Summary

This message names pride as the very first sin, Satan’s fall recorded in Isaiah’s taunt against the king of Babylon, before turning to pride as “the root problem in the Corinthian church.” Paul’s repeated instruction there, that no one may boast in the presence of God, that neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, and that all we have was given, unmasks pride wherever believers compare themselves to one another.

Because God hates human pride, it robs him of his glory and forgets that we are his creatures, the sermon lays out practical ways to fight it: recognizing our desire to boast, affirming that God alone is superior, abandoning self-reliance, remembering why God chose us, and finding our fulfillment in glorifying him rather than ourselves.

Essential truths

  1. Pride was the very first sin, seen in Satan's fall through wanting to be like God.
  2. God hates human pride because it robs him of the glory that belongs to him alone.
  3. In the Corinthian church, boasting in men rather than in the Lord was the root problem Paul confronted.
  4. Everything believers have was given to them by God, leaving no room for boasting.

Encouragement and challenge

Fight pride deliberately: recognize the desire to boast, affirm God's superiority, abandon self-reliance, and find your fulfillment in glorifying him.

Reference verses

  • 1 Corinthians 1:29-31
  • 1 Corinthians 3:7
  • 1 Corinthians 4:6-7
  • Isaiah 14:12-15

About this sermon