FACING PRIDE AND ARROGANCE

Are you proud?

Do you know someone who is arrogant and conceited?  They are not very fun to be around are they?

Did you know that Pride is the one sin in the Bible that God specifically says He hates?

Proverbs 6:16-19

 "These six things doth the LORD hate: yea, seven are an abomination unto him: 17 A proud look, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood, 18 An heart that deviseth wicked imaginations, feet that be swift in running to mischief, 19 A false witness that speaketh lies, and he that soweth discord among brethren."

Pride is #1 on God's HATE LIST!

THE TYPE OF PRIDE WE ARE NOT TALKING ABOUT

When we say pride is sinful, we are not talking about a healthy self-esteem and self-worth!   In Jesus Christ you are someone very special!

We are not talking about being proud of your work.  Everyone should be proud of doing a good job and being the best you can be in your profession!

There is certainly nothing wrong with being proud of your kids or grandkids? 

How many grandparents here today are proud of your grandkids?

You bet!

THE TYPE OF PRIDE GOD HATES

The pride God hates is a condescending pride that thinks we are better than other people.  It is a self-righteous pride that feels we do not need God. 

SOME SYMPTOMS OF PRIDE

What are some indications that we are proud?  Are there some symptoms to indicate that we are guilty of the 'disease' of pride?

Somewhere I came across this list from some medical/psychological authorities of characteristics that indicate that we might suffer from vanity, conceit, and pride:

ARE YOUR FEELINGS HURT EASILY?

DOES IT IRRITATE YOU WHEN PEOPLE DON'T AGREE WITH YOU?

DOES IT REALLY BOTHER YOU WHEN SOMEONE CORRECTS YOUR MISTAKES?

IS IT HARD FOR YOU TO ADMIT MISTAKES?

DO YOU THINK YOU ARE USUALLY RIGHT AND OTHERS ARE USUALLY WRONG?

DO YOU FIND IT HARD TO COMPROMISE?  IS IT YOUR WAY OR NO WAY?

DO YOU FIND YOURSELF GIVING MORE CRITICISMS THAN COMPLIMENTS?  ARE YOU OFTEN CRITICAL OF OTHER PEOPLE AND POINTING OUR THEIR FAULTS AND FAILURES, RATHER THAN THEIR GOOD POINTS?

ARE YOU QUICK TO JUDGE OTHER PEOPLE ON FIRST APPEARANCE?

IF SOMEONE HAS HURT YOU OR DONE YOU WRONG IN THE PAST, DO YOU HOLD BITTERNESS AND RESENTMENT AGAINST THAT PERSON?

DO YOU SEEK PRAISE FOR THINGS OVER WHICH YOU HAVE NO CONTROL (BEAUTY, TALENTS, ABILITIES)?

DO YOU FEEL OFFENDED OR NOT APPRECIATED WHEN NOT GIVEN CREDIT FOR SOMETHING YOU HAVE DONE?

DO YOU OFTEN COMPETE OR COMPARE YOURSELF WITH SOMEONE ELSE?   ARE YOU ALWAYS TRYING TO DO BETTER OR HAVE MORE THAN SOME OTHER PARTICULAR PERSON?

How did you do on this list?  Not very good?  I'm afraid I didn't do as well as I had hoped I would.

WHAT ARE SOME THINGS THE BIBLE TELLS US ABOUT PRIDE

Proverbs 16:5 "Every one that is proud in heart is an abomination to the LORD: though hand join in hand, he shall not be unpunished."

That is pretty strong language, wouldn't you say?

Why is pride such an abomination in the eyes of the Lord?

Pride is perhaps the greatest sin that will keep men and women out of heaven.....Pride keeps people from coming to Christ!  It makes us feel self-sufficient.

There is no sin that God hates more than Pride because it is the sin that caused Lucifer to fall.  Recall Isaiah 14:12-15:

"How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! how art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations! 13 For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north:
14 I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High. 15 Yet thou shalt be brought down to hell, to the sides of the pit."

