Illus: Recently I received an important text in the early hours of Sunday Morning. It was information that I would most likely need for the coming weeks. It was from someone I love and have known for decades. So in the midst of my Sunday Morning Meditation, I figured it being 6am it was weighing heavy on their mind so I replied quickly, “Gotit… I’ll get to it ASAP.” Only a few seconds later for the conversation continued with even more detail and I texted back. “Hey Family, I get up before the Sun rises to do the final meditations for the Morning Worship in just a few hours to deal with matters of Life and Death, can this wait till Monday?” There reply struck a chord that has resonated with me all week, “OH, Pastor Larry! I did not realize today was Sunday!” This was a church worker someone who loves the Lord! How many of us are going about our daily lives doing the Work of the Lord, but have forgotten to take some time to worship the Lord of the Work? I came by to remind someone that Jesus said, “Mary has chosen that good part.”
Intro: I had a professor over at the College of Biblical Studies, Dr. Shockley, that always seem so spiritually mature, so in tune with God. It just seems to me that some people have learned to abide at the feet of Jesus as they go through life and this translates into peace of heart, power of life and purpose before God. The Custodian, Bro. McGowen over at the South Texas District Association of Christian Churches is always singing praises to the Lord while working and like him, I would like to be constantly and consistently filled with the Anointing of God and found at the feet of Jesus. The Gospel writer Luke calls our attention to Martha and her sister Mary. There are many named Mary in scripture, but this Mary was the sister of Lazarus, and she is mentioned 3 times in the Gospel account. Every time Mary is mentioned, she is always found in close relationship with Jesus.
It is this Mary that soon will be at her brother’s death bed (John 11:1-45). She sat still in the house until Martha came to her secretly and said, "The Teacher is here, and is calling for you." She arose hastily to go to meet Him saying, "Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died." But to her great joy Jesus raised her brother Lazarus and taught us that not only can He restore Life but in fact He is the Resurrection of Life.
It is this Mary that will soon anoint the feet of Jesus at the last feast of Bethany (John 12:1-8). Mary took a pound of ointment of spikenard, very costly, and anointed the feet of Jesus, and wiped his feet with her hair until the entire house was filled with the sweet smell of her worship. When the disciples questioned her actions thinking it to be a waste of precious oil, Jesus said, “Let her alone: against the day of my burying hath she kept this.”
Mary was not perfect, she sometimes questioned our Lord, but she always has chosen that good part and Jesus said that it will never be taken away from her!
Context: Martha opened her home to Jesus and did her best to be a good hostess. Mary, on the other hand, opened her heart to Jesus and tried her best just to love the Lord. While Martha labored, Mary listened. She found a place of worship at the feet of Jesus.
The Work - While Martha was "cumbered", (She was distracted mentally), while Mary was sitting, calmly listening to the Words of Jesus. What was distracting her from Jesus? The Bible says that Martha was distracted with much serving. She was distracted with good Christian Service, (i.e., Setting up for Prayer Meeting, Bible Study, Morning Worship, Hour of Power and Hour of Prayer, Ministry Meeting and Board Agenda etc.), the burdens of service in the Lord! How often are we doing a good thing but missing the good part? Matthew 11:28 Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light. If you fail to prioritize being at the feet of Jesus all your work in His name will be distracted! Because Isaiah taught us that distraction and unrest begins in the mind! He declared to God (26:3) that, “You will keep him in perfect peace, Whose mind is stayed on You, because he trusts in You.”
The Worry - Martha was worried over physical nourishment while Mary was more concerned with getting her soul fed. Martha said, Lord “Tell her to help me!” We spend too much time complaining to God about who is not working with us and not enough time sitting at the feet of Jesus hearing His Word! It is no wonder that many Christians are weak and lacking in spiritual vitality. They never take the time to put down their pots and pans down and just come into His presence and feed on the Bread of Life! Sometimes we need a little soul food, and I’m not talking about collard greens and cornbread, baked macaroni and candied yams, smothered chops or ox tails! Jesus said, "Most assuredly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink His blood, you have no life in you. Whoever eats My flesh and drinks My blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day. For My flesh is food indeed, and My blood is drink indeed. He who eats My flesh and drinks My blood abides in Me, and I in him.” (John 6:53). Martha, Martha, you are worried and troubled about many things. Let me tell you something about the nature of trouble: trouble breeds trouble. Troubled Christians are often overly burdened with more trouble. Why? Because they have made a decision to concentrate on the trouble and not on the peace! Jesus teaches that in Him there is peace and in the World there is trouble. He knows that there is trouble in the world and He has not promised that He is going to take away the trouble but He did promise that you can chose Him and have peace! “These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world." John 16:33 When you chose that good part, He says be of good cheer! Why cheer in the midst of the troubles of this world? He said, Because I have overcome the World! Philippians 4:6 Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.
The Worship – “But one thing is needed, and Mary has chosen the good part” Often, the level of spirituality we are able to achieve in life is directly related to the time we are willing to spend in His presence. God said in Jeremiah 29:11 “For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the LORD, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end.” ESV translates an expected end as “to give you a future and a hope.” If anything in our lives takes precedence over being with the Lord, we are in danger at the heart of our experience. Even being overly busy in His work, to the point where we have no time to spend at His feet, will have you troubled about many things. But Jesus said, “One thing is needed, and Mary has chosen the good part, which will not be taken away from her.” God will never take away your worship! They may complain about you shout to loud, but God said that He never take away your worship! They may complain that you dance too often, but God said that He never take away your worship! They may complain that you give too much, but God said that He never take away your worship! They may complain that you sing too long, but God said that He never take away your worship! When this life is over we study war no more and we go to the great heavenly land of no more. Where there will be no more pain and no more sorrow and no more death and no more worry and no more trouble, God said there is still going to be worship! There will be praise of His Glory at all times sung around His throne, "Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty, who was, and is, and is to come." God said in Isaiah 43:6 “Bring my sons from afar and my daughters from the end of the earth — everyone who is called by my name, whom I created for my glory, whom I formed and made.”
