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Emmaus is a Reformed Baptist church in Hemet, California. We are a community of Christ followers who love God, love one another, and serve the church, community, and nations, for the glory of God and for our joy.
Our hope is that you will make Emmaus your home and that you will begin to grow with us as we study the scriptures and, through the empowering of the Holy Spirit, live in a way that honors our great King.
LORD'S DAY WORSHIP (SUNDAYS)
10:00am Corporate Worship
In the Emmaus Chapel at Cornerstone
26089 Girard St.
Hemet, CA 92544
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9:00am to 9:45am most Sundays (Schedule)
In the Chapel
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43430 E. Florida Ave. #F329
Hemet, CA 92544
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At Emmaus we believe that God has given parents, especially fathers the authority and responsibility to train and instruct children up in the Lord. In addition, we believe that God has ordained the gathering of all generations, young to old, to worship Him together in one place and at one time. Therefore, each and every Sunday our children worship the Lord alongside their parents and other members of God’s family.
Learn MoreEmmaus Reformed Baptist Church is committed to the fullfilment of the Great Commision given by our Lord when he said, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age" (Matthew 28:18-20 ESV), through the planting of local churches, both at home and abroad.
May 24
5
“A PSALM OF DAVID. O LORD, I call upon you; hasten to me! Give ear to my voice when I call to you! Let my prayer be counted as incense before you, and the lifting up of my hands as the evening sacrifice! Set a guard, O LORD, over my mouth; keep watch over the door of my lips! Do not let my heart incline to any evil, to busy myself with wicked deeds in company with men who work iniquity, and let me not eat of their delicacies! Let a righteous man strike me—it is a kindness; let him rebuke me—it is oil for my head; let my head not refuse it. Yet my prayer is continually against their evil deeds. When their judges are thrown over the cliff, then they shall hear my words, for they are pleasant. As when one plows and breaks up the earth, so shall our bones be scattered at the mouth of Sheol. But my eyes are toward you, O GOD, my Lord; in you I seek refuge; leave me not defenseless! Keep me from the trap that they have laid for me and from the snares of evildoers! Let the wicked fall into their own nets, while I pass by safely.” (Psalm 141, ESV)
“Now Jesus was praying in a certain place, and when he finished, one of his disciples said to him, ‘Lord, teach us to pray, as John taught his disciples.’ And he said to them, ‘When you pray, say: ‘Father, hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come. Give us each day our daily bread, and forgive us our sins, for we ourselves forgive everyone who is indebted to us. And lead us not into temptation’” (Luke 11:1–4, ESV).
Please excuse any typos and misspellings within this manuscript. It has been published online for the benefit of the saints of Emmaus Reformed Baptist Church but without the benefit of proofreading.
I would like to begin this sermon by reminding you of the two great commandments stated in Luke 10:27. These two commandments summarize the whole of God’s law. What are they? “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind, and your neighbor as yourself” (Luke 10:27, ESV).
And I wonder if you can remember from the previous sermon how strongly I feel that the Parable of the Good Samaritan (as told in Luke 10:30-37) is to be linked to the second great commandment and the story about Mary and Martha (as told in Luke 10:38-42) is to be linked to the first great commandment. These stories – one, a parable, and the other historical – reveal what the great commandments require. What does it mean to love your neighbor as yourself? The parable of Good Samaritan obviously provides an answer. And what does it mean to love God with all of the heart, soul, strength, and mind? Well, the story about Mary and Marth has something to teach us about that. I’ve reminded you of these things in the introduction to this sermon because I think this teaching about prayer is to be linked to the first great commandment too.
The true Christian will strive to love God with all the heart, soul, strength, and mind. But the question is, what will this involve? What will it look like in practice? Will it involve service? Yes, no doubt. Will it involve obedience to God in the whole of life? Yes, certainly. But I do believe that the story about Mary at the feet of Jesus and this teaching about prayer that we will be considering today push us to see that love for God does not begin with service but with communion. Those who love God will commune with him. Those who love God will relate to him through Christ Jesus. Those who love God will be eager to hear and receive his Word. Those who love God will also speak to him through prayer.
I should remind you, dear brothers and sisters, of what the first and greatest commandment actually says: “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind (Luke 10:27, ESV). The greatest commandment is not, you shall dutifully obey your God. Neither does it say, you shall faithfully serve your God. No, God’s law is summed up with the word love. Yes, God is to be obeyed. God is to be served. But he is to be obeyed and served in love. The words, with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind, intensify the point. The thing that God desires from his people is not dutiful, heartless service and obedience, but love.
And so I ask you, dear friends, do you love God? Do you long to know him, to hear his Word, and to speak with him in prayer? Do you long to commune with God? Do you obey him and serve him because you love him? Or is your obedience heartless and merely dutiful?
It was in the previous sermon that we considered the story of Mary and Martha and stressed the importance and supreme goodness of receiving God’s Word by sitting at the feet of Jesus, as Mary did. Today, we will turn our attention to prayer. Those who love God with all their heart, soul, strength, and mind will love to hear God’s Word and they will also love to speak to God in prayer.
One, Jesus was a man of prayer. “Now Jesus was praying in a certain place…” (Luke 11:1, ESV), the text says.
Two, the disciples of Jesus were men of prayer. “Lord, teach us to pray, as John taught his disciples” (Luke 11:1, ESV). Does this now sow that they were men of prayer who wished to pray better?
Three, Jesus assumed his disciples would pray. “And he said to them, ‘When you pray, say…” (Luke 11:2, ESV). It was not if you pray, but when.
Let us now consider the Lord’s Prayer as recorded in Luke’s gospel. Jesus spoke to his disciples saying, “When you pray, say: ‘Father, hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come. Give us each day our daily bread, and forgive us our sins, for we ourselves forgive everyone who is indebted to us. And lead us not into temptation.’” (Luke 11:2–4, ESV)
Clearly, the Lord’s prayer is a model prayer. It provides followers of Christ with a pattern to follow. It is like an outline for prayer. It is a purposefully ordered list of subjects to be prayed for.
Consider what the Lord’s Prayer is not.
One, it is not a prayer that Jesus himself prayed. Never did Christ pray for the forgiveness of his sins, for he had none. The name we have given to this prayer can be misleading. We call it the Lord’s Prayer not because Jesus prayed this prayer himself, but because he gave it to his disciples as a model prayer.
Two, the Lord’s Prayer is not meant to be merely recited. Now granted, there is nothing wrong with reciting the Lord’s Prayer. We will do this very thing together later in our worship. And it may be that you sometimes simply recited the Lord’s Prayer. Perhaps you will find yourself in a difficult situation where you need to pray but you do not know what to pray. You would do well to recite the Lord’s Prayer. Lastly, the Lord’s Prayer may be recited by children or others new to the faith as they begin to learn to pray. These are legitimate uses of the Lord’s Prayer. But the Lord’s Prayer was given not to be recited word for word, but to function as a guide. Each petition is to be expanded upon. Each phrase is an invitation to linger a while and to pray about a certain subject.
Three, the Lord’s Prayer is not the only prayer we are ever to pray. By this I mean, the follower of Jesus is not obligated to pray through each petition of the Lord’s Prayer every time he or she prays. Sometimes we simply need to cry out to God about some concern. It is not wrong to get to the point in situations like these. And perhaps you have noticed that not every prayer offered up in corporate worship strictly follows the pattern of the Lord’s Prayer. Different prayers are offered up according to different themes at different themes in the worship service, and this is good and right. But ordinarily, when we pray in private, we ought to pray according to the petitions of the Lord’s Prayer. And the various prayers that are offered up in corporate worship ought to follow the pattern of the Lord’s Prayer when considered in total.
