25 June 2017
I. Introduction
-- turn
in Bibles to Luke 10:38-42
38 As Jesus and his disciples were on their
way, he came to a village where a woman named Martha opened her home to him. 39
She had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet listening to what he
said. 40 But Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made.
She came to him and asked, “Lord, don’t you care that my sister has left me to
do the work by myself? Tell her to help me!”
41 “Martha, Martha,” the Lord answered, “you
are worried and upset about many things, 42 but only one thing is needed. Mary
has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.”
-- for
the last several weeks, we have been discussing the Holy Spirit and how we need
to recognize and focus our attention on His presence in our lives -- how we
should stop focusing our attention on church attendance or programs or outreach
or the things of this world, but learn to hear and see and experience God in
our lives first
-- it
reminded me of the story of a child who sought God’s presence
"The little child whispered,
"God, speak to me." and a meadowlark sang; but the child did not
hear.
So the child yelled, "God,
speak to me!" And the thunder rolled across the sky, but the child did not
listen.
The child looked around and said,
"God let me see you," and a star shone brightly. But the child did not notice.
And the child shouted, "God
show me a miracle!" And a life was born.
But the child did not know.
So the child cried out in despair,
"Touch me God, and let me know you are here!"
Whereupon God reached down and touched the child. But the child brushed the butterfly away and walked away unknowingly.
Whereupon God reached down and touched the child. But the child brushed the butterfly away and walked away unknowingly.
-- this
story points out a poignant truth -- God is always there -- He is always around
us -- His presence permeates all things of life -- but we have to be open to
Him -- we have to listen for His knock and open the door to experience His
presence in a real way -- otherwise, we’ll miss seeing and hearing and knowing
Him just as this child did
II. The Presence of God
-- when
we’re talking about seeking the presence of God, we need to understand that the
Bible speaks of two different understandings of His presence
--
first, there is His omnipresence -- God present everywhere around us -- this is
the providential presence of God -- this is the hand of God on both the sinner
and the saint -- on those who believe and those who don’t -- the presence of
God that calls to us in the night and that keeps us safe and provides for our
need -- it is the omnipresence of God that caused Jesus to point out that God
causes His sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on both the
righteous and the unrighteous -- God is here and God is always at work in this
land -- He is a present God
-- the
second type of presence that the Bible mentions is God’s manifest presence --
this is God making His presence directly known to us -- God revealing Himself
to us in ways that we can see or hear or experience -- in ways that leave us
knowing that we are or have been in His presence
-- God
would make His presence manifest in various ways throughout Scripture -- He
spoke to Jacob in a dream -- He spoke to Moses face-to-face and allowed Moses
to see His glory passing by -- He spoke to Elijah in a whisper -- He communed
with David’s heart to inspire the Psalms
-- other
ways were more dramatic -- the parting of the Red Sea -- the miracles of
healing -- the pillars of cloud and fire that led the Israelites through the
wilderness -- and, of course, the Shekinah
glory of God -- the cloud of His presence that settled in the Holy of
Holies in the Tabernacle and Temple
-- as
you move to the New Testament, you see the manifest presence of God taking
human form as the Word became flesh and made His dwelling place among us -- God’s
presence was manifest through Jesus, and all who came into contact with Him
knew they had been in the presence of God
-- now,
in our lives, we have the Holy Spirit who manifests the presence of God in our
lives -- through spiritual gifts -- through wisdom and scriptural insights --
through intercession -- through protection and sanctification -- the Bible
tells us that our bodies are now the temple of God, so in a very real way, the
presence of the Holy Spirit indwelling believers is akin to the Shekinah glory filling the temple
-- the
problem is that we have closed the door on the presence of God and instead
focus our attentions on the more material things of the world -- the things we
can see and touch and feel and count
-- so
what do we do about that? -- how can we experience the revealed presence of God
in our lives? -- how can we hear Jesus’ knock on the door so we can open it?
-- the
Christian singer Matt Redman shared that there was a time when his church had
forgotten the presence of God -- the pastor sensed their worship services were
flat -- the people were just going through the motions -- worship wasn’t
flowing through the heart as it must -- also, when you’ve got a worship leader
like Matt Redman, it is easy to get lost in the entertaining presence of the
band and focus on them rather than the One that should be worshiped -- so the
pastor knew something needed to change
-- he
stripped the sanctuary of all the extras that were diverting the focus of the
worshipers -- he removed the sound system -- he removed the band -- he took
away the instruments -- he made them gather and worship with their voices alone
-- as Redman later said, “His point was that we’d lost our way in worship, and
the way to get back to the heart was to strip everything away.”
