Luke Chapter 10. Luke Chapter 10. Today we'll
be looking at The One Thing Needful. The name of the message is The
One Thing Needful. Luke Chapter 10 verses 38 to 42 is where we'll
be reading. Now it came to pass as they went
that he entered into a certain village, and a certain woman
named Martha received him into her house. And she had a sister
called Mary, which also sat at Jesus' feet and heard His word.
But Martha was comforted about much servant, and came to him
and said, Lord, dost thou not care that my sister hath left
me to serve alone? Bid her therefore that she help
me. Where was Mary? And Jesus answered
and said unto her, Martha, Martha, thou art careful and troubled
about many things. But one thing is needful. But one thing is needful. and Mary had chosen that good
part which shall not be taken away from her." Here before us
in our text are four words which strike me as some of the most
important words, but one thing, one thing, one thing is needful. The context is Martha was comforted
about with household things and Mary was sitting at the feet
of Christ, resting. Reposing. Listening. Listening. Enamored with the Master. Now some folks here will take
that word, Mary hath chosen, and run with it and see, see
she made a decision for Christ. The only reason she had chosen
to sit there is because Christ made her to differ from the others
that were around her. And that's the only reason why
the believer sits at the feet of Christ, is because God made
us to differ. He made us willing. We do run
to Christ. We do choose Christ, don't we?
But only because He's worked upon us and regenerated us. Born
again of the Holy Spirit of God, we're made willing. the grace
of God. If it was not for the grace of
God, and think of this, for all of us who believe, if it was
not for the grace of God, we'd be cumbered about with the things
of this world, wouldn't we? We would be. I was there. I was there. We would not have a desire to
sit as Mary did at the feet of our Savior if it wasn't for the
grace of God in Christ. But we desire to do that, don't
we? We who believe desire to be like Mary, to sit at the feet
of Christ, to sit and to learn, to listen,
to repose. Our Savior teaches us that among
all the many things in this world that clamor for our attention,
And things clamor for our attention, don't they? One thing is needful. One thing. Our prayer as God's people is,
please God, reveal Christ to me. Every time we hear a message,
every time we sit down to read, we hope the Lord will reveal
Himself to us. Because He is the one thing needful. Christ is the one thing needful. The only thing that is needful
is Christ. Having Christ. Knowing Christ. Worshipping Christ. Serving Christ. And hearing His Word. Because
the Word's all about Christ. Beloved, I set forth before you
the one thing needful today. Being Christ in Him alone. and
it's set forth from the scriptures. The one thing needful for all
the people in the world, the one thing needful. Now, man despise
God, but he's the one thing we need, isn't he? He is. The one thing needful is Christ. All the money in the world, the
greatest prosperity, to hold the greatest amount of property,
to have the greatest amount of power, The greatest rank and
honor may be good things in their place, but they're not needful.
They're not needful. Multitudes of God's elect never
attain these things in the world, yet they have and they live happily. They die peacefully. They enter
into glory as they have further hope. The one thing needful,
Christ. Christ and Him alone. People
strive and work so hard for things and for stuff. And those things in the day of
judgment will prove to be things not needful. Will be proved to be things not
needful. But rather they will be a great weight dragging them
down to hell. One thing is needful, beloved.
One thing is needful. the Lord Jesus Christ. Beloved of God, you who are in
Christ, you abound in spiritual riches that shall enrich your
soul forever. Christ, Christ in Him alone. Beloved God, if you have Christ,
you have that one thing needful for your eternal soul. And every
one of us here has an eternal soul. Every one of us. If you have all the riches of
God's grace in Christ, you have all the riches that your soul
needs forever. Forever. Only salvation in Christ
is needful. Only Christ is needful. If I
am saved, Nothing else matters as I have the one thing needful
just as Mary did. The one thing needful. So with
this in mind, I'd like us to consider the one thing needful
that is needful for us as sinners. The Lord Jesus Christ. The Lord
Jesus Christ. The one thing needful for sinners.