(It is interesting that the NIV has 'removed' Lucifer from this passage....'Lucifer' is not mentioned in the New International Version...he is a fairy tale figure.....STAY AWAY FROM THE NEW VERSIONS....STICK WITH THE KING JAMES....Who says the newer versions don't change things!
 

Proverbs 16:18 tells us:

"Pride goeth before destruction, and an haughty spirit before a fall."

If you want DESTRUCTION, let pride come into your life!

Pride is the one sin that precedes most all other sins!

Someone once made the statement,

"There has never been a marriage quarrel, a broken friendship, a divorce, a war, or a church split.......that has not been due to pride!"

Listen to that again.

Someone asks, "Can you prove that, preacher?"

Yes.  Proverbs 13:10 says,

"Only by pride cometh contention: but with the well advised is wisdom."

Proverbs 28:25 also says,

"He that is of a proud heart stirreth up strife:"

My friend, if you want to have strife in your marriage, in your home, in your office, in your church......you let pride enter into the matter.....

Pride is indeed the most destructive of sins!

Pride is also so destructive, because it can keep you from accepting Christ!

Psalms 36:1,2 says:

"The transgression of the wicked saith within my heart, that there is no fear of God before his eyes. 2 For he flattereth himself in his own eyes,..."

There is something about pride...the feeling we don't need God...

The feeling that we are superior to other 'sinners'....

The feeling that we have 'committed' terrible sins like other people....

There will be a lot of smug 'self-righteous' folks in hell.

Pride is also destructive because it hinders God from using a Christian in the way He would like.....

As I look at the Bible, I see God being able to use people like David, who had sexual sin in their life.  I see God using a lot of different people in the Bible who had a lot of  problems and failures in their lives, but the one person God cannot use is a PROUD person!

Listen to 2 Corinthians 10:12....

"For we dare not make ourselves of the number, or compare ourselves with some that commend themselves: but they measuring themselves by themselves, and comparing themselves among themselves, are not wise."

You see, when are proud, we began comparing ourselves to other people.  Our service to the Lord becomes a thing of bringing glory to ourselves.  God just can not use a person who is thinking like that.

Do find yourself comparing yourself to other people in your church?  Are you jealous when they do 'better' than you?  Are you hurt when others get recognition and appreciation when you feel you should?

God cannot use a proud person.  

Other sins, yes....but not pride.

Doesn't the Bible say in James 4:6 that God resists the Proud?

PRIDE TAKES MANY DIFFERENT FORMS

First there is,

1. SOCIAL PRIDE

This is the type of pride that feels that we are 'better' than someone else because of our 'name'....a sort of 'caste' system..

It is the pride of feeling we are 'better looking' or more attractive than another person...so we are 'better' than them...

We are a 'beauty queen' or 'most handsome'...

Social pride comes to play when we feel we are more talented than others athletically or in musical ability...

That is why talented people are very rarely...compared to other people....used greatly by the Lord.

People with great singing ability are especially vulnerable to pride.

But social pride is wrong, because talents, looks, abilities, and gifts....were all 'given' to us.....

1 Corinthians 4:7 says,

"4:7 For who maketh thee to differ from another? and what hast thou that thou didst not receive? now if thou didst receive it, why dost thou glory, as if thou hadst not received it?"

A second type of pride is...

2. THE PRIDE OF POWER AND AUTHORITY.

Have you noticed how that some people just cannot handle power and authority when it is given to them?

If a supervisory or management position is given to some people, have you noticed how it changes them into an arrogant, conceited person and they become swollen with pride?

That is particularly why the Bible warns against placing a new Christian or a 'novice' in a position of leadership in church, because the devil will immediately tempt them to be filled with the wrong type of pride......and it will destroy them!

I have known good people who were good workers for the Lord....until they were given a leadership position and then it changed their whole demeanor to where the pastor could no longer depend upon them!  They were always getting upset if their suggestions weren't followed, etc...

