We live in a day where everybody's
blessed. They'll tell you they are. I
asked a young lady who worked at an establishment that I attended
just the other day how she was doing and she answered somewhat
arrogantly and as a matter of fact and said, I am blessed and
highly favored. People today everywhere are proud
of their humility. But the wise man Solomon wrote
that pride is the first thing on a list of seven things that
the Lord hates. The Lord hates some things. And
a proud look is the first on the list. There are seven things
that are an abomination to the Lord, and the first one is a
proud look. Now that word abomination is
a very strong word. It means an atrocity, a disgrace,
an outrage, something obscene and evil, which causes disgust
and hostility from God. And the first thing mentioned
has to do with pride. God hates and detests a proud
look more than a lying tongue, murder, a wicked heart, Feet
that swiftly run to do evil, a false witness that speaks lies,
and one who sows discord or strife. Proverbs 6, 16 through 19. And in the previous verse, Solomon
added that pride goeth before destruction and a haughty spirit
before a fall. It sounds to me that we ought
to give attention to this thing called pride. A man's pride goes
before his destruction. A haughty, arrogant look precedes
a great fall. It did with the angels that sinned.
It was through their pride that they fell into condemnation. It did with our first parents
who in pride and ambitious to be as gods, desires to know good
and evil, fail, ruined and destroyed themselves. It did with Nebuchadnezzar. It did with one of his successors
named Belshazzar. Turn with me to Isaiah chapter
14, if you would, please. Isaiah chapter 14. I want to
show you that. Isaiah chapter 14, verse 3. Now let me say in the beginning
that many believe this is speaking of Nebuchadnezzar. Others believe
that it speaks of Belshazzar. And both were self-professed
great kings of Babylon. And some believe that this speaks
of Lucifer, Satan, when he fell from heaven. I did for a long
time. And the thing is, it doesn't
really matter which one this speaks of. They all had an exalted
heart of pride. Now speaking to Israel, the prophet
Isaiah here says in Isaiah 14.3, the Lord says, and it shall come
to pass in the day that the Lord shall give thee rest from thy
sorrow and from thy fear and from the hard bondage wherein
thou was made to serve. that thou shall take up this
proverb against the king of Babylon, that's who it's talking to, and
say, how hath the oppressor ceased and the golden city ceased? How did the reign of this self-professed
King come to pass, to cease. Now, please allow me for just
a few minutes to do a little teaching before I do some preaching.
This is talking about the day when the Lord relieved Israel
from their suffering and their turmoil from the harsh labor
forced upon them by the Babylonians. This is speaking of the day that
Israel would be delivered from their Babylonian captivity a
future day of deliverance prophesied by Isaiah the prophet. This is
the Lord speaking though through Isaiah. It's important for us
to understand that because this is what the Lord thinks about
pride. Verse five, the Lord hath broken the staff of the wicked
and the scepter of the rulers. Who did? The Lord did. He who
smote the people in wrath with a continual stroke. He that ruled
the nations in anger is persecuted and none hindereth. This is talking
about what God did to this king. It's God that did it and none
can stay his hand. No powerful king or anyone else.
Verse seven, the whole earth is at rest and is quiet. They
break forth into singing. Yea, the fir trees rejoice at
thee, and the cedars of Lebanon saying, since thou art laid down,
no feller has come up against us. And I immediately thought
of what Paul said, if God be for us, who can be against us?
What a comforting thought. To these powerful kings, whichever
one it was, or maybe it's speaking of both, It says in verse nine, hell from
beneath is moved for thee to meet thee at thy coming. Not
only are you going to hell, but hell's coming for you. Hell stirreth
up the dead for thee, even all the cheap ones of the earth.
It hath raised up from their thrones all the kings of the
nations. Their memorial stones are tombstones. Verse 10, and they shall speak
and say unto thee, art thou also become weak as we? Art thou become
like unto us? Thy pomp, that word means vanity,
is brought down to the grave, and the noise of thy vows, the
worm is spread unto thee, and the worms cover thee. That's
what awaits one who dies proud and arrogant. This is speaking
of and to the King of Babylon, whether it's Nebuchadnezzar,
whether it's Belshazzar, I don't know which, we're not told. But
this passage of scripture is what I want you to see is often
seen as symbolic, a representation of Satan falling from heaven.
