God is saying to you today:
“Don’t worry. I will take care of you today. I will work on the problems that are on your heart. Trust Me. I love you more than you can imagine. I am fighting for you. I’m always by your side.”
The problem with pride is that it is a dangerous and deceptive sin. Nothing brings more destruction to our nation, homes, and relationships than a prideful spirit. In this message, Adrian Rogers defines pride, and shares the five ways it can devastate us if we don’t deal with it.
I’m gonna give you this morning five ways that pride will ruin and devastate your life.
Pride is the most destructive thing in the universe.
Do you know the reason that some people cannot have their ministry blessed?
They’re too big for God to use.
You can be too big for God to use, but you can never be too small for God to use.
But pride destroys souls. Pride is filling hell, profound truth. Simply stated.
This is love worth finding with pastor teacher and author Adrian Rogers.
Find Proverbs chapter 16 and then verse 16, uh verse 18.
Rather, we’re going to look at that in just a moment.
We’re going to be speaking today on the problem with pride.
How many of you have a problem with pride? Would you lift your hand?
All right. Um I’m going to be preaching to you today, but I’m special gonna be preaching to those who didn’t lift their hands in all seriousness.
Pride is a problem that all wrestle with and those who think they don’t have it probably have more of it.
Proverbs 16, verse 18, pride growth before destruction and a Holy Spirit before a fall.
There is a sin, a very dangerous sin that in my estimation is doing more to hold back revival than any other sin.
Doing more to destroy homes than any other sin. Doing more to ruin this nation than any other sin.
Causing more Christians to live in failure and defeat than any other sin.
And that is filling hell more than any other sin. And very frankly, it is the sin of pride.
May I give you now five things that pride will do to ruin and devastate your life.
Number one, pride defies God. Pride is a fist in the face of God.
Now we’re gonna be in the book of Proverbs.
And so if you want to just stay in the Proverbs, we’re gonna go back and forth through the Proverbs because the book of Proverbs gives us some wonderful lessons on the problem of pride.
Uh Look, if you will in Proverbs chapter six and verses 16 through 19, these six things that the Lord hate, Y seven are an abomination unto him.
A proud look, a lying tongue and hands that shed innocent blood and heart that divides wicked imaginations feet that be swift in running to mischief.
A false witness that speaketh lies and he that sought discord among brethren. Those are seven things that God hates.
Number one on God’s hate parade is pride. Pride. Number one on God’s hate parade is pride. A proud look.
Why does God hate pride? Proverbs 16 verse five.
Everyone that is proud and heart is an abomination to the Lord. That’s strong language.
If you’re proud, you are abominable to God. Why does God hate pride so much? Friend? Listen to me.
It was pride that created the devil.
It was pride that turned uh Lucifer the son of the morning into Satan, the father of the night, the national religion or the national religion of Satan’s kingdom is pride.
That’s what Satan’s Kingdom is built on. No wonder, pride defies God friended.
Look at all, heartache, all tears, all sorrow, all war, all strife, all pain, all agony, all shame.
And you can say pride did it, pride did. It. Pride has wrecked the human race.
Pride defies God. Now put I we I said we’re gonna stay in, in Proverbs.
But here’s an, an scripture we cannot pass first Peter chapter five and verse five, the Bible says, God resists the proud and gives grace to the humble.
Now, grace is both the desire and the ability to do the will of God.
And we all need grace. But grace and pride are antithetical and God resists the proud.
It is not that God merely doesn’t help.
The proud God lines himself up in battle array against the proud God resists the proud.
Is that what you want God to do to you?
First Peter 55, God resists the pride, but He gives grace to the humble.
That’s the first thing pride will do uh to destroy your life. Uh Pride uh defies God.
Number two, pride, defiles man.
Uh Pride is a, it comes out of the heart and it defiles the very heart of man.
Uh And, and the seat of pride is the heart.
Proverbs 16 verse five speaks of everyone that is proud in heart.
Everyone that is proud in heart is an abomination to the Lord.
And then Proverbs 21 verse four, a high look a proud heart and the plowing of the wicked is sin.
