Making Much of Christ

Luke 10:38-42[1]

Today the title of my sermon is making much of Christ. I'm going to read this passage and help us meditate a little on our Lord.

Luke 10:38-42

38 Now as they went on their way, Jesus entered a village. And a woman named Martha welcomed him into her house.

39 And she had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord's feet and listened to his teaching.

40 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."

41 But the Lord answered her, "Martha, Martha, you are anxious and troubled about many things,

42 but one thing is necessary. Mary has chosen the good portion, which will not be taken away from her."

There are a lot of things we can do to express that we love Jesus Christ. But I want to extract an example from this well-known text and apply it to our lives here at Rolling Hills Church. This is the story of Mary magnifying Christ above all else; by loving Him and listening to Him. Simply as Mary, we can love Christ and listen to Christ. I am convinced that, if and when we are careful to do so, He will be magnified in our lives. I want to encourage us to make much of Christ and then show some apparent contrasts that come in making much of Christ.

So why would we sit and listen to Jesus? Why would we magnify Him this way?

Because He is God. John 1:1, 14 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth. Yes, to many He is only a teacher, leader, or religious figure. He is relegated to one in the line of many. But we know different; He is LORD OF ALL, He is CREATOR GOD, He is the RIGHTEOUS JUDGE and the GRACIOUS, FORGIVING GOD. He is He is God. We should sit and listen.

Because, as God, He has something to say. In Matt 17:1-6 Peter, James, and John had the incredible privilege of seeing His glory revealed. Moses and Elijah also showed up, and it was an overwhelming thing for the three disciples. Peter couldn't keep his mouth from babbling in the excitement. I often feel his pain. But God spoke from heaven and said, "This is my beloved Son, with Whom I am well pleased; listen to Him!" Many times in our prayer we're so excited to say to God what we've come to say, what we feel or think is important or significant. We should! He cares for us, we should tell Him how we feel and what we think, need, and want! But there's an element of prayer that brings stability and peace – that is listening to Him. Think of this: Jesus, being God, has all knowledge, all wisdom[2]. Surely it would help if we valued His words, and listened to Him through the Scriptures. His words created the world, His words gave us life – surely we need to hear what He has to say. Besides – the FATHER makes much of the Son, so should we. Often we are starving for wisdom, direction, or comfort. We're running to our friends, Christian radio, or to the world! We seek Oprah, Dr. Phil, or insight from magazines, co-workers, or unchurched neighbors. We don't have to starve! We can stop starving and start listening.

Because He has a compelling kindness. Matt 11:28-30. "Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light." It says in Mark 10:21 that He looked on the rich young ruler and loved Him. In Luke 7:12-16 He said to the weeping widow who had lost her son, "Don't weep." Then he raised her only son from the dead. There is that about Jesus that draws us when we take a minute to be with Him. What is that? There is a compelling kindness to Him that we don't experience often in this hard old world. We need His kindness. According to Rom 2:4 it's His kindness that leads us to repentance. Yes we fear God; but yes we must know that God loves us and is kind toward us!

Because He is and He gives life. Jn 14:6 Jesus said to him, "I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." You see, He is life. He has life in Him, and that life is the light of the world. Our faith is like a rechargeable battery; yes it works and yes it has light, but the world's darkness drains our faith. We must plug in and be recharged. He is life, dear church. Christ is life. Christ gives life. He is the resurrection! Ask the son of the widow! Ask Lazarus, whom Jesus raised from the dead after four days! Ask your believing family and friends who have gone on ahead when you come to see them. He is life, and graciously, He GIVES life to us. He also sustains and brightens and strengthens that life in us. He recharges our life in Him. He renews our minds with His words.

So we make much of Christ because He is God, He has something to say, He has a compelling kindness, and because He is and He gives life. He is worthy of our praise, of our devotion, our sitting at His feet, and of that being the one thing for us. We, by God's gracious work in us, will thrive when making much of Christ.

