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The Barrier of Pride
Brian Mashburn
March 10, 2019
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The Barrier of Pride
You might remember that we kicked off our current series by examining a man named Simon Peter, a very close friend and disciple of Jesus. When he met Jesus, he falsely thought that the Kingdom of God was meant for the Jewish people, and would be centered in Jerusalem (along with all other mainstream Jews, I might add).
This was never God's intent. Jesus was indeed sent for Jews, and much of his mission on Earth was spent in and close to Jerusalem, but it was not limited to them, or to there. It was intended for people beyond them, beyond there. The whole world, in fact.
In week 1, I showed that Jesus was on Earth, he kept doing things in his ministry that challenged Peter's false assumptions. Then I showed you when Jesus was resurrected and ascended to Heaven, through his Holy Spirit, he continued the work of challenging Peter, who really struggled to go "all the way" with this. He really struggled with his traditional understanding of the Bible, and he really struggled to let go in order to connect with all people, and all people groups.
But by the time we get to 1 & 2 Peter, two letters written by Peter in his old age, I'm glad to report that Peter had finally sold out to the truth that Jesus wants his message offered to all people.
Let's look at where we see this in 1 Peter today, and take a look at a powerful lesson that he needed in order to identify and overcome one of the worst, and sneakiest, of all barriers that stand between you and God, let alone between you and others.
Let's talk about pride. And lets consider the one thing that will defeat it.