Perhaps you noticed that the Lord’s Prayer recorded in Luke’s Gospel is slightly different from the one recorded in Matthew’s Gospel. I think this supports the idea that Jesus intended this prayer, not to be recited from memory, but to function as a model. The Lord’s Prayer in Luke’s Gospel is a bit shorter.
“And he said to them, ‘When you pray, say: ‘Father, hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come. Give us each day our daily bread, and forgive us our sins, for we ourselves forgive everyone who is indebted to us. And lead us not into temptation.’” (Luke 11:2–4, ESV)
“Pray then like this: ‘Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.’” (Matthew 6:9–13, ESV)
There are four main differences: One, in Matthew, we are taught to pray to “Our Father in heaven”. In Luke, we are simply taught to say “Father”. Of course, it is assumed that when we pray, we are praying, not to angels or men, but to God. So “Father” is clearly a reference to “our Father in heaven.” Two, Matthew says, “Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.” Luke only says, “Your kingdom come.” The phrase, “your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven” is not found. So you can see that the version of the Lord’s Prayer found in Luke is shorter. But the substance is really the same. When we pray to God saying, “your kingdom come”, our desire is to see the will of our King accomplished on earth as in heaven. “Your will be done” is implied in the phrase “your kingdom come.” What is implied in Luke’s version of the Lord’s Prayer is made explicit in Matthew’s version. Three, Matthew says, “forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors”, whereas Luke says, “forgive us our sins, for we ourselves forgive everyone who is indebted to us.” The differences are minor. The meaning is the same. Four, Matthew says, “And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil”, whereas Luke only says, “And lead us not into temptation.” Again, Luke’s version is shorter but the meaning is the same.
One question we should ask is, why are there different versions of the Lord’s Prayer? It must be that Christ taught people to pray on different occasions and when he taught them to pray he did not always use the exact same words. The prayer found in Luke is briefer than the prayer found in Matthew but the substance and pattern of the prayers are the same.
Let us now consider the Lord’s Prayer as it is given to us by Luke.
“And he said to [his disciples], ‘When you pray, say: Father…” Do not overlook the significance of this name. It was not unheard of prior to the arrival of Christ to refer to God as Father but neither was it common. When Christ taught his disciples to pray, Father, he brought this name or title for God to the forefront and gave it prominence. Jesus prayed to God as Father. For example, in John 17:1 we read, “When Jesus had spoken these words, he lifted up his eyes to heaven, and said, “Father, the hour has come; glorify your Son that the Son may glorify you, since you have given him authority over all flesh, to give eternal life to all whom you have given him” (John 17:1–2, ESV).
Jesus is the eternal Son of the Father and he taught his people – those united to him by faith – to pray to God as Father because in him we are adopted sons and daughters. God is not our Father by nature on account of sin. But if we are united to Christ by faith, God is our Father by way of redemption and adoption. When you pray to God as Father, it should prompt you to remember that God is your creator and sustainor. More than this, it should remind you that God is your redeemer. He has shown grace to you. He has sent a Savior, Christ the Lord. He has removed the guilt of your sin, washed you clean, and clothed you with Christ’s righteousness. He has set you free from the domain of darkness and has transferred you into the kingdom of his beloved Son. More than this, he has reconciled you to himself and has adopted you into his eternal family. This is what Paul had in mind when he wrote these words: “For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, ‘Abba! Father!’” (Romans 8:15, ESV).
When you pray to God as Father, these truths should come to your mind. These truths must also warm your heart. If you are in Christ Jesus, friends, it is because God has set his love upon you. He has been merciful and gracious to you. He has reconciled you to himself. And so we are invited to come boldly before the throne of grace. “Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need” (Hebrews 4:16, ESV).
Think of all that one word, “Father”, communicates. Do not utter that word carelessly or thoughtlessly. When we address God as “Father” it should deeply affect our minds and our hearts leading us to approach God with reverential fear, yes, but also with warmth and affection. Imagine a king’s chamber and a great king seated on his throne. The way that a lowly servant approaches the king and the way that the king’s child approaches him will be very different. I’m afraid that many Christians approach the throne of grace like lowly servants. They have forgotten that they have been adopted as sons and daughters. No doubt, this hinders them from approaching the throne of grace with the boldness that is ours in Christ Jesus.
Baptist Catechism 107 asks, What doth the preface of the Lord’s Prayer teach us? Answer: “The preface of the Lord’s Prayer, which is, ‘Our Father, which art in heaven,’ teacheth us to draw near to God, with all holy reverence and confidence, as children to a father, able and ready to help us; and that we should pray with and for others.”
The first petition of the Lord’s Prayer is “hallowed be your name.” This is the first petition for good reason. When we approach God in prayer, it is right for us to begin by blessing his holy name. It is right that we give praise to him for his nature and perfections. It is right that we give thanks and praise to him for the kindness that he has shown to us. It is right that we pray his name would be hallowed – glorified, exulted, and praised – by others too. The first petition, “hallowed be your name”, should prompt is to give thank and praise to God ourselves, and to pray that others would give thanks and praise to him too. We should pray for things like this: Lord, move my wife and children to give praise to you. Bless my brothers and sisters in Christ to live for your glory. Bless us as we assemble this Lord’s Day that you would be exulted within our congregation. Be exalted in other churches too. Be exulted to the ends of the earth, etc.
Baptist Catechism 108 asks, What do we pray for in the first petition? Answer: In the first petition, which is “Hallowed be thy name,” we pray that God would enable us and others to glorify Him in all that whereby He makes Himself known, and that He would dispose all things to His own glory.
The second petition of the Lord’s Prayer is “Your kingdom come.” This is the second petition for good reason. After praying that God be glorified, we are to pray that his kingdom advance and prosper. How does God’s kingdom advance on earth? Through the preaching the Word of God as the Spirit works. And what does it look like for God’s kingdom to advance? Sinners turn from their sins and to Christ. These are to be baptized in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. These are to be taught to observe all that Christ has commanded. This includes participation in the Lord’s Supper. Baptism and the Lord’s Supper are ordinances to be administered by the church, particularly Pastors or elders. So then, the expansion and building up of God’s kingdom on earth is made visible when Christ’s church expands, grows, and flourishes.
What then should you pray for under the petition, “your kingdom come”? Many things. Pray that the gospel be proclaimed to the non-believing world. Pray tat workers be sent out into the harvest, for the harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. Pray that men and women, boys and girls, come to repentance and faith. Pray that they be baptized and join the church according to the commands of Holy Scripture. Pray that the sacrament of the Lord’s Supper is administered faithfully to these and that the truth of the word of God is faithfully preached so that the church of Christ is built up strong and true. Pray for your pastors and elders. Pray for you deacons. Pray for your fellow church members. Pray for the unity and health of the church. Pray for other churches. Pray for church planters.
As I have said, Matthew’s account of the Lord’s prayer follows the petition, “Your kingdom come” with a third petition, “your will be done on earth as it is in heaven”. The wills of kings are to be obeyed in their kingdoms. We are to pray that God’s hidden will be accomplished and that we will surrender to it with contentment. Furthermore, we are to pray that we, as his redeemed people, would obey God’s revealed will. In Matthew’s version of the Lord’s Prayer the petition, “Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven” is stated. In Luke, it is implied in the petition, “you kingdom come.”
Baptist Catechism 109 asks, What do we pray for in the second petition? Answer: In the second petition, which is “Thy kingdom come,” we pray that Satan’s kingdom may be destroyed, and that the kingdom of grace may be advanced, ourselves and others brought into it and kept in it, and that the kingdom of glory may be hastened.
