We come back from last week to a passage that we started halfway through, and a familiar story. In verse 37, to end this chapter, then in chapter 11, Jesus will open up with the disciples' prayer, or a model prayer, often called the Lord's Prayer, recorded here in Luke for us, Luke 11. So we'll see that before Christmastime and then have an opportunity in the month of December to focus on some Christmas themed Sundays services. Luke chapter 10 in verse 37, Jesus said, he showed mercy, or in verse 37, the end of the previous story about the one who showed compassion. And then he said, go and do likewise, verse 38. And it came to pass as they went that he entered into a certain village and a certain woman named Martha received him into her home. She had a sister called Mary, which also sat at Jesus' feet and heard his word. Martha was cumbered about with much serving and came to him and said, Lord, dost thou not care that my sister hath left me to serve alone? Bid her therefore that she help me And Jesus answered and said unto her, Martha, Martha, thou art careful and troubled about many things, but one thing is needful, and Mary hath chosen that good part which shall not be taken away from her. Let's go to the Lord in prayer, Father. Bless us this morning as we look at Martha and our responses to our service and our worship. give us a focus this morning on the text and the Holy Spirit would convict our hearts when we become out of balance. In Jesus name we pray, amen. It's about this time of year several years back at our church in Wisconsin we had a Saturday men's prayer breakfast very similar to what we do here about anywhere between 10 and 20 men that would show up for a prayer breakfast on Saturday morning. And we'd take the time, we'd eat, and then have a little devotion, and then a prayer time afterwards. And so, but normally what would happen is I was the one that was in charge for the food. And so cooking, and I'd get a couple deacons or so that would help me out every rotation on the month or every other month. And I remember one of the first times that I did the prayer breakfast, we lived right next to the church. And so I got up and I was planning and preparing and just things just didn't go as planned about the cooking. And I'm running back and forth from the church to my house and I got biscuits in the oven at my house. I've got stove on and some things cooking at the church and I'm running between the two And my wife can kind of tell that I'm running a little bit behind and I'm a little bit frustrated about how things are going. And so she chips in to help me out to recover the moment of stress at the time that was happening as I'm running back and forth between two places. and I remember as I was kind of right in there and people started coming and was getting things set up on the table and I thought about the frustration of the moment of serving, the joy had kind of left at that moment and I was to plan for a devotion and a prayer time on not being overwhelmed. And so the Lord was kind of convicting my heart at that moment, a very personal practical application. We introduced last week in this story the scene and the three characters. The scene was Jesus showing up at a home, probably maybe unannounced. Maybe he's got his 12, we assume that his 12 disciples are with him. So these 13 men show up at Martha's front door, ringing the doorbell, and she receives them in. She welcomes them as a hostess. There's so much work that needs to happen in preparation to serve these honored guests who come into her home. And so Mary and Martha as the ladies of the house, Martha taking charge being the older one and being the master of the house, and Mary coming alongside as they begin to serve. Somewhere during that time of service, In the main living area of the home, Jesus has sat down and taken the place of a rabbi, a teacher, and he's opened the scriptures and he started to hold a Bible study. So as this Bible study is going on in the living room, the Lord Jesus Christ teaching his disciples, in the midst of the work, Mary slips out of the kitchen and moves into the living room. and sits down at the feet of Jesus. Now remember I told you that the word used where she sat at the feet of Jesus doesn't mean that she just walked into the room and sat at the first place that came open. She walked. down and got as close as she could to the Savior and sat at His feet, close by, in His personal place. She sat down as close as she could to the feet, practically touching Him. She's assuming a position of worship. She's mesmerized. She's enthralled at His presence and cannot help but be close to Him. Anytime in the Gospel of Luke someone comes to the feet of Jesus, it is coming as a spirit of worship and humility before the Savior of the world. Notice in this passage, not only is she sitting at Jesus' feet, but she's listening to every word. She heard His word. The verse says that as she sat there, she was hearing Him, soaking in every drop, every word