Proverbs 18 12 before destruction
the heart of man is haughty and before honor is humility The
first example of this Principle being Born out was in the garden
Satan's promise that Caused man to fall was you shall be as gods
and that did the trick And think of the destruction that was caused
by Adam's sin a whole race of people Falling into spiritual
death and sin and sinful pride because of Adam's sin We're all
born proud and haughty sinners and Now there's a natural truth
to our text, as we see so often in the Proverbs, there's a temporal
application and a spiritual, eternal application of this truth.
Listen to 1 Peter 5, 5, where Simon is talking about people
and the way they live in this world. 1st Peter 5 5 likewise
you younger Speaking to the church you younger
ones submit yourselves unto the elder Yea, all of you be subject
one to another and be clothed with humility For God resisted
the crowd and Giveth grace to the humble See how he's applying
the principle of our text God gives grace to the humble that
resists the proud if you're proud You're in opposition to God himself
in that And so he's saying that be in the case Submit your be
clothed with humility in your relationships with one another
and you younger submit to the elder As is proper So there's
that earthly application of this truth. But this verse, our verse,
our text this morning is also a life or death spiritual truth
that concerns eternal destruction and eternal honor. There's nothing about which man's
evil pride shows itself more Then when it comes to the gospel, when it comes to the grace of
God in Christ, when the gospel is preached, man's pride is exposed,
spiritual pride. We're proud of our works. Almost
every religion of this world, what they call salvation is based
upon something that man does. Man has perverted the gospel
of God's free and sovereign grace in Christ into a merit-based
reward system. Why? Why does man do that when
all through the scripture, not of works lest any man should
boast. It's not of him that willeth
or of him that runneth, but of God that showeth mercy. So why
does man do that in opposition to every word of scripture? Haughtiness. Pride. And our text says this is exactly
what God will destroy you for. Again, the fall in the Garden
of Eden was born of pride. You shall
be as gods. You will determine good and evil.
Up till now, God said you do this and don't do this. But if
you eat of this fruit, you'll be as gods. And you'll decide
what's right and what's wrong. And man to this day believes
that. Believes he's God. Believes it's
all up to him. It's all up to me. My destiny
is in my hands. Problem with that is there's
a God who runs everything, including you. Man and God what's the first
thing that God hates a proud look a proud look Man is determined to be saved
on his own terms Which involves him deciding when he'll be saved
and when he won't be saved Because the sinner does not like
God's terms And this as our text says, will
end in destruction. God's terms are full and complete
surrender and submission. Turn with me to Romans chapter
10, please. Verse one, Romans 10. Brethren, my heart's desire and
prayer to God for Israel is that they might be saved. Not that
they might come around to my way of thinking. It's not a question
of what I think as opposed to what you think. It's a question
of God saving you. And here's how that happens.
For I bear them record that they have a zeal of God. Nobody more
religious than Jewish people. Religious Jews in that day, and
they're just an example. It's not picking on the Jews
They're just an example of religion in this case That they might
be safe for I bear them record they have a zeal of God, but
not according to knowledge They say we worship God We do the
will of God We serve God, but they don't know who God is and
not according to knowledge. Four, and here's how I know that,
Paul said, for they being ignorant of God's
righteousness. What does he mean by that? They
don't know anything about God's righteousness. What do people
do that don't know anything about how to be righteous in the sight
of God? They go about to establish their own righteousness. I live
the Christian life. It's not picking on Jews, so-called
Christians, also deeply religious, but don't know God. This religious world don't know
God. Just like in Christ's day, they
didn't. The established religion, the
respected and looked up to religion of the day, didn't know who Christ
was. They still don't. for they being ignorant of God's
righteousness. And somebody that is ignorant
of God's righteousness manifests that by trying to do their righteousness
before God is based on what they do. I'm good to my mama. I go to church. I give 10% or
whatever. I walked an aisle. It doesn't
matter what it is. Salvation's of the Lord, not
you. You don't accept Jesus, he accepts
you or he don't, as it pleases him. The word submitted there, they
haven't submitted themselves. Look at verse three again, the
last part. And going about to establish
their own righteousness, they have not submitted themselves
unto the righteousness of God. Why is owning God's way of righteousness
a submission? Because by nature we reject that. We reject the idea that only
by Christ can we stand holy in the sight of God. We reject that
by nature. I will, I do, I am, is our motto. So there's a submission, a surrender,
a bowing. The word submitted there means
to be subordinate. to surrender to someone else's
control. It's the opposite of what religion
says every time they get together. What do they say? It's up to
you. God's done all this, but now it's up to you. That word
submission in the word of God is the opposite of that. Refusal to submit to Christ results
in destruction. and humble submission to him
results in exaltation. Listen to Matthew 23, eight. But be not ye called rabbi. He's
speaking to his disciples here and they're fixing to go out
and teach the truth of God. But he said, don't you be called
master. Religious people call their teachers master. Don't
let anybody call you that because there's one master and it ain't
you. For one is your master, even
Christ. And you're all brothers. You're
brother, you're not master over one another, you're a brother
to one another. You see the humility, he's already bringing them down
now, here. And call no man your father upon the earth. Not in
a religious sense, obviously your father is your father, but
he's talking about religion here, he's talking about worship. So what do they do? So what does
religion do? Oh, father so and so. How did he know we were gonna
do that? How did he know he's God? Don't do it. Don't you do it.
