Give Your Worship

Thank you to all the believers in the house that faithfully bring their tithes and offerings into the storehouse of God. It is your communion and fellowship with the word of God that provides this place of worship for us to come together and worship our King in comfort. I am personally thankful for your joint participation with the Holy Spirit as He leads you in this form of your worship. And let their be no mistake, that is what it is, it is worship! And for those that say, “You can’t afford to worship God this way, I will remind you that you worshipped Bera the king of Sodom with your money when you were in the world. The enemy of your soul enticed your flesh to spend money on yourself in ways that you should not have and now you have more money in your pocket than you ever did before and somehow you can’t find it to give to God. No, we will read it soon, and let it be known that we will all stand in the valley of The Kings and make a decision of who we will yield our will to.

My point is not to convince you how much you are to pay 10% on the gross or the net. Whether we realize it or not, the children of Israel were required to bring more than 10%. Some commentators believe that after it’s all added up, it’s closer to 20-30% and that’s not including the temple tax and that they were required to give additional freewill offerings that they wanted to give. When the Holy Spirit hit them in the book of Acts they gave everything, and Ananias and Saphira dropped dead on the spot—Then Peter said, “Ananias, why have you let Satan fill your heart? You lied to the Holy Spirit, and you kept some of the money for yourself. The property was yours to sell or not sell, as you wished. And after selling it, the money was also yours to give away. How could you do a thing like this? You weren’t lying to us but to God!” As soon as Ananias heard these words, he fell to the floor and died

More than anything my assignment this morning is to draw a line from the Old Testament to the New Testament where we can clearly see that God is the same yesterday, today and forever and that His heart for a congregation of worship in the old is the same heart for a congregation of worship in the new, the worship between He and His people required a house for Him then and it requires a house for Him today.

It is also not my intent to convince you to believe the way that I believe. When I first got saved, my pastor told me that I was supposed to pay tithes, she told me that meant 10%. My wicked heart said, “10% of the gross or the net, and she said, it depends on if you want a gross or net blessing. From there I spoke to elders in the church and their story was pretty much the same, “Do you want a net or a gross. No, it’s not my job to convince you of anything. It’s my job to study and pray and present His word to you, and it’s your job to study and pray and decide whether you will receive the word that I bring to you. And one day, I will stand before God and give an account for the word that I delivered, and you will stand before God and give an account for the word you received, and if you don’t think that is a serious thing—then we disagree.

Luke 10:7 the laborer is worthy of his hire

1 Timothy 5:17-18

17 Let the elders that rule well be counted worthy of double honour, especially they who labour in the word and doctrine. 18 For the scripture saith, Thou shalt not muzzle the ox that treadeth out the corn. And, The labourer is worthy of his reward.

Corban- MT 27:6, MK 7:11Lev. 1:2, Nu. 7:12-13 something brought near to the altar, a sacrificial present that was brought to the Lord as a form of worship. Sometimes animals, sometimes precious metals.

The tithe is for the Lord’s House

The tithe is for the Lord’s work

What is the Lord’s work? Getting you near—How does He do that? How do you do that?

What is your purpose? Serve Him

Whose house is it? The Lord’s

Whose table is it? Whose food is it? “I pay my tithes where I get fed”

While I definitely agree that it is God’s will for his people to not forsake the gathering of the brethren

Genesis 14:16

Then he brought back all the possessions, and also brought back his kinsman Lot with his possessions, and the women and the people.

Genesis 14:17-24

Abram Blessed by Melchizedek

17 After his return from the defeat of Chedorlaomer and the kings who were with him, the king of Sodom went out to meet him at the Valley of Shaveh (that is, the King's Valley).

18 And Melchizedek king of Salem brought out bread and wine. (He was priest of God Most High.)

19 And he blessed him and said,

“Blessed be Abram by God Most High,

Possessor of heaven and earth;

20 and blessed be God Most High,

who has delivered your enemies into your hand!”

And Abram gave him a tenth of everything.