Baptist Catechism 110 asks. What do we pray for in the third petition? Answer: In the third petition, which is, “Thy will be done in earth as it is in heaven,” we pray that God by His grace would make us able and willing to know, obey, and submit to His will in all things, as the angels do in heaven. (Matt. 6:10; Ps. 103:20,21; Ps. 25:4,5; Ps. 119:26)
The third petition of the Lord’s Prayer in Luke, and the fourth in Matthew, is “Give us each day our daily bread.” Here we are prompted to pray for earth provisions. That we are instructed to pray for earthly provisions shows us that is concerned to provide us with the things needed for life on earth. We may pray to God for good, honest work and the health, skill, and wisdom to do it. We may pray to God for peace and prosperity in our state and nation so that life would flourish here. I believe it is under this petition that we should pray “for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way” (1 Timothy 2:2, ESV). Most basically, we are to pray that God would provide us with adequate resources – money, food, clothing, and shelter – under the petition, “Give us each day our daily bread.” And do not forget that we are to pray, not only for ourselves but others too. We should intercede on behalf of others under every petition including this one.
Baptist Catechism 111 asks, What do we pray for in the fourth petition? Answer: In the fourth petition, which is, “Give us this day our daily bread,” we pray that of God’s free gift we may receive a competent portion of the good things of this life, and enjoy His blessing with them.
The fourth petition of the Lord’s Prayer in Luke, and the fifth in Matthew is, “and forgive us our sins, for we ourselves forgive everyone who is indebted to us.” Here we are prompted to confess our sisn to God. Of course, it is not just confession that is required but true repentance. To confess your sins to God is to admit them. To repent is to admit your sins and to turn from them resolved to walk in new obedience. Do not merely confess your sins, brothers and sisters. Turn from them and to Christ. Turn from them and walk in obedience to God’s law.
It is under this petition that we are also prompted to forgive others as we have been forgiven. Whenever I consider this petition of the Lord’s prayer I am reminded of the parable of the unforgiving servant that is told in Matthew 18:21 and following. There in that parable, Christ warns his disciples of the sin of unforgiveness. Those forgiven much are expected to forgive much. The Lord’s Prayer helps us with this.
Question 112 of the Baptist Catechism asks, What do we pray for in the fifth petition? Answer: In the fifth petition, which is, “And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors,” we pray that God, for Christ’s sake, would freely pardon all our sins; which we are rather encouraged to ask because by His grace we are enabled from the heart to forgive others.
The fifth petition of the Lord’s Prayer in Luke, and the sixth in Matthew is, “And lead us not into temptation.” Matthew’s version adds, “but deliver us from evil.”
Baptist Catechism 113 asks, What do we pray for in the sixth petition? Answer: In the sixth petition, which is, “And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil,” we pray that God would either keep us from being tempted to sin, or support and deliver us when we are tempted.
Dear brothers and sisters, it is my opinion that the story about Mary sitting at the feet of Jesus to listen to his teaching and this teaching from Jesus regarding prayer is presented by Luke at this place in his gospel to teach us something about what it means to love God with all of the heart, soul, strength, and mind. Will loving God involve serving God and others? Yes. But true love for God will involve more than dutiful obedience. Those who love God truly and from the heart will love Christ and his Word. Those who love truly and from the heart will love to commune with God through Christ in prayer.
Do you love God’s word, friends? Do you feast upon it? And to you pray? Do you come to God the Father, through Christ the Son, and by the Spirit to pray?
You know, if you come to a pastor and ask for help with some spiritual ailment – depression, anxiety, anger, bitterness, resentment, discontent, or some other thing — it is likely that your pastor will at some point ask you, having you been meditating upon the Word of God and have you been praying? Why do you think pastors frequently ask this question? Do pastors not know that life is complicated and that there might be other factors to consider? Yes, good pastors will be aware of other factors. But the truth remains that our spiritual health does flow from our communion with God. Generally speaking (and there are exceptions) when we are keeping our minds and hearts by filling them with the word of God and through prayer, spiritual health typically follows.
Prayer, dear brothers and sisters, is one of the primary ways that we keep our souls pure before God. Does God accomplish things in the world through the prayers of his people? Yes, of course. God carries out his eternal and unchanging decree through means, and one of those means is prayer. Just as God works through our evangelism and our good deeds, so too God works through the prayers of his people which he has prepared beforehand (see Ephesians 2:8-10). But one of the most important things that happens in prayer is that our hearts and minds are changed
It is hard to imagine someone praying through the Lord’s Prayer daily in a thoughtful, thorough, sincere, and faithful way living with a soul overrun by covetousness, misplaced priorities, fear, anxiety, pride, anger, bitterness, resentment, unforgiveness, or any other sin. Notice, I did not say that those who pray faithfully and fervently will not be tempted by these things. And neither did I say that they will not struggle with these things. But I did say, it is hard to imagine their soul bing overrun by these things. Prayer, dear brother and sisters, is means that God uses to accomplish his purposes in the world. And prayer is a means of grace for us. It is one of te primary things that God uses to save his people and to sanctify them further.
We must be faithful in prayer. Some of you may now be coming to the realization that you are more like Martha than Mary. Martha loved the Lord, I do not doubt it. But she was too busy. She was distracted and anxious about many things. May the Lord help us to be first like Mary and then like Martha. May our love for God be shown, firstly, by sitting at the feet of Jesus to receive his word and to pray to our Father in heaven through him. Secondly, may we rise up from receiving the word and from prayer to serve God, Christ, and others as Martha did.
May 24
5
May 24
5
May 24
5
Q. 17. What is sin?
A. Sin is any want of conformity unto, or transgression of, the law of God. (1 John 3:4; Rom. 5:13)
I should remind you of what the last question and answer said, for this one builds upon the last one.
Question 16 asks, “Did our first parents continue in the estate wherein they were created?” Answer: “Our first parents, being left to the freedom of their own will, fell from the estate wherein they were created, by sinning against God.” We discussed the meaning of this Q&A last Sunday. Here I want you to remember that our first parents fell from their state of innocence… “by sinning against God.” Now, our catechism asks, “what is sin.”
By the way, this is one reason a catechism like this is such a useful tool for Christian discipleship. Not only is the teaching of the Holy Scripture summarized for us in this document, but it is summarized in an orderly way so that we might understand the Christian faith. The most foundational truths are laid down first and then they are built upon. And as you can see, important terms are defined along the way.
“Sin” is one of those important terms. In fact, you cannot understand the gospel of Jesus Christ without understanding what sin is. Why did Jesus Christ come to live, die, and rise again? Why do the Scriptures tell us that we must trust in him to be saved? Saved from what? My point is this: The story of Scripture and the Christian faith do not make sense without this concept of sin and its consequences.
Our first parents, Adam and Eve, fell from the state of innocence and into a state of corruption, guilt, and depravity by sinning against God. All who are born into this world after them are born into this same fallen condition. We are born corrupt, depraved, and guilty before God because Adam was our representative, as we will soon learn. In other words, we are born into a state (or condition) of sin. And all who are born into this world in this state of sin do they themselves sin. Furthermore, sin, as we will soon learn with the help of our catechism, has devastating and eternal consequences. I’ll refrain from saying more. We will come to all of this in catechism questions 18 through 22. Each of these questions and answers will help us to learn more about sin and its effects. Before we consider these things we must begin here with the most basic question, “What is sin?” Again, the answer: “Sin is any want of conformity unto, or transgression of, the law of God.”
