Lessons in Serving without Distraction Luke 10:38-42

Transcription

1 Lessns in Serving withut Distractin Luke 10:38-42 But Martha was distracted by much serving Gerge Mueller ( ) lived his life serving the Lrd and serving thers. Fr much f the 20 th Century, he established rphanages in England that cared fr hundreds, and did s by jyfully depending n the Lrd fr all his needs. In 1841, at the age f 36, he made a life-changing discvery: While I was staying at Nailswrth, it pleased the Lrd t teach me a truth, irrespective f human instrumentality, as far as I knw, the benefit f which I have nt lst, thugh nw mre than frty years have since passed away. The pint is this: I saw mre clearly than ever, that the first great and primary business t which I ught t attend every day was, t have my sul happy in the Lrd. The first thing t be cncerned abut was nt, hw much I might serve the Lrd, hw I might glrify the Lrd; but hw I might get my sul int a happy state, and hw my inner man might be nurished. Fr I might seek t set the truth befre the uncnverted, I might seek t benefit believers, I might seek t relieve the distressed, I might in ther ways seek t behave myself as it becmes a child f Gd in this wrld; and yet, nt being happy in the Lrd, and nt being nurished and strengthened in my inner man day by day, all this might nt be attended t in the right spirit. 1 What was s life changing abut this discvery? Mueller had spent years getting up an hur befre breakfast engaging in prayer alne (I knw what yu re thinking, nly an hur!? ) What changed in his discipline is what he called btaining fd fr the inner man, allwing prayer t pur ut after finding cmfrt, encuragement, and humbling f his sul thrugh Scripture. As his heart was made happy in this way, prayers f thanksgiving, cnfessin, supplicatin, and intercessin wuld pur frth. After ding this fr 40 years, he felt like he culd cmmend it as a gd way t pursue Christ (I knw what yu re thinking, nly 40 years?!). Listening t this faithful man wrestle thrugh this is bth enlightening and humbling. Mueller was a man wh accmplished much in his life, was used by Gd, and left a lasting legacy. But what he was cncerned abut was his heart attitude in ding all f this. He easily culd have lked at the wrklad, stresses, pressures, and immense amunt n his plate and little time in his day t devte t prayer, let alne t the intake f Gd s Wrd. Hwever, he discvered what we will examine in tday s passage, with familiar stry f Mary and Martha. As we cme t this shrt stry, we remember the surrunding cntext: Gd hides Himself frm the wise, but reveals Himself t the child (10:21) and the demands f lve are t high fr any f us t btain, and thus we must admit we cannt attain t them, and must simply cry ut in repentance. This passage expands n that thught by what we bring t the table in terms f service t the Lrd. The Lawyer thught he was gd and DID lve Gd with everything. Martha believed she needed t serve Gd in her wn strength and in her wn way, r believed that s what Jesus needed. In this we learn: It s nt abut what we d FOR Gd that matters as much as reveling in what Gd has dne and making much f Him in all that we d. The Cmmn Setting: Displaying Hspitality 1 Jhn Piper, Desiring Gd, p