Only in Christ can we have acceptance before a holy and righteous God
of the universe. Only in Christ. So let us contrast
the bad news with the good news. Praying that God would show us
what is the one thing needful for sinners. The first point
is this. There is a holy God that I cannot
please and that you cannot please. There is a holy God that I cannot
please And you cannot please. In our natural state, we come
into this world dead in trespasses and sins. And we cannot please
God in that state. Bad news. Because the carnal
mind is enmity against God, for it is not subject to the law
of God, neither indeed can be. So then they that are in the
flesh cannot please God. We can't please God by our own
works. We can't gain merit and favor with God by our works.
In the flesh, no man can please God, Romans 8.8. The scriptures
proclaim this. It's impossible to please God
in the flesh. What are we to do? We're bankrupt and in a hopeless
state then, aren't we? But here's the good news for
those who believe on the Lord Jesus Christ. Turn, if you would,
to Galatians chapter 4. Christ our Redeemer pleased God
as the head of the church, as our representative, bone of our
bone and flesh of our flesh, made of a woman, made under the
law. God Himself became a man to die in the place of His people,
the sinner's substitute, to please the Holy God, the Holy God. Galatians 4, verses 3-5. Even
so, we, when we were children, were in bondage under the elements
of the world. But when the fullness of time
was come, God sent forth His Son, made of a woman, made under
the law, to redeem them that were under the law, to purchase
them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption
of sons. He did this. The Lord Jesus Christ
pleased God. with the sacrifice of himself
as a substitute of his people. In fact, God the Father spoke
from heaven and said, this is my son in whom I am well pleased. Because he's perfect. He's sinless. He's the complete opposite of
us. God never had any pleasure in
burnt offerings and sacrifices. They all pointed to the one,
the one, The one thing needful, Christ, they all pointed to Him,
but He has pleasure in Christ. So if I'm in Him, if I'm in Him,
then I am in God's good pleasure, and that's good news for sinners.
That's good news for sinners, isn't it? Good news. Number two,
there is a holy law that I cannot keep and that you cannot keep.
There is a holy law That I cannot keep, and you cannot keep. Now there are some sects out
there that will say that you have to keep the commandments
to have salvation. They're lying. They're lying
to themselves. It's impossible for the sons
of Adam to keep the Ten Commandments. We cannot keep them. We can't
keep one of them, let alone ten of them. And ask folks who try to yoke
you under the law, if they keep them, they keep them, and they'll
give you all kinds of excuses. But beloved, it's impossible,
as the Ten Commandments is not only a fleshy application, but
also a spiritual application. Turn, if you would, to Matthew
5, verses 27 and 28. And we know in James it says
this, we've looked at this before, in James it says, for whosoever
shall keep the whole law yet offend in one point is what?
Guilty of it all. Well, beloved, there's not one
of us, this top side of God's earth, that don't break God's
law. Which means we're guilty of it all. Look at Matthew 27
and 28, the Lord spiritualizes the law. You have heard that
it was said by them of old time, thou shalt not commit adultery,
but I say unto you that whosoever looketh on a woman for lust after
her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart. So
the Lord spiritualizes the law, and everyone's condemned. So Christ says, I say unto you,
the lust is to be guilty already. That's what he's saying here.
Do you know to bear false witness is to lie? And scripture says
all men are liars. To not be satisfied with what
we have is to covet. To offend in one point of the
law is to be guilty of the whole law. And the scripture says this,
for as many as are of the works of the law are under the curse,
for it is written, cursed is everyone that continueth not
in all things which are written in the book of the law to do
them. So it's not enough to admire the law. It's not enough for
people to give lip service and say they keep it when they break
it. It's not enough to approve the law. We are required to do
it in every jot and tittle, in imagination, thought, word, and
deed. Now that's bad news, isn't it?