That is a man who would plow his feet without giving God thanks for the son and the germinating qualities and for the rain.
He’s proud, he’s self sufficient.
And so the Bible says that uh if you have pride, pride, even when you plow a field that it is sin, it just defiles man.
Where does this pride come from? Friend? We were born with it. Pride comes out of the heart.
Mark chapter seven verse 21.
For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornication, murders, thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lasciviousness, and evil eye blasphemy pride that comes out of the heart.
Little Children were born with pride in their heart. Uh You don’t believe it.
Take a little child surround him with toys more than he needs.
He’s not playing with them. Let another mother bring her little baby and put him on the floor and that little baby go over and pick up one of those toys.
Your sweet little baby will leave the toys he’s playing with, go over there and bop that other kid and take that toy.
Children are born with pride and ego and selfishness in their hearts.
I hate to tell you folks, but it is true. It comes out of the heart.
You, you think these things are learned, they’re not learned, they’re part of human nature.
Jesus said they come out of the heart. And so pride defies God. Pride defies man.
And, and uh that’s the reason every person in this building, if he’s not been saved needs to be saved and born again.
Because when we were born the first time we were born with a nature that is inclined to pride.
I hope you understand that. Number three, we’re talking about five things that pride will do to you.
Number three, pride divides society. It defies God. It defies man and it divides society.
I’m gonna tell you something and you may disagree with me for a moment, but there has never been an argument.
There’s never been a war. There’s never been a divorce. There’s never been a church split.
That pride was not the major factor. Let me say that again. There’s never been an argument.
Never been a war. Never been a divorce. Never been a church split where pride was not the major factor.
Pastor. Can you prove that? Yep. Proverbs 13 verse 10.
Only by pride cometh contention only by pride. Cometh contention. Proverbs 28 verse 25.
He that is of a proud heart, stir up strife. That’s obvious.
If uh if, if God resists the proud, then the proud man is out of fellowship with God and any man, woman, boy, girls, out of fellowship with God is gonna be out of fellowship with other people.
If father does his night, father his day and, and so pride uh divides society.
Uh Have you, you ever, you ever get into a discussion with your wife?
You know, the way I’m using the word discussion, one can be heard by the neighbors a discussion.
What’s that all about? It’s about pride, your arguments, they’re about pride.
The arguments that you have with your mate are ego against ego.
There are no problems too big to be solved. They’re just people too small to solve them.
If you put the problem out in the middle and attack the problem rather than one another, then you can solve the problem.
But we’re not trying to solve the problem. We’re trying to win the argument. You know, it’s true.
And, and that is pride only by pride comes contention when Joyce and I have a disagreement, I go back and lick my wounds a while.
And so a while and sulk a while and, and try to pray a while and, and then finally I said, OK, let’s analyze it.
You know, the problem, my pride, my brother. That’s it.
God says Adrian, you are proud no matter whether you’re right or wrong. I might be right.
And I’m still the problem because of my attitude, which is pride and boy, it hurts and feels so good at the same time to go and say I was wrong and I am sorry and forgive me.
And were it not for the grace of God?
I couldn’t do that because of the natural inclination of a human heart? For pride. Only by pride comes contention.
Any contention in your home ever?
I wonder if one of your Children come up here and give a testimony right now.
Yeah. Any contention in your home.
Put it down big, put it down, plain, put it down straight.
Pride is the issue only by pride cometh contention.
Again, I want to remind you that uh that the problem is ego against ego.
And if you take ego off the throne and put Jesus Christ on the throne of your life and your wife or your husband takes ego off the throne and throws Jesus Christ in, in her life, then the Jesus in her is not gonna fight the Jesus in you.
And that Jesus in both homes is going to be able uh to take care of the problem.
Uh Pride is the chief cause of misery in society. What, what is the problem between races?
I can put it down in one word, pride, racial pride, no matter what color you are.
That is the problem and God is dead set against it.
Now, uh, number four, here’s the fourth thing that pride does. Pride dishonors life.
Let me tell you a AAA uh, a great irony. Do you know what the proud person is? Wanting?
Praise, honor, esteem? That is the very thing he wants. And what does he get through? Pride?
