Distracted With Much Serving

We are going to open up with the foundational, in part, scripture in which supports all of the questions I ask within this message:

Luke 10:38-42 - 38 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.”

Why was Mary in a good part better position than Martha even though Jesus was in the house and available to both of them? I mean how did being at the feet of Jesus change Mary? What did it reveal in Martha? What made her ignore serving Him and chose to just listen to Him? What were they talking about? What did Jesus say to her? What would she have missed if she were in the kitchen? What didn’t Martha see in the moment, that Mary saw? We may not know these specific details, but something Jesus said altered Mary’s life I will show you later in this message. 

Is this you? Are you so busy with the things of life that, even though Jesus lives in you along with the Father and the Holy Spirit, you are busy in the kitchen of life? What are you missing being in the kitchen rather than being in at the feet of Jesus? 

And OK so but let’s look at how Jesus the Father, and the Holy Spirit show up for dinner in our days:

The Holy Spirit in Us

·        1 Corinthians 6:19: Your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you.

o   1 Corinthians 6:19 - 19 Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own?

·        Romans 8:11: God raises us through His Spirit who lives inside us.

o   Romans 8:11 - 11 But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you.

·        John 14:16-17: Jesus promises that the Spirit of truth lives with you and will be in you. 

o   John 14:16-17 - 16 And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever— 17 the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; but you know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you.

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SPEAKER_01 0:14

Hello, this is Ken, your podcast preacher. Welcome back to my podcast Deep Waters. This podcast is brought to you by Applied Strengths Ministry, where we believe working together on our strengths is the effect of working out the will and calling of God and into our lives. Thanks for joining me. Let's open up in prayer. Blessed be the God and Father of the Lord Jesus Christ who has blessed you with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ. Just as he chose you and him before the foundation of the world, that you should be holy and without blame before him in love, having predestined you to adoption as a son or daughter by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will, which he purposed in himself, the praise of the glory of his grace by which he made you accepted and beloved. In him ye have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace, which he made to abound towards you in all wisdom and prudence, having made known to you the mystery of his will, that in the dispensation of the fullness of the times he might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven and which are on earth in him. I ask that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you the spirit of wisdom and revelation, in the knowledge of the mystery of him, on to the deepest knowledge of him that you are willing and able to receive, that the eyes of your understanding would be open wider, and that you would be enlightened to who he is, that you may know what is the hope of his calling, what are the riches of the glory of his inheritance in you, and what is the exceeding greatness of his power towards you, who believe, according to the working of his mighty power, which he worked in Christ when he raised him from the dead, and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places, that he would grant that you would be strengthened with might through his spirit in the inner man, and into your spirit and heart, consistently walking in the spirit, so that you would be able to stand against the appetites of your flesh, the corrupted spirit of this world, the devil and his demons, and any and all fleshly desires and temptations. I pray that your love may abound more and more in all discernment, that you may approve the things that are excellent, that you may be real about your Christianity, and unoffendable until the day of Christ, being filled with the fruits of righteousness, love, joy, peace, long suffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control, which are by Jesus Christ to the Holy Spirit, to the glory and praise of God. Giving thanks to the Father who has qualified you to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints who walk by the Spirit and in the light. I pray that your hearts may be encouraged, being knit together in love and unity, and that you would attain to all the riches of the full assurance of understanding, both of the Father and of Christ, in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. I thank my God always concerning you for the grace of God which has been given to each of my listeners by Christ Jesus, that you are enriched in everything by him, in all utterance and all knowledge, so that you do not come short in obtaining or operating in your calling and purpose, nor in using any spiritual gifts or talents to perform mighty miracle signs and