Jesus, Our Better Portion!
Notes
Transcript
Open your bible with me to Luke 10:38-42
We live in a technological age.
Probably the most significant invention of our day was,
first, the Internet. In fact, a generation is marked by that development.
Gen Xers were the last generation to grow up without.
Another is the invention of the iPhone.
Suddenly, you can look up facts,
research data, check emails, talk with friends, and engage in social media.
All while travelling down the interstate at 70 MPHs.
In the passenger seat, of course, right?
And then there is the latest buzz of AI.
In which I think we can begin to say many things about our time.
Technological, sure.
Scary, certainly.
Amazing, for sure.
But I would also say paradoxical.
We live in a paradoxical age.
Any by that I mean, the convenience created by this technology
ought to liberate us from stress and anxiety.
I mean, we can now fix the most common problems
around the house or pursue hobbies on YouTube.
We don’t even need the expert.
We can troubleshoot ourselves.
A complex task can be completed in a keystroke.
Freeing us from hours of exhausting and mentally taxing work.
It ought to liberate us and create in us
a sense of margin unheard of
and unmatched by any previous generation.
And the paradox is that,
though we have the ability to finish complex tasks
with a click of a button.
Divert minimal frustrations
and solve them without much thought.
The freedom promised
is only filled with more to do.
And we just fill our time with more stuff.
And this is becoming a real problem.
It’s creating an anxiety cycle.
Of things left undone.
Things pile up so much
that they fuel a dependence on them,
which only feeds more chaos into our lives.
Perhaps we are just poor stewards.
Perhaps we lack self-control.
Perhaps we are glory thieves.
Perhaps we are horrible discerners of what is good and right.
Perhaps, we hold idols we don’t in our hearts, unaware.
I believe things are all true.
And the problem is again,
here for Luke is aiming at the problem of the heart.
To choose the wrong thing, even amidst the good.
Even amidst right intentions. We go in the wrong direction.
The paradox of right intentions missing the heart.
Sermon Summary: Choose the better portion: sit at Jesus’ feet.
38 Now as they went on their way, Jesus entered a village. And a woman named Martha welcomed him into her house. 39 And she had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet and listened to his teaching. 40 But Martha was distracted with much serving. And she went up to him and said, “Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me to serve alone? Tell her then to help me.” 41 But the Lord answered her, “Martha, Martha, you are anxious and troubled about many things, 42 but one thing is necessary. Mary has chosen the good portion, which will not be taken away from her.”
This is God’s word, let’s pray.
Luke is writing, out of chronological order here.
You recall that Jesus is on his way to Jerusalem,
as His face is set in that direction.
And Jesus and his disciples
find themselves just a few miles outside the city here, in Bethany.
Though that is unnamed,
I’ll expound on this in a moment.
And Luke is placing this story
on the heels of the encounter with the Lawyer
and the parable of the Good Samaritan.
In short, I believe it is to correct
a potentially narrow view of the implications
of the GoodSamaritan story.
So, I believe many of the themes
that have been contextually present in the last several verses
find their way here –
such as humility, love for God, and love for neighbor.
I’m going to try and flesh those out as I preach through this text.
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I. Welcoming Christ With Hospitality (v. 38)
I. Welcoming Christ With Hospitality (v. 38)
Now, there is a subtle shift back
to the mission of Jesus, setting his face toward Jerusalem. Luke 9:51.
And you recall that when we beganLuke 10.
Jesus had sent out his followers
into the towns and villages he was about to go.
He told his disciples to go and preach the gospel,
heal the sick, and trust the Lord’s providence
and care for their journey.
Luke interpreted that narrative briefly
and now returns to it after the Parable of the Good Samaritan.
38 Now as they went on their way, Jesus entered a village. And a woman named Martha welcomed him into her house.
You could say in some sense.
Jesus is practicing what he preached to his disciples.
And they drew near to a village.
Luke doesn’t tell the name of the village,
but we know it to be the village of Bethany.
Bethany was just a few miles east of Jerusalem.
So for the disciples and Jesus to make that much headway, it’s unlikely.
Luke has placed this narrative here for a reason.
But nonetheless.
He enters the house of Martha.
This is Martha, who we are soon told
had a sister named Mary.
We also know she had a brother named Lazarus,
who all lived together in Bethany (John 11-12).
And Jesus enters Martha’s home.
She owns it.