21 And the king of Sodom said to Abram, “Give me the persons, but take the goods for yourself.”

22 But Abram said to the king of Sodom, “I have lifted my hand to the LORD, God Most High, Possessor of heaven and earth,

23 that I would not take a thread or a sandal strap or anything that is yours, lest you should say, ‘I have made Abram rich.’

24 I will take nothing but what the young men have eaten, and the share of the men who went with me. Let Aner, Eshcol, and Mamre take their share.”

Hebrews 7:1-10

Galatians 2:17-18

Regarding Abraham’s statement to Bera, the Lord says something to Israel…

Deuteronomy 8:17-18

17 Beware lest you say in your heart, ‘My power and the might of my hand have gotten me this wealth.’ 18 You shall remember the LORD your God, for it is he who gives you power to get wealth, that he may confirm his covenant that he swore to your fathers, as it is this day.

• There is a spiritual truth that some of the most wealthy humans in the world have learned…when you give to charity, there is a financial blessing that comes back, but that is not the reason that believers give to God. O’ many have fallen into that trap, but giving to God is a form of worship and reverence to Him.

Exodus 8:1-28

Serve- set a work to be wrought, worshipper,

God commands the blessing on His people for the purpose that they can give to His work

Exodus 12:35-36

35 The people of Israel had also done as Moses told them, for they had asked the Egyptians for silver and gold jewelry and for clothing. 36 And the LORD had given the people favor in the sight of the Egyptians, so that they let them have what they asked. Thus they plundered the Egyptians.

The tabernacle is the house where the work of worship takes place and the whole congregation takes part and gives to the work…

Exodus 36:1-7

1 “Bezalel and Oholiab and every craftsman in whom the LORD has put skill and intelligence to know how to do any work in the construction of the sanctuary shall work in accordance with all that the LORD has commanded.”

2 And Moses called Bezalel and Oholiab and every craftsman in whose mind the LORD had put skill, everyone whose heart stirred him up to come to do the work. 3 And they received from Moses all the contribution that the people of Israel had brought for doing the work on the sanctuary. They still kept bringing him freewill offerings every morning, 4 so that all the craftsmen who were doing every sort of task on the sanctuary came, each from the task that he was doing, 5 and said to Moses, “The people bring much more than enough for doing the work that the LORD has commanded us to do.” 6 So Moses gave command, and word was proclaimed throughout the camp, “Let no man or woman do anything more for the contribution for the sanctuary.” So the people were restrained from bringing, 7 for the material they had was sufficient to do all the work, and more.

Exodus 13:1-2

Consecration of the Firstborn

1 The LORD said to Moses, 2 “Consecrate to me all the firstborn. Whatever is the first to open the womb among the people of Israel, both of man and of beast, is mine.”

Exodus 13:7-8

7 Unleavened bread shall be eaten for seven days; no leavened bread shall be seen with you, and no leaven shall be seen with you in all your territory. 8 You shall tell your son on that day, ‘It is because of what the LORD did for me when I came out of Egypt.’ How did He deliver?

Exodus 13:11-14

11 “When the LORD brings you into the land of the Canaanites, as he swore to you and your fathers, and shall give it to you, 12 you shall set apart to the LORD all that first opens the womb. All the firstborn of your animals that are males shall be the LORD'S. 13 Every firstborn of a donkey you shall redeem with a lamb, or if you will not redeem it you shall break its neck. Every firstborn of man among your sons you shall redeem. 14 And when in time to come your son asks you, ‘What does this mean?’ you shall say to him, By a strong hand the LORD brought us out of Egypt, from the house of slavery. How did He deliver?

Exodus 13:15-16

15 For when Pharaoh stubbornly refused to let us go, the LORD killed all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both the firstborn of man and the firstborn of animals. Therefore I sacrifice to the LORD all the males that first open the womb, but all the firstborn of my sons I redeem.’ 16 It shall be as a mark on your hand or frontlets between your eyes, for by a strong hand the LORD brought us out of Egypt.”

