Pride

“Now therefore there is utterly a fault among you, because ye go to law one with another. Why do ye not rather take wrong? why do ye not rather suffer yourselves to be defrauded?”

I Corinthians 6:7

 

Introduction:

1. We studied I Corinthians 6 this morning, where we discovered the introductory text above to use tonight also.
2. Paul argued there was an easy way to end all disputes with brethren – take the loss; but pride will not let go.

What is it?

1. Pride. A high or overweening opinion of one’s own qualities, attainments, or estate, which gives rise to a feeling and attitude of superiority over and contempt for others; inordinate self-esteem.
2. Bible synonyms for pride include arrogancy, conceit, haughtiness, loftiness, highminded, glory, stoutness of heart, a lifted up heart, and being puffed up.
3. Consider a wonderful verse like Jeremiah 48:29, which combines several of these synonyms to help.
4. It is deceitful to think more highly of yourself than you ought to think (Romans 12:3; Galatians 6:3).
5. Bible antonyms for pride include humility, humbleness of mind, meekness, and poverty of spirit.
6. Humility. The quality of being humble or having a lowly opinion of oneself; meekness, lowliness: the opposite of pride or haughtiness. Humble. Having a low estimate of one’s importance, worthiness, or merits; marked by absence of self-assertion or self-exaltation.
7. The first sin was Satan’s pride. We know it from I Tim 3:6; we read Isaiah 14:12-14; Ezek 28:12-17.
8. How severe was the punishment of the devil? He and his are reserved for everlasting torment in hell.
9. Pride is one of the devil’s principles tricks to lead us to sin (I John 2:16 cp Luke 4:9-13 cp Gen 3:6).
10. You avoid visual stimulus to fight lust of the eyes; you create limits for things for lust of the flesh.
11. But the pride of life is carried with you all the time in all your thoughts and can cause sin instantly.
12. The LORD gave Nebuchadnezzar a severe lesson to reject pride and learn humility (Dan 4:28-37).

What are its symptoms?

1. Pride has little use for God, because of intense feelings of self-sufficiency (Psalm 10:4; Hos 7:10).
2. Pride causes picking on those below you, because of intense feelings of superiority (Psalm 10:2).
3. Pride causes haughty speech of presumption and disrespect of honorable things (Ps 59:12; Pr 14:3).
4. Pride causes contention and fighting, because a proud cannot forgive or overlook (Pr 13:10; 21:24).
5. Pride causes excessive talking, because a person is in love with hearing himself (Eccl 10:12-14).
6. Pride causes men to slip in a few little tidbits about their ability or difficult life (Prov 25:27; 27:2).
7. Pride causes men to resent correction, because they are stubborn in their own conceit (Prov 26:16).
8. If you take the time to think about sins, you can allocate them to the three categories (I John 2:16), but most of them will flow from the pride of man that is ready at an instant in every human heart.
   1. Why does a person backbite, bear tales, or whisper about others? It is not lust of eyes or flesh!
   2. Why is a person discontented to whine about circumstances? They think they deserve better!
   3. Why do some have a difficult time forgiving others? They honor themselves by others’ faults.
   4. Why does a spouse wait for the other spouse to make-up first? Pride keeps them from going!
   5. What is the root cause of covetousness, ignoring the sight of the eyes? Pride to be the best!

What are its consequences?

1. You are going down. “Pride goeth before destruction, and an haughty spirit before a fall” (Pr 16:18).
2. And, “Before destruction the heart of man is haughty, and before honour is humility” (Prov 18:12).
3. And, “A man’s pride shall bring him low: but honour shall uphold the humble in spirit” (Pr 29:23).
4. The LORD cannot stand pride in a man, who is but a worm, so He will fight (Da 4:37; Ac 12:21-23).
5. God resisteth the proud (James 4:6-10; I Pet 5:5-6). These words should strike fear in your souls!
6. It steals caution and tempts to foolish and unnecessary risks (Pr 25:8; 26:12; Ob 1:1-4; I Cor 10:12).
7. It steals prudence and tempts to men to ignore wise counsel and do things their own way (Pr 26:16).
8. It steals prudence and tempts men to continue pressing a situation where they have already lost.