I believed that for years and I do certainly believe that it
pictures it. But, as I said, it's actually
referring to the revelation Israel is given to this self-exalted
king of Babylon, and all that are like him, that he kept under
rule for 70 years. For 70 years, Israel was under
his rule. Now, verse 12. Here's where the
confusion comes in by many. How art thou fallen from heaven,
O Lucifer, son of the morning? How art thou cut down to the
ground which did weakest the nations? For thou has said in
thine heart, I will ascend into heaven. I will exalt my throne
above the stars of God. I will sit upon the mount of
the congregation in the sides of the north. I will ascend above
the heights of the clouds. I will be like the most high.
Yet thou shall be brought down to hail to the sides of the pit.
"'And they that see thee shall narrowly look upon thee "'and
consider thee saying, "'Is this the man that made the earth to
tremble "'and did shape kingdoms, "'that made the world as a wilderness
"'and destroyed the cities thereof, "'that opened not the house of
the prisoners?'' And that's what's found in the heart of all of
us by nature. Many of the dictionaries of our
day say that the name Lucifer is synonymous to being the name
for Satan, but that's not so. Jewish religion is the one who
did that a little later. The name Lucifer is associated
with the star Venus because Venus is that planet in Roman folklore. In classical
mythology, Lucifer was called the Morning Star, which speaks
of the planet Venus as it's seen at dawn. And calling the Babylonian king
by the name Lucifer is just simply a picture and type of the king
of Babylon falling from his high position. How did he fall? Through
pride, through arrogance, and by God. God has a way of bringing
folks down. He most certainly does. Christian
tradition often associates this fall, the Babylonian King, as
the fall of Satan, and brought down he was, as all the proud
will be. But here in Isaiah 14, the Babylonian
King is compared to the day star, and later the Jewish people made
it all about the fall of Lucifer, but never, In the Scriptures,
in the Bible, is Satan called Lucifer. He was an angel of light,
and yes, he still deceptively transforms himself into something. Listen, you don't have to go
out into the bars and the brothels and the places of evil to find
Satan. He's in the church. He's a messenger
of light. He disguises himself, transforms
himself into a messenger of light, even a preacher of the gospel
is what a messenger of light is. Now this king believed himself
to have shined brighter than among the kings of the earth
and all men, just as the star Venus shined brighter among the
other stars. But it also very well does describe
Satan. And all who think of themselves
more highly than they all. I just... was being confused
about that for so long myself, wanted to try to clear that up.
And in verse 12, it speaks to what happens to such proud and
arrogant men and women. How thou art cut down to the
ground, which did weaken the nations. The truth is, it was
this king who said in his heart, I will ascend into heaven. He
said, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God. He said,
I will sit on the highest throne, even above God's throne. I will
exalt my throne above God's. I will ascend above the heights
of the cloud. I'll be like the most high. And God said, no,
you won't. No, you will not. And listen,
this is true of all of us by nature. We're born into this
world and we say, Not your will, but my will be done. The Lord
Jesus prayed, not my will, but yours be done, but we by nature
prayed, not your will, but my will be done. And God said, no,
no, that's not the way it's gonna happen. Verse 15 again, yet thou
shall be brought down to hell, to the sides of the pit, not
to the heights of heaven as you thought, They that see thee,
those who truly have eyes to see shall narrowly look upon
thee and consider thee saying, is this the man that made the
earth to tremble and did shake kingdoms? I don't care how powerful
a person you are in this world. Whether you're Hitler or Putin
or anyone else, it don't matter. God's on the throne. God's in
control. And God has a way of humbling
the proud. Those who in the day of judgment
point to their proud works and they say, haven't we? Look what
we've done. Haven't we done many wonderful
works? We'll be in for a great disappointment. And then they'll be humbled,
but it'll be too late. So, Brother David, what is pride? Well, pride is defined as feeling
deep pleasure or satisfaction as a result of one's achievements.