Numbers 3:40-51

How did He redeem the Firstborn

40 And the LORD said to Moses, “List all the firstborn males of the people of Israel, from a month old and upward, taking the number of their names. 41 And you shall take the Levites for me—I am the LORD—instead of all the firstborn among the people of Israel, and the cattle of the Levites instead of all the firstborn among the cattle of the people of Israel.” 42 So Moses listed all the firstborn among the people of Israel, as the LORD commanded him. 43 And all the firstborn males, according to the number of names, from a month old and upward as listed were 22,273.

44 And the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, 45 “Take the Levites instead of all the firstborn among the people of Israel, and the cattle of the Levites instead of their cattle. The Levites shall be mine: I am the LORD. 46 And as the redemption price for the 273 of the firstborn of the people of Israel, over and above the number of the male Levites, 47 you shall take five shekels per head; you shall take them according to the shekel of the sanctuary (the shekel of twenty gerahs), 48 and give the money to Aaron and his sons as the redemption price for those who are over.” 49 So Moses took the redemption money from those who were over and above those redeemed by the Levites. 50 From the firstborn of the people of Israel he took the          M. Mmoney, 1,365 shekels, by the shekel of the sanctuary. 51 And Moses gave the redemption money to Aaron and his sons, according to the word of the LORD, as the LORD commanded Moses.

Leviticus 27:30-34

30 “Every tithe of the land, whether of the seed of the land or of the fruit of the trees, is the LORD'S; it is holy to the LORD. 31 If a man wishes to redeem some of his tithe, he shall add a fifth to it. 32 And every tithe of herds and flocks, every tenth animal of all that pass under the herdsman's staff, shall be holy to the LORD. 33 One shall not differentiate between good or bad, neither shall he make a substitute for it; and if he does substitute for it, then both it and the substitute shall be holy; it shall not be redeemed.”

34 These are the commandments that the LORD commanded Moses for the people of Israel on Mount Sinai.

Malachi 3:1-3

1 “Behold, I send my messenger, and he will prepare the way before me. And the Lord whom you seek will suddenly come to his temple; and the messenger of the covenant in whom you delight, behold, he is coming, says the LORD of hosts. 2 But who can endure the day of his coming, and who can stand when he appears? For he is like a refiner's fire and like fullers' soap. 3 He will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver, and he will purify the sons of Levi and refine them like gold and silver, and they will bring offerings in righteousness to the LORD.

Malachi 3:6-11

Robbing God

6 “For I the LORD do not change; therefore you, O children of Jacob, are not consumed. 7 From the days of your fathers you have turned aside from my statutes and have not kept them. Return to me, and I will return to you, says the LORD of hosts. But you say, ‘How shall we return?’ 8 Will man rob God? Yet you are robbing me. But you say, ‘How have we robbed you?’ In your tithes and contributions. 9 You are cursed with a curse, for you are robbing me, the whole nation of you. 10 Bring the full tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. And thereby put me to the test, says the LORD of hosts, if I will not open the windows of heaven for you and pour down for you a blessing until there is no more need. 11 I will rebuke the devourer for you, so that it will not destroy the fruits of your soil, and your vine in the field shall not fail to bear, says the LORD of hosts.

Whose house is it? Whose food is it?

Numbers 28:1-2

Daily Offerings

1 The LORD spoke to Moses, saying, 2 “Command the people of Israel and say to them, ‘My offering, my food for my food offerings, my pleasing aroma, you shall be careful to offer to me at its appointed time.’

1. On the first day of the 7th you shall blow the trumpet. You shall do no servile work and you shall offer a burnt offering as a pleasing aroma

2. V6 besides the burnt offering of the new moon, and its grain offering, and the regular burnt offering and its grain offering, and their drink offering, according to the rule for them, for a pleasing aroma, a food offering to the LORD.