You may recall in Luke 8 the women who
supported Jesus and his disciples out of their own means.
Martha wasn’t listed there,
but it’s clear she was one of these women.
And as we work through this passage.
Many have preached this passage
as if Mary is superior to Martha.
Or that Martha is terribly off-base.
And that is NOT the point.
Both women are believers.
Both are devoted followers of Jesus.
Both demonstrate a posture of faith.
Yet one, for a moment, misplaces what is primary.
We know that partially,
Because of Jesus’ relationship with Mary, and Martha and Lazarus.
There were dear to Jesus….in Which, Jesus WEPT.
5 Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus. 6 So, when he heard that Lazarus was ill, he stayed two days longer in the place where he was.
And it’s later that Martha said to Jesus – John 11:21
21 Martha said to Jesus, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.
But what does she say next?
John 11:22 But even now I know that whatever you ask from God, God will give you.
22 But even now I know that whatever you ask from God, God will give you.”
SHE WAS A WOMAN of FAITH
Jesus reassures her YOUR BROTHER WILL RISE again…
Oh I know he will at the resurrection on the last day!
I AM THE RESSURECTION and the LIFE, MARTHA!!
25 Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, 26 and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die. Do you believe this?”
Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, 26 and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die. Do you believe this?”
And hear MARTHA in JOHN 11:27
27 She said to him, “Yes, Lord; I believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, who is coming into the world.”
27 She said to him, “Yes, Lord; I believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, who is coming into the world.”
And MARTHA makes this GREAT CONFESSION!
SIMILAR to PETER’s GREAT confession – YOU ARE THE CHRIST!!
SO MARTHA is strong in faith in JOHN 11….but in Luke 10, she loses focus…
CAN WE SAY that some times CHRISTIANS wane in their devotion?
WE do, don’t we!!
She was a devoted follower who struggled just like me and just like you!!
But we also know she was a
devoted follower because of her habits….he lifestyle.
You in Martha’s hospitality here in verse 38.
She is using what the Lord provided for her
to be leveraged in a Godly and Christ-honoring way.
She is practicinga biblical discipline of hospitality.
And while it grows out of proportion and becomes unhealthy.
Her desires are good!!
Scripture calls us to show hospitality.
Consider Romans 12:13 “Contribute to the needs of the saints and seek to show hospitality.
13 Contribute to the needs of the saints and seek to show hospitality.
That’s what we see in John 11 – Jesus’ love for Mary,
and his love for her brother Lazarus.
And their love for HIM!
Martha was exercising a gift of the Lord
for the good and edification of others.
At least we NOT be tempted to shame Martha in any way,
that is unintended by many,
and miss the point of this text.
While Jesus gives a gentle admonishment,
it is NOT meant to shame her.
Martha is loved and a beautiful soul who loves her LORD!!
And she is seeking to do much good!
Showing hospitality and welcoming her Lord on His journey!!
And this is where I want to challenge us
to consider the continued emphasis on the heart.
And the subtle and gentle correction of Jesus,
to correctMartha’s concern with externals,
and NOT to miss the heart!!
See, she was good with the eternal hosting! ‘
She was willing to open up her home.
But once again, Jesus is going to shift the focus
from what’s on the outside
and what’s happening in the soul.
From Martha’s fixation on getting her home right,
to Jesus’s concern of keeping her heart right!!
And beloved, there is a rightness,
and I want to encourage you towards both!!
A genuine love and hospitality
of welcoming and receiving others into your home.
Showing biblical hospitality
and doing that without grumbling.
Be gracious, be kind.
With the gifts that God has given,
use themto serve one another.
That’s what Peter commends us in 1 Peter 4:9-10
9 Show hospitality to one another without grumbling. 10 As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God’s varied grace: 11 whoever speaks, as one who speaks oracles of God; whoever serves, as one who serves by the strength that God supplies—in order that in everything God may be glorified through Jesus Christ. To him belong glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.
9 Show hospitality to one another without grumbling. 10 As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God’s varied grace: 11 whoever speaks, as one who speaks oracles of God; whoever serves, as one who serves by the strength that God supplies—in order that in everything God may be glorified through Jesus Christ.
But also to do it, without missing the heart!!
And that’s the danger of service.
That’s the danger of doing,
to practice without intentionality of heart of why we do what we do.
That it is from joy!
It is from the grace that God has given to us!
Lest we keep the externals, and we miss the heart.
