Dealing With Pride
Intro: A minister received a Christmas card with a note in it from a lady in his congregation. He said she was very complimentary about his preaching, & compared him with Billy Graham. She finished by writing, "I think you are one of the really great preachers of all time." Later that day, when he showed the note to his wife, she asked, "Who is that woman?" He replied, "She is a very intelligent woman in the congregation who loves great preaching." He then asked his wife, "How many great preachers do you suppose there really are in the world?" She replied, "One less than you think."Contributed by: MELVIN NEWLAND (www.sermoncentral.com)
I want to talk to you about something tonight that I claim no mastery over and that is pride. What is pride? Pride means to act arrogantly; a high opinion of ones worth, self conceit. Quote: "Pride, the idolatrous worship of self, is the national religion of hell." Contributed by: Mary Lewis www.sermoncentral.com
We all know people that by their actions we would nominate them as prideful people. But let us be careful because pride shows up even in the lives of every person sometimes without us even recognizing it. As a matter of fact there are not a lot of sins out there that we don’t attribute to pride. For example, when one cheats what he is saying is I can’t get caught. This is o.k., it serves my need. When a person lies what he/she is saying is I don’t want to tell the truth because I am afraid that I may look bad. When a person commits adultery what they are doing is acting out of the mentality that they want what somebody else has and won’t stop until they have it. Pride is very competitive by nature. Competitive in the sense that you’ll stop at nothing to make sure you are always on the winning side because you don’t want to look inferior. Or you’ll stop at nothing to make sure you are seen as the most important or the prettiest in the room.
Illustration: A young woman went to her pastor and said, "Pastor, I have a besetting sin, and I want your help. I come to church on Sunday and can’t help thinking I’m the prettiest girl in the congregation. I know I ought not think that, but I can’t help it. I want you to help me with it." The pastor replied, "Mary, don’t worry about it. In your case it’s not a sin. It’s just a horrible mistake." (Haddon Robinson, "Good Guys, Bad Guys, and Us Guys," (contributed by: Darren Ethier (www.sermoncentral.com)
God has some very explicit things to say about pride that we need to pay close attention to. Let’s look at those verses. Proverbs 6:13 says 16 There are six things the LORD hates.
There are seven things he cannot stand: 17 a proud look…” (NCV). The writer of Proverbs puts pride ahead of murder. It’s not that murder is less severe it’s just than on God’s top ten list of things that he hates, pride is number one. Proverbs 8:13 says, 13 All who fear the LORD will hate evil. That is why I hate pride, arrogance, corruption, and perverted speech.”
So, God hates the sin of pride. He calls it evil. He does not hate the prideful person but he hates the pride in the person. That’s important for us to understand. Why is it that God feels so strongly about pride? Here are some reasons:
· Pride promotes self-sufficiency rather than God-sufficiency. Attitudes like, “I can do it myself, I do not need anyone else” is common with prideful people. Another attitude is I want it my way. Our culture screams this at us all the time. Unfortunately, our self-centered society influences us more than we think.
· Most sin has its roots in pride. Argumentative, lying, cheating
Illustration: I think about most of the disagreements Amanda and I have fought over and to be honest the reason is pride. I remember we had one of our biggest disagreements in the reception hall of a church after the wedding of one of Amanda’s friends. My pride welled up within me and showed forth in my disapproval of wanting to be there. Guys, don’t ever say, ‘you stay here and I will come back and get you.” I learned it’s not a very smart thing to say.
· Another reason God feels so strongly about pride it has the capability of destroying our lives. Pride is a ticking time-bomb.
Proverbs 16:18 says, “Pride goes before destruction, a haughty spirit before a fall.” I like what the Message Translation of this verse says: “First pride—then the crash—the bigger the ego, the harder the fall.”
I think about sports stars who seem to have it all: fame, money, a great career, relationships. Time after time we see one celebrity or sports star after the next who come out and after living the high life and destroying everything they held dear because they thought they were invincible. Chipper Jones, Deion Sanders, Majic Johnson—all these men let there pride take them over the edge and they suffered deeply for it. But some people don’t get the chance to live to tell about it. God is serious about pride’s destructiveness. But, it’s not just in the sports arena. It’s in the business world. How many times have we been reminded in the last couple of years what happens when greed and pride take over. Very powerful men and women who think nothing of themselves can end up losing it all. It’s not just in the business world either.
Pride is destructive. I want to share with you a form of pride that all of us struggle with in our lives and that is spiritual pride. Turn with me if you will to Luke 18:9-13 (READ)
In this parable Jesus gives us the reason for his sharing it (vs. 9). There are two characters in this story. One of them a Pharasee the other a tax collector. These two men couldn’t be any more different. The Pharasee (which means separated one) was very pious and took stock in his attempt to keep the law. The tax collector in his own eyes and as well in everyone else’s didn’t have a leg to stand on. Both approach the Lord in prayer. The Pharasee boasts about his own-self sufficiency. The other begs for mercy because he knew he was a disappointment to himself, the people he worked for and his God. Here are some things that stand out to me in this passage as it relates to spiritual pride:
1). We are guilty of spiritual pride when we depend upon our merit and not on God’s grace. Notice what the parable says: The Pharasee compared himself with everyone else and thought himself better than they. Four times he mentions the word “I”. But, even though the tax-collector was probably a pretty wealthy man he didn’t bring any of that to God. Only a broken heart. I really believe that pride is one of the biggest factors that keep people from giving their lives to him. It’s pride that says, “I don’t need God, I can make it on my own.”
2). God will do anything to break pride in us. Look at verse 14. God exalts the humble, but he brings low the proud. It’s not that God wants to make a spectacle out of the prideful person he just wants them to see how it’s supposed to be.
So, how do I recognize pride in me? Here are some indications pride is creeping up in your life:
· Spotty prayer life--suggests I am not actively relying on God, nor aware of my need for Him.
· Weariness-- is often the result of trying to do more than God intends, which means I am not letting Him order my day.
· Anger--can mean I am not trusting God’s sovereign plan and timing, and am trying to take control from Him.
· A critical spirit-- the sorry act of bringing others down in order to lift up myself, often points to an inflated sense of self.
· A defensive reaction to criticism, despondency after failure, and the inability to laugh at my mistakes all suggest that I am taking myself too seriously and thinking of myself too highly.
· Taking responsibility for success, accomplishment, or financial prosperity may mean I have lost sight of God’s gracious and undeserved provision.
• Impatience about having to listen, wait, serve, be anonymous, or be led by someone else all hint at an overdeveloped sense of importance. (Copied from Discipleship Journal. Copyright 2000 by Navigators, UBP Navpress. All rights reserved.)
· Unwillingness to associate or get to know a certain person or people who do not live up to your standards. Romans 12:16 says, “Don’t be proud, but be willing to associate with people of low position.”
So how do we deal with pride in our lives?
1). Recognize it—this is the first step!
2). Repent of it (See the example of the tax collector in Luke) Remember do something about it before God does!
3). Ready yourself to fight it every day!
Illustration: Tony Campolo said, "If you ever start to feel proud, just remember that soon after your body has been lowered into the grave, your family & friends will be eating potato salad & telling jokes, & you’ll be history." Contributed by: Andrew Chan (www.sermoncentral.com)
God enables us to stand against pride in our lives. But it can only happen when we understand his grace and mercy.
