Friday, April 23, 2010

Pride - If you have Get Rid of It Right now

PRIDE
What is pride? Pride means to act arrogantly; a high opinion of ones worth, self conceit.
"Pride, the idolatrous worship of self, is the national religion of hell."
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…”
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 commonwith prideful
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.”
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

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
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!
Romans 12:16 says, “Don’t be proud, but be willing to associate with people of low position.”
God enables us to stand against pride in our lives. But it can only happen when we understand his grace and mercy.