For one is your father, which is in heaven,
not a man. Man can't forgive sins, they
can't give indulgences, they can't, man is impotent spiritually. Don't brag on one another. Paul
was a scholar, but you know what he's called himself when he introduced
himself and his letters to the churches? Paul, a servant of
Jesus Christ. Paul, a servant. Don't call,
don't let anybody call you master. People have called me Reverend
Chris before. I say, no, I'm not. I am not
Reverend. Holy and Reverend is his name. Can't let it go, can't let it
go. But he that is greatest among you shall be your servant. and
whosoever shall exalt himself shall be abased. You see our
text there? And he that shall humble himself
shall be exalted. All through scripture now, Old
Testament, New Testament. Spiritual humility now is not
just a matter of being unassuming and self-deprecating with regard
to earthly matter. We know people that are, generally
speaking, characterized by a humility about them. They're unassuming.
They don't brag on themselves. They don't toot their own horn.
We know people the opposite of that too. Always tooting their
own horn and bragging on themselves. But there are people that are
humble in the ways of this world. That's not spiritual humility
before God though. You can be like that. You can
be a church mouse in your personality and not know God, and not submit
to the righteousness of God in Christ, as we read in Romans
chapter 10. So it's not just that. It is to submit to God's
way, God's word, and God's son. The spiritually haughty, which
is every sinner by nature, Every sinner, as we're born into this
world, we think that we've got God by the tail. We think that
God only exists just to bless us and do things for us. But the spiritually haughty say
things like, it's all up to me. You go to your average Baptist
church in this world, or any denomination for that matter,
and you won't wait long to hear those words. It's up to you.
It's up to you. You need to make that all-important
decision. You already made the decision.
You already decided that you're God and God's not. You already
decided wrong. It's too late for you to decide
anything, and if you did, it would be sinful, whatever it
was. The humble say this, Jesus, thou
son of David, have mercy on me, have mercy on me. The spiritually
haughty say, and they sing this, I have decided to follow Jesus. You know what the humble sing,
those who know the Lord Jesus? This is written by John Newton,
by the way, the man who wrote Amazing Grace, the greatest song
ever written in this world. Lord, decide the doubtful case. Thou who art thy people's son,
shine upon thy work of grace. If it be indeed begun, let me love you more and more. If I love at all, I pray. If
I have not loved before, help me to begin today. Big difference between that and
I have decided to follow Jesus. The haughty speak of their free
will. The humble say, Lord, if you will, you can make me clean. That's what the leper in Matthew
chapter eight said. Lord, if you will. This whole
thing hangs on your will. Not mine. Humility is the result
of seeing the Lord Jesus Christ by faith, by faith. Those who see him fall at his
feet. They just do. They cast their crowns before
him, which is symbolic of anything, any honor or glory that we might
perceived to be ours, we cast that at his feet. Those who see the Lord Jesus
Christ say things like this, now mine eye seeth thee and I
abhor myself and repent in dust and ashes. Those who see the Lord Jesus
Christ for who he is They say things like this, Lord, what
would you have me do? Or God be merciful to me, a sinner. Simon said this when he got a
glimpse of the glory of the Savior, he said, depart from me, Lord,
for I'm a sinful man. The humble in this way will be
honored though we don't deserve it at all. Because those who have submitted
to Christ and His righteousness are those who are in Christ.
Of God the Father are you in Christ, who has made unto us
wisdom, righteousness, sanctification, and redemption. He's my righteousness. And being in Him, we are joint
heirs with Him. We are joint heirs with him in
all of his glory. And we don't get what we deserve
from God, we get what he deserves. And he's worthy of all honor. This humility is not gained by
trying to stop bragging on yourself, by turning over a new leaf. By saying things that humble
people would say, that's just gonna result in a false humility
that may be even more disgusting than your pride and mine. True spiritual humility that
precedes honor from the Lord is gained by believing on the
Lord Jesus Christ. And believing on the Lord Jesus
Christ Gained by grace Ephesians 2 8 and 9 tells us
that salvation any other way would lead to boasting in the
center And God will not have it He will
not have it he resisted the proud If God resists you Who's gonna
help you Who's gonna help you Salvation is by grace alone through
faith alone and that not of yourselves Ephesians 2 8 and 9 it's the
gift of God not of works lest any man should boast You see
our text and how all of Scripture Teaches us The same truth those
who are saved by free grace through the redemption of and atonement
wrought by Christ alone, act like it, generally speaking. How can we not act like it? God give us grace to act like
it.