Our Scripture reading this morning
is Psalm 129. If you'd like to read along with
me in Scripture, Psalm 129. And this is the Word of the Lord. Psalm 129, beginning at verse
1, we read, Many a time have they from my youth. May Israel now
say, many a time have they afflicted me from my youth, yet they have
not prevailed against me. The plowers plowed upon my back,
they made long their furrows. The Lord is righteous, he hath
cut asunder the cords of the wicked. Let them all be confounded
and turn back that hate Zion. Let them be as the grass upon
the housetops, which wherewith the forest groweth up, wherewith
the mower filleth not his hand, nor he that bindeth sheaves his
bosom. Neither do they which go by say
the blessings of the Lord be upon you. We bless you in the
name of the Lord. Amen. I Am Thine, O Lord, page 358. Kathy picked out that song. She
had no idea what I was going to preach on. I didn't have any
idea what I was going to preach on. But you know who did? Our Lord. He did. He always does. If he's not the
one leading it, sit down and shut up, John. Draw me nearer. Draw me nearer. I need that every moment, don't
you? I need that every moment. I titled my message this morning,
The One Thing Needful. Would you turn to Luke chapter
10? Luke chapter 10. Now I know when I got up this
morning, first thing I needed when I got
out of bed, when I'm old, I need to go to the bathroom. That's
just what happens when you get older. Then I needed, I needed
coffee. That's just what happens when
you get older. You gotta have something to get those blood
vessels moving a little bit. Get the eyes propped open a little
bit. We sure think we need a lot, don't we? You know, I need a
new car. Well, actually, I don't think
I need a new car. My cars are just fine. Some may think, though,
I need a new car. Some may think they need a new
car. Oh, you know, I could, I really need, I really need, I really need a lot of things
that I could apply things to of this world. I could use a maid. I could use a butler. You know what I mean? There's
all kinds of things that we could say we need. I need this. I need a new toothbrush. I need
to go shopping. I need more vegetables in my
life. I need more whatever. I can tell you one thing you
have to have. One thing that we have to have
in this world is we gotta eat food, don't we? Some of us have
more than we actually need. We gotta have water too, don't
we? Gotta have water. Gotta have food, gotta have water.
If you don't have those two things, you just can't go without them.
You gotta have them. Now here in Luke chapter 10,
Our Lord gives you and I a scenario in which He uses to show us what
is most needful of all. Are you with me in the book of
Luke chapter 10? I want to begin reading at verse 38. Luke chapter 10, beginning at
verse 38, we read these words, Now it came to pass, as they
went, that he, our Lord, entered into a certain village and a
certain woman named Martha received him into her house. I like it
when it says it came to pass. That gives us the implication
that this had to be. It came to pass. It came to pass
because God, the creator of everything that is, He who is sovereign
over everything, purposed it to come to pass. It came to pass
because it was His purpose. And He came to a certain woman's
house, and she received Him into her house. And she had a sister. sat at Jesus's feet and heard
his word." So we have a picture now of these two ladies, sisters,
two sisters who are in this home. Martha has the home and her sister's
there and they've invited him in to entertain him. I love to entertain. I don't
know. Kathy and I, we love to have people over and have dinner,
cook stuff. Whenever we're having a family
gathering, she's kind of flustered with
it and going about this and going about that. But after everything's
all done, she sits back and, oh, that was great. Had a great meal. Everybody was
happy. Everybody was full. Entertain. Well, that's what's going on
here. These two ladies, these two sisters, they've invited
her into Martha's house. But Martha, it says in verse
40, was cumbered. She was burdened about much serving. She's running around doing all
the work. Nobody's helping her. She was cumbered about much serving. And she came to Him, came to
our Lord and said, that my sister hath left me to
serve alone? We've invited you into our house
and here she is just sitting there. Don't you care about that?
