At The Feet of Jesus

Luke 10:38-42

On  March 22, 2012, an ABC news affiliate in South Bend, Indiana, reported that a woman named Bonnie Miller fell into a river connected to Lake Michigan while she was attempting to walk along a pier and send a text message at the same time.

Miller was walking along the pier with her family and realized that she had to correct an appointment time via a text message. As she was writing the text message, Miller wasn’t paying attention to how close she was to the edge of the pier and ending up tripping into approximately six feet of cold water.

Miller’s husband and a 19-year old bystander jumped into the water to help her reach a ladder that led back to the top of the pier. A police officer also used a flotation device attached to a rope to help guide the group to the ladder.

Miller was embarrassed by the incident but wanted people to understand how texting while walking can be a problem. So she went public with her debacle.

In an interview with the news affiliate, Miller stated “I couldn’t let pride stand in my way of warning other people to not...walk and text. It can be dangerous.”

Lest the young people think only adults can be that distracted...

A news story in USA Today from August 30, 2012, suggests "distracted walking" is taking a toll on teenagers as the number of pedestrian injuries soared among 16 to 19-year-olds even as it dropped among nearly every other age group.

...Teens injured in pedestrian accidents rose 25% in the five-year period from 2006 to 2010, compared with 2001-05.

Using recent data on the growing prevalence of teen gadget usage, Safe Kids Worldwide suggested the rise in teen injuries "is related to distraction, caused by the use of electronics and handheld devices while walking."

Kate Carr, the group's president, said, "We have distracted drivers who may be hitting pedestrians in the street, but we also have distracted pedestrians who are walking in front of cars."

These two illustrations are examples of how distractions keep us from staying focused and the dangers the distractions can be to us...physically, financially, emotionally and spiritually.

Illus. Use my iPad to demonstrate how distractions occur.

My primary purpose here is to show how distractions affect us spiritually, especially in the realm of our worship of God.

Jesus was on a journey (9:51–19:44) that would eventually take Him to Jerusalem (not necessarily a direct route, though) where He would ultimately be crucified. One of the stops along this journey was at the home of Martha, who had invited Jesus to enjoy a meal with her and her sister, Mary. There is no mention of their brother Lazarus (John 11:19), so it’s likely that he was not present on this occasion. The house where Jesus was invited belonged to Martha (10:38), but we are not specifically told in this text that it is located in Bethany. However, from the Gospel of John it is safe to assume that this is the village where she lived (John 11:1; 12:1-2). Apparently, Mary had been assisting her sister to prepare (11:40 - “my sister has left me to serve alone...”) until Jesus arrived and from that moment forward she is only found sitting at Jesus’ feet. The three times that Mary is mentioned in Scripture she is always at Jesus’ feet (Luke 10:39; John 11:32; 12:1-8). Sitting at His feet denotes a disciple listening and learning from the Rabbi (Acts 22:3; Luke 8:35). Mary is not sitting directly beside Him (a place of honor), as the verse clearly shows (10:39). She is sitting at His feet, which is a place of humility. This would not have been the normal custom for a woman in first-century society, especially when a guest is present. Once again, Jesus breaks the social norms of His day by having a meal with these two women at Martha’s house and by allowing Mary to sit in the place of a disciple...traditionally, the place for male disciples only!

Martha, on the other hand, is busy trying to pull together all the final details for the meal she has planned for her guest. As time passes and Mary remains at Jesus feet, Martha becomes increasingly more frustrated until she explodes with a terse question/comment to Jesus (10:40). It’s important to note that Martha shows interest in spiritual matters simply by inviting Jesus to her house (10:38). Further, she probably figured that if Mary would assist her that both of them could have some time with Jesus. It’s a mistake to portray Martha as a woman that is disinterested in spiritual things. When Jesus responds to Martha He does so gently by repeating her name twice (11:41). He then addresses what is her real problem. She is corrected for being “worried and troubled about many things.” Martha is not corrected for serving, something Jesus calls all of us to do.

