Staying UnFrazzled In A Frazzled World
Scripture: Luke 10:38–42,
Especially verses 41–42: “Martha, Martha, you are worried and troubled about many things. But one thing is needed, and Mary has chosen that good part, which will not be taken away from her.”
Introduction:
1) Being Frazzled
Allow me to assure you that being frazzled is not just a problem among mothers. This problem is found among all humans both male and female. It is seen in every age group.
Illustrate; Too many people are juggling multiple responsibilities while getting too little sleep and not enough exercise. This unbalanced lifestyle produces lives that are frazzled and fatigued.
• Recently the National Transportation Safety Board announced that operator fatigue is a primary cause of one hundred thousand traffic accidents every year in the United States, resulting in fifteen hundred deaths annually.
• On our American waterways, fatigue accounts for 16% of all Accidents; and on our rails, fatigue has caused twenty terrible train wrecks in the last ten years.
Key; Our message today applies to everyone not just our moms.
2 Mom’s happiness
Christian Comedian Mark Lowery points out in one of his routines that if Momma is not happy then nobody is happy.
Application;
• How many of the mom’s we have here today would agree with that?
• How many of you that live with these moms would agree with that?
Key; A mom would is happy adds immeasurable value to the home.
Illustrate; Do you remember when your Mom could fix anything? She had all the answers to your problem. She was a source of unlimited wisdom. She had it all together. She had a balance and was a happy person.
In today’s text, Jesus met a frazzled woman and talked to her about her condition. Martha lived in the town of Bethany, just outside Jerusalem. How hard working and caring and practical she was.
But Martha had some problems—not one single problem, but five overlapping ones that we can uncover by carefully reading this text.
I. The Road to being Frazzled
1.Distractions
Verses 39–40 say: “But Martha was distracted with much serving.”
The Greek word is a compound of two smaller terms, the verb to draw and the word around or away. It is the idea of being pulled in every direction. Martha was pulled in every direction.
Application; Most of us can identify with that. We allow ourselves to become too busy;
• Busier than God intends,
• Busier than is necessary,
• Busier than is wise
Key; That’s why so many people are tired today.
2. Doubting.
In verse 40, Martha said something shocking: “Lord, do you not care. . . ?”
Key: How often, while being pulled in all directions, do we momentarily doubt God’s caring and concern?
Illustration; She was like the Psalmist who wrote: “No one cares for my soul” (Ps. 142:4).
3. Self-Pity.
“Lord,” said Martha, “do you not care that my sister has left me to serve alone?”
Key; Of course, Martha did need help. No one denies that. Many hands make light work. But the problem Jesus was dealing with was her spirit.
Application; In this case Martha chose being busy rather than being blessed. We must make that same choice.
4. Worry
Someone has defined worry as a small amount of fear that will rob you of your “faith walk” that will honor God.
5. Troubled Spirit
Keys;
• Martha’s concerns were much greater than this meal. She had many things on her plate.
• She was just as confused as some of the others who was following Jesus.
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• Martha gives us a picture of someone who had lost his or her balance. She was literally torn in many different directions. Her business had cost her the blessing of the Savor’s strength. We are reminded of Jesus’ words;
John 15:5
I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.
II. The Road to being Un-frazzled
Jesus’ prescription was a little dose of Mary-ness: “One thing is needed, and Mary has chosen that good part.”
Keys: Mary was sitting at Jesus’ feet, hearing His word. That implies three things:
1. Submission.
Key: The phrase “at his feet” occurs sixteen times in the Bible, and it often implies an attitude of submission and trust.
Mary could have sat on the sofa next to Christ, but she had a quiet, trusting, submissive heart, expressed by being at His feet.
• There is a total trust
• There is a total obedience
2. Devotion.
See the similar scene in John11 and 12, when this same Mary sitting at Jesus feet. In chapter 12 she expresses her devotion by washing His feet with perfume, and wiping them with her hair.
John 11:32
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.
Key; Devotion affects our actions.
C. Communion.
• Mary was listening to His Word.
• She was having her quiet time, having her Bible study.
• She was in the prayer closet, feeding on her daily manna.
Key: The best way to be fresh and refreshing to others is to learn to sit at the Lord’s feet with an open Bible before us, meeting Him personally each day so He can give us a word for our hearts.
III. An Encounter That Led to Spiritual Growth
John 12:1-2
Then Jesus six days before the Passover came to Bethany, where Lazarus was which had been dead, whom he raised from the dead. [2] There they made him a supper; and Martha served: but Lazarus was one of them that sat at the table with him.
Fact; Martha prepared a meal for around 15 people (12 disciples plus here family of a least 3 people) and not one single complain.
Fact; Martha had learned to find balance between meeting with Jesus and doing for Jesus.
How did this happen?
Note the meeting she had with Jesus in John chapter 11:20 -44
In chapter 12 Her brother Lazarus was at the table. Martha had seen and experienced the resurrection of Lazarus and saw;
1. Jesus’ compassion= He had wept at the grave of Lazarus.
2. Jesus’ Power= He had loosen the chains of death
3. Jesus’ Glory= That He was the Messiah.
Application;
• If Jesus can handle our greatest enemy death then He can handle our daily problems. He desires to be involved in your world and will keep it unfrazzled!
• You must have an encounter that moves you to greater faith!
Conclusion: The great lesson of this story is that being occupied with Christ is more important than being occupied for Christ, and it is certainly better than being pre-occupied with self. Are you so busy and upset that you’re neglecting the cultivation of the soul and failing to do that one thing that Jesus was needful of and the most important of all? As the old song says: Take time to be holy, the world rushes on.
