Love Is

Pt. 3 Love Is Not Proud

Introduction

Lets Review what we’ve covered so far because it is absolutely critical we get this for these last days we are entering into for Jesus

Because…

• Nothing is more important than love

 

• Nothing is more powerful than love (like it has the power to change people… from a hawk to a little white dove)

 

• Nothing is more needed than love… needed in our homes, our churches, in our community, and in our world.

 

AND BECAUSE – God’s holy, inspired, alive, active, and authoritative Word says the following about love…

 

I give you a new command: Love one another. Just as I have loved you, you must also love one another. By this, all people will know that you are My disciples if you have love for one another. – John 13:34-35

 

Let no debt remain outstanding, except the continuing debt to love one another, for whoever loves others has fulfilled the law. – Romans 13:8

 

The only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love. – Galatians 5:6

 

Most important of all, continue to show deep love for each other, for love covers a multitude of sins. – 1 Peter 4:8

 

No one has ever seen God. But if we love each other, God lives in us, and his love is brought to full expression in us. – 1 John 4:12

 

NOW – so far in the series we have talked about…

 

‘The Unrelenting Love Of God” … AND – about how “Love is patient and love is kind and love does not envy…”

 

QUESTION – so how did you do with this envy thing since we last met?

LIKE – did you STOP comparing, START enjoying (remember love loves grace… grace to you and grace to others)…

 

AND – did you keep trusting… Trusting in God’s goodness and in His plan for your life?

Today we are going to unpack the last 4 words of 1 Corinthians 13:4…. That describes yet another facet of God’s kind of love… ‘Love Is Not Proud.’

SO – as we begin this conversation, I would like to ask…

Will you make yourself open to the possibility that you struggle with pride?

Is it possible the pride has been an issue that has kept you from loving the people in your life well?

here is how I plan on attacking this morning’s conversation, by unpacking 3 statements.

 

• The hate God loves

 

• You might need some deflating if…

 

• It’s time to try humilify

Love is not proud… – 1 Corinthians 13:4

– (physioo) to inflate, to puff up, to blow up, to bear one’s self loftily, to be proud or arrogant.

UNDERSTAND – whenever there is pride, love is missing.

1. The Hate God Loves
   1. Trivial vs Major for Us
   2. Do we Know what God Hates?
      1. Pride
      2. Proverbs 6:16-19 There are six things the Lord hates,
         seven that are detestable to him  haughty eyes, a lying tongue, hands that shed innocent blood, a heart that devises wicked schemes, feet that are quick to rush into evil, a false witness who pours out lies
         and a person who stirs up conflict in the community.
         • Proud Look
         • Lying Tongue
         • Hands that shed innocent blood
         • A heart that devises wickedness
         • Feet that runs to mischief
         • A false witness that speak lies
         • A heart that sows discord among the brethren

You and I hate nothing to the degree that God hates pride. His hatred for pride is pure, and His hatred of pride is holy. – C J Mahaney (Humility: True Greatness)

Which is why  – there is a hate God loves…

UNDERSTAND – God loves when we hate pride. AND IF YOU – need more proof of how your God feels about proud… check out this divine perspective on pride revealed in

• Proverbs 8:13 The fear of the Lord is to hate evil; Pride and arrogance and the evil way And the perverse mouth I hate.

1. Proverbs 16:5 Everyone proud in heart [is] an abomination to the LORD; [Though they join] forces,* none will go unpunished.
2. Proverbs 21:4 A haughty look, a proud heart, [And] the plowing* of the wicked [are] sin.
3. Psalms 10:4 The wicked in his proud countenance does not seek [God]; God [is] in none of his thoughts.
4. Psalm 101:5 Whoever secretly slanders his neighbor, Him I will destroy; The one who has a haughty look and a proud heart, Him I will not endure.
5. Proverbs 15:25 The LORD will destroy the house of the proud, But He will establish the boundary of the widow.
6. Proverbs 16:18 ride [goes] before destruction, And a haughty spirit before a fall.
7. 1 Peter 5:5 Likewise you younger people, submit yourselves to [your] elders. Yes, all of [you] be submissive to one another, and be clothed with humility, for “God resists the proud, But gives grace to the humble.”*

1. UNDERSTAND GOD – hates, detests, tears down, will not tolerate, and opposes the proud.

YES – the love God hates is pride…

Because pride really does lead to destruction.

UNDERSTAND – pride destroys

• Our relationship with God
• Marriages
• Homes
• Governments
• Churches (in fact pride was a major cause of all the division and disunity that existed in the church at Corinth.. 7 times Paul calls them out for being puffed up and inflated and full of pride)

Pride undermines unity and can ultimately divide a church. Show me a church where there’s division, where there’s quarreling, and I’ll show you a church where there is pride.

2. You Might Need Some Deflating If…
   1. NOW – do you remember the meaning of the Greek word for proud in 1 Corinthians 13?

Proud – (physioo) to inflate, to puff up, to blow up, to bear one’s self loftily, to be proud or arrogant.

 

1. 7 things that will help you figure out if you struggle with pride and might need some deflating. You might need some deflating, if…
   1. You have a tendency to take everything personally
   2. You might need some deflating if…You have a tendency to kind of put up a case for yourself.

• • You might need some deflating if…You think your feelings are the most reasonable
  • AND – if this you, you expect other people to recognize that your feelings and your thoughts, on any given subject, make the most sense.

