Martha and Mary (2)

Preacher Charles: South Dakota You don’t know as much as you think you do

Gallup Study: WASHINGTON, D.C. -- About eight in 10 Americans say they frequently (44%) or sometimes (35%) encounter stress in their daily lives. Just 17% say they rarely feel stressed, while 4% say they never do.

New survey results show Americans' anxiety levels experienced a sharp increase in the past year, with almost 40 percent of respondents saying they felt more anxious than they did a year ago.

That's a pretty big spike – following on the heels of a 36 percent jump between 2016 and 2017 – and it means this year's national, averaged 'anxiety score' has tipped over halfway on a 100-point scale: it's now sitting at 51, with a five-point increase since 2017.

You Don’t Know God as well as you think you do!

"This poll shows US adults are increasingly anxious particularly about health, safety, and finances," says American Psychiatry Association president Anita Everett, whose organisation sponsored the survey.

Story: Four Wheeler

We all know suicide is on the rise, anxiety, depresssion. People are getting busier and doing more, but we don’t have the foundation or the internal resources to deal. I see this in highschoolers who though outwardly act strong and as if they have it togther, when life hits them with a storm of trial, they lose all hope. Overwhelmed, worried, they strive and chase after the illusive prive the world promises, only to find themselves empty.

This has infiltrated the church as well, we can barely sit in church without the cares of life clawing back in. We can’t enjoy God because our bills need to be paid, our family is messed up, our job is crazy..and we come to God, not even really seeking God himself, we don’t the presence of God, we want the presents from God. Something has to change, and in a world of our young people struggling, worrying, chasing after things which will leave them empty, the church is chasing the same things, and we are jsut as worried. I think God has a word for us today.

​ ESVNow as they went on their way, Jesus entered a village. And a woman named Martha welcomed him into her house. And she had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet and listened to his teaching. 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.” But the Lord answered her, “Martha, Martha, you are anxious and troubled about many things, but one thing is necessary. Mary has chosen the good portion, which will not be taken away from her.”

There are a few important things here that short story gives us insight into. The problem we fall into within America..and how we must have a pretty drastic heart change.

Regain Your Sense of Wonder

And she had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet and listened to his teaching.

Mary takes the place at Jesus’ feet. A disciples position. Jesus comes in, and rather than trying to do something for Jesus like preparing the food, which would have been expected..she has a different approach. She seems to be captivated by this man, and just sits at his feet and listens. She isn’t talking, asking Jesus for stuff..just sitting and listening. Its striking because this position of teacher disciple, sitting at Jesus’ feet, that usually wasn’t something women did. She threw cultural norms out the window. She saw Jesus and said I have to sit and just be with him. She sat, listened, and just soaked in the presence of the Savior.

When is the last time you sat at someone’s feet?

Child. This is why I love kids, because they are so easily captivated. Peek a boo. Dancing. Kick a ball. Snap my finger. They look and see what you do, its like world changing. Because to them, its so far from what they can do yet, or understand.

Why don’t we have that same awe by God. Isn’t who he is and what he does so far from our understanding and capabilities?

​ ESVTruly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child shall not enter it.”

​ ESVBut I have calmed and quieted my soul, like a weaned child with its mother; like a weaned child is my soul within me.

When you are captivated by God, your soul quiets, your thoughts stop, and you just listen.When is the last time you were captivated by Jesus?

Hearts that are “fit to break” with love for the Godhead are those who have been in His presence and have looked with opened eye upon the majesty of the Deity. Men of the breaking hearts had a quality about them not known to or understood by common men. They habitually spoke with spiritual authority. They had been in the presence of God and they reported what they saw there. They were prophets, not scribes, for the scribe tells us what he has read, and the prophet tells us what he has seen. The distinction is not an imaginary one. Between the scribe who has read and the prophet who has seen, there is a difference as wide as the sea. We are today overrun with orthodox scribes, but the prophets, where are they? The hard voice of the scribe sounds over evangelicalism, but the church waits for the tender voice of the saint who has penetrated the veil and has gazed with inward eye upon the wonder that is God. And yet, thus to penetrate, to push in sensitive living experience into the holy presence, is a privilege open to every child of God. With the veil removed by the rending of Jesus’ flesh, with nothing on God’s side to prevent us from entering, why do we tarry without? Why do we consent to abide all our days just outside the Holy of Holies and never enter at all to look upon God? We hear the Bridegroom say, Let me see thy countenance, let me hear thy voice; for sweet is thy voice, and thy countenance is beautiful. We sense that the call is for us, but still we fail to draw near, and the years pass and we grow old and tired in the outer courts of the tabernacle. What hinders us?

South Dakota: Stopping to look at the mountains

Tozer, Aiden Wilson. The Pursuit of God (Updated, Annotated) (pp. 26-27). Aneko Press. Kindle Edition.

Tozer, Aiden Wilson. The Pursuit of God (Updated, Annotated) (pp. 26-27). Aneko Press. Kindle Edition.