That's bad news. Because there's not one of us
is not a lawbreaker. It's bad news, but here's the
good news. Here's the good news. Christ did obey the law in the
place of his people. Perfectly. Perfectly. Perfectly. In his sheep, they
follow him. He said, I don't come to destroy
the law. I came to fulfill it. To fulfill it. Who's he fulfilling
it for? He's perfect. He's spotless. He's sinless. Who's he fulfilling
it for? His people, as their substitute. For me. For all who believe on
him. He did that for me. And if you're
a believer, he did it for you. Perfectly. Perfectly. fulfilled
the law in the place of His people. In the fullness of time, God
sent forth His Son, made of a woman, made under the law, to redeem
us from the curse of the law, to purchase us with His own precious
blood. The Lord Jesus Christ came to
fulfill the law in the place of His people. And here's good
news. He kept it. He did it. He did
it, beloved. So if you're in Christ, you've
kept the law in him. That's good news. That's good
news for sinners. Galatians 313 says this Christ
hath redeemed us from the curse of law being made a curse for
us, for as it for it is written, cursed is everyone that hangeth
on the tree. He died as our substitute. Before that law. And everything
it demanded for me, he paid it all. And for all his people,
for all who believe on him, that's good news. That's good news. Thirdly, the third point is this. There's a righteousness I can't
produce. God requires God requires a perfect, holy righteousness,
a perfect, holy righteousness to be able to stand in his presence.
Who shall ascend into heaven? Who shall stand in his presence?
When someone dies, according to false preachers, everyone's
in heaven. That's not true. People die in
their sins all the time and go to hell. What does the scripture say?
Who shall ascend into heaven? Who shall stand in his holy presence? The answer comes. Turn if you
would to Psalm 24, verse 4. Here, look at this. The answer
comes in Psalm 24. who shall stand in his presence? He that hath clean hands, verse
4, look at this. He that hath clean hands and
a pure heart, who hath not lifted up his soul unto vanity, nor
sworn deceitfully. Well now, here's the bad news
again. Sworn deceitfully means exaggerated or lied. We're all in a heap of trouble,
aren't we? Because they're not one of us who haven't exaggerated
or lied. But it says there, he that hath a clean hands and a
pure heart, who hath not lifted up his soul in the vending, are
sworn deceitfully. And turn, if you would, to Romans
chapter 3. The bad news is, again, we've all sworn Deceitfully we've
all exaggerated or lied and we know the scriptures declare this
and look at Romans 3 19 to 20 look at this Now we know that whatsoever things
the law saith it saith to them who are under the law who's under
the law every human being Everyone's we're all under the law all of
us We come into this world under the law dead in trespasses and
sins, that every mouth may be stopped and all the world may
become, what? Guilty before God. We all in our natural state are
guilty before God. Therefore, by the deeds of the
law, there shall no flesh be justified. You can't save yourself
by keeping the law because you can't keep it. You see, it's
very plain, right? Now, we're not antinomians. We're
not against the law. God's law is holy and righteous,
and we love it. It's incredible. It magnifies
who he is. But it shows our what does the
law do to God's people? It shows us we're sinners. It
reveals our desperate need for him. Therefore, by the deeds
of the law shall no flesh be justified in the sight for by
the laws and knowledge of sin. So none of us we seek here can
work. By our own works, fulfill that
righteousness which God demands. Now, that's the bad news. But
there's good news. There's good news. Because looking
at that, we could say, well, nobody can have the righteousness. And that's what the scripture
says that in ourselves that God requires. But I see some good
news here. Look at Romans chapter 10, verse
4. Romans chapter 10, verse four, here's good news for those who
are trusting in Christ. Here's good news. Good news. Here's the end. You know, from
our topic, the one thing needful. Have you seen through the points?
What is the one thing that's needful through these points?
