James 4:6, “…. God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble.”
Resist means to exert force in opposition. Some synonyms are to oppose, combat or withstand which means to set oneself against someone or something.
Another dictionary defines it as to fight against something or to refuse to accept or to be changed by something.
It means to fend off something and its influence or to fight in opposition against that influence
Today, God is in active resistance against the proud.
Pride is a sin that can utterly destroy a person’s life. The sin of pride is what keeps people from confessing their sins to God and others. Pride doesn’t confess faults. What really happens with pride is it goes in the opposite direction, away from God. God hates pride. He completely fights against it and resists it. Pride in one’s life can create some devastating results.
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.”
An abomination is something that causes disgust or hatred. A synonym is being anathema. Remember he that loveth not the Lord Jesus let him be anathema.
(1 Cor 16:22)
Those who are filled up with pride love themselves. I want to make sure you heard that. Those who are filled up with pride are enamoured and in love with THEMSELVES, not the Lord Jesus Christ and the things that He taught. It’s actually a form of self-worship.
In Matthew 4:10 the Lord Jesus says, “…Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve.”
Extreme pride in a person’s life is self worship. God is going to punish the sin of pride that’s how bad it is. To avoid this people need to repent.
Proverbs 29:23, “A man’s pride shall bring him low: but honour shall uphold the humble in spirit.”
Proverbs 16:18, “Pride goeth before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall.”
Proverbs 8:13, “The fear of the Lord is to hate evil: pride, and arrogancy…”
The word pride means the quality or the state of having inordinate self-esteem.
Inordinate means unusually or disproportionately large and excessive.
Conceit means to have excessive pride in yourself. It’s an excessive appreciation of one’s own worth. It’s also the state of being too proud of yourself and your actions.
Pride is basically setting yourself on a pedestal in your own mind. It’s placing too high of feelings on your own worth and respect for yourself.
One other dictionary has a very simple explanation it says the quality of having an excessively high opinion of oneself or one’s importance.
Once again, God resisteth the proud and giveth grace to the humble. Proud people are too prideful to admit their own mistakes in life. They simply don’t confess them in that state. Pride binds up a person’s heart before God.
In Luke 18:9-14 it says,
“And he spake this parable unto certain which trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and despised others. Two men went up into the temple to pray; the one a Pharisee, and the other a publican. The Pharisee stood and prayed us with himself, God, I think thee, that I am not as other men are, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as is publican. I fast twice in the week, I give tithes of all that I possess.
And the publican, standing afar off, would not lift up so much as his eyes unto heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying, God be merciful to me a sinner. I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other: for every one that exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted.”
This passage basically teaches everything about what we’re talking about here today.
The Pharisee was so filled up with pride he didn’t recognize what he was, a wretched sinner. He felt that he was a really good person and even told God this in his prayer.
He had all kinds of religious duties and activities that he had kept, but the main problem is that he was filled up with so much pride that he wouldn’t admit the truth that he was just like the rest of us.
He was a sinner who was in need of salvation and the Lord Jesus Christ’s forgiveness.
I said already pride is a terrible thing because people don’t come and admit the truth of what they truly are inside.
Most of the teachings that we have in the New Testament were given to us by the apostle Paul who was filled up with the Holy Spirit.
Remember, Paul himself confessed that he was the chief of sinners. He too was a Pharisee at one time but did a complete 180 and ran to the Lord Jesus Christ for his grace and forgiveness.
Pride does not admit fault. In the church we can come boldly to the throne of grace in time of need. Pride will not do that.
The truth is that our salvation depends upon it. If we confess our sins, God is faithful and just to forgive us our sins. ( 1 John 1:9 )
Never be too big in your heart to admit your faults to God and others.
Notice that the humble publican wouldn’t even lift up his eyes unto heaven. This is how bad he felt inside. His heart hurt so bad he was beating upon his breast and crying out to God to be merciful, admitting he too was a sinner.
In this passage is an example of humble contrition before God. Contrition is something that a lot of people in the church have forgotten. Contrition is a state of feeling remorseful and penitent. Contrition is a deep state of sorrow for the sins that you have committed. It is deep regret and compunction. It’s having a sincere remorse for wrongdoing.
A dictionary defines sincerity as free from pretense or deceit. Sincerity arises from genuine feelings deep down in the bowels of your heart.
Have you ever seen two kids having a problem out on the playground at school. Maybe one of the children hurt the other. You go up to them and tell the one that hurt the other that you need to apologize to him. Then the child that’s in the wrong apologizes in a really sarcastic manner saying ” whatever, I’m sorry.”
The truth is, being sorry is more than words. It has to be from the heart. That is true repentance. It only happens if you care about and love the other person that you wronged.
Even when Peter denied Jesus, he felt deep contrition and compunction for what he had done.
This is yet another example of the incredible amounts of grace found in our loving Lord Christ Jesus. He completely forgave the apostle and reinstated him. If God forgave an apostle who was filled with remorse and regret, who cannot be reached by Christ’s forgiveness?!
Sin is what separates us. Pride is what separates us. Impeitence and insincerity is what separates us. Grace is available. We need to come to God like the humble publican did in order to receive it.
If you possess the virtue of humility then you hold a modest or low view of your own importance. It’s complete freedom from pride or arrogance.
Humility is the quality or state of being humble with a modest opinion of one’s own importance or rank and being filled with meekness. Humility denotes a lack of false pride. It’s a lack of vanity or self-importance.
Luke 14:11 for whosoever exalteth himself shall be abased and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted.
Remember God is Not mocked. God hates pride and he will exalt those who are humble before him.
The archaic definition for the word abased means to be brought down.
In the story of Moses look at pharaoh who wouldn’t humble himself under under the mighty hand of God. He lost his entire Army and his own son in his pride while Moses was lifted up. Pharaohs pride ruined his life while the meekness and humility of Moses pleased God.
1st Peter 5:6 humble yourselves therefore, under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time.
1st Peter 5:5 teaches us to be clothed with humility for God resisteth the proud and giveth grace to the humble.
James 4:10 humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and He Shall lift you up.
Forgiveness requires humility towards the ones that you have wronged. Pride will not apologize Pride does not say I’m sorry. Pride does not cry and weep and moan for the things that they have done wrong.
True humilty requires a change of the heart.
Hosea 10:12 …. “break up your fallow ground for it is time to seek the Lord.”
What a huge difference between these two men, the difference being the state of their hearts in God’s presence. God wants our hearts. He loves us and he wants us to love him back. He cares for us and wants us to care for him.
God doesn’t want church pew religion. God doesn’t want our Sunday school attendance or other list of achievements. He doesn’t even want our gift at the altar unless we learn to confess our sins and to love others. He wants our hearts.♥️
Until we learn that lesson we are destined to a life of pain and suffering because of our own refusal to remember that we are just like everybody else…
One big sinner.
Lord willing, we will talk tomorrow. Bye bye everyone.
Eric
Teufer Lake King James Bible Church 