God and the Rest of the Week Pt 2

Melanie Dixon

Work As Worship • Sermon • Submitted 6 years ago

Luke 10:38–42

Stress

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Notes

Transcript

Soul-‐Destroying

“A Soul-‐Destroying Busyness” // //

Busyness”

📷 God and the Rest of the Week 4

A problem most all of you have, but you’ve probably never heard a sermon on it before: busyness.

Luke

· We are busy people…

10:38–42

· We’re busy with our jobs: 86% of men and 67% of women in the United States work an average of more than 40 hours a week.1

o Yet, most workers feel like they never have time to get anything done.2

God

o Only 57% of Americans use all of their allotted vacation time.3

and

o This causes emotional problems: CNN: In a 6-‐year study of 2,500 workers, those who worked 11-‐ hour days were 2.5 times more likely to become depressed than those who worked 8-‐hour days.4

the

· And we’re not getting enough sleep.

Rest

o And, of course, this just contributes to the problem. Sleep deprivation causes obesity; diabetes; depression.

o We tell each other stories about saints who got up at 3… Well, they went to bed at 6 pm because they didn’t have lights.

the

o Average American getting about 2 hours less of sleep than our great grandparents 100 years ago!

Week

· And then you have kids. I was listening to Jim Gaffigan, who has 4 kids… he said, “People ask me, ‘What’s it like to go from 3 to 4 kids. He said, “Well, it feels like you are drowning in the ocean, fighting with all your might to keep your head afloat for just another second… and, then, someone in a boat, takes a baby and says, “Here, catch.”

· And it doesn’t seem to be getting any better.

o NY Times Op-‐Ed article that talked about how our smart phones and computers ensure that we are never really away from things. Vacation used to be like an on-‐off switch; now [because of technology] it’s more of a dimmer switch.”5

problem

o Study presented to Congress in the 1960’s: with all the new labor saving devices, we’d only work 15 hours a week and our main problem would be what to do with “all this time on our hands.”6

most

§§ Anyone feel like that?

all

In our God and the Rest of the Week, I want to spend a week talking about how you set up your calendar. Strong statement: there are few things as damaging, and potentially soul-‐destroying, as busyness. Blaise Pascal, one of my favorite philosophers, said that busyness sends more people to hell than unbelief.

Jesus told a story in the Bible about busyness—maybe you’ve never thought of this:

you

Luke 10:38–42 NLT

As Jesus and the disciples continued on their way to Jerusalem, they came to a certain village where a woman named Martha welcomed him into her home. Her sister, Mary, sat at the Lord’s feet, listening to what he taught. But Martha was distracted by the big dinner she was preparing. She came to Jesus and said, “Lord, doesn’t it seem unfair to you that my sister just sits here while I do all the work? Tell her to come and help me.” But the Lord said to her, “My dear Martha, you are worried and upset over all these details! There is only one thing worth being concerned about. Mary has discovered it, and it will not be taken away from her.”

have,

📷

but

1 http://visualeconomics.creditloan.com/the-state-of-the-40-hour-workweek/

you’ve

2 http://familiesandwork.org/site/research/summary/feelingoverworkedsumm.pdf

probably

3 http://articles.cnn.com/2011-05-23/travel/vacation.in.america_1_vacation-germans-long-holiday?_s=PM:TRAVEL

never

4 http://www.cnn.com/2012/01/25/health/working-overtime-doubles-depression/index.html

heard

5 http://www.nytimes.com/2011/08/14/jobs/14work.html

6 http://www.leisuresource.net/DownloadableContentHandler.ashx?mediaId=3c3c3a92-1082-45e3-bd32-e8ea02d56c9e

sermon

[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. (she was busy)

before:

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.” (she’s tattle-‐taling; and she feels self-‐righteous, and now she’s bossing Jesus around, which is a really bad day.)

busyness.

[41] But the Lord answered her, “Martha, Martha, (double in Hebrew means intense statement—this is very important) 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.”

• We

· Many commentators have suspected that you have two very clear personality types here. Martha: task-‐ oriented; Mary: people-‐oriented, just be with Jesus.

Many commentators have suspected that you have two very clear personality types here. Martha: task-‐ oriented; Mary: people-‐oriented, just be with Jesus.

are

That may be true, but I don’t think Jesus is here trying to indicate that he prefers the Mary personality best. He created both personality types and he has a purpose for both.

busy

oAnd he is not saying that no one should ever prepare meals; we should all just sit around and do our quiet times, all day every day. That would go against so many other things Scripture teaches. One of the spiritual gifts God gifts is serving and hospitality.

people…

· So why is he picking on Martha? Why not say, “OK, Martha, here’s your problem… but Mary, you should get off your rear every once in a while and help.” Well, you see, the world usually values Marthas… Marthas are considered to be great Christians. What’s more, Marthas usually value themselves and consider themselves to be great Christians.

