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VOL IX  NO. 12  DECEMBER  2008

REV. ROBERT KELLEY

 


Disrespect And Pride

 

Rev. Robert Kelley is the founder and president of Open Door Communication Ministries, Inc. and pastored the St. Mark Baptist Church of Portland, Oregon at the time this was published.

 

The Bible could not be clearer in its declarations foretelling the terrifying end of man´s pride in the very near dawning Day of the Lord.  For example, Isaiah the Old Testament prophet and John the New Testament apostle agree that in that Day, the proudest and mightiest of men will look for caves and rock solid mountains to hide from the Lord´s majestic coming in wrath (Isaiah 2:10, 19-21; Revelation 6:l2-17).  Isaiah further writes of the Day:

 

                                             "The lofty looks of man shall be humbled, the haughtiness of men
                                             shall  be bowed down, and the Lord alone shall be exalted in that
                                             Day.  For the Day of the Lord of hosts shall come upon everything
                                             proud and lofty, upon everything lifted up--and it shall be brought
                                             low…"
                                                                              
                                  Isaiah 2:11-12, NKJV

 

In the Day of God´s wrath against sinful man and his pride, the Lord Jesus who brings it will knock down every tall tree, hill, mountain and structure built by human hands in the most violent earthquake ever to convulse this planet since our creation (Isaiah 2:13-16, 13:6-13, 24: 17-20; Revelation 16:17-20).  Nothing and no one proud will stand in the glorious face of the Son of God!  This prospect led Isaiah to warn again of the end of man´s lofty pride and arrogance in the Day of the Lord´s singular exaltation over everything in the earth including every religion and their idols (Isaiah 2:17-18).  Thus, why regard prideful man (Isaiah 2:22)?

 

Indeed, today too many men especially in the "hood" are so puffed up in pride, they will kill a man they believe has disrespected them.  The disrespect can range from looking at such men too long or in a way they interpret as provocative to the accidental stepping on their shoes.  How can a man believe his sense of personal dignity or honor is so valuable it warrants killing someone over it?  While such pride is not new going all the way back to Cain´s descendant, Lamech who killed a man for wounding him (Genesis 4:16-24), supposedly in this Age of Reason, we are better than that!

 

However, as the Lord has led, I featured this topic of disrespect and pride in one of the Strong Man Minutes in our Urban Radio Campaign because in spite of reason, sinful pride is causing men to commit senseless murder.1  In the eyes of God all human life is precious and murder is unacceptable (Genesis 4:8-15, 6:11-13, 9:4-6; Exodus 20:13; Matthew 19:16-19).  War is one thing; accidents and self-defense that cause the loss of life are another.  But "he disrespected me" as an excuse to murder?

 

There are no doubt many complex reasons men and young men in particular are killing each other in pride over supposed instances of disrespect.  Three important spiritual reasons come to mind.  First, again the connection of pride, violence and murder originate with Satan who has imprinted himself on human hearts through sin and governs this fallen world (Ezekiel 28:11-17a; John 8:44).  If God is against murder for any reason, then it is certainly not Him instigating the murderous behavior of our streets which includes killing to protect one´s pride.  Therefore, those who kill for and out of pride carry out the will of their father, Satan as Jesus taught.

 

Second, men that kill because somebody disrespected them do so out of sin.  Like the gas helium that fills balloons and causes them to rise upward, so sin in men fills them so full of pride they think it necessary to protect.  Of course, pride stirred by sin is the norm in men.  It is the reason we often loudly and angrily argue our points of view, live in denial of imperfections, defend failures and take dares to engage in risky, sinful behavior.  But to kill over a perceived insult to our dignity is sin fed pride gone off the charts and shows just how really evil men separated from God are!

 

Finally, a third important reason men in pride attack and murder other men when they feel they have been disrespected is poor self-esteem pure and simple.  In my Strong Man Minute, I make this case by saying that men who insist that others respect them to the point of violence are weak in self-respect to begin with.  Such men are on the hunt for an image of themselves that is accepted by others and that they in turn can value.

 

All self-image propped up by pride is doomed to failure since fresh acts of ego must feed it and the smallest challenges addressed.  The latter takes a lot of negative attitude and energy to keep up.  Too, the consequences of violent acts and murder employed to defend the pride built and sustained self-image can lead to lifelong involvement in the legal system or be deadly since the street rule is "kill or be killed."  There is also the consequence we warned of in the November issue, God fights against and will eventually eternally destroy the unrepentant proud.  How much more is this true for the proud man that murders?

 

The certain end of man´s pride before God makes it imperative that men who truly care about their own souls find another way to properly view themselves.  As always, God has provided a way through His Son Jesus Christ!  Willing men that stand at the foot of the cross will be humbled to see the inestimable, eternal dignity and worth God has placed on them by sending Jesus to die for our sins (John 3:16)!

 

Look up, now.  Look up and see Jesus wounded, disfigured, bloody and bearing man´s sins.  His first coming as the Babe in Bethlehem was to save and restore God´s image in those that believe. Not they, but God protects His image and their dignity (Romans 8:29-39)!

 

1 Listen to the Strong Man Minute Web Edition.  

 

 


©2008 Open Door Communication Ministries, Inc