Doesn't that bother you? Bid her, therefore, that she
help me. Tell her that I need help. Tell
her that I'm too busy here. There's too much for me to do. Tell me, tell her that I have
no rest and I need rest. And Jesus answered and said unto
her, now listen to these words, folks, Martha, Martha. I can imagine the Lord saying
it almost in that tempo. The words are capitalized as
though the Lord is putting emphasis into it, Martha. Oh, my dear
sister, my dear daughter, Martha. Thou art careful and troubled
about many things. There's so much going on, you're
so troubled with that, that you're missing something. You're so
troubled with the work that has to be done, you're missing the
blessing. You're so troubled about many
things, then verse 42, but one thing is needful. One thing. And Mary hath chosen
that good part which shall not be taken away from her. What is the one thing needful
for you? Do I need it too? Let's turn
over to Mark chapter 2. Folks, if you have not eaten
for a time, your body begins to remind you, does it not? I
can't go for a couple of hours without thinking, I've got to
get up and have a snack. Just a little something to munch
on until the next dinner, until the next meal. If you go without water, does
not the same thing happen? Does not your body remind you,
I need water, I need something liquid? I'm going to ask you
this question next, does your soul hunger? Do you have a hunger in your
soul? Does your soul cry out that I
need something? I have a need. I've heard many
who have attended this very church in this building, who have left
this church saying, Does your soul hunger? Does it
thirst? Has your soul been brought to
a point where it has a need? Many there are who have come
to that point and go about searching on how to satisfy that need.
The woman at the well, do you remember the story of that? She
came to the well. Why? She came because she needed
water. She was thirsty. We have to have
water to continue to live in this body. This body of death
without water will die. She came to the well searching
for something to fill her need and she had no idea that the
man standing before her was all that she needed. He's the well
of the living water, the Lord Jesus Christ who must go, must
needs go through Samaria. Why? There was one of his people
there. One of his children needed to
be called from darkness. You may not know this. I do now. I did not know it at the time.
But when I came to this church, I must needs come to this church.
Why? Because my Lord must needs speak to my heart that day. That
was the day that He determined I would hear His Word for the
first time. The first time you heard the Word of God was determined
before the world ever began. He looked down through time and
He said, this is the day right here. Oh, and here's one of my choices.
This is the day for this one right here. I'm going to shine my light in
their heart. They're going to hear the Word of God for the
first time. These two children may be listening
and hearing the Word of God for the very first time today. Yeah,
bless your heart. That's how the Lord works. He
does it through the preaching of His words. Some go about looking, they go
to the point, they go about searching how to satisfy that need, the
need of the soul, and it's called religion. It's called works. Something I can do to fill this
need. For some, it may be a day of
worship. Well, if you don't worship on Saturday, if you're worshiping
any other day other than Saturday, you're not worshiping right.
You've got to come worship on Saturday. Others, it might be getting submerged
in water or sprinkled as it is. If you don't come to the table, that's how they feel their need.
Or at least they think they're feeling their need. Others even still making a conscious
decision to change their way of life. In our text in Luke,
Mary would be an example of that, would she not? Busy, busy, busy,
busy going about doing the things, getting all the stuff ready.
This is what I've got to do. The Lord is showing us two contrasts
in that verse, in those verses. Here's the one who's working.
What's the other one doing? Sitting at the feet of Jesus
in complete rest. There was a man who lived among
the tombs. We've all heard this story, right?
Maybe the children here have not. There was a man who lived
in the tombs. down at the cemetery. He was
crazy as a bat. Nobody could handle him. Nobody
could control him. He'd even run around naked. Oh,
man, could you just put some clothes on? They would wrap him
with chains and hold him down. But he was so crazy and so strong
that he could break those chains. We just don't even go down there
anymore. We don't even want to be around that guy. God spoke to His heart like He
did to you and I. Where did we find Him at the
end of that story? At the feet of Jesus. Each and
every one of us, isn't that what we're at right now? Are we not
here this very moment at the feet of our Savior? To worship
Him? Lord, we know You're God. You've
shined Your light in our hearts. Speak to us, Father. That's like last week. Last week,
the message for last week was my position is to speak peaceably
to God's children. Tell them their warfare is finished. Poor Martha. I said Mary was an example of
that. I meant to say Martha. Poor Martha. She was busy, busy,
busy. What must I do next? Perhaps
the refreshments. Maybe I need to set those a certain
way for everybody. Maybe I need to get them all
out here. Maybe I need to set the table, serve the guests,
pick up the leftovers, then clean the table. Oh, there's so much
to do. Listen to these words of Job
30, verse 17. My bones are pierced in me in
the night, and my sinews, my skin, take no rest. Lamentations, we read these words,
chapter 5, verse 5. Our necks are under persecution.