Very similar to the lawyer last week, just in a different way.
That we NOT let our blessings become duties and obligations,
but continue in joy of servingChrist.
You know Jesus is still very much concerned with the heart.
And consider the contrast.
And I think that's why Luke places this story here.
Where the Lawyer considered himself
justified by the law and LOVE for God.
What he lacked was love for neighbor.
And it was a Samaritan of all people
who demonstrated right love for neighbor.
But Luke doesn’t want us to miss love for Christ either.
So here is a contrast.
Even here, of Martha who will serve and love her neighbor,
even love her LORD to welcome him into her home!!
And Jesus’s caution and correction for her.
Is careful that we don’t serve
to the neglect of love for God in our hearts!
I’m getting a little ahead of myself…
----------------------------------------------- Notice - Mary’s Welcome of Jesus with Hospitality.
II. Learning From Mary’s Devotion (v.39)
II. Learning From Mary’s Devotion (v.39)
So again,Jesus is very much concerned with the heart.
And what you're going to begin to see here in this passage
is that from the heart, these two women live.
And the same is true in all of life.
That from the overflow of the heart the mouth speaks.(Luke 6:45)
And from the overflow of the heart, we live.
39 And she had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet and listened to his teaching.
Here is Mary’s devotion.
And its fruit is demonstrated in a posture of humility,
and sitting at the Lord’s feet.
She is attentive and listening to the Lord’s teaching.
You notice in verse 42.
Mary had made a conscious choice
to set aside service and prep and choose what is right.
She chose the good portion.
And her joy is lasting!
All of it coming from a heart of devotion!
And Heart that is humble before Christ!
That’s what you see here in v.39.
Where she is found to be sitting at the Lord’s feet.
This is the posture of a disciple.
This is the posture of someone
coming to Christ to sit at His feet, in awe and wonder.
Paul spoke of sitting at the feet of Gamaliel(Acts 22:3). To be his disciple.
You recall the demon-possessed man,
taking the same posture before Jesus in Luke 8:35.
NOW Here is MARY by her choice and her action,
And she is breaking the mold, if you will.
HERE is a woman, Mary who is doing that.
You know, in Judaism,
it would have been nearly unheard of
for a woman to take such a position.
Some Rabbis allowed women to study the Torah,
but they were always forbidden to sit at the feet of a Rabbi as a disciple.
And yet, Jesus NOT only allows this.
He rejoices in it!! He delights in her devotion!!
As she sits at Jesus feet
and listened to his teaching.
The word there is in the imperfect tense.
It means she just lingered there.
Listening and learning!
Listening and learning. Soaking it all in.
You could say it this way.
Mary made room for what was most important.
Devotion to Christ.
There may have been many things
to distract her and pull her away.
But she chose to come and sit at the feet of Jesus, and learn from him!!
That nothing would keep her from devotion and love for Christ.
Beloved, being a disciple.
A learner of the Lord Jesus will always take this posture.
One of humility and sitting at the feet of Jesus,
and it will require your intentionality.
That you choose intimacy over task.
That you choose learning over performance.
And before you begin to take the responsibilities
of endless service in the Kingdom,
Are you willing to come and sit before the Lord?
And listen to him!!
Because this is where discipleship begins.
This is what Jesus shows us in Luke 8:21.
In contrast to those who call him Lord
but do NOT obey him.
Jesus says, Luke 8:21 But he answered them, “My mother and my brothers are those who hear the word of God and do it.”
Are you listening to Christ!
21 But he answered them, “My mother and my brothers are those who hear the word of God and do it.”
This is where discipleship begins.
Are you learning from Him!
Are gleaning from His word.
Learning as a disciple!!
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III. Learning For Martha’s Distraction (v.40-42)
III. Learning For Martha’s Distraction (v.40-42)
Again, what you are seeing here
is the fruit of the heart.
That is NOT to say that Martha is a non-believer
or that she is a lesser than Christian.
That is NOT the point here.
Martha is a picture of a Christian
struggling against very good, well-intentioned desires.
She just got off course and key idea- took her eyes off of Jesus.
40 But Martha was distracted with much serving. And she went up to him and said, “Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me to serve alone? Tell her then to help me.” 41 But the Lord answered her, “Martha, Martha, you are anxious and troubled about many things, 42 but one thing is necessary. Mary has chosen the good portion, which will not be taken away from her.”
Notice Martha’s heart response briefly.