one's own qualities or possessions, including good looks and intelligence. And all those things I might
add are God's gift, but we in pride make them a curse. Pride and arrogance is a high
elevated opinion of oneself. An exaggerated sense of one's
own importance or abilities. And that's the case with all
of us, even professing believers. We all got just a little too
much pride in us. If not, Paul wouldn't have warned
believers saying that through the grace given to them and every
man that is among you, not to think of himself more highly
than he ought to think. but to think soberly, according
as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith." And that
speaks of the faith that believes and considers what these gifts,
abilities, light, and knowledge that we have is not of ourselves,
but from God alone. Paul asks this, he says, what
do you have you didn't receive? And if you received it, why do
you in glory in it as if you didn't receive it? That's a very
good thing for a proud man to consider, a proud woman to consider. Some are given more of this kind
of faith and some less, but God has dealt to every man, every
believer, a measure, a portion of faith. Pride is self-esteem,
it's self-worth, it's arrogance, it's vanity, it's conceit, self-love,
narcissism, being egotistical, And I'll be honest with you,
I don't like arrogant people, and yet I am arrogant. So are you. So are you. None of us have any reason to
be any of those things. And I think about the psalm,
know ye that the Lord, He is God. He's God, not us. Why do folks think and act as
though they're God? It is He that hath made us. He's
the one that created us. And for that matter, all things,
not we ourselves, we are His people. We're the sheep of His
pasture. We enter into His gates with
thanksgiving and into His courts with praise. We are thankful
unto Him and we bless His name. For the Lord is good. You're
not good, there's nothing that doeth good. His mercy is everlasting, and
His truth endureth to all generations. So let me ask again, what do
we have to be proud about? Men just don't think that they're
like God, they think God is altogether like them. That's not only lifting
up oneself, that's attempting to bring God down to our level. And we cannot preach our God
and Savior too high in truth. We cannot preach ourselves, the
sinners that we are, too low. But I'll tell you this, religion
today has certainly done both and continues to do both. Now,
I want you to turn with me to Luke chapter 18. You know this
passage well. Luke chapter 18. And it's here that the Lord speaks
the parable, and I would have you to notice who He speaks it
to. Found in verse 9, the Lord spoke
this parable unto certain who, now listen to this, this is important,
He spoke this to certain who trusted in themselves. What did
they trust that they were? That they were righteous and
despised others. Now this parable was given to
certain in order to expose their pride, their vanity, their arrogance,
and self-esteem and self-confidence. Those who were proud were so
in their own eyes. I can't find anywhere in Scripture
where the Lord tells someone, I'm proud of you. Those who were proud were so
in their own eyes. Their confidence and trust was in themselves.
They trusted in their supposed goodness. They trusted in their
outward holiness. They trusted in their moral behavior.
People still do. They trusted in their religious
exercises. Do you know anyone like this?
Well, point your finger and you got four pointing back at you. Were you once like this? Are
you still one like this? And there was a two-fold problem
with such. They trusted in themselves first
that they were righteous, and they hated and despised others
that weren't like them. The Pharisees stood and prayed
thus with themselves, we're told in this parable. He didn't pray
to God, he boasted in and of himself. I think we do that in
our prayer sometimes. Lord, I thank you that you've
shown me the truth. You sure hadn't shown it to sister
so-and-so. Oh, we're all guilty. He didn't pray to God. He told
God how proud he was that he wasn't like other men. He told
God all of his personal accomplishments, verse 11. He told God all the
things that he did not do. That's what works religion promotes.
All the things that men and women do and all the things that men
and women don't do. Never say anything about what
Christ has done for us. So this proud and arrogant man
first boasted in what he didn't do. He said, I'm not an extortioner
and I'm not an unjust man and I'm not an adulterer and I'm
certainly not like that publican standing in the back with his
head down. Then the Pharisee began to boast
of what he had done. He said, I fast twice a week.