We labor and have no rest. Sin, we just sang about, had
left a crimson stain. A stain that cannot be washed
away by sinful hands. So our Lord says to you and I,
He says to those, and by the way, I'm going to repeat this.
This is something you folks on Friday night have heard me say
already. This book, What we have here, what God has given us in
His Word, is a book to you and I. It's
not to the world. If it was a book to them, they
would hear God's Word. Matthew 11, 28, we read these
words, all ye that labor and are heavy
laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke, he says to you
and I. He says, take my yoke upon you, and learn of me, for I am meek
and lowly in heart, and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden
is light. Look with me if you would at
Mark chapter... Did I say chapter 2 or chapter 3? What did I do
here? I thought I said 2, didn't I? Mark chapter 2. Then I wrote down Mark chapter
3 on my second note there. Let me make sure I'm in the right
one. Mark chapter 2, verses 15 through 17. And it came to pass
that Jesus sat at meat in his house. Mark 2, verse 15. And
it came to pass that as Jesus sat at meat in his house, many
publicans... Ah, that's the name of that person
that I was telling you about in Bible study. Remember that
one? I know Cheryl was screaming at her, the publican, John, the
publican! You're going to forget stuff when you get to be my age,
folks. I'm telling you. When you catch up with me, Many publicans, for those of
you who weren't here for Bible study, I'm sorry, but that was
quite funny to the rest of us that had been here. And it came to pass that Jesus
sat at meat in his house. Many publicans and sinners sat
also together with Jesus and his disciples. And there were
many, and they followed him. And when the scribes and the
Pharisees, here's the religious of the religious, those who thought
they were fulfilling the law by their own deeds, by what they
wore, by what they said, they saw Him, they saw the Lord eating
with publicans and sinners, and they said unto His disciples,
how is it? If He's the Messiah, if He's
the King of all kings, if He's the majesty of all majesty, What's
he doing sitting over here with a bunch of publicans, a bunch
of sinners, a bunch of riff-raff? Eating and drinking with publicans
and sinners. And when Jesus heard it, He saith
unto them, They that are whole have no need. Those of you who were religious
at one time, those of you who followed the religions of this
world, the religions of works, tell me I'm wrong. Was there
not a time when you thought, when you thought you were earning
your way into heaven and doing a pretty good job of it? I love the story of our brother
Mike Loveless and I'm going to leave that for you to tell. He's
told me several times and I love to hear it every time. He thought
he was on his way to heaven in a gold Cadillac. He won't say
it that way, but he says other words to his same description.
Just riding high, doing it right. And the Lord began to speak to
his heart and said, whoa, wait a minute. All you're doing is
just until the Lord convicted him
and shined the light in his heart that he had a need. Am I not
speaking to your hearts right this moment? Do you have a need? Are you needful of something
today? Oh, how I pray to the Lord that you are. I know it
is with me. I get out of bed in the morning. I need Him every second of every
day. I'm going to sin all the way
to that bathroom. Just in thoughts and deeds. They that are whole have no need
of the physician. Notice they didn't say a. If
they had said a physician, then that could have been anybody,
huh? That could have been whatever doctors they might have at that
time, whether they be a snake doctor or whatever. Whatever kind of doctors they
had, no, it's just the physician. The, there's only one. There's
only one who can heal the soul of dead men. There's only one
who can give eyes to the sight of a dead person. There's only
one who can give a heart to one that doesn't pump. There's only
one who can give ears There's only one who can heal, and that
is THE physician. They have no need of Him. But
they that are sick! There it is! Right there! See,
there's hope! We have hope, folks! I know what
I am! I know that I'm covered with
sin from the top of my head to the bottom of my feet. I know
that I can lie! I try not to. You know, if you
tell, if you deceive yourself about something, oh, I'm not
such a bad person after all, that's deceiving yourself. That's a lie. And that one lie is guilty of
death. We saw this in our Bible study.
