0:07 In the last days, Jesus said that there's going to be a lot of deception that's going to be there. Can you hear me? In the last days, there's going to be a lot of deception, Jesus said in Matthew 24. 0:24 Many people who will mislead. And there's one area in particular that uh I see that the devil wants to deceive deceive us. Turn with me to 2 Corinthians chapter 11. 2 Corinthians chapter 11. 2 Corinthians chapter 11, it says 0:50 verse three, but I am afraid as the serpent deceived Eve by his craftiness your minds will be led astray from the simplicity and purity of devotion to Christ. His concern was Paul's concern for the 1:11 Corinthian church was that they would be led astray from sim- sim- And how would that happen? How does that happen? How does the devil move them away from that devotion, that simple and pure devotion? If you read the rest of the verses in 1:30 chapter 11 he talks about another Jesus another gospel another spirit. Those who come like a messenger um those who how Jesus was speaking to her and then 3:19 in John 11 when when Lazarus had died she came and fell at Jesus' feet. And then in John 12 when she opened up that alabaster oil and she poured poured it guess where she was again? 3:39 She was at the feet of Jesus wiping his feet with her hair. But not only was she physically at the feet of Jesus, her heart was also at the feet of Jesus. She she had a reverence for Jesus in the way she spoke or the way she looked at 3:55 Jesus. Whatever Jesus did, she had a reverence. You could see that in her spirit. A reverence for Jesus. And for me, I see that. I want to have a reverence for Jesus. When Jesus speaks to me, I want to have a carefulness in the way I hear his 4:10 voice. I don't want to have that attitude um where I'm I'm almost arguing with Jesus. There's a reverence I have to have when when Jesus is speaking. I want to be careful to hear what he has to say before I say, "But this." or "But that." 4:28 No, let me first hear what he has to say to me. And Mary had that heart. When Jesus spoke, she was listening all the time. With reverence. She found fulfillment in the words of Jesus. She was completely content in the 4:44 words of Jesus. As she sat there, I could imagine that she would have been like, "Lord, your words, how they burn within me. Your words satisfy me." And that passage that we heard earlier, John 4, turn with me to John 4. 5:15 John 4:13. Jesus answered and said to her, "Everyone who thirsts of this water will thirst again. But whoever drinks of the water that I will give him shall never thirst. But the water will that I will give him will become in him a well of 5:32 water springing up to eternal life." What is this eternal life? Is it just living forever and ever? No, it's it's found in John chapter 17. John's chapter 17 verse 3 it says 5:52 This is eternal life that you may know the only God true God and Jesus Christ whom you have sent. So Jesus telling that woman at the well every time you drink of this water you're going to thirst again. You're going to drink of it you're going 6:10 to thirst again. You're going to drink of it you're going to thirst again. But if you come to me I'm going to give you words of eternal life. You're going to know me you're going to know me and you're not going to thirst again. 6:24 And I can think in the mind of this woman at the well she's probably thinking maybe this this time it's going to be different when I drink of this well it's it's going to quench me. And maybe we too we can think maybe this 6:36 one more time I'm going to give it a try to drink of this water and it's going to quench my But God's going to let us continue to try and drink of that water drink of that water until we finally come to that place. I feel thirsty every time I drink this 6:53 water. I want to come to you Lord. I want to know you. I want to know you just like Mary knew you. When Mary knew you she was at rest. She was not troubled she had a rest. And I see that in my life that if I spend time hear the words of 7:11 eternal life I know my father. I hear those voices singing out on me. It makes a difference. My heart is at rest. I don't have that thirst again. Jesus said again turn with me to Luke 7:32 chapter 10. Luke chapter 10 But all verse 42 10:42. Luke 10:42. But only one thing is necessary. Only one thing is necessary. 7:51 And Mary has chosen the good part. Which shall not be So So Jesus said there's only one thing that is really necessary and Mary had found it. And Mary had found that sitting at the feet of Jesus, hearing his words. 