WEBVTT - A Recipe For Resentment 0:00:01.520 --> 0:00:02.800 Hey, this is Stephen Ferdick. 0:00:02.800 --> 0:00:05.840 I'm the pastor of Elevation Church and this is our podcast. 0:00:05.880 --> 0:00:08.320 I wanted to thank you for joining us today. Hope 0:00:08.320 --> 0:00:10.680 this inspires you. Hope it builds your faith. 0:00:10.760 --> 0:00:12.840 Hope it gives your perspective to see God is moving 0:00:12.880 --> 0:00:13.560 in your life. 0:00:13.840 --> 0:00:17.680 Enjoy the message. I haven't been with you for the 0:00:17.760 --> 0:00:23.240 last few weeks, and it is good to be back home. 0:00:27.400 --> 0:00:33.440 When I last saw you, I was teaching and preaching 0:00:33.479 --> 0:00:37.280 from kind of a stream of stories in the scripture 0:00:38.000 --> 0:00:41.200 where God calls somebody in the scripture by their name, 0:00:43.000 --> 0:00:45.440 and I chose for us some scriptures where He calls 0:00:45.479 --> 0:00:50.199 them by their name twice. And I was doing that 0:00:50.320 --> 0:00:53.000 because there are significant seasons that you and I will 0:00:53.000 --> 0:00:55.760 walk through where God will want to get our attention 0:00:56.720 --> 0:01:00.200 for something that He's bringing us into. And so today, 0:01:00.360 --> 0:01:03.120 I think is going to be the funnest one of all. Now, 0:01:03.760 --> 0:01:05.760 I know that we've disrupted the flow of the series 0:01:05.800 --> 0:01:08.800 because I had to go and minister in all kinds 0:01:08.840 --> 0:01:11.240 of wonderful places, and we did minister to over one 0:01:11.280 --> 0:01:15.360 hundred thousand people in Jesus' name over the two weeks 0:01:15.360 --> 0:01:21.280 of our tour. But you know, what there's nowhere that 0:01:21.360 --> 0:01:23.959 I can preach that feels just as good to me 0:01:24.319 --> 0:01:27.679 and as free to me as this pulpit right here 0:01:28.880 --> 0:01:34.959 at Elevation Church. And although you may not remember the 0:01:35.000 --> 0:01:36.920 flow that I was in, I have been preparing this 0:01:36.959 --> 0:01:39.560 sermon the whole time I've been gone, So I'm just 0:01:39.640 --> 0:01:42.000 excited to preach it today. Please stand at all of 0:01:42.040 --> 0:01:46.120 our locations if you're seated, and we'll stand for the 0:01:46.160 --> 0:01:50.160 reading of the Word of God, and we'll pick up 0:01:50.160 --> 0:01:52.800 in Luke chapter ten. Thank you so much, team, I 0:01:52.880 --> 0:01:57.240 appreciate it. Luke chapter ten, verse thirty eight through forty two. 0:01:58.920 --> 0:02:04.040 Luke chapter ten, verse thirty eight through forty two. The 0:02:04.080 --> 0:02:07.840 Bible says as Jesus and his disciples were on their way, 0:02:08.680 --> 0:02:11.560 he came to a village where a woman named Martha 0:02:12.320 --> 0:02:15.880 opened her home to him. She had a sister called Mary, 0:02:15.919 --> 0:02:19.120 who sat at the Lord's feet listening to what he said, 0:02:19.960 --> 0:02:24.799 But Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had 0:02:24.840 --> 0:02:27.600 to be made. She came to him and asked, Lord, 0:02:28.680 --> 0:02:31.080 don't you care that my sister has left me to 0:02:31.120 --> 0:02:37.800 do the work by myself. Tell her to help me. Martha. Martha, 0:02:37.919 --> 0:02:43.640 there you go. Martha, Martha, not just Martha, but Martha Martha. 0:02:43.919 --> 0:02:48.680 The Lord answered, you are worried and upset about many things. 0:02:49.440 --> 0:02:51.080 Now some of you, that's your whole life in one 0:02:51.120 --> 0:02:54.360 Bible verse right there, you are worried and upset about 0:02:54.440 --> 0:02:57.519 many things. If you're not obeying any scripture, some of 0:02:57.560 --> 0:02:59.840 you are living that one out right there. You are 0:03:00.080 --> 0:03:05.239 worried and upset about many things, but few things are needed, 0:03:05.880 --> 0:03:11.440 or indeed, only one. Mary has chosen what is better, 0:03:12.080 --> 0:03:15.720 and it will not be taken away from her. Okay, 0:03:15.720 --> 0:03:17.239 I'm gonna give this a title. It's gonna sound like 0:03:17.280 --> 0:03:18.880 a negative title, but we're gonna work it to a 0:03:18.880 --> 0:03:23.080 positive conclusion today. And the title for this message is 0:03:23.919 --> 0:03:32.280 a recipe for resentment. I didn't think you'd like that title. 