08/25/2006 Sabbath Meeting Transcript

Tonight I would like to talk about the enemy of humility

We are approaching the feast days and it is good to do a full check of our spiritual condition before Yahweh

It is good to ask Him to show us what areas in our life that He desires a change

One of the greatest barriers man sets up to making the changes needed is pride

Pride is a sin that is rampant yet silent, often elusive and often hidden

This sin is in most every place carnal man is

But before I begin I want all to know that I also in some ways discover myself falling short of this at times. Just when I think I have it all purged out, Yahweh reveals more shortcomings (Thank You Yahweh)

I say this so that I would not appear as a hypocrite to Yahweh

But I do want to share some things in His word about this hidden sin.

This sin is hidden because it is the sin itself that prevents men from admitting it.

Pride itself keeps one from admitting they have pride

So pride often keeps one from seeing their own pride. A sad state indeed!

Proverbs 30:32 - If thou hast done foolishly in lifting up thyself, or if thou hast thought evil, lay thine hand upon thy mouth.

Indeed, if we ever lift ourselves up... then let us put our hand over our mouth for the foolishness we have done.

Proverbs 16:18 - Pride goeth before destruction, and an haughty spirit before a fall.

Pride is deceptive

Obadiah 1:3 - The pride of thine heart hath deceived thee, thou that dwellest in the clefts of the rock, whose habitation is high; that saith in his heart, Who shall bring me down to the ground?

Obadiah 1:4 - Though thou exalt thyself as the eagle, and though thou set thy nest among the stars, thence will I bring thee down, saith YAHWEH.

Yahweh has a habit of humbling the proud

This is because Yahweh hates pride. Even a proud look is an abomination to Him

Proverbs 6:16 - These six things doth YAHWEH hate: yea, seven are an abomination unto him:

Proverbs 6:17 - A proud look, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood,

Proverbs 6:18 - An heart that deviseth wicked imaginations, feet that be swift in running to mischief,

Proverbs 6:19 - A false witness that speaketh lies, and he that soweth discord among brethren.

A proud look? Yes.

The literal meaning of this phrase is "Lifted eyes"

Yahweh hates it

Why?

Pride is one of the worst sins a person can commit. It decieves us. Often we think we don't have it and later realize we do

Pride is unusual in its deceptiveness

It's more so a state of mind than a sin that is committed on occasion

If we have a humble state of mind, pride is not present

Pride though...can drive a man to do about anything.

It can drive a man to be wealthy... artistic.. powerful.. famous.. and even religious

But why does Yahweh hate pride so much?

Ponder this for a moment..

Is there anything that we really have to be proud of ?

Yahweh created the heavens and the earth and all that is within. He gave man a perfect place to dwell. Yet man has rebelled against his Creator from the beginning of time. Yes, from Eden until now

We didn't make ourselves. We can do nothing apart from him. Yet, all the world acts as if He doesn't exist

Yahweh even sent His own Son to die for us.. And many are too proud to even accept Him!

It is Yahweh who gave us the breath of life. Remember Job?

Job 38:1 - Then YAHWEH answered Job out of the whirlwind, and said,

Job 38:2 - Who is this that darkeneth counsel by words without knowledge?

Job 38:3 - Gird up now thy loins like a man; for I will demand of thee, and answer thou me.

Job 38:4 - Where wast thou when I laid the foundations of the earth? declare, if thou hast understanding.

Yahweh spends the next 2 chapters declaring His worthiness and our inability to even come close to His might and power

Isaiah 2:12 - For the day of YAHWEH of hosts shall be upon every one that is proud and lofty, and upon every one that is lifted up; and he shall be brought low:

The day of Yahweh has a lot to do with humbling the proud. We need to be sure that we are not among the ones needing to be humbled!

In that day Yahweh puts things back into a correct perspective

Psalms 100:3 - Know ye that YAHWEH he is Elohim: it is he that hath made us, and not we ourselves; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.

It is Yahweh who has made us, let's give HIM the honor due His name

The book of Proverbs speaks much about the fool, and how horrible a condition that a fool is in

But consider this...

Proverbs 26:12 - Seest thou a man wise in his own conceit? there is more hope of a fool than of him.