• To be “worried” is to be apprehensive about some potential danger or misfortune. To fret about something. In Martha's mind it would have been a disaster if everything with the meal didn’t go as planned.
• To be “troubled” is be distressed, emotionally upset, and agitated. Related Greek words indicate the idea of commotion like you find at a death (weeping/wailing) or like what is heard from crowds (cheers, applause, groans, murmurs, uproars). In other words, Martha has a lot of noise in her life right now.

Simply put, she is distracted! The word “distracted” (11:40) literally means: “to be drawn in different directions at the same time, hence to distract with cares and responsibilities.” At this moment, Martha can see everything that needs to be done, as well as her desire to enjoy Jesus and she is simply overwhelmed...i.e., distracted.

This text begs for us to look at the contrasts between these two ladies:
1. One of them is still...the other is busy.
2. One of them is sitting...the other standing.

Martha “stands over” Jesus (the more literal meaning of ἐφίστημι in v. 40 - translated "approach”). The word can simply mean "to stand near or by," but it also has the idea of "to stand or be over" or even "to oppose.” There is a sense in which Martha is opposing Mary for sitting at Jesus’ feet and not helping. She also opposes Jesus for allowing Mary to not help her.

3. One of them is focused on spiritual things...the other on physical things.
4. One of them experiences contentment...the other complaining.
5. One of them is calm...the other anxious.
6. One of them is listening...the other is speaking.

Martha presumes to tell Jesus what He should do; Mary lets Jesus tell her what she should do.

7. One of them is focused on Jesus...the other on herself.

Hospitality is generally directed towards the guest’s desires/needs, not your own. Twice Martha uses the pronoun “me” (11:40), indicating her focus was more on herself, her plan, and her needs. Though she refers to Jesus as "Lord," what she really wants is to enlist His aid in making Mary help. For Martha, welcoming the Messenger didn’t translate into welcoming the message. Serving can be an act of worship, but not when it supplants time alone with the Lord.

8. One of them is concerned about “one thing” (10:42)...the other about “many things” (10:41).

The trouble here is not so much with Martha's service or Mary's worship. It is with a person being filled with “anxious care” to the degree that she cannot hear the Word of God. Martha was overly concerned with “doing” so that she didn’t have time for “listening” to the Word of God.

This story cautions against a preoccupation with details that can lead you to lose contact with the real purpose for having Jesus at your house in the first place...to be with Him!

William McDonald writes, “Our Lord prizes our affection above our service...” Why? Because “...service may be tainted with pride and self-importance.”

Having said that, let’s be reminded of the words of author Fred Craddock (Luke, Interpretation Commentary): “If we censure Martha too harshly, she may abandon serving altogether, and if we commend Mary too profusely, she may sit there forever. There is a time to go and do; there is a time to listen and reflect. Knowing which and when is a matter of spiritual discernment.”

What Martha lacked was the discernment to see the opportunity right in front of her because she was distracted with too many other things!

There are some tests that help to discern if we are distracted and/or wrongly focused:
1. You often complain about others not doing their fair share of the work.

When you start hearing yourself complain, it’s a flashing red light, warning that you probably aren’t spending enough time at Jesus’ feet. Even if your complaints are justified, they are still complaints displaying the opposite of a servant spirit. You’ll only gain a wise perspective on your situation as you listen to Him. If you find yourself consumed with how much you are doing and how little others are doing...you are distracted.

2. You wonder if Jesus really cares about your specific situation.

Martha felt abandoned by both her sister and Jesus. Instead of questioning His care, we should acknowledge His concern for us. When we do we’ll start hearing His loving response with the directions we need. If you are constantly fussing, fretting and fuming, questioning God’s care...you are distracted.

