If God says he hates something, that should get our attention!

Well, in Proverbs God says “I hate arrogance, and pride, and haughty eyes”. And he promises to bring the proud person low. God foretells a future of disgrace, destruction, and calamity for everyone who is proud. 

On the other hand, God promises grace, and favor, and honor to those who are humble. Proverbs 22:4 ESV “the reward for humility and fear of the Lord is riches and honor and life.”

These vastly different outcomes, based on humility or pride is a major theme of Proverbs.  3:34 “Toward the scorners he is scornful, but to the humble he gives favor!  Proverbs 11:2  “When pride comes, then comes disgrace, but with the humble there is wisdom.” 

This is the loud and clear message of the Bible! Ps 18:27 “For you save a humble people, but the haughty eyes you bring down.”  Ahab was the most evil king of Israel.  So God planned disaster for him.  Yet when he humbled himself, God said, “Because Ahab has humbled himself, I will NOT bring this disaster on him in his day.” 1 Kings 21:29  God responds directly to our pride and to our humility!

Unless you love having God work against you, unless you love disaster, you should make humbling yourself one of your biggest life goals. Jesus said, “for all those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.”

Luke 14:11  Paul said “Therefore as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, CLOTHE yourselves with humility.” Col. 3:12 and “Be COMPLETELY humble…with one another.” Eph. 4:2

The essence of pride is self-focus and self-exaltation. 25:27 “It is not good to eat much honey, nor is it glorious to seek one’s own glory.” Self glory, self-focus, self promotion, is like gorging on honey. If you eat 10 Crumble Cookies you’ll get sick. That sugary dessert becomes revolting. Seeking your own glory is revolting! It’s sickening.

We live in a self-loving, self-glorifying culture!  Self is prioritized above all else. Self expression, is the ultimate value in life. That’s why there is such anger in our culture toward Christian values, and toward God, because they threaten the final authority of self. But Proverbs says pride is to trust in yourself and in your own understanding.  It is to be “wise in your own eyes.”  

Thaddeus Williams called “Self Worship the World’s Fastest Growing Religion”. In this new religion, “Your mind is the source and standard of truth, so no matter what, trust yourself.  The answers are within.”

• Your emotions are authoritative, so never question (or let anyone else question) your feelings.  Follow your heart.
• You can be whatever you want to be, so bend the universe around your dreams and desires. Live your truth.
• You have unlimited potential, so use that limitless creative power to craft your own identity and purpose. 

This a pretty good summation of the modern mindset! This is really nothing new. It is just the sinful pride that has been around since the Garden of Eden. What is new today is the total affirmation of self exaltation coming from all segments of our society.  It’s affirmed in our schools and in the movies our kids see, and often by parents who have bought into this priority of self.  “You just gotta be you – WHATEVER that is.”

The idea of absolute rule of the inner self has crept into Christian thinking. It results in Christians saying things like, “I don’t like this part of the Bible or what God says about this or that. It doesn’t make me feel good.”  So “myself” my inner self becomes a higher authority than God!

Some today twist the true leading of the Holy Spirit into a new age style of inner guidance of just doing whatever they feel at the moment.  You can’t count on them, to be faithful to anyone or to the church, or to the Bible. Because they do not live by obedience, or faithfulness to God-given duties.

There is a true inner leading of the Spirit. “Our lives are living letters NOT written on with ink but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of human hearts.” 2 Cor. 3:3 But the true leading of the Spirit is not an exalted proud self, saying “I just gotta be me”, or “I just gotta do whatever I feel at the moment.” The true leading of the Spirit is our inner person living IN HUMILITY UNDER the Spirit of God.  As Paul said, “I serve God in my spirit.”   

It is easy for us to see the manifestations of pride in our culture today. We have gay pride. We have women claiming to be proud of having an abortion.  It would be easy to focus on all that pride “out there”.  But it’s clear Paul thought pride was also something that could happen in church! And he taught against it in letters to the churches!

Paul used of the body to dramatize our humble dependence on one another, he said, “The eye cannot say to the hand, “I have no need of you,” nor again the head to the feet, “I have no need of you.” 12:21 Obviously Paul was concerned that Christians become proud.  Christians can become proud of spiritual gifts.  We can be proud that we speak in tongues or proud that we don’t.

In 1 Corinthians 13, Paul addresses all those things we can do with pride, instead of love. “If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal….if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. If I give away all I have, and if I deliver up my body to be burned, but have not love, I gain nothing.”  The point clearly is that we can be proud of our gifts.  We can be proud of how sacrificial we are, or how much faith we have.  We can do a lot of seemingly spiritual things with pride instead of love.   

