CHOICES --- WHEN MINISTRY IS CUMBERED?
ATTITUDES --- ELEVATED SELF OPINIONS?
MARTHA IS A TATTLETAIL!
By Wade Martin Hughes, Sr. Kyfingers@aol.com
I. CHOICE:
THE ACT OF CHOOSING
OPTION
CREAM OF THE CROP
CARE IN SELECTING
DIFFERENT AVAILABLE COURSES OF ACTION
Luke 10:38 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.
39 And she had a sister called Mary, which also sat at Jesus’ feet, and heard his word.
40 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 her alone? Bid her therefore that she help me.
41 And Jesus answered and said unto her, Martha, Martha, thou art careful and troubled about many things:
42 But one thing is needful: and Mary hath chosen that good part, which shall not be taken away from her.
II. MARTHA THINKS HER HOUSE WORK, AND HER WAY OF DOING THIINGS IS BETTER THAN THE WAY MARY DOES THINGS ...
A. THINK ABOUT SERVING STYLES.
B. WE CAN TEND TO GET AN ELEVATED OPINION OF SELF ---
THIS IS BAD ---
C. MARTHA THOUGHT MARY’S WAYS WERE INFERIOR TO HERS!
D. BUT AN ELEVATED OPINION MEANS YOU ARE PUTTING OTHERS DOWN AS WELL AS LIFTING YOURSELF.
III. AS A PASTOR I HATE,--- I HATE CLIQUES:
A. CLIQUE:
small exclusive groups.
a narrow group of friends.
circle of people with common interests, views and purposes.
B. CAN OTHER PEOPLE IDENTIFY CLIQUES?
C. WHEN I FIRST CAME HERE AS PASTOR I DREW A SOCIO-GRAM.
A MALE WAS A TRIANGLE, A FEMALE WAS A CIRCLE.
D. I PUT THE TRIANGLES AND CIRCLES ON A BOARD, AND IDENTIFIED BY ARROWS THE SPHERE OF INFLUENCE OF THE INDIVIDUALS, NO NAMES WERE LISTED.
E. IN LESS THAN TWO MINUTES SOMEONE IDENTIFIED THE NAME OF SOME OF THE INDIVIDUALS IN THE IN GROUP, AND SOME OF THE ISOLATED INDIVIDUALS NOT FITTING IN ANOTHER GROUP.
IV. MARTHA IS WALKING AT THE CROSSROADS OF OPPORTUNITY.
MARTHA HAS THE PRIVILEGE OF ENTERTAINING THE VERY SON OF GOD.
A. WE ARE TESTED BY OUR CIRCUMSTANCES.
B. WE WALK IN HARD TIMES WHEN OUR MINISTRY AND WORK CUMBERS US?
C. CUMBERED
LOAD
Hindrance
Trouble, harass
To hinder
To be in the way
To clutter up
Luke 10: 40 But Martha was cumbered about much serving,
E. BURDEN:
Something that is carried
Something that is worrisome or oppressive
Bearing a heavy load
V. OUR CROSS TO BEAR?
A. Did you hear the story of the man that tired of the cross he had to carry?
He complained to Jesus, I don’t like this cross, it is too heavy and to hard to bear!
B. So he asked Jesus for a new cross?
C. Jesus unlocked a door and in it were millions of crosses!
Small crosses, large ones, gold, wood ones, all the cross shapes were there.
After about 3 hours in the cross room, the man finally decided a better cross to carry.
D. He came out of the cross room and said, Master, this one is just right for me, it is much better than my other cross.
E. The man stood admiring his new cross.
F. Jesus told him, LOOK AT YOUR NEW CROSS.
G. He looked at it and said, I LOVE MY NEW CROSS.
Jesus noted:
H. IT IS THE SAME CROSS YOU WERE CARRYING WHEN YOU WENT INTO THE ROOM.
The man was very surprised, but sure enough, his new cross by choice, was his old assigned cross he had to bear.
Hebrews 12:1 Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us,
I. IT IS VERY DANGEROUS TO HAVE A MILLSTONE HANGING AROUND YOUR NECK WHILE YOU ARE SWIMMING!
VI. HAVE WE EVER HAD JESUS IN THE HOUSE, AND MISSED HIM...??
DO WE WORK FOR GOD?
DO WE WORK WITH GOD?
A. WE WANT TO PLAY BLAME GAMES ---???
WE BLAME TOO MUCH TO DO ----???
