I am pleased, Almighty God, to bless us together this evening. Let us turn to the Gospel of Luke, and Chapter 10, and reading the last verse. That's verse 42. The Gospel of Luke, Chapter 10, and the last verse in Chapter 42. But one thing is needful. and Mary hath chosen that good part which shall not be taken away from her.

The last few verses in this tenth chapter give us details of Martha and Mary, two sisters, and their situation when Jesus came and entered into the village and where they lived and came to Martha's house. We read, now it came to pass, as they went and he entered into a certain village and a certain woman named Martha received him into her house.

Well nothing very remarkable about that but we see in the following four verses instruction For them, for Mary and Martha and no doubt for the people that were gathered together and also for us today. And we see the action of Mary and we see the action of Martha. and they were indeed very different.

And we read about Mary, this is what we read, she also sat at Jesus' feet and heard his word. Well, I expect we can understand and imagine, well, that must have been quite a good thing to do and therefore to approve of that action.

And then we come and we read about Martha. Martha was cumbered about, much serving. We can imagine that, can't we? Jesus has come, or an important guest has come to the house and they want to make an impression. So they get whatever food and probably quite a good spread to impress people. And obviously it takes quite a lot of doing and therefore these words are used, comfort about with much serving.

And of course, Martha was working hard and she turned around and saw her sister just sitting at the feet of Jesus and we can imagine her being rather annoyed why was Mary doing this when she was occupied and busy doing all this preparing of the meal for the Saviour and no doubt his disciples.

But there was very much wisdom as she came and said, Lord, does thou not care that my sister has left me to serve alone? We can always hear, can't we, the anger in her voice. We can understand it, perhaps in our lives. when we see people not perhaps playing their part and we think they should and therefore Martha says bid her therefore that she help me

and then Jesus gives her a very wonderful and a very gracious rebuke and as we see the the words that he speaks to her are kindly but very direct we should always understand that we need the Lord to graciously speak to us in a direct way and put us right if we perhaps are not organising our life in a right way.

You see, she was coming about much serving and really all that was needed for Jesus and those with him was very simple food. which wouldn't have taken very long to get together but obviously we can read into this that she wanted to impress and therefore she spent a lot of time doing the food and preparing for it

but Jesus comes then and speaks to her and it's very lovingly how she's addressed he says Martha, Martha thou are careful and troubled about many things And it was obvious that she was. Jesus wasn't speaking an untruth. He was just telling her what her situation was.

And then he draws the analogy and the comparison. And how good it is when God comes to us and just gently and kindly perhaps tells us how we're not spending our time well. How we are perhaps wasting our time on things which are not so important. Although we think they're important, and they're important perhaps in our lives, because if we're successful in doing what we intend, it will bring natural admiration and perhaps honour to ourselves.

But the Lord graciously and wonderfully puts his finger right on the relevant and important things. And it's good for us today if such a word speaks to our heart and so the Lord says to Martha but He'd already said thou art careful and troubled about many things. He hadn't said it was wrong doing those things but He tells her, one thing is needful. One thing is needful.

And he tells her, Mary hath chosen that good part which shall not be taken away from her. Well, we know of course what the good part was. The good part that by the grace of God, Mary had chosen. was to sit at the feet of Jesus and hear his words. She could have carried on helping Martha. She could have done other perhaps necessary jobs, but no, she came and wanted to be close to the Saviour so that she would hear his words.

Well, that's a good example for us today, isn't it? It's a question really of putting first things first and not letting the things of time crowd in and occupy the things of God. And so she was commended, Mary was commended for that which she was doing and Martha was told that that which she was doing was something which was needful

And what was that listening to the words of Jesus? Well, this evening I wonder how we would respond to a situation like that. Would we be more keen and desiring to spend our time close to Jesus? She was sat at his feet, couldn't get much closer than that, could you? so that the weakest and quietest word from his lips she would have heard. It's good, isn't it, to see the example we have here for us today.