I give tithes of all that I possess. In other words, he was saying,
ain't I something, Lord? Ain't I something? Verse 13,
and the publican, standing afar off, would not lift up so much
his eyes unto heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying, God,
be merciful. to me, a sinner. And it was then
that the Lord said this, this is what God says about the proud. This is what the Lord Jesus,
God in the flesh, says about the humble. He says in verse
14, I tell you, this man, the publican, went down to his house
justified rather than the other, the Pharisee. And this is why,
look at it. For everyone that exalted himself,
shall be abased, and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted." Maybe someone here today is interested
in how they can be like the public. To be so, one has to know something
about themselves. And only God can reveal it to
them. First, they have to be made to know that they're born
into this world lost, sinful, without God, without Christ,
without hope. The Lord tells us that in John
3. Look over there with me. John
3. Verse 16, probably the most well-known
verse in all the Bible, says, For God so loved the world
that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth
in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life. Verse
17. Now look at this. For God sent
not His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the
world through Him might be saved. He that believeth on Him, Christ,
the Son of God, is not condemned. But he that believeth not is
condemned already, already condemned. Why? Because he hath not believed
in the name of the only begotten Son of God. You see, it's really
quite simple. The sinner who believes in and
on and through Christ is not condemned. The sinner who believes
not in and on and through Christ is condemned already. Already
condemned. God doesn't have to condemn them,
they're already condemned. They condemn themselves. That's
nothing to be proud about. That's something to be humbled
over. Why are they condemned? Because they have not believed
on the name of the only begotten Son of God. That's the only reason
why. Verse 19, and this is the condemnation. This is why man is condemned,
that light is coming to the world, and men love darkness rather
than light. Why? Because their deeds were
evil. For everyone that doeth evil,
hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds
should be reproved. But he that doeth truth, cometh
to the light, that his deeds may be what? Manifest. that they
are wrought in God. A man sins, a man hides, he doesn't
want anybody to see his sin. And he doesn't want his deeds
to be reproved, he really doesn't want to change. Not really sorry
for what he's done, but he that doeth truth, believes the truth,
he comes to the light, he comes to Christ. Why? That his deeds
might be exposed and manifest, that they're wrought in God.
Did you hear that? He that does truth, believes
truth and comes to the light, they come to the light that their
deeds be made manifest. Now think about that. They come
to God and see that all their deeds are good deeds, if there
are any, are wrought in and of God. What does that mean? Just
what it says. God makes us righteous. God makes
us humble. God forgives us. God restores
us. God pardons us. God reconciles
us to himself. God saves us. And God is going
to glorify us in Christ. Has that been made manifest to
you? Then I would say you're not proud, but humble. Everything that the proud professes
to do in and of themselves in order to be saved, God reveals
that all of it was wrought in them by Christ. God did it as
a gift to them. How are we saved? By grace, not
by works. It's a gift of God. God gave
it to us. What a gift it was. We're then
able to work out what God has worked in, Philippians 2. And
you know that word wrought, What it means, God worked it all out
for his elect and he worked it out justly. It was the employment of God
that did it. That's what the word means. It was Christ's task
that accomplished it. It was God's handiwork created
by the work of his hands. It was God's workmanship created
where? In Christ Jesus. The work God ordained in us,
we have nothing to be proud about, but we have a Savior in whom
we boast. I have a dear friend who's been
here very often, Rick's from Danville, and when he introduces
preachers in Danville, he always says, come brag on Christ. And
that's what preachers do. We don't come to brag and boast
about all we've done for God. We come to brag and boast on
Christ. who loved sinners and gave Himself
for them. And my friends, we proudly boast
about what Christ has done, the blind are given sight, the proud
are made humble. God strips before He clothes,
doesn't He? God humbles before He exalts.
God kills before He makes alive. And the most fearful thing is
that if God's mercy and grace does not prove The truth to those
who are proud, you can most certainly believe that His justice will.
The lofty looks of man shall be humbled and the haughtiness
of men shall be bowed down and the Lord alone shall be exalted
in that day. Isaiah 2.11. Friends, God's Word
is clear. The lofty and proud looks and
the haughtiness of man, God hates. They're an abomination to Him.
