Pride and Self-centeredness Will Keep Us Out of the Kingdom of God

All throughout Scripture, God hates the proud and lifts up the humble.

Luke 14:11 For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.”

Luke 18:14 I tell you, this man went down to his house justified, rather than the other. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the one who humbles himself will be exalted.”

James 4:6 But he gives more grace. Therefore it says, “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.”

James 4:10 Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will exalt you.

1 Peter 5:5 Likewise, you who are younger, be subject to the elders. Clothe yourselves, all of you, with humility toward one another, for “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.”

1 Peter 5:6 Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you

God hates pride because that is what made Lucifer fall to become Satan. Observe God's lament over the fall of Lucifer in Ezekiel 28:12-17

“You were the signet of perfection,
    full of wisdom and perfect in beauty.
13 You were in Eden, the garden of God;
    every precious stone was your covering,
sardius, topaz, and diamond,
    beryl, onyx, and jasper,
sapphire, emerald, and carbuncle;
    and crafted in gold were your settings
    and your engravings.
On the day that you were created
    they were prepared.
14 You were an anointed guardian cherub.
    I placed you; you were on the holy mountain of God;
    in the midst of the stones of fire you walked.
15 You were blameless in your ways
    from the day you were created,
    till unrighteousness was found in you.
16 In the abundance of your trade
    you were filled with violence in your midst, and you sinned;
so I cast you as a profane thing from the mountain of God,
    and I destroyed you, O guardian cherub,
    from the midst of the stones of fire.
17 Your heart was proud because of your beauty;
    you corrupted your wisdom for the sake of your splendor.
I cast you to the ground;
    I exposed you before kings,
    to feast their eyes on you.

This is why God chose Mary, a poor rural girl, instead of a queen or princess to bear his Son into the world. He made sure the Messiah would be born in a manger to make sure that people would be attracted to him simply by his words of life instead of his grandeur if he were born a prince. Christ said in Luke, "Blessed are the poor". He also said it was easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for the rich to get into the kingdom of heaven.

The rich young ruler not only knew the law but he lived it, yet Christ wanted him to remove from his life the source of his pride, his riches, by telling him to sell all he had and to follow him. But he chose to retain the source of his pride and security.

Lesson: We need to identify any and all the source of our pride. The source of pride is what gives us self-esteem and security. Here are examples and the mindset behind them:

1. Wealth - when we need things or when we have problems do we immediately look for solutions only from our resources or do we come to God first? When we want to be noticed in public, do we display wealth? ability? fame?, or do we demonstrate humility?
2. Power and control - When people are under our power, do we abuse the power we have to confirm that we have control? Do we become insecure when we lose control over the behavior of people? Would we rather try to maintain control over people than allowing God to work in those relationships? Remember, God gifted all men with free will at creation. Forcing some kind of control insults what God gave, and has the same motive as Satan when he wanted Jesus to worship him. When we are in power, do we lord it over all or are we servant of all? Is there someone you refuse to forgive? People who do not forgive subconsciously think that not forgiving gives them some control over people, but that is self-deception. You only repeat your suffering at the hurt you experienced and only you suffer, while the people you don't forgive go on their merry way not even being aware of what you are going through!
3. Fame and popularity - You do not even need to be famous or popular to have pride in popularity. Do you normally or always want to be noticed in a crowd? If no one notices you, do you feel resentment? Do you want to leave right away? Do you become insecure that no one noticed you the way you expected them to?
4. Connections - Do you define your self-esteem by what other people say or do to you? Do think you can attain your 15 minutes of fame if you know or are connected to some great, famous, rich or powerful person? That is forced pride since you offer nothing on your own. Why not be defined by who the Bible says you are?
5. Talent - Do you believe you have the right to boast because of your talent or ability? That is exactly what happened to Lucifer the "anointed guardian cherub" of heaven, the "signet of perfection".

Plain and simple, get rid of these sources of pride or the kingdom of God will get rid of you.