Careful and troubled about many things (Quality: Very Good)

[0:00] If you need to help this morning, we would direct your prayerful attention to the Gospel by Luke, chapter 10, and the last two verses, 41 and 42.

[0:14] The tenth chapter in Luke's Gospel, verses 41 and 42. And Jesus answered and said unto her, Martha, Martha, thou art careful and troubled about many things.

[0:32] But one thing is nipple, and Mary has chosen that good part which shall not be taken away from her. It is very evident that these two sisters love the Lord Jesus.

[0:49] We have just been singing of love, and there was love on both sides. Because do we not read concerning these two dear sisters in the Gospel according to John, and the eleventh chapter, that the Lord Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus.

[1:17] This home where the Lord Jesus often entered was in this village, certain village named Bethany.

[1:29] And we have been thinking with our own people recently of the various houses where the Lord Jesus entered. It's a significant thought, friends, that the Lord Jesus had.

[1:45] I often think of that in John's Gospel again, where the Lord Jesus had been preaching and teaching in the temple.

[1:58] And we read in the last verse of chapter 7 in John, every man went to his own house. And then in the first verse of the next chapter, Jesus went unto the Mount of Olives.

[2:14] He had no house of his own. He who was the creator of all things, but he had no certain dwelling place, when he was here on earth.

[2:28] And when you put alongside that thought the other word that he uttered once, the foxes have holes, and the birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man hath not where to lay his head.

[2:42] All the poverty to which the Lord Jesus came to, when he came to this earth. And so we have been noticing with our people recently, these different homes where the Lord Jesus went.

[3:02] I'll just name one or two before you. And he did not always have the same reception. They did not all have love to him as he went into these various houses.

[3:16] There was a difference. There was love here in this home, but not in all the homes where he went. Because we were looking recently into the 14th of Luke, where we read that it came to pass as he went into the house of one of the chief Pharisees to eat bread on the Sabbath day, that they watched him.

[3:40] When he went into that house, there was no love in the Pharisee toward him. He was one of the chief Pharisees, but really he entertained him in order that he might watch him and catch him out.

[3:57] And we noticed how many things the Lord brought out in that Pharisee's house. How he spoke about keeping the Lord's day.

[4:10] And how he told them that they would pull out the ass or the ox falling into a pit on the Sabbath day.

[4:21] And we read they could not answer him again to these things. Even those Pharisees, you see, had an answer for them every time.

[4:32] And then we noticed, too, how he showed them in that place that when you're bidden to a supper, you must go and sit down in the lowest place, not in the highest.

[4:46] Oh, if we are the Lord's people, friends, we should want the lowest seat. We should want to be found humbling ourselves.

[4:58] For Jesus said on that occasion, Whosoever exhorteth himself shall be abased, but he that humbleth himself shall be exhorted. All these things he brought out in that house of the Pharisee showed him where he was wrong and the people that were there assembled, where they were wrong.

[5:19] And when he spoke about the supper that the Lord himself has provided and how that they all with one consent began to make excuse.

[5:31] All these excuses, friends, are not any use at all because the first said, I bought a piece of ground.

[5:43] He was thinking more of earthly things, just like Martha, you know, in her text. So anxious about material things.

[5:54] I bought a piece of ground. I must go and see it. I pray they have me excused. He was one then who was thinking about earthly things rather than heavenly things.

[6:07] The Word of God tells us this, Set your affections on things above, not on things on the earth. And so that was no excuse. Another said, I have married a wife and I cannot come.

[6:24] Well, that was no excuse because he could have taken his wife with him. And another said, I bought five yokes of oxen. I go to prove them. I pray they have me excused.

[6:35] That's no excuse. That's having too much concern about possessions. We can have too much concern about earthly things and possessions.

[6:48] And even our own kith and kin. If we put them before the Lord Jesus. He told us that on one occasion.

[6:59] That we must put him first in everything. And so you see what things he brought out in these houses. And I want to come to them. But just to notice these other houses that we've seen recently and how much teaching we've seen in those various places where the Lord Jesus went.

[7:19] We saw last Sunday a tome that other Pharisees' house where the Lord Jesus entered in Luke 7 where you remember the Pharisee desired him that he would eat with him and he went into the Pharisees' house and sat down to meet him.

[7:39] How this woman came in. This sinner. Oh are we like that woman today? She knew the Lord was there. And she stood at his feet behind him weeping.

[7:53] We notice three things last Lord's day in that woman. First was faith. You know it wasn't an easy thing for a woman that was a sinner to enter into a Pharisee's house.

