Sermon – “Keeping Your Eye on the Prize”

Now it happened as they went that He entered a certain village; and a certain woman named Martha welcomed Him into her house. 39 And she had a sister called Mary, who also sat at Jesus’ feet and heard His word. 40 But Martha was distracted with much serving, and she approached Him and said, “Lord, do You not care that my sister has left me to serve alone? Therefore tell her to help me.” 41 And Jesus answered and said to her, “Martha, Martha, you are worried and troubled about many things. 42 But one thing is needed, and Mary has chosen that good part, which will not be taken away from her.”

Keeping your eyes on keeping your eyes on the prize. I want to share a story before I share the scripture. Once upon a time many many years ago there lived a king who had a beautiful daughter this princess had many offers of marriage but she couldn’t make up her mind being the remaining type she wanted a man who would love her more than he loved anything else in the world. Finally she devised a way to test the love of her suitors an announcement was made and sent throughout the kingdom that only certain day there would be a race. The winner of the race would marry the Princess the race was open to every man in the kingdom. Regardless of his position. All those required was that the man had to love the princess more than he loved anything else when the chosen day man rich and poor gathered at the starting line. Each man was told that the princess waited at the finish line. Whoever reached her first could take her as his bride just before the race was to begin the king made an announcement not wanting any man to run the race in vain. The king had liberally scattered some of his finest razors along the course there were necklaces and pendants and jewel encrusted cups and swords and nods and all sorts of precious things each runner was welcome to take as many as he liked. The race was begun one by one the runners princes and poppers alike turned aside to fill their pockets and carry off what treasures they could blinded by the immediate promise of wealth they forgot the princess and all the profession of love. All except one. He pressed on ignoring what to him were trinkets when compared to the comparable beauty of the Princess found the crossing the finish line. The winner on. Only one was victorious now is because he kept his eye on the prize didn’t fill his pockets with all those trinkets Luke Chapter ten versus thirty eight through forty two now it happened as they went that he entered a certain village any certain woman named Martha welcome him into her house and she had a sister called Mary who also sat at Jesus’ feet and heard his words but Martha was distracted with much serving and she approached him and said Lord. Do you not care that my sister has left me to serve alone. Therefore teller to help me and Jesus answered and said to her 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. May god add his blessings to the hearing and reading of His Holy Word. Not sure that most here are least a little bit familiar with this passage of Scripture and you can envision Martha just hurrying about the house making sure that everybody has something to drink and hurrying about making sure everybody’s comfortable when she might even serve some snacks on the tray. But yet she was also preparing the meal. You know in those days they couldn’t call Papa John’s for delivery. They couldn’t just pop something in the microwave to prepare a meal took a lot of work a lot of time a lot of preparation and Mary being the very conscientious host that she was made sure that everything was in order and all this time that Martha’s hurrying around hurrying and skurrying there sat her younger sister Mary just sitting at the feet of Jesus listening to every word that he would say the message Bible says that she hung on every word that Jesus spoke she hung. Every word she didn’t want to miss one word Jesus had to say she was so engulfed by Jesus teaching that it’s she probably didn’t even know that Martha was scurrying around preparing things she probably didn’t even notice it that Martha was so busy and Martha she scurrying around there and all this time she’s looking every time she’s going in and out see and Mary she just that hanger builds up in her as we talked about anger this morning. She just can’t believe it there she is leaving me to do all the work she just sitting there. She interrupts Jesus C. interrupts his teaching and says Lord don’t you care. Don’t you care that my oldest sister has left me to do all this work by myself. Tell her to help me. Now those of you who are committed housekeepers can appreciate Martha’s irritation. Especially if you have a less than ambitious sibling or spouse. You probably can understand her irritation. You know I heard a story actually just yesterday and this woman was a used to be a control freak and she says every year. Don’t look to Jennifer Brown I’m not talking about it every year she says a Christmas time would she just was always a control freak but a Christmas time she had everything organized in boxes and had every box marked for exactly where everything went so every year they drag out the Christmas presents and say come on family let’s just decorate where after about fifteen minutes of mom say and up that’s not right you got to do it this way that’s not right to go to dissuade the oldest kind of wandered off. She was left to do it herself. So one