“At His Feet”
By
Bishop Melvin L. Maughmer, Jr.
OPENING: - I wrote this poem many years ago I believe it was in 2012 and on this week while searing the internet when studying for this message I came across this poem again and as I was reading some of the comments one stood out and they said my kid is memorizing this poem, that was actually from a post in January 2013.
The poem is entitled “His Feet”:- His feet, oh, those beautiful feet that made His little face glow when His mother tickled His tiny toes. His feet, oh, those beautiful feet which at the age of twelve made Him stand before those educated well. His feet, oh, those beautiful feet that stepped into the Jordan River and carried our soul’s deliverer. His feet, oh, those beautiful feet that stood atop a mountain high and proclaimed the Kingdom of Heaven is nigh. His feet, oh, those beautiful feet that treaded across countless miles bringing hope, healing, happiness, and smiles. His feet, oh, those beautiful feet that traveled over sand, rock, and dirt carrying comfort and love to all those who hurt. His feet, oh, those beautiful feet that gently bent a blade of grass are the very feet that bore the guilt of my past. His feet, oh, those beautiful feet that didn’t run when His accusers approached but held fast His stand in spite of every stroke. His feet, oh, those beautiful that marched up Golgotha’s hill fulling God’s purpose and His will. His feet, oh, those beautiful feet that were nailed to the cross just so I would not be lost. His feet, oh, those beautiful feet stepped over into captivity and lead the broken captives free. His feet, oh, those beautiful feet that walked out of a borrowed tomb and through locked doors of an upper room. His feet, oh, those beautiful feet that crushed the curse of sin will one day step on earth again, to judge all history and forever reign in victory. Oh, to sit at His feet is where I want to be worshipping God for all eternity.
PRAYER: -
SCRIPTURES: - Luke 20:38-42 “Now it came to pass, as they went, that he entered into a certain village: and a certain woman named Martha received him into her house. And she had a sister called Mary, which also sat at Jesus' feet, and heard his word. But Martha was cumbered about 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”.
John11:32 “Then when Mary was come where Jesus was, and saw him, she fell down at his feet, saying unto him, Lord, if thou hadst been here, my brother had not died”.
John 12:3 “Then took Mary a pound of ointment of spikenard, very costly, and anointed the feet of Jesus, and wiped his feet with her hair: and the house was filled with the odour of the ointment”.
The number 3 in scripture represents fulness Past Present Future is the fulness of time, outer court inner court Holy of Holies is the fulness of the Tabernacle and Temple, Death Burial Resurrection is the fulness of the Gospel, first the blade then the ear after that then the full corn in the ear, Justification Sanctification Glorification the full process of salvation, Father Son Holy Ghost is the fulness of the Godhead, children young men fathers the 3 stages of spiritual growth. Let me add another one Listening Submitting and Worshiping the fulness of being At His Feet.
TEXT: - In our text we find Mary the sister of Martha and Lazarus and when we are first introduced to her, we find her sitting at the feet of Jesus. Now you need to understand something before we move forward. This Mary is only mentioned 3 times in the Bible and what is amazing about her more than what she says is her posture, not so much her physical posture but the posture of her heart mind spirit and soul.
The First time we see her she is sitting at the feet of Jesus listening to what He is saying. Now someone may say well what is so special about that. Well, you must understand culture and timing. During this time around 33 A.D. women were considered lower class and in the eastern culture and a lot of the Eastern culture today, the women and the men were separated. The men had a certain place in the tabernacle and the women another place and there was a wall that partitioned them off. In the home when there was a meal and especially when there was guest over to the house, the men were gathered in one room talking and discussing business, torah, or whatever, the women were in the kitchen preparing the meal, cleaning up afterwards, and remained there until the men were finished with what they were doing. Mary, we find her sitting at the feet of Jesus listening to what He was saying. This totally went against traditional thinking and the customs of the day and culture. Not only that but to sit at a Rabbi’s feet indicates that you are a disciple of that Rabbi following them. Remember Paul said he sat at the feet of Gamaliel Acts 22:3 he was stating that he learned from him and was a follower of his. That’s why Martha, her sister, was so upset, not only was she not helping with the preparations, but she was going against traditional thinking and doing things. Her physical position was at Jesus feet, but the posture of her heart was that there is one thing that I desire and that will I seek after and that was more of Jesus.
