## Choose Humility over Pride

## I Cor. 4:7

This evening we come to another choice that we as believers must make in our lives. That is to choose humility over pride. Story about Bill Bradley and the butter. "Do you know who I am?"

Occasionally we all need to have someone burst our balloon of self importance and bring us back to reality. Such experiences are healthy because they help us maintain a proper perspective about our accomplishments. Pride is an attitude that causes us to credit ourselves for our accomplishments and to blame others for our failures. On the other hand, humility is an attitude that views both our accomplishments and our failures from God's perspective.

How do we react to the inevitable successes and failures in our life? Tonight we will examine the biblical foundation and some practical suggestions for choosing humility over pride.

I. Pride vs. Humilty

A. A brief examination of Scripture reveals God's attitude toward pride and huniffity.

B. Notice some of the Bible's numerous condemnations of a prideful attitude:

(PROV 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."

(PROV 16:18) "PRIDE GOETH BEFORE DESTRUCTION, AND AN HAUGHTY SPIRIT BEFORE A FALL."

(PROV 21:4) "AN HIGH LOOK, AND A PROUD HEART, AND THE PLOWING OF THE WICKED, IS SIN."

(JAMES 4:6) "BUT HE GIVETH MORE GRACE. WHEREFORE HE SAITH, GOD RESISTETH THE PROUD, BUT GIVETH GRACE UNTO THE HUMBLE."

C. In contrast, notice how the attitude of humility is exalted:

(PROV 11:2) "WHEN PRIDE COMETH, THEN COMETH SHAME: BUT WITH THE LOWLY IS WISDOM."

(PROV 16:19) "BETTER IT IS TO BE OF AN HUMBLE SPIRIT WITH THE LOWLY, THAN TO DIVIDE THE SPOIL WITH THE PROUD."

(ISA 66:2) "FOR ALL THOSE THINGS HATH MINE HAND MADE, AND ALL THOSE THINGS HAVE BEEN, SAITH THE LORD: BUT TO THIS MAN WILL I LOOK, EVEN TO HIM THAT IS POOR AND OF A CONTRITE SPIRIT, AND TREMBLETH AT MY WORD."

(MAT 23:12) "AND WHOSOEVER SHALL EXALT HIMSELF SHALL BE ABASED; AND HE THAT SHALL HUMBLE HIMSELF SHALL BE EXALTED."

(1 PET 5:5-6) "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. {6} HUMBLE YOURSELVES THEREFORE UNDER THE MIGHTY HAND OF GOD, THAT HE MAY EXALT YOU IN DUE TIME:"

II. The Problem with Pride

- Why does God hate pride so much?
- Why is pride at the top of the list of the seven deadly sins mentioned in Proverbs 6?
- Remember the definition of pride? It is the attitude that credits ourselves with our successes and blames others for our failures.
- Such an attitude is the root cause of the following sins:

A. Ingratitude.

1. Pride prevents us from crediting God with the good things in our lives.

2. Instead, we reach the mistaken conclusion that whatever we value in our lives:

a. Our appearance

b. Our abilities

c. Our families

d. Our possessions

3. These are somehow the result of our effort.

a. Such a conclusion is understandable.

b. We live in a culture that worships individualism and self-effort.

c. But before we get too caught up in our own importance, we need again to consider the Apostle Paul's sobering question to bring us back to reality:

(1 COR 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?"

4. Think about it for a moment, Paul advises. What good thing in your life is not ultimately a gift from God?

a. Our appearance?

1) Perhaps we pride ourselves on our appearance.

2) We may exercise and eat all the right foods, but that isn't the key.

3) While it is possible to enhance or neglect your appearance, God's Word reminds us that every part of our body was formed in our mother's womb before we were bom:

(PSA 139:13-14) "FOR THOU HAST POSSESSED MY REINS: THOU HAST COVERED ME IN MY MOTHER'S WOMB. {14} I WILL PRAISE THEE; FOR I AM FEARFULLY AND WONDERFULLY MADE: MARVELLOUS ARE THY WORKS; AND THAT MY SOUL KNOWETH RIGHT WELL."

b. Our abilities?

1) My gift of is the result of years of practice.

2) Yes, we can capitalize on or squander the talents God has given us.

3) But James 1:17 reminds us that

"EVERY GOOD GIFT AND EVERY PERFECT GIFT IS FROM ABOVE, AND COMETH DOWN FROM THE FATHER OF LIGHTS, WITH WHOM IS NO VARIABLENESS, NEITHER SHADOW OF TURNING."

c. Our children?

1) "My children are the result of biology and genetics!"

2) Translation: "They wouldn't be so great, if I wasn't so great."

3) Yet one only has to stand in a delivery room and witness the miracle of birth to realize the truth of Psalm 127:3:

(PSA 127:3) "LO, CHILDREN ARE AN HERITAGE OF THE LORD: AND THE FRUIT OF THE WOMB IS HIS REWARD."

d. Our possessions?

1) "I've worked hard all of my life. That's why I have what I have."

2) Hard work is an important part of being successful, yet ultimately it is God who controls our financial destiny.

3) Job's life was a living illustration of this truth.

(JOB 34:19) "HOW MUCH LESS TO HIM THAT ACCEPTETH NOT THE PERSONS OF PRINCES, NOR REGARDETH THE RICH MORE THAN THE POOR? FOR THEY ALL ARE THE WORK OF HIS HANDS."

