The great sin of pride is a snare into which we fall all too easily, and its deceitful road leads only to destruction. Spurgeon declares that “There is nothing into which the heart of man so easily falls as pride, and yet there is no vice which is more frequently, more emphatically, and more eloquently condemned in Scripture.” Though often encouraged by the world to take pride in one’s own achievements, self, lifestyle, and sin, Spurgeon boldly declares that the pride of man is a “groundless thing” which ought to be discarded and rendered ridiculous. Pride keeps us from surrendering fully unto Christ and returning all glory to Him. Further, God reveals the severity of this sin as He proclaims that He resists the proud.
What is the remedy to this evil? The active humbling of oneself before God. From Proverbs 18:12, Spurgeon teaches that pride leads to destruction, but humility ultimately leads to honor. He further discusses the silliness of man’s pride, explaining that “Our very creation is enough to humble us; what are we but creatures of to-day? Our frailty should be sufficient to lay us low, for we shall be gone to-morrow. Our ignorance should tend to keep pride from our lips.” Humility is the cure, for it honestly looks at oneself and asks, “’…what have I that I have not received?’” Godly humility views all gifts, honor, and good in life as coming from the Father, which ought to produce gratefulness in our hearts to Him, rather than creating a proud, groundless perception of self.
Excerpts:
Again, pride is the maddest thing that can exist; it feeds upon its own vitals; it will take away its own life, that with its blood may make a purple for its shoulders: it sappeth, and undermineth its own house that it may build its pinnacles a little higher, and then the whole structure tumbleth down. Nothing proves men so made as pride. For this they have given up rest, and ease, and repose, to find rank and power among men: for this they have dared to risk their hope of salvation, to leave the gentle yoke of Jesus, and go toiling wearily along the way of life, seeking to save themselves by their own works, and at last to stagger into the mire of fell despair. Oh! man, hate pride, flee from it, abhor it, let it not dwell with thee. If thou wantest to have a madman in thy heart, embrace pride, for thou shalt never find one more mad than he.
Humility is to feel that we have no power of ourselves, but that it all cometh from God. Humility is to lean on our beloved, to believe that he has trodden the winepress alone, to lie on his bosom and slumber sweetly there, to exalt him, and think less than nothing of ourselves. It is in fact, to annihilate self, and to exalt the Lord Jesus Christ as all in all.
Read the rest of the sermon here.