WATCH THIS: - When you desire to move out of the traditional religion and seek Kingdom Relationship people (Church Folk) are going to say “That’s not the way we always done it”, “Look at them thinking they are Holier than thou” “What you supposed to be super saved or something now”. But when the posture of your heart is to go from fruit to more fruit to much fruit, from joy to great joy to unspeakable joy, from faith to more faith to much faith something deep down inside of you says there just has to be more than coming to church on Sunday at 11 singing a few songs, saying a prayer, taking up an offering, hearing a sermonette and by 12:15 talking about where are we going to go eat. Someone says lets all go to the buffet, but you’re her posture causes you to say well Lifeway doesn’t start service until 12:30 I am going to go over there because all you want to do is sit at His feet and say, “Bread of heaven feed me till I want no more”. See I am at the listening stage, but I know there is more. I’ve been in the outer court, but I need to know what is beyond the veil. I need to go from faith to more faith to much faith and the only way I am going to do that is at His feet.
The Second time we encounter Mary she has left the listening realm, she is no longer on the milk but is no on the meat, justification has taken place and she is now in the sanctification realm, she has left listening and is now at the level of Submission – (remember the 3 levels are listening submitting and worship), I like how one song writer put it “My mind id made up I’m on my way up going to hold my head up going on with the Lord”.
John11:32 “Then when Mary was come where Jesus was, and saw him, she fell down at his feet, saying unto him, Lord, if thou hadst been here, my brother had not died”. Look what she did she fell at Jesus feet. She isn’t sitting anymore listening to His words. This is total surrender, she is laying prostrate before Jesus yes, but the posture of her heart is broken, her spirit is contrite, her will has been shattered, no longer is she saying not my will but now she is saying thy will be done. Then she says, “if thou hadst been here my brother would not have died” she is literally doing 1 Peter 5:7 “Casting all your care upon him; for He careth for you”.
WATCH THIS: - She has progressed from faith to more faith. It is at the place of total submission that you realize that the struggles of life and the battle of this warfare are impossible to handle by ourselves and we must cast all our cares on Him for He careth for and realize that this battle is not yours but is the Lord’s.
The Third and final time we encounter Mary is in John 12:3 “Then took Mary a pound of ointment of spikenard, very costly, and anointed the feet of Jesus, and wiped his feet with her hair: and the house was filled with the odour of the ointment”. She has gone from the outer court, through the Inner Court, into the Holy of Holies, she has left the listening realm, to the submission realm, now she has entered worship. It is here that she expresses total adoration and total praise.
WATCH THIS: - Look at posture:- “Then took Mary a pound of ointment of spikenard, very costly, and anointed the feet of Jesus, and wiped his feet with her hair: and the house was filled with the odour of the ointment”. That is what she did, but her heart says so much more. A pound of ointment of spikenard, very costly. Judas Iscariot said in verse 5 “Why was not this ointment sold for three hundred pence and given to the poor”. UNDERSTAND that three hundred pence were, about a year’s salary. Imagine you make 50k a year and it is all spent on some perfume that is a lot of money. However, Mary is in total worship she is saying no matter the cost I just want to worship Him. Her heart is about worship, her spirit is about worship, her mind is about worship. She anointed His feet and dried it with her hair WATCH THIS: - “But if a woman have long hair, it is a glory to her: for her hair is given her for a covering” 1 Corinthians 11:15.
Her heart posture said she wasn’t concerned about glory or fortune and she understood what Jesus was about to in 6 days and if He is willing to lay down His life for her, to face being forsaken and traded by one of His very own disciples, to have his closet friends run away from Him when He needed them the most, to be scourged beyond recognition, made to carry His cross up Golgotha’s hill, to be stretch wide, have nails driven through His hand and feet for her, then nothing she had was worth anything to her then to give herself in total worship.
CLOSING: - At His Feet is where we want to be rather you are there listening to every word, submitting and casting all your cares upon Him, or there in total worship it is at His feet where I want to be.
Bishop Melvin L. Maughmer, Jr.