wonders, and that we would do the greater works of Jesus yet to be accomplished, that we would be found eagerly waiting for the continued revelation of our Lord Jesus, who will confirm you to the end, that you may be blameless in the near coming of the day of our Lord. God is faithful by whom you were called into the fellowship of His Son Jesus. Okay, so now therefore, my sisters and brothers in Christ, when things get tough, think about whatever things are true, noble, just pure, lovely, and whatever things are of a good report, if there is any virtue, and if there is anything praiseworthy, meditate on these things alone. I pray that in these very end of end time days that you would let your love be without hypocrisy. Show people your faith by your works and service and love, hate and loathe what is evil, cling to what is good and righteous, be kindly affectionate to one another with brotherly love and honor, giving preference to one another, not lagging in diligence, fervent and fully engulfed in spiritual fire, serving the Lord, rejoicing in hope, walking in the peace of God, patient in tribulation, continuing steadfastly in prayer, distributing to the needs of the saints, that is each other, and that you would be given to hospitality. May the God of patience and comfort grant you to be like minded towards one another, according to Christ Jesus, that we learn to be of one mind and one accord, striving to get along no matter what disagreements we may encounter, operating completely and fully in love, always striving for the working out of God's specific will for each of our lives, while working in partnership with each other, within the church, and through the Holy Spirit, as he manifests his miracle signs and wonders through the daily activities of our ministry and kingdom work, and while we also go out preaching the gospel in word and deed. Let us love and serve one another, our enemy, and those who wouldn't expect us to do so, considering each person better than ourselves. Bind up any words or thoughts that are contrary to the love of God, or which would set you back in your Christian walk. Guard your hearts from anything that would hinder the growth of your character. Never forget that you can do all things in Christ, and never forget this means all things. Ah step on a faith today and walk with God and with each other, being assured that nothing will separate you from Him as long as you abide in Him. Call those things that don't exist as though they do. Remember the faith of God of which we have, created the universe by the Rama and Logos Word of God, so that what is seen was not made out of things that are visible. All that you need for this life is invisible until you apply your faith to receive it. But make sure you make your request known to God without fear, doubting, and unbelief. Always remember that he that is in you is greater than he that is in the world. Be more than a conqueror today, submitting to the will of God and everything. Never forget that you can do all things through Christ who will strengthen you this very today. Let each of us express uncompromising love towards one another in humility while maintaining a teachable spirit, seeking to grow no matter how much it changes our current thinking. I pray that God will give you the revelation within this message that He intends you to receive with the understanding. Now to him who is able to keep you from stumbling, and to present you faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy, to God our Savior, who alone be wise, be glory and majesty, dominion and power, both now and forever. In Jesus' name we pray amen. The title of this message is Distracted with Much Serving. We're going to open up with the foundational in part Scripture, and which supports all the questions I ask within this message. Luke ten thirty eight through forty two. Now it happened as they went that he entered a certain village, and a certain woman named Martha welcomed him into her house, and she had a sister called Mary, who also sat at the feet of Jesus and heard his word. 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. 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. Why was Mary in a good part better position than Martha, even though Jesus was in the house and available to both of them? I mean how did being at the feet of Jesus change Mary? What did it reveal in Martha? What made her ignore serving him and choose to just listen to him? What were they talking about? What did Jesus say to her? What would she have missed if she were in the kitchen? What didn't Martha see in the moment that Mary saw? We may not know these specific details, but something Jesus said altered Mary's life. Is this you? Are you so busy with the things of life that even though Jesus lives in you, along with the Father and the Holy Spirit, you are busy in the kitchen of life? What are you missing being in the kitchen rather than being at the feet of Jesus? And okay, but let's look at how Jesus, the Father, and the Holy Spirit, show up for dinner in our days. The Holy Spirit in us. Your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you Corinthians six nineteen. Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own? God raises us through His Spirit who lives inside us. eleven. But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit, who dwells in you. Jesus promises that the Spirit of truth lives with you and will be in you John fourteen, sixteen through seventeen. And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another helper, that He may abide with you forever. The Spirit of Truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him, but you know him, for He dwells with you and will be in you. Jesus the Son, in us. Christ lives in me. Galatians two twenty. I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me, and the life which I now live in the flesh, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. Jesus Christ is in you unless you fail the test. Second Corinthians thirteen five. Examine yourselves as to whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Do you not know yourselves that Jesus Christ is in you? Unless indeed you are disqualified. Christ in you the hope of glory. Colossians one twenty seven. To them God willed to make known what are the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory. The Father in us. God lives in those who confess that Jesus is the Son of God, and they live in God. Let's look at the Scriptures John fourteen, fifteen through seventeen. If you love me, keep my commandments, and I will pray the Father, and He will give you another helper, that He may abide with you forever. The Spirit of Truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him, but you know him, for he dwells with you and will be in you. There is one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all. Ephesians four six. One God and Father of all, who is above all and through all, and in you all. Jesus says that he and the Father will come and make their home with anyone who loves him and obeys his word. Jesus answered and said to him, If anyone loves me, he will keep my word, and my father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him. Additional scriptures are as follows John fourteen twenty. At that day you will know that I am in my Father, and you in me, and I in you Matthew eighteen twenty. For where two or three are gathered together in my name, I am there in the midst of them. So do you think that we have it better that Jesus the Father and Holy Spirit is living inside of us? As opposed to sitting by the fireplace chitty chatting with us like he was with Mary. Yes, we are positioned to take Jesus the Father and the Holy Spirit everywhere with us because even if we ignore them, God is still everywhere. There is nowhere that we are or that we go to where they are not already there. Psalms one hundred thirty nine seven through twelve, Jeremiah twenty three, twenty three through twenty four, Amos nine, two through three, and Hebrews four thirteen. Let's also take a look at another message supporting the indwelling theme which is abiding. The main place in the Bible that teaches us to abide in Christ is John fifteen four through five, where Jesus says, Abide in me and I in you, as a branch cannot bear fruit by itself unless it abides in the vine, neither can you unless you abide in me. The concept of remaining or living in Christ is also found in other parts of the New Testament, especially in the letters written by Apostle John. Jesus used the picture of a vine and branches to show that staying connected to him is how believers live a full, fruitful life. John fifteen four through seven. Abide in me and I in you, as a branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you unless you abide in me. I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in me and I in him bears much fruit, for without me you can do nothing. If anyone does not abide in me, he is cast out as a branch and is withered, and they gather them and throw them into the fire, and they are burned. If you abide in me and my words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you. To get the word to abide in you you must read your Bible, and the more you read it, the more he abides. Whoever says he abides in him ought to walk in the same way in which he walked. He who says he abides in him ought to himself also to walk just as he walked. Let what you heard from the beginning abide in you. If what you heard from the beginning abides in you, then you too will abide in the Son and in the Father. Therefore let that abide in you which you heard from the beginning. If what you heard from the beginning abides in you, you also will abide in the Son and in the Father. Whoever keeps His commandments abides in Him, and He in Him. Now he who keeps His commandments abides in Him, and He in Him. And by this we know that He abides in us, by the Spirit whom He has given us. So then this is one of the reasons why I teach and believe that if you do not believe in the Holy Spirit or have not received Him, many of the things in the Bible that Jesus asks us to do will be impossible to do. They are done supernaturally, and the source of that supernatural power is the Holy Spirit. And if your church doesn't teach on the Holy Spirit or through the Holy Spirit, I would recommend you get out of there and go find one that does. What abiding means generally speaking, staying connected, remain close to Jesus every day, like a