Join us sundays at 8:00 & 10:30 AM

From The Pastor

March 6, 2020 by Rev. John Hartman

From the Pastor

Pride. Is there any other sin which causes more wars, more estrangement from family and friends, -- and a greater separation from God? Pride is the sin which stands behind Hitler’s Holocaust, gang wars in Los Angeles, and violence in the Middle East. Pride causes people to believe that they are inherently superior to other people, -- who happen to ALSO be created in the image of God. Pride doesn’t make any room for anybody except ME. It is said that Vince Lombardi, the legendary coach of the Green Bay Packers, had a tremendous ego. On one occasion, the Packers won a big playoff game on a last second field goal. Later that night when Vince Lombardi returned home from the stadium, his wife was already asleep in bed. He tried to slip under the covers next to her without waking her up, but his cold feet brushed against her legs. Startled, she woke up and said, “God, your feet are cold!” And Lombardi said, “Honey, when you’re with me, you can just call me Vince.” Not sure that story is true, as only 2 people know for sure, but it does make the point.

Pride. Ego. Arrogance. Whatever you call it, it is not good. It is the sin of pride which causes people to think a lot ABOUT themselves, and a lot OF themselves. It’s a self-centered belief that the world revolves around me, -- or at least that it should, — and should all the time, by the way. As someone once said, “The proud are often in error, but never in doubt.” And this is deadly, because rather then having God’s spirit fill us up, we become so filled and puffed up with ourselves, that we leave no room for God.

This Sunday, I continue in my sermon series on the Seven Deadly Sins, as we will be looking at the sin of Pride. And so, humble yourselves, and please join us for worship at either 8:00 am or 10:30 am.

Pastor John

Quote of the Week

“The Christian Gospel is that I am so flawed that Jesus had to die for me, yet I am so loved and valued that Jesus was glad to die for me. This leads to deep humility and deep confidence at the same time. It undermines both swaggering and sniveling. I cannot feel superior to anyone, and yet I have nothing to prove to anyone. I do not think more of myself or less of myself. Instead, I think of myself less.” Tim Keller

Timothy J. Keller is an American pastor, theologian, and Christian apologist. He is the Chairman and co-Founder of Redeemer City to City, which trains pastors for ministry in global cities. He is also the founding pastor of Redeemer Presbyterian Church in New York City, New York, and the author of The New York Times bestselling books The Prodigal God: Recovering the Heart of the Christian Faith (2008), Prayer: Experiencing Awe and Intimacy with God (2014), and The Reason for God: Belief in an Age of Skepticism (2008). The prequel for the latter is Making Sense of GOD: An Invitation to the Skeptical (2016).