It's very easy, isn't it, to be sidetracked. It's very easy to make excuses and become involved in things which are not really important. really can do without having our attention we may not get much credit for it but the great thing is to have credit with Almighty God to be doing that which is good and right because the vast difference is one attitude refers to the health of our soul the other really refers to our pride a vast difference and taking it further one situation refers to the things of time and the other refers to the things of eternity so we see there's a vast difference in those two actions of those two sisters

And it's recorded, it's a very short account, isn't it? Just five verses, an account, and in that we can comprehend the truth of Jesus that he sets before Martha. You see, she was found doing this work, and all that she thought was necessary, and the word is clear, she was covered about much serving. Because she was upset and didn't like what Mary was doing, thought no doubt she was being lazy and it wasn't fair that she was being involved in all this work.

But Jesus very kindly and graciously put her right. My friends, today we have the same kind and gracious God who does come and wonderful it is, puts us right. We may be doing those things which we think are good and proper and Jesus didn't say it wasn't things that perhaps were to be done but perhaps not so extensively as Martha was doing and indeed it was a question really of priority. So it is in our lives. It's a question of priority. What do we put first? Do we put the things of God first? Do we put the knowledge of Christ first?

There's that beautiful line in the hymn, isn't there? The knowledge of Christ is more precious than gold. And so it is. It's the most valuable thing that you and I can seek after. The knowledge of our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ. Because what does that do? Knowledge of Christ strengthens us, encourages us, helps us to pursue the narrow way to Him we view.

What a mercy when God comes, therefore, and causes us to follow the same way that Mary has. One thing is needful. The Lord says very clear, isn't it? One thing. And he tells Martha. must be quite painful for her to have received this rebuke and Mary hath chosen that good part and she chose it because God had chosen her because God had called her and God had directed her. It's a good thing isn't it when we understand how God does come and how God does indeed lead us and direct us for our encouragement and for our instruction.

We read what is said to us, you have not chosen me but I have chosen you and ordained you that you should go and bring forth fruit and that your fruit should remain. You see the effect of coming and listening to the words of Jesus is to touch our hearts and to direct us in a right way, and that way is to follow the wonderful and glorious example of the Lord Jesus Christ. And to be found indeed like Mary, choosing that good part, that good part, and we're told which shall not be taken away from her. It's an eternal blessing.

If God gives you and me grace, to seek the knowledge of the Saviour, to seek to come and hear His voice, to sit at His feet and to wait for suitable words to touch our hearts, to direct us, so that you and I may grow in grace and in the knowledge of our Lord. and Saviour Jesus Christ.

You know, in that well-known account in Matthew's Gospel, in what we refer to as the Sermon on the Mount, this is what Jesus says in the 6th chapter, and the 31st verse and the following verse,

Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? Or what shall we drink? Or where withal shall we be clothed? That really means not an unreasonable amount of thought. For after all these things do the Gentiles seek. For your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things. And that should be a comfort to us, shouldn't it? God knows what you and I need. Right from the beginning, indeed right from eternity, He knows exactly what we should need and then he gives these gracious instructions. But seek ye first the kingdom of God and his righteousness and all these things shall be added unto you. Take therefore no thought for the morrow, for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof."

Well, we're not very good followers, are we, of God's Word. We so often put natural things first, before the things of God, and we easily crowd out the things of God. Now, Mary had not done that, had she? She'd come and she'd sat herself down at Jesus' feet. She wasn't there in just a temporary way that she could jump up and dash away she'd sat there for a purpose to hear what Jesus' words were and those words she no doubt hoped and prayed they would come to her and be a support and a strength to her and so it's good to read such words as this one thing is needful, one thing and Mary hath chosen that good part which shall not be taken away from her so as we read a statement like that we always need to apply God's Word to our hearts and may the Holy Spirit apply His Word to our heart and to test our situation and our spiritual life and the way that we would respond to the situation and if we had the opportunity of hearing the gospel preached and sit and listen to it and don't give diligence to all the things that surround us how good it is to have a right heart God looks in our heart doesn't mean to say we're not to do anything in life we are born to work we're not born to sit idle

