What motivates you?

 

 

Luke 10:38-42

 

Now it came to pass, as they went, that he entered into a certain village: and a certain woman named Martha received him into her house.

And she had a sister called Mary, which also sat at Jesus’ feet, and heard his word.

But Martha was cumbered about much serving, and came to him, and said, Lord, dost thou not care that my sister hath left me to serve alone? bid her therefore that she help me.

And Jesus answered and said unto her, Martha, Martha, thou art careful and troubled about many things:

But one thing is needful: and Mary hath chosen that good part, which shall not be taken away from her.

 

Jesus loved Mary, Martha, and Lazarus and He spent many days and nights with them. They had seen many, many miracles and blessings through their relationships with their Master.

 

 

 

They saw Lazarus raised from the dead.

 

John 11:1-5

 

Now a certain man was sick, named Lazarus, of Bethany, the town of Mary and her sister Martha.

(It was that Mary which anointed the Lord with ointment, and wiped his feet with her hair, whose brother Lazarus was sick.)

Therefore his sisters sent unto him, saying, Lord, behold, he whom thou lovest is sick.

When Jesus heard that, he said, This sickness is not unto death, but for the glory of God, that the Son of God might be glorified thereby.

Now Jesus loved Martha, and her sister, and Lazarus.

 

Mary had blessed the Lord by anointing His head with oil.

 

John 12:1-7

 

Then Jesus six days before the passover came to Bethany, where Lazarus was which had been dead, whom he raised from the dead.

There they made him a supper; and Martha served: but Lazarus was one of them that sat at the table with him.

Then took Mary a pound of ointment of spikenard, very costly, and anointed the feet of Jesus, and wiped his feet with her hair: and the house was filled with the odour of the ointment.

Then saith one of his disciples, Judas Iscariot, Simon’s son, which should betray him,

Why was not this ointment sold for three hundred pence, and given to the poor?

This he said, not that he cared for the poor; but because he was a thief, and had the bag, and bare what was put therein.

Then said Jesus, Let her alone: against the day of my burying hath she kept this.

For the poor always ye have with you; but me ye have not always.

 

They had also enjoyed listening to His teachings while serving those who came to visit

 

Luke 10:38-42

 

Now it came to pass, as they went, that he entered into a certain village: and a certain woman named Martha received him into her house.

And she had a sister called Mary, which also sat at Jesus’ feet, and heard his word.

But Martha was cumbered about much serving, and came to him, and said, Lord, dost thou not care that my sister hath left me to serve alone? bid her therefore that she help me.

And Jesus answered and said unto her, Martha, Martha, thou art careful and troubled about many things:

But one thing is needful: and Mary hath chosen that good part, which shall not be taken away from her.

 

 

 

Mary, Martha, and Lazarus knew Jesus pretty well. The Scriptures tell us that He loved them and it shows because He spent a lot of time in their company. They listened too Him, followed Him, and ministered too Him and others who also followed Him by serving everyone.

 

Yet in the previous verses we see something happening in Martha that we can also see in ourselves from time to time. What motivates us?

 

In the previous chapters listed we see Mary serving, by cooking and preparing the food for the guests that had come to listen to Jesus speak. We see Martha anointing Jesus’ feet with a costly perfume. There is no mention as to anyone having a problem, except Judas, but here in Luke 10 the roles are reversed.

Jesus and His followers had come into Mary and Martha’s village and had come by to visit.

Now Martha was serving and Mary chose to minister.

Martha doesn’t like it and she comes to the lord and suggests that He tell Mary to stop listening and help her with the serving.

 

This made me wonder just what motivates us. Why do we do what we do, in service at Church, or out in society?

 

Both women had done good things. They had both selflessly ministered to the Lord in their own ways without a though as to what they would receive for it.

 

They had also stepped into the background to serve Jesus and those who came to fellowship.

 

This time though there was something missing in the heart of Martha. She was focused on the wrong things while she was serving.

 

Her heart was not right.

 

There is nothing wrong with ministering or serving others. There is nothing wrong with being out there in front of others, worshiping the Lord. There is also nothing wrong with serving in the background while others get all the attention.

 

What is wrong is what we expect to receive from what we do. What is wrong is what we let motivate us to do what we are doing and just what we expect from the Lord.

 

If we go to church, minister to others, pray, read the Bible, join a fellowship, sing, praise, if we do any of these for something other than the glory of God, we might as well not do anything at all.

 

Many times we think that this new Bible Study, or this denomination, or this friendship will give us satisfaction.

This website, this new teaching, this speaker’s book will help me find fulfillment.

 

We chase each new study, each new meeting, always looking to be filled when that filling lies wholly and completely in waiting on, ministering too, and relying completely in our Lord Jesus Christ.