Christ. Because everything that we saw
is answered by Christ and by what he's done, he's the one
thing needful. And these are facts that every
one of us are going to face, too. These are things that that
we can't as humans. I cannot produce a righteousness
that's perfect. I can't in my by myself. But
look at this. Romans 10 for Christ is the E
and the the end. The end of the law for what? For righteousness. To everyone
that believe it. That's good news. That's good
news. He came to give us a righteousness
that heaven requires. That we can't produce, that God
demands that we must have, and we are imputed. The believer
in Christ is imputed with the perfect, spotless righteousness
of Christ. That's good news. That's good
news for sinners. That's good news for those who
cannot produce their own righteousness that God will accept. Do you have a perfect righteousness?
People will reply right away, well, I'm not as bad as some
people, but that's not what I asked. Do you have a perfect righteousness?
Some people will say, well, I'm not as bad as these other folks.
Do you have a perfect righteousness? Christ said, except your righteousness
exceeds the righteousness of the best man on earth, you shall
not enter the kingdom of heaven. The righteousness of the Pharisees,
they were the religious They were the pinnacle of man-made
religion. Well, let me tell you. Let me
tell you right now. I have a perfect righteousness.
I have a perfect righteousness. And it's not my righteousness. It's Christ. It's all His. But I have it. By faith. I have it. Because He's given
it to me. It's a gift of God. It's imputed
to me. This perfect, spotless righteousness.
And let me tell you this. Christ is the one who did it
all. Christ is the one who wove this coat of righteousness that
I wear. I can't see it, but I'm clothed
in it. Because that's what Scripture says. In Christ is the end of
the law for rights and stay everyone that believe. And I'm resting and trusting
and looking to him who is the one thing needful for my soul.
Are you? I pray that God would make you
will and if you're not, that he'd make you will and that you
fled, flee to Christ because that's all he done for me. He
made me willing and every believer say the same thing. He made the
unwilling willing. Fourthly, here's the bad news. There is sin that I cannot put
away. Scripture says, all have sinned and come short of the
glory of God, and the soul that sinneth shall surely die. So
there's sin that I cannot put away, and there's sin that you
cannot put away by your own works and by your own deeds. I can't
do it either. I can't pay for my sins. I'm bankrupt. What are we to do? Because it
says all have sinned and come short of the glory of God. That
means all. Whether people think they're so good or super good,
all people have sinned in the eyes of God. And it says the soul that sins
shall surely die, so the justice of God demands death. And sin bringeth forth death,
so what are we going to do? Well, here's good news. Here's
good news for sinners who trust in the Lord Jesus Christ. But
God has commanded his love toward us in that. Well, we were yet
sinners. Christ died for us. He died for his people, didn't
he? He died on Calvary's cross. He died on Calvary's cross for
his people. He died. Turn, if you would, the first
Peter 318. He died the just one, the perfect one, the holy one
for the unjust. Or scripture declares the ungodly.
That's me. And that's other sinners whom
he's redeemed. And his lost sheep will have that revealed to themselves,
too. Some people get offended. You call me a sinner. Well, that's
what we are. That's what scripture declares.
See, the argument's not with me, the argument's with scripture.
Scripture declares that all have sinned and come short of the
glory of God. That means if all have sinned,
that means that all are sinners. I. I'm not a rocket scientist,
but I understand that. We're all sinners. Look at this first, Peter 318,
for Christ also has once suffered for sins, the just, the perfect,
the spotless lamb of God for the unjust sinners that he might
want, that he might bring us to God. Notice who's doing the
bringing. And he might bring us to God being put to death
in the flesh, but quickened by the spirit. Christ died for his
people. He put away our sin. He was wounded for my transgressions. The Scripture says our transgressions. You can personalize that though.
For my transgressions. He was bruised for our iniquities.
For my iniquities. The chastisement of our peace,
my peace, was upon Him. And by His stripes we are healed.