But this woman wasn't really sitting idling, she was sitting listening. She was occupying herself with listening to what Jesus was speaking to her. And so we have these good words of instruction, good things of direction, and it's good to realize that these things don't only apply to the New Testament we can go to the Old Testament we can go to the Book of Psalms and we can read the testimony of David we can read the testimony of Asaph and realize that in their day and age they had a desire really to walk this way

David tells us in the 27th Psalm he starts off and says the Lord is my light and my salvation. Whom shall I fear? The Lord is the strength of my life. Of whom shall I be afraid? Well, that's the introduction, really. And then he comes down and tells us a little more deeper. Fourth verse. One thing have I desired of the Lord. That will I seek after, that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life. behold the beauty of the Lord and to inquire in his temple. We can see, can't we, where David's heart was. It was to be with and to hear what God the Lord would say. Of course, there he was able to come and to meet. In those days, of course, it was the tabernacle which had been erected and he wanted to come there and be there and to worship the ever-living and true God.

And so what a good thing it is when we see a pattern pattern of the Saints of God and to desire to follow their example and then in the 74th psalm we read the 73rd psalm we read the account of Asaph speaks and what does he say he says this he says nevertheless he says sorry let me start a bit earlier 21st verse thus my heart was grieved and I was pricked in my reign so foolish was I and ignorant I was as a beast before thee well there was an honest man wasn't he and it's good sometimes if we're honest with our God and we have to acknowledge that often we are foolish and we are ignorant and to think that here he comes and says my heart was grieved and I was pricked in my reins it's good isn't it when the Holy Spirit comes and pricks our heart and directs us to that which is wrong and that which is right but yet Asaph comes and says nevertheless I am continually with thee that's holding me by my right hand Thou shalt guide me with thy counsel and afterward receive me to glory.

That's a good testimony of a man of God. He wasn't set on the earth, was he? He wasn't set on the things of time. He got his eyes looking ahead, looking to that time of glory and believing that the Lord would indeed guide him. Thou shalt guide me with thy counsel That's encouraging, isn't it? For you and me today. Because our God is the same, the same God that guided and directed Asaph. He hasn't changed and he won't change because he tells us, I am the Lord, I change not. Therefore ye sons of Jacob are not consumed. I often think such statements of that is very encouraging because you and I can come in our prayers to our God and we can speak of such wonderful strength that we receive from God to press on believing he's a prayer answering God and he will come with us.

And so David tells us, although he felt foolish and ignorant, and I'm sure we will very often feel like that. And he says, nevertheless, I'm continually with thee. To think that God is with us. If God be for us, who can be against us? Thou hast holden me by my right hand. Thou shalt guide me with thy counsel. Again, it's very humbling, isn't it? To think that almighty God guides us. He guided Mary, didn't he? He guided Mary to come and sit at his feet and to hear what he was saying. Thou shalt guide me with thy counsel. It didn't stop there. He looked ahead. And by God's grace, may you and I look ahead and afterward receive me to glory. Surely that shall be my desire and our concern, as we may be found sitting at Jesus' feet, looking ahead. to our eternal home, anticipating what it must be like in Emmanuel's land.

And so he goes on and says, whom have I in heaven but thee? And there is none upon earth that I desire beside thee. Singleness of mind, wasn't it? Given to this man of God. And it's recorded for you and me today. to follow such a pattern in our little life. He tells us, my flesh and my heart faileth. We may indeed feel like that, and yet, he says, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.

For lo, they that are far from thee shall perish. Thou hast destroyed all them that go whoring from thee, but it is good for me to draw near to God. I put my trust in the Lord God, that I may declare all thy works.