• We’re

o And Jesus is going deal with a rather dangerous temptation for competent, responsible people. You see, Just like it’s harder for rich people to enter the kingdom of heaven, it’s harder for competent people to find the will of God. I’ll tell you why.

busy

· Now, real quick: (You say, “Ha! Well, I’m in good shape this weekend… I’m like the paragon of irresponsibility. I can’t hold down a job! I was 20 minutes late this morning!” (I saw all of you who just walked in. Well, as you’ll see there’s a little Martha in all of us.)

with

Here’s what Jesus does in this story. He:

our

1. Shatters a myth 2. Confronts a fear

jobs:

3. Points to a better way forward

86%

Simple, right?

Myth, Fear, Forward

men

Here’s the MYTH he shatters: Busyness = faithfulness

and

· Many of us like to be busy because then we feel important; needed.

67%

o Basketball story… but the feeling.

o Interesting… In the studies we cited earlier… The WSJ in its study on overwork said that a little investigation uncovered the fact that the hours most people report are inflated because we feel like we need to exaggerate to prove that we are useful. And some people tend to exaggerate

women

because they “create mental pictures of themselves” in which they legitimately feel like they are working 24/7, even when at home and on vacation.7

the

§§ So the same reason we overwork is the same reason we exaggerate how much we overwork, because overwork makes us feel useful!

United

· For many people, busyness makes us feel faithful to God. “Look, God, I’m tired!” “I’m burned out. I’ve got nothing left!” This story shows you that is not true.

States

The FEAR he confronts:

work

· What drives Martha’s busyness? Fear. See where it says she is “anxious” (vs. 41)?

o “It’s not going to get done”;

average

o “Everyone will think poorly of me.”

o “Jesus will think poorly of me—that’s embarrassing, when God comes over for dinner—toothpaste spots on the mirror; unflushed toilets; sending someone out to Bojangles to pick up chicken.”

o Martha says, “You can’t do that for the Son of God. You can’t serve him lazy leftovers. You can’t have Jesus show up and say, ‘Well, it’s BO-‐time.’”

than

· Before I tell you why that is unfounded…Let me get you to consider: isn’t a lot of our busyness driven by our fears?

· Not being important.

hours

· Who else will do it? Indispensable.

· Pride: “I’m the only one who can do this. I’m special. I’m unique. I’m a snowflake.”

week.1

· Trying to please people. Some of you can’t say “no” because you want to be liked by everyone.

o Yet,

· Trying to prove yourself—you can’t rest because you are trying to prove something to your parents; your siblings; a high school coach; an ex-‐girlfriend; yourself.8

most

· Maybe it is a need to keep up with everyone else. You work to earn; earn to spend. Spend to keep up with what everyone else.

workers

· A fear that you will lack things in the future.

feel

· Trying to earn God’s approval—you feel like when you collapse from busyness, completely burned out, you’ll say, “There it is God. I am my own burnt offering.”

· Parents: Fear of our kids getting behind.

they

o A Professor at George Mason University, Bryan Caplan, who conducted extensive studies on biological twins adopted by different families… and what their research showed is that all the things the parents had their kids involved in had little to no effect on what the child achieved or how they turned out (assuming the home environment was stable).9

never

o Caplan sites a study where kids were asked to grade their parents, comment on what they want to do better, etc. Rarely did the kids ask for more time, but they did say that they wished their parents were less stressed and so prone to anger.

have

o Kids suffer, Caplan says, from “secondhand stress.” All the busyness we are pouring into their lives to add value are actually crushing both them and their relationship to us

time

o From the other week: Experience rich, even if it means relationally poor. Relationship rich/experience poor

What does Jesus say? “Martha, Martha…” Come be with me!

get

📷

anything

7 http://online.wsj.com/article/SB124355233998464405.html

done.2

8 Kevin DeYoung, Crazy Busy, 36.

o Only

9 Kevin DeYoung, Crazy Busy, (Wheaton: Crossway, 2013), 68–69. Leslie Leyland Fields concurs in Christianity Today: “One of the

57%

most resilient and cherished myths of parenting is that parenting creates the child.” “The Myth of the Perfect Parent: Why the Best Parenting Techniques Don’t Produce Christian Children,” Christianity Today, January 2010.

Americans

· First of all, his approval is a gift. Doesn’t need to be earned.

use

· Second, Jesus said, all that you’re striving for is in me.

all

o Bread of life

o . Better source of enjoyment and safety.

their

· Third, I’m omni-‐competent, so you don’t need to be!

allotted

o Think about this… why is Martha stressed about dinner? Isn’t this the guy who took a “Lunchable” and fed a whole stadium? That guy is not stressing out about where dinner is going to come from.

vacation

2 verses we’ve used in past weeks I want to pull out for you:

time.3

· “Trust in the Lord, with all your heart… In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight.”

o This

o What’s your responsibility? To acknowledge him. To obey. His responsibility is to make your paths work out.

causes

· “Unless the Lord builds the house, those who build it labor in vain. Unless the Lord watches over the city, the watchman stays awake in vain. 2 It is in vain that you rise up early and go late to rest, eating the bread of anxious toil; for he gives to his beloved sleep.”

emotional

o What’s the sign? Remember the awesome joke I used? That was great.

problems:

o But what about? And what about?