When you are captivated by Jesus your prayer life grows

When you are captivated by Jesus He is your first prioritity

When you are captivated by Jesus you hunger for his word

When you are captivated by Jesus you stop caring what others think

When you are captivated by Jesus everyday with Him is a joy

When you are with Jesus, you seek his presence not his presents.

When you are captivated by Jesus you stop with the restless striving, and sit in humble submission

We have to regain our sense wonder and awe of God.

We have to understand that if we had eternity to learn and see Jesus, for eternity we never run out of new and beautiful things to learn about God.

We

Illustration: Do it again: They want to see you do it over and over because each time its like they saw it the first time, they figure out something else new that they didn’t see the last time. Thats how it will be with God..we will be like kids captivated by each moment, seeing something new and more beautiful than before.

We have to recognize that we don’t know Him as well as we think, and there is infinite more beauty to learn and see.

We come to church sometimes, forgetting that this is the house of God.

That if we are believers He is living in us. We do the same things and God has lost his newness, his freshness, his beauty to us. God isn’t less beautiful, we just have lost our ability to see it, our desire to appreciate it!

​ ESV“Be still, and know that I am God. I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth!”

Hearts that are “fit to break” with love for the Godhead are those who have been in His presence and have looked with opened eye upon the majesty of the Deity. Men of the breaking hearts had a quality about them not known to or understood by common men. They habitually spoke with spiritual authority. They had been in the presence of God and they reported what they saw there. They were prophets, not scribes, for the scribe tells us what he has read, and the prophet tells us what he has seen. The distinction is not an imaginary one. Between the scribe who has read and the prophet who has seen, there is a difference as wide as the sea. We are today overrun with orthodox scribes, but the prophets, where are they? The hard voice of the scribe sounds over evangelicalism, but the church waits for the tender voice of the saint who has penetrated the veil and has gazed with inward eye upon the wonder that is God. And yet, thus to penetrate, to push in sensitive living experience into the holy presence, is a privilege open to every child of God. With the veil removed by the rending of Jesus’ flesh, with nothing on God’s side to prevent us from entering, why do we tarry without? Why do we consent to abide all our days just outside the Holy of Holies and never enter at all to look upon God? We hear the Bridegroom say, Let me see thy countenance, let me hear thy voice; for sweet is thy voice, and thy countenance is beautiful. We sense that the call is for us, but still we fail to draw near, and the years pass and we grow old and tired in the outer courts of the tabernacle. What hinders us?

Tozer, Aiden Wilson. The Pursuit of God (Updated, Annotated) (pp. 26-27). Aneko Press. Kindle Edition.

Remove the Sin of Worry

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.” But the Lord answered her, “Martha, Martha, you are anxious and troubled about many things, but one thing is necessary. Mary has chosen the good portion, which will not be taken away from her.”

When you are not captivated by Jesus, you become distracted, and worry, and burdened by your life. The problem wasn’t that she was serving, that was a good thing. This isn’t a competition between prayer or service, its a problem with worry. And reveals what happens when we try and serve God without first being captivated by who He is, and yearning to know him deeper.

Doesn’t this sound familiar? So busy doing the good thing, that she missed the time she had with God himself!

Hospitality, preparing the meal was a good thing. It was a cultural value and important. The issue wasn’t the serving, the issue was that in her serving God, she failed to trust and rely on God himself! More pressing on her mind was the meal she needed to make, than the God she had in her house!

Martha was preparing the meal.

The problem was she had Jesus, God in her house, and still found something to worry about.

The problem was she had Jesus, God in her house, and still found something to worry about.

And the moment she worried, she wasn’t trusting God, and the service she did ceased to be worship.

You can not worship and worry at the same time

Worry reflects a distracted life, and a life that has lost its sense of God centered wonder.

The degree to which you worry reflects the degree to which you understand the gospel, the degree to which you understand who Jesus is.

She comes to Jesus and asks… “Do you care, I need help! Tell my sister to get up and help me!”

She comes to Jesus and asks… “Do you care, I need help! Tell my sister to get up and help me!”

​ ESVAnd he said to his disciples, “Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat, nor about your body, what you will put on. For life is more than food, and the body more than clothing. Consider the ravens: they neither sow nor reap, they have neither storehouse nor barn, and yet God feeds them. Of how much more value are you than the birds! And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life? If then you are not able to do as small a thing as that, why are you anxious about the rest? Consider the lilies, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin, yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. But if God so clothes the grass, which is alive in the field today, and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, how much more will he clothe you, O you of little faith! And do not seek what you are to eat and what you are to drink, nor be worried. For all the nations of the world seek after these things, and your Father knows that you need them.

When your soul wonders, Lord do you care…worry says, “he doesn’t care.” “Or can’t help” Worry reflects not knowing who Jesus is

Even birds, though not understanding who God is, or his word, live as if the same God who is has been faithful today will be faithful tomorrow.

Some of you even today came with worries. You can barely sit and come to church without worrying about work tomorrow, or what were going to eat, or the family member who is sick, or my child who is out of control, or the financial issues.You must not know who your God is.You may say, RJ you don’t know my life, you don’t know what I’m going through. Thats true, but I know My SAVIOR!I’m not saying there aren’t problems in our lives, things which hurt, which are terrible..I am simply saying that however great the problem, greater is our savior.