8:08 Remember Jesus said, "Man shall live by shall not live by bread alone, but every word that proceeds by the mouth of God." And sometimes I see that the tendency in my heart is, "No, I don't need to live by I can survive without every word that 8:26 proceeds from the mouth of God." And when I go that way, then I see when the times of trial comes, there's a lack in my life. I'm not able to do it. I'm not able to face it. The branch is always has to abide 8:46 abide. The moment the branch falls away, it can't do anything. Jesus also in John 5, turn with me to John 5:19. John 5:19. Jesus also s- said, "Truly, truly I say to you, the son can 9:03 do nothing of himself unless it is something he sees the Father is doing. For whatever the Father does, the Son also does in like manner." So Jesus also, he had to see what the Father was doing. He had to rely on every word that the 9:19 Father gave him. And then he did it. And it says here in verse 20, "The Father loves the Son and shows him all the things he himself is doing." Mary saw that. Mary said, "You know what? I I don't know. I'm going to sit here. I'm going to listen to Jesus. I 9:38 know that you have the words of eternal life. I know that without these things these things is needful. I can't survive without it. I can't make through this day without your words. That's why because I can't do anything on my own. 9:52 I come every day and I come and sit before your feet and listen. If I could do it on my own, then I would. But Mary recognized her need. She said, "Without you I can't do it." And this was the foundation. This was 10:11 the foundation in her life. Martha on the on the other hand Return with me to Luke chapter 10. Read read with me verse 40 40. But 10:35 Martha was distracted. What was she? Distracted with all preparations and she came to him and said, So if the first thing she was distracted, she was distracted with everything that was going on. There was one thing that was needful. 10:53 Mary had found it. Martha could have also found it, but what happened? She was distracted by all the things. Were they right things? Cooking in the in the in the kitchen? Yes, it was the right thing. It was preparing for the 11:07 meal. That was the right thing. But she was distracted. Jesus said she was distracted by distracted. And for each of us as well when it comes to devotion to Christ God is going to say, "This is the one thing that's needful." 11:25 But then there's going to be all these distractions that are going to come for you and for me. There are going to be these distractions that are going to come. And at that time, we're going to be able to test whether we're going to go the way of 11:38 Mary or whether we're going to go the way of Martha. The distraction comes, it's a needful thing, and we have to see, Lord, can this wait? And I can meet with you, or am I going to let this distraction, not a sinful thing, 11:55 but this distraction to occupy my affections. Not only was she distracted, but look at this verse 41. Uh 12:18 she came up to him and said, "Lord, do you not care that my sister has left to do all the serving of left me to do all the serving alone? Then tell her to help me." A woman who our sister or a person who 12:37 has not found their rest in Jesus by listening to him, you can see their attitude. Why is this person not helping? Why is that person not helping? She was troubled, but then she was distracted, and then she wanted to distract the others as well. 12:55 And she's like she had this complaint. And you see the clear clearly her heart was not at the feet of Jesus. She did not have that reverence that Mary had. Mary had that reverence. Martha, she was almost like, "I'm going to go 13:13 and tell Jesus what he needs to do in this situation. Jesus, do you not care? Do you not see what the situation the circumstances looking like? Why are you not helping? Why are you not telling her to You almost see this assertiveness 13:27 in the Marthas. The Marthas have this assertiveness that they have. One towards Jesus himself. An expectation on Jesus. An expectation on others. It's a very good test for me. If I have an assertiveness on Jesus. If I have an assertiveness on 13:47 others, the Lord might be showing me, "AJ, there's something wrong. You've not found that one thing that's needful that Mary found." You need to find it. You need to find rest at the feet of Jesus. See this restlessness you're having. 14:05 She says in verse 10 it says, "Martha, Martha, you are worried and bothered about so many things. So many things you're worried about and you're bothered about." And Marthas are always will be that. If I have that spirit of a Martha, 14:25 I will be worried and bothered about so many things. Do you think after the preparations were over and Jesus and the disciples were fed that she was at rest? What do you think? No, she wouldn't have been at rest. She would have found something else to worry 14:40 about or be bothered about. It's a constant cycle of being bothered and worried. Once the Lord's correct, you know, satisfies one one need in her life, she'll find another need that she'll be worried and bothered about. 