By: Onuora, Onyeka
Introduction
DEFINITIONS
Pride – the quality of having an excessively high opinion of oneself or one’s importance
Gateway – a drug which supposedly leads the user on to more addictive or dangerous drugs
Some Examples of Pride
- The Pharisee and the Publican > Luke 18:9-14.
- King Nebuchadnezzar > 4:30-37
- Queen Vashti > Esther 1
PRIDE LEADS TO A HOST OF SINS
- Disobedience
- Pharoah pursued the Israelites to the Red Sea because of his pride; despite witnessing God’s might in the ten plagues.
- Saul disobeyed God’s instruction and offered sacrifices before Samuel came
- Unforgiveness
The Unforgiven servant could not forgive his debtor after being forgiven because he felt superior to him – Matt 18:21-35
- Envy/Jealousy
Pride is the key driver of most envious actions. Joseph’s brothers allowed their pride of being more senior to drive them to jealousy to the point of selling their brother.
- Lying
Lying is a common attribute of every proud person. They lie to feed their inflated ego. Ananias & Saphira lied to the church because they wanted people to think highly of them.
CONCLUSION
Humility – The example of Christ.
In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus: Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage; rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death—even death on a cross! – Phil. 2.5-8
Phil. 2.3 NLT: “Don’t be selfish; don’t try to impress others. Be humble, thinking of others as better than yourselves”.