CNN:

o Martha: What about dinner? The one who multiplies fish and bread has got that covered!

· The question is not, “What needs to be done?” The question is: What does he want me to do?

o (We live in a world of seemingly infinite need, and if we ask it we’ll never get rest. One more emergency to plan for; one more thing to obtain; one more need to meet).

6-‐year

o We are to do the things he has given to us: your success by faithfulness in those.

study

§§ A few years ago I made out a list, carried it around in my wallet—lover of God; good husband; good dad; preach a good sermon… so, all the emails; requests from people for “just a few minutes” over coffee; speaking engagements.

§§ Establish those things as priorities: Stephen Covey’s Big Rocks.

2,500

o An important element in this is discovering your calling.

workers,

§§ Missions

those

§§ Giving to the poor

who

§§ Adopt

worked

§§ “Be single”

11-‐

§§ Important lesson I learned: Not everything that comes from heaven has your name on it.

hour

§§ Build your schedule around your calling… “The person who never sets priorities is the person who does not believe in his own finitude.” (DeYoung)

days

§§ and don’t obsess about all the things

were

· Sam James: God made him good at these things.

2.5

o And recognize that just as God establishes seasons in the environment, he establishes seasons in your life:

times

§§ V: Mission trips I get to go on… usually likes to travel. Not everything at every stage.

§§ One of my favorite authors, Peter Kreeft: “What is your favorite book that you’ve written?” “The ones I didn’t write when my kids were young.”

likely

· Go sit at the feet of Jesus, find your sufficiency in him, and then do what he tells you! If Jesus says to Mary, “Go get me a cup of water,” don’t you think she’d do it!

· Do what he tells you to do then…

become

A. Sleep! : “He gives to his beloved sleep.”

depressed

§§ It’s not your busyness that gives us a picture of your closeness to God, but your ability to sleep!

than

those

§§ My college pastor, “Sometimes the most spiritual, faith-‐filled thing you can do is take a nap.” (BEST SERMON EVER!)

who

B. And Refuse to worry about tomorrow!

worked

§§ Jesus: “Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Tomorrow has its own troubles.” () “Don’t worry about tomorrow; it has plenty of its own troubles. That’s exactly what I was worried about tomorrow. Jesus is saying, ”I’ll be there tomorrow, with provision sufficient for the trouble.”

8-‐hour

§§ MANNA

days.4

§§ , , “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me… my God shall supply all your need in Christ Jesus!”

• And

C. Create some margin! Don’t have time to go into this to a great extent (because I have left no margin in this sermon), but when your schedule is hyper-‐packed you can’t deal with the things God genuinely brings to you.

we’re

§§ Good Samaritan: too busy. Me: I’d have compassion, but I’ve got no time for that. “Someone call an intern and have them go take care of that.”

not

D. ��Observe the Sabbaths (I’ll tell you why plural in a minute)

getting

§§ God commanded Israel to take a Sabbath, one day off to cease from labor. That made NO sense, especially back then… In an agrarian society, times were tight; providing for yourself and your family was hard. Crops had to be harvested daily. Water had to be collected daily. To cut your productivity by 1/7 was not prudent. But God commanded them to do it because he wanted them to leave space for Him to provide for them.

enough

§§ And he promised them that if they would work 6 days and take off the 7th, He would multiply their effectiveness on the other 6 days to make up for what they missed on the 7th!

sleep.

§§ Two arenas: Tithe and Sabbath. God wants you to do less.

o And,

§§ Sabbath, tithe and sleep are to be the most restful experiences, relieving us of the stress of trying to play the role of God. They are the unique privileges of the Christian walking with God!

So, come to Jesus, find your rest in him, hear what he wants you to do, and then go do those things! That’s the better way forward. Jesus told Martha that she was busy about many things and had forgotten “the best thing.” “Best thing” is not “only” thing. “Best” thing means “first” thing. Start at the feet of Jesus, resting in him and hearing from him.

course,

· In the OT, evening came before morning. For us, morning comes before evening. Morning is when we work; evening is when we rest. Man rested with God, then went to work in the garden. That’s a pretty good pattern.

this

· Even for us…. Sunday is the first day of the week, the day Jesus resurrected. It’s the day that we rest in who God is and what he has accomplished for us before we go through six days of labor.

just

Now, one more thing… there’s a very a somber warning Jesus gives to us… greatest problem with our busyness. The great danger of busyness is that it keeps us from the feet of Jesus.

contributes

· “You are anxious and troubled about many things, but one thing is necessary…” (10:41–42)

· The real problem with being busy with everything else is it keeps us from the one necessary thing.