3. V13 on the 15th day of the month… you shall offer a burnt offering, a food offering, with a pleasing aroma to the LORD, thirteen bulls from the herd, two rams, fourteen male lambs a year old; they shall be without blemish

4. V 35-36 On the eighth day you shall have a solemn assembly. You shall not do any ordinary work, but you shall offer a burnt offering, a food offering, with a pleasing aroma to the LORD: one bull, one ram, seven male lambs a year old without blemish

And how do we rectify what seems like a contradiction in Hebrews 10 where he says:

V5b ….Sacrifices and offerings you have not desired v6 in burnt offerings and sin offerings

you have taken no pleasure…because it is written of me in the scroll of the book to do your will O’ God—a body you have prepared for me

Hebrews 7:23-28

23 The former priests were many in number, because they were prevented by death from continuing in office, 24 but he holds his priesthood permanently, because he continues forever. 25 Consequently, he is able to save to the uttermost those who draw near to God through him, since he always lives to make intercession for them.

26 For it was indeed fitting that we should have such a high priest, holy, innocent, unstained, separated from sinners, and exalted above the heavens. 27 He has no need, like those high priests, to offer sacrifices daily, first for his own sins and then for those of the people, since he did this once for all when he offered up himself. 28 For the law appoints men in their weakness as high priests, but the word of the oath, which came later than the law, appoints a Son who has been made perfect forever.

Praise Him!

Praise and worship:

Hebrews 11:6 But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.

Yada- praise, make confession 2, thanksgiving, cast out 1, shoot 1, thankful. physically, to throw (a stone, an arrow) at or away; to revere or worship (with extended hands);

hillûl; (in the sense of rejoicing); a celebration of thanksgiving for harvest: — merry, praise. AV (2) - make merry, rejoicing, praise, glory, boast, foolish 3, fools 2, commended 2, rage 2, celebrate 1, give 1, marriage 1, renowned 1; stultify- cause (someone) to appear foolish or absurd:

to shine (fig. of God's favor)

When you start to dissect the words praise and worship, you realize that one thing you find is that praise is connected to sound; it can be vocal or instrumental. One of the words used is laud which means to use verbal or written expression to give respect. Praise is connected to sound;

Psalms 150

Let Everything Praise the LORD

1 Praise the LORD! Praise God in his sanctuary; praise him in his mighty heavens! 2 Praise him for his mighty deeds; praise him according to his excellent greatness! 3 Praise him with trumpet sound; praise him with lute and harp! 4 Praise him with tambourine and dance; praise him with strings and pipe! 5 Praise him with sounding cymbals; praise him with loud clashing cymbals! 6 Let everything that has breath praise the LORD! Praise the LORD!

Praise connected to sound; whereas, worship has a physical or positional component. Various words connected to worship can be related to bowing, kneeling, lifting hands low or high in the air, laying prostrate on the ground. The word positional or postural would be a good word to use. Before we started the study, Niya was in there, and we were talking to her about some of this and she remembered coming away from a study that she did on worship with the thought that worship was all about the position or posture of the heart.

Lily made a comment that she did some study once and came away with the idea that there is an invitation going out from God to man and that praise initiates the response and praise will ultimately lead to worship. Think about that. The God of glory is inviting man to know Him and live for Him and belong to Him. When a man recognizes that truth, he will laud or praise God, and once a human begins to praise him, the position of his heart will slowly move to a posture of worship: I reverence you God, I recognize your authority, your holiness, the truth of your word, and I realize that I have transgressed your ways. I lower myself in your presence. Forgive me and give me strength to live for you. For you are worthy to have your word obeyed.

And then Brennan brought up a great scripture to cap things off:

Romans 12:1-2 1 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. 2 And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.

Romans 12:1-2

A Living Sacrifice

1 I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. 2 Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.

The name of praise

Genesis 29:35 And she conceived again, and bare a son: and she said, Now will I praise the LORD: therefore she called his name Judah; and left bearing.

Genesis 49:8. Judah, thou art he whom thy brethren shall praise: thy hand shall be in the neck of thine enemies; thy father's children shall bow down before thee.

Niya and Bill the first time the English word worship was used was in the book of Genesis:

God asks Abraham to worship, offer Isaac as sacrifice

Genesis 22:5-6 5 And Abraham said unto his young men, Abide ye here with the ass; and I and the lad will go yonder and worship, and come again to you. 6 And Abraham took the wood of the burnt offering, and laid it upon Isaac his son; and he took the fire in his hand, and a knife; and they went both of them together.