14:56 And I've seen this in my life. I've seen the times when I had the spirit of a Martha, distracted by many things, worried and bothered about many things. And then once God says, you know, solves that problem, I look for another thing to be worried 15:11 and bothered about. It's the spirit of Martha taking away from a simple and pure devotion to Christ. Does Jesus love the the Marys and the 15:32 Marthas? Yes, he does. Turn with me to John chapter 12. John chapter 12. I'm sorry, John chapter 11. Sorry. John 15:54 chapter 11. Verse 5. Now, Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus. Jesus loves those who have the spirit of 16:12 Martha. They love the spirit of Mary. But, with the spirit of Mary, Jesus, you can find always commending the Mary for what she had done. If you look throughout the the life of Mary, every place, 16:31 did he love both of them? Yes, he loved both of them, but you see Jesus always commending Mary for her devotion, for everything that she did. You see that constant encouragement that Jesus gave to Mary. Martha, he loved her, 16:50 but you can find this constant rebuke, correction. Martha, Martha, if only you picked what Mary picked, you will not be troubled and bothered by all these things. Jesus had a longing that Martha would find that one thing that Mary had found. 17:10 Can you find it what Mary found? Mary had already found it. Can you find it, too? That was his longing for Martha. And so, if we have that spirit of a Martha, God still loves us. But he's looking for us to hear those words, Martha, Martha, why 17:28 are you troubled? Why are you bothered? Why are you worried? Why are you distracted? There's one thing that's needful, and once you find that, you will find everything else falls in its right place. They faced intense trial. Both of them 17:49 faced intense trial, right? Both Mary and Martha. It was the death of their brother, right? It was intense. But you see the way Mary was reacted to this and the way Martha reacted to it. It was the same circumstance, the same 18:08 trial, but the way Mary went through the trial was so different from the way Martha did. I wanted you you to see this. Turn with me to John chapter 12. John chapter 12. Verse 21, it says, "Martha then said to 18:32 Jesus, Lord, if you had been here, my brother would have not died." And then you you Go down to verse 32, same chapter, 12:32. It says, "Mary fell fell at his feet and said, Lord, if you had been here, my brother 18:50 would have not died." If you go and read both the verses, it's word for word, the exact same words. But you see the spirit in which Martha said it and this way Mary said it. 19:09 It was completely different. One came with the brokenness and at the feet of Jesus, Lord, if you were here, my brother would have been here. You would have been able to do something. The other one was, Lord, if you had been 19:22 here, my brother would have You You could see Even though the words are the same, the spirit You might remember Mary and Zacharias. How can this be? It was the same words or almost the same words, but the spirit in those two words 19:41 was totally different. And so, you might see a Mary, you might see a Martha. They might do the exact same thing externally. You won't be able to distinguish a Mary and Martha necessarily by the outward. But there's a spirit 19:58 between which is going to be different from a Mary and a Martha. And that would be in a found because the Mary's went and met with Jesus. They knew Jesus. They got this eternal life of knowing Jesus. And so, they're at rest. 20:15 You can see that Mary Martha Even now I know whatever verse 22, whatever you ask of God, God will give you. Jesus said to her, "Your brother will rise again." And then you see Martha, "I know that you will rise again in the 20:31 resurrection on the last day." Then Jesus has to reply again, "I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me So, you see that constant Martha rebuttals. Every time Jesus said this, Mary Martha would have something 20:46 else to say. Then Jesus had to reply and calm her down. And then Martha would say something else. And then, even though she said, you know, in verse uh 27, "I have believed that you are the Christ, the Son of God, he who comes 21:01 into the world." She confessed it with her mouth. But then you see this verse verse 39. Jesus said, "Remove the stone." She forgot about all her confession. Now, what does she say? "Lord, by this time there will be a stench, 21:17 for he has been dead four days." Jesus said