The first thing I want you to know is that to sin is to miss the mark. An archer who misses the bullseye has sinned. But we are not talking about archery, are we? No, we are talking about hitting the mark of God’s moral standard for us. And what is God’s standard? What is the bullseye, if you will? What is the mark that God has called us to hit? The mark is God’s law.
It is important to understand that God’s law it the mark or standard, and God’s law includes both the moral law (which was written on man’s heart at creation) and any positive laws that God chooses to add to the moral through the covenants he has transacted with man. The command that God gave to Adam to not eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil is an example of a positive law. God added that law to the moral law (which was written on man’s heart when God created him) when he entered into the Covenant of Life (or Works) with him.
So then, the standard is God’s law, both moral and positive. And we sin when we fail to hit, or live up to, that standard.
But that is not all our catechism says. Hear the answer to the question again. What is sin? “Sin is any want of conformity unto, or transgression of, the law of God.” “Want” means lack or failure. So “sin is any [lack] of conformity unto, or transgression of, the law of God.”
The word “any” seems important to me. Men and women sometimes fool themselves into thinking that only the “big” sins are a problem. Yes, it is true that some sins are bigger (more heinous) than others. But both big and small sins are sins.
The phrase, “want [lack] of conformity unto… God’s law” helps us to understand that God’s law requires us to do certain things. Some laws are stated positively. For example, “honor your father and mother” and “keep the Sabbath day”. These laws are stated positively. They are telling us what must be done. The negative side – that is to say, that which ought not to be done – is implied. And some commandments are stated negatively. “You shall not murder” and “you shall not steal” are examples of these. When commandments are stated positively, the negative things that should not be done are implied.
The point is this: God’s law requires us to do things. His law does not only tell us what not to do. His law also reveals what we are to do. We are to love God with all that we are, and our neighbor as ourselves. That requires action. And sin is “any [lack] of conformity unto… the law of God.” In other words, we sin when we fail to do what God has commanded us to do. Children do not only sin when they dishonor their parents. They also sin when they fail to give the honor to their parents which is due to them. We call these “lack-of-conformity” sins, sins of omission. For in these we omit or fail to do that which God’s law requires.
The phrase, “sin is any… transgression of, the law of God” helps us to see that we sin when we do that which God’s law forbids. When God’s law says, don’t do this or that, and then we do this or that, we sin against God. When Adam was told not to eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, and he ate of it, he sinned. And when we lie we sin, for God’s law has told us not to lie. We call these “transgression-of-God’s law” sins, sins of commission, for these are sins that we do actively commit.
I hope you can see why it is important for us to have a proper understanding of what sin is.
Not only will we be unable to properly understand the gospel of Jesus Christ, and indeed, the whole story of scripture, and the Christian faith, without a proper understanding of sin. A deficient understanding of sin will lead to many other problems too.
Brothers and sisters, if you take anything away from this little sermon I hope it is this: Our standard for right and wrong, good and evil, is not for us to determine. Our standard is not the opinions of man, or the customs of the culture. No, our standard is God’s law. God has revealed his moral law in nature and much more clearly in his Word. And do not forget that God has added laws to his moral law in the covenants he has entered into with the man. These we call positive laws. The New Covenant has its positive laws. We sin when we fail to conform to, or transgress, this standard – the standard of God’s law.
If we understand this, we will be in a good place to understand why we need a Savior, Christ the Lord, and how it is that we are to live in this world in a way that is pleasing to our Great God and King. We need a Savior because we are sinners! And those in Christ must strive to keep God’s law because we are saved from our sins, redeemed, and renewed.
Apr 24
28
Apr 24
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Apr 24
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Q. 16. Did our first parents continue in the estate wherein they were created?
A. Our first parents, being left to the freedom of their own will, fell from the estate wherein they were created, by sinning against God. (Gen. 3:6; Eccles. 7:29; Rom. 5:12)
I would like you to listen again to question 16 of our catechism. “Did our first parents continue in the estate wherein they were created?”
Adam and Eve are called “our first parents” because the whole human race descended from them.
The word “estate”, in Baptist Catechism question 16 is very important. We don’t use that word often. Instead, we might say, “state of being” or “condition.” So, the question is, Did our first parents continue in the state of being or condition wherein they were created?
And what was their original condition? We should remember Baptist Catechism 13. It asks, How did God create man? The answer: God created man, male and female, after his own image, in knowledge, righteousness, and holiness, with dominion over the creatures. The words, “in knowledge, righteousness, and holiness”, describe the estate or condition of our first parents when they were created. The man and the woman were made in the image of God. They were given dominion over the other creatures. But what was their quality or condition? They possessed true knowledge. They stood right before God. And they were holy, that is, they were without defect or stain of sin. Do you remember the repeated refrain of Genesis 1? Everything in God’s creation was declared to be good, good, and very good when God made it. Chapter 9 paragraph 2 of our confession of faith refers to this original estate of man as the “state of innocency”. Adam and Eve were innocent, upright, and pure when they were first created.
Listen to question 16 again. “Did our first parents continue in the estate [condition] wherein they were created?” Answer: “Our first parents, being left to the freedom of their own will, fell from the estate wherein they were created, by sinning against God.” (Gen. 3:6; Eccles. 7:29; Rom. 5:12)
There are three things to notice about this answer:
One, the short answer is, no. Our first parents did not remain in the estate or condition of their original creation. Our catechism says, “they fell”. Remember, Adam and Eve were created perfect and upright in true knowledge, righteousness, and holiness. Something greater was offered to them in the covenant of life or works (remember Baptist Catechism 15). What blessing were they offered in the covenant of life? Something higher than what they possessed at first – life eternal – life in glory. This they were to obtain through obedience. But instead of ascending to this higher form of life, they fell short of it and downward into a worse condition (see Genesis 3 & 4; Romans 3:23). Chapter 9, paragraph 3, Our Confession of Faith calls this fallen state of being, the “state of sin”.
Two, notice the stress placed on free will. Our catechism says, “Our first parents being left to the freedom of their own will, fell from the estate wherein they were created, by sinning against God.”
The doctrine of free will is very important. Free will is the ability to act upon choice. Stated differently, free will is the ability to make free and rational decisions and to take action based upon those decisions. It is important to know that human beings were created by God with the power to think, speak, and act based on choices they freely make.
I’ve been drawing your attention to chapter 9 of our Confession of Faith, which is about free will. I’d encourage you to read it sometime soon. When you do, you will notice three things. One, Adam and Eve were created with free will. Two, human beings did not lose free will after Adam fell into sin. In other words, men and women still have the ability to act upon choice after the fall, and they always will. Three, the thing that changed when Adam fell into sin was man’s state of being or condition and, therefore, his ability. If a man is corrupt in the mind and heart, what will he freely choose? That which is corrupt. This is man’s condition after the fall. Man retains the power to act upon choice but his ability is limited due to his fallen condition.
Our confession and catechism both rightly teach that Adam and Eve were created pure. There was no defect or corruption in them. But they were created with the ability to act upon choice, and they were also given a choice. The two trees in the garden – the tree of life, and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil – symbolized the choice of obedience to God or rebellion against him. More than this, we must also confess that they were tested and tempted. By whom? They were tested by God. They were tempted by Satan.
