Sermon Tone Analysis

Text

Introduction

As John gives us the details of the Lords visit to Bethany we witness a scene that revolves around 3 key characters.

You have Martha the worker, Mary the worshiper and Lazarus the witness.

What does it mean to have balance in the Christian life?

A Balanced meal - contains … protein, starch, vegetable, fruit, grains and water

A Balanced life - contains .... work, family time, recreation and rest

Balance means that all parts are equally working together.

For a church to have balance there needs to be a variety of people working together to accomplish a common objective.

For a church to have balance there needs to be a emphasis placed on a number of equally important areas.

To say that everything in Christian life is of equal significance or importance would not be accurate.

Certain aspects are lifted to a higher plane of significance and if we are going to remain balanced we will need to be successful in these areas.

I believe as we look at the record in and specifically the text before us we can see a picture of balance.

If we look carefully we can see 3 areas of the Christian life that need to exist in our lives if we are to have balance.

There are other areas we could highlight, but for the moment I want us to focus on just 3.

Transition

As John gives us the details of the Lords visit to Bethany we witness a scene that revolves around 3 key characters (4 if we include Christ and He is certainly the focus as he should be): Martha, Mary & Lazarus.

In Martha you have the worker, in Mary the worshiper and in Lazarus the witness.

All three of these elements are important if we are to maintain balance in the Christian life.

As we look at each character we can take a closer look at these 3 elements of the Christian life .

1.

The Work we discharge for God

2. The Worship we direct to God

3. The Witness we display for God

I.

The Work we discharge for God - Martha

“...Martha served”

What does it mean to serve?

This was not some glamorous task

It was a seemingly insignificant thing

Lk 10:38

A. The Action of Serving

It is necessary - how will the work of God get done if we dont do the work

What can we do to serve?

Many times it is the little things...

What can we do to serve?

Many times it is the little things...

Illustration: Bro Pack asking if he could help do set-up on Saturday night - there is no glamour in it but it needs to be done

David was a shepherd before he was a king - he ran errands for his father before he was a warrior - he was a servant

Moses - We think of him as a great leader but he was a servant

Little things make us a servant:

B. The Attitude in Serving

Martha’s original problem was one of a poor attitude “bid her therefore that she help me”

I have often found myself in a mindset like Martha

Wondering what others are doing or should be doing for the Lord

Lk 10:38

“Martha, Martha, thou art careful and troubled about many things”

Her problem was not the serving - it was the attitude behind the serving

Her problem was not the serving - it was the attitude behind the serving

A balanced Christian life certainly includes Work that we discharge for God …but also

II.

The Worship we direct to God - Mary

What is worship?

What so you think of when you hear the word worship?

Jn 12:

Worship must start with knowing God - Mary knew the Master

A. Her worship was expressed

Quote: “To worship is to quicken the conscience by the holiness of God, to feed the mind with the truth of God, to purge the imagination by the beauty of God, to open the heart to the love of God, to devote the will to the purpose of God.” - William Temple

The Price of her worship- very costly - about the equivalent of a years wages to purchase

The Purity of her worship- Spikenard - refers to the fact that it was pure - the best that money could buy

The Pouring out of her worship- poured Out - her gesture was lavish and generous and spontaneous

The Point of her worship- anointed the feet of Jesus - her worship was directed at the Son of God - He alone is worthy

The Perfume of her worship- It left behind a fragrance that filled the room - our worship should do the same

How would our worship be described?

B. Her worship was examined

Judas was in the ministry for the money he could syphen - not because he cared about the poor

Don’t be surprised if everyone around you does not understand your worship

Don’t be surprised when the world places a value on your worship and calculates it as a waste

Jesus came to Mary’s rescue with his words to Judas

So we have Work that we do for God and Worship that we direct to God....finally we have

III.

The Witness we display for God - Lazarus

Why did they make the trek to Bethany to see Lazarus?

He was living a resurrection life!!

Illustration: Suppose we were to have asked him: "Lazarus, how do you do it?

What is the secret of this dynamic new life of yours?"

He might have said something like this: "I wasn’t always this way.

For some years I was a nominal believer in Jesus.

I loved him; I wanted to please him.

He was the most important person in my life.

I loved my sisters; I loved his people.

I did all the right things, said all the right things.

And I was perfectly sincere.

Then one day I died.

I died to everybody, died to everything.

I even died to my own testimony for Jesus.

The old Lazarus was very dead indeed.

And everybody knew it.

You don’t expect anything of a dead man, do you?

I died.

And I was buried.

I came to an utter end of myself.

Then Jesus came and he gave me a new life - his life, resurrection life.

I found myself on resurrection ground.

So you see I am not the old Lazarus you used to know..."

There is something special and attractive in one who is actually living a life changed by the Lord Jesus!!

A Resurrection life!!

A. The reality of his witness -

“but that they might see Lazarus”

Lazarus was real and his testimony was real

The reality of our witness matters!!!!