Christians can be proud of favorite teachers, authors, theologians, or church denominations. Paul wrote to believers at Corinth, “I hear that there are fights going on. What I mean is this: One of you says, “I follow Paul” another, “I follow Apollos” another, “I follow Cephas””.  This doesn’t mean we should not have firm convictions about things clearly taught in the Bible, but the sin of pride can invade even good doctrinal loyalties. 

The apostle John dealt with a proud man in the church named Diotrephes.  John said, he “loved to put himself first”.  He  wouldn’t submit to John’s authority, and tried to run the church.  Many years ago there was a man in the church who  seemed to mainly see himself as a judge to evaluate everybody and everything going on.  He didn’t see himself as a humble member of the body, but as an authority above the rest.  That is just a manifestation of pride. 

Why we should avoid pride like the plague.

*The Lord hates pride.

Proverbs 6:16 There are six things that the LORD hates, seven that are an abomination to him: and the first thing listed is haughty eyes. Proverbs 16:5 “Everyone who is arrogant in heart is an abomination to the LORD; be assured, he will not go unpunished.”

This alone should be all we need to fear this sin. Do you want to be doing something God hates! Do you want to provoke the Lord to work against you? This alone should work a deep humility in our hearts. 

Second: The bible prophesies a hard fall if you act proudly. So before you think proud, act proud, talk proud…Consider the damage pride will bring to you: Proverbs 16:18,19 “Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall.”

There’s an old song “That’s Life” that says, “You’re Riding high in April, shot down in May!” That is life for the proud, for sure! 26:12 Do you see a man who is wise in his own eyes? There is more hope for a fool than for him.”  Read all the terrible stuff God says happens to a fool. Then realize the fool has a better future than the person who thinks he knows best how to run his own life. 

*Evidences of pride that we need to watch for:

Any sin! Wherever there is sin there is pride. Christians generally believe that pride is the original sin, that generates everyother sin. CS Lewis said, “The essential vice, the utmost evil, is Pride. Unchastity, greed, drunkenness, and all that, are mere flea-bites in comparison: it was through Pride that the devil became the devil: Pride leads to every other vice.”

Haughty countenance. Proverb 6:  “The Lord hates haughty eyes” or the proud look. Pride shows! You know when you are in the presence of a proud man or woman. It is written across their face and in their eyes. We are not to strut, lift our head up, dress proud, or look proud.  We heard a “Christian” Country singer, giving advice to a younger artist, and she said, “You gotta learn how to strut.” And demonstrated that.  Pastors, teachers are supposed to be cool, to know how to strut across a stage. Christian parents sometimes actually encourage their sons and daughters to look and act proud. 

*Strife. 13:10 “Where there is strife, there is pride.” Where there is conflict in the home, church, work, with neighbors, pride COULD BE the problem. 21:24 “Scoffer” is the name of the arrogant, haughty man who acts with arrogant pride. And 22:10 “Drive out a scoffer, and strife will go out, and quarreling and abuse will cease.”  Peace will come when pride is gone.  Do you want more peace in your life?  Seek to be meek and lowly. 

*Walking in constant calamity. 16:18 “Pride goes before destruction”.  The word for destruction means a crushing or smashing.  It is the same word used in the OT to describe a broken foot, or hand (Lev. 21:19)  I want to be careful here.  Do we all have many trials? Yes!  But if things are always broken, if there is constant turmoil in relationships, marriage, work, finances, in our personal life, that MAY be an indication of undealt with pride.  Should seek the Lord...

*Focus on your own glory. Self focused.  25:27 “It is NOT glorious to seek one’s own glory.” Athletes, entertainers, influencers of all kinds regularly model this shameless promotion of their own success and glory. And our young people follow, not knowing how offensive this is to God.  

*Fear is sometimes evidence of our pride. And of our unwillingness to let go of our control. JP “The pride of being afraid.” Pride is unwillingness to trust in the Lord with all your heart. Peter makes that connection when he tells us to humble ourselves “under the mighty hand of God… casting all your anxieties on him.” 1 Peter 5:,7.  Humility is giving our anxieties over to God. It is believing “God cares for you.” 

God promised to give the land of Canaan to the Israelites when they came out of Egypt. He commanded them to go into the land and to take it. Moses choose 12 men to check out the land. 10 came back and said the people are too tall, too strong. The cities are too big and have walls that are too thick. Two spies Joshua and Caleb came back and said we can take it. But The congregation believed the 10 spies who were controlled by fear.  They rebelled against the Lord, refused to go into the land, and wanted to go back to Egypt.