year she decided I’m not going to do that anymore I know that I’m a control freak I’m going to I’m going to let go. So she was at home with only her twelve year old son. She said Son she goes. Let’s decorate for Christmas. He says really she says Yep and you get to do whatever you want. So she drags all the stuff out he goes outside he starts putting the outside decorations up well she gave him some money they went down to the dollar store and bought this gaudy looking stuff and take it on the sidewalk with it and she’s all that all along she said I’m really fighting to say not say all that just looks terrible. She didn’t she let him do it they go inside the store to decorate the tree and he had balls in a clump here and balls in a clump there didn’t have everything exactly spaced equally and he just went on and on to see said she really had to fight the urge to not say you know say no that’s not right but at the end of the day sat down together on the couch. He says mom. THIS WAS THE BEST DAY EVER what she had to fight that urge not to control. Martha was kind of a control freak I think Jesus tell her to help me you know things weren’t done way she wanted to be done she wanted help. Martha thought surely the Lord would take her side didn’t she he says Martha Martha you’re worried and upset about many things but only one thing is needed and Mary is chosen that which is better and it will not be taken from her when we choose that which is better it will not be taken from us Mary had only done one thing set of Jesus’ feet but it was enough to draw the praise of Jesus. If you want to draw the praise of Jesus be in thrall by his every word draw close to him and you will receive the praise of Jesus. You know knowing how compassionate Jesus is I don’t think this was a harsh scolding that he gave Martha. I don’t think would be a stretch to say Jesus probably had a smile. Face and he said Martha Martha Martha Come on you know you’re so easily distracted there are times when this we can become so easily distracted. No there are minds can be GOING TO thousand miles an hour there are so many things can be on our minds. During the course of the week or the month. You know I’ve had days Robbie travelling down the road or so many things on my mind off like oh I was supposed to turn about a mile back there I forgot you know anybody ever been that busy in your minds that distracted. I have there are so many things that can distract us distract us from our time with the Lord we know that Satan’s been called the Great Deceiver. Why I think we could give him another name the great distractor because anything that he can come up with to distract you away from the Lord distract you away from his word he has succeeded. So yes he is also a great distractor I found a story told by Pastor John Gable and he tells a story about a couple in his church name Allen Betty Johnson they lived on a farm about two hundred miles northeast of Rapid City South Dakota. Not many folks lived in Rapid City. They say it isn’t the end of the earth but you can see it from there. Needless to say there wasn’t a Wal-Mart in the neighborhood there wasn’t any other department stores or big grocery stores. So whenever the Johnsons needed to go get something they knew that they had to make their trip count. So they kept a running list of things that they wanted to do or things they wanted to buy when they would go into town. Well it just so happened that Betty’s mother was going to be coming to visit. And it was going to be Al’s job to go pick her up at the airport. So our started compound his list of everything that he wanted to do so finally he gets home that night when he left for the airport. And he was so pleased to tell Betty about all the accomplished she got new tires put in the truck. Found everything that we needed at the store and he even bought Betty a new dress he just couldn’t wait to tell her about it and show it to er. So he’s going to all this stuff. Finally she interrupted him and ask how where’s mom. Where’s Mom poor ause face turned ashen and read it seems that he is determined to complete everything with his list to be forgotten what he went for. He forgotten the real purpose for the trip he left Mom at the airport. Nono some people this forgotten her car. And at that somewhere parked and went somewhere or somebody and come back and went to the house. Yeah well what’s happened more than once. Because I remember falling all said to the mother in law. Where’s the car. We left that parked in originally you know Martha was hurrying about doing those little things that are so important. Whenever you have guests in your home you know she knows that Jesus appreciated her efforts. Martha and Mary became two of Jesus’ closest friends only one thing is needed now is what Jesus said to Martha only one thing. Christ is the one thing that is needed. Mary understood that she understood that in the depths of her hearts. Christianity is not about doing good though doing good as a major witness to our faith the best Christians are continually doing acts of love and charity. Christianity is not about keeping the Commandments though the best Christians seek to keep all the commandments. Especially the one about loving your neighbor as yourself Christianity at its heart is a recognition that Jesus Christ is the Lord of life. He is our master. He is our savior. What do you need to do to be saved believe in the Lord Jesus Christ. It’s all about him. I think