April 25, 2021

WISE WORDS: THE DANGER OF PRIDE

April 25, 2021

Pastor Jonathan Falwell

 

Do you consider yourself to be capable of meeting most challenges, or are you low on the self-confidence scale and are constantly seeking self-help books?

Today we will finish our mini-series on the wise words of King Solomon, as he wrote in the book of Proverbs, concerning the dangers of pride. We will couple it with passages from the book of Isaiah, which we are finishing as we read through the Bible in six months. Both the prophet and the king illustrate the path of destruction that pride can lead us down, for it is a constant struggle nearly everyone faces. We know God hates pride, and is against anyone whose life reflects the modern adage “It’s All About Me.” Is there help, or an opportunity for change, if your life is filled with pride? Yes! Join us as we examine this insidious sin, and learn how to overcome it.

Focal Passages: Isaiah 12:1-4; Isaiah 14:12-15; Isaiah 25:1, 9; Proverbs 16:18.

            In our success, pride seeks to stop us

  • Read Proverbs 16:18. Everyone seems to battle the desire to be appreciated for what we look like, what we do, or how we act. As we experience praise for accomplishments, what are some results that can occur? How can moments of praise turn into pride?
  • Read Isaiah 14:12a. How do you think the person* in this passage possibly began to be filled with pride? How can a person be unaware that pride is slowly infiltrating their life?

Pride makes us believe what is not true

  • Read Isa. 14:13-14a. As this person continued to be constantly receiving praise, what did his mindset reflect? How did he build himself up in his thinking? Does he remind you of any other Old Testament figure? Read Daniel 4:29-30. How were these two men alike?
  • What was Satan probably whispering in his ear in times of achievement? What was the biggest lie that he was believing?
  • If someone tries to help one who is succumbing to pride, how do you think it may be received?

 Pride causes us to replace God with self

  • Read Isa. 14:14b. What was the final pinnacle this person aimed for, once he had achieved the goals in his life? Why did he believe he could attain the level of God?
  • When each successive accomplishment is a win, what happens to our belief that we can do it on our own? Who will get the credit for the great job? Does the person with that much pride need God at all?

Our pride never takes us where we believe we’re going

  • Where does the person who is filled with pride think his winning streak is going to end? Read Isa. 14:15. Does he ever believe he will eventually fall? Why or why not?
  • Does anyone recall what the term “the deepest regions of the pit” mean?
  • In their false picture of a self-made life, will they ever envision themselves doing anything except coming out on top?

The right attitude to defeat pride

  • Read Isa. 12:1-4. What are some obvious differences between this passage and the one we read in Isaiah 14?
  • If someone wants to truly change from a mindset of pride to one of humility, what steps can they put into effect to stop worshiping self and start worshiping God?
  • How can one learn to look to God for all things? How can we learn to put our faith, trust, and worship in God and God alone?

Close

Pride is a disease of the spirit that can destroy us just as surely as cancer can kill the body, for God is “opposed to the proud” (James 4:6) and will “destroy the house of the proud” (Proverbs 15:25).  Praise—or even the internal emotion of accomplishment—is very addicting. It is a euphoric feeling that we want more of, even though we may not consciously make a connection between the praise and the desire to keep riding the “high.” And it may be so gradual that it can be years before we attain to a level where we feel we are very special and therefore deserve the glory.

We seldom—if ever—come across someone who has a desire to self-destruct, yet the downward spiral is so subtle that it can be hard to recognize one is on the path to pride. The successes in life foster a sense of accomplishment—or praise from the world, which creates the desire for more of the same euphoria; Satan moves in, and starts feeding lies to the mind (“You are so awesome!” “Look what you did all by yourself!”); the pride goes deep into the soul; we become the enemy of God; we are destroyed. It is not an overnight happening.

The praise of men is an elixir. In John 12:43 John mentions that some of the rulers believed Jesus to be the Son of God, but they would not confess Him, fearing they would be put out of the synagogue, “for they loved the praise of men more than the praise of God.” How very sad. Their choice was going to seal their eternal life, where they would have all of eternity to consider their actions.

There are hundreds of verses in the Bible that can be used to train our minds to glorify God. Isaiah 25:1 and 25:9 are two great verses of praise. Nothing is too much trouble to give to the One who paid for your sins!

Here are steps to be certain you are overcoming pride: 1) Be grateful for all the things God has done for you; 2) Deflect praise, giving it to another, or to God, but above all, don’t seek it; 3) Honor others, spending more time praising them for what they’ve done than spending time thinking of yourself; and 4) Make sure to always focus on God’s word.

 

*Opinion is divided whether the reference in Isaiah is the King of Babylon, or Lucifer (Satan) as he fell from heaven. The lesson to be learned and the result will remain clear in our lives, whichever it is.

 

 

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