Which is Better?

Notes for the August 23, 2026 message:

Scriptures used and/or referenced:  Luke 10:38-42; John 11:1-44; Matthew 20:28; Matthew 25:35-40; 1 Peter 4:7-11; Galatians 5:13; Psalm 96:4–5; Romans 12:1-2; Colossians 3:14-17

Luke 10:38–42 — Mary & Martha

The tension:

  • Martha was serving Jesus. Mary was sitting with Jesus.

  • Martha wasn't wrong to serve, but she became so focused on serving that she lost sight of the One she was serving.

We Are Called to Serve

  • Serving others is part of following Jesus.

  • Matthew 20:28

    • Jesus didn't come to be served. Jesus came to serve.

  • If we're followers of Christ, we should follow His example.

Serving others is meaningful

  • We are called to be the hands and feet of Jesus.

  • How we love, care for, and serve people is ultimately how we serve Jesus.

The church should be known for serving

  • The church should be a place where people find help, care, and generosity.

  • Small acts of service can make a significant difference in someone's life.

How do we serve?

  • Galatians 5:13 - “Serve one another humbly in love.”

  • Service begins with love.

  • 1 Peter 4:7–11

    • Love one another deeply.

    • Don't serve with grumbling.

    • Use the gifts God has given you.

    • Serve with the strength God provides.

    • Ultimately, God should receive the glory.

Selfish vs. selfless service

  • Ask: Am I serving with a selfish heart or a selfless heart?

  • Selfish service:

    • “I have to do this.”

    • “Nobody else is helping.”

    • “Why am I always the one doing everything?”

  • Selfless service:

    • Serves willingly.

    • Serves lovingly.

    • Serves without needing recognition.

  • When service becomes selfish, it becomes:

    • More of a chore than a choice.

    • More of a burden than a blessing.

Don't Let busyness Replace Your Worship

  • Sometimes we get so busy doing things for Jesus that we fail to spend time with Jesus.

The danger of busyness

  • We can spend our entire lives doing things for Jesus without actually knowing Jesus.

Don't wait until you have everything together

  • Jesus doesn't force Himself into our lives. He wants a relationship with us.

Worship is more than singing

  • Psalm 96:1–6

    • God is worthy of praise. Worship is responding to who God is and what He has done.

  • Romans 12:1–2 - Worship involves the way we live, not just what we sing.

  • Worship means giving God your life.

Worship can happen in the struggle

  • Sometimes wrestling with sin is evidence that we're fighting the right fight.

Gratitude is worship

  • 1 Thessalonians 5:16–18

  • Gratitude changes our perspective.

We Need Both Listening and Doing

  • Mary and Martha represent two necessary things:

    • Mary reminds us to listen.

    • Martha reminds us there is work to be done.

  • The answer isn't to stop serving. The answer is to serve from a place of worship and relationship with Jesus.

  • James 1:22 - Don't merely listen to God's Word. Do what it says.

  • God's Word should lead to action.

The right order

  • Be with Jesus before working for Jesus.

  • Sit at His feet before serving His people.

  • Be filled before you pour out.

  • You cannot give what you do not have.

Final Challenge — Revelation 2, The church at Ephesus

They had forsaken the love they had at first.

  • The issue wasn't that they stopped working. The issue was that they had lost their first love.

  • Sometimes life gets busy—even church life gets busy—and we forget:

    • Why we serve.

    • Who we're serving.

    • Who we're supposed to be spending time with.

Repent and return

  • Revelation 2:5

    • Remember how far you've fallen.

    • Repent.

    • Return to the things you did at first.

  • The goal isn't simply to do more. The goal is to return to Jesus.

Personal Application

Who do you need to learn from? Do you need to be like Mary and time more time to slow down and listen to God, or do you need to be like Martha and step out and do something for him?

Make time to be with Jesus. Don't allow busyness to crowd out prayer, Scripture, worship, and genuine relationship with Christ.

Return to your first love. If your relationship with Jesus has become routine, remember what it was like when you first encountered Him, repent, and return.

Keep fighting sin. When you're wrestling with temptation, don't give up. Look to Jesus in moments of weakness and continue choosing Him.

Put your faith into action. Listening to God's Word isn't enough; James 1:22 calls us to actually do what it says.

Search your heart. What is your motivation for serving? Is it selfless or selfish?

Serve faithfully regardless of what others are doing. Your responsibility is to be faithful with what God has called and gifted you to do. Are you faithfully serving in the body in some way?

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