that came from His lips. They were sweet to her, and she didn't want to miss one of them. This is a position of a disciple. Not only is she a worshipper at his feet, but she is also now a disciple, soaking in what he is saying. Now I want to point out something for you, that women were not allowed to sit at the feet of a rabbi. It was not the normal custom of the day. They could hear in the synagogue on Saturdays from a distance. They could follow along in the back row. but they were not allowed to learn directly. They could ask questions through their husband and they could learn indirectly. To be close to the rabbi was not allowed. Yet Luke points out that Jesus allowed this woman to come in and sit on the front row. Jesus is not only letting eating with publicans and sinners. Jesus is not only letting fishermen become intense followers, Jesus is not only signing up tax collectors and Romans and Gentiles, but Jesus is allowing Samaritans and women to come and sit at his feet and worship him and learn and hear the Word of God and become disciples too. You see, the ground is level at the feet of Jesus. The fact that Luke points this story out where women are sitting at the feet of Jesus shows that Jesus was not just a normal rabbi. Remember, the Gospel of Luke is written to a man named Theophilus, a Gentile. A not a Jew? And Luke is pointing out these stories throughout his gospel to open this man's mind who is not a Jew, but saying, look, Jesus' arms are wide open to anyone. He doesn't have the prejudice that was normal in the first century by the Pharisees and many of the Jews. I ended last week with the application. Are you enjoying sitting at the feet of Jesus? Do you enjoy hearing His Word? I hope that you put some effort into your personal time with Jesus this week. Worshipping at His feet. I hope that your decision this week was followed through in the fact that you enjoyed your worship, you enjoyed being a disciple, learning. I hope that you had a little extra step, because you had a little extra hour, to get to church today. And you enjoyed it. I was hoping there'd be more people on the front row again. after last week. But as long as your heart is in the right place, that's what matters. Now I want us to look again at verse 40. We've set the stage. We've been introduced to the three characters. Now look at verse 40. It says, but Martha. This phrase here, this conjunction, but, Martha, is showing to us that the mood has changed in the house. In other words, one thing is going on over here, but another thing is going on over here. There's sweet fellowship, there's worshiping at the feet of Jesus, there's soaking in every word, but, There's this over here. And it's a contrast between a mood, a spirit that has changed. Martha is stewing over the stew. The scene moves from the characters in the situation that becomes a welcoming atmosphere to a study atmosphere, a worship atmosphere. And now all of a sudden, things have become tense. And the climax of the story between the main characters is now tense. Something has changed. The room ends with a climax of tension. Now, as you see this verse 440 says, but Martha was cumbered about with much serving. I want to stop at that word cumbered. King James uses the word cumbered here. The Greek word literally means to be drawn away, to be distracted. It is used only here in all of the New Testament by Luke. So in fact, in this story, there are two words that Luke uses that is only used in this story in all of the New Testament. The one sitting at the feet of Jesus, that word that means to be drawn close into his presence, to be up close near him, practically touching him. And then the other word here is this word, cumbered. In other words, Martha is being pulled away from what Mary is doing. You see, Mary is enjoying sitting at the feet of Jesus. Mary is enjoying soaking in every word. She's got her Bible on her lap. She's got her notes taken out. She's writing notes. She's listening. Her eyes are attentive to the Savior. And as she's listening to Him, Martha is drawn away. from the very person that she is serving. In other words, her serving is pulling her, distracting her from her Savior. Her busyness has come and cumbered her so much that she's missing the moment. And notice what she does in the middle of this verse, verse 40, as she came to Him and said, Lord, I just kind of, I think that what Jesus will follow to say, I think she says this word, Lord, with a little bit of edge. Lord, right? She's just kind of, you know, the scene moves in here, and there's so much that Luke doesn't record for us in this story, but you can use your imagination and insert yourself into the room as one of the disciples, and all of a sudden the door swings open, and there's Martha standing. Lord, don't you know, don't you care that my sister has left me all alone to deal with this meal? What a question to ask the Savior. Now don't be hard on her because all 12 of the disciples asked the same question at another