0:03:33.360 --> 0:03:36.120 So a recipe for resentment is the title, and the 0:03:36.160 --> 0:03:38.240 subtitle is this. And you can ask it as a 0:03:38.320 --> 0:03:40.960 question to your neighbor before you take your seat, ask them, 0:03:41.640 --> 0:03:46.040 whose list is this? Whose list is this? Ask your 0:03:46.080 --> 0:03:51.160 other neighbor, whose list is this? And Father, in the 0:03:51.240 --> 0:03:54.080 name of Jesus, I know your word is powerful, but 0:03:54.160 --> 0:03:57.000 I pray now that it would penetrate our hearts. In 0:03:57.080 --> 0:03:59.880 your name, I pray Jesus and expect and believe the 0:04:00.120 --> 0:04:07.120 man you may be seated. Just for an opening illustration, 0:04:08.200 --> 0:04:09.640 I want to tell you a story I've never told 0:04:09.680 --> 0:04:11.480 in church, but I've told it to my family so 0:04:11.520 --> 0:04:15.600 many times. I just remembered it because Austin asked me 0:04:15.640 --> 0:04:18.400 to tell this story on tour. It happened when me 0:04:18.480 --> 0:04:21.960 and his dad are executive pastor of Elevation Church, the 0:04:22.000 --> 0:04:27.719 Great Chunks Corbett. We were traveling in Nashville, Tennessee with 0:04:27.839 --> 0:04:33.440 another pastor. The other pastor is a very forceful personality, 0:04:34.080 --> 0:04:42.720 very tall, bald, big goatee, and very passionate, and that 0:04:42.760 --> 0:04:45.520 can be a good thing, but this was one of 0:04:45.560 --> 0:04:48.000 the occasions where his passion was kind of bad. Soa 0:04:48.000 --> 0:04:50.240 tell you a story. We walk in a restaurant. We 0:04:50.279 --> 0:04:52.760 don't have the reservation, and there's no hostess at the 0:04:52.800 --> 0:04:56.160 hostess stand. It's not terribly busy in the restaurant either, 0:04:56.880 --> 0:05:01.200 so we expect. Everybody say expect. Now, I want you 0:05:01.279 --> 0:05:03.320 to hold onto that word because I'm gonna work with 0:05:02.920 --> 0:05:07.680 that word. Expect. We expect that someone will come seat us. 0:05:08.200 --> 0:05:11.480 There are plenty of seats that are empty that can 0:05:11.520 --> 0:05:15.960 accommodate a party of our size. Two minutes pass, nobody 0:05:15.960 --> 0:05:20.880 says hello. Three minutes, four minutes, and I forgot to 0:05:20.880 --> 0:05:23.640 tell you this, But my friend is also white, so 0:05:23.680 --> 0:05:27.400 I could see his face turning red. With every minute. 0:05:27.760 --> 0:05:32.840 His face got redder and redder. Five minutes in, I'm 0:05:32.920 --> 0:05:36.520 watching his bald head and there are veins popping through 0:05:36.520 --> 0:05:39.359 his goatee, on his chin, all the way from his forehead. 0:05:40.360 --> 0:05:42.400 And I started backing a way because I didn't know 0:05:42.440 --> 0:05:44.400 what was going to happen next. But I didn't expect. 0:05:44.440 --> 0:05:46.880 Now I'm about to yell what he yelled. So you 0:05:46.880 --> 0:05:48.640 don't like yelling, just cover your ears and I'll be 0:05:48.680 --> 0:05:50.600 done with this in five seconds. But I'll never forget it. 0:05:51.000 --> 0:05:54.400 He stands in the middle of the restaurant, in front 0:05:54.400 --> 0:05:56.400 of the hostess stand where nobody had helped us. Five 0:05:56.440 --> 0:05:59.360 minutes had passed and it feels like five hours, and 0:05:59.400 --> 0:06:03.719 he yells at the top of his lungs, does anybody 0:06:03.880 --> 0:06:13.800 care that we're here, which, of course helped nothing except 0:06:13.839 --> 0:06:17.760 that probably in his mashed potatoes there was some extra 0:06:17.839 --> 0:06:20.840 spit that he didn't know about by the time we 0:06:20.839 --> 0:06:25.719 were seated and eating. But I never forgot him yelling 0:06:25.760 --> 0:06:29.960 that and I was telling Austin that story because it's legendary. Now, 