Sermon Tone Analysis

The Attitude of Pride

Introduction:

Introduction:

-… “for as a man thinketh in his heart, so is he.”

The one thing that influences a person’s performance and function in word, deed, and in thought is his attitude.

Def.-attitude=the disposition of feeling with respect to a person or a thing.

How is your attitude?

Toward you spouse, neighbor, parents, boss, teacher, siblings?

Your attitude governs every phase of your life.

Your attitude will determine where you are in your spiritual life, in your business life, and in your family life, in your social life.

It will determine how far you will get in the business world or in the world of academics or in the world of spiritual things.

The bottom line is this: your attitude will determine where you are in every area of your life.

You are not what you think you are, but what you THINK you, ARE.

“sow a thought; reap an action; Sow an action, reap a deed; sow a deed; reap a habit; sow a habit; reap a lifetime.”

If you think positive, if you think negative you will be negative; if you think critically you will be critical; if you think cowardly you will be a coward; if you think weird, you will be a weirdo; if you think sarcastically, you will be sarcastic; if you think honestly, you will be honest; if you think truthfully, you will be truthful.

() Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.

The reason that people behave wrongly is because they think wrongly.

Remember your thoughts are translated into actions and deeds.

The attitude that we have will impact and influence many areas of our live:

Food that we eat, people that we tolerate, how we get along with our family, etc.

Learn to like things that seem unlikable.

Can you imagine Jesus Christ complaining, bickering, whining, criticizing, making fun of people, talking about someone else, bad- mouthing?

NO!!!

He thought right, His words were right.

And the same mind in us will produce the same kind of thinking, and the same kind of words and the same kind of actions and deeds.

The most sinful attitude possessed by men or angels is pride.

Pride is condemned more than adultery, cheating, stealing, or lying.

Pride has the tendency to slip into the hearts of those that are very “religious” in their lives.

Pharisees are examples: kept the Law of Moses, 600+ unwritten rules and laws, proudest group of the day.

People are proud in different ways:

Proud of their humility

Proud of their ignorance

Proud of their sweet disposition

Proud because of their perceived knowledge

Proud because their “daughter” is not the one that is pregnant.

The first recorded sin was pride-Isaiah 14:13, 14

Pride is a heart matter-

Pride has roots in the world’s system-

Pride keeps people out of Heaven-

Not saved because of pride

Keeps people from coming to the place of surrender

Too proud to cry out for mercy

Think themselves self-sufficient

Pride is quite possibly our worst enemy

our worst enemy

I. How does pride affect people?-

A. Leads people to think more highly of themselves than they ought to think-

Spurgeon-”Be not proud of race, face, place or grace”

1. Ego= edging God out

2. When we think of ourselves better than others, we become critical of others.

Somethings noticed about an egotist:

Someone has said an egotist is a conceited person that thinks they know as much as you do.

one who commonly thinks more highly of himself than he ought to is an egotist.

Someone has said: an egotist is someone who loves mirrors but cannot see what other people see in them.

Someone has said an egotist is an “I” specialist.

What do you have when two egotists meet?

A perfect case of an “I” for an “I.”

Egotism is the hypodermic that God allows a man to administer to himself to deaden the pain of being a fool!!!

When we become inflated with ego, thinking ourselves better than others, we become extremely critical of others.

One of the primary things a proud person is fond of doing is pointing out the shortcomings, weaknesses, failings of others.

We become jealous of others.

Often becoming self-assertive, sarcastic, resentful.

The proud person is often aggressive and/or argumentative.

The proud person usually is easily irritable.

B. Causes strife and contention-

1.

In the home- last argument not saying I’m sorry

1.

In the home- last argument not saying I’m sorry.

Note-we must get to the place that we value the relationship more than we value being right.

2. In the church-going to be the greatest or the most recognized not who can become the best servant.

3.

In the nation- - Nebuchadnezzar 7 years in the field like a beast- “Pride goeth before destruction and an haughty spirit before a fall.”

C. Pride leads to hostility- one full of pride lacks the love of God-

- Charity is not puffed up…

II.

What does God think about pride?

A. God hates Pride-

He groups pride with these terrible sins

B. He resists prideful people-

There was a godly Christian woman who startled her friends by saying, “There isn’t a sin of which I am not capable.

I could be a prostitute; I could murder; I could embezzle.”

Most of her friends were not impressed with her frankness.

Instead they thought that she was displaying a false humility.

Then she added, “You don’t really believe what I just said.

I mean it—because I realize that any particular sin that crops up in someone else’s life expresses itself in me, but in different ways.

Until I accept that, I am self-righteous, proud, and arrogant.”

III.

What is the greatest cure for pride?

A. There is only one antidote for this poison that courses through our systems- HUMILITY!!!

1.

We must humble ourselves-

Note- It is not asking God to humble us, it is me “humbling” myself before God.

2. Must be a deliberate act of the will, it is not going to come automatically.

2. Must be a deliberate act of the will, it is not going to come automatically.

B. The process of humbling

1. Admit that you need God’s help- - “Without me ye can do nothing...”

2. Confess pride as you would any other sin-

2. Confess pride as you would any other sin-

3. Seek Divine guidance daily

- way of man

pr

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Conclusion:

Do you want peace of mind?