Sunday, January 6, 2019 - Choices Matter!
Pastor Roger Marcos
January 6, 2019
In Him We Live In Move and Have Our Being! Today is the first Sunday of the year 2019. The New Year should be a time of reflection for all of us -- to ponder the plans and goals we set for ourselves in the previous year in relationship to where we are at now. Did you succeed in the things you set out to do or did you find yourself coming up short?
It is a time to set new goals and to make plans as to how you will meet those goals.
My question to you today is, "What kind of goals and plans will you make in this New Year as you Seek to Serve Christ and His Kingdom in a greater Way?
Wrong Choices Cause Soul Sickness:
Adam and Eve - In the Garden of Eden
Eternity Has No Beginning it Has No Ending Either. (this is beyond description)
Matthew 7:13 “Enter through the Narrow Gate. For Wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and Many Enter Through it.
Every choice you make in life is either a step in the right or wrong direction. Fellow brethren wrong choices will mess up our destiny.
Choices Create Our Future: to make our own choices is a very important issue in our service to the Lord and His church. Every day, each of us chooses to do the things that we do- Example of Joshua situation
'But if serving the LORD seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your forefathers served beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve the LORD.' Joshua 25:15
TEXT: Luke 10:38-42
38 As Jesus and his disciples went on their way, he came to a village where a woman named Martha welcomed him in her home. 39 She had a sister named Mary, who sat down at the feet of the Lord and listened to his teaching. 40 Martha was upset over all the work she had to do, so she came and said, “Lord, don't you care that my sister has left me to do all the work by myself? Tell her to come and help me!”
41 The Lord answered her, “Martha, Martha! You are worried and troubled over so many things, 42 but just one is needed. Mary has chosen the right thing, and it will not be taken away from her.”
I. CHOOSING THE BEST MEANS BEING IN THE RIGHT PLACE - 39 She had a sister named Mary, who sat down at the feet of the Lord and listened to his teaching. A truly DISCIPLE OF JESUS needs to choose the best over good.
A. Mary Sat at the Feet of Jesus. The Greek word here (parakathizo) doesn’t mean to just sit but sit near. I think it implies that she got as close to the Lord Jesus as she could possibly get.
Sitting at the feet of your master was the proper place for a disciple to be.
Martha invites Jesus into her home, but she is “distracted with much serving.” In contrast, Mary sits at the Lord’s feet, listens to his teaching, and is told that she has “chosen the good portion.”
Luke 8:35 and the people went out to see what had happened. When they came to Jesus, they found the man from whom the demons had gone out, sitting at Jesus’ feet, dressed and in his right mind; and they were afraid.
B. Martha Went to the Kitchen. There were days as a young mom when this story haunted me. I wanted to cry out, “Lord, I want to sit at your feet and learn from you, but I can’t get a break from the serving!” Mary’s freedom to put aside the housework and sit and learn from Jesus seemed to me like an unattainable luxury
Sitting at the feet of your master was the proper place for a disciple to be.
Paul said he was brought up at the “feet of Gamaliel” (Acts 22:3).
II. CHOOSING THE BEST MEANS LISTENING TO THE RIGHT VOICE. -39 She had a sister named Mary, who sat down at the feet of the Lord and listened to his teaching.
A. Mary Heard the Words of Christ.
B. Martha Couldn’t Hear the Words of Christ (Busy)
While at the feet of Jesus, Mary “heard His word”. “Heard” = The Apostle Luke switches tense of the verb here to an imperfect tense which means this was a durative or a continual listening & hearing.. She listened with attentiveness to everything He said, and she didn’t tire of His voice or of His teaching.
She sat close enough to really hear what He had to say.
It implies that she continued to think about them after He quit talking.
III. CHOOSING THE BEST MEANS SETTING PRIORITIES AND WATCHING FOR DISTRACTIONS.- 40 Martha was upset over all the work she had to do, so she came and said, “Lord, don't you care that my sister has left me to do all the work by myself? Tell her to come and help me!”
A. Mary’s Priority Was Being Close to Christ.
B. Martha’s Priority was Serving Christ and others.
Martha was serving.” Is serving bad? No, of course not. She was being a servant.
We are told/commanded that we should serve one another. Galatians 5:13.
So, what Martha did was a “good” thing, so what was the problem?
It simply was NOT the BEST thing to do at this point in time.
We are told that Mary “chose good part” which means decided to do the “better” or “best” thing.
Mary made a choice = she knew there was other things that needed to be done, but she purposefully didn’t do those things. Instead, she went and sat at the feet of Jesus.
“Good part” = “better/best part” (depending on what you comparing too).
I can’t think of anything better than for a disciple to be sitting at the feet of Jesus soaking up every word that He spoke, so I think “best” is the best meaning behind “good part”.
Martha was “careful and troubled” by that which wasn’t best. She could have “sat at His feet” too. However, she chose to do other things instead. She was busy with good things that needed to be done . . . But just not right then.
You may be wondering why we are looking at this passage.
I would hope you would see some practical application that might apply for you this 2019.
CONCLUSION:
Personal Applications from the “Choices of the Two Sisters.”:
Application: I will tell you it is a lot easier to be a Martha than a Mary. It is easier to get involved with other things than to spend time getting closer to God.
Application: Attending a Service once a Month may seem okay to Us . . . But is it okay to God?
Don’t Choose God’s Second Best By Making Bad Choices
This is the advice I can share with you when it comes to making decisions:
Always seek God’s will before making any moves
Always pray for God’s will before making any decisions
Always look for God’s will in His Word before making any choices!
We are living in the last hour of the last days. Now is the time to get serious about your relationship with God.
We need to make this New Year a year in which we will set priorities to position ourselves closer to God.
Surrender your plans, hopes, and dreams to Him because your God is faithful!
When you have a choice to make, don’t choose to go against God’s will or God’s Word.
Take the time to hear His voice, get His guidance, then follow after His footsteps by obeying His choice.
Draw closer to God as you draw closer to death, judgment, Heaven, and eternity.
Your Choices Matter..