church

INI
The Ninth Sunday after Pentecost
July 21, 2013
Ascension Lutheran Church, Tacoma WA
Paul Naumann, Pastor

ONE THING IS NEEDED
Luke 10:38-42

May the Lord of peace Himself give you peace always in every way. Amen.
Today's text is found in the tenth chapter of Luke's Gospel, beginning with the
38th verse, as follows:

Now it happened as they went that He entered a certain village; and a certain
woman named Martha welcomed Him into her house. And she had a sister
called Mary, who also sat at Jesus ' feet and heard His word. But Martha was
distracted with much serving, and she approached Him and said, "Lord, do You
not care that my sister has left me to serve alone? Therefore tell her to help
me." And Jesus answered and said to her, "Martha, Martha, you are worried and
troubled about many things. "But one thing is needed, and Mary has chosen
that good part, which will not be taken away from her." So far the Holy Word.

In the Name of Jesus Christ, Who said, "Come unto Me, all you who labor and
are heavy laden, and I will give you rest," Dear Fellow-Redeemed,

One personal attribute that business recruiters often look for in their new hires
is "detail-oriented." That describes a person who overlooks nothing, who
focuses on the details of a task to such an extent that their work product is of a
uniformly high quality. But there's such a thing as being too detail-oriented.
Sculptor Susan Luery was commissioned to do a larger-than-life bronze statue
of Babe Ruth for the entrance of Oriole Park in Baltimore. As part of her
research she met with countless baseball experts and aficionados. Details were
researched and debated. Did the Babe wear his belt buckle on the left or right?
Was his hat cocked to the side or worn straight? No fact was small enough to
escape scrutiny. Finally, on dedication day, the statue was revealed. It showed
the Babe leaning on a bat and clutching on his hip a right-handed fielder's glove.
Just one problem: Babe Ruth was left-handed!

Sometimes when you're so focused on details, you actually miss the big things.
A lot of Christians have a similar problem. They get all wrapped up in the
details and distractions of their daily lives. So much so, that they lose sight of
the big things - the things that are spiritually essential. Sometimes they even
lose sight of the single most important thing there is, hearing God's Word. The
account of Mary and Martha is a great example. If the worries and cares of this
life have been robbing you of your peace of mind lately, if you've been so busy
with the details of your daily life that you've been missing out on the many
spiritual blessings God wants to give you, then today's text will be music to
your ears. Our theme today is simple:

ONE THING IS NEEDED
I. Neglect the Word -- and everything else is useless.
II. Hear the Word -- and everything else will follow

The little village of Bethany lay a couple of miles outside Jerusalem, on the
eastern slope of the Mount of Olives. Jesus entered the town, and immediately
He was invited into one of the homes there for dinner. The home belonged to
two sisters and a brother whose names were Mary, Martha and Lazarus. It's
important for us to note that this family already knew Jesus. In fact, the Bible
indicates that they were already believers.

Knowing that helps us understand what this story is about -- and what it's not
about. It's not about "making a decision for Christ." I mention that because
there are false teachers today, especially among the so-called "evangelical"
churches, who insist that an unbeliever has the power to "decide for Christ."
Essentially, they're saying that each person has the power to turn himself from
an unbeliever into a believer. This "Decision Theology" insists that the
unbeliever must take the first step toward God, must "decide to turn his life
over to Jesus," before he can be saved. But the Bible says that's impossible! We
learn just how impossible it is in Ephesians chapter two. There Paul is talking
about conversion when he says, "Even when we were DEAD in trespasses,
God made us alive together with Christ - by grace you have been saved." -- Eph
2:5. Only the Holy Ghost can make a believer out of an unbeliever. An
unbeliever can no more "decide for Christ" than a dead man can "decide" to get
up out of his coffin in the funeral home and walk down the street for a cup of
coffee!

Decision Theology would look at our account for today and say that Mary
made the right choice and believed in Jesus, while Martha made the wrong
choice and rejected Jesus. But the Bible makes it very clear: both women were
already believers.

