Pride: The Road to Destruction

Pride: The Road to Destruction

Passage: Proverb 21:2-4

Proverb 21:2 Every way of a man is right in his own eyes: but the LORD pondereth the hearts.

Proverb 21:3 To do justice and judgment is more acceptable to the LORD than sacrifice.

Proverb 21:4 An high look, and a proud heart, and the plowing of the wicked, is sin.

We need to be careful in life because it is easy to have and get a sense of pride where you think that you are better than others. We can learn from scripture that God hates and despises the proud in hard and spirit. Pride is what causes us to fall and be in sin more often than not. You need to understand how God sees you and me and how we relate to God.

1 John 2:15 Love not the world, neither the things that arein the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him.

1 John 2:16 For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world.

1 John 2:17 And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever.

I. Our Way (vs. 2)

Proverb 21:2 Every way of a man is right in his own eyes: but the LORD pondereth the hearts.

A. Man’s Eyes

- Most people feel that their actions and patterns of life are perfectly acceptable.

- This is repeated, from Proverbs 16:2; for the confirmation of it; and that it might be observed and taken notice of, and men be brought under a conviction of it; which is not easily done, it being what affects all men: every man is conceited of himself and his own way, and is not easily persuaded off of it; his sinful ways are agreeable to him promising him pleasure, profit, or honour; and his self-righteous ways suit with the vain opinion he has of himself, whereby he promises himself eternal life and happiness.

Proverbs 16:2 All the ways of a man are clean in his own eyes; but the LORD weigheth the spirits.

Judges 17:6 In those days there was no king in Israel, but every man did that which was right in his own eyes.

Deuteronomy 12:8 Ye shall not do after all the things that we do here this day, every man whatsoever is right in his own eyes

Genesis 6:1 And it came to pass, when men began to multiply on the face of the earth, and daughters were born unto them,

Genesis 6:2 That the sons of God saw the daughters of men that they were fair; and they took them wives of all which they chose.

Genesis 6:3 And the LORD said, My spirit shall not always strive with man, for that he also is flesh: yet his days shall be an hundred and twenty years.

Genesis 6:4 There were giants in the earth in those days; and also after that, when the sons of God came in unto the daughters of men, and they bare children to them, the same became mighty men which were of old, men of renown.

Genesis 6:5 And GOD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.

Genesis 6:6 And it repented the LORD that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him at his heart.

Genesis 6:7 And the LORD said, I will destroy man whom I have created from the face of the earth; both man, and beast, and the creeping thing, and the fowls of the air; for it repenteth me that I have made them.

Genesis 6:8 But Noah found grace in the eyes of the LORD.

B. God’s Eyes

- Weighs them in the balance of righteousness and truth; considers them, having a perfect knowledge of them, and all the springs of action in them; and knows that every way of man is not right, though they may seem so to him.

- Every man feels strongly attached to his own opinions, modes of acting, etc.; and though he will not easily give up anything to the judgment of a neighbor, whom he will naturally consider at least as fallible as himself, yet he should consider that the unerring eye of God is upon him; and he should endeavor to see that what he does is acceptable in the eye of his Maker and Judge.

Jeremiah 17:10 I the LORD search the heart, I try the reins, even to give every man according to his ways, and according to the fruit of his doings.

II. Our Sin (vs. 3)

Proverb 21:3 To do justice and judgment is more acceptable to the LORD than sacrifice.

A. Justice and Judgment

- The moral duties of religion, what is holy, just, and good, which the law requires; what is agreeably to both tables, piety towards God, and justice to men; that which is just and right between man and man; which, especially if done from right principles and with right views

- Justice and Judgment: Following and seeking after Christ

1 Samuel 15:22 And Samuel said, Hath the LORD as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the LORD? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams.

B. Sacrifice

- God would rather us be obedient to His word and not sin rather to sin and have to ask for forgiveness.

III. Our Heart (vs. 4)

Proverb 21:4 An high look, and a proud heart, and the plowing of the wicked, is sin.

A. Self-righteousness

- A man that looks above others, and with disdain upon them, shows that pride reigns in him, and swells his mind with a vain opinion of himself; this may be observed in every self-righteous man; the parable of the Pharisee and publican is a comment upon it; sometimes there may be a proud heart under a disguise of humility; but the pride of the heart is often discovered by the look of the eyes.

- What is a high look? Do we have one at times? We all can I am sure; this high look is our arrogance that we can have in life when we think that we are better than others.

- Arrogant: Making or having the disposition to make exorbitant claims of rank or estimation; giving one's self an undue degree of importance; haughty; conceited; applied to persons.

- Inordinate self-esteem; an unreasonable conceit of one's own superiority in talents, beauty, wealth, accomplishments, rank or elevation in office, which manifests itself in lofty airs, distance, reserve, and often in contempt of others.

B. Tillage

- Lucerna, the lamp, the prosperity and posterity of the wicked; is sin - it is evil in the seed, and evil in the root evil in the branch, and evil in the fruit. They are full of sin themselves, and what they do is sinful.

- The proverb, taken thus, will mean, "high look, proud heart, even all the field which the godless cultivate, all that they do, is sin."

Conclusion:

I. Our Way (vs. 2)

II. Our Sin (vs. 3)

III. Our Heart (vs. 4)

We should be careful to watch our hearts and eyes, because they are so easily corrupted. We easily can be prideful and arrogant and believe that we are better than everyone around us especially as Christians. There can be a Christian and Church attitude we can get if we are not careful and that is that we think we are more special than those who are down the road. We all will be spending eternity with one another and we should get along with others around us. We should stay humble while interacting with the world and have compassion on them because we could still be in the same predicament as them which is a life without Christ.

How do we keep from getting prideful?

1. Look at our life from the Bible

2. Live holy

3. Evaluate your motives