0:06:30.000 --> 0:06:32.599 when we're waiting at a restaurant, we'll just joke to 0:06:32.640 --> 0:06:35.160 each other in our family. Does anybody but I don't 0:06:35.320 --> 0:06:38.240 yell at out loud. I wouldn't do that. But I 0:06:38.279 --> 0:06:44.159 remember him after expecting to be seated, and apparently this 0:06:44.360 --> 0:06:48.400 was even before COVID and the shortage of staffing that 0:06:48.480 --> 0:06:50.640 swept all of the restaurants in the nation. I mean, 0:06:51.200 --> 0:06:55.039 this was prime time. He expected a seat, but he 0:06:55.120 --> 0:06:59.000 was met with the disappointment, and so he yells at 0:06:59.000 --> 0:07:00.719 the top of his lungs. I won't again. I'm gonna 0:07:00.720 --> 0:07:03.000 save my voice for something more meaningful in about ten minutes. 0:07:03.720 --> 0:07:06.000 But he yells at the top of his lungs. Does 0:07:06.080 --> 0:07:11.360 anybody care that we're here? Of course, we're all embarrassed, 0:07:12.240 --> 0:07:13.840 you know. For the rest of the meal, I'm pulling 0:07:13.880 --> 0:07:15.800 the hostess to the side. When she comes, I'm like, 0:07:15.880 --> 0:07:18.360 I'm so sorry, hand her a twenty dollars bill, just 0:07:18.400 --> 0:07:21.160 trying to pay down the damage to my reputation because 0:07:21.160 --> 0:07:23.120 I don't want to be seen with this guy. And 0:07:23.120 --> 0:07:28.320 it wasn't even my city. Does anybody care? And I 0:07:28.320 --> 0:07:31.720 could watch it building in him. It's like there's a seat. 0:07:32.000 --> 0:07:37.320 I'm hungry. I'm hungry, there's a seat, and it's just building. 0:07:37.400 --> 0:07:42.040 And finally he blew up. Does anybody care that we're here? 0:07:42.800 --> 0:07:44.800 So here's the formula, and you might want to write 0:07:44.800 --> 0:07:51.679 this down. I shared that to share a recipe with you. 0:07:51.680 --> 0:08:01.360 Your expectations plus others limitations minus grace is a recipe 0:08:01.600 --> 0:08:05.560 for resentment. You're only talking to me today, but I 0:08:05.600 --> 0:08:08.600 am preaching like I had a whole world tour under 0:08:08.640 --> 0:08:13.040 my belt. Let me say it again. Your expectations like 0:08:13.080 --> 0:08:15.800 I expected you to say amen when I said that 0:08:15.920 --> 0:08:19.920 last thing, plus others limitations, which is you are not 0:08:20.000 --> 0:08:23.240 awake yet, you only had half a cup of coffee. 0:08:23.320 --> 0:08:30.840 Your expectations plus others limitations minus that part is important. 0:08:31.280 --> 0:08:38.800 Grace is a recipe for resentment. Your expectations. What they 0:08:38.840 --> 0:08:41.520 need to give you, how they need to appreciate you, 0:08:42.160 --> 0:08:45.760 how they should assist you, what they should have taught you. 0:08:45.760 --> 0:08:51.040 Your expectations minus others limitations. Maybe they didn't teach you 0:08:51.080 --> 0:08:54.920 because nobody taught them. Maybe they didn't call and check 0:08:54.960 --> 0:08:57.040 on you because they were battling with the flu too. 0:08:58.200 --> 0:09:05.080 Your expectations limitations or plus other's limitations. Your expectations minus 0:09:05.120 --> 0:09:07.880 others limitations equals Jesus because he's not limited and he 0:09:07.920 --> 0:09:10.960 could do anything. In fact, let me point this out 0:09:10.960 --> 0:09:15.160 to you. When Jesus and his disciples were going to Bethany, 0:09:15.200 --> 0:09:17.760 that's the village they were traveling to. In Luke chapter ten, 0:09:18.920 --> 0:09:21.400 nobody had to stand in the middle of the streets 0:09:21.440 --> 0:09:26.200 of Bethany and scream does anybody care that we're here? 0:09:27.160 --> 0:09:30.240 Peter didn't have to go out and yell. The Bible 0:09:30.280 --> 0:09:33.959 says in Luke chapter ten, verse thirty eight that when 0:09:34.000 --> 0:09:36.280 they went through a village, it doesn't mention the village, 0:09:36.320 --> 0:09:39.760 but it names the woman. Her name was Martha, and 0:09:40.000 --> 0:09:43.240 she opened her home to him. Now bring out my screen, 