Do you know why people sweep things under the rug? - If you knew why you might be better equipped to deal with small problems before they become large problems.  Fortunately, God has a LOT to say about what causes this. 

“At every stage of our Christian development and in every sphere of our Christian discipleship, pride is the greatest enemy and humility our greatest friend.” John Stott

Sermon Helps

• Isaiah 14:13 (NIV) You said in your heart, “I will ascend to the heavens; I will raise my throne above the stars of God; I will sit enthroned on the mount of assembly, on the utmost heights of Mount Zaphon. 
  
• Proverbs 6:16–17 16 There are six things the LORD hates, seven that are detestable to him: 17 [prideful] eyes, a lying tongue, hands that shed innocent blood, 
• Proverbs 8:13 (NIV) To fear the LORD is to hate evil; I hate pride and arrogance, evil behavior and perverse speech. 
• Proverbs 16:5 (NIV) The LORD detests all the proud of heart. Be sure of this: They will not go unpunished. 
• 1 Corinthians 1:31 (NIV) Therefore, as it is written: “Let the one who boasts boast in the Lord.” 
• 1 Corinthians 2:1–5 (NIV) 1 And so it was with me, brothers and sisters. When I came to you, I did not come with eloquence or human wisdom as I proclaimed to you the testimony about God. 2 For I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ and him crucified. 3 I came to you in weakness with great fear and trembling. 4 My message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words, but with a demonstration of the Spirit’s power, 5 so that your faith might not rest on human wisdom, but on God’s power. 
• 1 Corinthians 4:7 (NIV) For who makes you different from anyone else? What do you have that you did not receive? And if you did receive it, why do you boast as though you did not? 

It is evident that man never attains to a true self-knowledge until he has previously contemplated the face of God, and come down after such contemplation to look into himself. -John Calvin 

Humility is honestly assessing ourselves in light of God’s holiness and our sinfulness. That’s the twin reality that all genuine humility is rooted in: God’s holiness and our sinfulness. Without an honest awareness of both these realities..., all self-evaluation will be skewed and we’ll fail to either understand or practice true humility. We’ll miss out on experiencing the promise and the pleasures that humility offers. - C. J. Mahaney 

Humility is the antidote for pride. The only way pride can be effectively dealt with is by cultivating humility. The more humble we become, the more pride gets dealt with automatically. The best example of humility was our Lord Jesus Christ. When he was on earth, he displayed his humility in a number of ways. The climax of such exhibition of humility was his response to his persecutors from the cross. He was humiliated by both Herod and the High priests. He was insulted by the roman soldiers. The Jewish leaders even teased him when he was on hanging on the cross. But Jesus never reacted to any of these. In fact, one of his final words hanging from the cross was that God would forgive his persecutors. He was the epitome of humility. He proved it during his unfair trial and the crucifixion. - Samuel Sundar 

[4:7] Paul explains why they should not be puffed up, recognizing that the roots of their conflict lie deep in the human desire to distinguish oneself from others and to rise higher on an imagined social ladder. He punctures their inflated view of themselves with a series of questions: Who? What? Why? The first question lends itself to two possible answers. It may be interpreted negatively as referring to their presumption: “Who in the world sees anything special in you?”; “Who concedes you any superiority?”; “Who made you so special?” The question can also be interpreted positively. They are special, but they forget that it was God who makes them special: Who differentiates you? Who defines you?[14] It is God who saved them (1:18), chose them (1:27–28), and revealed to them the hidden mysteries (2:10–12), with the result that no one may boast (1:29). God is the source of their life in Christ (1:30) and activates all the spiritual gifts (12:6). God appointed the various roles in the church (12:28) and will give them the final victory over death (15:57). Everything special about them is attributable to God’s calling of them. The next question, “What do you have that you have not received?” follows this train of thought. Nothing is inherently theirs, so they cannot be arrogant and boastful. They must learn to imitate Paul, who says, “What is Paul?”—merely a servant (3:5) who has been graced by God (3:10; cf. 15:10). Divine grace levels the ground for all and requires gratitude and humility in response. One cannot boast about being a worthy recipient of grace. The third question leads them to this proper conclusion: They are not to boast. For them to be puffed up one against another effectively denies that God is the one who has given them all things. Garland