3. You prefer arguing theological points to listening quietly to Jesus.

On another occasion when Martha’s brother (Lazarus) had died He told her that he would rise again. She immediately responded that she knew he would arise on the resurrection day (John 11:24-26), but she missed Jesus’ greater point. She got her doctrine right, but she didn’t grasp what He was saying to her about Himself. An indicator that you aren’t sitting at Jesus’ feet is that you pick apart sermons for theological accuracy rather than listening for Jesus’ voice. If your greater interest is in acquiring Bible knowledge than in applying Scripture to your daily life...you are distracted.

4. You regularly make excuses for not doing what Jesus says.

At the tomb of Martha’s brother Jesus told the men to remove the stone from the opening of the grave and Martha immediately responded with a seemingly reasonable excuse for not obeying Jesus (John 11:39). It also seemed logical and practical that someone had to take care of the meal for Jesus, which became Martha’s excuse for not spending time with Jesus. If your excuses sound reasonable and logical to you for not spending time with Jesus and/or obeying what He says...you are distracted.

5. You rarely find yourself with others lavishing worship on Christ. (cf. John 12:1-8)

Distracted people rarely participate in worship services exalting Jesus with others. They function more like lone rangers than lavish worshippers. They reason that chores have to be done and they can’t worship till those chores are done. They regularly slip out of Bible studies or church services to handle practical/ministry matters. It’s true that things have to be done properly and in order, but does it always have to be you that does them? Can’t they be organized and delegated? If all you can think about during worship is what is next on the agenda...you are distracted.

6. You have trouble staying focused on the “one thing” without becoming anxious.

Martha was frazzled over all the work that still had to be done for supper to be ready for Jesus. She wasn’t corrected by Jesus for wanting to serve, but for being “worried and troubled.” In John 12:8 after Mary had lavished worship on Christ by pouring out the expensive bottle of perfume, she is criticized because the perfume could have been sold and the money used to help the poor. Jesus responds, “the poor you have with you always...”  He is saying, at least in part, that there is always more to do than any one person can do, but the “one thing” that is most important is that we worship Christ (cf. Luke 10:42). If you are constantly anxious/fretting about what’s not getting done...you are distracted.

Closing:
When we were children our parents taught us to STOP, LOOK and LISTEN before crossing the road or the railroad tracks. That’s pretty good advice for people that are “distracted,” as well.

1. Stop
Get off the merry-go-round of excuses and duties for a few minutes and evaluate your true spiritual condition or you will never find a solution. Take a break, delegate...somebody else can handle it for a few days.

2. Look
Evaluate what’s going on and look for ways to give yourself some margin in your life. The only person that can organize and delegate to stop the craziness is you. If you can’t find a solution that gives you time to sit at Jesus’ feet, then you should ask for the outside help of another wise and godly believer.

3. Listen
Spend a few minutes every day listening to the voice of God in His Word and prayer. Don’t let yourself be scheduled out of all church services on a weekly basis. You must have time to worship with other believers, both personally and corporately because everyone needs to sit in Jesus’ presence and enjoy HIM!

Right now(!!!)...where is your heart and mind?

Experience God

1 John 1:5-10

Music theory is fundamental to any musician’s study, which always includes the basic elements of music such as rhythm, harmony (harmonic function), melody, structure, form, style, etc. Without  some knowledge of these basic elements it is almost impossible to make music that will be pleasing to the ear.

Even then, some people are more music theorists than musical performers. (brief explanation)

In a similar fashion, some people are more theorists when it comes to God than they are people that actually experience Him. They have knowledge about how to fellowship with God, but they never actually experience intimate fellowship with Him.

The purpose of this message is to help Christians understand how they can fellowship with God and not just hold theories about experiencing Him in their lives.

In the beginning God created man to fellowship with Him. Until Adam disobeyed God, he walked with Him in the Garden of Eden. But, after his sin he hid from God and was covered in the shame of his transgression. As a result, God set in motion His plan of redemption that culminated in the crucifixion of Jesus Christ on Calvary and His resurrection from the grave. Through the Gospel (death, burial, resurrection) men are brought back into right relationship with God through His Son so that they may have fellowship together with Him as He intended. The only condition to being brought into right relationship with God is to trust His Son as your Savior! However, there is at least one specific condition to experiencing ongoing fellowship with God!