0:09:43.240 --> 0:09:44.920 would you, because I want to do a little teaching 0:09:44.960 --> 0:09:48.840 today as I preach. Oh you like when I bring 0:09:48.840 --> 0:09:58.480 out the screen. What's up with that? It's exciting? Okay, Well, 0:09:58.520 --> 0:10:01.480 since you like the screen, let me show you something 0:10:01.520 --> 0:10:06.800 on the screen today. Imagine this, Jesus and his disciples 0:10:07.240 --> 0:10:10.040 are going out with the message of the Gospel, and 0:10:10.679 --> 0:10:14.400 all of Luke chapter ten is Jesus setting expectations for 0:10:14.480 --> 0:10:17.560 his disciples before they go out. To these villages, to 0:10:17.600 --> 0:10:22.360 these towns. Right. He is preparing them for rejection that 0:10:22.400 --> 0:10:25.360 he knows they will encounter, because he doesn't want them 0:10:25.400 --> 0:10:28.760 to be unprepared for the fact that not everybody will 0:10:28.760 --> 0:10:31.440 accept the message. And one of the ways that he 0:10:31.520 --> 0:10:35.280 prepares them is he gives them each a partner. He 0:10:35.360 --> 0:10:38.760 pairs them. He sends out seventy two people to go 0:10:38.800 --> 0:10:41.280 ahead of him, and everywhere that Jesus went, there would 0:10:41.280 --> 0:10:43.240 be a little advanced team that would go ahead of 0:10:43.280 --> 0:10:47.560 him to let them know Jesus is coming. In fact, 0:10:47.640 --> 0:10:49.840 touch your neighbor real quick and say Jesus is coming. 0:10:51.360 --> 0:10:55.880 You didn't sound excited about that, Abby, get more excited. 0:10:55.920 --> 0:10:57.960 If I told you Taylor Swift is coming, you would 0:10:58.000 --> 0:11:01.920 jump up and stand on your chair. But tell somebody 0:11:02.000 --> 0:11:06.200 Jesus is coming. And he sent them out, Yeah, like 0:11:06.240 --> 0:11:10.960 that Jesus is coming. Does anybody care that Jesus is coming? 0:11:11.160 --> 0:11:13.800 I know sometimes the worship leaders stand up here and 0:11:13.840 --> 0:11:16.360 they're leading worship and they're like, come on, let's sing 0:11:16.400 --> 0:11:20.440 it out. Come on, please sing it out. Anybody sing 0:11:20.480 --> 0:11:24.680 it out? Does anybody care that the King is here? 0:11:24.720 --> 0:11:26.880 It's like we care, we just don't know the song 0:11:26.920 --> 0:11:29.520 gets new. Okay, we care. I'm promise we care. It's 0:11:29.600 --> 0:11:34.040 just too high. You can't sing that high. And there's 0:11:34.080 --> 0:11:38.760 a feeling that you can get that. Nobody cares. My 0:11:38.920 --> 0:11:43.200 expectations minus others limitations, or plus I keep screwing it 0:11:43.280 --> 0:11:49.280 up plus other's limitations minus grace is a recipe for resentment. 0:11:49.360 --> 0:11:51.800 So Jesus, being all knowing and all wise and sovereign 0:11:51.800 --> 0:11:53.800 and so good at his job of running the universe, 0:11:54.520 --> 0:11:56.679 knows that as he sends his disciples out, he has 0:11:56.720 --> 0:11:59.360 to send them in pairs two by two. And he says, 0:11:59.520 --> 0:12:02.640 when you go into the village, don't be surprised that 0:12:02.760 --> 0:12:05.880 some people welcome you and some people don't. If they 0:12:05.920 --> 0:12:08.800 welcome you, stay there. Whatever they put before you, eat it. 0:12:08.840 --> 0:12:11.640 This is all in Luke chapter ten. Whatever they give 0:12:11.679 --> 0:12:14.280 you to eat, eat it. But if they don't welcome you, 0:12:17.000 --> 0:12:20.680 wipe your feet and walk. I don't know who this 0:12:20.760 --> 0:12:22.560 word is for, but I just felt God on that 0:12:22.600 --> 0:12:26.120 one thing right there. Tell your neighbor wipe it off 0:12:27.080 --> 0:12:30.160 and walk. So if they didn't want to date you, 0:12:30.240 --> 0:12:33.560 that's all right. If they thought you weren't the one 0:12:33.559 --> 0:12:35.200 for them, you weren't the one for them. Because if 0:12:35.200 --> 0:12:37.199 you were the one for them, God would have illuminated 0:12:37.240 --> 0:12:41.240 that fact. Then you would be with them right now, hellolujah, 0:12:42.240 --> 0:12:45.920 