Worry is a trust issue!

The problem was she had Jesus, God in her house, and still found something to worry about.

I’m not saying ignore the problem..all you feel you need to get done may very well be more than you can carry..but its not more than He can carry. It might be more than you can do, but not more than He can.

Worry is to doubt our father.

“Worry”, says Tim Keller, “is not believing God will get it right!”

“Worrying is something like picking up the weight that Jesus has removed and deciding to carry it around again anyway, causing injury with your refusal to set it down.” -RZIM

Ravi Zacharias says, “Worry ends where faith begins!”

We need to learn to shout Jesus’ name into every problem, issue, situation.

You are worried about many things..but only one thing is neccisary!

Release the Scent of Worship

​ ESVSix days before the Passover, Jesus therefore came to Bethany, where Lazarus was, whom Jesus had raised from the dead. So they gave a dinner for him there. Martha served, and Lazarus was one of those reclining with him at table. Mary therefore took a pound of expensive ointment made from pure nard, and anointed the feet of Jesus and wiped his feet with her hair. The house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume. But Judas Iscariot, one of his disciples (he who was about to betray him), said, “Why was this ointment not sold for three hundred denarii and given to the poor?” He said this, not because he cared about the poor, but because he was a thief, and having charge of the moneybag he used to help himself to what was put into it. Jesus said, “Leave her alone, so that she may keep it for the day of my burial.

Only when you regain your wonder, remove your worry, can you release the scent of worship. She had spent time with Jesus, sitting at his feet, captivated by Him, wasn’t worried about what others think, and brought a valuable and costly gift to God, and worshiped him..and the scent of this filled the whole house.

​The Pillar New Testament Commentary: The Gospel according to . Mary Anoints Jesus (12:1–11)John focuses on Jesus’ feet: in terms of the symbolism established in ch. 13, at the very least this signifies the utmost in self-humbling devotion and love, regardless of cost (the expense of the nard) or of what others might think (Mary let down the tresses of her hair to wipe Jesus’ feet). Mention of the fact that the house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume suggests not only extravagant love (Lindars, p. 417), but suggests that the fragrance of the act will extend far beyond the event itself (cf. ).

To God, worship had a scent, a fragrance. A heart of love, of adoration is the source from which true worship flows. God condemns Israelites in Amos for thier idolatrous hearts, and meaningless sacrifices.

​ NIV“I hate, I despise your religious festivals; your assemblies are a stench to me. Even though you bring me burnt offerings and grain offerings, I will not accept them. Though you bring choice fellowship offerings, I will have no regard for them. Away with the noise of your songs! I will not listen to the music of your harps.

​ ESVBring no more vain offerings; incense is an abomination to me. New moon and Sabbath and the calling of convocations— I cannot endure iniquity and solemn assembly.

The people were offering, and giving, but it came not from a heart in awe of God. We sing our God is awesome, Great are you Lord, Amazing Grace, on Sunday, and then when life gets heavy, our worry’s proclaim, “We don’t trust you!” “I have to fix it” “Its up to me!” “God is not faithful!”

​ ESVAs a pleasing aroma I will accept you, when I bring you out from the peoples and gather you out of the countries where you have been scattered. And I will manifest my holiness among you in the sight of the nations.

​ ESVBut thanks be to God, who in Christ always leads us in triumphal procession, and through us spreads the fragrance of the knowledge of him everywhere.

For those who know Jesus, we are on a victory parade! But we look so pitiful sometimes.

Only a heart captivated by Jesus, that trust in him, abides in him, can release the sent of true worship.

What does your worship smell like?

Sweet smelling worshipCostlyJoyfulUnique to the worshiper-it doesn’t try to be anybody elseIt is unforced. Sacrifice that no one has to make you do, but what you willingly do!

Focused not on what you can get from God, but what you can give.

Flows from learning how to BE!

Comes from reflecting on the gospel, and treasuring Jesus Worship with unforgiveness in our heart, worry about our lives, obsession with the business and striving of this world.

Striving for selfish ambition rather than humble submission. Restless striving. Unsatisfied, or complaining. Its a stench.

Worship that tries to get, get, get from God, but cares not to give, give for Him..is a stench.When we seek the hand of God rather than the face of God. When we pray to get things from him rather than just Him. When we follow God so that we feel like he would owe us certain things, worldly sucees, a comfortable life, reputation. Thats not worship

​ ESVAnd truly, I say to you, wherever the gospel is proclaimed in the whole world, what she has done will be told in memory of her.”

Her worship was so meaningful, the fragrance of this act is still here today. She did not know the significance of what Jesus was about to go through, but she was anointing his body for burial. And it is an act that testifies to the beauty of Jesus and the gospel. Do you know who Jesus is today? What he has done. Have you been captivated by the gospel.

Worship is when you offer something valuable to you to God with a heart of gratitude!

​ ESVBehold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me.

He is calling! Will you let him in! When you meet him it changes everything. When you see the sacrifice He made. The depth of his love and grace!Stop trying to do, and just be. You are worried about alot of things today..but only one thing is needed! He is needed!