2 Luke 10:38-39 Nw as they went n their way, Jesus entered a village. And a wman named Martha welcmed him int her huse. 39 And she had a sister called Mary, wh sat at the Lrd's feet and listened t his teaching. One sister frustrated trying t serve This stry begins in a nn-descript village at a nebulus time, but we knw that this was mnths befre He entered Jerusalem the final time, and we knw that the twn was Bethany, which was situated just a few miles utside f Jerusalem (see Jhn 11 & 12 fr Jesus ther visit t Bethany). Apparently He had befriended this family (which included Lazarus, whm Jesus lved Jhn 11:3), and stayed here fr rest and refreshment. As He came int twn Martha, mst likely the ldest and wner f the huse (with n mentin f a husband she may als have been widwed), invited Jesus int her hme. In Jewish culture, as in Middle Eastern culture tday, hspitality is f utmst imprtance. What Martha did was a gd thing, as hspitality t strangers is cmmanded thrughut the New Testament: Hspitality is a gd thing: Its t be sught - Rmans 12:13 - Cntribute t the needs f the saints and seek t shw hspitality. Its primarily abut kindness t strangers - Heb. 13:2 - D nt neglect t shw hspitality t strangers, fr thereby sme have entertained angels unawares. Our attitude in it is imprtant - 1 Peter 4:9 - Shw hspitality t ne anther withut grumbling. Was a mark f mature widws - 1 Tim. 5:10 - and having a reputatin fr gd wrks: if she has brught up children, has shwn hspitality, has washed the feet f the saints, has cared fr the afflicted, and has devted herself t every gd wrk. This is all imprtant as we analyze what the surce f the cnflict is in this passage. Martha gets a bad rap smetimes, sme f which she deserves, but thers are nt the pint. Martha was an utspken servant wh felt cmpelled t put ut the best fr her guest. Yu culd easily see her as the get it dne type mre than the dreamer, the matter f fact rather than the emtinally cntemplative. Martha has ften been identified as a symbl f ver-activity cmpared t Mary s quiet cntemplatin, Martha s actin driven life t Mary s restful peace. Fr sure there are aspects f this, but that des nt seem t be the main pint. Martha s service t Jesus was a gd thing, and even her desire t put ut a meal rather than Ttsie Rlls was a gd thing. One sister listening at Jesus feet Mary was a fil t her sister, the yunger wh was mre bent tward emtin and utward affectin (as she pured perfume n Jesus feet Jhn 12:1-3). While Martha was the ne wh gt things dne, Mary wuld pnder. In this event, Mary went away frm the cultural nrm and sat at Jesus feet t listen. This was slightly shcking but was received by Jesus as she did what Gd directs all peple t d (Luke 9:35). It begs the questin: Which sister was right? The answer, at this part f the stry: they bth were. Neither chice was right nr wrng, but what was displayed in the next sectin, their heart and attitude was expsed in this situatin. The (far t cmmn) Reactin: Distracted in serving Luke 10:40-41 But Martha was distracted with much serving. And she went up t him and said, "Lrd, d yu nt care that my sister has left me t serve alne? Tell her then t help me." 41 But the Lrd answered her, "Martha, Martha, yu are anxius and trubled abut many things, 2

3 Anger directed tward thers Here we see what the real issue was. The wrd fr distracted meant pulled r dragged away. Martha was pulled away by much serving. Yu can see in yur mind this stry unflding. Martha has guests in her huse and wants t serve well, with the expectatin that her sister wuld help her (after all, they were their guests). Martha begins t feel frustratin, self-righteus smldering, and anger. She begins t bang the pts a bit luder, begins t mutter under her breath, begins the passive aggressive actins f letting the grup knw she was nt pleased. Can yu relate t this at all? Have yu been in situatins, especially family situatins, where yu are in a psitin f being put ut, r having expectatins that weren t met, r where yu felt like yu gt the shrt end f the stick? Have yu ever felt like s much was expected f yu, assumed f yu, but n ne asked, thanked, r cared abut yu? This is what Martha was feeling, and what came ut f her muth is what reveals ur heart in times when ur fcus is directed tward us. Ntice that her anger was directed tward her sister and Jesus. She came t Jesus t cmplain abut Mary, but her wrds revealed her anger was directed tward Him fr seeing this whle thing and ding nthing abut it: Why dn t yu ntice? Why dn t yu care? Why dn t yu fix it? Why d I have t d this alne? Hw in the wrld is this FAIR?! What emtins were ging n inside f Martha? What sins f attitude was she struggling with? Where was the fcus f her service? Anxiety & Truble driven frm self-driven expectatins Ntice Jesus gracius and lving respnse. His use f her name twice was nt cndescending as much as shwing Fatherly care. His cncern fr Martha was that she had allwed her attitude t shift and led her dwn a path f anxiety and truble. What were the pints f anxiety that she faced: Why desn t she serve like me? Why dn t peple wrk as hard as me? Why is always left fr me t get it dne? Her anxiety came frm unmet expectatins. She made a gd chice t serve, but expected her sister t help, r fr smene t ntice, r fr Jesus t invite her t sit at His feet. But n ne said anything. She simply was left stewing and brewing as her perspective gt small, her fcus turned inward, and her attitude changed. Ntice hw quickly attitudes can change. We can easily start ut with the best f mtives and ur heart can be drawn away in n time, especially when we feel like we ve been wrnged. What was Martha s real issue? Martha s real issue had mre t d with fussiness rather than busyness. She allwed herself t get distracted in her service, allwed her attitude t deterirate, and rather than having perspective t stp what she was ding and jin in the discussin, cntinued t brd ver the perceived slight t her. Again, d we resnate with any f this? Have we ever let ur attitude mve frm service t cmplaint? Frm thankfulness t anger? Frm selfless t selfish? 3