tree branch stays attached to the main trunk, trusting his words, letting the teachings of Jesus guide your thoughts and choices, obeying God, doing what Jesus asks out of love, loving others, show love to the people around you. Okay, so let's get back to the house. Can we assume that Mary at the feet of Jesus was abiding in his very presence? Yes, and that abiding had a profound effect on her, and on others, such as Zacchaeus and a broke widow. And yes, I know that the widow didn't have Jesus in her home, but she had him in her heart, and that is no different than having him in your home, except that you can have him in your home and completely miss the significance of that event. Let's look at why the heart is a determining factor as to your nearness or farness from God. King David really messed up when he slept with Bathsheba and killed her husband Uriah to hide his sin. And but pay attention to how sin really corrupts your thinking. King David never would have been able to hide the sin because eventually he would have ended up with Barsheba anyways. And also the leader, Joab, and whom he asked to pull back in the battle so that Uriah could get killed, had to be suspicious as to the motivation as to why David would do that. I guess what I'm saying is that there's no point in trying to hide your sin from God. You will be found out one way or the other. Just come clean and get on with your life in Christ. Second Samuel chapter eleven. Now when Saul messed up, God removed his Holy Spirit from him, which ended up making his life a disaster Samuel sixteen fourteen. And but and I'm not judging either of these two guys, but it seemed that King David messed up way bigger than Saul. Even King David expected the worst. Psalms fifty one eleven. Do not cast me away from your presence, and do not take your Holy Spirit from me. So we know that Saul was dethroned without the Holy Spirit, and King David remained enthroned with the Holy Spirit. And the question might be why? Two reasons, and this, by the way, applies to each and every one of us today Mary Feet, Martha Kitchen. Okay, but wait, first we must distinguish the heart of David, that is his response to his sin, and the heart of Saul, also meaning the response to his sin. The following is a story of Saul's demise. Don't be put off by its length, it is necessary to capture the entire mood of the event, as it costed Saul the presence of the Holy Spirit. Samuel chapter fifteen. Samuel also said to Saul, The Lord sent me to anoint you king over his people, over Israel. Now therefore heed the voice of the words of the Lord. Thus says the Lord of hosts, I will punish Amalek for what he did to Israel, how he ambushed him on the way when he came up from Egypt. Now go and attack Amalek, and utterly destroy all that they have, and do not spare them, but kill both man and woman, infant and nursing child, oxen sheep, camel and donkey. Okay, so before we move on, I want to explain why God said to kill every man and woman, infant, and nursing child, oxen, sheep, camel and donkeys. God issued this severe command to King Saul because of the Amalekites' unprovoked, brutal ambush against the Israelites during the Exodus from Egypt. According to the biblical narrative, this punishment was the fulfillment of an oath God made centuries early to completely erase the memory of Amalek due to their cruelty. The ambush, as recorded in Exodus seventeen in Deuteronomy chapter twenty five, the Amalekites attacked Israel at Rephedim right after they crossed the Red Sea, targeting the vulnerable. They did not fight a standard military battle. Instead, they deliberately cut down the stragglers, the weary, the elderly, and the children at the back of Israel's marching column. No fear of God. The biblical text emphasizes that Amalek did not fear God, violating ancient norms of hospitality and showing extreme malice towards a newly freed, defenseless population. The theological context of total destruction, ancient warfare practice, the command to utterly destroy harem or ban meant devoting the entirely conquered population and their property exclusively to God, preventing Israel from profiting from the war. Spiritual contamination. The Bible presents the total elimination of certain Canaanite and nomadic groups as a judgment on their persistent wickedness and a measure to protect Israel from adopting their pagan practices. A longstanding oath. Immediately after the original attack in Exodus, God declared he would have war with Amalek, from generation to generation, making Saul's campaign the execution of that divine sentence. I thought that this was important for you to know, as you may wonder why God has removed certain people from your life. It is no doubt motivated by his love and will to protect you from corruption. Corinthians fifteen thirty three, Proverbs twenty two, verse twenty four through twenty five, and Proverbs thirteen twenty, as well as Proverbs twelve twenty six. Now some also say that the Amalekites were connected to the race of giants, but that discussion is for another time. Okay, back to the Saul story. Verse four. So Saul gathered the people together and numbered them in Talim, two hundred thousand foot soldiers and ten thousand men of Judah, and Saul