Pastor Elwin Ahu
October 23, 2011 - W1143

Prides is something we all have don’t we?  It seems like the more we try to say that we aren’t prideful, the more we are.  It’s ironic that the more pride we see in others, the more angry we get.  Maybe it’s because it’s causing them to press down on our pride and there’s a little tension going on there.  C.S. Lewis said in Mere Christianity, “There is no fault which makes a man more unpopular and no fault which we are more unconscious of in ourselves and the more we have it in ourselves the more we dislike it in others.  The vice I am talking of is pride or self-conceit: and the virtue opposite to it, in Christian morals, is called humility.  According to Christian teachers, the essential vice, the utmost evil, is pride.  It was through pride that the devil became the devil: Pride leads to every other vice: it is the complete anti-God state of mind.  Pride gets in the way of everything.  Pride separates us from God.  It separates us from what God wants for our lives and the best that He has for us.  Pride is an obstacle to repentance.  Someone said that pride is a dam that stops the flow of God’s grace in our lives.  Pride causes us to be hindered in our prayers.  It stunts our spiritual growth.  In Proverbs 16:18 it says, “Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before stumbling.” I Corinthians 10:12 puts it this way, “Therefore let him who thinks he stands  take heed that he does not fall.” Meaning when pride gets in the way, although God may have the best for us we will miss it because we’ll be blind and separate from the hope that God has for us.  When I was studying for this I wondered why pride is such a persistent vice in our lives, and I think maybe it’s because we don’t condemn it in our society anymore. We celebrate pride.  Take a look in the news and the things that sell in newspapers: these are politicians, popular athletes, and the rich and famous.  Do the words humility and modesty fall into any of those categories?  It’s like we put pride up on a pedestal.  We like these guys and celebrate them.  We never talk about what God says of pride. So question remains, can we really rid ourselves from pride?  I think pride is part of our flesh.  Your spirit and soul get saved, but as long as you’re still alive in the flesh, there will still be pride in your life.  So it’s not a matter of getting rid of it because we’ll always have it, it is controlling pride.  It’s keeping it at bay.  In the story found in Genesis where Cain and Abel first give of their very first offerings before the Lord, the Lord liked the offering given by Abel.  Cain was a little displeased with that as his pride was hurt, but the spirit of the Lord spoke to Cain and he said, “Be careful, Cain, because sin is crouching at the door and it’s looking to master you but you must master it” (Gen. 4:7).  Its desire is for us, but we have to be able to master it.  Cain was not able to.  He murdered his own brother and lost his future.  So how do we keep pride in check?  We first have to:

1.  Admit pride’s control over you.

We need to learn what outward expressions of pride are.  See what it is, capture it, and reject it.  Proverbs 6:16 says, “There are six things which the Lord hates, yes, seven which are an abomination to Him: Haughty eyes, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood, a heart that devises wicked plans, feet that run rapidly to evil, a false witness who utters lies, and one who spreads strife among brothers.” The common denominator woven into all of that is pride.  These are outward expressions of what people do and when it happens, you know that there is pride in there somewhere.  When we break it down: haughty eyes are like eyes always looking for trouble, or a lying tongue is found in white lies or just trying to get away with something.  A false witness that utters lies is gossiping or talking stink behind someone’s back.  It’s talking about things rather than confronting a person.  If we don’t recognize these outward expressions, we won’t know how to deal with the things that are going on inside of us.  Again, pride is when we stand in opposition to God.  Whatever God would want for your life or says about your life, you stand in opposition to that.  It’s where you’re trying to steal the glory away from God, but there is only one who can get the glory and that is God.  My wife, Joy is a very wise person and she reminds me of this often, “Humble yourself, or the Lord will humble you. You choose.” Isn’t that right? We get to choose.  We need to choose.  Another way of saying it, “Either control your pride or your pride will control you.”  We say things like, “I don’t have any problems with others, or I’m smarter than he is.” When we say things like that we are like a balloon filled with hot air (pride) and instead of being flexible as to how God wants us to be we fill ourselves up with pride.  That’s why 1 Peter 5:5-6 says, “…[All] of you, clothe yourselves with humility toward one another, for God is opposed to the proud, but gives grace to the humble.  Therefore, humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you at the proper time.” We know that we don’t like pride.  We know that humility is a virtue, but what is humility?  I think many times we misdefine humility.  Let me tell you what humility is not.  Humility is not being timid, insecure, or feeling like you are a failure.  Instead humility is,