[8:08] It certainly wasn't because those Pharisees were on the lookout for these sinners and they hated them. So it wasn't an easy thing for her to venture in but she did.

[8:19] And she knew Jesus was there and we know she had living faith. We've just been singing of faith and love and these were two of the things we mentioned last Lord's day.

[8:32] She had living faith because the Lord said to her thy faith is safely go in peace. She not only had faith friends she had real repentance.

[8:44] She was weeping at the feet of Jesus. Do we know real repentance? Do we know what it is like Peter for instance to go out and weep bitterly it's a wonderful thing to be granted true repentance.

[9:00] This woman I believe was granted it and another thing was this love we've been singing about. There she was kissing his feet washing the feet with her tears wiping them with the hairs of her head and anointing his feet with ointment with the oil because she loved him.

[9:22] It was a sign of love. Have we that same love to Jesus Christ this morning that Martha and Mary had and this woman in the Pharisees house had?

[9:34] Oh it was shown you see in the kiss and there we had to show that Pharisee his sins of omission. He hadn't given him any water.

[9:47] He hadn't kissed him. He hadn't anointed him. He was so looking at this woman and seeing that she was a sinner but he forgot he was a sinner himself.

[10:01] He was looking at her sins of commission and he was omitting to see his own sins of omission and how the Lord had to rebuke him and show him by bringing that before him about the certain creditor which had two debtors one owed 500 pence and the other 50.

[10:24] What are we this morning friends? Are we a 500 pence debtor or a 50? I believe if we are told of the spirit we shall say I'm a 500 pence debtor.

[10:35] I am black but comely black in myself comely in the Lord Jesus Christ oh how wonderful it is when the Lord teaches us we are filthy wretched sinners like this woman in the house of the other Pharisee and then last Lord's Day evening we looked at the case of the woman who came into the house of Simon the leper Lord Jesus was there and we find that this woman showed that love when she anointed his feet with the ointment oh the love that Mary had I believe Mary was the one because it's recorded in John 12 the same instance when she took a pound of ointment of spike and I very costly and anointed the feet of Jesus and wiped his feet with her hair and the house was filled with the odor of the ointment you know friends I've often prayed this that the houses of

[11:49] God might be filled with the odor of the ointment the ointment of love if we feel that today friends it'll be a blessed place if we feel the love of Christ in our hearts that these dear women felt oh Mary knew this love because she didn't mind how much the ointment cost very costly but she wiped his feet with her hair and anointed those feet with the ointment that's another house the house of Simon the leper and then we noticed on Wednesday last that other house where the Lord Jesus went into the house of Matthew the publican as it's recorded in Matthew 9 and what did we read there concerning Matthew's house oh we read that when he was brought to follow the Lord

[12:54] Jesus just said to Levi or Matthew follow me and he arose and followed him and he had this love the same love to Christ because he invited him to his house and there were all these publicans and sinners sitting down with him and what did the Pharisees say why eateth your master with publicans and sinners they couldn't understand why the Lord Jesus had so much to do with these publicans and sinners I know why he did friends because he came into the world to save sinners what a mercy he came to save sinners not the righteous sinners Jesus came to say and so we notice what he said and it's a wonderful statement really when you think about it they that behold need not a physician but they that are sick if we are sin sick sinners friends we shall have felt our need of the good physician the Lord

[13:57] Jesus Christ if we are left like those Pharisees we shall not seek him that's what he meant you see they were whole they didn't need a saviour they were self-righteous oh how solemn it is to be left to self-righteousness but they that are whole need not a physician but they that are sick go and learn what that mean if he says to them I will have mercy and not sacrifice I have not come to call the righteous but sinners to repent and then we also in connection with that on Wednesday evening we're noticing another house where the Lord Jesus went and that was the house of Zacchaeus in the 19th of Luke where this chief among the publicans you remember the case of Zacchaeus and how he was little of stature and how he went into the sycamore tree and the

[14:59] Lord Jesus knew he was there called him by name told him to come down how amazed the man must have felt as he heard the Lord calling him by name and saying make haste and come down and friends we must all come down before the Lord we must all be humbled in his sight today I must abide at thy house he says and so he made haste and came down and received him joyfully and again you see these Pharisees and others around they said he's gone to be guests with a man that is a sinner couldn't understand it but I am glad of it aren't you I'm glad he came to save sinners the chief of sinners we shall all feel like the apostle Paul you know we're rightly tall of whom I am chief and so

