THE LIVING WORD TRANSCRIPT
Program Air Date - 7-13-08
LESSON TITLE: "THE THINGS WHICH GOD HATES: GOD HATES A PROUD LOOK"
WELCOME
"...When the Son of Man comes, will He really find faith on the earth?" What is your answer to this question?
Good morning and welcome to the Living Word program! Thank you for choosing to give this time to God, as we together strive to honor Him according to His will. As always, this morning it will be our privilege to sing hymns about God and to study from His magnificent Word. Now let's bow our heads before His throne in prayer!
(PRAYER)
It's time to join in with the brethren this morning, as we begin our songs of praise to God. We will begin this morning with an encouraging hymn that reminds us of just how much our God has done for all of us. So, won't you do your part in song to God, as we together sing, "For The Beauty Of The Earth!"
(SONG # 1)
DEVOTIONAL THOUGHTS
To a certain extent, I think we would all agree that we live in a wicked society today. Now, that is not to say that everything is wrong, but that most things are not according to what we read in the Bible. When will humanity ever learn that the only true and right way is God's way? Or when will we all wake up to realize that eternal life is only found in the ways of God!
When I think about the problems in the world today of evil and wickedness, my mind often goes back to another time in history when man became too wicked. A time when everyone did according to their own desire and they really didn't care about what God had to say. Can you remember the story of Noah?
Now let me ask you, because of the wickedness of the time, what happened to the world? You and I know the answer, all life was destroyed by God. In fact, the text tells us that it grieved God that He had made man. He was sorry about the creations He had made, because of their wickedness.
Also consider how many people were spared during this great cleansing? We all know the answer, only 8 souls. Noah, his wife, their sons and their wives. They were the only ones who were considered righteous enough by God to be spared during this great destruction.
In another Old Testament story found in Genesis 19, we read about some cities which were again destroyed by God, due to great wickedness. We have all heard the story of Sodom and Gomorrah. Think for a moment how many were spared in this destruction? Again we know the answer, only Lot and his two daughters were spared. The reason is always the same, "there were none righteous on the face of the earth!"
I mention these examples today to exhort us unto living, as God wants us to. Why, think about the words of Jesus in Matthew 7:14, "Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way, which leads to life, and there are few who find it." Consider our examples discussed this morning, in comparison just how few are going to find it in our day? The verse prior to this one in the same passage says, "Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it." The sad reality is, Christ said most are heading for destruction, and not by His choice, but their own!
So does it matter how we live, what we do, or what we say? The Lord said it does. Choose today to make sure that you are living among the righteous before God. Don't be found lacking, caught up in the wickedness of this world, finding that it is too late to correct what's wrong in your life. So, again I ask, what is your answer to this question of our Lord, "...When the Son of Man comes, will He really find faith on the earth," Luke 18:8.
This morning we are excited again to have Brother Jim Poland with us. Brother Poland is the minister for the Bona Church of Christ. We thank him for being with us. Brother Jim will be leading us in our discussion from God's Word today, as we continue our new series entitled, "The Things Which God Hates." Our specific lesson of the day is, "God Hates A Proud Look." So please stay with us and after our next song together brother Poland will return and lead us in this message of the morning. Now let's join in our second hymn of the day, as we glorify God our creator. The name of this song is "Alas And Did My Savior Bleed."
(SONG # 2)
LESSON
By Jim Poland
Thank you for tuning in.
In Proverbs chapter 6, the Lord is stated as hated these seven things. The first thing that is listed there is: "The Lord hates a proud look." How can the Lord hate?
Proverbs chapter 16 verse 18 says that, "Pride goes before destruction and a haughty spirit before a fall."
Proverbs 29:23, "A man's pride will bring him low, but the humble spirit will retain honor."
We find humility is put opposite of pride. Hate here in the original language means to set apart or set against. It is used 145 times in the Bible and it ranges in emotion everything from intense hate over to just set against. Pride here means to be exalted, haughty. And so, proud and arrogant is involved here. It is defined as something that will raise a cloud that covers reality, renders one insolate or disrespectful, puffed up, foolish and conceited. It places empty assurance or trust in one's own power and shamefully despises divine laws and human rights. It's in piety, self-presumption, bullies and boasts.
However, the English word "proud" can be used in a better and good sense. This is the sense of self-respect, personal dignity. These things are necessary and admirable if we are to love the Lord our God with all our heart, soul and mind, and then instructed to love our neighbor as ourselves.
We are instructed in Romans chapter 12 that we are not to think more highly than we ought to think of ourselves. So there is self-image that we need to have that is respectable.
Evangelist Timothy was encouraged to be a good example. So we need to avoid self-contempt, thinking that we're just nobody. Self respect, if we don't have that, we can't expect other people to respect us. So God wants us to have this.
Early on in the church, they were having favor with all the people. But this is speaking of in the bad sense, pride synonymous with self-importance, arrogance and all such manners or vices as that. Webster defines it "unduly high opinion of one's self, exaggerated self esteem, conceit resulting in a haughty behavior." So let us make sure that we have enough self-respect to keep our heads up but not so much pride as to keep our nose in the air.
There was a salesman that was known for his successes and one of the lines that he used to close a sale many, many times was this: "Let me show you something that several of your neighbors said you cannot afford."
God hates a proud look. Haughty eyes is the literal of the proud look.
Micah the prophet in chapter 6 verse 8 says, "God has shown you, old man, what is good and what does the Lord require of you but to do justly, to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God." So here we find humility is set opposite of this idea of extorted pride.