Well, that's a good desire, isn't it? And may it be our desire as we're found with the same desire that Mary had and came and sat at Jesus' feet. that she might indeed hear those things that the Saviour spoke to her.

And so we read Mary which also sat at Jesus' feet but there was this difference. There was a certain village and Martha received Him into her house and she had a sister called Mary which also sat at Jesus' feet. That's all that's noted. It's not said anything about her. We see that was a very clear her action and very clear her desire and that she wasn't interested really in anything other than hearing what the Lord Jesus should speak to her.

What a wonderful testimony for us today to think of God's goodness and mercy to us. You know we read we sang in that second hymn the last two verses, which really were appropriate to this situation. Because we read, Seek ye my face. That's what she was doing. She was seeking the face of the Saviour.

Jehovah cries, With joy the contrite heart replies, Thy face I seek, with power descend, From every foe my soul defend. That was a good desire, wasn't it? A good desire of the hymn writer. And the last verse says, A bleeding Christ is all they plead, And all that guilty sinners need, In whose dear name their fervent cries Before the Lord like incense rise.

It's a blessing, isn't it, to have fervent desires, fervent prayers that you and I may grow in grace and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. For Mary would seem here to have had fervent desires to hear what Jesus was speaking. Fervent desires. And so may you and I have fervent desires

We're often not very fervent, are we? Often religion doesn't occupy the premier position in our lives that it should. We find other things creeping in. And we try and justify ourselves. That's really what Martha did. She tried to not only justify herself, but also involve her sister. And yet the great blessing is to be found listening at Jesus' feet.

It's true, isn't it? I'm sure you and I can echo the words here and believe what Jesus said. Martha, Martha, thou art careful and troubled about many things. And you and I may be careful and troubled about many things. We have to analyze it carefully. Do they draw us nearer to the Saviour or do they take us farther away?

It's not hard, is it, for you and me to analyse our hearts and minds and to see the reaction to that question, whether such desires and actions and words bring us nearer to Christ or whether they take us farther away.

devil is always on the lookout for opportunities to turn us away from the things of God, to always give us excuses why we should not be found sitting at the feet of Jesus. He's a past master and you and I need to be on our watch to realize that we have that great enemy of our soul always on the outlook for an opportunity to enter into our hearts and turn us away from the great and glorious truths of God.

like that hymn which we've just alluded to. What a blessing it is to have a right desire after heavenly things. And heavenly things, my friends, centre on none less than the Lord Jesus Christ.

The question surely is, what thinking of Christ is the test? To try both your work and your scheme, you cannot be right in the rest unless you or we think rightly of him. How important it is that in this evil day in which we live and many things to distract us, many things that turn us away from the things of God. Many things to turn us away from worship, turn us away from praying, turn us away from reading the word.

You know how the devil is so keen, isn't he? Instead of sitting at Jesus' feet, we're up and about and doing this and doing that. And if we were to just sit still and analyze ourselves at the end of the day, and perhaps say, well, did I need to do that? Did I need to think about that? We find it very often. We wasted a lot of our time. We haven't, in fact, been like Mary in that simple situation, wasn't it? It wasn't complicated, was it? She didn't ask for a nice comfortable chair. No, she just came and sat at the feet of Jesus.

We would think she perhaps crouched down and sat there. but she was all ears to hear what Jesus was saying. My friends, you know, if we're not there, if we're not listening, we won't hear, will we? The things of time are occupying our life. We won't hear what Jesus says. But how humbling it is when Jesus comes and speaks into our hearts. and directs us without any boasting at all it's a blessing sometimes to be a preacher because we're on the lookout for a text to preach and we're listening for the words of Jesus to come and to speak to us and it's very encouraging when that occurs and sometimes it doesn't occur perhaps for some time and we have to often pray earnestly that Lord will appear and give us a suitable word to preach to the people and when God graciously hears and answers such prayers it's a sense of relief and a sense of comfort to know that God is mindful of us and God is near to us and not leaving us to wander away left to ourselves how easily we would wander away how easily we waste our time