It's an abomination to Him. And He'll see to it that those
who are proud and arrogant will be humbled, bowed down, made
low, and the Lord alone by Himself shall be exalted. God said so. He said He's not gonna share
His glory with another. And He's not, and He won't. Now,
one last thing. I won't keep you trying to drive
this point home. I hope I am. Turn with me to
Psalm 51, please. Another passage you're very familiar
with. Psalm chapter 51. You know, David had been a proud
man, just like all of us. There's no difference in any
of us. He was so proud that he took
another man's wife. He was so proud that he had that
man murdered. And God, in mercy and grace,
through his prophet, told David of his sin. And God alone caused
him to be convicted of his sin and to cry out for mercy. And
that's what we have here in this psalm. Psalm 51, verse 1, the psalm
of David. When Nathan the prophet came
unto him, after he'd gone in to Bathsheba, And this is what
David prayed in this psalm. Have mercy upon me, oh God. Not
according to my goodness, but according to thy loving kindness,
according unto the multitude of thy tender mercy. Blot out
my transgressions. Wash me throughly from my iniquity
and cleanse me from my sin. For I acknowledge my transgressions
and my sin is ever before me. Have you ever done something
and you knew it was wrong? Man, you just couldn't get it off
your mind. They just eat you alive. Why'd I do that? Man,
what's wrong with me? David doesn't seem so haughty
and proud anymore. He seems repentant and needful
of grace. You see, only God can cause that
to happen. And then in verse four, David
makes this profession by divine revelation, divine enlightenment,
that many today have yet to see. He said, against thee, thee only,
and thee only have I sinned and done this evil in thy sight,
that thou mightest be justified when you speakest, and be clear
when you judge. God, you're right to speak against
me. You're right to judge me and
condemn me. Our sin's against God only. Our
sin is against the Holy One. He's justified when He speaks
against us. He's clear of wrongdoing when
He judges us. While we were shaped in sin,
while in the womb, it was sin and sin that we were conceived.
It was in sin that we are conceived and in the womb were judged to
be this way. How can our sin be put away?
Only one way. How can our iniquity be pardoned?
Only one way. It's got to be accomplished by
Christ's work for us and in us. Verse 17, the sacrifices
of God. What are they? A broken spirit,
given by God. A contrite heart, affected by
our guilt. Only God and Christ can give
us those two things. How? Verse eight says, making
us to hear joy and gladness. Have you been made to hear joy
and gladness, the gospel? How? Hiding his face from our
sins, verse nine. Blotting out our iniquities.
Verse 10, creating within us a new heart. Only God can do
that. Renewing a right spirit within
us, verse 10. By casting me not away from his
presence, verse 11. By not taking his spirit from
me, verse 11 also. By restoring me in the joy of
his salvation, verse 12. By delivering me from blood guiltness,
that being my guilt of sin, verse 14. And then verse 19, then,
then, and only then, shalt thou be pleased with the sacrifices
of righteousness, with burnt offering, and whole burnt offering. And that, my friends, is the
offering that Christ made under the fiery justice and wrath of
God. It's all Christ. It's all Christ. That's our message. That's our
gospel, Christ. That's how God takes proud and
arrogant men and women and makes them humble servants. You know,
it takes great humility to be a servant. Have somebody tell
you what to do all the time? Well, that takes some humility,
doesn't it? And let me just say this as point, Blank as I can. If you're not a sinner, there's
nothing comforting in this Bible for you. But if you are a sinner, all
of God's precious promises are for you. All of them. Every single
one. Christ came into the world to
save sinners, not the righteous. He didn't come to call the righteous.
He came to call sinners to repentance. Not those who are proud, not
those who boast of their self-righteousness. Men and women, by their boasting
and arrogance, they tell on themselves. Lord, I'm glad I'm not like other
men. Oh, you just told on yourself. Salvation is not by works, lest
any man should boast. There ain't no boasting with
the child of God, except the boasting they do on their Savior.
You can write it down, a boasting man's a lost man. And the very
one who says and thinks, Lord, I thank you, I'm not like other
men, will be the same one who in the end says, rocks fall on
us, hide us, mountains fall on us, hide us from the face of
Him who sits on the throne. There's only one way, one person,
one gospel, one God, one spirit who can and will take you from
pride to humility. And it's in and by and through
Christ who being found in passion as a man humbled himself and
became obedient to death, even the death of the cross. Wherefore
God hath highly exalted him. Did you hear that? And given
him a name which is above every name. And what are the results
of this? That at the name of Jesus, at
the name of Jesus Christ, every knee should bow, be humbled of
things in heaven and things in earth and things under the earth.
Have you bowed to Christ in humility? Or are you Still insisting to
sing, I did it my way. Remember what I said in the beginning?
Pride goeth before destruction and a haughty spirit before a
fall. Now let me read to you the very next verse that follows
that. Better it is to be an humble
spirit with the lowly than to divide the spoil with the proud. May God be pleased to make it
so for God's glory, our good, and for Christ's sake.