Book of Proverbs
Submission, Humility, Rebellion, Lucifer, and the Ultimate Sin of Pride
Lesson 5
Part 3
I want to encourage you again. I’m actually doing for you right now
one of the devotional studies that you could do. I just gave you all of the verses. You can do a topical
study of pride and just have the word pride and what I’m doing for you. I’m showing you how to apply these
precious versus as an encouragement. Those of you that want to get the full benefit of this course, you need
to start a devotional journal.
Proverbs 16:18, again.
Again, it should be marked in your Bible. If you have an electronic Bible, you can get that highlighter in there,
so it jumps out at you. “Pride goeth before destruction, and an haughty spirit before a fall.”
God wants to make me humble, not proud. .
There are nine manifestations of pride described in Proverbs.
Look at this, Manifestations of Pride. How do we know we’re proud? Let me go through these one at a time with you
and we’ll read the verses together. I want you to just underline this in your minds.
Number one, Proverbs says that when we’re proud, we become deceitful. We cover our sins. We hide our faults and
mistakes.
Now, here are the two verses to read in Proverbs 11:2,
“When pride cometh, then cometh shame: but with the lowly is wisdom.”
“When pride comes, then come shame; but with the humble is wisdom.”
Wow. When we’re proud, we don’t want anybody to know our weaknesses. We don’t want anybody
to know our mistakes. What does the Bible say that Christians are to be characterized by?
Confess your faults, one to another, and pray for one another. We’re supposed to be sharing our burdens,
weaknesses, and needs with other believers. So that, they can encourage us.
Hebrews chapter 10 says the primary purpose of gathering and fellowship with other believers is to exhort
one another as we anticipate the return of Christ. How do we exhort? We say, pray for me, I’m struggling
at work. Pray for me, I’m struggling in this relationship, or in my role as a father, or a
husband, or a wife, or a mother, or a child to my parents and I need prayer. That’s an evidence, look, of humility.
Pride says, I don’t want anybody to know that I’m imperfect. Now, we all know we’re all imperfect but our pride,
we’re hard wired with from birth, always makes us want to be like Satan. That is to be full of ourselves,
and haughty, and proud, and saying I will, and I want my way. God says no, humble yourself, be submissive to me.
Wisdom teaches you, number one, to not be deceitful.
Number two. When I’m proud I don’t have close relationships.
This is what it says in Proverbs 18:1-2,
1 Through desire a man, having separated himself, seeketh and intermeddleth with all wisdom.
2 A fool hath no delight in understanding, but that his heart may discover itself.
“A man who isolates himself seeks his own desire; he rages against all wise judgment.” So, he doesn’t
want wise people around him, critiquing his life, and helping him get better. No, he rages against that.
Verse 2 “A fool has no delight in understanding, but in expressing his own heart.” So, a manifestation of pride.
Number one, is being deceitful.
Number two is having no close relationships. We don’t have anybody close to us. Now, remember what the book of
1 John says.
1 John 1 says,
“But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of
Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin.”
If we walk in the light, we have fellowship with people around us. What does that mean?
We’re all open. We’re all seeing each other in the light, the light of God’s word, the light of God through His
Spirit shining down illumining us. Therefore, we have fellowship, partnership in Christ.
Number three,
Proverbs 10:17 says,
“But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of
Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin.”
That another manifestation of pride that goes before destruction and it’s part of a haughty spirit, before
a fall is this, “He who keeps instruction is in the way of life, but he who refuses
correction goes astray.” A lack of admitting when we’re wrong. Now, one of the greatest things to do is to quickly
confess and forsake sin spiritually. We’re supposed to be constantly, as soon as we’re aware that we have disobeyed
God, fallen short of His standard, we’re supposed to be confessing our sins. If we’re very quick to confess to God,
we’re very quick to confess to those around us. Confession to God is a humbling thing. It’s a submissive thing, of
saying I’m helpless, I need your help. You have died in my place and thank you for already forgiving my sins.
Now cleanse me from the effect of that sin. That’s what 1 John 1:9 talks about.
If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
Number four is, an evidence of pride is a person that Proverbs 10:19 says this about.
“In the multitude of words there wanteth not sin: but he that refraineth his lips is wise.”
“In the multitude of words sin is not lacking, but he who restrains his lip is…” what?
“His lips is wise.” So, a foolish person talks all the time, but a wise person restrains their lips.
Talking too much is one of the evidences of foolishness, not wisdom. Remember, it says a wise man holds
his tongue and everybody thinks he’s really wise and smart, but a fool just spouts out. One of the ways
that God says we grow in wisdom is just learning as it says in the book of Psalms, to set a watch at the
door of our mouth. To put a gate there and say, I’m not going to speak until I’ve paused to think what is
a wise and godly thing to say. Do you remember those WWJD bracelets people used to wear? This isn’t one,
this is to remind me that at my old age, taking blood thinners, I bleed a lot. But I remember those WWJD
bracelets and what it is; what would Jesus do? How about WWJS? What would Jesus say? See, that’s what
wisdom tells us.
Number five is connected to number four, talking too much about yourself.