tell your neighbor, wipe it off and walk. Got somewhere 0:12:45.920 --> 0:12:48.439 to go. I've got something to carry. I'm called by 0:12:48.480 --> 0:12:51.880 someone greater than you. I can't stay stuck just because 0:12:51.920 --> 0:12:56.120 you decided to say no. I can't spend the rest 0:12:56.160 --> 0:12:58.320 of my life trying to prove something to somebody who 0:12:58.360 --> 0:13:01.960 can't promote me anyway. So if they didn't open the 0:13:01.960 --> 0:13:06.680 door to you, walk on, walk on. That's the whole 0:13:06.679 --> 0:13:11.080 word for somebody, gome be blessed, walk on, wipe your 0:13:11.080 --> 0:13:15.240 feet and walk. So he's preparing them. Don't always expect 0:13:15.640 --> 0:13:20.760 that everyone is going to accept you. In fact, if 0:13:20.760 --> 0:13:28.600 everybody accepts you, that's probably the most dangerous thing of all. Okay, 0:13:28.640 --> 0:13:31.599 So in preparing them for rejection, the Bible says in 0:13:31.679 --> 0:13:33.640 Luke chapter ten, verse thirty eight, and now I'm at 0:13:33.679 --> 0:13:36.720 my main passage. If I remember how to use this 0:13:38.640 --> 0:13:43.400 in Luke chapter ten, and if you'll think I'm gonna 0:13:43.400 --> 0:13:46.520 come up here and preach a message about Martha and 0:13:46.559 --> 0:13:51.640 make her the villain of the story, you are sadly mistaken. 0:13:52.400 --> 0:13:55.839 About me, because well, first of all, I read here 0:13:56.240 --> 0:13:59.840 it says in the heading at the home of Martha 0:13:59.840 --> 0:14:04.120 and Mary. Okay, and that's how it's heading, because Mary 0:14:04.160 --> 0:14:06.640 lived there. But the Bible says as Jesus and his 0:14:06.679 --> 0:14:10.160 disciples were on their way, he came to a village 0:14:10.720 --> 0:14:17.760 where a woman singular named Martha opened her home to him. 0:14:18.960 --> 0:14:21.960 All to talk about all that, I want to talk about, 0:14:21.960 --> 0:14:24.960 how she was busy because somebody has to pay the bills. 0:14:25.680 --> 0:14:28.200 I want to talk about all that. I want to 0:14:28.200 --> 0:14:30.920 contradict every criticism that I've ever heard preached about this 0:14:31.040 --> 0:14:33.880 wonderful woman, Martha, who gave a hospitable welcome to the 0:14:33.880 --> 0:14:36.360 Savior of the world and said you can stay with me. 0:14:37.800 --> 0:14:39.920 I want to take a moment before we praised Mary 0:14:39.960 --> 0:14:45.000 for her untethered devotion and her unmitigated reverence for the Lord, 0:14:45.040 --> 0:14:49.760 to just respect Martha because she opened her home to 0:14:49.840 --> 0:14:54.240 him to him. So, if you looked at a list 0:14:54.280 --> 0:14:56.240 of the bills that were paid in that home, they 0:14:56.280 --> 0:15:01.520 all had Martha on them. If you looked at all 0:15:01.560 --> 0:15:03.760 the mortgage statements that were paid on time, you would 0:15:03.800 --> 0:15:13.320 see Martha paid the mortgage. Who say it again, Martha Martha. 0:15:13.560 --> 0:15:17.840 Martha might not always have the best ability to prioritize 0:15:17.880 --> 0:15:22.560 the focus of presents, but she paid the bills. Okay, 0:15:22.560 --> 0:15:25.560 we're going to make a list real quick. This kind 0:15:25.600 --> 0:15:27.640 of teaching and preaching is important so we don't make 0:15:27.680 --> 0:15:29.920 presumptions about who are the heroes and the villains and 0:15:29.960 --> 0:15:33.840 the examples and the cautionary tales in scripture. I'm going 0:15:33.880 --> 0:15:37.960 to make a list real quick of everything, not everything, 0:15:38.000 --> 0:15:42.560 but just a few things that make Martha amazing number one. 0:15:43.200 --> 0:15:44.840 And I believe this applies to some of you in 0:15:44.880 --> 0:15:46.640 the room too, And in just a moment, I'm going 0:15:46.680 --> 0:15:48.280 to bring this so close to home that you will 0:15:48.280 --> 0:15:50.360 feel it for your own situation. But for a moment, 0:15:50.440 --> 0:15:54.720 let's talk about Martha. Martha should be praised because she 0:15:55.000 --> 0:16:03.920 was number one resourceful when they came through saying Jesus 0:16:04.040 --> 0:16:06.600 is coming to Bethany. Now, Bethany is not Jerusalem. It's 0:16:06.600 --> 0:16:11.120 two miles from Jerusalem. Bethany was not special in the 0:16:11.160 --> 0:16:14.640 context of the scripture until Jesus did one of his 0:16:14.680 --> 0:16:18.280 greatest miracles there and blessed the disciples before his ascension there. 