 

• AND LISTEN – it’s not enough for you to know you’re right, but you will insist on other people recognizing that you’re right.
• B/L – the people in your life know that it is not okay for them to disagree with what you think or how you feel.

 

• AND SO WE ARE – constantly overestimating our own feelings, our own opinions on all kinds of different subjects.

 

1. You might need some deflating if…Your desires are the most important
   1. Doesn’t matter what everybody else wants in the car
2. You might need some deflating, if…You always think it’s the other person who needs to apologize or change.
   • NOW JESUS – warned us in the Sermon on The Mount about pointing out the dust in someone else’s eye, while ignoring the plank in your own eye… But that’s what pride does.
3. You might need some deflating, if…You tend to be negative and critical instead of positive and grateful.
   • So let me put it this way:
   • The language of pride is complaining and criticizing. The language of humility is gratitude and encouragement.

• You might need some deflating, if… You keep thinking of other people who need to hear this.
  • Obadiah 1:3 The Pride of Your Heart has deceived you
  • I’m Good but I know some people who need to hear this

3. It’s Time to Try Humify
   1. OKAY – complete the following statement… “God helps those who help themselves…”
      1. UNDERSTAND – that is not in the bible… and it is not necessarily true.
      2. Here is a statement that is always true. God helps those who humble themselves
         • Psalm 25:9 The humble He guides in justice, And the humble He teaches His way.
         • Ps 147:6 The LORD lifts up the humble; He casts the wicked down to the ground.
         • Proverbs 11:2 When pride comes, then comes shame; But with the humble [is] wisdom.
         • Matthew 23:12 “And whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.
         • James 4:6 But He gives more grace. Therefore He says: “God resists the proud, But gives grace to the humble.

• The person who is humble is the one who draws God’s attention and is the one that God (according to the passages we just read)…
  • Saves, supports, guides, exalts, AND gives wisdom and grace to….

1. QUESTION – if God has promised all of this to those who are humble – where does it come from, how do we get it?
   1. FIRST OF ALL – we need to understand that humility it’s not something that’s done to us…INSTEAD – humility is something that we must choose to do ourselves. ALL THROUGH – scripture the Bible tells us, ”Humble yourself before God.”
   2. Practice Giving Up Your Rights to Others
      • Philippians 2:5-8 Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, 6 who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, 7 but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, [and] coming in the likeness of men. 8 And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to [the point of] death, even the death of the cross.
      • QUESTION – do you see the full impact of those words? Jesus gave up his honor and glory, he let go of his position, he relinquished all of the riches of heaven, in order to become one of us, in order to save us from our sins. He gave it all up in order to become a human. Not even an adult. That would be humble enough, to give up the glory of heaven to become a man. But instead, he became a helpless little infant.
      • Few things we can try

1. Rather than always doing the talking, actively listen

 

2. Choose discomfort so others can be comfortable

 

3. Build someone up whose ability is in the same area as yours

 

4. Take a personal loss so someone else can win

 

5. Serve even when you haven’t been asked – because you see a need

 

6. Serve in an area of weakness

 

7. Take the spotlight off yourself and shine it on others, making them the heroes.

 

8. Refuse to boast no matter how good you think you are

 

9. Go with someone else’s plan in an area that doesn’t matter all that much to – pursue humility we must practice giving up our rights…

iii. Practice Learning From Others

UNDERSTAND – being open to suggestions, being able to take correction, even being open to criticism – is a major component of humility. BECAUSE – part of humility is teach-ability.

QUESTION – are you open to correction?

Can you learn from criticism?

Are you able to learn from other people?

Are you teachable?

If you reject criticism you only harm yourself. But if you listen to correction you grow in understanding. – Proverbs 15:32

YES – anytime we are criticized, God is testing our humility, to see if we are going to respond in a defensive and offensive way… OR – in a humble way.

Instruct a wise man and he will be wiser still; teach a righteous man and he will add to his learning. – Proverbs 9:9

Proverbs 15:14 says,

An intelligent person is always eager to take in more truth…

TO – pursue humility and live out God’s kind of love…

We Must Practice…

1. Giving up our rights
2. Learning from others, 3rd … we must

C) Practice Admitting When We’re Wrong.

We need to follow the truth wherever it leads to…

IF – it leads to you’re wrong, follow it…

IF – it leads to you need to apologize, follow it…

Follow the truth wherever it leads.

A man who refuses to admit his mistakes can never be successful, but if he confesses and forsakes them he gets another chance. – Proverbs 28:13

And 4th by…

D) Practice Doing Good Deeds In Secret

Don’t do your good deeds publicly, to be admired by others, – Matthew 6:1

YOU SEE – pride loves to call attention to and shine a light on itself…

• Pick someone in your life and immerse that person in prayer (I mean every day, for months, or maybe for the rest of 2019) AND – don’t tell anyone about it….
• Make a sacrificial gift to a person in need – inside or outside the church AND – don’t tell anyone about it…
• Come and do something at the church and try not to let anyone know…

Why does the cross have this powerful effect:

Every time we look at the cross Christ seems to be saying to us, “I am here because of you. It is your sin I am bearing, your curse I am suffering, your debt I am paying, your death I am dying.”

Nothing in history or in the universe cuts us down to size like the cross. All of us have inflated views of ourselves, especially in self-righteousness, until we have visited a place called Calvary.

It is there, at the foot of the cross, that we shrink to our true size.