Martha, too, welcomed Jesus gladly into her house. She referred to Him as
"Lord." She no doubt believed that He was the promised Savior. When you get
right down to it, Martha really only had one problem: she temporarily lost sight
of the ONE THING NEEDED. She failed to realize the fact that if you
neglect the Word, everything else is useless!

The two women reacted differently to Jesus' arrival. Mary sat at Jesus' feet and
heard His word. But Martha was distracted with much serving. Martha was
preoccupied. Maybe she wasn't expecting Jesus. She certainly wanted to prepare
the best meal possible for their honored Guest, and there was a lot to do. Have
you ever had to cook a complex meal where you’re trying to make six different
dishes are finished and ready to serve at the same time? It’s not easy! So Martha
hustled about, feverishly trying to get everything just right. The text says she
was "distracted." The Greek word means she literally was "pulled" or "dragged
away" from Jesus because of her work. Was there enough to eat? Would the
food be done on time? What if Jesus didn't like it? And where was that lazy
sister of hers? At the end of her rope, Martha came up to Jesus and said, Lord,
do You not care that my sister has left me to serve alone? Therefore tell her to
help me.

It wasn't that she was doing something bad. What she was doing was good -
even necessary. It was her timing that was bad. There's a time to work, and a
time to stop working and pay attention to God's Word. Jesus said, "Do not
labor for the food which perishes, but for the food which endures to everlasting
life, which the Son of Man will give you." -- John 6:27. The thing Martha
misunderstood was that all her preparations were nothing compared with the
opportunity Jesus was presenting her to hear His life-giving Word. Jesus
answered and said to her, "Martha, Martha, you are worried and troubled about
many things. But one thing is needed." Neglect the Word, Jesus was telling her,
and all your other activity is useless, empty -- even dangerous.

Let me ask you a question. If you could have been in the house that day, what
would you have done? Would you have sat down with Mary -- or would you
have felt it your duty to pitch in and help Martha with the meal? For myself I'm
not so sure - maybe you're not either! Life in this frantic world of 2013 seems to
hold so many things to trouble and distract us. If you own a business, you're
worried about overhead, employee costs and profit margins. But remember,
ONE THING IS NEEDED. If you're an office worker, you're concerned about
projects and promotions and office politics. But ONE THING IS NEEDED.
Parents have plenty to be distracted about, what with their children's health,
homework, their activities. But ONE THING IS NEEDED. What about
retirees? You have your own concerns – health insurance, retirement funds,
grandkids, even great-grandkids. But ONE THING IS NEEDED.

Have you allowed yourself to be distracted from the ONE THING
NEEDED? Is there something tugging at you like there was at Martha? Pulling
you away from Jesus? An observation: our typical Sunday attendance here at
Ascension is roughly one-half of our membership. That means that, on any
given Sunday, one-half of the members will be here in God's house attending to
God's Word, and half will be someplace else. What about you? Can you afford
to allow these precious opportunities to slip past you? What about your Bible
reading? Can you afford to go on, day after day, intending to read the Bible but
never actually doing it? Remember: there's a time to work, and a time to stop
work and listen to the Word of your Lord. Take heed to your Savior's warning
question, "For what is a man profited if he gains the whole world, and loses his
own soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul?" -- Mat 16:26.

Today - and every day - you are invited to leave your anxieties and your
troubles behind. You're invited to sit at Jesus' feet and learn from Him. Perhaps
you'll object, "But Pastor, there are other important things in my life besides
church and Bible study and personal devotions. I can't just drop everything and
hear the Word." God's answer to that is simple: YES, YOU CAN. And the
reason is clear - because when you hear the Word, everything else follows! Jesus
said, "Martha, Martha, you are worried and troubled about many things. "But
one thing is needed, and Mary has chosen that good part, which shall not be
taken away from her.

Let’s look at Mary for a moment. What does our text say about her? -Not really
very much, when you think about it! It says simply, Mary sat at Jesus' feet and
heard His Word. That's the only thing she did -- but what an important thing!
Like a flower turning its petals toward the sun, Mary looked into the face of her
Savior and let His soothing words comfort her soul. Mary recognized that the
ONE THING SHE NEEDED above everything else was to hear God's Word.
Everything else is less important. In fact, when you take care to choose this
good thing, you'll see that God will supply you with everything else you need!
Jesus says, "Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these
things shall be added unto you." -- Mt 6:33.

