Loved before I Labor
Notes
Transcript
Handout
Luke 10:38-42
Ephesians 2:8-10
We are beginning a new series called Breaking the Myths.
We are not talking about fairy tales or old legends.
We are talking about ideas that sound spiritual but are not actually biblical.
Some ideas get repeated so often that we begin to assume they must be true.
But if a belief gives us the wrong view of God, the wrong view of salvation, or the wrong view of the Christian life, it needs to be broken by the truth of Scripture.
32 And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.
The myth we are breaking today is this: God loves me more when I do better.
Most of us would never say that out loud.
We know salvation is by grace.
We know Jesus died for sinners.
We know we cannot work our way to Heaven.
But we can still live as though God’s love rises and falls with our performance.
If I read my Bible, prayed, witnessed, served, gave, and kept a good attitude, then I feel like God must be pleased with me.
But if I missed my devotions, lost my temper, struggled with sin, or felt spiritually cold, then I feel like God must be far away.
That way of thinking turns the Christian life into a report card.
It makes God seem like a Father who only smiles when the grades are good.
It makes service feel like pressure instead of privilege.
It makes obedience feel like payment instead of worship.
Picture a child trying to clean his room because he believes, “Dad will only love me if this room is perfect.”
The room may need to be cleaned.
The child should obey.
But something is wrong if the child believes his father’s love depends on the room being spotless.
A good father may correct his child.
A good father may train his child.
A good father may expect obedience from his child.
But a good father does not make his love a wage that the child must earn.
This sermon is not saying obedience does not matter.
It is not saying holiness does not matter.
It is not saying service does not matter.
It is not saying sin does not grieve God.
The Bible teaches all of those things.
But the Bible does not teach that good behavior earns God’s saving love.
Grace comes first.
Works follow.
Love comes first.
Labor follows.
Salvation comes first.
Service follows.
That is why the title of the message is Loved Before I Labor.
I. Service Cannot Earn His Love
I. Service Cannot Earn His Love
Luke 10:38 says, “Now it came to pass, as they went, that he entered into a certain village: and a certain woman named Martha received him into her house.”
Before we criticize Martha too quickly, we need to notice that she was doing something good.
She was not ignoring Jesus.
She was not rejecting Jesus.
She received Jesus into her house.
Hospitality was good.
Serving was good.
Trying to honor the Lord in her home was good.
The problem was not that Martha served.
The problem was that her serving became restless, distracted, and burdened.
Good service can become spiritually unhealthy when I begin to think my labor is what makes me acceptable to God.
A. Martha Was Doing Something Good
A. Martha Was Doing Something Good
Luke 10:40 says, “But Martha was cumbered about much serving.”
Martha had Jesus in her home, but she was being pulled away from Him by the very service she wanted to offer Him.
She was close to Jesus physically, but distracted from Jesus spiritually.
She was busy for Jesus, but she was not resting with Jesus.
That can happen to us.
We can become so busy preparing things for the Lord that we fail to enjoy the Lord.
It is possible to serve in ministry and still have a heart that is distracted from Christ.
Matthew Henry wrote, “Worldly business is then a snare to us when it hinders us from serving God and getting good to our souls.”
That is a helpful warning.
The danger is not only wicked things.
Sometimes even necessary things can become snares when they pull our hearts away from Christ.
A meal was not sinful.
Hospitality was not sinful.
But Martha’s heart was being pulled away from the one Person who mattered most.
Do not let service for Christ replace fellowship with Christ.
B. Martha Was Carrying Something Heavy
B. Martha Was Carrying Something Heavy
Luke 10:40 says, “Lord, dost thou not care that my sister hath left me to serve alone? bid her therefore that she help me.”
That sentence tells us a lot about Martha’s heart.
Her service had become frustration.
Her frustration had become accusation.
She accused Mary of neglect.
Even more seriously, she questioned whether Jesus cared.
She said, “Lord, dost thou not care?”
It is a dangerous moment when service makes us suspicious of the Savior.
It is a dangerous moment when labor for Christ makes us bitter toward other believers.
Martha was no longer simply thinking about serving Jesus.
She was thinking about how much she was doing compared to Mary.
That is what performance-based Christianity often does.
It makes us restless before God and resentful toward people.
We begin to think, “Why am I the only one working?”
We begin to think, “Why does nobody else care?”
When our service becomes the way we prove our worth, we will usually become hard on others and weary in ourselves.
3 And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, and have not charity, it profiteth me nothing.
A person can give greatly and still miss love.
