Choosing Love Over Pride: Lessons from Palm Sunday
Summary
Palm Sunday is a day filled with joy and celebration, marking Jesus' triumphal entry into Jerusalem. However, this event also serves as a poignant reminder of the deeper spiritual truths about pride and love. The crowd that welcomed Jesus was looking for a king who would restore the kingdom of David, but Jesus came to establish a different kind of kingdom—one not built on human pride but on divine love. Pride, as the root of all evil, stands in stark contrast to love. While pride prioritizes self, love prioritizes others, and these two cannot coexist.
The story of Palm Sunday, as recounted in all four Gospels, highlights the misunderstanding of Jesus' mission. The people expected a political savior, but Jesus came to offer a spiritual kingdom. This misunderstanding is further illustrated in Mark 11 and Matthew 12, where Jesus challenges the scribes' expectations of the Messiah. He points out that their pride led them to miss the true nature of God's kingdom.
In our own lives, pride can manifest in subtle ways, even in our prayers. James 4 warns against prayers driven by selfish desires, urging us to align our requests with God's will. Jesus, in the Sermon on the Mount, emphasizes the importance of seeking God's kingdom first and prioritizing others, as encapsulated in the Golden Rule. Our prayers should reflect a heart that seeks God's desires over our own.
The relationship between pride and love is further explored through the analogy of a parent and child. Just as a parent helps a child grow by allowing them to do their part, God calls us to do our part in His kingdom. Our job is to meet the needs we can, while trusting God to handle what we cannot. This principle applies in all areas of life, from personal relationships to societal responsibilities.
Ultimately, the choice between pride and love is a daily one. As we draw closer to God, we learn to choose love more consistently, reflecting Christ's example. This choice not only transforms our lives but also serves as a powerful witness to others, drawing them to the love of Christ.
Key Takeaways:
1. Pride vs. Love: Pride and love cannot coexist; pride prioritizes self, while love prioritizes others. This fundamental choice impacts every aspect of our lives, from personal relationships to our spiritual journey. [00:36]
2. Misunderstanding God's Kingdom: The people of Jesus' time expected a political savior, but Jesus came to establish a spiritual kingdom. This misunderstanding highlights the danger of letting pride shape our expectations of God. [02:02]
3. Prayer and Pride: Our prayers can reveal our pride when they focus on our desires rather than God's will. Aligning our prayers with God's desires requires humility and a willingness to prioritize others. [04:48]
4. Our Role in God's Kingdom: Like a parent guiding a child, God calls us to do our part in His kingdom. We are responsible for meeting the needs we can, trusting God to handle what we cannot. [08:07]
5. Choosing Love Daily: The choice between pride and love is a daily one. As we grow closer to God, we learn to choose love more consistently, reflecting Christ's example and serving as a witness to others. [10:51]
Youtube Chapters:
- [00:00] - Welcome
- [00:36] - Pride vs. Love
- [01:17] - The Triumphal Entry
- [02:02] - Misunderstanding God's Kingdom
- [02:49] - Jesus Challenges the Scribes
- [03:32] - The Widow's Example
- [04:11] - Personal Reflections on Prayer
- [04:48] - James on Prideful Prayers
- [05:28] - Cross-Referencing Scripture
- [06:09] - The Sermon on the Mount
- [06:46] - The Golden Rule and Prayer
- [07:31] - Our Relationship with God
- [08:07] - Our Role in God's Kingdom
- [09:29] - Practical Examples of Service
- [10:51] - Choosing Love Daily
Study Guide
Bible Study Discussion Guide: Palm Sunday - Pride vs. Love
Bible Reading:
1. Mark 11:7-10
2. Matthew 12:35-40
3. James 4:1-3
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Observation Questions:
1. In Mark 11:7-10, what actions did the crowd take to welcome Jesus, and what were they shouting? How does this reflect their expectations of Jesus? [01:17]
2. According to Matthew 12:35-40, how does Jesus challenge the scribes' understanding of the Messiah? What Old Testament reference does He use to make His point? [02:49]
3. In James 4:1-3, what reasons does James give for why prayers may go unanswered? How does this relate to the theme of pride? [04:48]
4. How does the analogy of a parent and child, as mentioned in the sermon, illustrate our role in God's kingdom? [08:07]
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Interpretation Questions:
1. How does the crowd's expectation of a political savior in Mark 11:7-10 reveal a misunderstanding of Jesus' mission? What does this teach us about the dangers of letting pride shape our expectations of God? [02:02]
2. In Matthew 12:35-40, why is it significant that Jesus uses Psalm 110 to address the scribes' expectations? How does this passage highlight the contrast between human pride and divine love? [02:49]
3. How does James 4:1-3 challenge believers to examine the motives behind their prayers? What does this passage suggest about the relationship between pride and prayer? [04:48]
4. Reflecting on the sermon, how does the choice between pride and love impact our daily interactions and relationships? [10:51]
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Application Questions:
1. Reflect on a recent situation where you prioritized your desires over others. How might you have approached it differently by choosing love over pride? [00:36]
2. Consider your expectations of God. Are there areas where pride might be influencing what you hope for or expect from Him? How can you align your expectations with God's spiritual kingdom? [02:02]
3. Think about your prayer life. Are there specific prayers that might be driven by personal desires rather than God's will? How can you adjust your prayers to reflect humility and a focus on others? [04:48]
4. Identify a need in your community or church that you can meet. What steps can you take this week to fulfill that need, trusting God to handle what you cannot? [08:48]
5. Reflect on a relationship where pride has been a barrier to love. What practical steps can you take to prioritize love in that relationship? [10:07]
6. How can you incorporate the Golden Rule into your daily interactions, especially in situations where pride might tempt you to prioritize yourself? [06:46]
7. As you grow closer to God, what specific actions can you take to consistently choose love over pride, serving as a witness to others? [10:51]
Devotional
Day 1: The Incompatibility of Pride and Love
Pride and love are fundamentally opposed, with pride focusing on self and love focusing on others. This dichotomy is central to our spiritual journey, as pride can subtly infiltrate our lives, even in our prayers and relationships. The sermon highlights that pride is the root of all evil, contrasting sharply with the selflessness of love. As we navigate our daily lives, we are called to choose love over pride, reflecting the nature of Christ. This choice impacts every aspect of our lives, from personal relationships to our spiritual growth. [00:36]
"Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others." (Philippians 2:3-4, ESV)
Reflection: Identify a recent situation where pride influenced your actions. How can you choose love instead in a similar future situation?
