The Lord has impressed me to deal with a subject today that is very difficult for me personally; and I expect it will be difficult for all of you as well. I say that because we’re going to take a close and honest look at what I believe to be the most wicked part of our human nature. And although it manifests itself in many different ways, we all possess it to some degree. But the really difficult part , is the fact that the more of this particular trait we possess, the harder it is for us to admit that we have a problem with it. And yet, strangely enough, it is incredibly easy for us to recognize and condemn it in others.
Proverbs 6:15-19 gives us a list of seven things the Lord hates. And at the very top of that list is “a proud look” or “haughty eyes....” But it’s not really talking about an “eye” issue; rather, it’s referring to a heart issue. To have “haughty eyes” is to exalt yourself in your own eyes to the degree that you “look down” on others… and oftentimes even on God.
The Bible says the Lord hates a proud heart.. And Proverbs 16:5 puts it even more harshly. It says, “Everyone proud in heart is an abomination to the Lord; Though they join forces, none will go unpunished.”
Pride, in its various forms, is a very dangerous thing. That’s why Scripture contains over 150 passages that express God’s displeasure of and warning against, pride in the human heart. And so, this morning I want us to explore two very important questions: 1. why does God hate pride so much? and 2, what steps can we, as modern-day Christians take in order to purge it from our own hearts?
So first, let’s talk about why God hates pride.
Ezekiel 28:12-17 (this is a prophecy concerning the king of Tyre but it’s also an account of the fall of Lucifer) “ ‘You were the model of perfection, full of wisdom and perfect in beauty. 13You were in Eden, the garden of God; every precious stone adorned you: ruby, topaz and emerald, chrysolite, onyx and jasper, sapphire, turquoise and beryl. Your settings and mountings were made of gold; on the day you were created they were prepared.
14You were anointed as a guardian cherub, for so I ordained you. You were on the holy mount of God; you walked among the fiery stones. 15You were blameless in your ways from the day you were created till wickedness was found in you. 16Through your widespread trade you were filled with violence, and you sinned. So I drove you in disgrace from the mount of God, and I expelled you, O guardian cherub, from among the fiery stones. 17Your heart became proud(lifted up) on account of your beauty, and you corrupted your wisdom because of your splendor. So I threw you to the earth....”
Isaiah 14:12-15 (king of Babylon/Lucifer) “How you have fallen from heaven O morning star, son of the dawn! You have been cast down to the earth, you who once laid low the nations! 13 You said in your heart, “I will ascend to heaven; I will raise my throne above the stars of God; I will sit enthroned on the mount of assembly, on the utmost heights of the sacred mountain. 14 I will ascend above the tops of the clouds; I will make myself like the Most High.” 15 But you are brought down to the grave, to the depths of the pit.”
Unchecked pride is what caused Lucifer to rebel against God in heaven and ultimately led to him being cast down to our, then perfect, planet. Remember, the devil was successful at deceiving a third of the angels in heaven... So he knew full well how to awaken and exploit Eve’s pride to the point where she also rebelled against God by knowingly disobeying a very clear commandment. Keep in mind that Satan tempted her with the promise that the forbidden fruit would enable her to become “like God” knowing good and evil… You see, by knowingly disobeying God, she exalted her own authority above that of God... and pride was at the root of it.
So, I think it’s pretty safe to say that one reason God especially hates pride is because pride is what brought sin and everything that comes with it into existence--I.E: hate, pain, sorrow, sickness, suffering, aging and death. You see, pride has separated God from many of the creatures He created and loves...
And it’s not just that pride opened the door for sin 6,000 years ago; no, the second reason God hates it, and that we should hate it as well, is that it continues to be the mother of nearly every other sin you can think of today. And, each one of those sins—if not repented of and covered by the blood of Christ can separate us eternally from our Creator.
I think very few of us actually realize just how dangerous pride is and how easily it can evolve and grow in our hearts until it ultimately destroys us.
J.C. Ryles, a nineteenth century English bishop writes this about pride:
"Let us watch against pride in every shape - pride of intellect, pride of wealth, pride of our own goodness. Nothing is so likely to keep a person out of heaven, and prevent them from seeing Christ, as pride. So long as we think we are something we shall never be saved."
Please understand that pride and a healthy self-esteem are quite different. No Chrisitan should ever take the position that they are without worth or value. Think about it: David said, “I am fearfully and wonderfully made!.” And think of the price God was willing to pay to redeem us! In the sight of God, we are certainly quite precious! But our value doesn’t come from anything that WE have done; but from how God created us. But worldly pride ascribes to its possessor, glory and entitlements that belong to God alone.