I'm healed by His stripes. That healing there is from our
sin sickness, isn't it? See, charismatics take that and
run with that and say, talk about divine healing. Well, we believe
in divine healing, just not like what they believe. But I'm healed
by the leprosy of sin that I have in me by his stripes. So there's sin that I cannot
put away, but I look to Christ. He's the one who put away all
my sin. He's my all in all. He's all my wisdom. He's all
my righteousness. He's all my sanctification. He's
all my redemption. He's my holiness. He's my all
in all. And the believer is found in
Him, found in Christ. The fifth thing is this. There's
a grave from which I can't escape. I can't escape. Every single one of us have an
appointment. Every one of us. It's appointed on the man once
to die after this judgment. We're going to be buried, every
one of us. You're going to die and I'm going to die. We're going
to be buried and go back to dust from which we come. Let me ask you a question. If
a man dies, shall he live again? The man dies, shall he live again? Shall he live again? Every one of us has got a grave
coming. Can we escape it? Can we do anything about it? No. Can our parents do anything about
it? Can our family or friends do anything about it? Can the
church do anything about it? Nothing. Every one of us have an appointment.
And we have no idea when it is. That's the bad news. But here's
the good news. There's only one who has the
answer. There's only one who arose from the grave. The first
fruits of them that slept. Friend, if you would, the Revelation
chapter one. He is the one who has all power over hell and over
death. He has all power. And He is the
one thing needful. The one thing needful. Christ
and Him alone. Revelation 1, verses 8 says this,
I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, saith the Lord,
which is, and which was, and which is to come, the Almighty. He's God incarnate in the flesh. And Christ declares who He is
also a little further down. Look at verses 17 and 18. And
when I saw Him, I fell at His feet as dead. And He laid His
right hand upon me, saying, Fear not, I am the first and the last. I am He that liveth and was dead.
And behold, I am alive forevermore, amen, and have the keys of hell
and of death. He is the one who said, who Scripture
declares He is able to raise our vile bodies. The Lord Jesus Christ. Now this
truth is set before you and set before me. The Scriptures declare
that you and I are bound for a six-foot grave. A six-foot
deep grave. And if there is no Jesus Christ,
there is no way out. You die in your sins and spend
eternity in hell. And that's just all there is
to it. There are no mints and words. And think of this. If Christ
doesn't have the power to bring me out, to raise me up, then
I'm going to stay there. But I know. I know because the
scripture declares that He has all power. One day, when my body
is put in the grave, one day it will rise again. And I'll
be given a new body. But I'll already be with the
Lord My soul already be absent with from the body is be present
with a little But the only reason the only reason I can escape
that grave is through Christ And I'm my body's gonna get put
in a grave, but it'll be raised again The sixth thing is this, there's
a judgment before which I cannot stand. I can't pass the test, you cannot
pass the test in our own self-righteousness. Scripture says it's appointed
unto men once to die after that the judgment. Men are going to give an account
of things that are written in the book. Every secret thing
will be brought to light and everything whispered in the darkness
will be shouted from the housetops. None of us want that. What are we going to do about
it? There's not anything that you or I can do about it unless
you have someone who can. And I know the one who can save
us from that judgment. I know the one whom we will stand
there and there be no condemnation. If any man sin, we have an advocate
with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. There's only one mediator between
God and men. Now, there's people who say that
there are mediators between God and men, and they're lying. And
we know they're lying because of what Scripture says. It's not based upon our opinion.
It's based upon what the scripture says, because the scripture says,
for there is one mediator between God and man. Just one. So there goes the Catholic Church
and all the priests and all these folks who try to be mediators
between God and man, because that's what they're trying to
do. And I speak of that because I came out of that. For there is one God. There's
only one God. and one mediator between God
and man. There's one mediator. Someone's lying. And again, we
know it's not the scriptures, right? The scriptures are truth.