Pride defiles God's man. Several reasons why God hates this. Jesus said in Mark chapter 7 that, "From within from the heart of man proceeds evil thoughts and murders," and from that list of things is pride.
Evil things come from within and defile a man. Pride disgraces God's woman that they should dress in modest apparel and propriety and moderation (1 Timothy chapter 2 verse 9).
1 Peter 3 talks about "not letting the adornment be merely outward, putting on fine apparel, but rather let it be the hidden person of the heart with incorruptible beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit which is very precious in the sight of God."
The evils of greed and selfishness are really more the result of pride. Pride also disqualifies God's elders and leaders in the church. Among those qualifications that are found in 1 Timothy chapter 3: "They are not to be a novice lest they be puffed up with pride and fall into the same condemnation as the devil."
Pride also contaminates God's church and brings in worldliness. We're instructed by John in 1 John chapter 2, "Do not love the world or the things in the world." He describes what he is talking about here in the world by saying (that) he is "talking about the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eye and the pride of life." These all have a basis in pride.
James chapter 3, "Who is wise and understanding among you? Let him show by good conduct that his works are done in the meekness of wisdom." He goes on to talk about being envious and self seeking that these things exist and they are evil among us. But wisdom that is from above is pure and peaceable and gentle willing to yield, full of mercy.
Pride also makes one's religion vane or empty. James chapter 1 and verses 26-27, "If any among you think he is religious and does not bridle his tongue but deceives his own heart, this one's religion is useless."
So pride leads to many other sins. It has been well said that, "It is the complete anti-God state of mind." It puts us on the same plane with God and above God in our minds. Pride destroys God's preachers. Timothy was admonished that if anyone teaches otherwise than the words of Jesus Christ and the doctrine that is according to godliness, he is proud, knowing nothing, obsessed with disputes, arguments, envy, strife and many other things.
Pride hinders God's plan of evangelism. John spoke of this in 3 John in verses 9-10. He says, "I wrote to the church but Diotriphes who loves to have the preeminence..." Here's a good description of pride. "...loves to have the preeminence and he would not allow them, he would not receive the apostles or the Word of God and forbidded others also and put them out of the church."
Someone has well said that, "There is no limit to what could be done if it made no difference who got the credit."
Many examples of pride are found in the Bible. It began with the fall of man with Eve. She saw what was good and it was good for food. It was pleasant to the eye and it would make her wise like God.
Benjamin Franklin might have summed it up this way. "There is perhaps no one of our natural passions so hard to subdue as pride. Beat it down. Stifle it. Mortify it as much as one pleases. It is still alive. Even if I could concede that I had completely overcome it, I should probably be proud of my humility."
So why does God hate pride? Because of what it does to us and our relationship with Him.
Let's close with how we can overcome it. Here are some suggestions we find in the scriptures. Strong things that we can implant.
First of all, receive with meekness the Word of God. James talks about this in chapter 1. "Be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath." Then he says, "Receive with meekness the implanted Word, which is able to save your souls."
Another thing of course is to follow Jesus' example. 1 Peter chapter 2 says, "To with this we are called because Christ who suffered for us leaving us an example that we should follow in His steps." What did He do? He didn't threaten. He committed Himself to Him who judges righteously. We realize that our judgments will stand before God's judgment one day.
Another thing that helps us to do this is to love the brethren in Christ. Jesus said in John chapter 13, "And I give you a new commandment that you love one another and by this all will know that you are My disciples if you love one another." This close relationship with God puts God in His place and us in ours.
Galatians chapter 3 talks about us being "sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus where as many have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ."
This is right from the very beginning in Acts chapter 2 and verse 41, "Those who gladly receive the Word were baptized and there was about 3,000 souls added to them."
Later on in Acts chapter 2 verse 47, "They were having favor with the people and the Lord was adding them to the church daily."
Another thing is to become obedient servants. Philippians chapter 2 says, "Let this mind be in you that which is also in Christ Jesus who being in the form of God did not consider it to be equal with God but made Himself of no reputation. He emptied Himself and He became obedient even to the point of death. Then God exalted Him."
Another thing to overcome pride is not to think of self more highly than we ought to think. Galatians 6:3 says, "If anyone thinks himself to be something when he is nothing, he deceives himself."
Another is to glory only in the cross. The apostle Paul was able to I'm sure put forth many accolades of his education and his experience religiously, but he said in Galatians 6 and 14, "God forbid that I should boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ to whom the world has been crucified to me and I to the world." He calls us to that same attitude to crucify self. That sounds really negative and difficult, but Paul said he did that in Galatians 2:20. "I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live but Christ who lives in me." When does that happen? The faithful church at Rome was advised that they "remember that they had been baptized into the death of Christ. Therefore we were buried with Christ through baptism into death that like as Christ was raised from the dead from the glory of the Father even so we also should walk in newness of life."
These are good suggestions from God's Word, Divine Will of how that we can overcome this pride. Why would God hate pride? Well, the middle letter in both words "pride" and "sin" is "I". We get ourselves in the way. Humility comes as a byproduct of giving self to Christ in obedience. We are that person's slave whom we choose to obey. Why does God hate pride? Because God loves you and pride separates you from Him and He just can't stand that. God hates pride.
Thank you.
(SONG # 3 - "Be Not Dismayed!")
CLOSING COMMENTS
Thank you again for choosing to be with us today, as we gave this time to God. It is always a blessing to have you with us. We invite you to join us every Sunday morning at 7:30, as we commit ourselves to doing the things of God in His Way!
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Thanks be to God that He has left us the perfect example of humility. Therefore, may we ever be like God and never be caught up in this world and the arrogance of it.
(Program closing)