Whole Burnt offering

Genesis 8:20-22. 20 And Noah builded an altar unto the LORD; and took of every clean beast, and of every clean fowl, and offered burnt offerings on the altar. 21 And the LORD smelled a sweet savour; and the LORD said in his heart, I will not again curse the ground any more for man's sake; for the imagination of man's heart is evil from his youth; neither will I again smite any more every thing living, as I have done. 22 While the earth remaineth, seedtime and harvest, and cold and heat, and summer and winter, and day and night shall not cease.

In these passages what we realize is that worship isn’t about us. The focal point of worship is all about God and in order for true worship to take place the opposite of self must occur. In order for true worship to take place, like the burnt offering, self must die, so that God can be exalted, so self help teaching and psychology that tries to better the old man has no place in the house of God. Worship is all about God, and our heart’s posture towards Him. It’s about giving Him glory, lauding Him, reverencing and honoring Him, and when His creation does that, His word says that He will inhabit those praises:

Psalms 22:3 But thou art holy, O thou that inhabitest the praises of Israel.

Inhabit- to dwell somewhere, to sit down and remain in a place

It seems clear to me that God showed us the true fulfillment of whole burnt offering worship when, as a father, like Abraham, God offered His Son Jesus to die on the cross? Jesus, the fulfillment of the whole burnt offering. Jesus where something died before it could ever really live according the real purpose. (I sanctify myself, so that they can be Sanctified. Sanctify them in your word. Your word is truth)

So in one sense, worship has nothing to do with what it sounds like in that it’s really about the position of the heart that is approaching God. A simple hymn sung by a person that can’t really stay in tune could, if sung from a prostrated heart, bring tears to a hardened criminal’s eyes and bring a breakthrough to the heart, nothing to do with the person except a willingness to stultify everything to do with the person, a vessel that contains God’s glory releasing His glory right there where they are, so that God’s glory will fill the earth.

So it’s not how well it sounds, it’s how low it bows. Is the position of the heart humble, broken, thankful, loving and kind towards God as that heart sings and gives its praise? On the other hand everything that we do for God is supposed to be the best that we have to offer. The best lamb, the first fruits. If all we have is a turtle dove, then we give Him the best turtle dove that we have. If we have a ram, we give him the best one, but that doesn’t make sense. If I give him my best and strongest male ram of the flock, it’s going to weaken the gene pool of my herd. You don’t understand your God yet. It’s an act of faith. Worship is about Him. It’s about believing Him, thanking Him, acknowledging Him in everything we do and everywhere we go. And He says that if we do that He will be with us. Well, I tried preacher, and I didn’t get it yet— get what? The thing I was looking to get. Well, maybe you didn’t do it long enough. Keep believing, keep trusting! Abraham believed God and never saw the promise. It wasn’t about Abraham. It was about the promised seed. It’s not about us. It’s about the promised seed.

When you study the word of God, you have to keep in mind what you learned before. God’s word makes more sense when we keep it connected and study it that way. It is living, chronological and He desires to reveal Himself, His plan and what’s going on now to us through His word. Therefore, we must pay close attention to what He is saying.

God’s purpose for man was that he was created to be the image of His glory, wherever man would go, he would carry with him the image/ glory of the Lord…But as truly as I live, all the earth shall be filled with the glory of the LORD. Numbers 14:21. The earth was created as a place for man to bear the image of His glory and to spread that glory over all the earth. Before the fall, to make the whole earth like Eden, a place where God’s presence dwelled all over His creation, in and through His creation man. Imagine this the thought that the whole earth filled with the glory of the Lord as every man, woman and child is like a harmonic, walking symphony of praise, glory and worship to the Lord…But as truly as I live, all the earth shall be filled with the glory of the LORD.

But then the fall, an act of rebellion incited by evil entities, evil enemies that hate God and desire to steal His glory and receive honor and glory for themselves through some form of forced obedience towards sinful worship.