occasion. when a tense moment was happening on the Sea of Galilee, and the waves were coming and tossing to and fro, and Jesus was sleeping in the boat of all things, right in the middle of this terrible situation, and Jesus is out cold. They come to him and wake him, and Mark records, "'Carest thou not that we perish?' Now the indication of this question that is asked here is that she is asking Jesus means that Mary started out helping, then Mary peeled away and started sitting at the feet of Jesus and listening. In other words, Martha was left in the kitchen serving all by herself. You would think, from Martha's standpoint, this is exactly what she's saying. Mary was distracted. She was pulled away from what we were doing in here. Baking for the meal and making the unleavened bread. And she got distracted and slid into the living room. And Jesus, didn't you know it? But Luke records that it's not Mary that is distracted, it's Martha. that was pulled away from what Mary is doing. From Martha's point of view, Mary has left her alone. And that what she was doing is what needs to be done. Sometimes we come to the story and we think Martha was the worker and the server, gifted with her giving and doing for others. And that Mary was the worshipper and the reader and the intellectual one who loved to learn. And we think that in this story, if we're not careful, that the choice is between two things. We can either work or we can worship, but we can't do them both at the same time. It's not what this story is emphasizing here. The problem is not that she needed to leave the worship and come and serve. Or that the serving was not important, she needed the necessity to leave the serving and come and worship. He couldn't do both. This is a story of priority, timing, and planning. You see, once Jesus started the Bible study and the worship time, Martha needed to put the hot pads down. turn the oven on warm, set the plates down, and settle her soul for just a moment. But instead, she becomes frustrated. You see, her distraction has led to frustration. She's become angry. The mood has changed. No longer serving is happy and joyful. Now she's mad and angry. I'm left all alone. She's resentful to her sister. She's now serving but there's no joy in it and her job is no longer enjoyable and she's starting to complain. Martha is a type A personality. You always know what Martha is thinking. She wears it on her face and she blurts it out in her mouth. You know exactly what Martha's thinking, what's going on. You know somebody like that? She no doubt gave Mary one of those looks a few times before she addressed the Savior. I can imagine the pots and pans started to be louder and louder and the cabinet doors started to slam with just a little extra oomph. And the footsteps across the kitchen floor, at one time were light, now become... Until finally, She marches into the room right in front of everyone and in an embarrassing fashion, Lord, tell Mary to get in here. Bid her that she would help me. In other words, she becomes the bossy one in the room. There's type A coming out. She starts giving the Savior orders. The one who controls the master of the universe and she marches into the living room and she says, I'm in charge. Tell her to get in here. In other words, that subtle, instead of addressing Mary, she actually goes up the chain, addresses Jesus right in front of Mary and in front of everyone else and says, I'm just, I'm gonna show you something. Tell her to come in here and help me. Martha is implying that Mary has chosen to do the thing that I feel she shouldn't do. In other words, Martha is in the place where things have to be done her way on her time. One commentator indicated that Martha had turned the me and I'm alone by myself from the focus of Jesus to her. And she begins to complain to the Lord about her sister and ultimately complaining to the Lord about the lack of care. You see, when serving turns to complaining, it is no longer joyful. I'm doing this and she needs to do this too. Do you ever get frustrated when someone doesn't do what you think they should be doing? Don't point to anybody, please. Warren Mearsby said this, whenever we criticize others and pity ourselves, because we feel overworked, we better take time to examine our lives. The problem was not that she had too much to work, too much work to do, but that she allowed her work to distract her and pull her apart. All you givers out there, all you Marthas that I talked to last week, All those people who love to do for others. You love to do the behind the scene things. You love to see a job well done. You love to see people happy after a meal is over and the guests are all gone. Beware of the tendency to get frustrated when things don't go your way. Can you feel the tension in the room? Jesus is getting ready to correct her wrong thinking. Her wrong thinking has led to a wrong theology and her wrong thinking and her wrong theology has led to a wrong attitude that led to a wrong