Better

We are in the final week of our 4 part sermon series called “Better”.

The main idea behind this series is that: “Some things in life are good, other things in life are better and to have a better life, you have to let go of the good life.”

I’m not sure about you, but since I’ve begun this series, I’ve been inundated with good vs. better statements.

Allow me to share a few of them with you.

ILLUSTRATION- Last Friday afternoon, I had an appointment with the eye doctor.

Now, most of us have been to the eye doctor at least once before, but up until last week, I never clued in to what they were asking me to consider.

            As I held one hand over my eye, she asked me to tell her what was better—the eye chart semi-blurry, or the eye chart completely blurry.

ILLUSTRATION- I was watching the baseball game on Wednesday night and mid-way through the game, a commercial came on telling me that I needed a “Better Burger”.

ILLUSTRATION- On Sunday evening, we were playing softball at Justin and Sarah McGuigan’s house and as I stepped up to plate to hit the ball, I hit it directly in Justin’s glove.

            As I was making my way back from rounding the bases, Matt Liston said: “that was a good hit, but Justin’s catch was better”.

ILLUSTRATION- While reading Sports Illustrated this past week, I came across an advertisement that said “good state”—advertising a cheese pizza—and “better state” advertising a works pizza.

            No matter where I’ve gone in the last few weeks, I can’t seem to get away from the truth that:  “Some things in life are good, other things in life are better and to have a better life, you have to let go of the good life.”

            There are some things in life that are just plain better. The Bible reminds us of three better things:

            “Better is one day in your courts than a thousand elsewhere; I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God than dwell in the tents of the wicked.” (Psalm 84:10, NIV)

            “It is better to take refuge in the LORD than to trust in man. 9 It is better to take refuge in the LORD than to trust in princes.” (Psalm 118:8-9, NIV)

            “Obedience is better than sacrifice, and submission is better than offering the fat of rams.” (1 Samuel 15:22b, NLT2)

            Each of these verses remind us that there is something better in life, and we should not be satisfied with the good life, when God is offering us a better life—life spent in His presence!

            “A single day in your courts is better than a thousand anywhere else!” (Psalm 84:10a, NIV)

            This verse reminds us that a single day with God is infinitely better than a 1000 days—or a million days—without God.  

            I think this is a lesson that we need to be reminded of time and time again.

       Let’s face it, we all get busy and distracted with things that need to be done, and we sometimes we forget that God wants to do life with us.

            In one of my all-time favorite Bible stories, Jesus was invited to the home of two sisters, Mary and Martha.

            As soon as Jesus entered the house and removed His sandals, Mary stopped whatever she was doing and sat at the Master’s feet.

            “But Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made. She came to him and asked, "Lord, don't you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me!"

41 "Martha, Martha," the Lord answered, "you are worried and upset about many things, 42 but only one thing is needed.

Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her." (Luke 10:40-42, NIV)

One sister wanted to sit and listen; the other sister simply wanted some help in preparing the meal for their Guest.

Jesus wasn’t rebuking Martha for wanting to get her work done; He was simply reminding her that, even for a moment, there might be something better than checking off that item on your to-do-list.

Author and Pastor John Ortberg said: “What keeps someone from Jesus’ presence is not just busyness—not just having a lot of things to do. (What keeps someone from Jesus’ presence) It’s distraction.

Sometimes we can be distracted with all the things that need to be done:

·      We’ve got to paint the bathroom

·      We’ve got to take the kids to hockey practice

·      We’ve got to prepare for next week’s meeting.

Sometimes in life we can be distracted by very good things, just as Martha was.

She had invited Jesus into her home, and she wanted to make sure things were right: she wanted to make sure that the dishes put away, that the clothes were folded, that the garden was weeded.

She didn’t want to neglect being with Jesus, she was simply distracted by all the things that she thought she needed to get done.

 “Notice, John Ortberg says, "that she wasn’t doing bad things.

She wasn’t breaking the Ten Commandments, or gossiping about her neighbors or spending hours lying on the couch watching the Home Shopping Network and ordering stuff with somebody else’s credit card.

Martha wasn’t sinning. She was doing constructive work. She simply wasn’t being with Jesus.” (Ortberg. 2005, 58)

I truly believe that Martha wanted to sit at the feet of Jesus as her sister was doing. Why else would she have asked Jesus into her home?

She wanted to be with Jesus but she was distracted by all the good things that needed to be done.

In response to these distractions, Jesus said: “"Martha, Martha….you are worried and upset about many things, 42 but only one thing is needed. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her." (Luke 10:41-42, NIV)

Jesus was telling Martha—with all the compassion in the world—that there is something better than running around frantically trying to accomplish many good things.

The one thing that is better is being with Jesus no matter what else is going on.