The definition of glory in the Old Testament is honor, dignity or reverence

Dignity- nobility or elevation of character; worthiness

• elevated rank, office, station, etc.

• A sign or token of respect

Reverence- a gesture indicative of deep respect; an obeisance, bow, or curtsy.

• the state of being revered, or treated with respect tinged with awe.

God loves cleanliness, clean living, obedience, praise, worship, faith, then it stands to reason that the forces of evil would want man to do the opposite…

They would want man to believe and to do the opposite. Instead of believing God and His word and honoring His holiness with obedience and thankfulness through righteous living defined by God’s word, evil would entice man to do the opposite.

Then, instead of man being found in God’s image and bringing God’s glory into the earth, they would instead entice man to become corrupt, wicked, obey their commands, and worship them through sin. Now, instead of a worship or bowing down through a willing submission, you have a slavery form of reverence that is driven by an unholy fear instead of a godly fear.

As man takes this behavior, obedience to sin and corruption of God’s word with him around the world; he (man) now bears the image of evil, and the image of evil has now been and is being spread across the earth. And so if we view this thought from one of the points that I made last week—sanctification- set apart to God, made holy. Now, at least in my eyes, sanctification takes on a whole other level. Instead of filling myself w certain words from music that has spirits connected to it, I fill myself w praise and worship. Instead of binging Netflix, I spend time in my prayer closet.

Looking from this angle, evil trying to cause man to bear their image, makes the rebellion of Babel take on a whole new layer, the rebellion during the times of the judges, each individual rebellion, especially of leaders that caused God’s people to rebel. The repeated rebellion of the Judges, rebellion that results in bondage, the rebellion of Solomon that splits the kingdom and ushers in idolatry and sin and wickedness, finding its climax in Ahab and that wicked woman Jezebel who seduces God’s people and steals their hearts away from Him.

Acts vs Revelation

Acts 2:11 we do hear them speak in our tongues the wonderful works of God

…But as truly as I live, all the earth shall be filled with the glory of the LORD

VS.

Revelation 13:15 He had power to make the image of the beast speak and cause all those that will not worship the image of the beast to be killed V 18 Here is wisdom let him that has understanding know the number of the beast is a number of a man— they worship the image of the beast 666 he entices them that man be exalted— Islam at the prison

This earth belongs to God. God said that His glory would fill the earth. Satan wants to steal God’s glory, receive God’s worship and attempt to take over this earth. He wants to turn God’s people into slaves, so that they cannot worship and serve God. Now, it makes sense when I remember God’s words:

Exodus 6:1-8

1 Then the LORD said unto Moses, Now shalt thou see what I will do to Pharaoh: for with a strong hand shall he let them go, and with a strong hand shall he drive them out of his land. 2 And God spake unto Moses, and said unto him, I am the LORD: 3 And I appeared unto Abraham, unto Isaac, and unto Jacob, by the name of God Almighty, but by my name JEHOVAH was I not known to them. 4 And I have also established my covenant with them, to give them the land of Canaan, the land of their pilgrimage, wherein they were strangers. 5 And I have also heard the groaning of the children of Israel, whom the Egyptians keep in bondage; and I have remembered my covenant. 6 Wherefore say unto the children of Israel, I am the LORD, and I will bring you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians, and I will rid you out of their bondage, and I will redeem you with a stretched out arm, and with great judgments: 7 And I will take you to me for a people, and I will be to you a God: and ye shall know that I am the LORD your God, which bringeth you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians. 8 And I will bring you in unto the land, concerning the which I did swear to give it to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob; and I will give it you for an heritage: I am the LORD.

Exodus 15:11-12. 11 “Who is like you, O LORD, among the gods? Who is like you, majestic in holiness, awesome in glorious deeds, doing wonders? 12 You stretched out your right hand; the earth swallowed them.