That is the fruit of her life, in this moment.
You see the summary explanation in v.41 –
she is anxious and troubled about many things.
But notice the fruit
She is:
distracted (with service)
Doubting and questioning(v.40)
Pointed and competitive(v.40)
Self-Focus (v.40)
Presumptive (v.40)
Plays the Victim (v.40)
Misses the heart of Christ (v41)
and it's her choice coming from the heart (v.41)
Results in being Troubled (v.41)
And Anxious(v. 41)
Her heart has run after the wrong thing –
namely doing the work, but avoiding the heart.
You notice that there in v.40.
When Luke tells us, BUT MARTHA was distracted with much serving.
The word there for distracted means –
to be drawn away by another burden.
That is, she is distracted by all the noise.
That she normally is able to view things rightly,
but here she is distracted.
Another burden replaced her steady foundation.
And she is distracted with much serving!
That is, the temporal
began to take priority over what is timeless.
What is earthly took priority over eternal perspective.
Let me say it in a way that might hit us a little closer to home.
The things of her mind robbed her of joy in her soul.
Oh man, how often does that happen for us?
That the cares of this world,
the trouble of our mind,
overwhelm our thinking
and begin to rob us of joy within our souls.
For Martha, it is the task of much service.
It was a word that meant to wait upon….
The need of providing something.
Certainly a meal, but other things as well.
I’ve got to HOST!!
I’ve got to keep the house clean.
I’ve got to get the meal prepared.
I’ve got to get all the people served.
I’ve got such an important guest,
don’t let me ruin this.
For us, it’s the endless to-do list.
It is the constant fretting over fears and worries
about things that may happen,
that we are convinced have already happened.
It’s the concern of lesser things.
Maybe it’s financial.
Maybe it’s familial and overburdened by family trouble or crisis.
Maybe it’s relational.
A difficult conversation. A hard season.
Maybe for some it’s political and future-oriented.
You know it’s hard because we look at those things
(whatever the list is) and WE THINK.
So are you telling me those things are important?
And that’s NOT the point here.
The point here is NOT that those other things weren’t important.
The pointis, those other things were simply NOT the most importantthing.
They weren’t ultimate.
That word here for Jesus is “NECESSARY.”
41 But the Lord answered her, “Martha, Martha, you are anxious and troubled about many things, 42 but one thing is necessary. Mary has chosen the good portion, which will not be taken away from her.”
He’s warning Martha NOT to miss the heart.
That she is so anxious and troubled about many other things.
And taking her eyes off the Savior,
she became distracted.
She became anxious.
She became troubled in heart and mind!!
And notice how this missed place priorities leaked from her.
As she doubts and questionsGod’s goodness and love. –
LORD, do you not care about this (v.41).
The Lord who is gracious and compassionate at KIND.
And now she is doubting His very character!!
As she is now aiming her frustration at the LORD –
and her neighbor(namely her sister). MY SISTER has left me!!
You know, it’s interesting that,
in making that statement,
we get just a small glimpse back into Mary.
She was willing to help for a moment,
but she placed a boundary, didn’t she?
To say she left implies she was helping at one time.
But instead has chosen the good portion!
She continues – SHE’s LEFT ME ALL ALONE!...
She’s self-focused.
She’s the most important person in the room, suddenly.
She’s presumptive– TELL HER TO HELP! –
God, aren’t you going to do something and make this right!
I’m right, she’s wrong, tell her!!
And she’s become the point of emphasis.
The victim, if you will… Tell her to help ME!!
This is the fruit of distraction.
This is the fruit of misplaced priority!!
When we take our eyes off of Christ and onto ourselves.
Our hearts will follow a similar pattern.
You’ve likely seen it in your own life…..This fruit.
And my encouragement to us is to identify the fruit
and then begin to search for the root issue in the heart.
And for Martha, the fruit was coming from a heart that was distracted,
and subtly and even unintentionally placed good things
as ultimate things and above her Lord.
She became more concerned with the bread for the body,
that she forgot the bread of life!
And while attempting to serve,
she missed the heart of service,
which is rooted and anchored in Christ.
And the moment we take our focus off Christ,
we too will follow suit!
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IV. Choosing The Better Portion (v.41-42)
IV. Choosing The Better Portion (v.41-42)
These last two points have much overlap
in their textual grounding.
It’s difficult to separate v. 41-42.
