Practice: Serve 8.4 - April 25, 2010

        Practice #8 – Serve
8.4 – When Serving Becomes Work

  
   A.    Jesus’ appearance with His disciples had sent Martha into a tailspin   
      1.    Martha was going around in circles
      2.    Instructed the Lord to send Mary to the kitchen
      3.    Mary had chosen to sit at Jesus’ feet and learn
      4.    Martha could have been a workaholic
         a.    Probably the oldest sister
         b.    Mary was probably the middle child

3 scriptures about Mary—each time she is sitting at Jesus’ feet    
B.    The second occasion—John 11:1-6, 17-27, 28-33
      1.    Martha’s approach was one of detail—“why did you not come?”
      2.    Mary’s approach was one of worship—she fell at His feet

   C.    Martha’s second chance – John 12:1
      1.    “Martha served” – vs 2
      2.    Mary worshiped – by anointing Him
      3.    We may need passion and practice


I.    Burnout comes from forcing ourselves to do something we are not passionate about; we have a tendency to get crabby
   A.    Martha was all about the task
   B.    Service for Christ can get in the way of communion
      1.    We are a task-oriented society
      2.    Many of us are performance driven
      3.    Tasks however are very needful—sometimes even when we don’t feel like it
      4.    Ministry is full of people who will look around and complain when everything is not getting
         done.
         a.    If Jesus were coming to your house tomorrow, what would you change?
         b.    Illustration—mother asked daughter to go get the book we always read
Matthew 13:22 (New King James Version)
Now he who received seed among the thorns is he who hears the word, and the cares of this world and the deceitfulness of riches choke the word, and he becomes unfruitful.
The cares of this world choke out our spiritual life.

II.    We may need worship as well as work
   A.    Mary’s heart longed to honor the Lord
      1.    Sitting at His feet is a safe place
      2.    Hard on Him, easy on ourselves

B.    Mary had chosen the better things
      1.    What was cooking in the living room was much more important than what was cooking in the
          kitchen
2.    When our heart is right, our hands are right

III.  Learn to get things done with the right attitude
   A.    We need a consistent place of worship and learning
      1.    Jesus had a place of prayer consistently
      2.    Paul always looked for a place to worship and pray
      3.    Maybe this is why there are so many epiphanies in the shower
  
   B.    Learn to come into His presence with intentionality
      1.    Church is not just fellowship

   C.    Devote ourselves to sit at His feet;
I Peter 2:2 as newborn babies, desire the sincere milk of the word that you may grow thereby

D.  Devote ourselves to getting His work done

Revelation 21:3-4 (New King James Version)
And I heard a loud voice from heaven saying, “Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people. God Himself will be with them and be their God. And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying.
There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away.”
    1.    Jesus longs to be with us.
    2.    Honoring Him will make us feel comfortable.

Practice: Server 8.1 - April 4, 2010 - Easter Sunday

Practice #8 – Serve 8.1 –
It’s Just Too Far-Fetched

Philippians 2:3-8 (New International Version)
Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others. Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus: 
 Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, 
but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death—even death on a cross!

We can kill the reality of Jesus’ work on the cross when we try to debate worldview for worldview. The story is pretty crazy if you think about it. Genesis 1:1 (New International Version)
In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.
John 3:16 (New International Version)
For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.
Luke 1:31-35 (New International Version)
You will be with child and give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever; his kingdom will never end." "How will this be," Mary asked the angel, "since I am a virgin?" The angel answered, "The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God.
Hebrews 4:15 (New International Version)
For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet was without sin.
Romans 5:18-19 (New International Version)
Consequently, just as the result of one trespass was condemnation for all men, so also the result of one act of righteousness was justification that brings life for all men. For just as through the disobedience of the one man the many were made sinners, so also through the obedience of the one man the many will be made righteous.

Here is the crux of the story: As a result of this amazing process of events, I am supposed to be different.
John 8:36 (New International Version)
So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.
Romans 8:1 (New International Version)
Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus,
Romans 8:31-32, 37 (New International Version)
What, then, shall we say in response to this? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all—how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things…No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.

So, how do we live in response to this?
Philippians 2:3-8 (New International Version)
Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others. Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus: 
 Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, 
but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death—even death on a cross!

As a result of this story, we should be affected to DO certain things.