the

o Pascal: “Busyness sends more people to hell than outright rejection of God.”

problem.

o “When we are crazy busy, we put our souls at risk.” (DeYoung)

Sleep

· “Mary has chosen the good thing, which can never be taken away from her.” All the other things you are consumed with can be taken away from you!

deprivation

o Career. Kingdom. Wealth. Health. Family. Knowing Jesus and teaching your family to know Jesus is the one thing that can never be taken away!

causes

obesity;

o To die with him and nothing else is not really different than dying with him and everything else. Eternity matters.

diabetes;

o To die without him and everything else is to lose it all.

depression.

o : Teach us to number our days, that we may apply our hearts to learn wisdom!

o We

CONCLUSION:

tell

I want you to think about this: What you do with your time shows what you really believe. What does what you do with your time say about…

each

· Where you find your value?

other

· Your trust in God?

stories

· What kingdom you are building? Some of you are not stressed because you are lazy… I’m definitely not Martha… you will give an account!

about

o Leisure; retirement.

saints

How you spend your time (each day) is how you spend your life, because your life is essentially a series of days. How are you spending your life? If we looked at your calendar, what would we see you prized most, and pursued most? What you prize the most is what you pursue the hardest.

who

got

Bullpen:

· “How you spend your time is how you spend your life.”

· But who is going to get it all done? Martha: who is going to make the hors d’oeuvres? Just do what you are supposed to do. Jesus has no needs: do what he gives you to do, and then trust that the one who multiplies loaves and fishes and walks on water will get the rest done!

3…

· Sleep deprivation causes obesity, diabetes. D.A. Carson once preached a sermon on the 6 causes of doubt. 5 of them were pretty standard, but one was “sleep deprivation.” He said, “When you burn the candle at both ends, you engage in more and more cynicism…” God made us complicated beings, uniting our spiritual health to our physical well-‐being.”

Well,

they

· Create margin

went

· We are commanded to rest more often than we are commanded to not have adultery. This conversation is very common: How you doing? Fine, just too busy. Imagine this conversation, “how you doing spiritually?” fine, I just keep sleeping with my neighbors wife

· Why crucial: How you spend time is how you spend your life. Judged one day: time.

bed

· It’s dumb for us never to think about it. Time is the one commodity we all get a fixed amount of, and that we can’t make any more of.

· Listen to this: “We don’t expect to be able to buy anything we want, because we know there is a limit to our money. But somehow we live as if time knew no bounds, when in fact time is much more limited than money. Wealth can be created, but no one has the ability to grow more time.” Kevin DeYoung, Crazy Busy

· The best thing means it comes first in priority. Just like in the OT, evening came before morning. For us, morning comes before evening. Morning is when we work, evening is when we rest. Rest comes before walking with God in the cool of the day, it comes before the work. Sunday is the first day of the week, the day Jesus resurrected. It’s the day that we rest in what God has accomplished for us before we go through six days of labor.

· The other sweet thing about this story is that the only one who knew about this besides Jesus was Martha. Luke went around collecting stories, funded by Theophilus, and then put these stories in a collection. This means that Martha is the one who repentantly shared this story about Jesus.

because

· Again: He is not saying that no one should ever prepare meals and we should all just sit around and do our quiet times all the time.

they

· “Stewarding my time is not about selfishly pursuing only the things I like to do. It’s about effectively serving others in the ways I’m best able to serve and in the ways I am most uniquely called to do.” (DeYoung)

didn’t

have

Omni-‐competent (failing to Sabbath)

lights.

o Average

American

getting

about

hours

less

sleep

than

our

great

grandparents

100

years

ago!

• And

then

you

have

kids.

was

listening

Jim

Gaffigan,

who

has

kids…

said,

“People

ask

me,

‘What’s

from

kids.

said,

“Well,

feels

you

are

drowning

the

ocean,

fighting

with

all

your

might

keep

your

head

afloat

for

just

another

second…

and,

then,

someone

boat,

takes

baby

and

says,

“Here,

catch.”

• And

doesn’t

seem

getting

any

better.

o NY

Times

Op-‐Ed

article

that

talked

about

how

our

smart

phones

and

computers

ensure

that

are

never

really

away

from

things.

Vacation

used

on-‐off

switch;

now

[because

technology]

it’s

dimmer

switch.”5

o Study

presented

Congress

the

1960’s:

with

all

the

new

labor

saving

devices,

we’d

only

work

hours

week

and

our

main

problem

would

what

with

“all

this

time

our

hands.”6

§ Anyone

feel

that?

our

God

and

the

Rest

the

Week,

want

spend

week

talking

about

how

you

set

your

calendar.

Strong

statement:

there

are

few

things

damaging,

and

potentially

soul-‐destroying,

busyness.

Blaise

Pascal,

one

favorite

philosophers,

said

that

busyness

sends

people

hell

than

unbelief.