Day 2: Recognizing the True Nature of God's Kingdom
The people of Jesus' time misunderstood His mission, expecting a political savior to restore the kingdom of David. However, Jesus came to establish a spiritual kingdom based on divine love rather than human pride. This misunderstanding serves as a warning against allowing pride to shape our expectations of God. By seeking a kingdom aligned with our desires, we risk missing the true nature of God's work in our lives. We are invited to embrace the spiritual kingdom Jesus offers, one that transcends earthly power and prioritizes love and humility. [02:02]
"Jesus answered, 'My kingdom is not of this world. If my kingdom were of this world, my servants would have been fighting, that I might not be delivered over to the Jews. But my kingdom is not from the world.'" (John 18:36, ESV)
Reflection: Reflect on an expectation you have of God that might be rooted in personal desires. How can you align this expectation with the spiritual kingdom Jesus came to establish?
Day 3: Aligning Prayers with God's Will
Our prayers can often reveal underlying pride when they focus on our desires rather than God's will. The sermon emphasizes the importance of humility in prayer, urging us to align our requests with God's desires. James 4 warns against prayers driven by selfish motives, reminding us to seek God's kingdom first. By prioritizing others and seeking God's will, our prayers become a reflection of a heart aligned with divine love. This alignment requires a conscious effort to set aside personal ambitions and embrace God's greater plan. [04:48]
"You ask and do not receive, because you ask wrongly, to spend it on your passions." (James 4:3, ESV)
Reflection: Consider your recent prayers. Are they focused on personal desires or aligned with God's will? How can you adjust your prayers to reflect a heart that seeks God's desires over your own?
Day 4: Participating in God's Kingdom
Just as a parent guides a child, God calls us to actively participate in His kingdom. We are responsible for meeting the needs we can, trusting God to handle what we cannot. This principle applies to all areas of life, from personal relationships to societal responsibilities. By doing our part, we contribute to the growth of God's kingdom, reflecting His love and grace. This active participation requires humility and a willingness to serve others, trusting in God's provision and guidance. [08:07]
"For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them." (Ephesians 2:10, ESV)
Reflection: Identify one area in your life where you can actively participate in God's kingdom. What practical steps can you take today to meet the needs around you?
Day 5: Choosing Love as a Daily Practice
The choice between pride and love is a daily one, requiring intentionality and commitment. As we draw closer to God, we learn to choose love more consistently, reflecting Christ's example. This choice not only transforms our lives but also serves as a powerful witness to others, drawing them to the love of Christ. By prioritizing love over pride, we embody the essence of God's kingdom, impacting those around us and fostering a community rooted in divine love. [10:51]
"Above all, keep loving one another earnestly, since love covers a multitude of sins." (1 Peter 4:8, ESV)
Reflection: Think of a relationship in your life where you can choose love over pride today. What specific actions can you take to demonstrate love in this relationship?