Psalms 149. 1 Praise ye the LORD. Sing unto the LORD a new song, and his praise in the congregation of saints. 2 Let Israel rejoice in him that made him: let the children of Zion be joyful in their King. 3 Let them praise his name in the dance: let them sing praises unto him with the timbrel and harp. 4 For the LORD taketh pleasure in his people: he will beautify the meek with salvation. 5 Let the saints be joyful in glory: let them sing aloud upon their beds. 6 Let the high praises of God be in their mouth, and a two-edged sword in their hand; 7 To execute vengeance upon the heathen, and punishments upon the people; 8 To bind their kings with chains, and their nobles with fetters of iron; 9 To execute upon them the judgment written: this honour have all his saints. Praise ye the LORD.

DISTRACTIONS: Blockers of the Blessing

Luke 10:38-42 NASB

Martha and Mary

38 Now as they were traveling along, He entered a village; and a woman named Martha welcomed Him into her home. 39 She had a sister called Mary, who was seated at the Lord’s feet, listening to His word. 40 But Martha was distracted with all her preparations; and she came up to Him and said, “Lord, do You not care that my sister has left me to do all the serving alone? Then tell her to help me.” 41 But the Lord answered and said to her, “Martha, Martha, you are worried and bothered about so many things; 42 but only one thing is necessary, for Mary has chosen the good part, which shall not be taken away from her.”

We don’t really learn much about Mary from this story alone, but the scripture has certainly enlightened us to what’s going on in Martha’s life:

She was distracted— she had work to do; after all, somebody has to do the work. The KJV uses the word serving instead of preparations, interesting because it’s the same Greek word used to describe how Stephen the martyr and Phillip got started in Ministry. The word in the Greek is διακονία and it’s where we get our English word deacon.

KJV Cumbered, anxious and troubled

Cumbered—dragged all around, dragged away, driven mentally, over occupied, just too busy about a thing

Careful/ anxious—to be troubled with cares, seeking to promote one’s interests

Troubled—τυρβάζω tyrbazō; to make “turbid”, i.e. disturb: — trouble. to be troubled in mind, disquieted

1 Peter 5:7  [Concern/interest (Matt 10:29-31)]

Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.

To throw cast upon. Anxiety                   2 sparrows, hairs, value > many sparrows

Philippians 4:6-7. [sacrifice] a place set apart/suitable.     Penury>need/hunger vs self suf

6 Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. 7 And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. My life is full of anxiety & turbidity Robert is a giver Does it say make your requests known to Robert or God?

Isaiah 26:3 (mountain of the Lord perfect peace to the one whose mind is stayed upon Him And that is where I transition from Martha to Mary)

Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, (Unbelief)

whose mind is stayed on thee: the mind must be stayed upon Him (it cannot be Him & ?…)

because he trusteth in thee.

Luke 10:42 ESV

but one thing is necessary. Mary has chosen the good portion, which will not be taken away from her.”

Truth for your life

There is one thing necessary: but I have clothes to do, dishes to wash, the kids have to be bathed, I have to drive them to school, I’m single, I’m not married, I don’t have any help, or the husband I do have doesn’t help— side note: There are a lot of distractions in our lives that were never God’s will. His word is so clear in so many areas, and we blatantly ignore it, and do our own will and then ask Him to bless it. That’s not how it works church. It works like this: we seek His will through His word and prayer, we submit to His will, where we’ve transgressed His will, we repent and then He sends refreshing and healing and provision and guidance moving forward.

We can get mad or we can receive the word of the Lord and recognize the areas  of our lives where we have been in rebellion against God.

Let us understand this: many people make decisions that will affect their lives for years, one example is to have children outside of God’s prescribed order. Is the child beautiful yes, until they hit two and they start talking and acting out in rebellion and you thought changing diapers was hard. What about raising a child that won’t end up perishing in hell church? What about that? Well, if their daddy would help… You don’t need their daddy’s help. You need your Father to help their daddy. You need your Father to help you. You need your Father to help your children. How do I do that? The world says smoking pot is the answer, taking Xanax, depression medicine, don’t do it by finding another man to have another baby with— those things are distractions, they prevent you from hearing the voice of God. Those things will deceive you into thinking that you’re okay. You’re not okay if you are living in sin! Then what do I do?