4 The Slutin: Determining the mst necessary Luke 10:42 but ne thing is necessary. Mary has chsen the gd prtin, which will nt be taken away frm her." The lessn frm Mary s chice Jesus ends this sectin by lauding the chice that Mary made. Mary chse the gd prtin, r the best dish at the table. Mary stpped t listen t Jesus wrd, t cme t Him in child like dependency, and did nt let distractins get in the way f it. Mary chse the Wrd which will nt fade nr cme back vid and culd never be taken away. Mary chse well. The lessns frm Martha s jurney But we d be remiss if we did nt tell the rest f Martha s stry. Martha s stry is redeemable, and that s gd news fr us because I wuld venture a guess that we are ften mre like Martha than Mary. In the mnths t fllw, we see Martha again at the death f Lazarus. Jhn 11:17-27 Nw when Jesus came, he fund that Lazarus had already been in the tmb fur days. 18 Bethany was near Jerusalem, abut tw miles ff, 19 and many f the Jews had cme t Martha and Mary t cnsle them cncerning their brther. 20 S when Martha heard that Jesus was cming, she went and met him, but Mary remained seated in the huse. 21 Martha said t Jesus, "Lrd, if yu had been here, my brther wuld nt have died. 22 But even nw I knw that whatever yu ask frm Gd, Gd will give yu." 23 Jesus said t her, "Yur brther will rise again." 24 Martha said t him, "I knw that he will rise again in the resurrectin n the last day." 25 Jesus said t her, "I am the resurrectin and the life. Whever believes in me, thugh he die, yet shall he live, 26 and everyne wh lives and believes in me shall never die. D yu believe this?" 27 She said t him, "Yes, Lrd; I believe that yu are the Christ, the Sn f Gd, wh is cming int the wrld." Smething changed in Martha. She was still utspken, stating that Jesus culd have saved her brther. Hwever, Martha delivered ne f the mst clear, succinct, and true statement abut Jesus that is recrded in Scripture, rivaled nly by Peter s statement in Matthew 16: Matthew 16:16 Simn Peter replied, "Yu are the Christ, the Sn f the living Gd." 17 And Jesus answered him, "Blessed are yu, Simn Bar-Jnah! Fr flesh and bld has nt revealed this t yu, but my Father wh is in heaven. Ntice that nly the Father culd reveal this t His children. What changed in Martha was the realizatin f wh Jesus was, is and wh He will be frever. She became a little child wh n lnger was living fr herself, r serving fr herself, but did it nw fr Jesus. Hw d we knw? Ntice the scene in Bethany in the days befre Jesus went t the crss: Jhn 12:1-3 Six days befre the Passver, Jesus therefre came t Bethany, where Lazarus was, whm Jesus had raised frm the dead. 2 S they gave a dinner fr him there. Martha served, and Lazarus was ne f thse reclining with him at the table. 3 Mary therefre tk a pund f expensive intment made frm pure nard, and aninted the feet f Jesus and wiped his feet with her hair. The huse was filled with the fragrance f the perfume. We have nearly the same situatin. A huse full f peple, Jesus there, Lazarus was hanging ut with the bys arund the table, and here is Mary again at Jesus feet. In the middle, it says that Martha 4