B. WE THINK IT IS NECESSARY TO HAVE:
PLENTY
VARIETY
EXACTNESS
C. SOMETIMES MINISTRY MUST BE SOMETHING LIKE HORSE SHOES --- IF YOU GIVE YOUR BEST EFFORT --- CLOSEST COUNTS.
VII. MARY HAS MISPLACED CONCERNS!
IS WHAT BREAKS OUR HEART WHAT BREAKS GOD’S HEART?
A. MARTHA IS SO BUSY SERVING JESUS, THAT SHE MISSES THE MORE IMPORTANT POINT, THAT JESUS IS IN OUR MIDST.
B. IF WE ARE TOO BUSY TO PRAY WE ARE TOO BUSY!
Matthew 6:33 But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.
C. BUSY WORK --- EYES AND HAND --- VS HEART OR HEAD
WORDLY BUSINESS CAN BE A SNARE --- A LOSS OF FOCUS.
Matthew 23:23 Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye pay tithe of mint and anise and cummin, and have omitted the weightier matters of the law, judgment, mercy, and faith: these ought ye to have done, and not to leave the other undone.
D. MARTHA HAD THE CHANCE TO SIT DOWN WITH JESUS AND SHE MISSSED THE OPPORTUNITY TO HEAR THE HEARTBEAT OF GOD.
VIII. CRY OVER UNFAIR TREATMENT --- TATTLETAIL
40 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.
A. THE DESIRE TO SERVE CAN BE ACTUAL NEGLECT ---
B. WE HAVE JESUS IN THE HOUSE BUT WE CAN’T HEAR HIM.
C. One of the best workers and most talented workers I ever had, crushed more people than they ever helped.
They wanted perfection, and when dealing with people you seldom accomplish perfection.
IX. IT IS MUCH EASIER TO SERVE THAN IT IS TO HAVE REAL COMMUNION.
A. I HAVE BEEN TO MANY PREACHER’S MEETINGS WHERE MANY PREACHERS STOOD OUT IN THE HALL WAY AND TALKED GOSSIP RATHER THAN KNEELING AT THE ALTAR PRAYING.
B. I CALL THIS POLITICS ...
X. JESUS DOES NOT BLAME MARTHA, JESUS CARRIES A GREAT CONCERN THAT MARTHA’S SERVICE HAD DEGENERATED INTO BUSY WORK.
WE SEEM TO FORGET ABOUT PRAYER, CONVERSATION, BIBLE READING, BIBLE STUDY... YOU CAN NEVER ARISE IN PUBLIC ABOVE WHAT YOU ARE IN THE PRIVATE PRAYER CLOSET.
SAMSON SHOOK HIMSELF --- THE POWER WAS GONE.
XI. WHERE IS OUR DEVOTION TO GOD?
A. ONE THING IS NEEDFUL MARTHA ---
B. WHAT DID MARTHA DO WHEN SHE WAS CORRECTED?
C. WHAT DO WE DO WHEN CORRECTED?
D. MARTHA DOES NOT STOP SERVING --- AFTER SHE IS CORRECTED.
E. WHEN WE ARE CORRECTED FOR A SLIP SHOD MINISTRY, WE JUST SAY:
Ok, I quit, I will wash the blood off my hands?
Dirty hands are still dirty even after quitting!
F. STAY BALANCED.
G. CARNAL REASONING???
H. WHAT IS THE HARDEST TO SAY WORD IN THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE?
TELL A CHRISTIAN NO! NO!
XII. CHOICE FRUITS ARE THE HARDEST TO BEAR?
A. PRIZE FRUIT REQUIRES EXTRA EFFORT!
B. IT IS EASIER TO NEGLECT INTERNAL THINGS OVER EXTERNAL?
C. IS IT EASIER TO NEGLECT SPIRITUAL THINGS THAN PHYSICAL THINGS?
D. CAN SERVICE BECOME SELF SERVING? SELF GIVING?
I knew a man that tithed himself, and did good works with his tithes, he received many trophies for his work.
E. SOMETIMES WE MUST ACKNOWLEDGE, WE DO NOT SLEEP IN OUR CLOTHES.GOOD COMFORTABLE SLEEP IS NOT ACCOMPLISHED IN A TUXEDO AND COWBOY BOOTS. GOOD WORK HAS TO BE IN WORK CLOTHES AND WORK ATTITUDES.
His servant,
Wade Martin Hughes, Sr. Kyfingers@aol.com
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