came to a city of Amalek and lay in wait in the valley. Then Saul said to the Kenites, Go depart, get down from among the Amalekites, least I destroy you with them. For you showed kindness to all the children of Israel when they came up out of Egypt. So the Kenites departed from among the Amalekites, and Saul attacked the Amalekites, from Havilah all the way to Sir, which is east of Egypt. He also took Agag, King of the Amalekites, alive, and utterly destroyed all the people with the edge of the sword. But Saul and the people spared Agag and the best of the sheep, oxen, fatlings, the lambs, and all that was good, and were unwilling to destroy them, but everything despised and worthless that they utterly destroyed. Now the word of the Lord came to Samuel, saying, I greatly regret that I have set up Saul as king, for he has turned back from following me, and has not performed my commandments. And it grieved Samuel, and he cried out to the Lord all night. So when Samuel rose early in the morning to meet Saul, it was told Samuel saying, Saul went to Carmel, and indeed he set up a monument for himself, and he has gone on around, passed by, and gone down to Gilgal. Then Samuel went to Saul, and Saul said to him, Blessed are you of the Lord, I have performed the commandment of the Lord. But Samuel said, What then is this bleeding of sheep in my ears, and the lowing of the oxen which I hear? And Saul said, They have brought them from the Amalekites, for the people spared the best of the sheep and oxen to sacrifice to the Lord your God, and the rest we have utterly destroyed. Notice Saul didn't say our God sixteen. Then Samuel said to Saul, Be quiet, and I will tell you what the Lord said to me last night. And he said to him, Speak on. So Samuel said, When you were little in your own eyes, were you not head of the tribes of Israel? And did not the Lord anoint you king over Israel? Now the Lord sent you on a mission and said, Go and utterly destroy the sinners, the Amalekites, and fight against them until they are consumed. Why then did you not obey the voice of the Lord? Why did you swoop down on the spoil and do evil in the sight of the Lord? And Saul said to Samuel, but I have obeyed the voice of the Lord. Saul lied as well, and gone on a mission on which the Lord sent me, and brought back Agag, King of Amalek, I have utterly destroyed the Amalekites, but the people took of the plunder, sheep and oxen, the best of the things which should have been utterly destroyed, to sacrifice to the Lord your God in Gilgal. So Samuel said, Has the Lord as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices as in obeying the voice of the Lord? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed than the fat of rams, for rebellion is as a sin of witchcraft. Yes, not obeying God can be a form of witchcraft, depending on your intent and motivation, and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry. Because you have rejected the word of the Lord, he has also rejected you from being king. Then Saul said to Samuel, I have sinned, for I have transgressed the commandment of the Lord and your words, because I feared the people and obeyed their voice. Now therefore, please pardon my sin, and return with me that I may worship the Lord. But Samuel said to Saul, I will not return with you, for you have rejected the word of the Lord, and the Lord has rejected you from being king over Israel. And as Samuel turned around to go away, Saul Saul seized the edge of his rope and it tore. So Samuel said to him, The Lord has torn the kingdom of Israel from you today, and has given it to a neighbor of yours, who is better than you, and also the strength of Israel will not lie or relent, for he is not a man that he should relent. Then he said, I have sinned, yet honor me now, please before the elders of my people and before Israel, and return with me that I may worship the Lord your God. So Samuel turned back after Saul, and Saul worshiped the Lord. Then Samuel said, Bring Agag, King of the Amalekites here to me. So Agag came to him cautiously, and Agag said, Surely the bitterness of death is past. But Samuel said, As your sword has made women childless, so shall your mother be childless among women. And Samuel hacked Agag in pieces before the Lord in Gilgal. Then Samuel went to Rama, and Saul went up to his house at Gibbeth of Saul, and Samuel went no more to see Saul until the day of his death. Nevertheless, Samuel mourned for Saul, and the Lord regretted that he had made Saul king over Israel. So notice that Saul was full of excuses, defending his disobedience and sin initially, whereas David had a heart of repentance very quickly. This story is also lengthy, but it kept God from taking his Holy Spirit from David, so we need the entirety of what happened. Second Samuel chapter twelve. Then the Lord sent Nathan to David, and he came to him and said to him, There were two men in one city, one rich and the other poor. The rich man had exceedingly many flocks and herds, but the poor man had nothing except one little ew lamb, which he had bought and nourished, and it grew up together with him and with his children. He ate of his own food, and drank from his own cup, and lay in his bosom, and it was like a daughter to