Humility Over Arrogance 27 Aug 17

(Message 5) Are you prideful? How do you know? Pride, or arrogance, is one of those things that we often can’t see in ourselves. But God hates it. In this message, we’ll take a look at how to identify pride and choose humility over arrogance.

The Pride Test:
(1 pt. = never!… 2… 3… 4… 5 pts. = always!)

I am constantly late.
I interrupt others all the time.
My choices are the most reasonable.
I complain all the time.
I never apologize or when I do it’s done sarcastically.
I constantly put others down.
Multiply the number of selfies I took this week by 1 (max of 5 pts.)

Choosing Humility:

Develop a heart of gratitude.
Develop a heart of generosity.
Develop a heart of service.

Complaining Challenge:
Don’t complain for the rest of the day (or the rest of the week!)

Click here to print.

What was your score on the pride test (click here to view the test)? Were you happy with the results? Why or why not?
Read the following definitions of pride/haughty and humility taken from gotquestions.org:
- “The word haughty is defined by Merriam-Webster as “blatantly and disdainfully proud.” The word is always used in the Bible in the evil sense of “arrogant, disdainful and setting oneself above others”; it is often set in contrast to being humble.” (What does the Bible mean when it speaks against haughty eyes?)
- “The Bible describes humility as meekness, lowliness, and absence of self. The Greek word translated “humility” in Colossians 3:12 and elsewhere literally means “lowliness of mind,” so we see that humility is a heart attitude, not merely an outward demeanor.” (What does the Bible say about humility?)
Read Proverbs 6:16 and Proverbs 16:18. Share a time when you or someone you know experienced a “fall” or even just embarrassment because of pride.
Fighting the pull to pride can be overwhelming. There are many Scriptures we can dwell on to help us fight that pull and put on humility. Read and discuss the following verses: Philippians 2:1-8; Psalm 18:27; 1 Corinthians 4:7; 1 Peter 5:6; James 4:6; and Isaiah 66:2.
Read 1 Timothy 6:17-19. Troy spoke of 3 practical ways to choose the path of humility over arrogance: Gratitude, Generosity, and Service. They all have to do with the heart. Discuss the following verse: “Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it.” Proverbs 4:23.
Gratitude. Read this excerpt from Gotquestions.org:
- “Thankfulness is a prominent Bible theme. 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 says, “Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” Did you catch that? Give thanks in all circumstances. Thankfulness should be a way of life for us, naturally flowing from our hearts and mouths.”
  - Think of someone whom you would describe as a grateful person and share an example of their gratitude.
  - Is gratitude a way of life for you? Why or why not?
Generosity. What does wealth with humility look like? How could living out Acts 20:35 protect us from the arrogance of wealth?
Service. Read Philippians 2:5-8 and Mark 10:42-45. Discuss the ways that serving others keeps us humble.
What are some practical ways your group can serve together? Devise a plan and do it!