Jesus general rebuke of Martha had an impact on her life had an impact on her attitude. She was still the same Martha yet she wasn’t that control freak any longer she wasn’t concerned about what others did in John Chapter twelve versus one through three says in six days before the Passover Jesus came to Bethany were Lazarus was who had been dead whom Jesus had raised from the dead. There they made him a supper and Martha served but Lazarus was one of those who sat at the table with them then Mary took a pound of very costly oral Spike nard anointed the feet of Jesus and wiped his feet. With her hair and the house was filled with the fragrance or oil. So there again we have Martha serving and worse Mary again at the feet of Jesus where she was the first time she was still there at his feet born pouring oil when his feet but we don’t hear of Martha say in Jesus look at her there she is again just sitting around doing nothing. Now I think she had an attitude change I think she understood she still loved him but she wasn’t jealous of what others were doing or not doing. She wasn’t insisted that others do what she wanted them to do. She’s still the same Martha. You know it doesn’t mean that she has less faith. It doesn’t mean it’s the love jesus less than Mary. But it’s just who she was it’s who she was I think that chains come from that loving gentle discipline of the Lord What parent if they love their. Child will not discipline them try to correct them if they air. It may cause one receiving the discipline to be sorrowful for a little bit but it will be worth it in the end and second Corinthians seven vs eight through Tim says for even if I make you sorry for my letter with my letter I do not regret it though I did regret it for I perceive that the same a pistol made you sorry though only for a while now rejoice not that you were made Sorry but that your sorrows lead to repentance for you were made sorry in a Godly manner that you might suffer loss from us and nothing for God The sore produces repentance leading to salvation not to be regretted. But the sorrow the world produces death. We must keep our eyes on Jesus he is the prize of our salvation. He is the prize keep your eyes on the prize which is Jesus he is a very source of our lives he is the promise of new life in the spear someone has described Jesus like this he is to the artist he is the one altogether lovely to the architect. He is the chief cornerstone to the doctor he is the great physician to the preacher he is the Word of God to the Philosopher. He is the wisdom of God to the dying he is the resurrection in the life to the geologist he is the Rock of Ages to the professor he is the master teacher to the Prodigal he is that forgiving parent with his arms wide open to the lost sheep he is the good shepherd the one who will leave the ninety nine to go search for the one to the thirsty soul he is the water of life. What do you tell the woman at the well he who drinks of the one of the water that I give will never thirst again to the hungry he is the Bread of Life. For the philanthropist. He is God’s unspeakable gift he is God’s greatest gift given to man that we can have life. Mark for the purple the Sowers says and he said to them. Do you not understand this parable. How then will you wonder stand all the parables the SO or so is the word and these are the ones by the wayside where the word assume when they hear Satan comes immediately and takes away the word that was sown in their hearts these likewise are the one seven stony ground when they hear the word immediately receive it with gladness and they have no root in themselves and so indoor only for a time afterwards when tribulation or persecution arises the words for the word sake immediately they stumble. Now these are the ones sown among thorns. They are the ones who hear the word in the cares of the world the deceitful Innes of riches the desires for other things enter in and choke the word and it becomes unfruitful but these are the one soon on good ground. Those who hear the word accept it and bear fruit some thirty fold some sixty and some a hundred fold cares. The work cares is Marina which is derives from a root word which means to be drawn in different directions. Thus to be distracted. Don’t be drawn away by the cares of this world. Don’t be distracted don’t be drawn in many different directions. We are not to be like the men in that story were not to keep putting stuff in our pockets and keep way in ourselves down with the things of the world the cares of the world because when we do them we take our eyes off of Jesus we take our eyes off the prize. Jesus said and nine. Luke nine sixty two no one having put his hands of the plough and looking back is fit for the. Kingdom of God when once you put your eyes on Jesus don’t look back keep them on him first John Chapter two verses fifteen through seventeen do not love the world or the things in the world if anyone loves the world the love of the Father is not in him for all that is in the world the lust of the flesh the lust of the eyes the pride of life is not of the Father but is of the world and the world is passing away and the last of it but he who does the will of God abides for ever. That means remains forever. Those who do the will of God Those who are not distracted by the things of the world but remain focused on Jesus make him your all make him your everything. Don’t look to the left or to the right. But look only to him a man.