The Problem Of Pride

1. Years ago Augustine named "pride" as the greatest of all sins.

• He pointed out that when man is proud he exalts himself and he displaces God.

• There is no greater sin than displacing, despising and rejecting God.

2. Pride is an insidious sin that can invade every facet of a person's life and make him obnoxious to God and others.

1. There is the good sense.

• Pride is synonymous with self-respect, personal dignity, seeking to do a good job.

• This can manifest itself in good job performance, good grades, good parenthood, etc.

• Manifest itself in a feeling of self-worth and appearance.

• He who has no self-respect demands no respect from others.

• One who refused to keep clean probably lacks self-respect.

• Let us make sure that the pride that we possess is the kind that keeps the chin and head up and not the nose!

2. There is the bad sense.

• Webster defines this pride as, "the quality or state of being proud: an inordinate self-esteem: conceit."

• The Bible warns that this pride is sinful. (Prov. 2l:4; 6:l6-l9; l6:5; 8:13).

• See Mk. 7:21-27; Rom. l:22; 2 Tim. 3:l-5.

• Pride is one of the channels through which Satan tempts man to sin. (l Jno. 2:15-17).

• Satan used pride in the temptation of Christ. (Matt. 4:l-ll).

• He used it in the temptation of Adam and Eve. (Gen. 3:l-6).

1. Pride will prevent conversion. (Matt. l8:l-4; 5:3).

2. Pride will cause one to refuse to confess his sins.

• Some cannot humble themselves low enough to say, "I have sinned."

• We need to confess sin to God. (l Jno. l:8-l0).

• We need to confess sin to others. (Matt. 5:21-24; l8:l5-17; Jas. 5:l6).

3. Pride keeps one from doing menial tasks, from serving in some or all ways. (Jno. l3:l-15).

4. Pride will cause one to try to live beyond his means.

• This causes one to be more interested in impressing others and gratifying self than in helping others or preaching the gospel.

• This causes one to get deeply in debt and may lead to a failure to pay debts. (Rom. 12:17; l3:8).

5. Pride causes contention. (Prov. l3:l0).

• It "breeds quarrels." NIV

• The wise will "take advice." NIV

6. Pride leads to rebellion. (Psa. l0:4).

7. Pride causes the rule or ruin, boss or burst, attitude. (III Jno. 9, l0).

8. Pride leads to apostasy. (l Tim. 3:6; Prov. l6:l8; l Cor. l0:12).

• A Chinese proverb says, "He who stands on a pedestal has no place to step but off."

• Jesus warned against exalting self. (Matt. 23:11,12).

1. Spiritual pride

• Scribes and Pharisees guilty of this pride. (Mk. 12:38,39; Lk. l8:l0-14).

• Spiritual pride causes one to trust his own virtues rather than the grace of God and the blood of Christ. (Eph. 2:8-10).

• This is a sin that both Christians and non-Christians commit.

2. Intellectual pride (l Cor. 8:1-2).

• This kind of pride causes one to look down with disdain on the unlearned, illiterate, oppressed, poor and down-trodden.

• It causes one to look down on one's parents as out-of-date ignoramuses and on the elders back home as "back-woodsey."

• It forgets that all of our mental capabilities are derived from God.

• True knowledge gives birth to humility, not conceit and contempt.

• Intellectual pride causes some to denounce God, Christ, Bible, miracles, etc.

• This is not to encourage ignorance (Jno. 8:24), for there is no premium on ignorance. (Acts 17:30; 2 Thess. l:7-9).

3. Pride of material things

• This pride causes one to trust in his material possessions, talking of me, my and mine, while forgetting that all material blessings flow from God. (l Chron. 29:12; Jas. 1:27).

• This is the pride that will cause one to strut his expensive dress or suit, show his credit cards, and drive a flashy automobile.

• See l Timothy 6:7,9; Psa. 62:l0.

• We must not be proud of our humility.

• Socrates tells of Diogenes, who lived in a tub and dressed in rags. He said, "I see your vanity through the holes in your cloak."

• Some have heard of the man who was given a medal for his humility, and then had to have it taken from him because he wore it.

4. Social pride

• This pride will manifest itself by treating the poor in a shameful way. (Jas. 2:l-9).

• This is the pride that causes men to look down on men of other races.

5. Sin pride

• This pride boasts of unethical and dishonest business deals, of lying the way out of trouble, or immoral pursuits.

• Sin should cause one to be deeply ashamed, not proud! (2 Cor. 7:l0).

6. Pride of place

• Some love to be first (3 Jno. 9, l0).

• Through pride of place James and John wanted the chief seats in the kingdom of Christ. (Mk. l0:34,35).

• If I can't be chairman, I won't serve on the committee.

• I refuse to serve without being in the limelight and receiving recognition for my work.

7. Pride of face

• It is good to keep ones body clean, and to be neat and attractive if one does not become conceited about it.

• One should not allow his or her attractiveness to treat others with disdain.

• One should not allow an unholy desire to display oneself to lead to immodesty. (l Tim. 2:9,10).

1. God hates pride. (Prov. 6:l6-19). See Jas. 4:6.

2. Love will cure pride. (l Cor. l3:4.)

3. We must remember that we are but men. (Psa. 9:20).

4. We have no sufficiency in ourselves. (Jno. 5:30; 2 Cor. 3:5.)

5. We must avoid thinking or ourselves more highly than we ought to think. (Rom. 12:3; Gal. 6:3).

• We are God's servants.

• All we are or have is from God.

6. We must walk humbly with God. (Mic. 6:8).

7. We are debtors to God and the help of others. (l Cor. 4:7; l5:10; Deut. 8:ll-20).

8. Jesus is the way to heaven. (Jno. l4:6; Gal. 6:14.)

9. We must crucify self. (Gal. 2:20).

• "I" is the middle letter in both pride and sin.

• We should strive to live like we sing "None of self, and all of Thee."

10. We must realize that pride always leads to destruction. (Prov. 16:18; 15:25; 16:5; 18:12).

• Pride led Judah into Babylonian captivity. (Jere. 13:15-17).

• The proud will be brought low. (Prov. 29:23; Psa. 18:27).

1. Let us work hard to cultivate the grace of humility.

2. The kingdom of heaven belongs to the humble. (Matt. 5:3).