But let me share some apparent contrasts in making much of Christ Jesus, our Lord…

Making much of Christ is personal, but not private. You cannot have someone love Christ for you or through you. This is a personal relationship, a genuine love for a real person, the God who created You in His image! Its not a love the pastor gives you, it's not a decision the parent makes; it is You who must receive Christ, and yield to love, enjoy, and treasure Christ. The Holy Spirit, if you are born of Him, is wooing, drawing, convicting, and working to help you see and savor Jesus; but it's personal. Yet it's not private; you can't hide this faith, this love for Jesus under a bushel basket. You also can't hide it under pride, job security, or good works! In John 12:42 he writes, "Nevertheless, many even of the authorities believed in him, but for fear of the Pharisees they did not confess it, so that they would not be put out of the synagogue." It will be that love for Jesus exudes from you. Love for Jesus is life-changing; life change isn't private.

Making much of Christ settles and brings conflict. It settles conflict in our hearts to yield and love Jesus. It settles our souls to fully love and trust Jesus, to let go of excuses, bitterness, old hurts, and sin. The inner conflicts are gone when we yield to Christ and treasure Him above all. Sometimes when one comes to faith in Christ it may settle the family and bring unity there as well as in his or her own heart. Yet the outer conflicts may just be beginning! It may divide our families when we truly treasure Jesus Christ. There are those family members who are threatened or confused when we love Jesus supremely. Not always, but sometimes when we begin living by God's Word instead of paying lip service to it only, it brings conflict into our family. It may divide a worldly church when someone just loves Jesus so much they'll listen to Him and love Him. Sometimes those in church get upset when we're too biblical or Christ-centered. They call us goody-goody, self-righteous, or too spiritual. They try to make us worldlier to soothe their nagging conscience. Loving Christ causes problems in a worldly church. And yet, when we persist in loving, listening to, and following Jesus Christ – sometimes the very ones who are attacking us can become our brothers and sisters. Sometimes our genuine, life-altering faith is what they needed to see in order to be open to hear the gospel.

Making much of Christ is church-strengthening and world-reaching. I want us to be clear on this, that loving Jesus and listening to His word above the clatter of the world and even the pseudo-Christian noise of the church deepens our faith immensely. Time alone at the feet of Jesus makes us different people. It makes a Christian family a loving, kind family. It makes a singing church a worshipping church. It makes a working church a worshipping church. It makes a church a powerful witness instead of a good option in the deck of church cards. When those far from Christ come in here and we're truly caught up in Jesus, and His truth has us captivated, changed, and freed up, it's a powerful witness. We're strengthened in our inner man, in our church, and we're deepened. At the same time, we're broadened by this love to reach the world. We're compelled to go because we love Him.

A.W. Tozer wrote, "I cannot speak for you, but I want to be among those who worship. I do not want just to be a part of some great ecclesiastical machine where the pastor turns the crank and the machine runs. You know – the pastor loves everybody and everybody loves him. He has to do it. He is paid to do it. I wish that we might get back to worship again. Then when people come into the church they will instantly sense that they come among holy people. They can testify, "Of a truth God is in this place."[3]

Do we not need the same as Tozer – to worship Christ? Don't we desire, need, and seek TRUE WORSHIP? God is seeking true worshippers, church; those who worship Jesus in spirit and in truth.

So I say to you this morning, church; let's make much of Jesus.

Love Jesus.

Listen to Jesus.

Sit at His feet.

Enjoy the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. Pray, praise, sit, listen, feed and be nourished at the table Christ offers us. It is the first and foremost part of our mission to this world.

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[1] All Scriptures, unless otherwise noted, are taken from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version, (via E-Sword Software) © 2001 Crossway Publishing. All Rights Reserved. I paste them in red for distinction.

[2] Point made by Wayne Grudem in his excellent Bible Doctrine, © 1999 by Wayne Grudem, Published by Zondervan Publishing House. All rights reserved.

[3] From Whatever Happened to Worship? pg 20,  By A.W. Tozer , © Christian Publications, 1985