Jesus

told

story

the

Bible

about

busyness—maybe

you’ve

never

thought

this:

Luke

10:38–42

1 http://visualeconomics.creditloan.com/the-state-of-the-40-hour-workweek/

2 http://familiesandwork.org/site/research/summary/feelingoverworkedsumm.pdf

3 http://articles.cnn.com/2011-05-23/travel/vacation.in.america_1_vacation-germans-long-holiday?_s=PM:TRAVEL

4 http://www.cnn.com/2012/01/25/health/working-overtime-doubles-depression/index.html

5 http://www.nytimes.com/2011/08/14/jobs/14work.html

6 http://www.leisuresource.net/DownloadableContentHandler.ashx?mediaId=3c3c3a92-1082-45e3-bd32-e8ea02d56c9e

[38]

Now

they

went

their

way,

Jesus

entered

village.

And

woman

named

Martha

welcomed

him

into

her

house.

[39]

And

she

had

sister

called

Mary,

who

sat

the

Lord's

feet

and

listened

his

teaching.

[40]

But

Martha

was

distracted

with

much

serving.

(she

was

busy)

And

she

went

him

and

said,

“Lord,

you

not

care

that

sister

has

left

serve

alone?

Tell

her

then

help

me.”

(she’s

tattle-‐taling;

and

she

feels

self-‐righteous,

and

now

she’s

bossing

Jesus

around,

which

really

bad

day.)

[41]

But

the

Lord

answered

her,

“Martha,

Martha,

(double

Hebrew

means

intense

statement—this

very

important)

you

are

anxious

and

troubled

about

many

things,

[42]

but

one

thing

necessary.

Mary

has

chosen

the

good

portion,

which

will

not

taken

away

from

her.”

• Many

commentators

have

suspected

that

you

have

two

very

clear

personality

types

here.

Martha:

task-‐

oriented;

Mary:

people-‐oriented,

just

with

Jesus.

o That

may

true,

but

don’t

think

Jesus

here

trying

indicate

that

prefers

the

Mary

personality

best.

created

both

personality

types

and

has

purpose

for

both.

o And

not

saying

that

one

should

ever

prepare

meals;

should

all

just

sit

around

and

our

quiet

times,

all

day

every

day.

That

would

against

many

other

things

Scripture

teaches.

One

the

spiritual

gifts

God

gifts

serving

and

hospitality.

• So

why

picking

Martha?

Why

not

say,

“OK,

Martha,

here’s

your

problem…

but

Mary,

you

should

get

off

your

rear

every

once

while

and

help.”

Well,

you

see,

the

world

usually

values

Marthas…

Marthas

are

considered

great

Christians.

What’s

more,

Marthas

usually

value

themselves

and

consider

themselves

great

Christians.

o And

Jesus

going

deal

with

rather

dangerous

temptation

for

competent,

responsible

people.

You

see,

Just

it’s

harder

for

rich

people

enter

the

kingdom

heaven,

it’s

harder

for

competent

people

find

the

will

God.

I’ll

tell

you

why.

• Now,

real

quick:

(You

say,

“Ha!

Well,

I’m

good

shape

this

weekend…

I’m

the

paragon

irresponsibility.

can’t

hold

down

job!

was

minutes

late

this

morning!”

saw

all

you

who

just

walked

in.

Well,

you’ll

see

there’s

little

Martha

all

us.)

Here’s

what

Jesus

does

this

story.

He:

1. Shatters

myth

2. Confronts

fear

3. Points

better

way

forward

Simple,

right?

Myth,

Fear,

Forward

Here’s

the

MYTH

shatters:

Busyness

faithfulness

• Many

busy

because

then

feel

important;

needed.

o Basketball

story…

but

the

feeling.

o Interesting…

the

studies

cited

earlier…

The

WSJ

its

study

overwork

said

that

little

investigation

uncovered

the

fact

that

the

hours

most

people

report

are

inflated

because

feel

need

exaggerate

prove

that

are

useful.

And

some

people

tend

exaggerate

because

they

“create

mental

pictures

themselves”

which

they

legitimately

feel

they

are

working

24/7,

even

when

home

and

vacation.7

§ So

the

same

reason

overwork

the

same

reason

exaggerate

how

much

overwork,

because

overwork

makes

feel

useful!

• For

many

people,

busyness

makes

feel

faithful

God.

“Look,

God,

I’m

tired!”

“I’m

burned

out.

I’ve

got

nothing

left!”

This

story

shows

you

that

not

true.

The

FEAR

confronts:

• What

drives

Martha’s

busyness?

Fear.

See

where

says

she

“anxious”

(vs.

41)?

o “It’s

not

going

get

done”;

o “Everyone

will

think

poorly

me.”

o “Jesus

will

think

poorly

me—that’s

embarrassing,

when

God

comes

over

for

dinner—toothpaste

spots

the

mirror;

unflushed

toilets;

sending

someone

out

Bojangles

pick

chicken.”

o Martha

says,

“You

can’t

that

for

the

Son

God.