A person can serve greatly and still miss fellowship.
A person can do the right action and still have the wrong spirit.
C. Mary Chose the Better Part
C. Mary Chose the Better Part
Luke 10:39 says Mary “sat at Jesus’ feet, and heard his word.”
Then Jesus answered Martha in Luke 10:41.
“And Jesus answered and said unto her, Martha, Martha, thou art careful and troubled about many things.”
I love the tenderness of that answer.
Jesus did not say, “Martha, your service does not matter.”
He did not say, “Martha, I do not care about what you are trying to do.”
He said, “Martha, Martha.”
There is compassion in that.
There is patience in that.
He saw more than her hands.
He saw her heart.
Martha was not just busy.
She was burdened.
Luke 10:42 says, “But one thing is needful: and Mary hath chosen that good part, which shall not be taken away from her.”
Mary was not trying to impress Jesus.
She was receiving from Jesus.
She was not trying to prove her worth.
She was listening to His Word.
Before I need to do more for Christ, I need to hear from Christ.
Before I need to carry the load, I need to sit at His feet.
5 I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.
Notice the order.
Abiding comes before fruit.
Fellowship comes before usefulness.
Dependence comes before fruitfulness.
A branch does not bear fruit by trying to impress the vine.
A branch bears fruit by staying connected to the vine.
That is what Mary was doing.
She was receiving before serving.
She was listening before laboring.
She was near before she was busy.
Jesus did not invite His people into an exhausted religion.
28 Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.
Jesus does not say, “Come unto me, all ye that have finally done enough.”
He says, “Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden.”
The Lord is not against service.
He is against the kind of service that crushes the soul because it is trying to earn what grace freely gives.
Luke 10 shows us what this myth does inside the heart.
It makes us busy, worried, frustrated, and distracted.
But Ephesians 2 gives us the gospel foundation that breaks the myth entirely.
We are not loved because we labor well.
We labor because we have been loved by grace.
II. Grace Gives What Works Cannot Earn
II. Grace Gives What Works Cannot Earn
Ephesians 2:8 says, “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God.”
This is one of the clearest gospel passages in the Bible.
Paul does not leave room for the idea that salvation is partly Christ and partly our good behavior.
He says salvation is by grace.
He says it is through faith.
He says it is not of ourselves.
He says it is the gift of God.
Then Ephesians 2:9 says, “Not of works, lest any man should boast.”
Good behavior does not purchase salvation.
Good behavior does not make us worthy of Heaven.
Salvation is a gift for the undeserving.
A. Grace Begins With God
A. Grace Begins With God
Ephesians 2:8 says, “For by grace are ye saved.”
Grace means God gives what we do not deserve.
Grace begins in the heart of God, not in the performance of man.
1 And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins;
Dead people do not rescue themselves.
Dead people do not improve themselves into life.
Dead people need life given to them.
That is what grace does.
Ephesians 2:4 begins with two wonderful words: “But God.”
4 But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us,
5 Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;)
When did God love?
When we were dead in sins.
When did grace come?
When we were dead in sins.
8 But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.
Christ did not die for us after we became impressive.
Christ died for us while we were yet sinners.
That is grace.
That means the Christian life does not begin with me saying, “Look what I have done for God.”
It begins with me saying, “Look what God has done for me in Christ.”
B. Faith Receives the Gift
B. Faith Receives the Gift
Ephesians 2:8 says, “For by grace are ye saved through faith.”
Faith is not a work that earns salvation.
Faith is the empty hand that receives salvation.
The hymn Rock of Ages says:
“Nothing in my hand I bring,
Simply to thy cross I cling.”
That is the language of saving faith.
Faith does not come to God with a resume.
It does not come to God with a list of accomplishments.
5 Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost;
If salvation depended on my works, I could never have peace.
I would always wonder if I had done enough.
I would always wonder if I had failed too badly.
But when salvation rests on Christ, the sinner can rest.
Jesus said in John 19:30, “It is finished.”
He did not say, “I have done My part, now you finish yours.”
He said, “It is finished.”
The finished work of Christ is the only safe foundation for the soul.
C. Boasting Is Removed
C. Boasting Is Removed
Ephesians 2:9 says, “Not of works, lest any man should boast.”
If salvation were by works, people would boast.
If it were by works, people would compare.
But God will not share the glory of salvation with human pride.
29 That no flesh should glory in his presence.
Then in verse 31 he says,
31 That, according as it is written, He that glorieth, let him glory in the Lord.
No redeemed sinner will stand in Heaven and say, “I am here because I was better than others.”