Listen to how Second London Confession 9.2 puts it: “Man, in his state of innocency, had freedom and power to will and to do that which was good and well-pleasing to God, but yet was mutable so that he might fall from it.” Did you catch that? Adam and Eve were innocent and pure. They possessed the freedom and power to act upon choice. They possessed the freedom and power (or ability) to do that which was good and well-pleasing to God. But they were mutable. That means they were changeable. They were able to obey, but they were also able to disobey God’s command. The temptation to sin against God did not come from God, nor did it come from within themselves, but from without. It was the serpent who tempted Eve, and Eve who brought the temptation to Adam. How could it be that the man and woman who were upright, holy, and pure would sin? They were created with freewill. They were tested for a time. God permitted them to be tempted during this probationary period. It was their upright but mutable condition that permitted them to sin.
Thanks be to God, we will have free will in eternity, but we will no longer be mutable. We will be confirmed in righteousness then. To see this communicated in a symbolic way, you may read Revelation 22 and notice that in the new heavens and earth, there will be only one special tree, not two. Only the tree of life will be there (see Revelation 22:1-5). No tree of the knowledge of good and evil will be found. This means the new heavens and earth will not be a place of testing. No, for the test has been passed (see Luke 4:1-13) and the victory has been won by Jesus Christ our Lord (see John 19:30).
The third thing to notice about Baptist Catechism 16 is that it teaches that man fell from their original condition by sinning against God.
As I move to a conclusion, I should draw your attention to the fact that question 16 marks the beginning of a section in our catechism that delivers a lot of bad news.
Q. 16. Did our first parents continue in the estate wherein they were created?
A. Our first parents, being left to the freedom of their own will, fell from the estate wherein they were created, by sinning against God. (Gen. 3:6; Eccles. 7:29; Rom. 5:12)
Q. 17. What is sin?
A. Sin is any want [lack] of conformity unto, or transgression of, the law of God. (1 John 3:4; Rom. 5:13)
Q. 18. What was the sin whereby our first parents fell from the estate wherein they were created?
A. The sin whereby our first parents fell from the estate wherein they were created, was their eating the forbidden fruit. (Gen. 3:6,12,13)
Q. 19. Did all mankind fall in Adam’s first transgression?
A. The covenant being made with Adam, not only for himself but for his posterity, all mankind, descending from him by ordinary generation, sinned in him, and fell with him in his first transgression. (1 Cor. 15:21,22; Rom. 5:12,18,19)
Q. 20. Into what estate did the fall bring mankind?
A. The fall brought mankind into an estate of sin and misery. (Ps. 51:5; Rom. 5:18,19: Is. 64:6)
Q. 21. Wherein consists the sinfulness of that estate whereunto man fell?
A. The sinfulness of that estate whereunto man fell, consists in the guilt of Adam’s first sin, the want of original righteousness, and the corruption of his whole nature, which is commonly called original sin, together with all actual transgressions which proceed from it. (Rom. 5:19; 3:10; Eph. 2:1; Is. 53:6; Ps. 51:5; Matt. 15:19)
Q. 22 brings us very low. What is the misery of that estate whereunto man fell?
A. All mankind, by their fall lost communion with God, are under His wrath and curse, and so made liable to all the miseries of this life, to death itself, and to the pains of hell forever. (Gen. 3:8,24; Eph. 2:3; Gal. 3:10; Rom. 6:23; Matt. 25:41-46; Ps. 9:17)
These are unpleasant truths to consider, but they are vital truths. How will we ever come to see our need for a Savior if these truths are not proclaimed? How will we ever come to see the goodness of the good news of Jesus Christ without first comprehending this bad news?
You should know that our catechism delivers this bad news to prepare us to receive the good news of the gospel of Jesus Christ, by God’s grace. After the delivering terrible news in question 22, or catechism then asks in Q. 23. Did God leave all mankind to perish in the estate of sin and misery?
A. God having out of His mere good pleasure, from all eternity, elected some to everlasting life, did enter into a covenant of grace, to deliver them out of the estate of sin and misery, and to bring them into an estate of salvation, by a Redeemer (Eph. 1:3,4; 2 Thess. 2:13; Rom. 5:21; Acts 13:8; Jer. 31:33). After this, we will learn that Jesus Christ is the Redeemer of God’s elect. From here our catechism will go on to teach us all about Jesus Christ, his person, and his finished work of redemption.
Brothers and sisters, if Adam had passed the test, he would have entered into glory – he would have been confirmed and established in his uprightness by his keeping of the terms of the covenant of life or works. Adam fell, but Jesus Christ has succeeded. Christ has entered into glory, and all who are united to him by faith will enter into glory with him. Thanks be to God for the abundant mercy and grace he has shown to us in Christ Jesus.
Apr 24
28
“Now this is the commandment—the statutes and the rules—that the LORD your God commanded me to teach you, that you may do them in the land to which you are going over, to possess it, that you may fear the LORD your God, you and your son and your son’s son, by keeping all his statutes and his commandments, which I command you, all the days of your life, and that your days may be long. Hear therefore, O Israel, and be careful to do them, that it may go well with you, and that you may multiply greatly, as the LORD, the God of your fathers, has promised you, in a land flowing with milk and honey. “Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one. You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise. You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.” (Deuteronomy 6:1–9, ESV)
“Now as they went on their way, Jesus entered a village. And a woman named Martha welcomed him into her house. And she had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet and listened to his teaching. But Martha was distracted with much serving. And she went up to him and said, ‘Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me to serve alone? Tell her then to help me.’ But the Lord answered her, ‘Martha, Martha, you are anxious and troubled about many things, but one thing is necessary. Mary has chosen the good portion, which will not be taken away from her.’” (Luke 10:38–42, ESV)
Please excuse any typos and misspellings within this manuscript. It has been published online for the benefit of the saints of Emmaus Reformed Baptist Church but without the benefit of proofreading.
This story about Mary and her sister Martha is well-known and much loved, and for good reason. As a father with grown children, this story puts a little smile on my face. It’s a blessing to watch your children grow and develop their unique personalities. I imagine all parents, especially those with older or adult children, will know what I mean. These two sisters, Mary and Martha, were wired differently. Martha was a doer. She was a servant. She excelled in hospitality. Mary, it seems, was a bit more relational. These differences between the sisters can be seen in other passages of Scripture too. Mary, Martha, and their brother, Lazarus, were dear friends of Jesus. These sisters are mentioned in John 11 and 12. There too we see their temperaments manifest. Martha serves, and Mary is found at Jesus’ feet. As you may know, Mary was the one who expressed her faith in and love for Jesus by extravagantly anointing his feet with expensive ointment (see John 12:3).
These observations about the temperaments, strengths, and weaknesses of Mary and Martha are good and fine to make. They are certainly a big part of the story that is told here. But we must be careful not to make this story about them. This story is not about them. It is instead about Jesus and the relationship we are to have with him.
The question I would like to begin with is, why this story, and why this story here? If you remember, we asked this same question about the story of Jesus’ encounter with the lawyer as recorded in Luke 10:25-28 and the Parable of the Good Samaritan that followed. We ask this question because we believe that the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John are more than dry and straightforward histories. No, they are histories carefully crafted under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit for the purpose of teaching. Luke admits at the beginning of his gospel that he wrote to persuade us to have stronger faith in Jesus Christ (see Luke 1:1-4).
As I have said, this story about the sisters, Mary and Martha, and their interaction with our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, is well known and much loved. In a way, it can stand on its own. However, I believe that the meaning and message of this story are better understood and appreciated when we consider it in its context.
