Good morning and welcome in everybody. Today, we are going to take a look at a passage of scripture, but before we do that, I wanted to tell you a story.
The Great wall of China is the longest wall in the world, with its length reaching over 13,000 miles long. That’s approximately the same length as driving Coast to Coast on a trip across the United States, twice. It was primarily built to protect China’s northern border against nomads. It’s history is almost as long as its length,, beginning over 2300 years ago. To get an idea of the sheer size of this wall, the height of the walls range from 16 to 26 ft, designed to be at least three times the height of a man, and between thirteen and sixteen feet thick. Because of erosion and other damage, approximately 30% of the Great Wall has since disappeared, but it continues to be considered by many, as one of the wonders of this world.
This reminds me of the Christian Life.
Many people don’t even think about it, but deep inside the carnal nature of man is the greatest wall that has ever been built. It is the Great Wall of pride and impenitence. This is a different type of wall , because It cannot be penetrated by using shovels. It cannot be pierced by using sticks of dynamite. This is a wall that requires a spiritual pickaxe, which comes in the form of humility. People don’t need to go all the way to China to observe a great wall. You don’t need to spend all kinds of money on plane tickets and hotel reservations. You don’t even need to take vacation time off of work. The greatest wall that has ever been made is found right inside of the human nature. It is the great wall of pride.
James 4:7-10 Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded. Be afflicted, and mourn, and weep: let your laughter be turned to mourning, and your joy to heaviness. Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up.
Many people think that a hurricane or even a tornado is one of the most destructive forces upon the Earth but I guarantee you, one of the greatest is pride. These natural events can only shorten the life of the human body, while pride can destroy the soul and someone’s hope of obtaining eternal life. What people need to do is find a quiet place and take a look inside of their own heart. If they are willing to do this, they certainly might find more blocks of pride in their own life, than the Chinese ever laid in 2,000 years. These blocks within each of us must be humbly taken down, in order to let the truth of Christ flow in.
Hebrews 4:7 Again, he limiteth a certain day, saying in David, To day, after so long a time; as it is said, To day if ye will hear his voice, harden not your hearts.
A hard heart will refuse to listen to God’s Word. Instead of accepting biblical truth, it will accept fiction instead. The heart becomes just as hard as the rocks that were laid in the Great Wall, hardened because of sin and unbelief of God’s truth.
Hebrews 3:7-19 Wherefore (as the Holy Ghost saith, To day if ye will hear his voice, Harden not your hearts, as in the provocation, in the day of temptation in the wilderness: When your fathers tempted me, proved me, and saw my works forty years. Wherefore I was grieved with that generation, and said, They do alway err in their heart; and they have not known my ways. So I sware in my wrath, They shall not enter into my rest.)
Take heed, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief, in departing from the living God. But exhort one another daily, while it is called To day; lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin. For we are made partakers of Christ, if we hold the beginning of our confidence stedfast unto the end; While it is said, To day if ye will hear his voice, harden not your hearts, as in the provocation. For some, when they had heard, did provoke: howbeit not all that came out of Egypt by Moses. But with whom was he grieved forty years? was it not with them that had sinned, whose carcases fell in the wilderness? And to whom sware he that they should not enter into his rest, but to them that believed not? So we see that they could not enter in because of unbelief.
Blessed James teaches us to seek contrition and humility in the presence of God. These are the qualities that were found in the humble publican, because of which, he obtained God’s forgiveness.
Luke 18:9-14 And he spake this parable unto certain which trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and despised others: Two men went up into the temple to pray; the one a Pharisee, and the other a publican. The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, God, I thank thee, that I am not as other men are, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this publican. I fast twice in the week, I give tithes of all that I possess. And the publican, standing afar off, would not lift up so much as his eyes unto heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying, God be merciful to me a sinner. I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other: for every one that exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted.
Somebody who is humble is marked by meekness. A meek person is overly compliant and submissive. To be humble in God’s sight, we must yield to His will.
1 Peter 5:5-7 Likewise, ye younger, submit yourselves unto the elder. Yea, all of you be subject one to another, and be clothed with humility: for God resisteth the proud, and giveth grace to the humble. Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time: Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.
Pride is such a destructive force that the more you resist the will of God, the more God will resist you. God extends Grace to those who humble themselves under His calling and His purpose. This requires breaking down the wall of pride and humbly entering His presence with a penitent heart. We must possess Godly sorrow, allowing our hearts to break before Him so that He can heal us.
Psalms 95:6-7 O come, let us worship and bow down: let us kneel before the LORD our maker.
For he is our God; and we are the people of his pasture, and the sheep of his hand. To day if ye will hear his voice,
Many people have claimed that the Great Wall of China is one of the greatest man-made achievements in history, but the greatest wall that has ever been built is already inside the heart of men. It is an impenitent wall of pride, and unless it is broken down, it can prevent a person from entering into eternal bliss. Think about this today, because in my opinion, pride truly is….
….. The Great Wall
Let’s think about these things for right now. We can be found on your web browser by searching, tlkjbc where you can find our diaries distributed through various platforms. We are not associated, nor affiliated with any other religious groups. You can get our entire podcast feeds directly, along with transcripts at tlkjbc.com or I suppose that you could find us somewhere up here, in the Great Northern Minnesota woods. Peace to you all, and Lord willing, we will talk with you some more tomorrow. Till then, bye bye everybody.
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