41 But the Lord answered her, “Martha, Martha, you are anxious and troubled about many things, 42 but one thing is necessary. Mary has chosen the good portion, which will not be taken away from her.”
Jesus uses the double vocative.
It’s a tense of direct address. MARTHA, MARTHA.
This is NOT Jesus scolding her.
This is a mild rebuke.
But it’s NOT meant to punish her.
It’s meant to right her perspective.
The Lord is tender here.
He’s speaking to her heart!
He’s bringing her back to the right relationship.
He’s shepherding her, as the good shepherd.
Jesus doesn’t want her to miss the heart.
See, the issue isn’t about what she is doing.
It’s NOT so much about the number of things she doing.
There is a way that we can read this passage and think.
Well, I need to stop doing so much.
I need to quit my job and just studythe bible all day long.
I need to quit with the chores around the house and memorize scripture.
I need to become a monk. Or nun.
Don’t do that, for many reasons.
But this passage was used and is used
to create a hyper form of asceticism and piety
that is often associated with a monastery.
But to do that is to miss the point.
The focus was NOT so much on the tasks at hand.
The number or frequency.
It was about what she was missing while she was laboring!!
It was about the heart!
And our hearts can be off if we are doing much!
And, if we are doing little!!
And so that’s where we begin to see
what Luke is doing in placing this story where he does.
And it seems out of place, at least chronologically.
But think about what Luke is doing.
I believe he is showing us a contrast of the Good Samaritan.
And on the heels of a lawyer
seeking to justify himself.
Jesus tells a parable of a Samaritan of all people!
Who is compassionate!!
He shows MERCY!! He LOVES HIS NEIGHBOR!!
But there is a way that even that right instinct
can become a means of justification.
I do all the right things.
I May NOT keep the law perfectly,
but I SERVE PERFECTLY!!
And see the Lawyer is an example of one
who claimed to love God, and ignored his neighbor.
The Samaritan was one who lovedHis neighbor,
but would have lacked the truth of God to love the Lordrightly.
And now, here is Martha.
Who is a disciple.
Who is clinging to her service.
And she, too, is attempting to love her neighbor well!
I’M serving! I’m giving myself! I’m sacrificing!!
Jesus, tell MARY to COME HELP ME!!!
And in a strange twist of irony.
Martha, too, is lacking one thing.
While she loves her neighbor.
She is failing to love and devote herself fully to the Lord!!
And just like the Lawyer focused so much on the LAW
that he misses what is hiding in plain sight, namely, grace.
So too, now, Mary focused so much on serving,
missing what is hiding in plain sight.
Namely Jesus!!
Who has come into her home!!
I mean, this is intimate fellowship with her Lord.
This is to be sweet communion with her savior.
The nearness, the beauty, and the grace
that she knows and longs for….
It is overclouded by her desire to perform!
And even more –
It’s Martha who gets all the focus.
She’s the primary actor.
She’s the one doing all the talking.
The attention is going there.
But lest we too fall victim to the same tactic.
And miss the heart of the story!!
Now, come full circle with me.
In one sense, the emphasis is really on Mary.
She says nothing at all.
But she is the right example here!!
She, v.42 - has chosen the good portion, which will not be taken away from her.”
That word there for portion, is a play on words!
Literally, she has chosen the right meal!!
Martha, you are so distracted with preparing the physical meal.
That you have missed the TRUE meal!
That MAN DOES NOT LIVE ON BREAD ALONE!! – Luke 4:4
3 And he humbled you and let you hunger and fed you with manna, which you did not know, nor did your fathers know, that he might make you know that man does not live by bread alone, but man lives by every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord.
3 And he humbled you (oh, the humility that God bringsto us in NOT giving to us all our EARTHLY DESIRES!) 3 And he humbled you and let you hunger and fed you with manna, which you did not know, nor did your fathers know, that he might make you know that man does not live by bread alone, but man lives by every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord.
When our portion should be in CHRIST alone!!
To say with the Psalmist!
5 The Lord is my chosen portion and my cup; you hold my lot. 6 The lines have fallen for me in pleasant places; indeed, I have a beautiful inheritance.
Oh, what a beautiful inheritance we have in CHRIST.
And when life is hard.
And troubles come.
When worries and fears, and uncertainties overcloud us.
And all the things we feel like we must do.
And we GET DISTRACTED!!
May we NOT lose sight of OUR SAVIOR!!