5 served, nly this time there was n anger, resentment, r drama. What d we learn frm this cycle that Martha experienced? Hw d we avid the same cycle? What principles d we learn? Service is negated when it is selfishly driven This means that attitude in service is everything. When we serve fr selfish reasns, we drift tward the belief that Gd needs us t accmplish His will, we will seek praise and thanks t validate us, and will ften cmplain when these cnditins are nt met. T truly be a selfless servant it necessitates that we see urselves as unwrthy servants wh have dne nly that which we ught t d (Luke 17:10). Gd des nt need us, but wants us t serve Him, t His glry, and will accmplish His will with us. We take ur wrk seriusly, but nt urselves This sunds simple but is difficult t play ut. When we begin t see urselves as servants, we stp fighting t validate urselves, ur psitins, r ur recgnitin. Martha tk herself t seriusly s she culd nt differentiate between gd and best, frm serving t seeing. When we d nt take urselves t seriusly, we can priritize crrectly, being able t drp the less imprtant fr the best dish at the table. We serve t make much f Christ, t shw that He is better This is s ften missed in ur experience. We serve t make much f Jesus, t shw that He is better because HE IS BETTER. That is why mm s and dad s wrk s hard at hme. We d nt serve each ther, in His church, r the lst ut f mere duty, but because Jesus is better. Husbands cme hme t wrk after a day at the ffice because Jesus is better. This week I talked t a wman wh s husband left her after decades f marriage because he was dne serving in the marriage. When we serve ut f ur wn strength, fr ur wn purpse, fr ur wn glry we will always reach an end where leaving makes sense. When we serve fr and thrugh Christ, there is n limit t ur service. When self impsed necessities f ministry r life smther us, service becmes drudgery rather than jy This differentiates between preference and cmmand. S much f ur anxiety and stress cmes frm self-impsed standards that are created by urselves t satisfy ur wn versin f pleasing Gd. Ntice in the stry that Martha was dead set n serving a certain way, while Jesus accepted bth her and Mary s service. We must evaluate whether ur standards are simply ur standards f perfectinism, r that ur standards are urs, and nt what Gd requires f us. When we can differentiate this, we can rest in Him and have prper attitudes intact. When service drags us away frm Gd s Wrd it has becme an idl This may be the mst imprtant takeaway frm the passage. Hw ften have we cnvinced urselves that we are t busy t spend time in Gd s Wrd, that we have real respnsibilities, real issues t take care f t the pint that we can t spend time listening t Gd s Wrd. It is abundantly clear that if ur service t the Lrd trumps ur happiness IN the Lrd, we have turned service int idlatry. (NOTE: this des nt mean that study f Scripture ONLY can take place in the mrning, r that we try t simply fill ur tank at the beginning f the day with Scripture, but that ur entire existence is filled with the fd f His wrd which sustains us). Withut listening t the Wrd we adpt a mindset f narrwness, judgmentalism, and faultfinding When we listen t urselves, we cme ut with the wrng cnclusins. We must 5

6 listen t the Wrd t be able t talk t urselves, t gain perspective, and see clearly what Gd is ding. We must set ut t have prper expectatins, nt idlatrus ideals - Martha wanted Mary t serve the way she did, in the way she did, and felt Mary did nt meet her standards. When we place these type f expectatins n thers, we ALWAYS elevate urselves abve them, and we will always be let dwn, be frustrated, and left with a cmplaining heart. It ften nw astnished me that I did nt sner see this. In n bk did I ever read abut it. N public ministry every brught the matter befre me. NO private intercurse with a brther stirred me up t this matter. And yet nw, since Gd has taught me this pint, it is as plain t me as anything, that the first thing the child f Gd has t d mrning by mrning is t btain fd fr his inner man Nw what is this fd: nt prayer, but the Wrd f Gd hw different when the suld is refreshed and made happy early in the mrning, frm what is when, withut spiritual preparatin, the service, the trials and the temptatins f the day cme upn ne! Gerge Mueller Questins t Cnsider: Wh d yu identify in this stry with and why? What happens t yu when yu get int a cycle f unmet expectatins? What cmes ut in yu? What is revealed? D yu ever struggle with cmplaining in service? Hw abut cmparisn with thers? What keeps us away frm Gd s Wrd? Hw d we ften justify ur lack f feeding n His Wrd? Hw d we shw that Jesus is better in ur service at wrk? At Hme? Hw des ur attitude behind this service affect it? What wuld be different abut ur service (and life) if we were happy in the Lrd, thrugh His Wrd, everyday? 6