Even a fool has more hope than one who is wise in their own conceit!

If your thoughts are always on yourself, then your thoughts will be void of Yahweh

We need to keep Elohim in our thoughts!

Psalms 10:3 - For the wicked boasteth of his heart's desire, and blesseth the covetous, whom YAHWEH abhorreth.

Psalms 10:4 - The wicked, through the pride of his countenance, will not seek after Elohim: Elohim is not in all his thoughts.

If we are great in our own eyes...Will Yahweh show us truth? Will we accept His ways?

I do believe we need to be out of the way of His glory for us to truly be used of Him in the way He desires to use us

The moment we are in the way of Him receiving the glory, we can quickly be taken out of the way

James 4:13 - Come now, you who say, "Today or tomorrow we will go to such and such a city, spend a year there, buy and sell, and make a profit";

James 4:14 - whereas you do not know what will happen tomorrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away.

James 4:15 - Instead you ought to say, "If YAHWEH wills, we shall live and do this or that."

For our life is just a vapor that appears for a while and then vanishes away

We are literally in Yahweh's hands at all times.

By His mercies we are not consumed. By His mercies we live and breathe and have our being

Therefore let it be that in all that we do, we do for Yahweh. With Him being the one we seek to please

If we are musically gifted and are singing a hymn or a song...it should be done for the glory of Yahweh, not to receive the praise of men.

We should neither be ashamed nor gloat in the quality of our voice. It is Yahweh who is worthy of praise. It is He who made our voice

When writing a sermon, book or message...it must be for Yahweh, because we love of others.. not because we want others to give us honor.

When doing any work, let it be for Yahweh. He is worthy of our attention and it is HIM that we must aim to please

Colossians 3:22 - Servants, obey in all things your masters according to the flesh; not with eyeservice, as menpleasers; but in singleness of heart, fearing YAHWEH:

Colossians 3:23 - And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to YAHWEH, and not unto men;

Let's look at David...When he fought the Goliath...was it with his own might, wisdom or strength that he boasted?

1Samuel 17:45 - Then said David to the Philistine, Thou comest to me with a sword, and with a spear, and with a shield: but I come to thee in the name of YAHWEH of hosts, the Elohim of the armies of Israel, whom thou hast defied.

He saw beyond the flesh. David was small in the eyes of the people.

But he had the right perspective!

Isn't that what Yahweh often does? He takes a small thing...and does mighty things with it so that His name will be honored!

The humble beginnings of a child born in the stalls of farm animals...

The humble prayer of Hannah...

The humble beginnings of Saul the King who was too meek to even accept being king. They found him hiding out among the equipment when it came time to proclaim him king

And the meekest man on the face of the earth, Moshe.. living in a wilderness and seeing a burning bush. Little did he know what Yahweh had planned..

Numbers 12:3 - (Now the man Moses was very meek, above all the men which were upon the face of the earth.)

If we want to be used by Yahweh, meekness and humility are one of the first things we need. And we need to remain little in our own sight, so that Yahweh will continue to be pleased with us

We should not be getting in the way of Yahweh receiving the glory. If we are in the way, He can take us out of the way

Acts 12:21 - And upon a set day Herod, arrayed in royal apparel, sat upon his throne, and made an oration unto them.

Acts 12:22 - And the people gave a shout, saying, It is the voice of a mighty one, and not of a man.

Acts 12:23 - And immediately the angel of YAHWEH smote him, because he gave not YAHWEH the glory: and he was eaten of worms, and gave up the spirit.

Acts 12:24 - But the word of YAHWEH grew and multiplied.

Herod was taken out of the way because He did not give Yahweh the glory

Micah 6:8 - He hath shewed thee, O man, what is good; and what doth YAHWEH require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy Elohim?

Isaiah 66:1 - Thus saith YAHWEH, The heaven is my throne, and the earth is my footstool: where is the house that ye build unto me? and where is the place of my rest?

Isaiah 66:2 - For all those things hath mine hand made, and those things have been, saith YAHWEH: but to this man will I look, even to him that is poor and of a contrite spirit, and trembleth at my word.

Do we tremble at His word? Or search it...that we might find accusation against another?

