Ten Minute Bible Talks Devotional Bible Study - What Pride Looks Like | Mark | Mark 10.32-45

Starting point is 00:00:00 Welcome to Tim Minna Bible Talks, where we connect the Bible to your life and the time it takes to get to work. My name is Patrick Miller. And I'm Keith Simon. If this podcast has been helping you in your walk with God, would you take five seconds to help us? Hop onto Twitter and follow our new Twitter account at TMBT Podcast. If you go there, you can see our latest episodes. You can also follow Keith and I and send us messages. We'd love to follow you back and see what's happening in your life.

Starting point is 00:00:34 Right now we're asking, who is Jesus? I know what you've been thinking about lately. It's what you thought about when you got up this morning. It's what you think about when you're at work, and it's definitely what's been consuming your mind when you've been at home. Are you ready for me to tell you what's been central in your thoughts lately? You. You have been thinking a lot about you.

Starting point is 00:00:56 I don't know that because I have some sort of special power or special insight into your life. I know it's true of you because it's true of you, because it's true of me and every other human being. Our thoughts about ourselves consume us. They range from what we feel like to what we want to do, to who is irritating us, what our plans are, our hopes are, how we're going to spend our night,

Starting point is 00:01:19 what it is we want to eat. We think a lot about ourselves. In fact, my biggest problem in my life is that I love me some mean. And one of the things I love about Jesus' disciples is that they are a lot like me. When I read the stories in the Gospels, it's so easy for me to identify with them. In Mark chapter 10, Jesus tells the disciples that he is going to Jerusalem to suffer and die and rise. Now this is the third time in Mark that Jesus had told them this.

Starting point is 00:01:51 So you think that they might be getting the picture. But if you think that, you'd be wrong. Because right after Jesus finishes talking about what his future is like, right after after he tells them that he's going to suffer, die, and rise? Well, James and John take Jesus off to the side and ask him to do for them whatever they ask. And it turns out that what they want from Jesus is for him to give them prominent places in his kingdom. Jesus is talking about humbling himself, and the disciples are talking about exalting themselves. This is a pattern that Mark, and more importantly, God don't want us to miss. Jesus predicts his death and the disciples jockey for

Starting point is 00:02:37 position and prestige. In this story, we see human pride and self-centeredness stand in stark contrast to Jesus's humility and self-sacrifice. It seems that the disciples have been having an ongoing argument about which of them was the greatest. It's hard to know that you're the greatest and yet be unable to convince everyone else of that obvious fact. It's hard to know that you're the most important player on the team. It's hard to know that you're the most important person in the office, and yet not everyone else see that. Well, of course, we shouldn't be too worried about the sin of James and John or the other disciples. Our concern needs to be about our own sin. We don't so much need to be concerned about their pride, but our pride. Let's think about how pride manifests itself

Starting point is 00:03:28 in Mark chapter 10, especially in the interaction between James and John and Jesus, and how that might apply to us. The first thing we see is that pride is manifested in self-importance. James and John ask for a prominent place in Jesus' kingdom. They want to be recognized. Pride manifests itself in our life when we want to be the center of attention, or have the respect of others, or want attention from parents or coworkers or siblings. It can be something as simple as talking about yourself too much instead of asking questions of another person. Or it can look like name dropping, or thinking that certain jobs around the house or in the office are beneath you. Second, we see that pride is manifested in self-ambition. Jesus asked James and John what they wanted him to do for them. That's an interesting

Starting point is 00:04:20 question, isn't it? How would you answer that question? What if Jesus asked you, what do you want me to do for you. What would you say? James and John asked for greatness. They didn't really want Jesus as much as they wanted Jesus to give them what they really wanted, which was to be exalted above others. I think our prayer life might reveal our real priorities in life. The things we pray about are usually the things that are most important to us. And I think if we observe our prayer life, we might be convicted that we don't want Jesus as much as we want Jesus to give us good things, maybe good kids or a promotion or financial security or a relationship. Third, pride is manifested in self-confidence.

Starting point is 00:05:08 Jesus asked James and John whether they can drink the cup he drinks and be baptized with the baptism he will experience. Jesus is asking them if they can take his role in absorbing God's wrath against sin. Now, the obvious answer is no, but they are so overly confident in themselves that they say, yes, of course, we can do it. Self-confident people? Well, they think they have things figured out. Self-confident people are quick to criticize others. I mean, the thinking goes, if I can pull this off, then you should be able to pull it off. And if you can't pull it off, then you're open to criticism. You're not as good a person as I am. self-confident people often fail to ask for help. They're unwilling to show weakness. Fourth, pride is manifested in selfish prayers. James and John ask Jesus to do whatever they ask him to.

Starting point is 00:06:05 They want a blank check. Jesus, you sign the check and I'll fill in the numbers. It's very prideful to think you know what's best and demand that God give it to you. God, it's best for me to be healthy. God, it's best for me to get that new. position at work. God, it's best for me to have this relationship work out. Listening to some prayers, it almost sounds like we're telling God what to do instead of asking him to provide. Jesus modeled humility and prayer when he said, not my will, but thy will be done. God, here's my request, but you know best. When I was finishing up seminary, I had to be a pastoral intern for a church. It was part of the requirement for the degree.

Starting point is 00:06:50 was receiving. And I was meeting with a group of people. And one mom asked me if it was okay for her to pray and ask God to heal her autistic son. Now, I had two very young children at the time. This question was way over my head. I sat there and prayed quietly. And then I answered her. And I said first, look, your son is so fortunate to have a mom who loves him and wants to pray for his best. Second, you can pray for anything you want. You can ask God for anything you want, but we should always end our prayers with not my will, but thy will be done. In other words, God, here's my request, but you know best, and I will trust you. I'm not telling you what to do. I'm telling you what's on my heart, but I'm asking you to do what you know is best. That's a humble prayer. That's a humble prayer.

Starting point is 00:07:50 God hates pride. In fact, the scriptures are clear that he stands opposed to the proud. Think about that. God, Almighty God, stands opposed to me when I'm proud. He even warns us that pride comes before the fall. Maybe before we're finished with this, a quick thought about humility. And I just want to read part of a paragraph from C.S. Lewis in mere Christianity. He says, do not imagine if you meet a really humble man. he will be what most people call humble nowadays. He will not be some sort of a greasy, smarmy person who is always telling you that, of course, he is nobody. Probably all you will think about him is that he seemed a cheerful, intelligent chap who took a real interest in what you said to him. And then he finishes the paragraph with this line. He will not be thinking about humility. He will not

Starting point is 00:08:45 be thinking about himself at all. Confess your pride. Run. Run. to Jesus, ask him to forgive you of your pride and to make you a humble person who doesn't think about yourself at all. Thanks for listening. If you've enjoyed this content, please subscribe and give us a rating. That helps others find this podcast more easily. Also ask yourself who you could share this podcast with. Texting an episode to a friend or family member is a great way to help them grow spiritually.

Starting point is 00:09:15 If you want to go deeper, check out our show notes for book recommendations.

Ten Minute Bible Talks Devotional Bible Study - What Pride Looks Like | Mark | Mark 10.32-45

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