You

can’t

serve

him

lazy

leftovers.

You

can’t

have

Jesus

show

and

say,

‘Well,

it’s

BO-‐time.’”

• Before

tell

you

why

that

unfounded…Let

get

you

consider:

isn’t

lot

our

busyness

driven

our

fears?

• Not

being

important.

• Who

else

will

it?

Indispensable.

• Pride:

“I’m

the

only

one

who

can

this.

I’m

special.

I’m

unique.

I’m

snowflake.”

• Trying

please

people.

Some

you

can’t

say

“no”

because

you

want

liked

everyone.

• Trying

prove

yourself—you

can’t

rest

because

you

are

trying

prove

something

your

parents;

your

siblings;

high

school

coach;

ex-‐girlfriend;

yourself.8

• Maybe

need

keep

with

everyone

else.

You

work

earn;

earn

spend.

Spend

keep

with

what

everyone

else.

• A

fear

that

you

will

lack

things

the

future.

• Trying

earn

God’s

approval—you

feel

when

you

collapse

from

busyness,

completely

burned

out,

you’ll

say,

“There

God.

own

burnt

offering.”

• Parents:

Fear

our

kids

getting

behind.

o A

Professor

George

Mason

University,

Bryan

Caplan,

who

conducted

extensive

studies

biological

twins

adopted

different

families…

and

what

their

research

showed

that

all

the

things

the

parents

had

their

kids

involved

had

little

effect

what

the

child

achieved

how

they

turned

out

(assuming

the

home

environment

was

stable).9

o Caplan

sites

study

where

kids

were

asked

grade

their

parents,

comment

what

they

want

better,

etc.

Rarely

did

the

kids

ask

for

time,

but

they

did

say

that

they

wished

their

parents

were

less

stressed

and

prone

anger.

o Kids

suffer,

Caplan

says,

from

“secondhand

stress.”

All

the

busyness

are

pouring

into

their

lives

add

value

are

actually

crushing

both

them

and

their

relationship

o From

the

other

week:

Experience

rich,

even

means

relationally

poor.

Relationship

rich/experience

poor

What

does

Jesus

say?

“Martha,

Martha…”

Come

with

me!

7 http://online.wsj.com/article/SB124355233998464405.html

8 Kevin DeYoung, Crazy Busy, 36.

Kevin

DeYoung,

Crazy

Busy,

(Wheaton:

Crossway,

2013),

68–69.

Leslie

Leyland

Fields

concurs

Christianity

Today:

“One

the

most

resilient

and

cherished

myths

parenting

that

parenting

creates

the

child.”

“The

Myth

the

Perfect

Parent:

Why

the

Best

Parenting

Techniques

Don’t

Produce

Christian

Children,”

Christianity

Today,

January

2010.

• First

all,

his

approval

gift.

Doesn’t

need

earned.

• Second,

Jesus

said,

all

that

you’re

striving

for

me.

o Bread

life

o Ps

16:11.

Better

source

enjoyment

and

safety.

• Third,

I’m

omni-‐competent,

you

don’t

need

be!

o Think

about

this…

why

Martha

stressed

about

dinner?

Isn’t

this

the

guy

who

took

“Lunchable”

and

fed

whole

stadium?

That

guy

not

stressing

out

about

where

dinner

going

come

from.

verses

we’ve

used

past

weeks

want

pull

out

for

you:

• “Trust

the

Lord,

with

all

your

heart…

all

your

ways

acknowledge

him,

and

will

make

your

paths

straight.”

Prov

3:5–6

o What’s

your

responsibility?

acknowledge

him.

obey.

His

responsibility

make

your

paths

work

out.

• “Unless the Lord builds the house, those who build it labor in vain. Unless the Lord watches over the

city, the watchman stays awake in vain. 2 It is in vain that you rise up early and go late to rest, eating

the bread of anxious toil; for he gives to his beloved sleep.”

o What’s

the

sign?

Remember

the

awesome

joke

used?

That

was

great.

o But

what

about?

And

what

about?

o Martha:

What

about

dinner?

The

one

who

multiplies

fish

and

bread

has

got

that

covered!

• The

question

not,

“What

needs

done?”

The

question

is:

What

does

want

do?

o (We

live

world

seemingly

infinite

need,

and

ask

we’ll

never

get

rest.

One

emergency

plan

for;

one

thing

obtain;

one

need

meet).

o We

are

the

things

has

given

us:

your

success

faithfulness

those.

§ A

few

years

ago

made

out

list,

carried

around

wallet—lover

God;

good

husband;

good

dad;

preach

good

sermon…

so,

all

the

emails;

requests

from

people

for

“just

few

minutes”

over

coffee;

speaking

engagements.

§ Establish

those

things

priorities:

Stephen

Covey’s

Big

Rocks.

o An

important

element

this

discovering

your

calling.