-- the pastor
challenged the congregation to be participants in worship, not consumers -- to
bring themselves as active worshipers and not passive observers -- to engage
their hearts and seek God through their worship -- as the people’s focus
changed -- as their worship and hearts changed -- as they began to experience
God’s manifest presence again -- it was only then that the pastor allowed the
reintroduction of the sound system and the band, piece by piece -- so that it
would not distract from worship, but add to it
--
Redman’s song, “The Heart of Worship,” is his reflection on the process of
finding God’s manifest presence again, the very thing we have committed to
doing ourselves1
III. Scripture Lesson (Luke 10:38-42)
-- with
that in mind, let’s look now at this familiar story of Martha and Mary --
probably one of the most familiar passages in the New Testament, although it
only occurs here in the Gospel of Luke
-- when
we’re considering what we can learn about seeking the presence of God in our
lives, it’s important to note the context of this passage -- we find the story
of Martha and Mary immediately after the sending out of the seventy-two
disciples and the parable of the good Samaritan -- both stories of action -- of
mission -- of doing
-- but
then we see the story of Martha and Mary, which reminds us of the importance of
seeking the presence of God in the midst of that busyness -- let’s look at this
story now
-- look
back at Luke 10:38-42
38 As Jesus and his disciples were on their
way, he came to a village where a woman named Martha opened her home to him. 39
She had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet listening to what he
said. 40 But Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made.
She came to him and asked, “Lord, don’t you care that my sister has left me to
do the work by myself? Tell her to help me!”
41 “Martha, Martha,” the Lord answered, “you
are worried and upset about many things, 42 but only one thing is needed. Mary
has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.”
--
Martha and Mary are not strangers to us -- they appear several times in the
Gospel narratives, along with their brother Lazarus -- Martha seems to be the
older sister -- the head of the household -- in fact, her name is the feminine
form of the word Master -- she was
the lady of the house -- the mistress in charge of the home -- the one
responsible for all of the day-to-day operations of the household
-- now
one thing we need to realize here is that Martha loved Jesus and He loved her
-- this isn’t the story of someone who didn’t know Jesus -- of someone who was
not part of His circle of friends -- no, Jesus knew and loved Martha and Mary
and Lazarus and they, He -- He spent time in their home -- they invited Him in
and cared for Him during His travels -- Martha knew Jesus and served Him and
supported Him -- along with Mary and Lazarus, she was one of His earliest
disciples
--
notice it says in verse 38 that Martha opened her home to Him -- that says a
lot -- she welcomed Him into her home -- she invited Him in -- He was not a
stranger to her -- she knew Him
-- when
someone visited your home in that day, there were certain standards of
hospitality and comfort that were expected -- water to wash their feet -- food
and drink to satisfy their hunger and thirst -- a place to sit and rest -- and
Martha obviously took her position as the head of the household serious,
especially given who her guest was
-- she
immediately began making preparations and doing what needed to be done to make
Jesus welcome and comfortable in her home -- but we read that Mary did not help
-- instead of pitching in to help Martha, Mary took a seat at the Lord’s feet
and began to listen to what He said -- and this didn’t set well with Martha
-- I’m
sure Martha tried to get Mary’s attention so she would come and help with the
preparations -- I’ve know what ya’ll do in the kitchen when it’s a big meal
like Thanksgiving or Christmas and you need help getting ready -- the sound of
dishes clanging together gets a little louder -- the spoon on the side of the
pot makes more noise than normal -- there’s throat-clearing and all kinds of
other stuff trying to get someone’s attention so they’ll get up and help --
dropping ice and slamming the oven door closed -- I’ve seen it and you have,
too -- and I guarantee you that Martha did all of that trying to get Mary to
come into the kitchen and help
-- but
Mary wouldn’t have any of it -- she just continued to sit at Jesus’ feet while
poor old Martha did all the work -- finally, Martha had enough -- she went into
the room where Jesus was and interrupted Him in the midst of His message and
said, “Lord, don’t you care that my sister has left me to do the work by
myself? -- Tell her to help me!”