well my friends we're not on this earth to waste our time we're on this earth to serve our Lord and Master. And that goes for all of us. It's not just to preachers. We're here on this earth to serve our Lord and Master and to hear what he's directing us to do and say. Here was Mary, sat at the feet of Jesus, listening to his voice, that voice which would direct her what to do, what to say, what to think, how to act. And God gives her that wonderful condemnation, sorry, that wonderful confirmation rather. And Mary has chosen that good part. Well, I hope we want to choose the good part and not the bad part. And not to forget that the devil was very keen on us choosing the bad part. And in one sense, it may not seem to be too bad. Martha wasn't really doing anything that was wrong, but she could have been doing something better. She could have just done a very menial meal, sufficient for the Lord and his disciples, and then to come and sat at the feet of Jesus.

It really is the bottom line, as it were, in our life, as to how we do spend our time. It's so easy to waste it. So easy it is. And we can never recover time. you and I can't recover time time passes and it's gone and it's gone never to be reclaimed and so we need to be very aware that the gracious God gives us such wonderful encouragement in these things to direct us and to enter into the truth of them

you see Jesus we're told it came to pass as they went that he entered into a certain village and a certain woman named Martha received him it was all planned all planned and your life and my life is planned certain place where you and I live certain situations that we enter into certain beliefs that God gives us and encouragements and corrections and guidance. It's for the hand of Almighty God. We don't just wander aimlessly through this world. We sometimes think that we might. But if we come and commit our way unto the Lord, which we're instructed to do, commit thy way unto the Lord, trust also in Him, and He will bring it to pass. Our God knows What's ahead of us? You and I don't. But the good thing is God knows what is best for us. And we should always remember that we're on a journey. We're on a journey.

Our journey takes us through what is described about Jacob. The Lord found him. Where did he find him? In a waste, howling wilderness. He led him about. He instructed him. He kept him as the apple of his eye. And that really is no different to your life and my life. And if you follow Jacob's life, you'll know he had difficulties, didn't he? He had disappointments, but God was with him, and God supported him, and God strengthened him. And our God today is the same, the same Almighty God. And you may think, well, my path's very strange, and I don't understand it. Well, you will understand it. And you'll be able to come to the conclusion that David did when he wrote the 107th Psalm. And he tells us this. He, that's God, led them forth, Israel, by the right way that they might go to a city of habitation

stand back and look at it and you think wow that was a tough journey it was a tough journey but so many buts God didn't leave them no he was with them and they had to learn many lessons And you and I have to learn many lessons. But the great thing was, they were brought eventually, safely, into Canaan, as God had promised. And that's the same for you and me. God leads and directs us. As he led Martha and Mary all those years ago, he leads us. And surely that should be a comfort when things appear to be going wrong. I say appear because remember God never makes a mistake. You and I make mistakes. God never makes a mistake. That's why David was able to say he led them forth by the right way. There were no wrong ways. They were led in a difficult path, but it was God's way which brought them a last safe home to Canaan.

What a good thing, therefore, if you and I are able to look ahead, look ahead and realise, as we recently preached from, and here have we no continuing city, for we seek one to come. Yes, that's a great strength, surely, to the Church of God.

So as we consider this case of Martha and Mary, and we see how Martha was a hard worker, but she wasn't sat at Jesus' feet. My friends, may you and I be concerned to be in the right place to be found sitting at Jesus' feet. And therefore, our Lord kindly says to Martha, Martha, Martha, thou art careful and troubled about many things, and it may be true of us, but one thing is needful, and Mary has chosen that good part which shall not be taken away from her. Well, such words are written for our encouragement and our direction, and may we take heed to the glorious words of our blessed Saviour, and go on our way rejoicing to trust and hope that by God's grace we may be found sitting at Jesus' feet. Amen.