Do we read His word seeking for things that might convict our heart? Or things that we might use to show others that we are right... that we might glorify ourselves?

It is good to seek the truth..and share with others... but I think it is better when it convicted us first.

Pride can be evident in general conversations.

Do the things a man speaks about or the stories he tells about his life have a consistent theme of glorifying himself?

Putting other people down is another thing from pride.

I've met many a person that part of their personality was putting others down.. so that they might appear better and wise

They might even make false accusations against others.. so that they themselves might appear righteous.

But in Yahweh's eyes this is evil

Gossip often comes from pride.

Telling a story about how evil another person was when they did a certain thing can easily have an element of pride to it

Is there anything in the heart that eases your own conscience about your own sins when telling such stories? "At least I'm not as bad a so-and-so"

Pride causes arguments and strife in our homes.

Proverbs 28:25 - He that is of a proud heart stirreth up strife: but he that putteth his trust in YAHWEH shall be made fat.

Pride is often the root of rebellious children and rebellious wives. It is quite elusive.

A child who believes he is worthy to argue with an adult needs to learn a lesson in humility

And a wife who believes she is in a position to argue with her husband needs to read what the scriptures say about her role in the marriage

We should not think of ourselves more highly or place ourselves in a higher position than we are actually in

Luke 14:8 - When thou art bidden of any man to a wedding, sit not down in the highest room; lest a more honourable man than thou be bidden of him;

Luke 14:9 - And he that bade thee and him come and say to thee, Give this man place; and thou begin with shame to take the lowest room.

Luke 14:10 - But when thou art bidden, go and sit down in the lowest room; that when he that bade thee cometh, he may say unto thee, Friend, go up higher: then shalt thou have worship in the presence of them that sit at meat with thee.

Luke 14:11 - For whosoever exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted.

"whosoever exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted" The truth of this teaching I have observed numerous times in my life

If we are in a room, do we assume that our own speaking is more important than all in the room?

Pride comes before a fall.. so so many times

What kept many of the Pharisees from accepting the Messiah? Pride was a major factor

John 12:42 - Nevertheless among the chief rulers also many believed on him; but because of the Pharisees they did not confess him, lest they should be put out of the synagogue:

John 12:43 - For they loved the praise of men more than the praise of YAHWEH.

If Yahweh wants to give us a new revelation, we should be certain that our own pride does not prevent us from hearing

We should not assume we have all the truth. We can learn from others.. and Yahweh can continue to reveal our sin in His word

Do we are better than another because we have certain truths that we believe they do not?

Or do we consider one another better than ourselves. We can all learn from one another.

I've learned a lot from my own children

We need to be humble enough to see the truth, no matter the source

1Corinthians 8:2 - And if any man think that he knoweth anything, he knoweth nothing yet as he ought to know.

1Corinthians 8:3 - But if any man love YAHWEH, the same is known of him.

The key is not knowing everything, the key is loving Yahweh and being known by Him!

If we start to speak in our prayers as if Yahweh isn't in the first person....pride is often a factor in it.

Pride occurs when at some point..the one offering prayer isn't talking to Yahweh anymore but to the people

To whom is the person then praying to?

Prayer is not to be a performance, it is an offering...a pure holy offering without blemish unto Yahweh. In prayer, we are speaking TO Yahweh

Remember this prayer..

Luke 18:10 - Two men went up into the temple to pray; the one a Pharisee, and the other a publican.

Luke 18:11 - The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, Elohim, I thank thee, that I am not as other men are, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this publican.

Luke 18:12 - I fast twice in the week, I give tithes of all that I possess.

This man prayed "thus WITH HIMSELF"

Luke 18:13 - And the publican, standing afar off, would not lift up so much as his eyes unto heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying, Elohim be merciful to me a sinner.

Luke 18:14 - I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other: for every one that exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted.

Yahushua repeated this principle again

Let's remove all pride from prayer and humble ourselves before Him!

The Pharisee was exalting himself in his prayer.. recounting his own righteous deeds

And thinking himself better than the humble one who confessed his sins

But the humble confessors are greater in Yahweh's eyes, even if they do sin

We ought to heed the warning, for all things hidden will come to light

If we are harboring unforgiveness toward another..