The passage we are considering is perhaps the fullest single treatise in the NT explaining how to have fellowship with God. One author put it this way in describing the text:

“It would be difficult to find any single passage of Scripture more crucial and fundamental to daily Christian living than 1 John 1:5-10. For here, in a few brief verses, the ‘disciple whom Jesus loved’ has laid down for us the basic principles which underlie a vital walk with God.”

It’s important to remember that this passage is dealing with the matter of “fellowship,” a word found four (4) times in the ten verses of 1 John chapter 1 (1:3 - twice, 6, 7). Fellowship involves sharing something together in common with at least one other person.

John makes three affirmations (1:5, 7, 9) that are countered by three responses each of which are false counter statements (1:6, 8, 10). From the three affirmations we learn how to have fellowship with God or experience Him in our lives.

Affirmation #1: “...God is light and in Him is no darkness at all.”

“Light” is a common metaphor for God and it speaks of His holiness/sinlessness. There is no sin in God at all! Darkness is a metaphor for error or evil, which is never found in God.

God is “light” by nature (in His essential being) just as He is Spirit (John 4:24) and love (4:8). “Light” refers to His moral character...no darkness (sinfulness) at all: God is holy, untouched by any evil or unrighteousness. Because God is “light,” those who desire fellowship with Him must also be pure.

Intellectually, “light” can represent biblical truth while “darkness” represents error or falsehood (cf. Psalm 119:105; Proverbs 6:23; John 1:4; 8:12). Morally, as it is used here, “light” represents holiness or purity while “darkness” represents sin or wrongdoing (Romans 13:11–14; 1 Thessalonians 5:4–7).

Light and darkness are favorite antithetical concepts in the Johannine writings (John 1:4–5; 3:19–21; 8:12; 12:35–36, 46; 1 John 2:8–11; cf. Revelation 21:24 and 22:5).

This is a foundational statement about God that must be understood for us to have fellowship with Him!

• False counter statement:

“If we say that we have fellowship with Him, and walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice [i.e., act consistently with] the truth.” (1 John 1:6)

These are the words of someone that is living (conducting his life) in known sin, but still claiming to be in fellowship with God. You can’t be walking in the light and in the darkness at the same time.

Illustration:
A son has in him the life of his earthly father because through his father he came into this world. However, if he makes his home at a distance from his father they will not be able to have shared experiences. In the same way, a Christian who lives at a moral distance from God loses the privilege of shared experience with God. Walking in the light brings Father and spiritual child into the same moral realm and that realm itself becomes the foundational experience which they have in common

Affirmation #2: “...if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin.” (1 John 1:7)

To “walk in the light” means to be in the light, to be exposed to it, to refuse to hide out in the darkness.

Illustration of the flashlight...

The text doesn’t say we have to “walk according to the light” for that would require sinless perfection. It says we must “walk IN the light,” i.e., to be open and responsive to the light. It means that we have to walk in the sphere of the light that comes to us through God’s Word.

As we do this two things occur: 1. We experience fellowship with God. 2. We experience cleansing by God.

One writer puts it this way, “...while the believer exposes himself openly to God and to God's truth, he experiences both a sharing with God and a cleansing by God. The latter makes the former both reasonable and right, for given the sinfulness of even the best of men—the apostles themselves, in fact—fellowship with a sinless God—in whom there is no darkness at all—could only occur if man's unholiness were constantly under the efficacious influence of the blood of Jesus Christ his Son. This has nothing to do with our initial salvation which is fully guaranteed to us at the moment of our faith. Rather it has to do with the righteousness of God in permitting His far from perfect children to live in His presence and to share the light where He is. Nothing less than the blood of Christ could make this possible, and no Christian has ever enjoyed so much as a single moment of fellowship to which the Savior's sacrifice, in all its value, has not been contemporaneously applied!”