§ Missions

§ Giving

the

poor

§ Adopt

§ “Be

single”

§ Important

lesson

learned:

Not

everything

that

comes

from

heaven

has

your

name

it.

§ Build

your

schedule

around

your

calling…

“The

person

who

never

sets

priorities

the

person

who

does

not

believe

his

own

finitude.”

(DeYoung)

§ and

don’t

obsess

about

all

the

things

• Sam

James:

God

made

him

good

these

things.

o And

recognize

that

just

God

establishes

seasons

the

environment,

establishes

seasons

your

life:

§ V:

Mission

trips

get

on…

usually

likes

travel.

Not

everything

every

stage.

§ One

favorite

authors,

Peter

Kreeft:

“What

your

favorite

book

that

you’ve

written?”

“The

ones

didn’t

write

when

kids

were

young.”

• Go

sit

the

feet

Jesus,

find

your

sufficiency

him,

and

then

what

tells

you!

Jesus

says

Mary,

“Go

get

cup

water,”

don’t

you

think

she’d

it!

• Do

what

tells

you

then…

A. Sleep!

Psalm

127:

“He

gives

his

beloved

sleep.”

§ It’s

not

your

busyness

that

gives

picture

your

closeness

God,

but

your

ability

sleep!

§ My

college

pastor,

“Sometimes

the

most

spiritual,

faith-‐filled

thing

you

can

take

nap.”

(BEST

SERMON

EVER!)

B. And

Refuse

worry

about

tomorrow!

§ Jesus:

“Therefore

not

anxious

about

tomorrow,

for

tomorrow

will

anxious

for

itself.

Tomorrow

has

its

own

troubles.”

(Matthew

6:34)

“Don’t

worry

about

tomorrow;

has

plenty

its

own

troubles.

That’s

exactly

what

was

worried

about

tomorrow.

Jesus

saying,

”I’ll

there

tomorrow,

with

provision

sufficient

for

the

trouble.”

§ MANNA

§ Philippians

4:13,

19,

“I

can

all

things

through

Christ

who

strengthens

me…

God

shall

supply

all

your

need

Christ

Jesus!”

C. Create

some

margin!

Don’t

have

time

into

this

great

extent

(because

have

left

margin

this

sermon),

but

when

your

schedule

hyper-‐packed

you

can’t

deal

with

the

things

God

genuinely

brings

you.

§ Good

Samaritan:

too

busy.

Me:

I’d

have

compassion,

but

I’ve

got

time

for

that.

“Someone

call

intern

and

have

them

take

care

that.”

D. Observe

the

Sabbaths

(I’ll

tell

you

why

plural

minute)

§ God

commanded

Israel

take

Sabbath,

one

day

off

cease

from

labor.

That

made

sense,

especially

back

then…

agrarian

society,

times

were

tight;

providing

for

yourself

and

your

family

was

hard.

Crops

had

harvested

daily.

Water

had

collected

daily.

cut

your

productivity

1/7

was

not

prudent.

But

God

commanded

them

because

wanted

them

leave

space

for

Him

provide

for

them.

§ And

promised

them

that

they

would

work

days

and

take

off

the

7th,

would

multiply

their

effectiveness

the

other

days

make

for

what

they

missed

the

7th!

§ Two

arenas:

Tithe

and

Sabbath.

God

wants

you

less.

§ Sabbath,

tithe

and

sleep

are

the

most

restful

experiences,

relieving

the

stress

trying

play

the

role

God.

They

are

the

unique

privileges

the

Christian

walking

with

God!

So,

come

Jesus,

find

your

rest

him,

hear

what

wants

you

do,

and

then

those

things!

That’s

the

better

way

forward.

Jesus

told

Martha

that

she

was

busy

about

many

things

and

had

forgotten

“the

best

thing.”

“Best

thing”

not

“only”

thing.

“Best”

thing

means

“first”

thing.

Start

the

feet

Jesus,

resting

him

and

hearing

from

him.

• In

the

OT,

evening

came

before

morning.

For

us,

morning

comes

before

evening.

Morning

when

work;

evening

when

rest.

Man

rested

with

God,

then

went

work

the

garden.

That’s

pretty

good

pattern.

• Even

for

us….

Sunday

the

first

day

the

week,

the

day

Jesus

resurrected.

It’s

the

day

that

rest

who

God

and

what

has

accomplished

for

before

through

six

days

labor.

Now,

one

thing…

there’s

very

somber

warning

Jesus

gives

us…

greatest

problem

with

our

busyness.

The

great

danger

busyness

that

keeps

from

the

feet

Jesus.

• “You

are

anxious

and

troubled

about

many

things,

but

one

thing

necessary…”

(10:41–42)

• The

real

problem

with

being

busy

with

everything

else

keeps

from

the

one

necessary

thing.

o Pascal:

“Busyness

sends

people

hell

than

outright

rejection

God.”

o “When

are

crazy

busy,

put

our

souls

risk.”

