Pride and Glory
by Christopher Hendrix
When we look at Ancient Rome, one of the characteristics that define it is pride. You can go down to Rome today and see the remains of their pride. All Roman men's statues depict handsome, muscled-up, courageous, and dignified men. The figure of Caesar Augustus doesn't simply proclaim pride, but it makes a declaration of his supposed deity. They sought glory and prided themselves upon their own perceived strength. The Roman Empire appeared in Daniel 7 and Revelation 13 even because of their pride in their power. During this time, persecution of Christians, the humble and lowly, was taking place. There was a stark contrast between the prideful elite and the humble Christians. The elites hated Christians because of their worship of Christ. Yet, in Christian humility, the church was persecuted and didn't rebel or fight back.
Watch Pastor Chris Hendrix’s sermon on 1 Peter 5:6-9.
Eventually, the Roman Empire fell rather quickly. It was crushed and dissipated. Today, we look at their pride and glory and judge them for it. We may even think we have progressed beyond such vanity. However, vanity and pride are alive and well today. That kind of pride is even greater today than it was during the Roman Empire. How so? At least the Romans viewed themselves under authority, though those were false gods and idols. In today's world, the elite and powerful in Western society don't recognize they are under any control. They view themselves as the ultimate authority. Democracy comes from the Greek words demas, meaning people, and kratos, meaning rule. In our world, people are the highest authority and not under any higher power.
But, as Christians, is there a stark contrast between our lives and society? In a world proclaiming Caesar is Lord, do we stand up and say Jesus is Lord? Even more, do we suffer in our community for being believers, and do we remain humble through this? In our passage from Sunday, Peter calls us to in 1 Peter 5:6–9:
Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you at the proper time, casting all your anxiety on Him, because He cares for you. Be of sober spirit; be on the alert. Your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. But resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same experiences of suffering are being accomplished by your brethren in the world.
The world hates Christ, and we shouldn't expect anything less. Jesus described this fact in His parables and demonstrated this truth by going to the cross. He even promised us that we would be hated on account of Him (John 15:18). This hate comes in many forms, such as mocking, insulting, physical injury, being spit upon, having social media accounts blocked, being ostracized, or being passed over for opportunities at work. When we stand for Christ, the world will attempt to knock us off our feet. Yet, we humbly endure.
For some, the natural reaction is to take revenge, fight back, win the argument, or play the game on society's terms. This isn't humility. For others, the natural reaction will be to relent, come off the truth a bit, and not be so 'offensive,' to be quiet and not speak up anymore, or to become passive. This isn't humility. Humility involves standing firmly on truth, not caving to falsity, and not doing it to build ourselves up. Why? Because Peter says, our glory is not of this world. Our prize is in Christ and from Him. Christ is our driving factor and motivation to endure suffering in a world that hates Him. Christ is the fuel to keep pressing on. Our response doesn't involve lashing back or running scared. Christ will one day exalt us and bring us to glory. That's the glory we are aiming for and should want. Not the glory of the world. So, when we don't humble ourselves before the Lord in life's circumstances, we will pursue vain and worldly glory. When we humble ourselves, we seek godly glory. This is the glory we were regenerated to want. The world doesn't understand, but that's because their pursuit of self-glory blinds them. Their idolatry prevents them from beholding the Triune God and enjoying Him. However, as Christians, this is the greatest glory of all. And the true, glorious God will glorify us one day. This is the Christian's glory.