4) Simple logic leads us to the conclusion that every good thing in life, beginning with the breath of life itself, is ultimately a gift from God.

5) And yet pride blinds us to such an obvious truth.

B. Independence.

1. Although God desires our fellowship, He doesn't need it.

2. In human terminology, God is completely self-sufficient.

3. He existed before His creation.

4. Why then the demand for our gratitude?

a. God's desire for our allegiance is based on His love for us.

b. God knows that it is impossible for us to be fulfilled apart from a relationship with Him.

c. He made us that way -in His image.

1) Think about it for a moment.

2) If you were a loving God and wanted to get the attention of your creation, how would you do it?

3) The same way a father tries to get the attention of his children-by giving them good gifts.

(MAT 7:11) "IF YE THEN, BEING EVIL, KNOW HOW TO GIVE GOOD GIFTS UNTO YOUR CHILDREN, HOW MUCH MORE SHALL YOUR FATHER WHICH IS IN HEAVEN GIVE GOOD THINGS TO THEM THAT ASK HIM?" [8]

d. God's plan is to shower us with good gifts, so that we might desire to know the loving giver of those gifts.

e. Unfortunately, ingratitude-the result of pride-leads to independence.

1) When we delude ourselves into thinking that we are somehow responsible for the good things in our lives, we decide we really don't need God.

2) Such a false conclusion was the basis for Lucifer's fall from heaven.

(EZEK 28:15,17) "THOU WAST PERFECT IN THY WAYS FROM THE DAY THAT THOU WAST CREATED, TILL INIQUITY WAS FOUND IN THEE...THINE HEART WAS LIFTED UP BECAUSE OF THY BEAUTY, THOU HAST CORRUPTED THY WISDOM BY REASON OF THY BRIGHTNESS: I WILL CAST THEE TO THE GROUND, I WILL LAY THEE BEFORE KINGS, THAT THEY MAY BEHOLD THEE."

3) God said. "Lucifer, you forgot that you are a creature, not the Creator.

4) You fafled to credit Me for your beauty and splendor.

5) And because of that, pride has entered your heart."

6) We find a record of Lucifer's "declaration of independence" in the Book of Isaiah:

(ISA 14:13-14) "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."

5. Independence is the belief that we are sufficient apart from God, and is a deadly result of pride.

C. Intolerance.

1. As we examine the Gospels, we see that Jesus did not deal harshly with adulterers, thieves, or even murderers.

2. Jesus' harshest words were reserved for the self-righteous Pharisees.

3. Their self-righteousness led to a hatred for other people and the false assumption that they were the only ones going to heaven.

(MAT 23:13) "BUT WOE UNTO YOU, SCRIBES AND PHARISEES, HYPOCRITES! FOR YE SHUT UP THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN AGAINST MEN: FOR YE NEITHER GO IN YOURSELVES, NEITHER SUFFER YE THEM THAT ARE ENTERING TO GO IN."

4. Such intolerance of others is a direct result of pride.

5. An inflated view of ourselves leads to a disdain for others.

6. Pride is so subtle that we can become proud of our humility.

WE NEED TO BE CAREFUL THAT WE ARE NOT LIKE THE SUNDAY SCHOOL TEACHER WHO, AFTER TELLING THE STORY ABOUT THE PHARISEE AND THE TAX-GATHERER, SAID, "CHILDREN, LET'S BOW OUR HEADS AND THANK THE LORD THAT WE ARE NOT LIKE THE PHARISEE."

D. Inability to accept God's grace.

1. Perhaps the most tragic result of pride is the inabuity to accept God's forgiveness.

2. If there is one sin that keeps a person out of heaven, it is pride.

3. Jesus fllustrated this truth in His story about the rich young ruler. cf Luke 18:18-23

4. A superficial reading of this account leads many to the false conclusion that money keeps people out of heaven or that one can buy his way into heaven by giving to the poor.

5. But the young ruler's unwillingness to sell all he had was a symptom of a much deeper sin problem.

a. Notice the self-righteous attitude of the young ruler.

b. After being reminded of God's holiness, the ruler quickly replied that he had kept all of God's Law.

c. What an amazing statement!

d. It is impossible for most of us to keep God's Law for an hour, much less an entire lifetime!

e. Jesus' request that he divest himself of his wealth was an attempt to demonstrate the young ruler's basic unrighteousness.

(LUKE 18:17) "VERILY I SAY UNTO YOU, WHOSOEVER SHALL NOT RECEIVE THE KINGDOM OF GOD AS A LITTLE CHILD SHALL IN NO WISE ENTER THEREIN."

f. Our niind-set is that children need to be like adults before they can become Christians.

1) But Jesus says just the opposite- adults need to become like children before they can be saved!

2) You see, a child usually has no problem admitting that he is a sinner and needs the Savior.

3) Unlike the rich young ruler, children are so self-righteousn that they are unable to accept the Gospel.

4) That may explain why the average age of Christian converts is twelve, and there are so few adults who ever respond to the Gospel.

5) Pride bars us from admitting our need for grace.

Tonight we have looked at the problem with pride in our lives. Next week we will consider the necessity of humility. Has pride kept you from doing what God would have you do?

The results of pride: Ingratitude...Independence Intolerance...and the Inability to accept the grace of God. What is your need tonight? Don't allow pride to get in the way of your relationship with God.