behavior. An out-of-control spirit led to an out-of-control outburst against the closest family member in the room. Talk about intense. Did you, I was just thinking when someone kind of loses control, I was watching a clip, a video clip of a press conference a week or so ago, talk about uncontrolled, and one of the Republican senators who just lost it on a, I think it was a Jewish reporter, because of some questions they were asking about, and just lost it in front of everybody. and how embarrassing it was, the tension that was set in the room. James says this in the book of James, whence come war and fighting? Where does the tension come? Where does the frustration come? Where do the sibling rivalries come? Where do the upset come in the room between husband and wife, or teenager and parent, or parent and child, or boss and employee? Where does that tension come from? Where do the wars and the fighting between two people come from? They come from your own lusts and desires. to have it your way. World War III happens in your home between two people who love the Lord, who are Christians and believers and go to church faithfully. It happens because one or both of you get in the flesh and demand you, you, you. What started out as a wonderful time of fellowship with Jesus climaxed to a sibling rivalry right in the middle of the room. This touched my heart this week and convicted my soul. Wiersbe said this, if serving Jesus makes us difficult to live with, then something is terribly wrong. When serving Jesus, makes us difficult to live with, something is terribly wrong. Martha, frustrated, angry, upset, wrong thinking, wrong theology, wrong attitude, wrong behavior. Notice what Jesus says in verse 41 and 42. And Jesus answered and said unto her, Martha, Martha, She barged into the room and said, Lord. And Jesus responds, a soft answer turns away wrath. Martha, Martha, thou art careful, worried, anxious, and upset, troubled, frustrated about so many things. But one thing is needful, and Mary hath chosen that good part, When Jesus uses the term Martha, Martha, he mentions her word obviously twice. It's a spirit of tenderness and compassion. Just like Jesus when he talked to Peter and he said, Simon, Simon. Edward states in his commentary that the repetition of her name indicates affection, but also of understanding. Jesus knows what it's like to have a lot on his plate. Jesus knows what it's like to have a lot of things on his mind. Have you ever thought about the fact that Jesus and Martha are a lot alike? I mean, we're hard on Martha and we jump right to Mary, but do you think maybe Jesus in this place of out of control, outburst, that Jesus is now drawing close to Martha and saying, I understand how you feel. Both are servants. Both are givers. Both love to demonstrate their love. Both feel the weight of responsibility. Do you think Jesus is connecting with Martha more and not as much attacking her? You see, no one knows more than Jesus about being busy, about being overworked, exhausted, and tired, and feeling so many things upon his mind. No one has the weight of the world on their shoulders like the Savior. And those of you Marthas out there, don't you ever forget that Jesus knows what it's like. Jesus is careful in how he handles this emotional outburst, out of control woman. He could have put her in her place. He could have rebuked her in a different way. He could have been harsh with her. Jesus yet is kind and understanding. Jesus doesn't handle the situation like maybe I would have handled it or you would have handled it. Why don't you go sit down, Martha, for a few moments. Take a break. Get a grip. I'm gonna tell you something, Martha. You can't barge in here and talk to your sister that way. Look at how Mary is sitting up so prim and proper and chin up and she's listening. She's in the right place. Go stand in the corner. Talk to your sister that way. That's sometimes the way maybe we respond when we're frustrated. Jesus doesn't fight fire with fire. Jesus responds. And I just paraphrase it or summarize it in this way. This is my own words. I'm so grateful for your desire that you have to help and serve, Martha. But something's changed. You don't have the joy that you once had. It's not sweet anymore, there's tension in the room. You're upset, you're angry. You seem to be worried and troubled. Jesus says this, he says, thou art careful and troubled. He calls the root of the issue, you see, her desire to make sure things are done just right. has now turned into an anxiety, a nervousness, a worry that is now eating away at her spirit. The Greek word careful means worried about circumstances you cannot control. You're worried about something that you can't control. Were the biscuits burning? What was going on? Somehow she had lost Control. You see, this is her desire to control things. You see, she could not control her sister. She could not control the situation. She began to worry about what was happening and this worry to the point that