Arrogance
or Confidence?
10/14/07
(The following was used with a PowerPoint presentation,
the asterisks indicate slide changes.)
*1 Sam. 17:28 When Eliab,
David’s oldest brother, heard him speaking with the men, he burned with anger
at him and asked, “Why have you come down here? And with whom did you leave
those few sheep in the desert? I know
how conceited you are and how wicked your heart is; you came down only
to watch the battle.”
*1 Sam. 15:12 Early in the
morning Samuel got up and went to meet Saul, but he was told, “Saul has gone to
Carmel. There he has set up a
monument in his own honor and has turned and gone on down to Gilgal.”
*Is
It Arrogance Or Confidence?
The enemy either wants you to be arrogant and think
you are humble, or, if you really are humble, make you think you are arrogant!
Pride is a tremendous sin. God can’t bless it.
Pr. 16:18
Pride goes before destruction, a haughty spirit before a fall.
Ja.
4:6 “God opposes the proud but gives
grace to the humble.”
On the other hand, some people perceive your
confidence as being pride.
Many Christians who have been set on fire have had
that fire extinguished by criticism.
The youth who have been fired up and then discouraged
because someone thought you were too radical, too religious, too extreme.
I was 21 years old when I gave my life to Jesus. My best friend thought I was crazy. But guess who he asked to be his best man at
his wedding?
Pride must be confessed, Godly confidence needs no
apology!
Pray
As for as confidence goes, we all fall into one of
these three categories… Truth is, we
might fit into all three depending on what the situation is. But most people tend to be dominated by
one. Which one is the most prominent in
your life?
*No Confidence
*Self Confidence
*Godly Confidence
Without a doubt, Saul was self confident.
*1 Sam. 15:12 Early in the
morning Samuel got up and went to meet Saul, but he was told, “Saul has gone to
Carmel. There he has set up a
monument in his own honor and has turned and gone on down to Gilgal.”
Sad thing about self confidence, it sometimes can be
an attempt to cover up insecurity. Saul was very insecure.
*1 Sam. 18:6 When the men
were returning home after David had killed the Philistine, the women came out
from all the towns of Israel to meet King Saul with singing and dancing, with
joyful songs and with tambourines and lutes. 7As they danced, they
sang:
“Saul has slain his thousands,
and David
his tens of thousands.”
*8 Saul was very angry; this refrain galled
him. “They have credited David with tens of thousands,” he thought,
“but me with only thousands. What more can he get but the kingdom?” 9
And from that time on Saul kept a
jealous eye on David.
Saul was obsessed with jealousy, because he was eaten
up with insecurity!
Saul didn’t have a heart after God, David did.
*Blank
Saul cared more about what others thought about him
instead of what God knew about him.
Saul is told to completely destroy the Amalekites…
Read 1 Sam. 15
*1 Sam. 15:30 Saul replied,
“I have sinned. But please honor me
before the elders of my people and before Israel; come back with me, so
that I may worship the LORD your God.” 31So Samuel went back with
Saul, and Saul worshiped the LORD.
David had Godly confidence even though his brother
miss perceived him. The truth is, his
brother was also jealous and resentful towards David.
*1 Sam. 16:1 The LORD said
to Samuel, “How long will you mourn for Saul, since I have rejected him as king
over Israel? Fill your horn with oil and be on your way; I am sending you to
Jesse of Bethlehem. I have chosen one of his sons to be king.”
*1 Sam. 16:6 When they
arrived, Samuel saw Eliab and thought, “Surely the LORD’S anointed stands here
before the LORD.”
7But the LORD said to Samuel, “Do not consider his
appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The LORD does not look at
the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward
*appearance, but the
LORD looks at the heart.”
8Then Jesse called Abinadab and had him pass in front
of Samuel. But Samuel said, “The LORD has not chosen this one either.” 9Jesse
then had Shammah pass by, but Samuel said, “Nor has the LORD chosen this one.” 10Jesse
had seven of his sons pass
*before Samuel, but
Samuel said to him, “The LORD has not chosen these.” 11So he asked
Jesse, “Are these all the sons you have?”
“There is still the
youngest,” Jesse answered, “but he is tending the sheep.”