 

It is selfishness when we look for something other than the Lord to fill us because he has completed His work. It is selfishness for us to look for something more.

 

Baptism does not fill

Membership does not fill

Working does not fill

religion does not fill

only the Spirit of God through the finished work of Jesus Christ fills us. This comes through faith plus nothing and this means an abiding in Christ and only Christ.

 

No work we could ever do could impress the Lord. We could never cause ourselves to be more saved than we already are. Simply we can’t work for it, we can’t maintain it, we could never seal it

 

Only Jesus Christ could ever do this work.

 

Martha had a heart that was motivated by selfishness and missing love

 

Paul said

 

1Corinthians 13:1-3

 

Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not charity, I am become as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal.

And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries, and all knowledge; and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, and have not charity, I am nothing.

And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, and have not charity, it profiteth me nothing.

 

We could be the best speaker, we could be the most persuasive, most impressive, stylish, cool, minister, leader, elder known to man, but if we are motivated to serve or minister for anything other than love for others and the glory of Jesus Christ, we are useless.

 

When we learn to just be still and listen to Him and wait upon Him and just minister to Him then we will begin to know what it means to be filled and satisfied.

 

Let His love flow through you in service towards others and in ministering to the glory of the lord.

 

If you don’t know Him, let Him give you that love and that power to love through Him by trusting Him as your Savior

 

Then we can truly be motivated

Mark 8

27And Jesus went out, and his disciples, into the towns of Caesarea Philippi:

Caesarea Philippi is about 25 miles north of Bethsaidia and the Sea of Galilee. It stands on the south edge of Mt Hermon and is today called Banias. One of the sources of the Jordan river springs out from under a large rocky cliff that raises one 100 or more feet above the village.

Many idols were carved into the rocks at one time. What a perfect place for Jesus to ask this question

 

and by the way he asked his disciples, saying unto them, Whom do men say that I am?

What do men say about me? Who does the world think I am? 

 

28And they answered, John the Baptist; but some say, Elias; and others, One of the prophets.

Elijah because of the miracles that he performed

John the Baptist because of his preaching

One of the prophets because Moses promised it

 

 29And he saith unto them, But whom say ye that I am?

Who am I to you?

And Peter answereth and saith unto him, Thou art the Christ.

 30And he charged them that they should tell no man of him.

 31And he began to teach them, that the Son of man must suffer many things, and be rejected of the elders, and of the chief priests, and scribes, and be killed, and after three days rise again.

 32And he spake that saying openly. And Peter took him, and began to rebuke him.

Here is where His ministry began to take a new direction. He began to teach them about His mission and they didn’t understand. The Messiah had been prophesied as coming in power and strength. He would take back Jerusalem and free Israel from Roman oppression and the kingdom of God would be brought to earth

But now He is talking about suffering

Rejection by rulers and the religious leaders

Dying only to be raised up again the third day 

 

33But when he had turned about and looked on his disciples, he rebuked Peter, saying, Get thee behind me, Satan: for thou savourest not the things that be of God, but the things that be of men.

 

Get thee behind me, Satan: for thou savourest not the things that be of God, but the things that be of men.

We see two different reactions to these new revelations

 

Judas

There has been some focus on Judas recently by means of a transcript called “The gospel of Judas” which tells the story of the betrayal of Jesus in a different light.

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The Gospel of Judas is a Gnostic gospel purported to document conversations between apostle Judas Iscariot and Jesus Christ. The document is not claimed to have been written by Judas himself, but rather by Gnostic followers of Jesus. It exists in an early fourth-century Coptic text, though it has been proposed, but not proven, that the text is a translation of an earlier Greek version. The Gospel of Judas is probably from no earlier than the second century, since it contains theology that is not represented before the second half of the second century, and since its introduction and epilogue assume the reader is familiar with the canonical Gospels. The original Coptic document has been carbon dated to 280 AD, plus or minus 60 years.

According to the canonical Gospels of the New Testament, (Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John), Judas betrayed Jesus to Jerusalem’s Temple authorities, which handed Jesus over to the prefect Pontius Pilate, representative of the occupying Roman Empire, for crucifixion. The Gospel of Judas, on the other hand, portrays Judas in a very different perspective than do the Gospels of the New Testament, according to a preliminary translation made in early 2006 by the National Geographic Society: the Gospel of Judas appears to interpret Judas’s act not as betrayal, but rather as an act of obedience to the instructions of Jesus. This assumption is taken on the basis that Jesus required a second agent to set in motion a course of events which he had planned. In that sense Judas acted as a catalyst. The action of Judas, then, was a pivotal point which interconnected a series of simultaneous pre-orchestrated events.