controlling people tore her spirit apart. I want to be in control. And I want everyone around me to do what I want them to do. Trying to control everything and keeping yourself busy, she has lost sight of the main focus and becomes so upset at everything and everybody. Alistair Begg says this, some of us are killing ourselves not necessarily because of our activity, but because of our attitude. It's rotten. And you can do all you can, but if your attitude is wrong, then it all falls flat at the feet of Jesus. So what does Jesus do? He shows Martha another way. Martha, you don't have to have that spirit. Martha, you don't have to be overwhelmed and angry. You left something out in all of the things that you are doing. In all your serving, you forgot the main thing. You see, there's more to life than biscuits and gravy. Now, I know I'm talking to Southerners here. There's more to life than fried chicken and pot roasts and s'mores and coffee. There's more to life than just the here and now. Jesus said, my meat is to do the will of the Father. Jesus reminded his disciples in John 15, without me, you can do nothing. He reminded her that man cannot live by bread alone. Supper is nice, Martha, thank you. But I would much rather you eat what I'm giving you. One thing is needful, Jesus says. In other words, one thing is necessary. She had gotten so busy and distracted about the many things that she had forgotten and neglected the one most important. It's not that Jesus is saying her job is unimportant, but that her choice between at that moment and in that time was the wrong choice. One commentator said this, one thing is needful directs Martha's attention away from the menu to the one thing that is absolutely essential for life, hearing the Word of Jesus. Preparations and hospitality are important, but they are not as important as hearing from the Savior. And Jesus says Martha has chosen that good part. The Greek word part here means portion. It's used, Jesus possibly playing on words, it's used in the fashion of preparing a meal, preparing a portion. This is the appetizer. These are the desserts. Mary has chosen the desserts. Now, it's like when you go into a buffet and you come in and you've got one plate and yet you've got all of these choices. What do you do first? Some of you go straight for the desserts. And you bring it back because you chose what is most needful. Somebody said that is one of the reasons they believe, or an evidence by which they believe in the imminent return of Christ. They have to get their desserts first. Because they never know when Jesus is gonna come. Get that which is needful, most important. And Jesus said, I'm not gonna take that away from her. Now, in choosing your menu today, Think about what is most important. Jesus is not necessarily belittling or demeaning her service. He's actually telling her you can serve and worship. You don't have to do either or. You can do them both. There's a time to serve, but there's a time to worship. And this is the time to come and worship. And then when your heart is in the right place, and your spirit is in the right place, and you've tasted the words of God, and you've seen that they are good, and they feed your soul, then you move back into the kitchen and continue to serve. And you'll do it with a much better attitude. And it won't end with complaining, or frustration, or attacking others. Can I say as an application today, can you beware of the performance-driven Christian life? I say that again, beware of the performance-driven Christian life. How many are high achievers here, all right? In other words, you're a driven person to do your best. A driven type of personality that you want to excel and do your best and see the top of the class and the best project in the workplace and the best. You're a high achiever. You want to do your best. Maybe a perfectionist. Listen, you don't become more spiritual or more mature or closer to the Lord or Spirit-filled by doing more stuff. Work and worship must be balanced. Our heart should drive what we do. And Jesus is telling Martha, The quality of the relationship that I have with you is more important than the quantity of things you do for me. Can I be practical here as well? Marriage. Those of you who are married, what is the most important thing in any relationship? A scenario, a husband walks in the door and says, I'm home. I've conquered the world today. I've saved a thousand lives. I got the groceries. I fixed the atomic problem in Iran. I've read four books. I cut the grass. I fixed the cars. Everything is done for the rest of the day. I'll see you again tomorrow. I'm going to my man cave. You know what your wife is looking for? Will you just stop for a moment and come and hold my hand. That's nice that you saved the world, that's nice that you cut the grass, that's nice that you fixed the car, that's nice that you set our portfolio on our retirement and it's all ready, but I want your eyes and ears. You see, all of those things may be