him. And a traveller came to the rich man who refused to take from him his own flock, from his own herd, to prepare one for the wayfaring man who had come to him. But he took the poor man's lamb and prepared it for the man who had come to him. So David's anger was greatly aroused against the man, and he said to Nathan, As the Lord lives, the man who has done this shall surely die, and he shall restore fourfold for the lamb, because he did this thing, and because he had no pity. Now the lamb represents the wife, as we know King David had many, and Uriah had one. Then Nathan said to David, You are the man. Thus says the Lord God of Israel, I anointed you king over Israel, and I delivered you from the hand of Saul. I gave you your master's house and your master's wives into your keeping, and gave you the house of Israel in Judah. And if that had been too little, I also would have given you much more. Think about that line right there. I used it in a prayer, and my sister got a whole lot more, almost instantaneously. Why have you despised the commandment of the Lord to do evil in his sight? You have killed Uriah the Hittite with the sword, you have taken his wife to be your wife, and have killed him with the sword of the people of Ammon. Now therefore, the sword shall never depart from your house, because you have despised me, and have taken the wife of Uriah the Hittite to be your wife. Thus says the Lord, Behold, I will raise up adversity against you from your own house, and I will take your wives before your eyes and give them to your neighbor, and he shall lie with your wives in the sight of this son, for you did it secretly, but I will do this thing before all Israel, before the sun. So David said to Nathan, I have sinned against the Lord. Notice there was no excuses. Right out the gate, once David understood the prophet, he owned what he did, and Nathan said to David, The Lord also has put away your sin, and you shall not die. However, because this deed you have given great occasion to the enemies of the Lord to blaspheme, a child also, who is born to you, shall surely die. Then Nathan departed to his house. And the Lord struck the child that Uriah's wife bore to David, and it became ill. David therefore pleaded with God for the child, and David fasted, and went in and lay all night on the ground. So the elders of his house arose and went to him to raise him up from the ground, but he would not, nor did he eat food with them. Then on the seventh day it came to pass that the child died, and the servants of David were afraid to tell him that the child was dead. For they said, Indeed, while the child was alive, we spoke to him, and he would not heed our voice. How can we tell him that the child is dead? He may do some harm. When David saw that his servants were whispering, David perceived that the child was dead. Therefore David said to his servants, Is the child dead? And they said, He is dead. So David arose from the ground, washed and anointed himself, and changed his clothes, and he went into the house of the Lord and worshiped. Then he went to his own house. When he requested that they set food before him, and he ate, then his servants said to him, What is this that you have done? You fasted and wept for the child while he was alive, but when the child died, you arose and ate food. And he said, While the child was alive, I fasted and wept, for I said, Who can tell whether the Lord will be gracious to me that the child may live? But now he is dead. Why should I fast? Can I bring him back again? I shall go to him, but he shall not return to me. Then David comforted Bersheba his wife, and went into her and lay with her. So she bore a son, and he called his name Solomon. Now the Lord loved him, and he sent word by the hands of Nathan the prophet, so he called his name Jediah because of the Lord. If you are prone to making excuses for disobedience, you may very well be operating in idolatry and witchcraft. Stay away from the road that Saul took. You notice why Saul eventually admitted as to why he did what he did. I have sinned, for I have transgressed the commandment of the Lord and your words, because I feared the people and obeyed their voice. Sadly funny is that Saul did eventually admit to his sin, but even when he did that, it was because he didn't want the prophet Samuel to leave. Then he said, I have sinned, yet honor me now please before the elders of my people and before Israel, and return with me that I may worship the Lord your God. It is my personal belief that Saul would have received God's honor had he been obedient. So the result or differences in the response to these two guys differentiated themselves one from the other. Samuel thirteen fourteen. But now your kingdom shall not continue. The Lord has sought for himself a man after his own heart, and the Lord has commanded him to be commander over his people, because you have not kept what the Lord commanded you. Acts thirteen twenty two, and when he had removed him, he raised up for them David as king, to whom he also gave the testimony and said, I have found David the son of Jesse, a man after my own heart, who will do all my will. Okay, so back to the house party. How is this possible that Jesus could have such a profound