If you don't keep everything of the law, you're guilty of
death. But God. But God. Don't you like that? But they that are sick, I came
not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance. There's only one way to wash
away that stain, that guilty stain that stains everything
about us, our soul, our flesh, everything. And I can tell you,
it's not your works. It's not something that you can
do. It's not by walking down to the front of the church and
receiving a prayer. It's not by making a decision.
It's not by the will of man, but of God who showeth mercy.
In Matthew 7, verse 13, we read these words, Enter ye in at the
straight gate, for wide is the gate, and broad is the way that
leadeth to destruction. and many there be which go in
there at. And then the next verse says
this, but straight is the gate and narrow is the way which leadeth
unto life and few there be that find it. Have you ever been blindfolded? Come on, everybody's had somebody
blindfolded, right? I mean, even with kids, you know, You know, you get the blindfold
just now. I'm not talking about cheating
like I did. I can see a little bit underneath there. No, I'm
talking about good blindfolding. Cover the eyes so much you can't
see anything. You walk around with your hands
out, feeling for things. Well, folks, a dead soul can't
even hold their hands out. We're so blind, we can't even
see the darkness that we're in unless it be revealed to us by
the light. You turn the light on in a room,
and you see everything is there. Christ, when He shines His light
in our hearts, we see the darkness we once walked in. We see our need. We think there's
a little bit of sin, and it's easy to clean up. All we got
to do is change our ways, turn our life around, work, work,
work, work, work. Folks, that's not good enough. We must be perfect. Our God, the God of Holy Scriptures,
the God of all creation, requires holiness. It says in 1 Peter
1 verse 15, But as He which hath called you is holy, so be ye
holy in all manner of conversation. That means all manner of your
life. Everything about you. Everything must be holy and perfect. Oh, I can't do that. I want to
make my mom and dad proud of me. I want to do the right thing. Because they love me, I love
them. I want to do the right thing. I just fail. I fall into
the trap of this flesh every day. Because it is written, Be ye
holy, for I am holy. We must be as holy as our Lord.
Job said this in chapter 13, verse 23, How many are mine iniquities
and sins? Make me to know my transgression
and my sin. Lord, make me to know it. We
talked about humbleness. What does it mean to be humbled?
It's not that little lady who sits in the corner. I'm humbled. I'm a good person. I'm humbled
over here. I don't speak loud. That is not humbleness. You would
not be humbled unless God humbles you. God must show you what you are.
Make me to know my transgressions. Make me to know that I am a worm
before God, the Almighty Creator. Have you been brought to see
the depth of your depravity, folks? Do you have a need of
a physician? Do you ask, if I can't earn it,
if I can't work it out for myself, then how can I be holy? There's
a way. You can. There's a way you can
be holy. Oh, there is definitely a way,
and it says this in John chapter 14, verse 6, Jesus saith unto
them, I am the way, the truth, and the life. No man cometh unto
me, unto the Father, but by me. That's the way. How can I be
holy before a thrice holy God? Through Him. for Him, salvation is of the
Lord, is it not? Folks, this is not a one-time
thing coming to Christ. It's not a one-time, oh, I'm
good, type of situation. I did it! There you go. Next
Sunday I'm getting on the Harley, going for a ride. I'm already
done. I'm already saved. It's all over
with. I'm good from here on out. That's
not it at all. It's not a one-time thing. Coming
to Christ and then going our own way is not the case. This
flesh can do nothing but sin. We need our Physician every moment
of every day. Mary did not just sit down and
then get back up. She was sitting, is what it says. Sitting. Does that not imply
that it was continual? Sitting? Sitting. Didn't say
for how long. She was sitting. She was sitting continually where?
Where was she sitting? She was sitting at the feet of
Jesus and that's what was needful. We tend to forget these things
and don't tell me you don't because we're going to come to the table
to remember. Right? We're coming to the table to
remember because we forget things. And it doesn't take long to get
out that door that we're going to go out here in a few moments
and forget all that John just said and go about doing what
we do in the flesh. It's needful. It's needful because
that's where true rest is, to be sitting at the feet of Jesus.