[15:59] Zacchaeus he was changed I believe he was brought to no repentance half of my goods I give to the poor if I've taken anything from any man by forced accusation I restore him fourth what did the Lord say about him this day his salvation come to this house for so much as he is also a son of Abraham a spiritual son of Abraham a son of man he's come to seek and to save that which was lost how glad we are of that has he come to seek us can we say with the hymn writer Jesus sought me when a stranger wandering from the fold of God he to save my soul from danger interposed his precious blood oh how wonderful then to see these various houses where the Lord Jesus entered in now we come then to this particular house where our text is found this morning and the

[17:03] Lord Jesus is spoken of here in verse 38 just before our text it came to pass as they went that they entered into a certain village the Lord Jesus was wont to go to this village because of this particular house because he loved these three Martha Mary and Lazarus and they loved him there was a real response in their hearts towards him and a certain woman named Martha received him into her house she received the Lord Jesus and what a mercy if we have ever received him into our hearts oh we are exhorted in one of the epistles as ye have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord so walk in him she received him into her house but these were two different sisters you know completely just as we see today very often different dispositions in people

[18:17] Mary I often you know compare these two women to two men Peter and John you see the same kind of disposition in Peter as you do in Martha always in the forefront always got something to say and you see this you know with the two sisters here even when the Lord Jesus went to Bethany that time when their brother Lazarus had died and you will notice that the first one to go and meet the Lord Jesus was Martha she went and met him Mary sat still in the house she was of a more timid disposition was Mary but Martha was more like Peter we've seen it recently with Peter and John when they went to the sepulcher

[19:17] Peter goes in straight away when he gets there John more timid he waits till Peter comes along and goes in and it encourages him to go in oh friends so these different characters stand out in the word of God and so you have two different dispositions here very plainly in these two women Martha is the one receives him in Martha is the one busy getting everything ready and when you come to read about Mary in the 39th verse you read this she had a sister called Mary which also sat at Jesus feet and heard his word she was sitting there listening to every word that dropped from his lips because she knew that the Lord Jesus Christ spoke wonderful things never man spoke like this man she knew that now we read in the next verse 40 but

[20:25] Martha was cumbered what does the word cumber mean it means we have so much to do as we think we can't do it all we are cumbered we are handling too much at once that's what it means Martha was cumbered about much serving and you can visualize the scene friends no doubt Martha in another room getting everything ready and she comes out to where Mary is sitting there listening to the Lord Jesus and she comes to the Lord and she says that my sister has left me to serve alone bid her therefore that she help me well we might think that's how it should be but you see the Lord Jesus could see into the hearts of these two sisters and he could see that

[21:29] Martha was so much concerned too much concerned about material things about these things of earth and that's why he in love and he loved her just as much as he loved Mary he loved Martha and I've often said this friends we need a combination of the two in the churches we need Martha's as well as Mary's but the Lord Jesus then in our text he lovingly speaks to Martha Jesus answered and said unto her Martha Martha you know I've seen recently friends such a significance in the names of different people in the scriptures you think of Simon Peter how often the Lord Jesus reminded him of his old name Simon reminded him of his old nature that he had when he was a fisherman

[22:31] Simon Peter Peter reminds us of his new nature and of how the Lord dealt with him but Martha you see he has to be reminded of her old nature Martha Martha twice thou art careful and troubled now as I thought about these words I thought first about the word careful there's two meanings to the word careful one means over anxiousness careful all full full of care in other words there's another meaning to it though and we shall see that in a moment when we turn over to the case of the Samaritan it means caring for others now that's a right carefulness when we're caring for others but when we're over anxious it's not as the

[23:41] Lord would have it thou art careful and this was the meaning that he had in mind when he said thou art careful full of care full of trouble about many things now I want to remind you this morning friends of one or two of these things that we can be so careful about time things material things we had these things set before us in the other chapter we read Matthew 6 I believe there's four things there that the Lord Jesus speaks about first is these treasures which of course we can say it's like gold and silver or money lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth how many are so cumbered with this wrench today riches what did the Lord

[24:50] Jesus say when he spoke about the thorny ground heroes oh he says those riches choke the word just like like Martha you see cumbered choked and so it is friends and what did the apostle Paul say to Timothy about these riches and these things these treasures that the Lord is speaking of here in Matthew 6 let's see what the apostle Paul says about them when he writes to Timothy in the first epistle to his son in the faith Timothy oh he brings it out very plainly and we need to think about these things that are in the word of God what does he say then he says this godliness with contentment is great gain for we brought nothing into this world and it is certain we can carry nothing out and having food and raiment let us be there with content but they that will be rich fall into temptation and a snare and into many foolish and hurtful lust which drown men in destruction and perdition for the love of money is the root of all evil which was some coveted after they have erred from the faith and pierced themselves through with many sorrows oh how true the word of