effect on one person's life while standing or sitting with others who are not so much as even affected by his presence? We're talking about Martha and Mary. Choice and even misunderstanding the most important elements of your life with and in him. And as we just learned, it may also be the condition of your heart. So let's look at the life of Zacchaeus and see if we can see the Jesus effect on his life. Luke nineteen one ten. Then Jesus entered and passed through Jericho. Now behold, there was a man named Zacchaeus, who was a chief tax collector, and he was rich, and he sought to see who Jesus was, but could not because of the crowd, for he was of short stature. So he ran ahead and climbed up into a sycamore tree to see him, for he was going to pass that way. And when Jesus came to the place, he looked up and saw him and said to him, Zacchaeus, make haste and come down, for today I must stay at your house. So he made haste and came down, and received him joyfully, but when they saw it, they all complained, saying, He has gone to be a guest with the man who is a sinner. Oh my goodness, everybody's a sinner, so why is this so shocking to them? I don't know. Then Zacchaeus stood up and said to the Lord, Look, Lord, I give half of my goods to the poor, and if I have taken anything from anyone by false accusation, I restore it fourfold. And Jesus said to him, Today salvation has come to this house, because he also is a son of Abraham, for the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost. Notice that the born again experienced immediately caused Zacchaeus to perform actions that are contrary to a person who's not saved. He willfully was going to pay people back and give half of his money away. That's the evidence that salvation has taken root. Saying a prayer but not having any life change is not salvation. It's trickery, really. What would it take for you to be so impacted by a visit from Jesus that you would just give money away as if you owned the printing press that makes it? Have you ever emptied your bank account on account of your relationship with God? I know several people who did, and they are not broke today. Let's also look at one who did that in the Bible. Mark twelve, forty one through forty four. Now Jesus sat opposite the treasury and saw how the people put money into the treasury, and many who were rich put in much. And then one poor widow came and threw in two mites, which make a quadrants. So he called his disciples to himself and said to them, Assuredly I say to you that this poor widow has put in more than all those who have given to the treasury, for they all put out of their abundance, but she, out of her poverty, put in all that she had, her whole livelihood. What do we hold back because we are afraid we will sink if we are generous? King David, because he retained the Holy Spirit, might have had some insight on that question. Psalms thirty seven, verse twenty five. I have been young, and now I am old, yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken, nor his descendants begging bread. Alright, if you ever have a compulsion to seek God's very generous heart and love, give of your resources and see if you can outgive your Lord. Malachi three ten. God tells the Israelites to test him by bringing tithes, promising to pour out so much blessing that there will be not enough room to store it. Who wouldn't want to test God in that statement right there? Luke six thirty eight. Jesus teaches that generous giving results in receiving a good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over. Second Corinthians, Paul emphasizes that generous sowing leads to a generous harvest, noting that God ensures believers have enough to abound in good works. Hey podcast preacher, is this a message about money? Are you a prosperity preacher? This is a message that some need to hear so that they can get out of the bondage of finances and feeling like they need to work and perform at nearly impossible levels, and also to break the spirit of poverty. No way in heaven can we ever hoard enough money to exceed what God can send our way if we indeed are not greedy. Test him today. Okay, so we are nearing our departure. So let's look at how the fireside chat Mary had with Jesus affected her financial outlook. John twelve one through eight. Then six days before the Passover, Jesus came to Bethany, where Lazarus was, who had been dead, whom he 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 him. Notice who was serving the people, and this is not an incorrect thing to do, but we must choose sometimes to let the dishes sit awhile to visit with your Lord. I know the time of your visitation, Luke nineteen forty four. Then Mary took a pound of very costly oil of sprinkard, anointed the feet of Jesus, and wiped his feet with her hair, and the house was filled with the fragrance of oil. But one of his disciples, Judas Iscariot, Simon's son, who would betray him, said, Why was this fragrant oil not sold for three hundred denari and given to the poor? This he said, not that he cared for the poor, but because he was a thief and had the money box, and he used to take what was put in it. So let's do a conversation of denari so that we have some context. A denari was typically one day