to her, "Did I not say to you, if you believe, you will see the glory of God?" So, you see this constant wrestling that Martha had with with Jesus. She would confess the right things, 21:33 but when the situation of life came, the faith would not come out in the situations of life. It would not play out in her life. If you see in in John 12, 21:53 the sacrifice of Mary was a costly one. If you compare John 6:7, where he fed the 5,000, Philip said, "With 200 denarii, you could feed 5,000." Judas quickly said, "With 300 denarii, you could have you could have fed the 22:10 you could have given to the poor 300 denarii." So, about 7,500 people could have been fed with that alabaster oil that that she had she had poured out on Jesus' feet. She could have easily given to the poor. She could have fed the poor. 22:28 She could have done a lot of good service. But Mary didn't do that. That was a year's wage, actually. It's 300 denarii, it was 300 days of wages. So, you think of a yearly salary. That's how much money was in that one 22:46 one alabaster uh nard, it's called. Pound of nard. Jesus said a one beautiful thing. She said he says in Mark 14:8. Turn with me to Mark 14:8. Mark 14:8. 23:10 She has done what she could. Mary Mary didn't do anything spectacular. But you know what she did? She just took She just took that that alabaster 23:28 flask 1 lb of alabaster flask. She opened it. She opened the flask and then she poured it on Jesus' feet. I think a lot of us could do that, right? We all of us could open up a a jar. 23:46 Usually in our family meals, one of us usually drop pours, you know, spills the water on the table. It's not something that was difficult. That That wasn't a difficult thing to open up the perfume and pour it out. Jesus took that one thing 24:03 that she did, that small thing of opening a flask and putting it on his feet. Verse 8, she has she has done what she could. Each of us also has a flask. Each one of us has a flask. We ask the Lord, Lord, what is my flask? 24:24 What is that flask that you have given me? It might be a small flask, but can I pour it over on Jesus? Each one of us, even the young ones here, each of us has a a flask that we can do that. And Jesus said, you know what? You 24:41 opened that that that flask and you poured it on me. She has done what she has good. She comment He commended her. And I can picture that would have been like that would have made her day. Jesus appreciated me for just pouring 24:56 that flask of oil on his feet. I I don't think she would have ever forgotten that. The way Jesus spoke to her and encouraged her on that day. If you read through all the different and she the second the third thing is she took 25:11 hold of the opportunity. In Luke 23, if you go there in Luke 23 verse 55, it talks about a lot of other women Luke 23 55, it says, "Now the women who had come 25:29 with him out of Galilee followed and saw the tomb and how his body was laid. And they returned and prepared the spices and perfumes." So, these women also wanted to anoint the body of Jesus, but what happened? On the Sabbath day, they 25:44 rested according to the commandment. And when it came time in chapter 24 by the time they had come, what had happened? Jesus had risen. They lost the opportunity to anoint Jesus. 26:01 Mary had a opportune time. When she had the time, she did it. For us too also, there might be opportunities that God gives along the way. We can say, "Oh, I'm going to put it off for another time." Like that those women's, "I'm going to 26:18 do it at a lot of another time." Did they have the opportunity to later to anoint Jesus' body? No. When they had the time, she when she had the time, she took advantage of it. And he said, "Everywhere this gospel is going to be 26:38 preached. Along with the gospel, I'm not going to tell about Peter walking on water. I'm not going to talk about raising Lazarus from the dead. Along with the gospel, wherever this gospel goes, Mary, I'm going to talk about what you 26:54 did for me. What did you do? You opened up that flask, you poured it out on my feet. I'm going to talk about that. Everywhere everywhere this world everywhere this gospel goes in the entire world, it says in John 12. 27:11 John 12. Actually, it's in the other passage, but 27:29 it's in Mark 14. Um wherever this gospel is going to go. And I was thinking, Lord, there's so many things you could tell along with this gospel. This gospel is going to save people's lives, repentance and faith and obeying all of what Jesus had taught. 