Why did Luke tell this story immediately following the story of Jesus’ interaction with the lawyer as recorded in Luke 10:25-37? I believe the reason is this. In Jesus’ exchange with the lawyer, the two great commandments, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind, and your neighbor as yourself’” (Luke 10:27, ESV), were brought forward. The lawyer, seeking to justify himself, then asked a follow-up question about the second greatest commandment: who is my neighbor? Jesus replied to him by telling the Parable of the Good Samaritan. In that parable, Jesus did only answered the question, who is my neighbor, but also showed what true love for neighbor is. True love for others emanates from a heart of compassion. True love for others takes action to meet real needs. The command to love your neighbor as yourself requires us to treat those we encounter compassionately. Where real needs exist, and when it is in our power to meet those needs, we should meet them with wisdom and care.
So, the Parable of the Good Samaritan describes what it means to keep the second great commandment, to love your neighbor as yourself. And I do believe that Luke inserted this story about Mary and Martha here in his gospel to teach us something about keeping the first and greatest commandment, to love the Lord our God with all our heart, soul, strength, and mind, and to illustrate the superiority of the first great commandment over the second. Stated differently, though the question, what does it mean to love the Lord our God with all the heart, soul, strength, and mind, is never explicitly asked, I believe this story about Mary and Martha answers that question. It also illustrates the importance of maintaining the proper order. The first and greatest commandment requires love for God. It is first and greatest for good reason. The second greatest commandment requires love for one’s neighbor. It is the second great commandment for good reason. Neither of these commandments is to be neglected. But the order must be maintained. In my opinion, this is what the story about Mary and Martha is about. It reveals what keeping the first great commandment requires. More than this, it shows the priority that is to be given the first great commandment over the second.
It should be clear to all that, in the story that is open before us, Mary is to be contrasted with her sister, Martha. In just a moment, we will compare and contrast the behavior of these two sisters. But I believe that Mary is also to be contrasted with the lawyer of Luke 10:25.
We should remember how the lawyer was introduced to us. Luke 10:25 says, “And behold, a lawyer stood up to put [Jesus] to the test…” But notice how Mary is introduced to us in verse 39. Mary is described as one “who sat at the Lord’s feet and listened to his teaching.” So, the lawyer stood up to test Jesus. But Mary sat at Jesus’ feet to learn from him. The lawyer in his arrogance and self-righteous pride challenged the Word of God incarnate. But Mary humbly submitted to the Word. She “sat at the Lord’s feet and listened to his teaching.” These two – Mary and the lawyer – are meant to be contrasted. One would expect the the lawyer – the expert in God’s law – to love Christ, to welcome him, honor him, and to sit as his feet to learn from him. But he did not. In his self-righteous pride, he stood up to test Jesus. In contrast, Mary – a lowly and sinful woman – is found sitting at the feet of Christ, the eternal Word of God incarnate, to humbly receive his teaching.
You might ask, what does this have to do with the first great commandment, to love the Lord our God with all of our heart, soul, strength, and mind? Answer: Our love for God if it is true will involve submission to his word. Those who love God will receive and submit to the word of God. Those who love God will strive to obey the word of God. Those who love God will love God’s word. And if you know who Jesus is, you will see that those who love God truly will receive and submit to Jesus Christ, the eternal word of God incarnate.
Those who love God will love Christ, for Christ is God. Those who love God will receive and submit to God’s word. Christ is the eternal Word of God incarnate. Those who receive Christ receive the Word of God. Those who reject Christ reject the Word of God. We should remember the words of Jesus found in Luke 9:48: “Whoever receives this child in my name receives me, and whoever receives me receives him who sent me”, that is to say, the Father. A similar statement is found in Luke 10:16. There Jesus speaks to the 72 disciples that he sent out to heal and to preach, saying, “The one who hears you hears me, and the one who rejects you rejects me, and the one who rejects me rejects him who sent me.” So then, to reject Jesus’ word is to reject the word of God. To receive Jesus’ word is to receive the Word of God.
I do believe that Mary is put forward here in Luke 10:39 as one who loved God truly. Her love for God was manifest as she sat humbly at the feet of Jesus, the eternal Word of God incarnate, to receive his teaching. She is one of the “little children” that Jesus spoke of in Luke 9:48. In a spirit of meekness and humility, her greatest desire was to hear and receive the Word of God. She sat at Jesus’ feet. But the wise lawyer – the one who was held in high esteem by the people – stood up to put Jesus to the test. So, the lawyer is doubly condemned. The Parable of the Good Samaritan revealed that he did not love his neighbor as himself. And this story about Mary at the feet of Jesus reveals that he did not truly love the Lord with all his heart, soul, strength, and mind. Those who love God truly will sit humbly at the feet of Jesus to receive the Word of God. The lawyer stood and put Jesus to the test. He sought to justify himself. It should be clear to all that he stood condemned.
A true love for God will involve, and even begin with, love for God’s Word. Those who love God will love the Word of God, humbly receive it, and strive to obey it.
It is interesting (and very sad) when people attempt to separate the concept of love for God from the idea that we are obligated to receive God’s word and strive to obey it. Have you ever encountered this way of thinking? I’d be shocked if you haven’t. It’s all around. Perhaps you have heard someone say, Christianity is about love, not law. Or maybe you have heard it put this way: Christianity is a relationship, not a religion. Both of these phrases illustrate the tendency that so many have in our day and age to pit love for God against obedience to his law or a relationship with God through Christ against religious devotion. So many in our day imagine that a choice between the two must made. Will you love God or will you strive to obey his law? Will you pursue a relationship with God through Christ or will seek to be religious and devout?
Friends, this is a false dilemma. The question you should ask of the person who thinks and speaks this way is, why must I choose between love for God and obedience to his law? Why must I pick between a relationship with God and religious devotion? Really, the most important question you should ask is, do the Holy Scriptures make such distinctions and press us with choices like these? The answer is, no. Again I say, these are false dilemmas.
Truth be told, the Scriptures teach that those who love God will submit to his word, receive it with meekness, and strive to obey all that it requires and forbids. Furthermore, those who have a right relationship with God will enjoy this relationship through religious devotion. In other words, love for God and heartfelt obedience to his law are in no way opposed. Instead, they agree.
Frankly, this should be common sense. Someone who loves God will also love God’s word. Those who love the Lord will agree with the Psalmist who said, “I long for your salvation, O LORD, and your law is my delight” (Psalm 119:174, ESV). What would you think of a child who says, I love you mommy or I love you daddy, but then lives a life of willful rebellion against his parents? Would you not begin to question if their love is true? A child who truly loves their parents will desire and strive to honor and obey their parents. And so it is with God. God’s true children – those who have been made alive by him and adopted in Christ by his grace – will receive God’s word and strive to obey his commandments.
Not only should it be common sense that those who love God will also love his law. It is also the clear teaching of Holy Scripture. Consider, very briefly the context in which the first great commandment, to love the Lord our God with all our heart, soul, strength, and mind, is given. It is found in Deuteronomy 6:5. This passage immediately follows the giving of the Ten Commandments and precedes many other laws found in the book of Deuteronomy. The point is this: the command to love God with all the heart, soul, mind, and strength was given in the context of this second presentation of God’s law to the people of Isarel near the end of Moses’ life and not long before the conquest. More than this, in the text itself the concepts of loving God and obeying his commandments are intertwined. We read Deuteronomy 6:1-9 a moment ago. You may want to read it again to see what I mean. The point is that Old Covenant Israel was called by God to obey God’s law from the heart and to fear the Lord being moved by a sincere love for him. Love for God and obedience to his Word must never be divided. If Adam had loved God purely from the heart, he would not have disobeyed God. It was because Adam loved himself more than God that he transgressed to command of his Maker.
Of course, the same is true under the New Covenant. Those who love God will receive his Word and will desire and strive to obey his commandments. Now, it is not the law of Moses that we are to keep under the New Covenant. No, we are to keep the law of Christ.