-- Martha
played the trump card -- she told on Mary to Jesus -- you know you’ve crossed
the line when someone tattles to Jesus about what you’re doing, or not doing,
as the case may be -- but can you imagine Martha’s surprise when Jesus gently
rebuked her -- “Martha, Martha -- you are worried and upset about many things,
but only one thing is needed -- Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not
be taken away from her”
-- Martha’s
focus and attention were not where they should be -- she allowed the doing of
things -- service for Jesus -- to get in the way of communing with Jesus -- the
action became more important than the experience
--
reflecting on the context of this passage following the action of the sending
out of the seventy-two disciples and the ministry of the good Samaritan, Warren
Wiersbe wrote, “It is important that we be busy ambassadors, taking the message
of the gospel to lost souls -- it is also essential to be merciful Samaritans,
seeking to help exploited and hurting people who need God’s mercy -- but before
we can represent Christ as we should, or imitate Him in our caring ministry, we
must spent time with Him and learn from Him -- we must take time to be holy”
-- there
was nothing wrong with what Martha was doing -- she was honestly trying to
serve Jesus -- to take care of His needs -- to minister to Him -- but the doing
became more important than anything else -- in the midst of the preparations,
she forgot who she was trying to serve
-- we
can get lost like that so easy as Christians and as a church -- you see this in
congregations where the programs take precedence over the presence -- where
people just go through the motions and are active, for action’s sake rather
than for Jesus’ sake
--
ministry and action and outreach must be balanced with worship and renewal in
the presence of God -- it is the presence of God that empowers our action and
ministry, not vice versa
-- Martha
had gotten so worked up over the preparations, that she missed seeing and
hearing Jesus in her very own home -- it is inconceivable of us to imagine that
someone would ignore Jesus sitting on the couch to go into the kitchen to make
Him a meal -- but we do the same thing every single day and every single
worship service
--
rather than sit at His feet and enjoy His presence, we busy ourselves doing
things just for the sake of doing -- a lot of times, we leave Jesus sitting
alone while we busy ourselves doing things for Him
-- Jesus
tells Martha here that she was worried about many things, when the one thing
that was the most important she didn’t even consider -- sitting in His presence
as Mary was doing -- Jesus didn’t care as much about the conventions of
hospitality as He did enjoying the presence and company of those He came to see
-- Luke’s
account of this story ends abruptly here, but I can’t help but picture Jesus
taking Martha by the hand after gently rebuking her and guiding her to an empty
spot on the floor by His feet so she could listen as He continued to teach
IV. Closing
-- how like
Martha are we? -- without a doubt, we are people of activity -- we like to be
doing things -- we like to be active and moving and doing at all times -- we
have a hard time with relaxation, and even when we take time off from our
labors, our recreation is often a whirlwind of activity -- we work at work -- we
work at being relaxed -- we work at church -- and we work in our personal
spiritual lives, as well
-- the
message of this passage is that work for the Lord is good, but it’s not the
end-all, be-all, of our relationship with Jesus -- Jesus didn’t come and die on
the cross so that we would just work for Him -- He didn’t die on the cross to
add a new level of busyness to our lives
-- He
came and died on the cross so that we might be forgiven of our sins and be
restored in our relationship with the Father -- He came so that we might know
Him and love Him and experience Him just as Mary was doing in this passage
--
serving God -- working for God -- reaching others for God is important -- it’s
a natural outgrowth of a thriving relationship with God -- but it’s not the
most important thing -- the relationship with God is more important than
anything else -- remember this: God doesn’t want our activity -- He wants our
hearts
-- there
is a reason why God gave us the Sabbath -- one day to cease all activity -- one
day to stop doing and start being -- to rest in His presence -- to bask in His
grace -- to experience His love -- to know Him
-- He
knew what we were like -- He knew how we busy ourselves doing things, even
spiritual things -- and He knew that we could lose focus and replace the
relationship with the doing, just like Martha did in this passage
-- I do
not know a single person who ever takes a Sabbath day -- whether we’re talking
pastors or lay people or whoever -- I don’t know anyone who really takes a day
off to just be with God -- to sit at His feet -- to bask in His presence -- to
renew and recharge their lives
-- let me
close by sharing with you some thoughts on the Sabbath -- too many people think
that a Sabbath is supposed to just be a day when you spend all your time at
church or all your time reading the Bible and praying -- others think it's just
supposed to be a day off of work where you have fun all day
-- both
groups are right, but only partly right -- to be a true Sabbath means that you
have both -- you need praying and playing to do it right
-- praying
without playing results in a day of legalistic and religious monotony
-- playing
without praying results in a day of hedonistic pleasure without meaning -- and
neither are what God had in mind when He commanded us to remember the Sabbath
-- John
Calvin taught that the "right observance of the Sabbath does not consist
in idleness...but in the celebration of the Divine name" -- in other
words, the Sabbath is a day of celebration that is expressed through our
praying and through our playing
-- to pray
on the Sabbath means that we reflect and praise God for His promises -- for His
faithfulness -- for His creation
-- to play
on the Sabbath means that we enjoy all that He has provided -- that we accept
His gift of creation and of life and that we take a day away from work and from
the toil of everyday life and just spend time with our family and friends by
enjoying God's creation together
-- the
Sabbath is meant to be a time when we cease from our labors and enjoy God's
providence and His grace -- when we just relax and praise God for all that He
has done for us -- when we allow God's grace to restore us and renew us and our
relationship with Him
-- the
first step back to truly experiencing God’s presence in our lives and in our
church again is to take a Sabbath -- to sit at His feet and listen to His
teaching -- to just be in the His presence without doing -- to worship from the
heart and not just with our hands
-- this
week, I want to challenge you to take a Sabbath -- even a mini-Sabbath -- take
time this week to just be with the Lord -- not studying the Bible where you’re
trying to get everything out of Scripture -- but just reading His word to find
Him there -- listening for His voice -- looking for His presence -- sitting at
His feet
-- even if
it’s only ten minutes, try to seek Him in this way this week
-- let us
pray
If worship is just one thing we do, everything becomes
mundane. If worship is the one thing we do, everything takes on eternal
significance. —Timothy J. Christenson
1 http://www.desiringgod.org/articles/back-to-the-heart-of-worship
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