of work for a basic laborer, at a modern minimum or low wage rate of fifty dollars a day. three hundred denarii equals about fifteen thousand dollars. Verse seven. But Jesus said, Let her alone. She has kept this for the day of my burial, for the poor you have with you always, but me you do not have always. Was Mary lazy? As Martha somewhat seemed to allude to it in her discussion with Jesus. Nope, otherwise if she was, she was also a thief because lazy people don't have any money, and they especially don't give it away to someone who claims to be God, and especially nearly a whole year's income. Now to grasp the significance of that. Imagine saving up enough money that at some point your savings account balance or mattress balance equals a year's worth of salary. And one day a man comes over to eat at your house because, you know, there is something different about him, and you want to look into it. This was the supper time at Martha and Mary's home. Well, not the direction I thought this message would go, nor the length of it. I expected this and that scriptural comparison and voila. The strategic point I intended to make is that Mary was moved to extravagant giving, which I believe was due in part to her conversation with Jesus. You know it's kind of a strange thought, but it just arrived UPS. And so but I think about how many people do not draw near to God because they are afraid that he will bankrupt them and ask them to sell everything that they own. My final thought is that if you draw near to God, he will indeed draw near to you, and in that spiritual contact, you may very well give him everything, but not because he would ask you to sell your home and live in a tent, but it might just be your response same as it was Mary's. I was talking to a couple of ministers last night and I told them that one of the worst moments in all of history would be for me as if I get to heaven and have this dread coming over me that I could have done so much more when I was living down here. In the movie Schindler's List, Schindler was shown to have had this dread after the war, as someone had congratulated him for rescuing nearly 1,200 Jews, who no doubt wouldn't have survived had he not intervened. He had sold off and traded much of what he had to gain those Jews' lives. Anyway, some say that this next bit was actually a thematic creation, but last night it was real to me. The movie scene in Schindler's list, when presented with a ring inscribed with whoever saves one life saves the world entire, a weeping Schindler looks at his possessions and tells his accountant, it's Ag Stern, that the car he kept could have bought ten more people and the gold Nazi pen could have bought two. This scene, whether true or not, it makes the point that I want to run my race for Jesus all out. And I cannot do it from heaven. I must do it while there is still a beating heart within me. Join me unless you are already way ahead of me. If you are, I cheer you on to continue to excel in the growth of your relationship with God. Let's close in prayer. May the Lord make you increase and abound in love to one another and to all, so they may establish your hearts blameless in holiness before your God and Father at the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ with all his saints. Now may the God of peace, the one in whom we call wonderful counselor, mighty God, everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace, may He Himself sanctify you completely, and may your whole spirit, soul, and body be preserved blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. To our Lord of Lords and our King of Kings, to a high and lifted up great high priest who has once and for all paid the price, that you might see and hear God. May He hear and respond to our prayers. To God we stand and pray as He too always lives to make intercession for you while seated at the right hand of the Father. May the God of peace, whom brought up our Lord Jesus from the dead, that great shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the everlasting covenant, make you complete in every good work to do his will, working in you, but is well pleasing in his sight. Through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever and ever. Now to him who is able to do exceedingly, abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us. To him be glory in the church for Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever, amen. Well, that's it for today. Remember, it's not what you find wrong or disagree with regarding these messages, but what you can take away from it. Together we can do more to impact the kingdom than if we work alone. Let's flip the script and steal, kill, and destroy the work of the enemy and create space for the light of light to shine through in people's lives. Planet is even click on the like and subscribe button. Repost on your social media platforms and help us to make disciples. Link this message out or teach from it in your Bible study, your life or self group. And yes, even in your church, you can be assured to counsel one called teach. And although imperfect, you have the word of God to use to test everything I say. Let's build this ministry together. Thanks and see you next time in Deep Waters.