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Pride and Arrogancy
May 14, 2017
Our society teaches us to be proud -- of self, spouses, children, accomplishments, and other things. God hates pride in all of its forms. We will damage others and ourselves with our pride, and God will not let us go unpunished. - Bernie Parsons
Pride and Arrogancy
A sermon by Bernie Parsons
Presented to Globe church of Christ on 05-14-2017
Presented to Load church of Christ on 05-21-2017
Pride is something that is instilled in most of us from childhood up.
People professing Christianity are caught up in this web of pride, yet
God’s word teaches us the truth.
Proverbs 8:13 "The fear of the LORD is to hate evil: pride,
and arrogancy, and the evil way, and the froward mouth, do I hate."
Pride is sin.
Proverbs 21:4 "An high look, and a proud heart, and the plowing of the
wicked, is sin."
Mark 7:20 "And he said, That which cometh out of the man, that defileth
the man.
21 For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts,
adulteries, fornications, murders,
22 Thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lasciviousness, an evil
eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness:
23 All these evil things come from within, and defile the man."
Without a doubt, God hates pride
and all that it entails.
Proverbs 6:16 “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.”
Not only is pride an abomination
to God, it leads to our downfall in life.
Proverbs 16:18 “Pride goeth before destruction, and an haughty spirit
before a fall.”
Proverbs 29:23 "A man's pride shall bring him low: but honour shall
uphold the humble in spirit."
Even though our own proud actions can undo us, God stands ready to
destroy the proud.
Proverbs 15:25 "The LORD will destroy the house of the proud: but he
will establish the border of the widow."
Proverbs 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."
Pride leads us to do things that we ought not to be doing, such as
stirring up strife.
Proverbs 28:25 "He that is of a proud heart stirreth up strife: but he
that putteth his trust in the LORD shall be made fat."
Pride puts us into embarrassing situations, and brings shame upon us.
Proverbs 11:2 "When pride cometh, then cometh shame: but with the lowly
is wisdom."
Pride causes us to be argumentative rather than seeking peace and
solutions to problems.
Proverbs 13:10 "Only by pride cometh contention: but with the well
advised is wisdom."
Pride causes us to look down on others and damage them through our evil
speech.
Psalms 101:5 “Whoso privily slandereth his neighbour, him will I cut
off: him that hath an high look and a proud heart will not I suffer.”
Pride can cause us to even speak out against God, Himself.
Psalms 12:3 "The LORD shall cut off all flattering lips, and the tongue
that speaketh proud things:
4 Who have said, With our tongue will we prevail; our lips are our own:
who is lord over us?
5 For the oppression of the poor, for the sighing of the needy, now will
I arise, saith the LORD; I will set him in safety from him that puffeth
at him."
Pride and haughtiness cause us to unleash our wrath upon others.
Proverbs 21:24 "Proud and haughty scorner is his name, who dealeth in
proud wrath."
As we said at the outset, God
will bring down the proud from their lofty heights.
Isaiah 2:10 "Enter into the rock, and hide thee in the dust, for fear of
the LORD, and for the glory of his majesty.
11 The lofty looks of man shall be humbled, and the haughtiness of men
shall be bowed down, and the LORD alone shall be exalted in that day.
12 For the day of the LORD of hosts shall be upon every one that is
proud and lofty, and upon every one that is lifted up; and he shall be
brought low:
13 And upon all the cedars of Lebanon, that are high and lifted up, and
upon all the oaks of Bashan,
14 And upon all the high mountains, and upon all the hills that are
lifted up,
15 And upon every high tower, and upon every fenced wall,
16 And upon all the ships of Tarshish, and upon all pleasant pictures.
17 And the loftiness of man shall be bowed down, and the haughtiness of
men shall be made low: and the LORD alone shall be exalted in that day.”
2 Samuel 22:24 "I was also upright before him, and have kept myself from
mine iniquity.
25 Therefore the LORD hath recompensed me according to my righteousness;
according to my cleanness in his eye sight.
26 With the merciful thou wilt shew thyself merciful, and with the
upright man thou wilt shew thyself upright.
27 With the pure thou wilt shew thyself pure; and with the froward thou
wilt shew thyself unsavoury.
28 And the afflicted people thou wilt save: but thine eyes are upon the
haughty, that thou mayest bring them down."
Pride is of this world and this carnal existence.
1 John 2:15 "Love not the world, neither the things that are in the
world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him.
16 For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of
the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the
world.
17 And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth
the will of God abideth for ever."
One of the three major
categories of sin is the pride of life. We take too much for granted
and assume that our own intelligence, abilities and hard work are all
that we need in this life. Moses warned the Israelites not to take
credit for the work that the Lord had done.
Deuteronomy 8:17 "And thou say in thine heart, My power and the might of
mine hand hath gotten me this wealth.
18 But thou shalt remember the LORD thy God: for it is he that giveth
thee power to get wealth, that he may establish his covenant which he
sware unto thy fathers, as it is this day."
When men become arrogant and think too much of themselves, God will lay
them low.
Isaiah 13:9 "Behold, the day of the LORD cometh, cruel both with wrath
and fierce anger, to lay the land desolate: and he shall destroy the
sinners thereof out of it.
10 For the stars of heaven and the constellations thereof shall not give
their light: the sun shall be darkened in his going forth, and the moon
shall not cause her light to shine.
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.
12 I will make a man more precious than fine gold; even a man than the
golden wedge of Ophir.
13 Therefore I will shake the heavens, and the earth shall remove out of
her place, in the wrath of the LORD of hosts, and in the day of his
fierce anger."
Let us humble ourselves, lest the Lord humble us more terribly.