What are its cures?

1. The fear of the Lord, truly humbling yourself before God, is to hate pride and arrogancy (Prov 8:13).
2. Seek a contrite heart –broken with repentance – and tremble before God’s word (Is 66:2; Mic 6:6-8).
3. Get a good view of God and stand in awe of Him (Psalm 4:4). It helped Job a whole lot (Job 42:5-6).
4. Pray as a fool, telling God sincerely from your heart you are very ignorant and helpless (Ps 131:1-2).
   1. Remember Solomon’s prayer of being a little child and not knowing what to do (I Kings 3:5-15).
   2. Remember Jehoshaphat’s prayer of no might and not knowing what to do (II Chron 20:1-19).
   3. Never pray as the arrogant Pharisee with the self-righteous attitude of superiority (Luke 18:11).
   4. Become as a little child without the pompous attitude of self-sufficiency of adults (Matt 18:1-4).
   5. Pray for your enemies, which a man with active pride cannot do easily (Matthew 5:43-48).
5. Novices and all inexperienced young men should wait their turn to be in any spotlight (I Tim 3:6).
6. Have a holy hatred inside at anything that even smells like a backdoor compliment (Pr 25:27; 27:2).
7. Everything you have and are is by the gift of God; do not glory in your accomplishments (I Cor 4:7).
8. Let your weaknesses out, rather than hiding them, so others will have true knowledge (II Cor 12:9).
9. Appreciate correction and warnings from others and confess your faults (Ps 141:5; Pr 27:6; Ja 5:16).
10. Avoid striving with any person for vainglory; instead learn to esteem them better than you (Phil 2:3).
11. Work carefully at making others and their things more important than you and your things (Phil 2:4).
    1. Do you ask about things of others and avoid talking about your own things as much as possible?
    2. Do you listen well? Or are you already thinking about what you are going to say to them next?
    3. Do you compliment freely? Or are you better at criticizing? Or working yourself into the mix?
12. Consider and learn to emulate the spirit of Jesus Christ in humbling Himself to the cross (Phil 2:5-8).
13. Settle all differences with others as quickly as you can, contrary to pride (Matthew 5:23-24).
14. Be agreeable; be unpretentious; consider the uncomely; think lowly of yourself (Romans 12:16).
15. Do not compare yourself with others, for you can always find someone that is worse (II Cor 10:12).
16. Learn true charity, which does not vaunt itself, is not puffed up, seeks not her own (I Cor 13:4-7).
17. Focus on serving others, which is the secret to being the greatest (Luke 22:24-27; Ezek 16:49-50).
18. Don’t let your right hand know what your left hand does in charity and service (Matthew 6:1-4).
19. True humility does not practice self-denigration excessively. Learn Paul’s balance (I Cor 15:10).
20. Humility can never negate or restrict godly authority or confidence in truth (I Tim 4:12; Titus 2:15).

Conclusion:

1. God hates pride, and He will destroy you and the work of your hands if you have very much of it in you.
2. In maximizing your relationships, as in I Corinthians 6:7, let things go and suffer yourself to be defrauded.
3. Be subject to others and put on humility; God resists the proud; God gives grace to the humble (I Pet 5:5).

For additional study:

1. Commentary on Proverbs 11:02
2. Commentary on Proverbs 13:10
3. Commentary on Proverbs 15:25
4. Commentary on Proverbs 16:18
5. Commentary on Proverbs 18:12
6. Commentary on Proverbs 26:12
7. Commentary on Proverbs 28:25
8. Sermon Outline: The Lie of Self-Love
9. Sermon Outline: The Lie of Unconditional Love.