(DeYoung)

• “Mary

has

chosen

the

good

thing,

which

can

never

taken

away

from

her.”

All

the

other

things

you

are

consumed

with

can

taken

away

from

you!

o Career.

Kingdom.

Wealth.

Health.

Family.

Knowing

Jesus

and

teaching

your

family

know

Jesus

the

one

thing

that

can

never

taken

away!

o To

die

with

him

and

nothing

else

not

really

different

than

dying

with

him

and

everything

else.

Eternity

matters.

o To

die

without

him

and

everything

else

lose

all.

o Psalm

90:12:

Teach

number

our

days,

that

may

apply

our

hearts

learn

wisdom!

CONCLUSION:

want

you

think

about

this:

What

you

with

your

time

shows

what

you

really

believe.

What

does

what

you

with

your

time

say

about…

• Where

you

find

your

value?

• Your

trust

God?

• What

kingdom

you

are

building?

Some

you

are

not

stressed

because

you

are

lazy…

I’m

definitely

not

Martha…

you

will

give

account!

o Leisure;

retirement.

How

you

spend

your

time

(each

day)

how

you

spend

your

life,

because

your

life

essentially

series

days.

How

are

you

spending

your

life?

looked

your

calendar,

what

would

see

you

prized

most,

and

pursued

most?

What

you

prize

the

most

what

you

pursue

the

hardest.

Bullpen:

• “How

you

spend

your

time

how

you

spend

your

life.”

• But

who

going

get

all

done?

Martha:

who

going

make

the

hors

d’oeuvres?

Just

what

you

are

supposed

do.

Jesus

has

needs:

what

gives

you

do,

and

then

trust

that

the

one

who

multiplies

loaves

and

fishes

and

walks

water

will

get

the

rest

done!

• Sleep

deprivation

causes

obesity,

diabetes.

D.A.

Carson

once

preached

sermon

the

causes

doubt.

them

were

pretty

standard,

but

one

was

“sleep

deprivation.”

said,

“When

you

burn

the

candle

both

ends,

you

engage

and

cynicism…”

God

made

complicated

beings,

uniting

our

spiritual

health

our

physical

well-‐being.”

•

• Create

margin

• We

are

commanded

rest

often

than

are

commanded

not

have

adultery.

This

conversation

very

common:

How

you

doing?

Fine,

just

too

busy.

Imagine

this

conversation,

“how

you

doing

spiritually?”

fine,

just

keep

sleeping

with

neighbors

wife

• Why

crucial:

How

you

spend

time

how

you

spend

your

life.

Judged

one

day:

time.

• It’s

dumb

for

never

think

about

it.

Time

the

one

commodity

all

get

fixed

amount

of,

and

that

can’t

make

any

of.

• Listen to this: “We don’t expect to be able to buy anything we want, because we know there is a limit to our

money. But somehow we live as if time knew no bounds, when in fact time is much more limited than money.

Wealth can be created, but no one has the ability to grow more time.” Kevin DeYoung, Crazy Busy

• The

best

thing

means

comes

first

priority.

Just

the

OT,

evening

came

before

morning.

For

us,

morning

comes

before

evening.

Morning

when

work,

evening

when

rest.

Rest

comes

before

walking

with

God

the

cool

the

day,

comes

before

the

work.

Sunday

the

first

day

the

week,

the

day

Jesus

resurrected.

It’s

the

day

that

rest

what

God

has

accomplished

for

before

through

six

days

labor.

• The

other

sweet

thing

about

this

story

that

the

only

one

who

knew

about

this

besides

Jesus

was

Martha.

Luke

went

around

collecting

stories,

funded

Theophilus,

and

then

put

these

stories

collection.

This

means

that

Martha

the

one

who

repentantly

shared

this

story

about

Jesus.

• Again:

not

saying

that

one

should

ever

prepare

meals

and

should

all

just

sit

around

and

our

quiet

times

all

the

time.

• “Stewarding

time

not

about

selfishly

pursuing

only

the

things

do.

It’s

about

effectively

serving

others

the

ways

I’m

best

able

serve

and

the

ways

most

uniquely

called

do.”

(DeYoung)

•

Omni-‐competent

(failing

Sabbath)

Related Media

Related Sermons

God and the Rest of the Week Pt 2

​

1. Shatters a myth 2. Confronts a fear

Myth, Fear, Forward

Here’s the MYTH he shatters: Busyness = faithfulness

The FEAR he confronts:

What does Jesus say? “Martha, Martha…” Come be with me!

2 verses we’ve used in past weeks I want to pull out for you:

· The question is not, “What needs to be done?” The question is: What does he want me to do?

o And recognize that just as God establishes seasons in the environment, he establishes seasons in your life:

B. And Refuse to worry about tomorrow!

CONCLUSION:

I want you to think about this: What you do with your time shows what you really believe. What does what you do with your time say about…

Bullpen: