1115 - Receive First, Then Serve#
1115 - Receive First, Then Serve
(JP Text Group - Organized by Yun Dan Feng Qing)
Luke 10:38-42:
As they went on their way, Jesus entered a village. A woman named Martha welcomed him into her home. She had a sister named 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."
Let us pray together:
Loving Heavenly Father, we especially thank and praise you. May you grant us wisdom and strength to serve, for we cannot serve on our own. Bless this time, supplying each of us with what we need, and grant us more revelation through your word, so that we may work with your words. Bless this time, we pray in the name of Jesus Christ! Amen!
The topic we share: Receive First, Then Serve
When Jesus Christ came to the world, He became a servant. He gave up His glorious identity and status in heaven. Although He is the King of kings and Lord of lords, He still forsook these honors to come into this world, even though our Heavenly Father loves Him so much, He sent Him to be a servant.
Mark 10:45: For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.
Brothers and sisters, what is the purpose of bringing your children into this world? It is to hope they can live in peace, abundance, and glory. But our Heavenly Father sent Jesus into this world not for Him to enjoy, but to die, because all have sinned, and the issue of sin must be resolved for the relationship between the Father and us to be reconciled. Therefore, each of us needs Jesus, needs His salvation and service. Our Father loves us so much that He gave us His Son, who came into this world to suffer for us and die for our sins. This is the love of the Father!
When Jesus came to the world, He became the Son of Man, a servant. Jesus came in a humble manner, so not many people regarded Him, and no one took Him seriously. Nevertheless, He is still the King of kings and Lord of lords. After Jesus rose from the dead, if we know Jesus' identity and He comes to your home, what would you do?
Some may say Jesus cannot come to my house, but think about it: if a very noble and famous person suddenly visited your home, what would you do? You would quickly have your children prepare fruits and food; this is very normal and part of our hospitality. We cannot let the guest sit there while we just look at each other and chat; that is not our traditional virtue.
But what we are learning today is another way, called Receive First, Then Serve.
Let us share the first point: Mary is a quiet receiver.
When Jesus came to Martha's house, her sister Mary was very happy. So Martha, like all of us, rushed into the kitchen to prepare food for Jesus and His disciples. While she was busy in the kitchen preparing for the group, there was nothing wrong with that; we would do the same. But her sister Mary sat at Jesus' feet, listening to His teaching.
In other words, she sat at Jesus' feet, allowing Jesus to serve her, while Martha was trying to serve our Lord Jesus. At that moment, however, the Lord Jesus was serving Mary, serving her with His word. Was there anything wrong with what the two sisters were doing? Both of their actions were correct; the problem arose later.
After a while, Martha came out of the kitchen, looking dissatisfied, and immediately began to blame the two of them. As we just read in the text: "Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me to serve alone? Tell her then to help me."
Earlier, we mentioned that there was nothing wrong with Martha's service; the problem arose now. Perhaps Martha was working alone in the kitchen, feeling overwhelmed because there were many people to feed, and she felt wronged. At this moment, her sister Mary seemed to have no intention of coming in to help her. Martha might have thought, "How can my sister be so oblivious and leave me to do all this work alone?"
Why did Martha feel this way? Because she did not understand the value of serving. If she had understood that the one she was serving was the King of kings and Lord of lords, and if she knew that these disciples would become the twelve pillars of the future kingdom of heaven, she might not have felt this way.
For example, if there were many baskets of gold somewhere, would you want all your friends to help you carry them back? The answer is clear: you would not want that! You would rather tire yourself out and do it secretly than have others help you because you understand the value of gold. You know that doing so will bring you great joy and benefit. When you have gratitude in your heart, your service is gratitude, no longer complaints.
Without gratitude in your heart, it is naturally impossible to live out gratitude. The fear is that you have nothing inside; when you want to give, all you have is complaints. Brothers and sisters, if you do not have joy or peace from God, what comes out of you is the flesh. Seeing your own lack or grievances leads to complaints; this is our normal human reaction.
The flesh itself tends toward sin. Before you receive from the Lord, when you want to give to others, you will certainly feel frustrated. The key to serving is that when you have something inside, you can pour it out. If you have not filled yourself with anything, you cannot pour anything out. Jesus said: If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink.
This means that if you feel a lack, you can receive from Jesus. You must continuously receive, not receive on behalf of others, but continuously receive grace for yourself. When you open your mouth, what comes out is grace, is blessing. Hallelujah! Do you understand what I mean?
Let the grace of Christ first fill your heart. When you open your mouth, it is God's grace; when you speak, it is God's glory. When Jesus opens His mouth, He reveals God's power because He is filled with God's glory and power. Hallelujah! Thank and praise the Lord! We must first come before Jesus to drink His water! To receive His grace, continuously receiving, what will happen? Rivers of living water will flow from your belly.
When you want to give someone a cup of water, first ensure you have a bucket of water. When your heart is filled with Christ's grace and blessing, then you can supply others. This is true service! Brothers and sisters, I do not know if you have encountered a situation where a brother or sister in the church has a problem, and you want to comfort them but find you have no words to express. How can you comfort someone? This is because you feel you have nothing inside; you feel inadequate, and it seems that any words you say cannot comfort them.
You will find that those who are weak, sick, lame, or blind, when they come to seek Jesus with needs, Jesus can comfort them because living water flows out from Jesus. The river of living water can supply them at any time. Hallelujah!
Brothers and sisters, if you have received abundant grace before the Lord, at any time, you will bring supply to others. Martha's thinking was that she saw Jesus' arrival and thought Jesus was someone who needed to be supplied. She saw Jesus' human side, needing her service. She thought that since the Lord Jesus came, she should serve Him. But Mary saw Jesus' divine side and was willing to receive from Him.
Brothers and sisters, if Jesus came to your house, do not try to serve Him; you should sit down and let Jesus serve you because in Him, there is no lack. He can supply you at any time. Hallelujah! He wants to encourage you, comfort you, support you, and heal you.
Jesus did not deny Martha's service; He did not say it was wrong for her to prepare food. Jesus never said: "Martha, Martha, you should not go into the kitchen. I came to your house, and you should sit beside me like your sister."
So where was her problem? It was that she had complaints in her heart. If we misunderstand this passage, we might think that Jesus favored Mary, as if He did not value service. But that is not the case. If we think this way, then no one in the church would serve, and people would become a group that only listens to the word without doing anything.
Jesus said: "Martha, Martha, you are anxious and troubled about many things." This means that while Martha was serving, her heart was filled with many troubling thoughts. She had no rest or joy in her heart; many things were troubling her. Perhaps while Martha was busy in the kitchen, there were more than ten people to feed, which was enough to keep her busy. She thought: "Does my sister not know that I am overwhelmed? Why does she not come in to help me?"
If we do not understand the principles of serving before we serve, we will be like Martha. Therefore, you will see some Christians say: "Why does my faith feel the same as when I did not believe? I am no longer as enthusiastic as when I first believed!" Where is the problem? They do not understand the principles of serving.
In response to Martha's complaint, Jesus said: "But one thing is necessary. Mary has chosen the good portion, which will not be taken away from her." That is, sitting before the Lord and receiving! Hallelujah! When you receive and then serve, you will have the joy and strength to serve because that strength does not come from you but is given by the Lord. At this moment, who does Jesus prefer? It is the receiving Mary! This does not mean that He does not approve of people serving; my point is that you must first receive before God and then serve.
Many people emphasize that once you believe in the Lord, you should evangelize, encourage brothers and sisters, and so on... In fact, in our Lord, there is nothing you should do, only what you willingly offer! Many times, we quote some scriptures and say, "Look, the Bible says that if I do not evangelize, I will be cursed."
If you have not received grace, all of this will become a burden to you. If you do not correctly understand God's grace, all of this will become a burden. I once knew a sister who, when she accepted the Lord, received teachings of the law. People told her: "You must evangelize." This path is full of thorns, weeds, difficulties, and persecution—a cross-bearing path that few can walk. You must endure, no matter how difficult it is. The Bible also tells us that if we do not evangelize, we will be cursed!
When this sister came to our church, during our conversation, she said, "It is not that I do not want to evangelize; I now feel that as soon as I share the gospel with others, my heart cannot bear it. I have suffered enough; I do not want more people to suffer with me..."
Brothers and sisters, do you know where the problem lies? She did not receive correctly, so she could not serve correctly. She saw it as a burden. We need to receive the correct message; what God gives us is certainly not negative. What God gives us is positive, is peace, is joy, is blessing because this is God's intention. Only when a person is satisfied and experiences God's goodness, without us saying, "You should evangelize," will that person witness without reservation because they have received the benefits of Jesus.
Do you remember? After Jesus healed people, He told them not to tell others, yet that person went everywhere proclaiming, "My illness was healed by Jesus," spreading the news of Jesus Christ. At that time, Jesus had to hide in other places to evangelize. Jesus meant that you should not speak yet, as it would affect the development of His ministry. But that person had a wellspring inside them that could not help but speak out, wanting to tell everyone how good Jesus is. Brothers and sisters, this is the true testimony!
Let grace dwell in our hearts first. When your heart is filled with God's grace, even if I do not tell you that you should evangelize, you will be willing to share this gospel with those around you, wanting them to rejoice with you. This is God's intention.
Let us look at an example. John 4 records that one day Jesus passed through the city of Samaria, where Jacob's well was. Being weary from the journey, He sat by the well at noon. A Samaritan woman came to draw water, and the disciples had gone into the city to buy food. Jesus chatted with the Samaritan woman, asking her, "Will you give me a drink?" It seemed that Jesus was asking this Samaritan woman for water.
Let us see what kind of person this woman was. The people in the city knew her behavior was not very proper because she had five husbands, and the one she was with now was not her husband. This woman knew what she was like, so she came to draw water at noon when no one else was around. When Jesus saw her need, He shared the gospel with her.
Jesus used water as a topic to cut into the supply of life, telling this woman that what she needed was a river of living water, that she needed satisfaction from God. Otherwise, no matter how many men she had, they could not satisfy her heart. When Jesus shared this living water of life with her, the woman said, "Sir, give me this water, so that I will not be thirsty or have to come here to draw water."
What did Jesus give her? Jesus answered her, "Everyone who drinks of this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him will never be thirsty again. The water that I will give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life." This woman did not just want a sip; she wanted to be filled, so she said, "Sir, give me this water."
Jesus shifted the topic to tell her the truth, saying, "You do not know what you are worshiping. God is spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth." This means that to receive such living water, you need to ask Him with spirit and truth, and He will surely give it to you.
The woman said, "I know that Messiah is coming. When He comes, He will tell us all things." Jesus said, "I who speak to you am He!" In the entire four gospels, Jesus revealed to this one woman that He is the Messiah. What this woman needed was precisely this gospel, and Jesus gave it to her. The woman underwent a tremendous transformation.
John 4:28-29
So the woman left her water jar and went away into town and said to the people, "Come, see a man who told me all that I ever did. Can this be the Christ?"
We find that this woman changed after receiving living water from Jesus. She no longer cared about her reputation or shame, putting everything down and boldly telling the townspeople, "Could this man be the Christ? Come and know Him with me, come and understand Him."
This woman received living water from Jesus and could not help but tell others, no longer concerned about her issues or her past sins because Jesus did not condemn her past but accepted and served her. When we comfort and encourage others with God's love, people will undergo tremendous changes. Even if they have many grievances or deep pain, Jesus will heal them and completely transform them, filling them with strength and confidence. Thus, this Samaritan woman is a great testimony.
