WINNING OVER PRIDE

By Neal Pollard

INTRODUCTION
A. Pr 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.

1. There are many things that God detests:

a. In this list are 7 abominable deeds God hates w/a perfect passion
b. Christ told Laodicea that He’s so sickened by apathy & indifference that it makes Him figuratively spit (Re 3:16)
c. Malachi says God absolutely despises divorce (Mal 2:16)
d. David declares wickedness & violence as things God hates (Ps 11:5)
e. Idolatry, or putting anything ahead of God in our heart, draws His ire (Dt 16:22

2. However, at the top of His list, is pride (Pr 6:16)

a. Pride destroys body & soul (Pr 16:18)
b. Pride deceives the heart (Jer 49:16)
c. Pride displeases the Lord (Dan 4:37)
d. Pride divides one from His mercy (Zep 2:9-10)

3. They say a man who sings His own praise is usually off key

a. & the fellow who gets on a high horse is riding for a fall
b. God never intended for us to pat ourselves on the back or He’d have put our hinges on different.

B. No God Wants Us To Win Over Our Foolish, Ill-Founded Pride...
C. LS–Winning Over Pride Requires Some Things That May Surprise You

I. HATING
A. Hatred of good & of people is condemned, even in Pr ("stirs up strife"--10:12); Such will cost one his soul (Ga 5:20-21)

1. But God commands the hating of evil (In Re 2:6, Ephesus is commended for hating sin)
2. Pr 8:13-The fear of the LORD is to hate evil: pride, & arrogancy, & the evil way, & the froward mouth, do I hate

B. God Is Personified In This Passage By "Understanding" Or "Wisdom"

1. Wisdom & understanding are said to hate pride, arrogance, evil behavior & perverse speech
2. But the kind of wisdom Solomon promotes in Proverbs is Heavenly wisdom (Js 3:17)

C. We Should Love What The Lord Loves & Hate What He Hates

1.It’s the fear of the Lord to embrace & eschew what He does!
2. In fact, the epitome of perversion is to have our affections at odds w/God’s (Is 5:20-Woe unto them that call evil good, & good evil; that put darkness for light, & light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet, & sweet for bitter

D. Look Closely At Pr 8:13: We’re Instructed To Hate Pride & Arrogancy

1. A study of the word for pride shows that it’s "not intrinsically wrong" (Theol. Wdbk., 143)

a. But almost always it’s spoken of in its negative sense–Arrogance, cynical insensitivity to the needs of others, & presumption. It’s both a disposition & a type of conduct. It’s a shift in ultimate confidence from God as object & source to oneself as object & source

2. Arrogancy–"Self-exaltation & haughtiness" (Is 13:11-And I will punish the world for their evil, and the wicked for their iniquity; and I will cause the arrogancy of the proud to cease, and will lay low the haughtiness of the terrible.

a. Can we say that arrogance is the act of showing the sinful pride of the heart?

E. It Disgusts God & It Disgusts Us When We See It In Others (Ben. Franklin–The proud hate pride–in others
F. We’ve Got To Recognize Pride In Ourselves & Hate It (Or It’s Beaten Us)

II. BEING INHOSPITABLE
A. Hospitality Is A Requisite Of NT Christianity (Rm 12:13)-- Being warm & welcoming & receptive
B. But When It Comes To Pride, That’s One Guest Of Which We Should NOT Be Fond

1.Pr 11:2-When pride comes, then comes dishonor, But with the humble is wisdom

C. In Pr 11:2, The Word "Come" Means To Stay & Abide

1. Too many have opened up their hearts & their homes to the unworthy guest "Pride"

D. But The Influence Of This Boarder Is Weighty–Dishonor Soon Pays A Visit
E. You Can Refuse Pride A Place In Your Life If You Will–

1. Give glory to God for your accomplishments (He’s given you the health, resources, opportunities)
2. Balance in your mind your strengths w/your weaknesses–keep in touch w/reality
3. Never seek personal credit, but work overtime to find ways to recognize others’ works
4. Fight feelings of superiority (even if you have more wealth, success, education, or ediquette)

F. Truly The Wisest (& Many Times Also The Most Successful) Have Welcomed Humility & Turned Away Pride

III. GIVING UP
A. We Preach Perseverence, Which Means Not Giving Up Our Faith (Ga 6:9)

1. But certainly, there are some things we must give up in order to express that faith
2. Pr 3:34-Surely he scorneth the scorners: but he giveth grace unto the lowly.