No redeemed sinner will say, “I am here because I served enough.”
Every redeemed sinner will say, “By grace.”
Jerry Bridges wrote, “Your worst days are never so bad that you are beyond the reach of God’s grace. And your best days are never so good that you are beyond the need of God’s grace.”
On your worst day, you still need grace.
On your best day, you still need grace.
Grace is not only the doorway into the Christian life.
Grace is the atmosphere of the Christian life.
Someone might say, “If salvation is by grace and not by works, then do good works matter at all?”
Paul answers that in the next verse.
Grace removes boasting, but it does not remove obedience.
III. Works Follow Grace
III. Works Follow Grace
Ephesians 2:10 says, “For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works.”
This is the balance we need.
Verse 9 says we are not saved by works.
Verse 10 says we are created unto good works.
Works are not the root of salvation.
Works are the fruit of salvation.
Works are not the cause of our acceptance.
Works are the result of grace working in us.
We are not saved by good works.
We are saved unto good works.
A. We Are His Workmanship
A. We Are His Workmanship
Ephesians 2:10 says, “For we are his workmanship.”
God is doing the work in us.
We are not self-made Christians.
We are His workmanship.
6 Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ:
God begins the work.
God continues the work.
God finishes the work.
A sculptor does not look at a rough piece of stone and say, “Shape yourself, and then I will claim you.”
He claims the stone and then shapes it.
God does not say, “Make yourself worthy, and then I will love you.”
He saves by grace and then begins shaping us into the image of Christ.
That gives hope to the struggling Christian.
You are not what you ought to be yet.
But if you are saved, God is not finished with you.
Grace does not excuse sin.
Grace gives hope for change.
B. We Are Created Unto Good Works
B. We Are Created Unto Good Works
Ephesians 2:10 says we are “created in Christ Jesus unto good works.”
Grace does not leave us where it found us.
Grace saves us from sin’s penalty, and grace begins changing our walk.
11 For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men,
12 Teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world;
Notice what teaches us to live godly.
Grace teaches us.
Not guilt.
Not pride.
Not fear of losing God’s love.
Guilt says, “Do better so God will love you.”
Grace says, “God has loved you in Christ, so now live for Him.”
19 We love him, because he first loved us.
That is the order.
He first loved us.
Then we love Him.
Our obedience is a response.
Our service is a response.
C. We Serve Because We Are Loved
C. We Serve Because We Are Loved
Imagine a man who is rescued from drowning.
Someone dives in, pulls him from the water, carries him to safety, and saves his life.
Later, that rescued man may love the rescuer.
He may thank the rescuer.
He may speak well of the rescuer.
He may spend the rest of his life helping others because he was rescued.
But none of that pays for the rescue.
It responds to the rescue.
That is the Christian life.
We were dead in sins.
Christ saved us by grace.
Now we live for Him.
Not to purchase grace.
Not to maintain God’s love by our performance.
Not to make ourselves worthy.
We live for Him because He is worthy.
The healthiest service does not come from trying to earn God’s love.
The healthiest service comes from knowing we are loved in Christ.
Conclusion
Conclusion
The myth says, “God loves me more when I do better.”
The truth says, “Grace comes before works.”
That truth does not make obedience smaller.
It makes grace bigger.
It does not make service unnecessary.
It makes service healthier.
It does not make sin harmless.
It makes Christ more precious.
Martha was busy, but she was burdened.
Mary was quiet, but she was receiving.
Paul tells us why this matters so much.
We are saved by grace, not by works.
Then we are created in Christ Jesus unto good works.
That is the biblical order.
Grace first.
Works second.
Loved first.
Labor second.
Maybe you are here today and you have been living like Martha.
You are doing many things.
You are carrying many burdens.
But your heart has not been resting at the feet of Jesus.
The Lord is not calling you away from faithfulness.
He is calling you back to first things.
Sit at His feet.
Hear His Word.
Remember His grace.
Serve from fellowship, not from fear.
Maybe you are here today and you have believed the myth that God will accept you if you can just become good enough.
The Bible says salvation is “not of works.”
You cannot be saved by church attendance.
You cannot be saved by baptism.
You cannot be saved by giving.
You cannot be saved by turning over a new leaf.
You can only be saved by grace through faith in Jesus Christ.
13 For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.
Come to Christ.
Trust His finished work.
Receive the gift of God.
Christian, you are not loved because you labored well.
You can labor well because you have been loved.
Grace comes before works.
So sit at His feet.
Rest in His grace.
Then rise and serve Him with joy.