0:16:18.880 --> 0:16:21.000 So he's stopping through a place that would seem to 0:16:21.000 --> 0:16:25.040 be insignificant. Martha, hearing of it, says, if he wants 0:16:25.120 --> 0:16:27.920 to hold a Bible study, he can meet at my house. 0:16:29.000 --> 0:16:32.240 Let's golf clap for Martha because she was resourceful. Just 0:16:32.280 --> 0:16:37.960 go ahead, and let's thank God for her resourcefulness. That 0:16:38.040 --> 0:16:40.800 she realized that her resource comes from the source, and 0:16:40.840 --> 0:16:44.480 she offered that to God. She was the original e 0:16:44.600 --> 0:16:49.680 group leader. I bet she had good snacks too. You know, 0:16:49.760 --> 0:16:52.560 she had good snacks and she had to because put 0:16:52.560 --> 0:16:55.400 the verse back up there. In Luke chapter ten, verse 0:16:55.440 --> 0:16:58.480 thirty eight, please, it says, as Jesus and his disciples 0:16:58.520 --> 0:17:00.120 are on their way, he came to a village, a 0:17:00.120 --> 0:17:04.240 woman named Martha opened her home to him. But check 0:17:04.280 --> 0:17:08.760 this out. When you bring Jesus in your house, the 0:17:08.760 --> 0:17:12.160 Bible says, as Jesus and his note back to the verse, 0:17:12.280 --> 0:17:18.560 as Jesus and his disciples were on their way, so 0:17:18.600 --> 0:17:21.160 the announcement comes through Jesus is coming. Jesus is coming. 0:17:21.200 --> 0:17:23.240 Anybody got a room for Jesus? An IFO I got 0:17:23.280 --> 0:17:26.760 Airbnb for Jesus, Martha's like, I'll help sure. I've heard 0:17:26.800 --> 0:17:29.120 great things about this miracle worker. He could come stay 0:17:29.160 --> 0:17:33.120 with me. And by the way, he's bringing a few 0:17:33.119 --> 0:17:36.280 people with him. And then you read over in Luke 0:17:36.320 --> 0:17:38.560 chapter six, verse twelve through seventeen. Put that on the 0:17:38.560 --> 0:17:41.160 screen for me, please. On one of these days, Jesus 0:17:41.200 --> 0:17:43.400 went to mountainside to pray, spent the night praying to God. 0:17:44.080 --> 0:17:45.920 When morning came, he called his disciples to him and 0:17:46.000 --> 0:17:48.520 chose twelve of them, who we also designated apostles. Here's 0:17:48.560 --> 0:17:54.359 the list. Simon whom he named Peter, his brother, Andrew, James, John, Philip, Bartholomew, Matthew, Thomas, 0:17:54.520 --> 0:17:57.440 James son of Alpheus, Simon who was called the zealot, 0:17:58.040 --> 0:18:00.640 Judas son of James, and Judas is scaredriot who became 0:18:00.680 --> 0:18:02.960 a traitor. Why did you read us all that? Because 0:18:03.000 --> 0:18:06.840 I wanted you to see the full guest list that 0:18:06.920 --> 0:18:10.920 Martha was responsible for when she said yes to Jesus. 0:18:12.400 --> 0:18:15.879 Saying yes to Jesus is one thing. Saying yes to 0:18:15.960 --> 0:18:21.879 everything that comes with Jesus is another. Because when Martha 0:18:21.880 --> 0:18:24.800 said yes to host Jesus, she also had to host Judas. 0:18:28.720 --> 0:18:35.920 One prophet said, every rose has its thorn, And I 0:18:36.440 --> 0:18:39.320 want to praise Martha for a moment because she was 0:18:39.359 --> 0:18:44.959 so resourceful that she heard the list of disciples and realized, Okay, 0:18:45.280 --> 0:18:47.520 if I want to do this for Jesus, I'm going 0:18:47.600 --> 0:18:49.640 to have to do it for all of them, which 0:18:49.640 --> 0:18:53.840 is a big commitment. I mean talking about a recipe. 0:18:54.400 --> 0:18:56.280 The bigger the group gets, the harder it is to 0:18:56.280 --> 0:18:58.800 make a recipe that will stretch to feed the entire group. 0:18:59.560 --> 0:19:02.240 The only I have to offer you as for ramen noodles. 