His yoke is easy, as we read. He has fulfilled the law perfectly,
holy, for all for whom the Father has given Him. That's what we
read in John 6.37. All that the Father giveth me
shall come to me. This is my hope for these two
young ones. All that the Father giveth me shall come to me. This
is the hope I have for my two children, who are grown and have
no need of Christ right now. They don't know it. And I'm praying
the Lord will bring them to the fact, knowing that they need
the Lord Jesus, just as He brought me to Him. All that the Father giveth me
shall come to me, and him that cometh to me I will in no wise
cast out. God humbled himself and became flesh, born of a virgin,
that he might lay down his perfect sinless life and pay the wages
of sin for his chosen people. God will have mercy on whom he
will have mercy. This is grace. This is what unmerited
favor is. Vessels of mercy. Why, you might
ask? It tells us very clearly in Ephesians
2, verse 7, that in the ages to come, He, our Lord, might
show the exceeding riches of His grace. That's what it is.
That's what He's doing. Why would God allow me to go
through this? That in the ages to come, He
might show the wonderful riches of His grace to you. Do you see His grace? That's
because it was His desire to show you. And His kindness towards us through
Christ Jesus. Look with me over at Psalms 27.
Psalms 27. In Psalms 27, we read these words. Let me say this before we read. When the Lord of glory comes
to one of His sheep, and His grace calls them from the darkness
that we have all walked in, shining His glory and His light in the
face of His Son, the Lord Jesus, We come to sit at His feet and
rest in Him. Now look with you, if you would,
beginning at verse 1, Psalms 27, beginning at verse 1. The
Lord is my light. Now picture this. This could
be saying by you and I. If we're sitting at the feet
of Jesus right now, if He has brought us to understand our
need of Him, this would be the words from you and I. The Lord
is my light. Not some light that I can hold
up on my own, but He is my light and my salvation. Whom shall
I fear? The Lord is the strength of my
life. Of whom shall I be afraid? When the wicked, even mine enemies
and my foes, came upon me to eat up my flesh, they stumbled
and fell. Though a host should encamp against
me, my heart shall not fear. Though war should rise up against
me, In this will I be confident. 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 and behold the beauty of
the Lord and inquire in his temple. What are your needs this day?
Turn over to Ephesians chapter 2. Ephesians chapter 2. What are your needs this day?
Ephesians 2, chapter 2, verse 11. Wherefore
remember, my question again, what are your needs this day?
Wherefore remember, that ye, being in time past Gentiles in
the flesh who are called uncircumcision, By the witch is called the circumcision
in the flesh made by hands that at that time ye were without
Christ. Being aliens from the commonwealth
of Israel and strangers from the covenants of promise, having
no hope and without God in the world. Verse 13, but now in Christ
Jesus ye who sometimes were far off or made nigh by the blood
of Christ. For he is our peace. Oh, the peace of Mary sitting
at the feet of Jesus. Oh, the peace that you and I
have going through this valley, the shadow of death, sitting
at the feet of Jesus. For He is our peace who hath
made both one and hath broken down the middle wall, a partition
between us. having abolished in his flesh
the enmity, the enmity of God, even the law of the commandments
contained in the ordinances, for to make in himself of twain
one new man, so making peace. And that he might reconcile both
unto God in one body by the cross, having slain the enmity thereby,
and came and preached peace to you that were far off, and to
them that were denied. For through him we both have
access by one Spirit unto the Father. Now, therefore, ye are
no more strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the
saints and of the household of God, and are built upon the foundation
of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the
cornerstone. One last point, if I may, turn
over to 1 Peter 1. 1 Peter 1. If God the Father has given a
people to his Son, and he has, before the world was created,
we read that in Ephesians 1. If God the Spirit has called
His people unto the Son, and He has, and He is, as we read
also in Ephesians 1, and if God the Son has paid the ransom price
for His people, which He has, as we also read in Ephesians
1, if God the Father has accepted that ransom price and has raised
His Son to sit at the right hand of the Majesty on high with all
power and all glory, which He has, Absolutely not. Paul states over
in Romans 8.38, for I am persuaded. He's persuaded and then he goes