You might ask, what do the laws of Moses and Christ share in common? Answer: they share the moral law, contained and summarized within the Ten Commandments, in common. The moral law is unchanging and ever-abiding. God’s true people living under the Old Covenant and New will love and strive to keep the moral law.
And how do the laws of Moses and Christ differ? Answer: The positive laws of these two covenants are different. Now that the Old Covenant has been fulfilled by Christ and has passed away, the civil or judicial laws of the Old Mosaic Covenant are no longer binding. In their place, Christ has given laws to govern his eternal kingdom, which is not of this world. The New Covenant Isreal of God – that is to say, all who have faith in Christ from amongst the Jews and Gentiles (see Galatians 3:28, 6:16) – are to obey the laws of Christ’s heavenly and eternal kingdom. Think of the Beatitudes. Think of the Great Commission (Matthew 28:18-20). Think also of Christ’s commandments regarding the government of the church – commandments about the appointment of officers, the reception of members, and discipline. The civil or judicial laws of the Old Mosaic order have passed away with that covenant, but Christ has given new laws to govern his kingdom on earth today, and this kingdom is made visible, not in some nation on earth, but in Christ’s church. Furthermore, the positive laws of the Old Covenant which we call ceremonial are no longer binding, having been fulfilled by Christ. New ceremonial laws have been instituted by Christ in their place. Those who turn from their sins and profess faith in Christ are to be baptized in water in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit (Matthew 28:18-20). These are to partake of the Lord’s Supper in remembrance of him (see Matthew 26:26-29). These are to assemble on the Lord’s Day, which is the first day of the week, and the Christian Sabbath (see Hebrews 4:1-13, 10:25; Revelation 1:10). These are to devote themselves to the means of grace given under the New Covenant order: the reading, preaching, and teaching of the Word of God when the church assembles, baptism, the Lord’s Supper, and prayer (see Acts 2:41-42). When the Old Covenant gave way to the New Covenant, there was a change in the priesthood. Christ is our high priest. He came, not in the order or line of Aaron (like the priests of Old), but in the order of Melchizedek. And Hebrews 7:12 tells us, “For when there is a change in the priesthood, there is necessarily a change in the law as well” (Hebrews 7:12, ESV). We are no longer under the law of Moses. Instead, we are under the law of Christ, the mediator of the New Covenant. Again I ask, what do the laws of Moses and Christ share in common? They have the natural or moral law in common. How do they differ? They differ in their positive laws.
Here is the point. The New Covenant under which we live – the Covenant of Grace – is not without law. And this is why Christ said things like this: “If you love me, you will keep my commandments” (John 14:15, ESV). And “Why do you call me ‘Lord, Lord,’ and not do what I tell you?” (Luke 6:46, ESV). And “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness’” (Matthew 7:21–23, ESV). And “If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free” (John 8:31–32, ESV).
When Mary sat at Jesus’ feet to hear his teaching, she did not merely sit with him to enjoy his company, as a friend enjoys the company of a friend. She sat at his feet because she revered him. She sat at his his feet to learn from him. She sat at his feet to receive his word so that she might obey him. She sat at his feet knowing that his words were the very words of God. She sat at Jesus’ feet, not because she regarded him as a mere or common friend. She knew that but as the Messiah, the prophet, priest, and king of God’s eternal kingdom. Is Jesus a friend to his disciples? Yes, indeed. Are we to enjoy our communion with him? Yes, indeed. But he is no mere or common friend. When we sit at his feet to receive his word, we must know that we are receiving the very Word of God. Those who love God will love his Word. Those who love God will receive the Word of Christ and will desire and strive to obey him. This means that the Christian will strive to obey God’s ever-abiding moral law and the positive laws of the New Covenant that Christ has instituted – positive laws pertaining to life in Christ’s eternal kingdom, that is to say, the church – and laws pertaining to the worship of God under this New Covenant era.
Those who claim to love God and have faith in Christ who live in sin, willfully violating God’s moral law and disregarding the positive laws that Christ has added under the New Covenant – laws about the government of the church, and laws about worship – are like those children who claim to love their parents and yet live in rebellion against them. They are hypocrites. They prove that their love is insincere by their actions. Do not forget what Christ has said: “If you love me, you will keep my commandments” (John 14:15, ESV. Those who love God truly will love Christ, the Word of God incarnate. And they will have the posture, not of the lawyer, but of Mary. The one who loves God truly will be found sitting humbly at the feet of Jesus to receive his teaching as the very Word of God. The true Christian will receive the Word gladly with the intent to obey.
We have contrasted Mary with the lawyer. Now, let us contrast Mary with her sister Martha.
The text says, “Now as they went on their way, Jesus entered a village. And a woman named Martha welcomed [Jesus] into her house.” Martha, as you know, receives a kind of rebuke or correction from Jesus in this passage. We will come to consider that rebuke or correction in just a moment. It is obviously a very important detail of this text. But let us be careful not to exaggerate Jesus’ rebuke of Martha to the degree that we overlook her great faith in Christ and the strength of her hospitality. “Martha welcomed [Jesus] into her house.” This is to be commended. Martha was a woman strong in faith. She was a servant. She was hospitable.
Christians are called to be hospitable, friends. To be hospitable is to welcome others into your home. Hospitality is to be shown to travelers. Hospitality is to be shown to those who are lonely. Hospitality is to be shown to those who are in need. If you are a Christian who has been blessed with a home, even if it is a humble or modest home, I encourage you to show hospitality to others. Granted, some are particularly gifted in this area. And some within the church may not be in a good position to show hospitality. But in general, we Christians should, like Martha, welcome others – especially fellow Christians – into our homes. When we welcome them, we welcome Christ. As Christ has said, “Whoever receives this child in my name receives me, and whoever receives me receives him who sent me” (Luke 9:48, ESV). Yes, Martha is corrected by Jesus in this passage, but that fact must not obscure the greatness of her faith and the strength of her gift of hospitality and service.
You should know that the Scriptures speak often of the importance of hospitality and command us to practice it. Romans 12:13 says, “Contribute to the needs of the saints and seek to show hospitality.” 1 Timothy 3:2 is about the qualifications to hold the office of overseer or elder. It says, “Therefore an overseer must be above reproach, the husband of one wife, sober-minded, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, able to teach…” 1 Timothy 5:9–10 is about qualifications for widows to be enrolled in the number. “Let a widow be enrolled if she is not less than sixty years of age, having been the wife of one husband, and having a reputation for good works: if she has brought up children, has shown hospitality, has washed the feet of the saints, has cared for the afflicted, and has devoted herself to every good work.” Titus 1:7-8 is also about the qualifications to hold the office of overseer or elder: “For an overseer, as God’s steward, must be above reproach. He must not be arrogant or quick-tempered or a drunkard or violent or greedy for gain, but hospitable, a lover of good, self-controlled, upright, holy, and disciplined.” Finally, Hebrews 13:1-2 is addressed to all Christians, saying, “Let brotherly love continue. Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for thereby some have entertained angels unawares.” (Hebrews 13:1–2, ESV) Martha excelled in showing hospitality, and for this she is to be commended.
It is in Luke 10:39 that Mary is introduced to us. She is described as one who “sat at the Lord’s feet and listened to his teaching.” In verse we read, “But Martha was distracted with much serving. And she went up to [Jesus] and said, ‘Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me to serve alone? Tell her then to help me.’” Pay careful attention to the way in which Martha’s service is described. She was “distracted with much serving”, the text says. Christ, the eternal Word of God incarnate, sat in her home, and she was distracted – perhaps we could say, preoccupied – with serving. And she was distracted with much serving. I think we are to take this to mean that she was overdoing it. Here desire to have everything in order, every detail in place, and every want or desire met, was over the top. Again, I say to you, that Martha’s service or hospitality is not criticized here in this text, but her approach is. Martha did not merely serve, she was “distracted with much serving.”