Christian, if you have a position of authority and leadership, either in church or outside of church, please use it wisely, because you will have to give an account of it to the Lord someday.

Doesn't the Bible give a special warning to church leaders not to 'Lord' it over the other folks in church as a type of dictator?

Another type of pride is:

3. MATERIAL PRIDE

This is the type of pride that makes us feel we are 'better' than other people because we have a bigger bank account, more financial worth, a nice home in a nicer neighborhood, or nice vehicles....

Listen to Luke 12:15,

"And he said unto them, Take heed, and beware of covetousness: for a man's life consisteth not in the abundance of the things which he possesseth. And he spake a parable unto them, saying, The ground of a certain rich man brought forth plentifully:
17 And he thought within himself, saying, What shall I do, because I have no room where to bestow my fruits? 18 And he said, This will I do: I will pull down my barns, and build greater; and there will I bestow all my fruits and my goods. 19 And I will say to my soul, Soul, thou hast much goods laid up for many years; take thine ease, eat, drink, and be merry. 20 But God said unto him, Thou fool, this night thy soul shall be required of thee: then whose shall those things be, which thou hast provided? 21 So is he that layeth up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God."

Do you know anyone that fits this description?  Do you enjoy being around them?

Now let's be clear.  There is nothing wrong with having things.  There is nothing wrong with having wealth and nice things even...

but when that wealth and those 'things' make us proud, than we are sinning before God!

Deuteronomy 8:18 reminds us,

"But thou shalt remember the LORD thy God: for it is he that giveth thee power to get wealth,..."

It is an amazing thing to see people change when they get a better job, a promotion at work to better pay....

At one time they actively serving the Lord, but with the financial 'security' a new attitude towards church often develops....

For some strange reason, you don't see the same people at church serving the Lord the way they did before.....?????

Isn't that an irony?

The Lord blesses, and we reciprocate by serving Him less.......

Our life seems to get out of balance....

What we HAVE becomes more important that what we ARE.....

We seem to become consumed with having MORE than someone else...our neighbor, our relative, our co-workers, etc...

The Bible teaches that this type of greed and material pride leads to many other sorrows and heartaches...

1 Timothy 6:9-11 says,

"But they that will be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and hurtful lusts, which drown men in destruction and perdition. 10 For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows. 11 But thou, O man of God, flee these things; and follow after righteousness, ..."

Why is it that...

WE BUY THINGS WE DO NOT NEED.....

TO IMPRESS PEOPLE WE DO NOT LIKE......

WITH MONEY WE DO NOT HAVE.....?

Oh, my friend, Material pride is such a destructive thing!  Before we know it, we become consumed by it....either by sinking into more and more debt....or by just wanting more and more.....

and we are no earthly good for the Lord and His work anymore.

Well, next there is,

4. INTELLECTUAL PRIDE

Intellectual pride is especially an enemy of the Cross of Christ, because it gives man a false self-confidence.  If the person with intellectual pride can't put God in a test tube, then he cannot accept Him....

But Proverbs 3:5 says,

"Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding."

1 Corinthians 8:1,2 says,

"......Knowledge puffeth up, but charity edifieth.
2 And if any man think that he knoweth any thing, he knoweth nothing yet as he ought to know.

There's something about an education and a degree that can give a man a false sense of pride.  Nothing wrong with an education at all, but when we get to thinking we're smarter than God, then we are in trouble!

One of the hardest people to reach for Christ is the highly educated person, because as this verse says, 'Knowledge PUFFETH UP'....

It is difficult for that person to see their lost condition and need of a Saviour....with their 'knowledge' they feel they don't need anything....especially 'religion'!

Psalms 111:10 says,

"The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom: a good understanding have all they that do his commandments: his praise endureth for ever."

An education is good and we should get as much as possible, but...I'm convinced there a lot of educated 'fools' in the world today.... When we get so 'smart' we feel we don't need God....then we have too much 'education'.....