Quotes
so as was mentioned it's Palm Sunday and that's a very interesting story because it seems very happy cheerful it seems everything's going in the right direction and a few chapters later we see that things are not always going in the right direction and as pastor mentioned um my family's been dealing with some issues and the Bible tells us pretty plainly that the root of evil is pride and we often think that the opposite of love is hate and there's an element of that but the actual opposite of love is pride because pride is a prioritization wrongly of yourself love is a prioritization of somebody else and you don't have room for both if you have pride you're not going to be loving if you have love you're not going to be prideful and we are called to love [00:00:00]
so the triumphal entry palm Sunday is talked about in all four gospels and it's an important piece it's strategically placed in describing Jesus as king but his community was not looking for him to be the king the way he actually was going to be crowned as king there's no magic in looking up the verses as I talk about them that if you want to participate that way we'll be starting in Mark 11 and I'll be reading verses 7-10 this isn't the entire triumphal entry story just a couple pieces that will relate to our overall theme [00:56:19]
and they brought the colt to Jesus and cast their garments on him and he sat upon him and many spread their garments in the way and others cut down branches of the trees and straw them in the way and they that went before and they that followed cried saying "Hosana blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord blessed be the kingdom of our father David that cometh in the name of the Lord hosana in the highest." So again this sounds really good but we already see a problem in verse 10 the crowd is saying "Blessed be the kingdom of our father David." They're looking for David's kingdom and they want Jesus to implement David's kingdom [01:06:15]
so moving on a chapter later in um chapter 12 verses 35-4 Jesus addresses this very issue he's talking with the scribes who are looking for David's kingdom and he says to them in verse 35 "And Jesus answered and said while he taught in the temple how say the scribes that Christ is the son of David for David himself said by the Holy Ghost the Lord said to my Lord sit thou on my right hand till I make thine enemies thy foottool." So here Jesus is quoting from Psalm 110 david therefore himself called him Lord and whence is he then his son and the common people heard him gladly [01:47:84]
and he said unto them in his doctrine "Beware of the scribes which love to go in long clothing and love salutations in the marketplace and the chief seats in the synagogues and the uppermost rooms at feasts which devour widows houses for the for a pretense make long prayers these shall receive greater damnation." Now we're not going to read it but Jesus here is describing somebody who misunderstood the kingdom their pride had led them to prioritize themselves their kingdom and they wanted God to come down and build their own kingdom [01:93:92]
but then in 41 Jesus demonstrates a person who understood the kingdom the widow who gave and that was showing that she loved she prioritized others above herself she probably needed those funds but she gave them to somebody else so when I was thinking about this we don't typically think that we have an issue of misunderstanding whose kingdom it is we're not looking for David's kingdom i don't need that you probably don't either and in hindsight looking back it seems that this was kind of foolish of them to mistake God's kingdom for David's kingdom [02:30:15]
but going through some of the trials that my family has recently one area where I have had to learn is in prayer and I didn't think I was prideful in prayer but you learn something new every day don't you so the next scripture we'll look at here comes from James chapter 4 it's believed that this was written by Jesus's brother so the first three verses of James chapter 4 say "From whence come wars and fightings among you come not hence even of your lust that war in your members ye lust and ye have not ye kill and desire to have and cannot obtain ye fight and war yet you have not because ye ask not [02:68:96]
ye ask and receive not because ye ask a miss that you may consume it upon your own lusts bless here just means nothing other than desires and the prayers that go a miss are the prideful prayers the prayers that are asking for my desires not God's desires and Jesus addresses this in the sermon on the mount so one thing that is uh very common in the Bible is the Bible cross references itself a ton there are thousands of places where the Bible references the Bible and that's why we're jumping back and forth through scriptures and if this was a sermon there's a lot of other passages we could tie into but we don't have time for all of that in this short little snippet [02:99:44]
however in the sermon on the mount Jesus is heavily emphasizing to the Pharisees that they have missed the point that their pride has led them to miss the kingdom of God and that's why Jesus contrasts you've heard it said this is what the people are saying and then he points them back to the law he points them here's what God said and that's kind of the dynamic going on so in chapter 7 of Matthew starting at verse 7 Jesus goes on to talk about prayer but I want you to pay attention to verse 12 at the end of this is the golden rule and so remember when we're talking about prioritizing others when we're reading this passage [03:30:63]
because we don't normally think about the golden rule and prayer as being sandwiched together but Jesus does here ask and it shall be given you seek and ye shall find knock and it shall be opened unto you for everyone that askketh receiveth and he that seeketh findeth and to him that knockketh it shall be opened or what man is there of you whom if his son ask bread will he give him a stone or if he ask a fish will he give him a serpent if ye then being evil know how to give good gifts unto your children how much more shall your father which is in heaven give good things to them that ask him [03:94:75]
therefore all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you do ye even so to them for this is the law and the prophets so in looking at this in verse 7 Jesus starts off saying that it is right for us to talk to the father it is right for us to pray it is right for us to ask but he then gives us the example of an earthly father it is all right for us to ask God to be our heavenly father but when my kids come up to me and say "Dad my room's a mess." I tell them "You got to clean it." Now if they ask me "Dad will you clean my room?" That's an easy answer no no you get to clean your room [04:36:24]
now what if they spilled something under the bed and we have to move the bed so that we can clean it out well they can't do that i'm going to do that for them that's how being a dad works if I clean my kids' room they wouldn't grow i want them to grow my job as a dad is to help them grow and so Jesus compares our relationship with the father in the same way it is very appropriate to ask God to do God's job we are called to ask for that but we are not called to ask God to do our job and that is where my prayers were prideful i wanted God to do my job and I didn't realize that that's what I was asking for at first [04:80:56]
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