Lesson from 01-27-17
Pride the Arrogance of Destruction
2 Chronicles
7:14 14 If
my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and
seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven,
and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.
First of all, God is speaking to the Jewish people regarding a prayer of
Solomon. In Chapter 6 Solomon ask God to make provisions for the people when
they sinned. God answered with four conditions for forgiveness.
1. Humble yourself by admitting your
sins.
2. Pray to God asking for forgiveness.
3. Seek God continually.
4. Turn from sinful behavior.
True
repentance is more than talk. It is a changed behavior. Follow these steps and
God will answer our earnest prayers.aa
When you ask
god for forgiveness of sin you are showing humility toward God. Sin causes the
fellowship between God and man to create a lacking of God’s presence. We must
stay humble before our God.
Jeremiah
10:23 23 O Lord, I know that the way of man is not in himself: it is not in man
that walketh to direct his steps.
Gods ability to direct our life is far superior to our ability. Don’t be
afraid to let God correct your plans. He will give you wisdom if you are
willing.
24 Though he fall, he shall not be
utterly cast down: for the Lord
upholdeth him with his hand.
The steps of
a righteous man or Godly man, are directed by the Lord. He delights in every
detail of their lives, even though we are human and are likely to stumble and
make mistakes, we will not fall. For the Lord holds us by the hand.
James
4:10 10 Humble yourselves in
the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up.
When you bow down before the Lord and admit your dependence on Him, He
will lift you up and give you honor. This is humbling yourself.
Bowing before the Lord, means recognizing that our worth comes from God
alone. To be humble involves leaning on His power and guidance and not going
our own independent way.
Let God know we need Him. Have confidence in what has already been done.
Then God can work for you in your life.
When we don’t humble ourselves, and have confidence in our own abilities
and not in God, it means we are getting over into arrogance and pride.
Psalms
10:4 4 The
wicked, through the pride of his countenance, will not seek after God: God is
not in all his thoughts.
Wicked people are too proud to seek God, they seem to think God is dead,
some people succeed in everything they do, and brag about and say nothing is
going to keep them down. Bragging is prideful.
Pride! A higher opinion of oneself, conceit, exaggerated self-esteem,
haughtiness and arrogance.
Psalms 11:2 2 For,
lo, the wicked bend their bow, they make ready their arrow upon the string,
that they may privily shoot at the upright in heart.
When pride shows up, it leads to disgrace, then causes shame. Pride is
self-centeredness. A humble person is God centered, a prideful person is
self-centered.
Being self-centered will maintain pride. When that happens, Grace is not
with you. Pride is a deceptive state of arrogance which will rob you of the
blessings. It puts you in a negative position to where God’s grace cannot keep
you.
Pride is saying I can do it my way better than Gods way. That kind of
thinking will deceive you and let you down. Gods way will lift you up.
6 Humble yourselves therefore under
the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time:
Both young
and old can benefit Peters instruction. Pride often keeps older people from
trying to understand young people and keeps younger people from listening to
those who are older. Peter told both young and old to be humble and to serve
each other.
Young men
should follow the leadership of older men, who should lead by example. They
should be humble enough to admit that you can learn from others.
We must
learn to be humble. If you will move to God’s dependence it means you are
humble.
33 The fear of the Lord is the instruction of wisdom; and
before honour is humility.
If you
reject criticism you will only harm yourself; but if you listen to correction,
you will grow in understanding. Fear of the Lord teaches a person to be wise,
humility precedes honor.
Proverbs
18:12 12 Before destruction
the heart of man is haughty, and before honor is humility.
Before destruction the heart of man/woman is haughty, and before honor is
humble.
It is not in us to know our way to be able to give direction to self.
That is getting over into self-centeredness which is nothing more than pride.
This takes us away from being dependent on God.
In the natural it is so easy to rely on self. Why? Because we are
comfortable in our own way of doing things.
We humans are creatures of habits and old traditions, and we humans are
comfortable in those old habits and traditions.
However, when these habits get to the point of not depending on God in
your life it is time to change.
Philippians 4:19 19 But my God shall supply
all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus.
God will supply all our needs according to His riches by Christ Jesus.
Who made grace possible. God owns everything. Grace makes it possible through
the manifestation of faith.
When we move from being dependent on God, we move towards being dependent
on ourselves. That takes us from humility and ushers us into pride.
Proverbs 29:23 23 A
man's pride shall bring him low: but honor shall uphold the humble in spirit.
This means you have fallen from grace, the issue is when you fall from
humility to pride, you’re not going to flow where grace is. This will put you
under the law.
Galatians 5:4 4 Christ
is become of no effect unto you, whosoever of you are justified by the law; ye
are fallen from grace.
When we go back under the Law, Christ and what he made available for us
through grace becomes of no effect. Stop trying to figure things on your own.
That is under the law.
Galatians 2:16 16 Knowing
that a man is not justified by the works of the law, but by the faith of Jesus
Christ, even we have believed in Jesus Christ, that we might be justified by
the faith of Christ, and not by the works of the law: for by the works of the
law shall no flesh be justified.
You cannot be justified by the works of the law. Only through Jesus
Christ by faith, that we might be justified.
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