through a full list and he says, shall be able to separate us
from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus the Lord. Why? Why was he persuaded? Was there
something in him to trust in? No, no. Paul very clearly tells
us that everything that he had in religion, everything that
he knew in religion was counted as done. I'll leave that up to
you, mom, to explain that to your children. It was counted as nothing but
waste. Why was he persuaded? Philippians
3, 3, we read these words, for we are the circumcision which
worship God in the spirit and rejoice in Christ Jesus and have
no confidence in the flesh. His confidence is right where
Mary's was. It's right where ours is. It's
confidence in the one for whom we sit at his feet. We sit there
because we rest in him. We rest in his works. We rest
in his faithfulness. We rest in his power. That's
my need. I need Him. I need rest in Him. I can do nothing of my own. If
left to myself, I will fall but God. But God. Amen? That's what we read in
Ephesians 2. But God, who is rich in mercy,
for His great love wherewith He loved us, even when we were
dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ. By grace
are you saved. Are you with me in 1 Peter? 1
Peter 1, beginning at verse 1. Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ,
to the strangers scattered throughout Pontius, Galatia, Cappadocia,
Asia, and Bithynia, elect, chosen, called, elect according to the
foreknowledge of God the Father, through sanctification of the
Spirit, unto obedience and the strengthening of the blood of
Jesus Christ, Grace unto you, and peace be multiplied. Oh,
I hope you need peace. Blessed be the God and Father
of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to His abundant mercy
hath begotten us again unto a lively hope, by the resurrection of
Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance incorruptible
and undefiled, that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven, who
are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation,
ready to be revealed at the last time. I want to close this morning's
message with an article written by Brother Don Fortner. And it's
a lengthy one, so it'll only take 30 minutes. He asks you
this question. Think about this. Consider this
question deeply. Does your religion give you rest? If there is one thing, Don writes,
in this world that everyone wants and very few have, it is rest. Real rest. Rest of the heart
and soul before God. Fools imagine that money property,
position, power will give them rest. Many seek rest by giving
vent to the pleasures of their vile lusts. Others try to obtain
rest by morality, by the way they act, or maybe works of charity,
or services, rituals, ceremonies of religion they may put it in.
But all who seek rest in such places must confess these words
written in Isaiah 28. The bed is too short. I was reading these words from
Isaiah and I was like, wow! Being a tall guy, it works out
real good for me. The bed is too short. The bed is too short to stretch
out on, and the cover is too narrow to wrap up in. If your
religion does not give you rest, then your religion is false.
Jeremiah 6, 16, we read these words. Thus saith the Lord, stand
ye in the ways, and see, and ask for the old paths. The old
paths are the mercy of God. The old ways are the ways of
Jesus. Where is the good way? And walk
therein, and ye shall find rest for your souls. But they said
these words, we will not walk therein. We read in Matthew 11, 28, where
our Lord says, take my yoke upon you, for I am meek and lowly. Hebrews 4, 3, we read these words,
for we which have believed do enter into wrath. As he said,
as I have sworn in my wrath, if they shall enter into my rest,
although the works were finished from the foundation of the world.
If you make lies your refuge, if you make lies your refuge,
you'll try to convince yourself that you have assurance and peace
with God. But if when you lay in the dark
at night, lonely, watching the night sky go by. When you contemplate
judgment and eternity, you have no rest. If that's the case,
and your soil is in turmoil, the fear of death yet holds you
in bondage. Consider this. Consider this. All who trust in the Lord, All
who trust in the Lord Jesus Christ have entered into rest. That's
what we just read a moment ago. Knowing that all things necessary
for their salvation have been done for them. God has chosen
them as objects of his grace and eternal election. Christ
has paid their debt to the justice of God by his blood atonement.
Righteousness has been imputed to them for justification and
imparted to them in the regeneration, the rebirth. For such people,
salvation is an absolute certainty. We have God's word for it. Why
shouldn't we rest? Does your religion give you rest,
Don Fortner? What is needful for you this
day?