good, but your children and your wife want you. That's exactly what Jesus is telling Martha. All of those things, Martha, are really good. And they're needful. But I want you. I want your eyes. And I want your ears. You see, Martha must have learned her lesson because the last time we see her in the Bible, John chapter 12, she's serving. She hasn't stopped serving. She's still serving. But she's doing it without complaining. She's doing it without an attitude. She's doing it and letting Mary do her thing. And now she has soaked her soul in the word of God and she's seen what is most important and she's learned, I can serve and worship at the same time. Charles Wesley. The old hymn writer wrote this poem after reading this passage of scripture. Faithful to my Lord's commands, I will choose the better part. I'll serve with Martha's hands and I'll listen with Mary's heart. How about you this morning? What are you doing? that has distracted you so from what is most needful. Keep serving, but don't forget to sit at the feet of the Savior. Continue to do what God has called you to do. Don't look at others and start complaining and saying they need to be doing what you're doing, and how dare they choose something different. See the different gifts and abilities that God has given, but don't neglect your time with God. Have a Martha's hands with a Mary's heart. Father, I pray as we close this morning, Forgive us when, like Martha, we become cumbered with so much. Help us to not drift into the danger of the performance-driven Christian life, that if I just will do a little more, if I'll just volunteer for one more thing, if I'll just come for more services, then I'll be more spiritual. Although those are good things and they are helpful. Lord, I ask that we would have hearts that are drawn into our personal relationship with Jesus Christ. In fact, the danger is that we can do a whole lot of things. We can be involved in every ministry of the church. We can be singing in the choir. We can be taking up the offering. We can be taking someone a meal. We can be serving in the background. But all along our heart is upset and angry and cumbered about and there is no joy. Does more harm to the cause of Christ than what we may think. Lord, if there is someone here today that does not know Jesus Christ. They don't know what it is to sit at the feet of the Savior and see his forgiving spirit and hands upon our life or the person's life. And with this morning, they trust Jesus Christ as their Savior before it's too late. We're not guaranteed tomorrow. And Jesus has come and given us his life and laid down. He demonstrated his love even while we were yet sinners. Christ died for us. Lord, if that person does not know Jesus today and their heart and their life is empty, would today they pour their heart out and turn to the Savior, seeking repentance and forgiveness and trust Christ? With heads bowed and eyes closed, would you stand to your feet? The invitation. I like Stephanie as she starts to play. The invitation. If God has spoken to your heart this morning, you'd like to come forward and pray. Pray there at your seat. What's most important is that you do business with the Lord. He wants your heart. He wants you to be joyful at what you do. You could be that your spirit of complaining and frustration has caused you to lash out to someone closest to you. How sad it is when church people, when family members, get out of control and say things and criticize and attack one another, tear one another down. Maybe you need to seek forgiveness for your spirit or something that you've said towards someone else that needs to be right. If you don't know Jesus as your Savior, we'd love to share with you how you can know your sins are forgiven and your home is in heaven. The Bible says that these things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God that you may know that you have eternal life. You can know that. You don't have to walk away wondering if your sins are forgiven and if you have a relationship with Christ. We'd be glad to share with you after the service and pray with you if you need to pray, answer any questions, be a help to you. Dear Heavenly Father, thank you for the time that we had in your Word today. I pray, Lord, that you would bless us as we serve. And Lord, keep our attitudes in check and our heart in check. Lord, would we serve you with a heart of tenderness and compassion and joy? Lord, would we respond to people like the Lord Jesus did when things are tense and someone loses it and gets angry and out of control instead of meeting them where they are and fighting fire with fire? Instead, would we have a spirit like the Lord Jesus Christ of tenderness and understanding, but also of rebuke and encouragement and pointing attention to the right place? Would you help us to serve with a heart of worship and joy? Bless us as we come back tonight in the service. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen. God bless you. You are dismissed.