In fact, Jesus did not need to suffer in this world. He had no sin, and death could not hold Him. Enoch walked with God for three hundred years and was taken by God. Elijah went back in a whirlwind. Jesus had even more reason to return to heaven, but because He loves us, He stayed in this world. He willingly endured shame and died on the cross just to free you from sin, death, and curses. Everything He did was to serve you. In response to the service Jesus provided, the only thing we can do is to fully receive His service. Hallelujah!
There is a verse in the Psalms: "What shall I render to the Lord for all His benefits to me?" What can we give back for all the bountiful grace God has given us? The Bible says: "I will lift up the cup of salvation and call on the name of the Lord."
We must remember that this cup is not a cup of suffering but a cup of salvation, a cup of joy. You must lift this cup and drink from it to know His goodness. Hallelujah! If you have never drunk from the Lord's cup, how can you know what it tastes like? How can you explain it to others? Brothers and sisters, if a person has not experienced the love of Jesus Christ, has not experienced His grace, how can they explain it clearly to others?
Without experience, perhaps what they receive is just some theories, which cannot provide real help. What God gives us is not a cup of suffering but a cup of blessing, a cup full of blessings! It is a cup of peace, a cup of healing. You must first drink from it to know His goodness. If you preach about a God you have never experienced, how can you have the confidence to do such things? Only by first receiving from the Lord can you have the confidence to serve His children. Hallelujah!
How can we achieve a loving service? I believe every brother and sister is willing to serve joyfully. How can we have such an effect? The answer is simple: listen to the correct word more. What is the correct word? It is the message centered on Jesus Christ.
When you come here to listen to the word, your heart is being renewed, your heart is constantly repenting. While you are here listening to the word, He has already given you. When we finish preaching, you are no longer the same because Jesus is placed in your heart, and the Holy Spirit will ignite the dim flame in your heart. The Bible tells us: "A bruised reed He will not break." When Jesus sees that your flame is about to go out, He does not extinguish your hope, causing you to lose faith. Jesus reignites your fire.
Matthew 26:7-10
A woman came up to Him with an alabaster flask of very expensive ointment, and she poured it on His head as He reclined at table. And when the disciples saw it, they were indignant, saying, "Why this waste? For this could have been sold for a large sum and given to the poor." But Jesus, aware of this, said, "Why do you trouble the woman? For she has done a beautiful thing for me."
During His time on earth, Jesus helped many people, including this woman. Jesus gave her grace and mercy. After she received Christ's grace, she offered her best to Jesus, even more than the disciples at that time.
This means that the more people receive from Jesus, the more they receive, and the more joy Jesus has. Just like living water, the more you draw from the spring, the more alive the water becomes, an inexhaustible source. God is always abundant. God delights in you receiving from Him first. Thank God!
The second point: Receive God's rest to serve.
Rest is not doing nothing or sleeping. What is rest? Many people may lie in bed, their bodies still, but their thoughts are still turning, worrying, and troubled. They may think about who offended them during the day or who said something unpleasant, and they will replay those words in their minds like a tape recorder... that is not rest.
Matthew 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."
God wants to give us His rest. We must first come before Jesus to receive His rest. Coming to Jesus' feet to receive means giving Him your burdens.
Jesus' rest is to face everything calmly in any situation. Although there are great winds and waves in the sea, the disciples said, "Master, we are perishing! What should we do?" Jesus was not flustered. He stood up, very calmly and confidently raised His hand of authority and said, "Be still! Be quiet!" Everything calmed down as He said. Because in Jesus' heart, there is God's rest.
You must come before God's word and let God's word fill your heart. This is your faith. In any situation, you will not be bound or disturbed by circumstances. You will not say, "Lord, this time we are doomed..." Our service must first have a heart like Mary's, quietly receiving before Jesus, and then when you participate in serving, even if you are serving like Martha in the kitchen, you will be joyful because you know that God has given you the opportunity to serve, which is an opportunity for reward.
If you receive Jesus' service, you will have a joyful heart to serve. If you finish listening to this sermon and tomorrow Jesus happens to come to your house, you will not complain in the kitchen because you know how glorious it is for the Lord to come to your house. All your service will be joyful and willingly given. If you do not understand and have not received His service from Jesus, you will be filled with complaints.
Recently, I was chatting with a brother, and he said that their church is facing a situation where every week someone has to clean, but there is only one day to clean. However, those brothers and sisters are unwilling to go; they hire sanitation workers to clean their church but are unwilling to lift a finger. Do you know the reason?
They do not understand their service and have not received strength from Jesus. They do not realize that God wants to bless them through such opportunities. How could our God dwell in a temple made by human hands? But God is in that place because He wants us to serve Him willingly, and then He will bless you. Hallelujah!
Brothers and sisters, this is our service; it is an opportunity given to us by Jesus. He allows us to serve Him to bless us more. It seems that you are serving God, but in reality, God is serving you. When Jesus said to the Samaritan woman, "Woman, please give me a drink," it seemed that Jesus was asking this woman for water, but in fact, Jesus wanted to give her water, to give her living water. Hallelujah!
When you go to church and the pastor says you should give tithes, it seems like you are giving to God, but in reality, God wants to bless you through that opportunity. God takes what you offer as seeds and doubles it back to you in other forms.
Just like a farmer, when you plant seeds with faith, a single grain of wheat dies and grows into seedlings, yielding thirty, sixty, or a hundredfold. No grain of wheat, when planted, remains a single grain; God will not take your things. That single grain of wheat may be gone, but God will give you a hundredfold blessing. Hallelujah!
It seems that you are serving God, but in reality, God is serving you. Hallelujah! We must understand that the power of our service comes from God. To correctly recognize this Lord, understand that it is not you serving Him, but He serving you. Then you will not have complaints or grievances, and you will even be willing to do everything alone because you know that all this is worthwhile. Every willing sacrifice is not in vain.
If you are a full-time housewife serving your family with food, drink, and living needs, you do not know how many sisters do not complain; it is quite difficult. Because after the family finishes eating, they just get up and leave, some watch TV, some read newspapers, and no one helps you, leaving a pile of dishes in the kitchen. Everything at home seems to fall on you. If you have not received rest from Jesus, have not received His service, you will have complaints.
You may complain to your husband. Many times, conflicts in the family arise this way because we see our grievances; in fact, we see the unfairness. But if you know that God remembers you for doing these things, that is the strength and faith. The Bible says in Matthew 25:40; at the time of judgment, God says, "Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me."
Although you do it for your children, you are doing it for Jesus. Although you are serving your family, you are serving the Lord Jesus. Although you serve your boss at work, you are serving our God. Hallelujah!
God wants to bless us through our environment. He wants us to serve joyfully in this environment. We must correctly understand what service is so that we have the strength to serve others. Especially in teaching children, we must first recognize that children are not private property; they are God's temporary entrusted heritage.
What we need to do is respect children and teach them with truth, serving this child as if serving the Lord. We have no right to curse children casually! Do not treat God's heritage this way; they are God's children. We are temporarily stewards, managing them, teaching them, and disciplining them.
God wants you to receive His rewards and power through your service, to receive His glory. In such service, you will see God's grace. I wish every brother and sister, in God's rest, although you are doing it for people, you are doing it for God. We are not serving people; we are serving the Lord.
No matter what environment you face, first receive His grace from God, first receive Jesus' rest, and then when you work, you will have strength.
You are precious in God's eyes. You are His beloved child, just as John always said, "The disciple whom Jesus loved." All twelve disciples were loved by Jesus, but only John referred to himself as "the disciple whom Jesus loved." What I want to tell you is: You are also the disciple whom Jesus loves.