B. An Inspired NT Writer Quotes Pr 3:34 (Js 4:4-6-Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God. 5 Do ye think that the scripture saith in vain, The spirit that dwelleth in us lusteth to envy? 6 But he giveth more grace. Wherefore he saith, God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble.

1. At first look, the passage in James (& the identical quote by Peter--1 Pt 5:5) doesn’t seem to match the 1st part of Pr 3:34

a. Pr 3:34 has scorner (one who derides, mocks & scorns); Js 4:6 uses proud (one who brags about himself & puts others down)
b. But the LXX (the Gk. OT) uses the same Gk. word in Pr 3:34 James’ & Peter’s quotes

C. The Idea From A Study Of These Vss. Is Of One Who Thinks Too Much Of Self &Too Little Of Others

1.Mom & Dad often told us children–"You aren’t better than anyone else & no one else is better than you"
2. But we’ve all known braggards–from the playground to the board room to the church Bldg

a. But the braggard Solomon warns vs. is the one who overplays his value/accomplishments
b. It’s this exact attitude Paul addresses (Rm 12:3-For I say, thru the grace given unto me, to every man that is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think; but to think soberly, according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith.

3. George MacDonald–There’s 1 religion in which the more devoted a person is to it the fewer converts he makes & that’s the

D. We’ve Got To Give Up Self & That Means Fighting The Attitudes Of Our Society

1. Dalton Key–The Twisted Beautitudes of a Selfcentered Culture (read 1st 2)

a. "The problem? These ‘beautitudes’ are untruthful, unworkable & unscriptural"

E. We Need To Give Up On The Idea Of Making Folks Admire Us–You Can’t Force That

1. We’ve got to want to be great in God’s eyes (Mt 23:11-12-But the greatest among u shall be your servant 12 & whoever exalts himself shall be humbled; & whoever humbles himself shall be exalted.
2. & the way to greatness & acceptance w/Him is humility–"emptying self of self & filling self w/Christ"

a. This sentiment is captured beautifully in the lyrics written by Benjamin Schmolke

IV. GETTING DOWN
A. Depression & Discouragement Are A Christian’s Enemies, So God Doesn’t Want Us To Lit. "Get Down"
B. But We Must Get Down Off Of The High Horse Of Pride Or We’re Heading For A Fall

1. CS Lewis–If anyone would like to acquire humility, I can, I think, tell him the 1st step. The 1st step is to realize that one is proud
2. Pr 29:23-A man’s pride will bring him low, But a humble spirit will obtain honor.

C. I Want You To Consider For A Moment How Harmful & Detrimental Pride Can Be–

1. It keeps husbands & wives from making amends, apologizing, & reconciling
2. It keeps preachers in positions of holding error who refuse to admit they were wrong
3. It keeps unfaithful or wayward members from confessing sins & being restored to God
4. It keeps one in need of being a Christian from standing before others to admit their lostness
5. It keeps those in need of assistance & intervention from asking before it gets out of hand

D. Can You Imagine What It’s Going To Be Like To Stand Eternally Lost Before JChrist Because You Had Too Much Pride To Say "I’m Sorry", "I Was Wrong", Or "I Sinned"

1. No matter what the cause was we held so dear it’s going to melt into everlasting insignificance when compared to our soul’s salvation (Mt 16:26)

E. The Pride Of Life Is One Of The 3 Broad Avenues Thru Which Satan Tempts Us To Sin

1. John says the condition of this world grows more unstable & unsure all the time (1 Jn 2:17
2. We’re investing in a sink hole to put our stock in worldly things

a. Vainglory, sinful pride, arrogance & boasting are worldly things

F. Solomon Says By Getting Down (Thru Humility), We Gain Honor

1. Lk 14:8-10-When you are invited by someone to a wedding feast, do not take the place of honor, lest someone more distinguished than you may have been invited by him, 9 & he who invited u both shall come and say to you give place to this man & then in disgrace you proceed to occupy the last place 10 "But when you are invited, go and recline at the last place, so that when the one who has invited you comes, he may say to you, ‘Friend, move up higher’; then you will have honor in the sight of all who are at the table with you.