Martha believed that in order for her to be with Jesus, she had to be finished all her work.

She thought that supper had to be on the table, and her Guests had to be eating the meal.

Not so with her sister.

The only thing that mattered to Mary was being with Jesus no matter what else was going on around her.

this was the only thing that mattered to her, Being in the presence of Jesus.

ILLUSTRATION- Biblical scholar Ray van der Laan notes that 1^st century Jews had a blessing that beautifully expresses the commitment of a disciple to stay in the presence of the one he followed:

         “May you always be covered by the dust of your Rabbi”

            (That is to say) “May you follow him so closely that the dust his feet kicks up is what is cakes your clothing and lines your face.”

            "...Disciples never wanted to let the rabbi out of their sight.

            What mattered not so much was the particular activity they were doing, what mattered was being with the rabbi whatever was going on.

            Every act was an opportunity to learn from the rabbi how to be like the rabbi.

            “I can be “sitting at Jesus feet” when I’m kneeling in prayer or negotiating a contract or fixing my kids lunch or watching a movie.

        All it requires is asking Jesus to be my teacher and companion in this moment” (Ortberg, 2005, 54)

            Jesus wants us to live the better life, a life that is lived in His presence.

       Why would He want this?

Because: “A single day in your courts is better than a thousand anywhere else!” (Psalm 84:10a, NLT2)

            While Jesus is not telling us to cease all our work and run out into the fields and spend time with Him, He might be asking us to not be so distracted with all the good things that this life has to offer.

            Maybe there are some things that we can stop doing in favor of spending more time with Jesus.

            Maybe there are some things that are distracting us from giving our lives completely over to the Lordship of Jesus Christ. 

            Maybe there are some bad things that are keeping us from spending time at the feet of Jesus.

            Whatever these things are, we must not let them keep us from doing what we were created to do: spend time at the feet of Jesus.

We must not let these things—either good or bad—keep us from enjoying something better- the unending presence of Jesus Christ. 

            I wonder today how many of us have been distracted by other things in life—fixing our houses, building our families—good things—but we have neglected the better thing of sitting at the feet of Jesus and having Him teach us?

            How many good things have distracted us from something better—life with Jesus?

            How many Martha’s need to take a lesson from Mary and learn that some things in life are good, other things in life are better and to have a better life you have to let go of the good life?

            How many of us need to stop being distracted with the good things this life has to offer—even for a few moments--- and ask to be covered with the dust of our Rabbi?

            How many of us need to surrender our schedules over to the Lordship of Jesus and pray: “Since you are my rock and my fortress, for the sake of your name lead and guide me.” (Psalm 31:3, NIV)

         How many of us need to sit at the feet of Jesus, no matter what is going on?

ILLUSTRATION- My wife makes great potato salad!

        This has to be one of my favorite things that she makes.

      Just after she has made it, I will grab a spoon out of the drawer and taste the salad just to see how good it really is.

            As good as my wife’s potato salad is, there is someone who makes it a little bit better.

            Whenever we have a family function, I always ask my grandmother to make her potato salad, because it is a little bit better.

             I love my wife’s potato salad, but I love my grandmother’s potato salad a little bit more.

            Don’t settle for the good life of knowing about Jesus, when you can have the better life of being with Jesus, sitting at His feet no matter where you are or no matter what you might be doing.

             Some things in life are good, other things in life are better, to have a better life you have to let go of the good life.

            I wonder today what God might be asking us to give up in order to have the better life of living with Him, of being with Him?

            I wonder what good thing we might have to stop doing in order to spend time at the feet of Jesus?

            I wonder what bad thing—bad habit, bad lifestyle, God might be asking us to give up, in order to sit at His feet?

            Jesus reminded Martha that one thing was needed, one thing was better, and that was being in the presence of Jesus, so, here’s what I want us to do.

       For the next 7 days, I want us to ask and answer this question:

            What is one thing that I can put on hold for 15 minutes so I can spend time sitting at the feet of Jesus?

Jesus didn’t want Martha to stop working; He simply reminded her that He was with her no matter what she was doing.

So what is one thing that you can stop doing for 15 minutes and spend time sitting at the feet of Jesus?

Don’t worry, you won’t die, in fact; you might be amazed at how much you accomplish by spending time with Jesus.

So what will you give up? And you will have to give something up, because some things in life are good, other things in life are better and to have a better life you have to let go of the good life.

As the band comes to lead us in our final song, I want to make this very personal, so there are slips of paper on the alter this morning.

If you would like to take this challenge for one week, I invite you to come up grab a slip of paper, pray about what you will give up, and then do it for 7 days.

See how Jesus rearranges your life as you rearrange your day by spending time sitting at the feet of Jesus.