Proverbs 27:2 says,
“Let another man praise thee, and not thine own mouth; a stranger, and not thine own lips.”
“let another man praise you, and not your own mouth; a stranger, and not your own lips.”
Number six, another word from the Lord in wisdom about how to avoid pride is, it says in
Proverbs 13:1
“A wise son heareth his father’s instruction: but a scorner heareth not rebuke.”
“A wise son heeds his father’s instruction, but a scoffer does not listen to rebuke.”
Do you know what number six is? It is evidence of what pride is?
Being devastated or angered by criticism. One of the wisest things I ever heard was by a person
I deeply admired, a spiritual leader.
I used to see them facing criticism, attacked, people angry at them. I used to watch them.
They would stand up in public meetings, and they would have their Bible and they would stand.
You could tell whoever was talking. They would look at them and they wouldn’t say a word.
They’d look at them and there was just a tranquility about them, which was hard to understand.
They’d look at them and wait until the person was completely done with whatever they were accusing
or saying. Then they always said the same thing, they’d go, thank you. Afterward, at one of these
meetings I said, how do you act that way?
They said, in every criticism there’s always a grain of truth. I’m always standing there trying
to have the Lord help me to sift through everything they’re saying and find that grain of truth.
What does Proverbs 13:1 say? “A wise son heeds his father’s instruction.” There are times when,
we as children don’t like to hear what our parents say, but a wise son sifts through. A wise person
sifts through instruction and criticism and seeks to find that grain of truth and say thank you.
If you listen long enough to your critics, to those attacking, they will say something that is that
grain of truth. As I heard even a broken clock is right once a day. So, even a horribly motivated
critic will have some grain of truth.
Number seven. The seventh manifestation of pride is being unteachable.
Proverbs 19:20 says
20 Hear counsel, and receive instruction, that thou mayest be wise in thy latter end.
“Listen to counsel and receive instruction, that you may be wise in your latter days.”
It’s tied to the last one, but what it is, it’s not just thinking of the moment. Being teachable means
I’m thinking of the rest of my life. When a person is criticizing something, now it probably has nothing
to do with me right now, but another grain of truth is, that’s something I should look for in the future.
A proud person is unteachable. You can’t share anything with them. A humble person, that’s living life God’s way,
that has wisdom from above. Do you know what it says in
James 3:17,
17 But the wisdom that is from above is first pure*, then peaceable, gentle, and easy to be intreated, full of
mercy and good fruits, without partiality, and without hypocrisy.
“but the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, then gentle, then easily entreated.”
That means you can reason with them and say what you’re doing troubles me. You say, I don’t want to trouble you.
I want to listen to you. I want to know how-to live-in peace. As Paul said, as much as lies within us we live
at peace with one another. That’s the opposite of number seven, being unteachable.
Number eight is being sarcastic, hurtful, or degrading.
Two Proverbs, 12:18 says
18 There is that speaketh like the piercings of a sword: but the tongue of the wise is health.
“there’s one who speaks like the piercings of a sword, but the tongue of the wise promotes health.”
Then verse 23,
23 A prudent man concealeth knowledge: but the heart of fools proclaimeth foolishness.
“a prudent man conceals knowledge, but the heart of a fool proclaims foolishness.”
Now, sarcastic… have you ever heard the word sarcastic? That word sarx is the Greek word for flesh
and it speaks of someone whose words go like harpoons, are like hooks into someone’s flesh. It’s actually
attacking, you know what they call it ad hominem attacks.
Ad is toward. Hominem is demand. It’s toward the person, you’re attacking the person. It’s not like
you’re presenting a truth for consideration. It is attacking. Being sarcastic, being hurtful,
degrading people is not Christ like. What is it? What did Peter say about Jesus when He was reviled?
He didn’t revile again. What did Jesus enemies say about Him when He spoke? He spoke like no one ever
spoke before. They came to arrest Him, and they couldn’t because His words were so gracious. What
does Paul tell us? Let your words be seasoned with salt and grace by the Spirit of God, not sarcastic.
A proud person is sarcastic, hurtful, or degrading, and they’re headed toward destruction and it’s a
reflection of haughtiness.
Here’s the last one,
Ninth manifestation of pride and
it’s Proverbs 12:1.
1 Whoso loveth instruction loveth knowledge: but he that hateth reproof is brutish.
“Whoever loves instruction loves knowledge, but he who hates correction is stupid.” That’s blunt,
being defensive, or blame shifting. That is where our culture is. Everyone is a victim in American
culture today and they shift the blame for their behavior on to where they live, or who raised them,
or their lack of this or that. The Bible says, no, if you love instruction you love knowledge, but
if you hate and deflect, and are defensive and fight back when someone is pointing out some weakness,
or error, or mistake you’ve made, whether correctly or incorrectly. When we’re defensive and blame shifting,
we’re headed toward destruction God says, and we’re not wise.
How do we cure the my way, pride problem?
Book of Proverbs Submission, Humility, Rebellion, Lucifer, and the Ultimate Sin of Pride Lesson 5 Part 3