0:19:03.320 --> 0:19:05.360 But when I watch Holly Cook, I realized that as 0:19:05.400 --> 0:19:08.600 the size of the guest listic spans, so does the 0:19:08.680 --> 0:19:11.359 need for preparation. So when the Bible says all the 0:19:11.400 --> 0:19:14.080 preparations that had to be made, you have to understand 0:19:14.359 --> 0:19:18.199 Martha wasn't just feeding Jesus. She was feeding every hooligan 0:19:18.560 --> 0:19:22.679 that he brought with him, every redneck fisherman that he 0:19:22.720 --> 0:19:26.360 brought with them, every tax collector that he brought with him. 0:19:26.440 --> 0:19:28.600 And I'm pointing this out to you for a reason. 0:19:28.720 --> 0:19:33.000 She was resourceful. Another thing that we could say about 0:19:33.000 --> 0:19:39.400 her is that she was responsible. All the responsible people 0:19:39.760 --> 0:19:43.880 make some responsible noise, not too much, just a responsible 0:19:43.920 --> 0:19:47.040 amount of noise, not too loud that you might scare 0:19:47.040 --> 0:19:49.560 your neighbor or lose your voice, just a responsible amount 0:19:49.600 --> 0:19:53.439 of noise. She was so responsible in the context of 0:19:53.480 --> 0:19:56.720 this that she knew everything that had to be done 0:19:56.840 --> 0:19:59.760 to host the one who came from heaven in her home. 0:20:00.920 --> 0:20:05.919 So she's resourceful. Everybody say resourceful, Talk to me today. 0:20:06.000 --> 0:20:17.960 She was resourceful. She was, and she was even respectful 0:20:19.480 --> 0:20:23.160 because he got to give it to her. Right, She's 0:20:23.160 --> 0:20:25.760 putting in all this work to feed all these people. 0:20:26.400 --> 0:20:28.560 And remember when I read you at the beginning, her 0:20:28.600 --> 0:20:34.159 sister is doing nothing to pitch in. So instead of 0:20:35.960 --> 0:20:40.040 doing what she probably felt like doing, she walks up 0:20:40.080 --> 0:20:43.240 to Jesus, and Jesus is teaching, okay with The Bible 0:20:43.280 --> 0:20:46.680 says that Mary was sitting at Jesus's feet. They were 0:20:46.720 --> 0:20:49.760 not having a casual chat that is a posture of discipleship. 0:20:50.480 --> 0:20:53.359 She wasn't sitting at his feet so they could talk 0:20:53.400 --> 0:20:56.879 about you know, so are you watching any shows lately? 0:20:57.480 --> 0:21:02.240 He was teaching and she was listening. Give me verse 0:21:02.240 --> 0:21:04.919 thirty nine, real quick. The Bible says she had a 0:21:04.920 --> 0:21:08.000 sister called Mary who sat at the Lord's feet listening 0:21:08.800 --> 0:21:14.800 to what he said. What was Mary doing listening? Verse 0:21:14.840 --> 0:21:19.840 forty But Martha was distracted by all the preparations that 0:21:19.920 --> 0:21:28.920 had to be made. She came to him and asked, Lord, See, 0:21:28.920 --> 0:21:33.719 she's not disrespectful about it. She's calling him by his title, 0:21:34.440 --> 0:21:38.119 not even by his name. She didn't even call him Jesus. 0:21:38.160 --> 0:21:42.560 She said, Lord, not dude, not bro, not any of 0:21:42.600 --> 0:21:51.200 this stuff that I hear y'all calling each other these days. Lord, Lord, Lord, 0:21:51.520 --> 0:21:55.440 she's respectful. Don't you care that my sister has left 0:21:55.440 --> 0:21:58.159 me to do the work by myself. Tell her to 0:21:58.160 --> 0:22:00.480 help me. Now, let's make the list for Mary. Okay, 0:22:01.280 --> 0:22:03.800 let's make a list for Mary. What can we say 0:22:04.359 --> 0:22:08.280 about Mary? Okay? This is what I can say about Mary. 0:22:08.680 --> 0:22:09.280 She was. 0:22:16.760 --> 0:22:21.960 Present, and that's about all she was. She wasn't cooking, 0:22:22.000 --> 0:22:24.320 she wasn't cleaning, she wasn't lifting, she wasn't scrubbing, she 0:22:24.359 --> 0:22:29.879 wasn't organizing. Come on, she wasn't enlisting others. She was there, 0:22:31.160 --> 0:22:33.520 and that's all we can say about her. That's what 0:22:33.640 --> 0:22:38.119 a scripture makes me mad, because she was just there, 0:22:38.760 --> 0:22:43.919 and Jesus like, be like her. She's here, and Martha. 