1 John 2:15-17 15 Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father (1 Cor 13 says, “love does not boast and is not proud...) is not in him. 16 For all that is in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—is not of the Father but is of the world. 17 And the world is passing away, and the lust of it; but he who does the will of God abides forever.
Does John 3:16 contradict this statement and similar statements James, Paul, and Jesus made? The Bible says that "God so loved the WORLD that He gave His only begotten Son..." The second greatest Commandment is "Love thy neighbor," and our neighbor is in the world. But notice how John specifies "which world" he's talking about in verse 16. He says " For all that is in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—is not of the Father but is of the world." And by the way, the "love of the Father" which is agape love that Paul describes and defines in 1 Corinthians 13 "does not boast" and "is not proud." This love of the Father lifts us, not "out" of this sinful world, but "above it."
John uses this greek word “kosmos” translated as “the world” over a hundred times in his writings. And a vast majority of the time he uses it to describe that part of the world that is indifferent, disobedient, or even hostile toward God. And it is in this world that you also inevitably find pride spawning this constant and growing rebellion against a holy and just God.
Case in point: SLIDE (“Pride Week” Photo): I was looking for an image to use as my sermon title slide and I made the mistake of googling the word “pride.” This was one of the first images that popped up... Pride Week in Utah: “Unapologetic”
Billy Graham said; “Self-centered indulgence, pride and a lack of shame over sin are now emblems of the American lifestyle.”
Proverbs 16:18 says, “Pride goeth before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall.”
This shameless promotion; almost glorification of this sinful lifestyle is happening not only in secular arenas, it is being accepted in places you would never believe...It is with sadness and great disappointment, that I tell you that our own SDA college, Loma Linda University, actually celebrated Pride Month in June of last year. I couldn’t understand how that decision could have been made by our second largest university so I did a little research and learned that “From 1998 to 2003, Loma Linda has received $167.2 million in federal funds.” You decide if that may be a factor...
And it’s not only colleges celebrating pride week, but there are also churches—even some who claim to be Seventh-day Adventists celebrating this this lifestyle God calls an abomination…
Please don’t think I’m “homophobic” or whatever the current label is now for people who speak out against what the Bible clearly describes as sin. “Phobic” suggests a “fear” of something; I’m not afraid of homosexuals or homosexuality. On the contrary, I love homosexuals enough to tell them the truth. I will not fail them by condoning something I know will condemn them to judgement, but rather, in love call them to repentance to find grace and forgiveness in Christ.
“A time will come when instead of shepherds feeding the sheep, the church will have clowns entertaining the goats.” (Charles Spurgeon)
James 4:4 says, “You adulteress people, don’t you know that friendship with the world is hatred toward God? Anyone who chooses to be a friend of the world becomes and enemy of God.....he goes on to say that “God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble.”
I hate to say it but you should already know this: it’s about to get even worse... Scripture tells us that the last day church, meaning us, will have a serious problem with pride...
Revelation 3:14-18
These are the words of the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the ruler of God’s creation. 15 I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other! 16 So, because you are lukewarm—neither hot nor cold—I am about to spit you out of my mouth. 17 You say, ‘I am rich; I have acquired wealth and do not need a thing.’ But you do not realize that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind and naked. 18 I counsel you to buy from me gold refined in the fire, so you can become rich; and white clothes to wear, so you can cover your shameful nakedness; and salve to put on your eyes, so you can see.
I often wonder what Paul would think of the church today; or the early reformers; or Ellen White... Most importantly, I wonder what Jesus thinks of the Church He died for? How it seems to be little by little compromising on clear Biblical truths in order to buy the world’s approval and wealth.
Judgment is coming because of pride. I believe we’re already beginning to experience it. But much more will come; it will come on the church, on the nation, and on the individual...
So, our second question is how can we, as modern-day Christians purge the sin or pride from our lives?? I believe it was Alcoholics Anonymous that coined the phrase, “the first step to recovery is to admit that you have a problem.” The same is true for pride or any other sin in our lives….
2 Chronicles 7:14 13 “When I shut up the heavens so that there is no rain, or command locusts to devour the land or send a plague among my people, “if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land.”
Speaking of Jesus in John 3:30, John the Baptist said, “He must increase, and I must decrease..”
In all three of the synoptic gospels, Jesus says, “If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself, take up his cross daily, and follow me.”
In saying, “he must deny himself,” Jesus is saying that, in order to follow Him, we must resolve, by the power of His Holy Spirit, to nail our pride to the cross! Paul understood that when he said, “for to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain.” (Philippians 1:21)
--closing remarks and appeal
