: God is a good. And it is good to be in the presence of a loving and merciful God. I just want to thank Him for allowing us to come together once again and it is not for a sad occasion. For many time, many people only come together is at a funeral. Well church we are not here today to funeralize our Lord we are here today to celebrate and remember what He has done for us. So let us praise and worship Him this morning in spirit and in truth.
Read text: John 12: 1-3
Look again at the 2 & # verses:
State subject: Once you really know the Lord
Before we came to know the Lord, we all were as Lazarus, Martha, and Mary once were. Let us look at the condition of these friends of Jesus when we were first introduced to them. Well in Luke, the 10th chapter we are told about Martha. Luke tells us that even though Martha had welcomed Jesus into her house, yet she was worried and upset about many things. He tells us that Martha was distracted with much serving. Now church the problem that Martha had was not with her desire to serve the Lord, but the problem was that she was so caught up in the serving that she had gotten distracted, in other words she was unable to focus on the One she was to serve. And this only lead to more problems. . For the scripture tells us that not only was Martha preoccupied but she was also feeling sorry for herself- For she began to complain and say “Lord don’t you care that my sister has left me to serve alone?” Church anytime we do not put Jesus first in our life we can expect to have more problems. For Jesus makes it plain that we are to seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness.
Well, Church, the problem many of us face this morning is we want to put everybody and everything before God and therefore, we find ourselves much like Martha was in that we began feeling sorry for ourselves and feel that no one cares not even Jesus.
Another problem Martha had was that she was demanding. Martha approached Jesus and began to tell Him what to do, instead of letting the Lord tell her what to do. For Luke says she went to Jesus and demanded that He, Jesus the One who woke her up, she demanded that He tell her sister Mary to get up and get in the kitchen to help her. Church many time we have been so caught up in what we wanted to do and what we want others to do instead of focusing on what God was wanting to do through us and with us. Many times, we are so caught up in what we want until; we do not allow God to use us. Many time we will not allow God’s will to be done in our life. Therefore, we go to God demanding that He bless us and that He do it right now. We go to God demanding that He change our husbands and that He do it right now. We go to God saying Lord give me a new job and do it right now. We go to God saying Lord heal me and do it right now.
Church we need to realize that God may not always come when we want Him to, however, I want you to know He is an on time God. Some time we need to just stand still and see the salvation of the Lord. We need to stand still and let the Lord fight our battles. We need to just look to the hill which cometh our help, knowing that all our help comes from the Lord.
For it is better to sit at Jesus feet and listen to His words than to be so caught up in the cares of this world and not have time for Him. Keep my mind clear Holy Ghost
Now, the next time we meet Martha is in the 11th chapter of John where we learn that their brother Lazarus has taken ill and she and Mary sends for Jesus. however he tells us that Martha had a problem in that she was fault finding and argumentative. For when Jesus arrived after Lazarus had died, Martha went to Jesus and the first thing she said was “Lord if you had been here, instead of saying thank you Lord for coming, at last now that you are here I know that everything is going to be alright.
And not only that but once the Lord told Martha that Lazarus would live again she wants to argue with the Lord, and say I know he will in the resurrection. Jesus tells her I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live. And who ever lives and believes in Me shall never die. (Stop)
Now let us focus our attention for a moment if you will to Lazarus. The first time we meet Lazarus in the 11th chapter of John he really has a problem because Lazarus was sick and then he died. However, Glory to God that was not the end of the story for four days later Jesus came and called Lazarus forward from the grave. Keep my mind clear Holy Ghost.
Now Mary when we first met her she was sitting at Jesus feet listening to his words, and the next time we meet her, she was sitting in the house waiting for Jesus to come when Lazarus was ill and died.
Now church let us look at the three of them from our text: Keep my mind clear Holy Ghost.
In other words, let us look at them now that they have really gotten to know the Lord.
Well our text says that it was six days before the Passover, Jesus came to Bethany, where Lazarus was who had been dead, whom He had raised from the dead. Church the last time we saw Lazarus he was in the graveyard, had been dead for 4 days, and as Martha said he had began to smell and they tell me he was bound with grave clothes, and Jesus was telling others to loose him and let him go. Now Lazarus was one of those who sat at the table with Him. Glory hallelujah, church we too was once like Lazarus in that we were dead in sins and transgressions, when we once walked according to the course of this world, when we once filled the desired of the flesh. But God who is rich in mercy and because of His great love for us, even when we were dead in sin and trespasses made us alive in Jesus Christ, by grace, church I am so glad that one day Jesus died on the cross, that we could be made alive, because of His precious blood which was shed on Calvary we are alive and well. Yes, church I am so glad that one day Jesus came into our life and he called us out of the grave of set us free. For by grace we are save through faith in our Lord Jesus Christ . And church, once you really know the Lord you can sing that song “ I am free, praise the Lord, I am free, no more chains holding me, praise the Lord, I am free. You see my brothers and my sisters once you really know the Lord you too can be like Lazarus we can sit together at the table with Jesus and fellowship with Him. In other words, Jesus becomes your company, your close friend, you sing the song what a friend I have in Jesus, all my sins and grief He bear. Glory Hallelujah.
Now look at Martha. Church the text says Martha serve. Before when Martha served she was distracted, worried, upset, demanding, accusing, and argumentative. In other words Martha was like many of us, nobody could get alone with her not even Jesus. But once you really know the Lord, you will just serve. No matter if no one is serving you will just serve the Lord. Once you really know the Lord you stop worrying for you know that do not change any thing, yes once you really know the Lord you do not worry about your life, you do not worry about what you are going to eat or what you are going to wear, once you really know the Lord you do not worry about tomorrow. Once you really know the Lord you can go to bed at night and sleep in peace, because you know the Lord will keep you safe. Once you know the Lord you realize that He will give strength to His people, and He will bless His people with peace. Once you really know the Lord you know that all things works for the good of those who love God. Once you really know the Lord you know that if God be for you no one can be against you. Once you know the Lord you know that greater is He that is in you than he that is in the world.
Therefore once you really know the Lord you can be more and more like Mary, for our text tell us that, then Mary took a pound of very costly oil and anointed the feet of Jesus and wiped His feet with her hair. Glory hallelujah. In other words Mary gave her very best, church once you really know the Lord, you give your all to Him, you do not worry about how much time it will cost you to serve the Lord. You do not think about what you will do about your bills if you pay your tithes, once you really know the Lord you just give. Mary shows us how to truly worship the Lord, for Mary was not concerned about what others thought of her when she was in service for her Lord, for they tell me she wipe His feet with her hair, church it was unheard of for a woman to let her hair down in public, women did not enter into the dining hall with the men, yet once you really know the Lord you will be able to cross over the barrier that prohibit you from glorifying the Lord in your giving in your praising and in your worshipping, you will be able to just let go and let God. Once you really know the Lord you make Him the King of your life. Even in the midst of trials and tribulations, in the times of troubles, when you are being lied on talked about and called every thing but a child of God, you will be able to say I am satisfied with Jesus, when you really know the Lord you will be able to say Jesus is my Rock, my Sword, and Shield, He is the Wheel in the middle of the Wheel and I know He will never let me down.
Church once you really know the Lord you will be able to say All to Jesus I surrender, All to Him I freely Give; I will ever love and trust Him, in His presence daily live. I surrender all, I surrender all; All to thee, my blessed Savior I surrender all. Once you really know the Lord you will say: All to Jesus I surrender, Humbly at His feet I bow; worldly pleasures all forsaken, take me, Jesus , take me now.