Dis honor, pride, dishonors life notice Proverbs 11 and verse two.
When pride cometh then cometh shame, does anybody here want to shame? No. What does the proud man want?
He doesn’t want shame. He, he wants honor but he doesn’t get it. Put down.
Proverbs 15 verse 33 the fear of the Lord is the instruction of wisdom.
And before honor is humility, humility comes before honor, not pride. Put this down.
Proverbs 18 verse 12. Before destruction, the heart of man is hearty and before honor is humility.
Put this one down. Proverbs 29 verse 23. A man’s pride shall bring him low.
Is it not ironical? I say that the proud man wants to be praised, petted, vaunted, honored.
And the very thing he wants is the very thing that he loses the admiration of others.
And what he ends up with a proud person always ends up not with admiration but contempt.
Somebody said they self uh conceit is a disease that makes everybody sick except the one who has it.
But the truth of the matter is he’s the sickest of all full of conceit.
Now, Jesus taught us very clearly and very plainly that the way up is down and the way down is up.
Remember I told you that God uh hates pride is number one on his list.
Why does God hate pride? Let me tell you how the devil became the devil.
I’m gonna read to you from Isaiah 14 verse 13.
God is speaking to Lucifer for thou has said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven.
I want you to listen to the perpendicular pronoun. I now I will ascend into heaven.
I will exalt my throne above the stars of God.
I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation in the sides of the north.
I will ascend up above the heights of the clouds. I will be like the most high.
Yet thou shalt be brought down to hell to the sides of the pit and they that see the shall narrowly look upon the that is they’re gonna have to squint in order to even see you and consider these saying is this the man that made the earth to tremble and to shake Kingdoms.
Here is Satan saying I am going to be like the most high, I’m going up, up, up, up a a AAA and God said, you’re going down, down, down, down, down, down, down one day.
We’ll look and say is that the devil? I can hardly see him.
That’s him.
I think ones I like seeing our Lord is saying, let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ, Jesus who being in the form of God taught himself not robbery to be equal with God, but made Himself of no reputation took upon him, the form form of the service and God hath given him a name which is above every name that at the name of Jesus, every knee shall bow and every tongue shall confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God.
The Father listen, when you follow Jesus Christ in genuine humility rather than Satan in his arrogance, you’re going to be given in the days to come.
Don’t let this go past. You are going to be given in the days to come a greater position than Satan had before he fell.
Probably didn’t get in because I, I didn’t hear my say, man, you follow Jesus Christ.
I am telling you, listen to me, you follow Jesus Christ and God is going to give to you His saints a greater position than Satan had before he fell.
The Bible says, we will judge angel. Satan is a fallen angel, we will judge angels.
Uh The very thing that people want, they lose pride, dishonest life.
Let me tell the boys and girls a story. A make believe story.
Once there was a frog in the cold mud of Minnesota and he saw some Canadian geese and he said, where are you guys going?
They said we’re going south for the winter. That frog said, I wanna go with you.
They said you don’t have any wings. He said, but I have an idea. He said, let’s take a twig.
And this goose will put a twig in his beak and this goose will put a twig in his beak and I will take my mouth and grab that twig and hold on and you can fly me south.
They said, do you think it’ll work? He said, let’s try it.
And so one big Canadian goose over here, another big Canadian goose over here with a twig between them and that frog got hold and they’re flying South over Indiana over Indiana.
A farmer looked up and saw two geese with a stick and a frog.
And he said, would you look at that?
That is the most amazing thing I have ever seen. I wonder whose idea that was the frog said?
No, I pride dishonors life last of all.
And here’s the fifth thing that pride will do. Pride destroys souls. Pride for him, populates hell.
Pride ultimately destroys all that. It controls it is the road to ruin.
Proverbs 15 verse 25 the Lord will destroy the house of the Proud of the Proud Proverbs 16 verses 18 and 19.
Pride growth before destruction and a holy spirit before fall. Proverbs 18 verse 12, before destruction.
The heart of man is haughty and before honor is humility.
The seeds of destruction, eternal destruction are in pride.
Now, no one can be saved apart from the grace of God.