You cast your cares on Him! God wants to turn it around. He wants to work in your favor, but He requires something. Listen to me closely, He requires something from you it’s called repentance. He wants you to quit blaming everyone else around you and take responsibility for your rebellion against His word, and He wants you to choose the good portion and to sit at His feet and drink the cup from His hand lean against Him and breathe, feel His heart beat. He wants you to choose the good portion, so what is the good portion that Mary chose?

She chose the River of anointing that was flowing out of Jesus. We weren’t there, but Jesus was in the house, He was speaking, anointing flowing from heaven, oil flowing from His lips and her soul longs for this, and Martha is right there distracted, in the very same geographical space but distracted. You are in here and some of you are tuned in and God is saying something that can help you and you will receive His word and it will help you, and then some of you are distracted—always looking at the phone, a turbid mind with a thousand different worries, cares and concerns.

That’s Martha, she misses her moment of visitation, she chooses something else, something other than the good portion, and the result is that lusts of the flesh manifest: envy, frustration, jealousy, irritation— Jesus ain’t taking this away from Mary girl. He will take away that ugly that’s all over you right now if you let Him, but He will not take this away from Mary, for this is why He came!

The work of the ministry

The presence and anointing of the Lord will always draw attention and a crowd. Once the crowd arrives, there is always work to do. When Jesus is present, people will be present and where there are people, there are Ministry needs. Martha is serving, she is doing διακονία, so she’s trying to do good, she’s trying to serve God, but everything she’s doing is in the flesh, it’s in her own strength, there’s no anointing on this effort, and so we have these two examples of response to the presence and ministry towards the Lord: one scurries and flits around, distracted, irritated, frustrated, can’t really get much done, because she’s consumed with busy work and it only produces jealousy towards others. The other one sits at His feet and receives the oil of His presence, a time of preparation and filling for the purpose of pouring out, later she will return to His feet and bring the oil she saved and pour it back upon Him. That’s work for the Lord, that’s the Spirit of God (Jn 12:1-3 fragrance filled; Mk 14:3-9 alabaster box).

This kind of love, devotion and ministry is not for women only. I have seen this type of love written in God’s word, words from David’s pen, popping off the pages, words that will warm the coldest of hearts and bring tears to the driest of eyes. Most of these Psalms of desperation that cry out and long for God’s presence were written by King David when he was running for his life, and far away from the house of God!

Psalms 42:1-3

1 As the hart panteth after the water brooks, so panteth my soul after thee, O God. 2 My soul thirsteth for God, for the living God: when shall I come and appear before God?3 My tears have been my meat day and night, while they continually say unto me, Where is thy God?

Psalms 63:1-4

1 O God, thou art my God; early will I seek thee: my soul thirsteth for thee, my flesh longeth for thee in a dry and thirsty land, where no water is; 2 To see thy power and thy glory, so as I have seen thee in the sanctuary. 3 Because thy lovingkindness is better than life, my lips shall praise thee. 4 Thus will I bless thee while I live: I will lift up my hands in thy name.

Psalms 143:6-7

6 I stretch forth my hands unto thee: my soul thirsteth after thee, as a thirsty land. Selah. 7 Hear me speedily, O LORD: my spirit faileth: hide not thy face from me, lest I be like unto them that go down into the pit.

Psalms 43:4-5

4 Then will I go unto the altar of God, unto God my exceeding joy: yea, upon the harp will I praise thee, O God my God. 5 Why art thou cast down, O my soul? and why art thou disquieted within me? hope in God: for I shall yet praise him, who is the health of my countenance, and my God.

Maybe the difference between Mary and David is that this is her first time there [in the presence of God] whereas, David has been there. He’s been in the field seeking, writing singing and experiencing the presence of God. He’s been in the temple. Now, he’s on the run. He can’t get to the temple where God’s presence is located. He longs for it. He’s thirsty, he’s hungry

The proper version of a Christian life and servant of God, is a working Martha whose work is an overflow from praise, it’s a pound of spikenard, perfume of praise that comes out out of the overflow of time spent in His presence like Mary.