And notice, she was bothered that Mary did not join her in service. “Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me to serve alone? Tell her then to help me”, she said. It is clear that in Martha’s mind, the service of Jesus and his disciples was to be the highest priority. Mary, it seemed to her, was wasting time. Mary, it seemed to her, was preoccupied with the wrong thing. Mary, it seemed to her, needed to adjust her priorities. Mary sat at the feet of Jesus to receive God’s Word. Martha’s opinion was that the service of others was the priority.
I wonder, have you ever encountered someone who thinks this way? In their view, the service of man is to take priority over the reception, study, and endeavor to obey the Word of God. This veiw is very common. Please don’t misunderstand, I am not calling Martha a liberal. But it is very common within liberal “churches” to insist that the service of man must take priority over the study of the Scriptures and the pursuit of orthodox theology and practice. Look around and you will see many “churches” that stress feeding the hungry, caring for the poor, and the pursuit of “justice”, but to the utter neglect of God’s Word. What should we think of this?
Well, let us consider how Jesus replied to Martha’s complaint. It is found in verse 41: “But the Lord answered her, ‘Martha, Martha, you are anxious and troubled about many things, but one thing is necessary. Mary has chosen the good portion, which will not be taken away from her’” (Luke 10:41–42, ESV).
Notice a few things about Jesus’ reply.
One, Jesus did not rebuke Martha for her service and hospitality. But he did rebuke her for being “anxious and troubled about many things”. Considered in context, this is a rebuke of the way Martha was serving. She was “distracted with much serving”, remember? And Christ confronted her about this.
Two, the phrase, “but one thing is necessary” may also be translated as, but one thing is needful or one thing is particularly needed. The meaning is not, there is only one thing that is necessary, or there is only one thing that we should be concerned about. This would flatly contradict the Scriptures we have considered that speak of the importance and needfulness of hospitality.
Three, Christ identified Mary’s chosen occupation as the “good portion” and insisted that it not be taken from her.
I think it is important that we continue to interpret this passage in light of the first and second greatest commandments mentioned in Luke 10:27. Considered in those terms, Mary represents love for God and love for God’s Word. Martha represents love for neighbor. It is vitally important to recognize that Martha is in no way criticized or condemned for her service and hospitality. No, she is to be commended for it! Showing love to your neighbor is vitally important! She is, however, corrected by Christ for her view that her chosen occupation was superior to Mary’s. When Christ said, “Mary has chosen the good portion, which will not be taken away from her” it illustrates the proper relationship between the first and second greatest commandments. The two greatest commandments require love for God and love for neighbor, but the order is immensely important and must always be maintained. To prioritize love for neighbor over love for God is idolatry. To love neighbor first and God second will result in neither God nor man being loved, for man’s greatest need and highest good is to know God and to be in a right relationship with him. And to know God and to be in a right relationship with him begins with sitting humbly at the feet of Jesus, as Mary did.
I have a few additional observations to make by way of conclusion.
One, by connecting this story about Mary and Martha with the story about Jesus’ interaction with the lawyer in Luke 10:25 as we have, I think we can appreciate even more Jesus’ response to the lawyer, when he said in Luke 10:28, “do this and you will live”. In a previous sermon, I said that Jesus responded in this way to use the law as a strict disciplinarian or mirror to show the lawyer his sin and his need for a Savior. It’s as if Jesus said, do you think you can justify yourself before God by law-keeping? Best of luck to you, my friend! In other words, the law cannot justify us. It condemns us now that we have fallen into sin. But here is another insight. If truly loving God with all of the heart, soul, strength, and mind begins with sitting humbly at the feet of Jesus, the eternal Word of God incarnate, as Mary did, then the words that Christ spoke to the lawyer were a call to repentance and faith. In this sense, Christ was calling the prideful and self-righteous lawyer to no longer stand to put him to the test, but to fall at his feet to humbly receive and submit to his Word. Remember, to receive Christ is to recieve the one who sent him, namely, God the Father. That Christ called the lawyer to faith and repentence externally is clear. Whether the lawyer was called inwardly by the effectually working of the Holy Spirit, I cannot say.
Two, I do suspect that the sisters, Mary and Martha, do in some ways symbolize the bride of Christ, the church. Mary gave herself to the Word of Christ. Martha gave herself to the service of Christ. And if we pay attention to the establishment and development of Christ’s church as recorded in the pages of the Holy Scriptures, we see that Christ’s bride, the church, has been endowed with a diversity of spiritual gifts, some having to do with the ministry of the word of God, others having to do with the service of others.
Listen, for example, to the exhortation delivered by the Apostle Peter to the church. “Above all, keep loving one another earnestly, since love covers a multitude of sins. Show hospitality to one another without grumbling. As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God’s varied grace: whoever speaks, as one who speaks oracles of God; whoever serves, as one who serves by the strength that God supplies—in order that in everything God may be glorified through Jesus Christ. To him belong glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen” (1 Peter 4:8–11).
All of the spiritual gifts that Christ has poured out upon his people from on high may be divided into these two broad categories. Within Christ’s church are those with speaking gifts and those with the gifts of service. Pastors and teachers are called by God to devite themselves to the mistry of the Word of God. All of God’s people are called to use the gifts that God has given them to serve one another with the strength that God supplies. It seems to me that the sisters, Mary and Martha, represent the church in this regard.
Three, and connected to this, Mary and Martha seem to stand for the two offices of the church, the offices of elder and deacon. The elder, among other things, is to lead in the ministry of the Word of God and the administration of the sacraments. Deacons are to lead in service. Which of these offices is higher? Which is to take priority? It is the office of elder and the ministry of the Word of God that is higher and is to be prioritized. This is what the Apostles (who were also elders) said in Acts 6:2, “It is not right that we should give up preaching the word of God to serve tables” (Acts 6:2, ESV). Both offices are vital. Service and hospitality must never be neglected. But neither should they be elevated to a place of supreme importance over, or to the neglect of, the ministry of the Word of God.
My fourth and final observation is this: it would be a mistake to interpret this passage as if Christ were teaching us to choose between occupying ourselves with love for God and his Word or the love and service of our fellow man. I’ll warn you again, brothers and sisters. Beware of false dilemmas. We are not to choose between the two but are to do both well. Both the first and second greatest commandments must be obeyed by us. The best of both Mary and Martha deserve to be emulated. But the order must be maintained. To love God with all of the heart, soul, strength, and mind is the first and greatest commandment. The command to love your neighbor as yourself is second. Though Mary and Martha both occupied themselves with good and important things, Mary chose the better portion and Christ would not allow it to be taken from her.
May God, by his grace, move us, as individual Christians and as a congregation, to be like Mary. May we love to sit at Jesus’ feet to receive his holy word. May we receive the Word of Christ with meekness and strive to obey it with the strength God supplies. And may we be like Martha too, especially after she received Christ’s correction. May we who love God and his Word, also love one another fervently and serve one another faithfully according to the gifts Christ has bestowed upon us by his Spirit. In other words, may God strengthen us by his grace to keep his holy law. May we obey his law because we love him. May we never forget that we love him because he first loved us.
"Him we proclaim,
warning everyone and teaching everyone with all wisdom,
that we may present everyone mature in Christ."
(Colossians 1:28, ESV)