0:22:44.160 --> 0:22:49.119 I imagine that Martha is thinking, Okay, she's here, But 0:22:49.240 --> 0:22:53.720 so is Peter, so is James, so is John, so 0:22:53.960 --> 0:22:57.720 is Bartholomew, so is Judas, and he looks kind of sketchy. 0:22:57.760 --> 0:22:59.960 By the way, you might want to interview your diciple 0:23:00.240 --> 0:23:02.639 candidates a little bit more next time before you come 0:23:02.680 --> 0:23:04.440 to Bethany. I'm not even sure I'm putting up my 0:23:04.480 --> 0:23:06.880 valuables in the house. That guy looks kind of kind 0:23:06.880 --> 0:23:12.800 of That guy looks kind of Oh, I'm saying, and Jesus, 0:23:12.880 --> 0:23:19.760 now watch this, Jesus says, she's here, she's present, she's present, 0:23:20.720 --> 0:23:27.480 she's present, she's here. Yeah, but Jesus, are you hungry. Yeah, 0:23:27.480 --> 0:23:33.000 we're hungry. We need to eat. But she's here. Yeah. 0:23:33.000 --> 0:23:35.840 But Jesus, I don't need her here at your feet. 0:23:37.040 --> 0:23:39.960 I need her in here helping me in this kitchen. 0:23:40.800 --> 0:23:42.639 Unless you want to do one of those tricks like 0:23:42.680 --> 0:23:44.439 you did that time with the fish in the loaves 0:23:44.480 --> 0:23:49.119 and start multiplying some of these ritz crackers. Jesus. Now, 0:23:49.119 --> 0:23:50.680 if you want to do that, go ahead and do it. 0:23:51.000 --> 0:23:52.480 But if we are going to do this meal the 0:23:52.520 --> 0:23:55.320 normal way, now, I don't feel like I'm getting this 0:23:55.400 --> 0:23:57.199 across yet, So I want to get a little bit 0:23:57.200 --> 0:24:00.440 deeper into this with you. There are ways in which 0:24:00.520 --> 0:24:04.119 we can feel that the advice that we're given to 0:24:04.160 --> 0:24:08.320 get closer to God is unrealistic. For real life, we 0:24:08.359 --> 0:24:11.760 don't say that. We shout about things that people say 0:24:11.800 --> 0:24:15.600 in church, where we say, you know, don't worry about tomorrow. 0:24:15.960 --> 0:24:19.720 How far do you want me to take that? Because 0:24:19.760 --> 0:24:22.159 if if you're, if you're, if you're gonna be depending 0:24:22.200 --> 0:24:24.280 on me to pay for your retirement, then I need 0:24:24.359 --> 0:24:27.200 you to worry about tomorrow a little bit, a little bit. 0:24:28.160 --> 0:24:30.159 If you're gonna, if you're gonna put the burden on 0:24:30.240 --> 0:24:32.240 me when there is no plan, I need you to 0:24:32.320 --> 0:24:35.600 plan a little bit. And I see Martha in a 0:24:35.640 --> 0:24:39.479 different light. I see her as resourceful, I see her 0:24:39.520 --> 0:24:43.840 as responsible, I see her as respectful. And all I 0:24:43.840 --> 0:24:46.000 can say for Mary is she may be some of 0:24:46.040 --> 0:24:48.560 these things too, But all we really know about her 0:24:48.640 --> 0:24:52.280 is she's here. And Jesus is like, that's good. That's 0:24:52.320 --> 0:24:56.080 what I want. Now, let's play it out. Mary's sitting 0:24:56.119 --> 0:24:59.199 at the feet of Jesus, singing, here I am to 0:24:59.400 --> 0:25:05.399 her shit. Martha keeps walking through, and Mary keeps singing, 0:25:05.440 --> 0:25:09.920 here I am too bad. Here I am to say 0:25:09.960 --> 0:25:14.320 that you're my God. Here I am to worship. And 0:25:14.359 --> 0:25:17.000 then Martha starts singing a song goes like this help 0:25:17.119 --> 0:25:23.440 me with these dishous I worked hard on that line. 0:25:23.480 --> 0:25:30.280 Y'all clap for that. My expectation, yeah, my expectation was 0:25:30.320 --> 0:25:35.760 that you would laugh at that. And the Bible says something. 0:25:35.760 --> 0:25:37.399 I don't know if you caught this scram It said 0:25:37.720 --> 0:25:43.680 that Martha, while she was all of these things, resourceful, responsible, respectful, 0:25:43.880 --> 0:25:47.240 she wasn't evil. The Bible says, but Martha was Verse ten, 0:25:47.320 --> 0:25:57.879 what distracted. That's it? Not bad, distracted, not evil, distracted, 0:25:58.680 --> 0:26:06.119