27:48 Along with that, why, Lord, are you sending this story of this woman? Because people are going to after 2,000 years, they're going to lose sight of devotion to me. They're going to know about this repentance and salvation, but they're 28:04 going to forget about what Mary did. The end goal of my salvation message should bring about this devotion to me. And there's going to be people that are going to take people from simplicity and purity of devotion. They're going to deceive 28:20 them. They're going to move them away from that. And so that's why along with the gospel message, I need to add this to the gospel message so that everywhere this goes, if the gospel does not produce a pure and simple devotion to me, 28:36 there's something that's gone astray. This devotion was despised. The devotion was despised. You see that Martha She's like, "Why doesn't she help me? Why is she wasting her time sitting at 28:56 the feet of Jesus? Why doesn't she help me?" And then you see the Judas "Couldn't this money have been spent for the poor?" You see that when she had broken that that alabaster oil even her own even the disciples even 29:15 Judas had fi- found fault. And I was thinking if one of her relatives heard that "Didn't you hear Jesus' own disciple rebuke you?" She said, "Why did Why Why didn't you Why didn't you sell this and and give it to the poor? Even Jesus' own disciple 29:33 rebuked you." There's a despising that comes. Soon as you want to have this devotion of Mary, you see the Marthas and the Judases coming out to condemn and to They don't value. They don't value They For them it's a waste 29:52 when you pour out on Jesus. But you see that Jesus always came to the rescue of the Marys. When our Whenever there we want to be going down the way of Mary, there's going to be all this persecution from the Marthas and from the Judases. 30:09 But guess who who will defend us? Jesus. Mary did not have to say a word in her defense both to Martha or to Judas. Jesus defended Mary on on her behalf. 30:26 And for us, too, as we go down this way It talks about them being like an angel of light. Judas would have appeared to the everybody else like an angel of light. Look at this disciple of Jesus talking about giving to the poor. 30:40 Appearing like an angel of light, but steering away from that pure simple devotion to Christ. And that's what Paul was warning them. Be careful. Be careful. And I'm going to close with this is Does intimacy, does it come overnight? 31:03 Does this devotion come overnight? No. I believe Mary, just like that child in the womb, hears the voice, constant voices of the Father singing over the child. And so aware of that voice. One day when the when when the 31:22 when the child is born and sees the Father, oh, I recognize this voice. But till then, those 9 months constantly hearing those voices. This is the voice of my Father. This is the voice of my bridegroom. This is the voice of my 31:37 beloved. I constantly hear those voices. And then one day, I see him. What What is faith become sight. And if if this devotion I have for Christ is real, it will show up in the time of trial. When when Mary and Martha went through 31:59 the trial, that's when it was revealed whether I had the heart of a Mary or a heart of Martha. But it came by that hidden planting of that seed of God's word. Listening to Jesus. Listening to Jesus. Listening to Jesus. And then in the time 32:15 of trial, the evidence of that devotion came out. And some of us we might say, "Oh, yeah, I had a quiet time." There's many times I've said, "Oh, I had a quiet time." But the evidence of that quiet time, whether it was a whether I was receiving eternal 32:31 life of knowing Jesus, or whether it was just time with the Bible, will be in the way I face the situations of life. If I'm at unrest and I'm worried and bothered by many things, it's very likely that I've met just with the book called 32:49 the Bible. But I've not had a devotion. I've not heard the words of Jesus. There's a big difference between hearing from Jesus and reading a book called the Bible. And I pray my heart's desire for me 33:09 is that we will not be led away from that simplicity and purity of devotion to Jesus. That Jesus would be the most precious to us. That we long to spend time. We've tasted and seen that in presence in his presence is fullness of joy. 33:24 As we spend time with him. There's no other place we would rather be than at the feet of Jesus. And when we've tasted of that, as we go through the trials and tribulations of of our daily ordinary lives, we will face them like Mary did. We 33:41 would be at rest. We will be at complete rest and we won't have to fight. If there's accusations from Martha's and from Judas's, we won't have to fight. We won't have to worry about it. Jesus will defend us. It's a wonderful life that God is 33:58 calling us for. A devotion. A devotion to Jesus. I pray that the Lord will give each one of us that devotion. Amen.