2.  Humility is an active expression of your faith and obedience. 

Humility is not passive.  Too many times we push things away and we think we’re being humble.  Humility is realizing that everything you have--all the accomplishments, gifts, and abilities--is because God gave it to you.  It’s also realizing that you were designed and gifted for a specific purpose.  So, in the state of humility you try to discern what God has given you, what God is asking you to do, and you don’t go for any more or for any less.  You go for exactly what God wants you to do.  Humility is not chasing for things that are beyond your reach.  You don’t want to settle for mediocrity, but you strive to do your best with what God has given you to accomplish what He wants you to do so that He gets the glory.  It’s not a passiveness.  It’s actively pursuing what God wants you to do.  It’s an active faith that trusts in the wisdom of a sovereign God.  Romans 12:3 says, “For through the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think more highly of himself than he ought to think; but to think so as to have sound judgment, as God has allotted to each a measure of faith.” Paul is saying you have a measure of faith and everything God has gifted you with, now go for it so God can get the glory!  That is humility.  Theologian A.W Tozer quotes, “I have met two classes of Christians; the proud who imagine they are humble, and the humble who are afraid they are proud! There should be another class: the self-forgetful men and women who leave the whole thing in the hands of Christ and refuse to waste any time trying to make themselves good. They will reach the goal far ahead of the rest.”  In other words, he’s saying the truly humble are not thinking “Should I be humble, or should I be proud?” where they wrestle with that thought.  Instead, they know that God is sovereign, and they go for the plan that God has for them in which they do their best for Him with what He has given them.  That is humility.  It’s an active sense of living.  Think of the story about Moses where God asked him to lead two million people out of Egypt and Moses’ response to God’s command was, “No I’m not a spokesman, I can’t speak.”  The Lord was telling him that he was the one, but Moses kept pushing back and telling God to get someone else.  This is where Exodus 4:10-14 says, “Then Moses said to the Lord, ‘Please, Lord, I have never been eloquent, neither recently nor in time past…for I am slow of speech and slow of tongue.’ The Lord said to him, ‘Who has made man’s mouth?...Is it not I, the Lord? Now then go, and I…will be with your mouth, and teach you what you are to say.’ But [Moses] said, “Please, Lord, now send the message by whomever You will.’ Then the anger of the Lord burned against Moses…”  When Moses was telling God to find someone else, do you think that was humility? That was disobedience.  There are times when we think we are being humble, but we are actually being disobedient.  When God is giving you the gifts to move forward and take a risk, do you do as He says? When you settle for anything less than what God has set before you, you’re being disobedient.  The Lord wants you to take what He has given you and charge ahead.  Sometimes, a prideful heart will fear failure and fuel the failures and fears we have.  It’s because when you fail, it hurts your pride or the other response is not even attempting to do what you ought to because you’re afraid of even failing; that’s disobedience.  Humility is recognizing what God is asking you to do, and doing it.  Being willing to submit to God is the issue.  Are you willing to be obedient to what God is asking of you in this season of your life?  How are you going to discover that?  Sometimes you may find yourself wondering what God is asking of you in your family or on the job. That’s why you:

3. Let God’s word read you.   

Spend time in the word of God.  It’s a well-known cliché in the legal field that, “He who represents himself, has a fool for a lawyer.”  You cannot give yourself your own advice.  You cannot read your own case law.  You need somebody to help.  It’s the same with humility and pride.  Get good brothers and sisters in Christ.  But, even then sometimes they won’t tell you what you need to know.  Sometimes they love you, but they still ride along with you.  However, the word of God will speak to you.  That’s why the word of God is so important for us.  Jeremiah 17:9, “The heart is more deceitful than all else and is desperately sick; who can understand it?” Your heart needs to be examined, but you can’t examine your own heart.  The word of God will examine your heart like an x-ray machine that slices your heart and exposes those areas to you.  That’s why daily Bible reading is a must.  We spend a lot of time studying the Bible, but we should let the Bible study us.  In our journaling the question should be, “Lord, what are you saying to me today?” “How is my life going to be different today?”  Hebrews 4: 12 reads “For the word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart.”  Sometimes what is in our heart, comes out of our mouth.  So, what’s going on in your heart? If the Lord were to slice open your heart today, what would He find?  If he finds Jesus in there, there’s no room for pride.  But, if Jesus is only halfway in there, you’re leaving room for pride to creep in. 

Humility is all about the Lord living in your heart, where you know what He is asking of you and the risks that you may have to take.  Regardless of what it is, you will trust and obey.  Pride is something we’ll always have to deal with.  But, I really believe we can.  If you don’t control pride, pride will control you.  With Jesus living in your heart, we can put that pride aside and live for Jesus Christ.       

Discussion Questions:

1.   What are some of the outward expressions of pride?

2.   What is humility not?

3.   Are you willing to be obedient to what God is asking of you in this season of your life?

4.   How do you know what God’s plan is for you?

5.   When you let God’s word study you, what will the Lord find?