• False counter statement:

“If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.” (1 John 1:8)

Some people take “no sin” as a claim to no longer possess a sin nature or sin principle. This doesn’t represent the manner in which John commonly uses these words. It is the unique sense in which you find them in his writings that is the interpretive clue as to what he means here.

Dr. Robert Law, in his extensive commentary on John’s epistles, says, “The phrase ‘to have sin’ is peculiar to St. John, and has a quite definite sense. Thus in John 15: 22 our Lord says, ‘If I had not come and spoken unto them, they had not had sin; but now they have no excuse for their sin.’ Here, beyond question, ‘to have sin’ specifically denotes the guiltiness of the agent. In John 9:41; 15:24; 19:11 the sense is equally clear; and these parallels must be held as decisive for the meaning here.”

In other words, to “say that we have no sin” is equivalent to saying, “I have no consciousness of sin (sense of guilt for sin) in my life.”

Someone may be walking in the light and presently have no conscious guilt about specific sins being committed, but it would be a grave error to assume that sin is no longer present with him, at all. The fact is, if sin were no longer present with him he would no longer need the continual cleansing of the “blood of Christ.” If at any point in our lives we conclude that we are free of sin then the cross of Christ has lost its grip on our hearts.

John would have understood just how quickly sin can overtake Christ-followers from having known Peter’s outright denials of Christ after confessing that he would never do so (Mark 14:27-31). Peter had no awareness of his potential, upcoming failure until he was faced with the temptation.

Even when we think everything is good in our lives we must remain open to God showing us more than we presently see that will need confession.

New believers in Christ don’t have near the sensitivity to sin as do those that have walked with Christ for many years. They have just emerged from the darkness, but the longer they are in the light the more plainly they will see themselves and their sin. It’s not that sin becomes the preoccupation of their lives (our lives), but apart from the process of self-discovery that can only be realized in the light can a person know deeper fellowship with God.

Affirmation #3: “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” (1 John 1:9)

Confession or agreeing with God is the integral part of walking in the light with God (i.e., experiencing God). It is impossible to truly experience fellowship with God and refuse to acknowledge the sins that are exposed by the light.

The fact that God has removed the penalty for our sins at conversion (1 Corinthians 6:11; Ephesians 1:7; 4:32; Colossians 2:13) doesn’t mean we don’t need to confess our sins regularly.

The forgiveness we experience at the moment of salvation is forensic (judicial, positional). The forgiveness under discussion in this passage is familial. The forgiveness at salvation concerns our relationship with God. The forgiveness here concerns our fellowship with God.

The plural pronouns that began early in this chapter continue throughout the chapter. The Apostle John includes himself, the rest of the apostles, the readers to whom he is writing, and all of us. Even John and the apostles needed to confess their sins!

And, God has promised to forgive all sins confessed to Him. This confession either permits us to begin walking in the light (have fellowship with God) again and/or keeps us from moving out of the light.

• False counter statement:

“If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar...” (1 John 1:10)

To say that you “have not sinned” is to deny what the light has exposed in your life. When you move in this direction you begin excusing and justifying your sin. You basically deny what God says about your sin.

All of these counter statements leave a person in contradiction to God. Listen to the strong words of John concerning those that fail to believe his affirmations: “we lie and do not practice the truth,” “we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us,” and “we make Him a liar, and His word is not in us.”

Experiencing God necessitates that we walk in the light. When the light exposes something sinful in our lives we immediately confess it. Even when we don’t know of any conscious sin in our lives we acknowledge that God sees what we cannot see and we desire that He bring to light anything that needs confession. Our prayer is always that of the Psalmist.

“Search me, O God, and know my heart; Try me, and know my anxieties; And see if there is any wicked way in me, And lead me in the way everlasting.” (Psalm 139:3-4)

The only way to experience God is to be open to Him every day of our lives and to walk before Him with integrity of heart. If we regress into the darkness of sin we will miss the sweet fellowship He desires us to enjoy with Him.