But the Bible says, God resists the proud and gives grace to the humble.
I’m telling you, pride is the road to ruin. Whether it’s national ruin.
America is so proud, what a proud nation we are.
And God says, if my people which are called by my name, shall humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked way, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land, national ruin, domestic ruin.
They’re congregations that have families that are breaking apart. Why?
Pride, as I’ve already said, financial ruins, some of you right now are in financial bondage.
Do you know why I’ll tell you, your neighbors keep buying things you can’t afford and you think you have to have it in order to stay up emotional ruin.
If you’re a proud person, your emotions are going to, to be very thin because uh you are going to be controlled by circumstances.
If you don’t have the right car, if you don’t have the right clothes, if you don’t have the right decorations, if you don’t have the right this or that uh uh and, and emotionally is gonna get to you.
But friend primarily it is spiritual ruin and eternal ruin.
Do you know the reason that some people cannot have their ministry blessed they’re too big for God to use.
You can be too big for God to use, but you can never be too small for God to use.
But pride destroys souls. Pride is filling hell.
Remember the story I told you earlier about Jesus talking about two, went to the temple to pray one Republican another pharisee.
The Republicans were the irs of that day.
They were the tax collectors and, but uh they were very, very crooked, very dishonest.
Uh Besides that, the Jews hated them because they worked for Rome and Israel had been occupied by the Roman government and Roman law.
And so to say publican in that day was almost an to uh a, a uh a, a word of uh of condemnation and scorn.
And so this publican went to pray and a pharisee, the Pharisees were the religious of the religious.
Oh, man, a pharisee wouldn’t even eat an egg that was laid on Saturday. I’m serious.
Uh, if a mosquito was biting that piracy on, on Saturday, he wouldn’t slap it because he would not go hunting on the Sabbath.
Hey, this is true.
If you got a attacking issue, he would always pull it out before Saturday unless he’d be accused of carrying a burden on the Sabbath.
So religious were they?
And this pharisee is praying and the pub and, and he’s saying, Father God, I, the Bible says by the way, he prayed with himself, that is God wasn’t hearing his pray.
He said, God, I thank you.
I’m not like other men are and I fast and I do this and I, I tit and I and so forth.
And then he says, and I especially thank you.
I’m not like this, this publican, the Bible says, the publican smo himself upon the breast would not even lift his eyes to heaven.
And he prayed. And he said, God, be merciful to me a center.
Actually, what do you really said?
Is God be merciful to me, the center center. He saw himself as the chief of centers.
You know what Jesus said? And two men went to church to that day.
One went home, dignified, the other went home justified.
Everybody in this building will go home. One of those two ways dignified are justified.
I’ve been preaching long enough to know that when you preach and give the gospel invitation, there’s certain very nice people, very cultured people who will look around and see if any of those centers are gonna go forward to get saved, not understanding what the Bible teaches that all have sinned and come short of the glory of God.
Let me tell you about the grace of God.
Remember God resists the proud but gives grace to the humble, the grace of God is sufficient for everyone in this building today.
Now, listen, listen to me carefully.
There’s no one in this building so bad that God will not save me.
No one. I don’t care what you’ve done.
I’ll tell you on the authority of the word of God, the blood of Jesus Christ.
God’s son cleanses from all sin. You can bank on it. If you want to be saved.
God will save you instantaneously and keep you eternally. No one here so bad. They cannot be saved.
Now, listen to the second thing. No one is so good.
They need not be saved about six billion people on the face of this earth.
If you were to take all six billion people and line them up and go down the line and extract from each of those six billion people, any so called goodness that is in any of them and take all of those qualities out of those six billion people and combine them into one individual.
That one individual would have to kneel at the cross to be saved.
No one’s so bad, they cannot be saved. No one’s so good. They need not be saved.
And I’m going to give an invitation now in just a moment, I’m gonna ask you to make a wonderful decision.
I’m gonna ask you to lay your intellectual pride in the dust, to lay your moral pride in the dust.
And I’m gonna ask you openly and publicly to do what millions and millions have done and give your heart to Jesus Christ and come just as you are without one lead but that his blood was shed for you.