Someone that says they're a mediator is lying. There's one mediator between
God and man. The man Christ Jesus. There he is. The one true mediator
between God and man. who gave himself a ransom for
all to be testified in due time. Well, who's the all? All his
people. He gave himself. Did you catch
that? He gave himself. He willingly
gave himself for me. And if you're one of his people,
for you, he willingly gave himself a ransom, a purchase price. Greater love hath no man than
this, than a man lay down his life for his friends. There's
no greater love than this, beloved. That Christ would lay down His
life for sinners, for those who shake their hands and fists at
Him. My goodness! What a Savior! What a Redeemer
is Jesus, my Lord! He's wonderful! And then scripture
declares that there's therefore now no condemnation to those
in Christ Jesus, no judgment for those in Christ Jesus. How
does one escape the judgment through Christ and him alone?
Otherwise, men will stand there in their own self-righteousness
before a holy and righteous God. Those who are redeemed Those
who Christ has purchased will come to Christ. They will be
granted faith to believe and repentance to turn to Christ,
to the Lord Jesus Christ. And they will repent and trust
Christ because His people are in Christ. They who believe the
sheep of God. There is therefore now no condemnation,
no judgment to them that are in Christ Jesus. That's good
news. That's good news. Christ is all. And in all, He's all my salvation. He's all my redemption. He's
all my justification. He's all my hope. Everything
is in Christ. Everything. And lastly, there
is a heaven and eternal glory. How am I to enter into that place
spoken of in scriptures? Everybody talks about heaven.
And like I say, You talk to the world and no one goes to hell,
everyone goes to heaven. But that's just not true. That's just not true. Christ said this, everybody that
says to me, Lord, Lord shall not enter into the kingdom of
God. Flesh and blood is not going to enter into the kingdom of
God. Do you know who's going to enter into heaven? Everybody who is like Christ,
everybody who's in Christ. Scripture says this, that God
determined all his covenant people that they are to be predestined
to be conformed to the image of God's Son. Now let me give you this in closing.
If Christ is all, then the loss of anything in the world is really
no loss at all. If Christ is all, then, like
Jacob of old, I can say to Esau and to all the rest of them,
I have everything. If Christ is all, I have everything.
Everything. If Jesus Christ is all, then
the honors and the applause and all the prophets of this world
speaking lies won't interest me at all, because I have Christ. I have Him. I have enough. I have all in
the Lord Jesus Christ. Turn, if you would, to Colossians
3, 11. And think of this. What do we add
to ourselves? What are you going to add to
me? And what can you take away from me if Christ is everything
to me? He's everything to me. He's everything
to the believer. We looked at this verse on Wednesday
night, and I wanted to close with this and make a few more
comments, and that'll be it. Look at this. Where there's neither
Greek nor Jew, circumcision nor uncircumcision, barbarian, Scythian,
bond nor free, but Christ is all and in all. Now the Greeks
and the Jews considered anyone, and the Romans considered anyone
else who was not within their civilization to be barbarians. To be barbarians. The Jews considered
everyone else the uncircumcision. The barbarians considered the
Scythians, the Scythians were the worst of the worst. They
were the barbarians of the barbarians. And then you've got bond nor
free. You've got slaves and masters, but actually both are in slavery
to sin. But look at this. Do you see
the diversity in the body of Christ here presented before
us? Where there's neither Greek nor Jew. Racial, social, economic
divides fall to pieces. Where there is neither Greek
nor Jew, circumcision nor uncircumcision, barbarian, Scythian, bond nor
free. But Christ is all in all. Christ
is all to the believer. He's everything. He's everything.
If Christ is all, then when death comes like the apostle, I will
rejoice to be absent from the body and to be present with the
Lord. If he's everything to me, then I can rejoice when I die.
Because I'm going to see my savior. I'm going to be with him who
purchased me with his own precious blood. Is it so with you? Now,
all these things we looked at are gonna happen. But Christ
is my everything. He's the one thing needful. He's
the one thing needful. I pray that if it's not so with
you, that God would grant you faith to believe on the Lord
Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved. Gracious Heavenly Father,
we are so thankful for your goodness and your mercy and grace. And
Lord Jesus, you are the one thing needful for us. You are the one
thing needful for sinners. Oh, I pray you take the message
and use it for your glory and that you grant faith to your
lost sheep. In Jesus name. Amen.