What do you get when you regularly hear God's Word? Well, what did Mary
get? Let's look.

First of all, when you pay attention to the ONE THING NEEDED, you get
peace of conscience. I'm sure Mary did! Mary, after all, wasn't that much
different than you and me. She no doubt had problems that needed her
attention, just like Martha did, just like we do. But deep down, her greatest
need was the need for forgiveness, the need to be right with God. And she came
to the right place to fulfill that need! Because what do you suppose Jesus was
talking about as Mary sat there at His feet? I think He had to be talking about
His work of redemption. I'm sure He was telling Mary that she need not afraid -
"Though you are a sinner," He may have said, "you will not be punished for
your sins. I Myself will be the sacrifice that will take away your sin, and the sin
of the whole world!"

My Christian friends, those kind words are for you, as well. Jesus kept the
whole Law in your place, in order to give you the perfect righteousness you
need to be truly right with God. With the precious blood He shed on the cross,
Jesus erased from God's book every sinful thing you've ever done. All of them!
Yes, even those times when you forgot the ONE THING NEEDFUL; even for
those times when you did allow the worries and troubles of this world to
distract you from God's Word.

Does your conscience bother you? Do your sins weigh heavily on your soul?
Come and sit at Jesus' feet! Trust in Him. Listen to His reassuring Word: "Fear
not, for I have put away your sin. You shall not die! Rather, you shall live with
Me in eternal happiness in heaven. All this I give to you as a free gift. Take it,
and rejoice in it! I have called you by your name; you belong to Me!" It reminds
me of the favorite hymn:
In Thine arms I rest me;
Foes who would molest me
Cannot reach me here.
Though the earth be shaking,
Every heart be quaking,
Jesus calms my fear.
Lightnings flash And thunders crash;
Yet, though sin and hell assail me,
Jesus will not fail me.

Jesus has solved the great problem of sin. He did it for Mary, and He's done it
for us. He solved it once and for all with His death on the cross. Now I ask you:
with that problem behind you, all your other problems sort of seem to lose their
bite, don't they? Is there anything that can really cause us a lot of trouble and
anxiety, now that our Lord Jesus has promised us a place in heaven? Oh, I
suppose you could still find things to worry and fret about if you tried, but
what's the point? Paul reminds us, "He Himself has said, 'I will never leave you
nor forsake you.' So we may boldly say: 'The LORD is my helper; I will not fear.
What can man do to me?'" -- Heb 13:5-6.

Hear the Word -- and everything else follows. Because finally, the solution to
ALL your problems really does lie in the ONE THING NEEDED. Maybe
you've been struck with an illness lately. Perhaps you've been having family
problems, troubles with your spouse or your children. Maybe you've got
financial difficulties at the moment, and you're wondering where you'll find the
money to cover your bills -- REMEMBER: ONE THING IS NEEDED. First
of all, make sure you and your family are found at Jesus' feet on Sunday
morning - listening to God's Word here in God's house. Take advantage of
every opportunity to hear His word in personal Bible study and daily devotions
with your family. If you choose the ONE THING NEEDED, I guarantee all
your other problems will be taken care of by the Lord. Or rather, I don’t
guarantee it, God is the one who guarantees it in His Word. As Paul says in
Romans, "He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all,
how shall He not with Him also freely give us ALL things?" -- Rom 8:32.

To my mind, one of the most comforting things about this text lies in the very
last sentence. Jesus said, Mary has chosen that good part, which shall not be
taken away from her. You can lose all your money. You can lose your house,
your car, your family, your friends. Even your health can be taken from you.
But God's Word is a treasure more precious than all of those things combined,
and this treasure can never be taken away from you! Every time you read that
Word with your family, every time you come to church to hear it preached, that
precious Word will be a fountain of salvation to you, springing up to everlasting
life. That's why Jesus said, "Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth,
where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal; but lay up
for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and
where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your
heart will be also." -- Mat 6:19-21. AMEN.