I came face to face with intellectual pride recently.  We are trying to get an evolutionist professor from some local university to debate a creationist Scientist we are having come to our church next spring. We are having a difficult time.  It is amazing how the professors and teachers can arrogantly spout their evolutionist views as fact in front of a freshman class, but they will not debate another educated person their own age!

A professor from a local university e-mailed me this note as he 'declined' to debate our Creationist Scientist. He says,

"That “Dr.” Hovind’s degree in no way qualifies him as a scientist has been pointed out frequently; for someone who actually obtained and read a copy of his “doctoral dissertation.” Although I am speaking only from hearsay, I have heard from people who have attended his “seminar” that Dr. Hovind’s arguments simply consist of assertions based on his personal interpretation of Genesis, phony “evidence” proving that humans and dinosaurs co-existed (he still apparently believes in the so-called “Paluxy man-tracks” which practically every other “creation scientist” has now accepted are clearly dinosaur tracks), and misapplied scientific theories (including the hoary “evolution violates the second law of thermodynamics” argument, which represents a complete misunderstanding of the 2^nd law and the concept of entropy). I do not want to sound uncharitable here, but my personal view is that Mr. Hovind is at best misguided in his understanding of science and at worst, a charlatan. My guess is that most faculty members, who spent 5-15 years in difficult graduate studies and spent thousands of hours investigating the primary and secondary sources for their disciplines and actually have conducted actual research will not want to spend time engaged in a fruitless debate with someone who has no real knowledge of the scientific disciplines in question. Dr. Hovind’s desire to engage in these discussions with college professors is simply part of a promotional scheme so that he can advertise in his seminar that he “debated” with real experts from accredited institutions....."

The fact is, Dr. Hovind could 'clean' this 'professor's plow!

I am afraid some people are educated well beyond their intelligence.

Proverbs 26:12 gives some sad words for the OVER-educated fool,

"Seest thou a man wise in his own conceit? there is more hope of a fool than of him."

Well, as bad as 'Intellectual' pride is,  perhaps a worse type of pride is,

5. SPIRITUAL PRIDE

Luke 18:9-14, Jesus says,

"And he spake this parable unto certain which trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and despised others:
10 Two men went up into the temple to pray; the one a Pharisee, and the other a publican. 11 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.
12 I fast twice in the week, I give tithes of all that I possess.
13 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. 14 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."

My friend, a 'SELF-RIGHTEOUS' pride that feels we don't need Christ as other 'sinners' do... is the worse type of pride that keeps people from coming to Christ!

Perhaps you feel because you have been involved in church all your life that you do not need confess yourself as a sinner to Christ?

Maybe you have not committed adultery, or some other terrible sins, but the Bible says we are still lost sinners in need of Christ.

A Christian can be guilty of SPIRITUAL PRIDE when we feel we are better than others, and instead of serving Christ, we sit back and judge and criticize others with our rules of do's and don'ts much like the Pharisees......

WE END UP NEVER DOING ANYTHING FOR CHRIST...

except trying to point the specks in other peoples' eyes and yet we have a beam protruding out of our own eye!

There Christians in Churches all across America who are not serving Christ and doing anything for Him because they feel they are 'too good' to stoop to 'serving' others!

WHAT CAN I DO ABOUT MY PRIDE?

1. CONFESS YOUR PRIDE AS A SIN.

2. HUMBLE YOURSELF IN THE SIGHT OF GOD AND ASK HIM TO FORGIVE YOU OF YOUR PRIDE.

3. ASK HIM TO EMPTY YOU AND FILL YOU WITH HIS HOLY SPIRIT AND ASK HIM TO USE YOU AGAIN!

My friend, if you don't humble yourself, God will eventually humble you and bring you down......

It is better that YOU do it......

If you have never trusted Christ as Savior, you need to humble yourself and admit your sin and tell God you are sorry for your sin and you wish to trust Jesus' death on Calvary to pay for your sins and help you to be 'born-again.'  He will do it.

Romans 10:13 says,

For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.