23 Nevertheless, I am continually with you; you hold my right hand. 24 You guide me with your counsel, and afterward you will receive me to glory. 25 Whom have I in heaven but you? And there is nothing on earth that I desire besides you. 26 My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.
Oh SAINT of GOD! Oh SAINT of GOD!.....
MARY HAS CHOSEN the GOOD PORTION!!
She has chosen the good portion –
to come and sit at Jesus feet!
To glean from his teaching.
Be in awe of his majesty!!
Mary has chosen to feast on the Lord!!
And NOT to be overwhelmed,
concerned so much about what we can do for God.
But rather, be enthralled in what God has done for us!!
He’s entered your home, Martha!!
The LORD, THE LORD, compassionate and kind! Keeping in steadfast love, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, but who will by no means clear the guilty. (Exodus 34)
HE’s come near!!
In grace and in mercy, the LORD is here!!
He’s COME!!….. He’s standing right here!!….
DON’T MISS HIM!! COME and SIT AT HIS FEET!!
Oh man! Martha is in the same danger as the Lawyer, isn’t she?
ONLY she is so focused on serving….
that she misses what is hiding in plain sight!
And focus all of this – in another sense,
isn’t on Mary either.
She’s the right example.
But the real attention for us, the real focus is on Jesus.
Lest we, too, miss what’s hiding in plain sight.
And the lawyer thought he loved God,
couldn’t rightly love his neighbor….
And the Samaritan who loved his neighbor,
but couldn’t rightly love God….
And now Martha, thinking she is loving God by doing for him.
Misses the grace of God towards her!!
CONCLUSION:
Oh man, when we see what God has done for us!!
And recognize that when we look to the law, it will failus!!
And we must cling to Jesus.
And likewise when we look to our deeds and mercy to save us.
They too will fail us!!
We must instead have but one PORTION!!
The RIGHT PORTION!! - THE GOOD PORTION!
Namely Christ alone!!
And that is what a disciple does!!
They come and sit at the feet of Jesus.
Glean from his teaching.
And the portion that will never be taken away from us!!
IS Jesus, WHO is our portion!!
That, as disciples, we know…
what the Lawyer couldn’t see…
That following Jesus is better than the Law.
And like Martha,
learn that Jesus is the better portion than all her efforts.
That Jesus is better than our moralism.
He’s better than futile attempts to earn and merit mercy!!
And that loving God
is paramount to truly loving others!
That we would learn as disciples.
TO LOVE THE LORD YOUR GOD with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength….
AND BECAUSE of that!
We would also love our neighbor as ourselves.
We would love our neighbor in the way
that Christ has loved us!!
And being found in HIM!
then we might be able to say with the Apostle Paul in Philippians 3.
8 Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ 9 and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith— 10 that I may know him and the power of his resurrection, and may share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, 11 that by any means possible I may attain the resurrection from the dead.
Is Jesus your portion?
Is your life anchored and fixed in HIM!!
Rooted in the mercy and grace of Christ towards you.
That the Law could never free us!!
That our deeds could never save us!!
BUT only Jesus!!
We must be careful serving God.
Lest we think that he is served by human hands!! (Acts 17:25)
And lest we think that WE SERVE God,
and forget how he has served us.
That the Lord has come to us!!
In coming and dwelling among us.
And the sin and guilt
that we have committed before God.
And the condemnation we deserve because of our sin.
Was placed on Him!!
He lived the life that we couldn’t.
And He suffered the death that we deserve.
And He accomplished in his death and resurrection,
what we could never do!
He fulfilled the law’s demands.
God’s love for sinners is that while we are still sinners,
Christ died for us!!
So that our righteousness is found Him!
That the mercy and grace that we need is found in Christ alone!!
And that we might come to Jesus –
Repent of our sin, and trustHim for salvation!!
And he be always our PORTION!!!
Oh sinner!! Come!! Choose the better portion: sit at Jesus’ feet.
Oh, LawyerCome - Choose the better portion: sit at Jesus’ feet.
Oh Samartians, COME – from every nation, tribe and tongue! COME! Choose the better portion: sit at Jesus’ feet.
Oh, MARTHA’sCome!! Choose the better portion: sit at Jesus’ feet!
OH MARY – COME! Continue to choose the better portion; Sit at Jesus’ feet!
Oh, Christian, come! - Choose the better portion: sit at Jesus’ feet.