This portrayal seems to conform to a notion, current in some forms of Gnosticism, that the human form is a spiritual prison, and that Judas thus served Christ by helping to release Christ’s spirit from its physical constraints. The action of Judas allowed him to do that which he could not do directly. The Gospel of Judas does not claim that the other disciples knew gnostic teachings. On the contrary, it asserts that the disciples had not learned the true Gospel, which Jesus taught only to Judas Iscariot.

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Who was Judas really?

Some claim that his name “Iscariot” can be translated as “Daggerman” meaning that he was a part of a sect of political activists. This would mean that he was a zealot, and a political activist looking for the perfect avenue of revolution against Roman occupation. Jesus would have seemed like the perfect catalyst for change.

Some say that this was the reason for his betrayal. He might have wanted to start the revolution through putting Jesus on trial. The people would have come together in outrage because they seemed to love Jesus so much.

Some think he betrayed Jesus in order to regain some money he had stolen from the money purse. He would get the money and Jesus would escape from the soldiers through some miracle just as they had seen Him do before.

Some believe him to be doing the will of God as evident in the “gospel of Judas”

He was evidently trustworthy. He held the money purse for the group and that was no small task. You wouldn’t let just anyone hold the money

He went out preaching. He worked with the others

Jesus washed his feet – with as much time attention and love as the others

Jesus knew what he was going to do. Did he love Judas????

Could you do that????

Jesus called him friend

Matthew 26:50 

47And while he yet spake, lo, Judas, one of the twelve, came, and with him a great multitude with swords and staves, from the chief priests and elders of the people.

 48Now he that betrayed him gave them a sign, saying, Whomsoever I shall kiss, that same is he: hold him fast.

 49And forthwith he came to Jesus, and said, Hail, master; and kissed him.

 50And Jesus said unto him, Friend, wherefore art thou come? Then came they, and laid hands on Jesus and took him.

He didn’t stop him from doing what was in his heart. He wasn’t calling him friend so that he would stop his betrayal

Is it so that Judas would repent???

He called him a devil. He said that it would have been better for him had he not been born

Now we know his reaction.

He was mindful of the things of man. He was mindful of his own things. He came to Jesus wanting his own things to happen. He was expecting war and he received love!!!

Don’t knock him. What are we mindful of?

Who is He to you?

Peter

The mouth of Galilee (the south)

He acted first and thought about it later

He chopped that guys ear off

He walked on water

He saw Jesus transfigured

He was part of the inner circle

He knew who Jesus was

Yet he still denied him – not once but 3 times

Jesus called him friend

And He called him Satan

Peter saw and received something that Judas didn’t

He saw grace

Luke 22:55-62

55And when they had kindled a fire in the midst of the hall, and were set down together, Peter sat down among them.

 56But a certain maid beheld him as he sat by the fire, and earnestly looked upon him, and said, This man was also with him.

 57And he denied him, saying, Woman, I know him not.

 58And after a little while another saw him, and said, Thou art also of them. And Peter said, Man, I am not.

 59And about the space of one hour after another confidently affirmed, saying, Of a truth this fellow also was with him: for he is a Galilaean.

 60And Peter said, Man, I know not what thou sayest. And immediately, while he yet spake, the cock crew.

 61And the Lord turned, and looked upon Peter. And Peter remembered the word of the Lord, how he had said unto him, Before the cock crow, thou shalt deny me thrice.

 62And Peter went out, and wept bitterly.

What kind of look do you think that was?

Anger

Hurt

Or love? Grace?

What do we really believe about Jesus?

What we believe motivates and molds us

How we treat others is how we believe He treats us

He did everything out of love for us

He was born in a body

He gave his blood – His life

He was crucified

But He was brought back – He was resurrected

 

34And when he had called the people unto him with his disciples also, he said unto them, Whosoever will come after me

Who ever desires to follow Me

We come to Him empty handed

We receive grace when we come to Him. We agree that sin is sin and we confess that we are lost without Jesus. We desire to come after Jesus

Ephesians 2

 4But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us,

 5Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;)

 6And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus:

 7That in the ages to come he might shew the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus.

 8For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:

 9Not of works, lest any man should boast.

We are redeemed through his blood!!!

 

 let him deny himself,

We receive regeneration – the new birth – we are reconciled by the Beloved – Jesus Christ

6For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly.

 7For scarcely for a righteous man will one die: yet peradventure for a good man some would even dare to die.

 8But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.

 9Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him.

 10For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life.

 11And not only so, but we also joy in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom we have now received the atonement.