Samuel said, “Send for
him; we will not sit down until he arrives.”
*12So he
sent and had him brought in. He was ruddy, with a fine appearance and handsome
features.
Then
the LORD said, “Rise and anoint him; he is the one.”
Some people like Eliab could have perceived David as
being cocky and arrogant.
*1 Sam. 17:33 Saul
replied, “You are not able to go out against this Philistine and fight him; you
are only a boy, and he has been a fighting man from his youth.”
34But David said to Saul,
“Your servant has been keeping his father’s sheep. When a lion or a bear came
and carried off a sheep from the flock,
*35I went
after it, struck it and rescued the sheep from its mouth. When it turned on me,
I seized it by its hair, struck it and killed it. 36Your servant has
killed both the lion and the bear; this uncircumcised
Philistine will be like one of them, because he has defied the armies of the
living God. 37The LORD who
delivered me from the
*paw of
the lion and the paw of the bear will deliver me from the hand of this
Philistine.”
Let me ask you a question. Do you think this is the first time Eliab heard this story? Of course not!
David wasn’t cocky, he was confident in his God! And he was misunderstood because of it!
David rejoiced in the victory that day!
*1 Sam. 17:54 David took
the Philistine’s head and brought it to Jerusalem, and he put the Philistine’s weapons in his own tent.
Does David and his brother remind you of someone else
in the Bible who was misunderstood?
*Gen. 37:5 Joseph had
a dream, and when he told it to his brothers, they hated him all the more. 6He
said to them, “Listen to this dream I had: 7We were binding sheaves
of grain out in the field when suddenly my sheaf rose
and stood upright, while your sheaves gathered around mine and bowed down to
it.”
*8His brothers said to him, “Do you intend to reign over us?
Will you actually rule us?” And they hated him all the more because of his
dream and what he had said.
Here is a sad truth…
*More people will come to your funeral than celebrate
with you in your victories.
*Lk. 15:22 “But the
father said to his servants, ‘Quick! Bring the best robe and put it on him. Put
a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. 23Bring the fattened
calf and kill it. Let’s have a feast and celebrate. 24For this son
of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’ So they began
to celebrate.
*25“Meanwhile,
the older son was in the field. When he came near the house, he heard music and
dancing. 26So he called one of the servants and asked him what was
going on. 27‘Your brother has come,’ he replied, ‘and your father
has killed the fattened calf because he has him back safe and sound.’
*28“The
older brother became angry and refused to go in. So his father went out and
pleaded with him. 29But he answered his father, ‘Look! All these
years I’ve been slaving for you and never disobeyed your orders. Yet you never
gave me even a young goat so I could celebrate with my friends. 30But
when this son of yours who has
*squandered your property
with prostitutes comes home, you kill the fattened calf for him!’
*Godly confidence or arrogance—you decide….
Let’s start with the apostle Paul….
*1
Cor. 11:1 (Paraphrase) Follow me as I follow Christ.
*Godly confidence or arrogance—you decide….
*Jo.
13:23 One of them, the disciple whom Jesus loved, was reclining next to him.
*Jo.
19:26 When Jesus saw his mother there, and the disciple whom he loved standing
nearby…
*Jo.
20:2 So she came running to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one Jesus
loved…
*Jo.
21:7 Then the disciple whom Jesus loved said to Peter…
*Jo.
21:20 Peter turned and saw that the disciple whom Jesus loved was following
them.
Five times the apostle John said it!!!
*Godly confidence or arrogance—you decide….
Here’s Joseph…
*Gen. 40:6 When Joseph
came to them the next morning, he saw that they were dejected. 7So
he asked Pharaoh’s officials who were in custody with him in his master’s
house, “Why are your faces so sad today?”
8“We both had dreams,” they answered, “but there is no
one to interpret them.”
*Then Joseph said to
them, “Do not interpretations belong to God? Tell me your dreams.”
We’ve talked about…
*Self Confidence
*Godly Confidence
Now, let’s take a few moments to address the third
one…
*No Confidence
Many might think that having no confidence is a form
of humility. It’s the farthest thing from the truth!
Read Mat. 25:14-30
*Let the Holy Spirit deal with your pride, but don’t
allow the devil to steal your Godly confidence!