you ever seen an active volcano in person? Are you intrigued by volcanic eruptions/lava flow like I am?
A couple of months ago, I got to stay in Antigua, Guatemala near the “Agua Volcano” which erupted in 1541 and destroyed the original capitol city of Guatemala… But here’s the thing… It wasn’t lava flow that destroyed the city. This volcano erupted with a mudslide that swept the city away. How crazy is that?
Either way, volcanoes are destructive.
Agua Volcano over the rooftop of my hotel in Antigua, December 2017
Jesus says that pride is inside us, and it has the potential to erupt and bring destruction with it.
Mark 7:20-23 NLT
“It is what comes from inside that defiles you. For from within, out of a person’s heart, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, greed, wickedness, deceit, lustful desires, envy, slander, pride, and foolishness. All these vile things come from within; they are what defile you.”
On Sunday, we defined the word “defile.” It has a simple meaning, and a more complex one. Do you remember what that is?
How do you think pride has the ability to elminate your capacity to relate to God and to others?
I think pride is the “mother of all sin.” All other sins are the children of this parent. Do you agree? What do you think? How does that work? Or not?
I also think pride is the “opposite of trust.” Here are some ways pride talks:
- Pride says, God can’t handle my relationships. I must step in and do something.
- Pride says God doesn’t understand how money works. I have to do what I have to do.
- Pride says my happiness is more important than my obedience.
- Pride says I don’t have time for God and His Word.
How have you seen pride boil up in your life in these ways? In other ways? What destructive force has it had?
Why do you think James goes out of his way to say “God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble?” (James 4:6)
We tend to excuse these prideful behaviors in our lives, but Jesus says that they indicate something about us… See the next verse.
Luke 6:43-45 NLT
A good tree can’t produce bad fruit, and a bad tree can’t produce good fruit. A tree is identified by its fruit. Figs are never gathered from thornbushes, and grapes are not picked from bramble bushes. A good person produces good things from the treasury of a good heart, and an evil person produces evil things from the treasury of an evil heart. What you say flows from what is in your heart.
So, if I am producing prideful behaviors, what does that mean for me?
Romans 8:1-4 NLT
So now there is no condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus. And because you belong to him, the power of the life-giving Spirit has freed you from the power of sin that leads to death. The law of Moses was unable to save us because of the weakness of our sinful nature. So God did what the law could not do. He sent his own Son in a body like the bodies we sinners have. And in that body God declared an end to sin’s control over us by giving his Son as a sacrifice for our sins. He did this so that the just requirement of the law would be fully satisfied for us, who no longer follow our sinful nature but instead follow the Spirit.
How do I combat the supervolcano of pride on an ongoing basis?
Romans 12:2 NLT
Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.
How does that work in my life?