[26:27] God is how many people are doing that today piercing themselves through with many sorrows overburdened because they have so many riches what does the Lord say to us in this sermon on the mount lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth the moth can get in your clothing the roach thieves can break in and steal your money here below oh that we might more be concerned about those treasures above love this is what Mary was concerned about you know when she was sitting and listening to what the Lord Jesus said she was concerned about these spiritual treasures lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth where moth and rust doth corrupt where thieves break through and steal lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven there there's no moth no rust no thieves oh what a mercy friends if we're enabled to do that and to hold the things of this life with a very loose hand

[27:47] I believe friends the older we get if we're taught by the spirit we should want to hold these things here below very loosely and we should want a firmer grasp upon eternal reality how often we are like Martha was careful and troubled about many things money then is one of those things and then the Lord mentions these other things take no thought for your life what you shall eat food raiment oh we know we need them we've just seen in Timothy that they're essential but we mustn't be over anxious about them when Jesus says take no thought he doesn't mean take no thought at all he means take no anxious thought don't be over anxious about it because he tells us to look at the fowls of the air he tells us that they don't reap poor gather into barns but he says your heavenly father feed it them oh how we do need to take lessons from those fowls of the air oh we were thinking of those birds the other day and what the sparrow said to the robin and how true it is we rush about and worry so and what did we learn in our childhood days surely it must be because they have no heavenly father such as cares for you and me oh the lord does care for his people and so we're not to be over anxious about money we're not to be over anxious about raiment we're not to be over anxious about food or drink because when he comes to speak about raiment he says consider the lilies of the field look at those lilies look at those flowers even

[30:05] Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these oh friends how deep the things of God are because I believe you can see the lord's people there even the lord's people when they're arrayed in the righteous of Christ Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these if you have on the robe of Christ righteousness what a clothing that is and so he says to us take no thought no anxious thought what shall we eat what shall we drink where shall we be clothed after all these things do the Gentiles seek and he comes to this and this is what we need to come to more often seek ye first the kingdom of God what do we put first in our lives do we put the kingdom of God first do we put Jesus Christ first others second ourselves last this is how it should be if we seek first the kingdom of

[31:11] God and his righteousness then all these things should be added unto you and then another thing how often we are thinking about tomorrow next week next month next year oh how often friends we are thinking what's going to happen next day or next week or next month or next year but what does Jesus say to us take no anxious thought for the morrow the morrow should take thought for the things of itself in other words live a day at a time because we know not what a day may bring forth sufficient out of the day is the evil thereof oh how this then speaks to us of some of those things that Martha was so concerned about oh he says to her in her text

[32:12] Martha Martha thou art careful and troubled not only was she full of care you see but she was troubled troubled in her mind troubled in her heart about these temporal things many things oh many things we are troubled about sometimes and oh we need to come back to the one thing the one thing evil but before I come to that and we must soon come to the end but just before I come to that perhaps this afternoon the one thing need for more we shall just look at this other aspect of the word careful because in the previous verses you see before this of Martha and Mary we have this lawyer coming to the Lord and saying to him what shall I do to inherit eternal life and reminding the

[33:16] Lord of the commandments they should love the Lord thy God with all thy heart with all thy soul with all thy strength and with all thy mind thy neighbor as thyself the Lord said this do and they should live but he willing to justify himself said who is my neighbor he wanted to justify himself but the Lord brings before him this good Samaritan now this is being careful in the right way here is the priest that came down what did he do passed by on the other side Levite came and looked on him passed by on the other side the Samaritan as he journeyed came where he was this is the right kind of carefulness this is being careful about people and seeking to help them in the way this is how we should be just like our

[34:19] Lord Jesus Christ was he came where we were he saw us in all our sinfulness he had compassion on us oh and we shall want to do the same to those around us just as the Lord Jesus said go and do thou likewise well we'll just remind you of these words and take them home and meditate upon them further because they I believe fit our lives still today Jesus answered and said unto her Martha Martha thou are careful and troubled about many things but one thing one thing is contrasted to the many things one thing is needful these things weren't so needful you see but this thing is needful Jesus Christ is needful

[35:20] Mary has chosen that good part have we made that good choice and these things the best things you see will never be taken from us those other things that Martha was concerned about they will come to an end you leave them behind they have material things but this thing this one thing will never be taken it's eternal Christ is eternal if we chosen him friends we have someone who is eternal one thing is needful we have chosen that good part which will not be taken away from the Lord add his blessing to his word Amen