When Jesus was baptized – He rose from the water and there came the voice of God saying

“This is my beloved Son in Whom I am well pleased”

WHEN WE ARE SAVED – WHEN WE BECOME INDWELLED WITH THE HOLY SPIRIT – WE BECOME JOINT-HEIRS WITH JESUS

Ephesians 1:4

 4According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love:

 5Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will,

AND WE HEAR THE FATHER SAY “THIS IS MY BELOVED IN WHOM I AM WELL PLEASED”

and take up his cross – DIE TO ONESELF

WE RECEIVE JUSTIFICATION – WE ARE FREE FROM THE PENALTY OF SIN

ROMANS 6:22-23

22But now being made free from sin, and become servants to God, ye have your fruit unto holiness, and the end everlasting life.

 23For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Romans 12

 1I 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

 

and follow me.

WE WALK IN SANCTIFICATION

A DAY BY DAY WALK WITH THE LORD

Romans 6:4 

4Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.

AND EVENTUALLY WE WILL BE GLORIFIED

ROMANS 8

28And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.

 29For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren.

 30Moreover whom he did predestinate, them he also called: and whom he called, them he also justified: and whom he justified, them he also glorified.

 

 35For whosoever will save his life shall lose it; but whosoever shall lose his life for my sake and the gospel’s, the same shall save it.

 36For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?

 37Or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?

 38Whosoever therefore shall be ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation; of him also shall the Son of man be ashamed, when he cometh in the glory of his Father with the holy angels.

WE MUST LET HIM LIVE IN US

WE MUST LET HIM LEAD US

WE MUST HIM LOVE THROUGH US BECAUSE OF WHAT HE HAS DONE FOR US AND WHAT HE WILLS TO DO FOR OTHERS

BUT WE HAVE TO SEE THINGS THROUGH HIS EYES – THE EYES OF LOVE

Jesus Christ is the Bread of Life

John 6:35 And Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life. He who comes to Me shall never hunger, and he who believes in Me shall never thirst.

Jesus Christ is what sustains us. Just as Israel ate the manna in the wilderness and died so too we must eat – we must partake of the Word but when we do so we will live. This Bread sustains and fills. We will never hunger or thirst again

He gives Life. He is also the Light

Jesus Christ is the Light of the world

John 8:12 Then Jesus spoke to them again, saying, “I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life.”

He is the precious Light of the World. In the beginning was the Word. In the beginning everything was dark. The Spirit hovered over the darkness – waiting – on the Word!!!!!

Just as the Word brought Life to the universe – He also brought Light. He illuminates sin. He eradicates death. He is the Light and He is the Life

Jesus Christ is the Life, He is the Light, He is also the Door.

Jesus Christ is the Door

John 10:7  Then Jesus said to them again, “Most assuredly, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep.

 Jesus Christ is the only answer for mankind. He is the Door for the sheep and just as the door to the ark was the only way into salvation – so Jesus is. God had to close that door and He is the only way to enter into the salvation of God

Jesus Christ is the Good Shepherd

John 10:11 “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd gives His life for the sheep.

He paid the ultimate sacrifice for us. He gave His blood. His Life for ours. He then gives us His Life and Light

Jesus Christ is the Resurrection and the Life

John 11:25 Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live.

Christianity hinges on the resurrection of Jesus. No other religion = no other way can say that. Jesus Christ died on the cross. He was buried in a tomb but He was raised from the dead and He is alive and well. Buddha can’t say that, L.Ron Hubbard can’t say that, Aleister Crowley can’t say that, Joseph Smith can’t say that.

Jesus Christ is the Way, the Truth, and the Life

John 14:6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.

Jesus Christ is the narrow road! He is the Gateway!! He is the Door and He is the Only Way to the Father. Salvation comes from no other source!!!!

Jesus Christ is the truth!! He is the Word. He sets us free!!! He is the Gospel that saves

He is the Life. He gives us life and life more abundantly

Jesus Christ is the True Vine

John 15:1 “I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser.

He is the True Vine. We must abide in Him in order to strive. He is the Author and Finisher of our faith and it is through abiding that we have access to our Lord

Jesus Christ

Before the world – He was, is, and will always be God the Son. He is the Word. He is the Light that shined in the beginning. The Spirit of God hovered over the darkness waiting on the Word of God.

Born in a body – He was born to a virgin. He was born of the Spirit. He is fully God and fully man

Becoming the Beloved – Beginning His Ministry – God the Father becomes recognized as God the Son as He is baptized – signified by the Spirit

Bearing our sins – He was the scapegoat of God. He bore the sins for all mankind

Giving His blood
He gave His blood to cleans us. In John 20 we see the perfect example of the Mercy Seat as John and Peter peer into that open tomb. As they look in they see two angels one at the head and the feet where Jesus lay. A beautiful picture of what happened when the Great High Priest placed the blood – His blood for all mankind