Does our own pride cause us to forget the mercy Yahweh has shown us?

1Peter 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 "YAHWEH resists the proud, but gives favor to the humble."

1Peter 5:6 - Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of YAHWEH, that He may exalt you in due time,

Young men should always remember that we should give honor to the elder.. knowing they have more life experiences to gain wisdom from

The last thing we need is for Yahweh to be resisting us, yes?

Yet today, the elderly are mocked and made fun of

Considered stupid, they are often ignored

They may not be wise with technology, but they have lived long enough to learn some wisdom

Before I close, I do want to share a scripture that shows a different kind of 'pride'

1Corinthians 1:26 - For ye see your calling, brethren, how that not many wise men after the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called:

Ever notice this? I have

1Corinthians 1:27 - But YAHWEH hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and YAHWEH hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty;

Our perspective has a lot to do with whether or not Yahweh chooses us

1Corinthians 1:28 - And base things of the world, and things which are despised, hath YAHWEH chosen, yea, and things which are not, to bring to nought things that are:

1Corinthians 1:29 - That no flesh should glory in his presence.

1Corinthians 1:30 - But of him are ye in the Messiah Yahushua, who of YAHWEH is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption:

1Corinthians 1:31 - That, according as it is written, He that glorieth, let him glory in YAHWEH.

Paul is quoting from Jeremiah:

Jeremiah 9:23 - Thus saith YAHWEH, Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom, neither let the mighty man glory in his might, let not the rich man glory in his riches:

Jeremiah 9:24 - But let him that glorieth glory in this, that he understandeth and knoweth me, that I am YAHWEH which exercise lovingkindness, judgment, and righteousness, in the earth: for in these things I delight, saith YAHWEH.

This is not to be confused with self-righteousness

But do not be ashamed.. rather, glory in the things that Yahweh is having us do.. knowing that His ways are just and true and right!

When the unrighteous mock us for keeping the Sabbath or keeping the feasts, do not be ashamed.. but rejoice that Yahushua's works are dwelling in you!

We are blessed to be His servants. All of the longsuffering and mercy and love that He has had for us, just so that we could be His own. He has forgiven so much

Indeed, we are blessed to be servants of the Most High. Yahushua paid the ultimate price so that we could be the children of Yahweh

But when we do what we are commanded to do, when we keep His commandments.. let's not boast and brag, but let's remember that we are simply doing that which is our duty to do:

Luke 17:10 - So likewise ye, when ye shall have done all those things which are commanded you, say, We are unprofitable servants: we have done that which was our duty to do.

So many times one can hear.. "Yea... so and so did this, but I...." or "So and so did this...but I would have just...."

Brethren let's not lose our reward. Let's not waste this life on vanity and glory of men. Let's exalt Yahweh who alone is worthy of praise and honor and glory!

Psalms 150:1 - Praise ye YAHWEH. Praise El in his sanctuary: praise him in the firmament of his power.

Psalms 150:2 - Praise him for his mighty acts: praise him according to his excellent greatness.

Psalms 150:3 - Praise him with the sound of the trumpet: praise him with the psaltery and harp.

Psalms 150:4 - Praise him with the timbrel and dance: praise him with stringed instruments and organs.

Psalms 150:5 - Praise him upon the loud cymbals: praise him upon the high sounding cymbals.

Psalms 150:6 - Let every thing that hath breath praise YAHWEH. Praise ye YAHWEH. .

Do you have breath? Praise Yahweh!! It is He who gave it to us... and everything we have !

Praising Him, giving Him the honor (from the heart) is an act of humility

May Yahweh always be given the glory in all that we do

Psalms 115:1 - Not unto us, O YAHWEH, not unto us, but unto thy name give glory, for thy mercy, and for thy truth's sake.

John 12:28 - Father, glorify thy name. Then came there a voice from heaven, saying, I have both glorified it, and will glorify it again.

Glorify it yet again O Yahweh!!

Let's be sure that our lives are of such that He receives it

And not we ourselves

For in the end, all that are high and lofty will be brought low

And the humble exalted

Let's be among the meek and humble people

May Yahweh bless you and may He have mercy on us all!