Who exhibited pride and who exhibited humility? Pride says

regardless of what God has promised, I will trust my fears.  And I am going to act on my fears and anxieties. Fear is pride in my own take on things, my own control of things. Humility bows before the promises of God and the commands of God and acts courageously. 

*Not feeling the need to be deeply connected to brothers and sisters in the body of Christ.  The attitude is, “I’ve got this.  I’m just fine. I don’t really need to be with other believers that much!”  Humility recognizes our need for God and for one another.  I think pride is one of the reasons it is so hard to get us to be faithfully committed to one another, to meeting.

*Practical ways to practice humility.

-Choose to NOT place confidence in yourself and your ability to understand life and make the best choices for yourself. Instead humbly choose to trust God.  Proverbs 3:5  “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and do NOT rely upon your own understanding...” That’s how you practice humility.

-Learn how to humbly receive instruction and even correction.  Proverbs is big on receiving counsel.  A lot of people want prayer for things but do not want counsel! Proverbs 15:31-33 “The ear that listens to life-giving reproof will dwell among the wise. Whoever ignores instruction despises himself, but he who listens to reproof gains intelligence. The fear of the Lord is instruction in wisdom, and humility comes before honor.”  It takes humility to be taught or corrected. But that brings wisdom and honor.  

-Go take the lower place and serve there.

25:6,7 Do not put yourself forward in the king’s presence or stand in the place of the great, for it is better to be told, “Come up here,” than to be put lower in the presence of a noble.”  Look for the lower place. Let God move you up.

-Let someone else to sing your praises. 

27:2 “Let another praise you, and not your own mouth; a stranger, and not your own lips.” Why? Because it just isn’t good!  God says so!   This is so practical!  Now we should be generous with our praise of others.  Proverbs 31 “Her children  rise and call her blessed.  Her husband also, he praises her, (saying) “many women have done excellently, but you excel them all!”  Prov. 31:28,29 When that happens it is good!  But it isn’t good to praise yourself.  

A big part of praise is just self-focus.  If we are concerned if we got enough praise, or if we got acknowledged, or if somebody remembered our birthday or not, that is really just life turned in of self.  

-Accept the humbling circumstances God puts you in with grace and joy. Proverbs 15:33  “Before honor comes humility”.  Peter said, “humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God”.  Bow beneath your hard or humbling circumstances without bitterness or complaint.  Often this is God’s preparation for lifting you up, and using your life. 

-Do not brag about what you are going to accomplish. 27:1 “Do not boast about tomorrow, for you do not know what a day may bring.”  1 Kings 20:11 says, One who puts on his armor should not boast like one who takes it off.'" What does that mean?  You don’t boast when you are getting dressed to go into battle, but only after the battle when the battle is won and you take your armor off”.  

Alexander Maclaren, “You are a soldier, whether you want to be or not, and life is a fight, whether you recognize the fact or not....You, young men and women, are standing at the entrance of the amphitheatre where the gladiators fight.”  But  don’t go into the arena with a brash self confidence!  There is only one way you can dash into the arena with the most perfect confidence that you will come out with your shield preserved and your sword unbroken.  That is because Jesus said, ‘Be of good cheer! I have overcome the world.’ 

My dear young friends, distrust yourselves utterly, and trust Jesus Christ absolutely, and give yourselves to Him, to be His servants and soldiers till your lives’ end. Then you will not be beaten, for it is written...‘These are they who overcame by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of His testimony.’ 

“There is no room for boasting, but there is room for absolute confidence.”

**Let’s wrap up this morning with the blessings of humility on our hearts.  God responds to humility and will bless you for it. In Proverbs God promises the humble riches, honor, life, wisdom, favor and grace. 

No matter how bold all these statements are from Proverbs, no one made more radical statements on humility than Jesus!  He said the one who humbly serves is the greatest one in God’s kingdom.   God values humility!  It is not the people making the most noise, grabbing the headlines, who God says are the great ones in his kingdom!  In fact Jesus said ONLY the humbly childlike will make it into the kingdom. (Matthew 18:3,4 “Unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.  And whoever humbles himself like this little child is greatest in the kingdom of heaven!”.  He said, it is the meek and lowly who will be given power and dominion over the earth someday.  

In Matthew 25 Jesus said, God hides himself from the wise and reveals himself to the childlike.  IE Humble yourself and God will show himself to you!  

There may not be an issue in life that demonstrates more clearly whether we are still mainly under the influence of the world or if we have had our minds baptized into the mindset of God’s Kingdom.  

So “humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God that he may exalt you at the proper time.”   Don’t wait for God to humble you!  Humble yourself!