V. GIVING IN
A. We’re Told To Be People Of Conviction & We Should Never Give In To The Pressures Of Sin (Eph 4:27-Do not give the devil a foothold.

1. But winning over pride requires us to give in on matters where pride often gets in the way

a. Pr 13:10-Only by pride cometh contention: but with the well advised is wisdom.

2. Sometimes we betray such a passion for fighting that we forget what the fight’s about

a. In America, fighting has become a pasttime, even a sport in the last decade or two
b. Can you imagine Jerry Springer having one of the most-watched TV shows in 1950?

B. But Part Of The Erosion Of Moral Values In Our Society Includes Insisting On Our Rights

1. It’s effecting our nation (Rugged individualism is ruining our individuals)
2. It effects our marriages (I concur w/the preacher who said he’s only heard one marital dispute in 50 yrs of preaching. He’s sat down w/hundreds of couples, but they all have the same story. It’s the same story I always hear–"Me", "My", "Mine"

a. Nothing drives that selfish self-destruction any more than stubborn pride

3. It effects our congregations (Too Many Brother Bulldozers & Sister Self-Servings will split a church-- & one of them is one too many)

a. You tangle w/them & they’ll mangle you (your name, your work, & your attitude if your not careful)

C. Solomon Says Pride Is Good For Nothing But Quarrels & Strife
D. According To Pr 13:10, Winning Over Pride Requires A Willingness To Listen & Take Advice E. I’m Sure You’ve Noticed That The Better The Advice Is, The Harder It Is To Take

1. However, as an old proverb states–Seek counsel of him who makes you weep & not of him who makes you laugh

F. No One Of Us Alone Knows Enuf Or Has Seen Enuf To Make It Thru This World

1. I don’t know of an area of life that can’t be improved by listening to the right folks

a. Just make sure you listen to the right folks

1) Secular Psychologists may take your side & give you self-serving advice–Beware

a)Many Christians have gone in to save their marriages & families & were told to get out

2)Listening to the hot heads or inexperienced know-it-alls in the church is usually fatal

b. Too many people are cheerful givers only when they get the chance to dole out free advice

G. One Source Of Counsel Will Never Fail Us, & That’s God

1. When issues get cloudy, let’s go to the Bible & we’ll always get clear answers (Ps 119:105

CONCLUSION
A. W Robertson Nicoll, Commenting On 2 Tim 3:2 & The Human Vices Paul Says Is Characteristic Of Fools, Contrasts Two Sides Of The One Coin Called "Pride"

1. The boastful-Betrays his character by his words
2. The haughty- Betrays his character by his demeanor & expression

B. Folks The Point Of These Passages In Proverbs Is–We Have No Right To Boast & Be Haughty

1. Is 64:6-But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags 2. Jn 15:5-I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.

C. Let’s Heed The Counsel Of Wise Solomon To Defeat Our Sinful Pride–

1. Hate evil; Be humble; Put proper perspective on your accomplishments; Defeat strife & take wise counsel

D. Thruout History The Great Philosophies Have Opposed The Teachings Of Christianity–

1. Greece said–Be wise, know yourself; Rome said–Be strong, discipline yourself; Religion says–Be good, conform yourself; Epicureans say–Be sensuous, enjoy yourself; Education says–Be resourceful, expand yourself; Asceticism says–Be lowly, suppress yourself; Materialism says–Be satisfied, please yourself; Pride says–Be superior, promote yourself; Humanism says–Be capable, believe in yourself; Legalism says–Be pious, limit yourself; Philanthropy says–Be generous, release yourself

a. But Jesus says–Be a servant of God, serve others

E. That’s The Key To Winning Over Pride–

1. Gal 5:13-For, brethren, ye have been called unto liberty; only use not liberty for an occasion to the flesh, but by love serve one another

F. JC Ryle–Pride is the oldest sin in the world. Indeed it was before the world. Satan & his angels fell by pride. They weren’t satisfied w/their 1st estate. Thus pride stocked hell w/its 1st inhabitants. Pride cast Adam out of paradise. He wasn’t content w/the place God assigned him. He tried to raise himself & fell. Thus sin, sorrow & death entered in by pride