Do you know where the power of rest comes from? You know you are God's beloved child. God will not punish you or be angry with you because of your bad behavior. God swore to us that He will not be angry with us anymore. God does not need to swear to us; He Himself will not go back on His word. But God still swore to us to tell us that He can indeed do this.
When we truly understand all this, God's rest will be in your heart. Therefore, you must first receive His rest and power from Jesus. First receive Jesus' love to love others. Receive Jesus' forgiveness to forgive others!
Human love is conditional and selfish. When people give, they hope to receive something in return. When there is no return, their hearts will be hurt. If we receive Christ's love, His love for us is unconditional, selfless love, self-sacrificing love. When you know and receive this love from Him, you will have the strength to love those who are unlovable.
When Jesus served us, He never complained. When Jesus washed His disciples' feet, He did it one by one. He Himself is the King, yet He washed the feet of His disciples! In fact, the water in the basin was always there, but not one disciple came to do this. Jesus stood up and became a servant, willingly doing this.
He tied a towel around His waist and bent down to wash the feet of each disciple. This is Jesus' service. When we understand Jesus' service, we can serve joyfully. Jesus washed your feet because your feet will walk a long way. How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news! Jesus saw what you would do and joyfully served you and supplied you.
Only by first receiving from God can you have the strength to serve others. Just as we emphasized earlier, only when you are sufficient can you willingly supply others. If you still feel lacking and weak, I suggest you do not serve others yet. First receive, and then serve others. You cannot be a person who does not receive and continue to serve others. I often say, you absolutely cannot give what you do not have to others.
You should often think about how Jesus served you. He gave up everything in heaven for you, came to the world, died on the cross for your sins, and endured beatings to heal your diseases. He endured all humiliation and slander for you, without complaint, because He knew that His endurance would bring you comfort. The stripes He bore can bring you healing; the punishment He endured can bring you peace!
If you feel weak, return to Jesus. Return to God's word and look up to Jesus again, and strength will arise because He is the source of all strength! When you need God's healing, look up to Jesus again, the one who can heal you! Because He is the source of healing, Jesus said: I am the way, the truth, and the life! When you feel your life is about to wither, come before Jesus and look up to His life; He will give you resurrected life! He will place His abundant life within you!
When you accept His service, you will willingly serve others joyfully. In fact, everyone is serving in their own way, whether in your church, your family, or your work. Every day, we interact with others, giving what we have to them. When you receive strength from Jesus, you will know how to encourage your children, encourage your husband, and encourage your colleagues. Because you know you are doing it before the Lord.
Receive first, then serve. Such service is lasting. This strength does not come from us but from God. Everyone who receives from Jesus has their life changed.
Zacchaeus, when Jesus went to his house, seemed to be serving Jesus, but in fact, Jesus was serving him. Zacchaeus' life was transformed, Hallelujah! As a result, he stood up willing to help the poor and live a different life. This is Jesus' service. This is the supply Jesus gives us. It always gives us hope and guides us to live a better life.
Let us pray together:
Loving Heavenly Father, we thank and praise your grace! We truly thank you for giving us an opportunity to serve you. Without you, we can do nothing for you because everything is you serving us. We are willing to first receive like Mary, sitting before your word. When we receive your strength, we will be different when we go to work.
As we meditate on your grace, we believe that the power of this grace will be within us. When we are willing to live in obedience to the Holy Spirit, the fruit of the Holy Spirit will be produced through us. We continuously receive your teachings, and our behavior will change. We will all be transformed like Mary, and we will all be transformed like Zacchaeus, revealing the beauty of Christ in us.
Thank you for loving us so much and for everything you did for me on the cross. I no longer live for myself today, but you live in me. I am willing to obey your word. I believe this week will be different, a life full of your blessings. I expect good things to happen to me. In the name of Jesus Christ, I pray, Amen!