One thing

Seeking for the help of the Lord, I direct your prayerful attention to the Gospel according to Luke chapter 10. And reading from our text, verse 42, but there are just two words in this verse. The text reads, but one thing is needful, and Mary hath chosen that good part which shall not be taken away from her.

And the two words that are upon my spirit is this, one thing. One thing. The Holy Spirit is seen fit to scatter throughout the scriptures these two words that bring a focus each time on one thing. that which is vital, that which can't be done without. And I felt that it'd be good to look at that this evening, beginning with this account here. Many of us would be aware of where we have been lacking something. It's only been one thing, but it's been absolutely crucial.

Sometimes we can have a situation, like those of you maybe making a cake, you can do without some ingredients, but some are absolutely vital. I was thinking of when we travel by airplane and we're told if there is an emergency, then you must leave everything behind. You must just get out on your own, one thing, just yourself, and leave everything else behind. If you were going to be in a boat or ship and to evacuate in that, Perhaps the one thing that you'd need would be your life jacket. And it doesn't matter in that situation whether you've got your phone or your wallet or anything. There is just one thing that's vital.

And so we can picture perhaps situations on earth where this means a lot to us. Like when we're thinking of spiritual things. We're thinking of that which is for eternity, not for time. And to then not have that one thing is to come short of Christ's glory, to not get to heaven at all.

So I want to look this evening I'm going to group several points but group them together into three headings. The first one is that which is needful yet lacking. The second is things to know. One thing. Things to know. And the third point is a way forward to desire, and to do, way forward. And each one, the points under those headings, come under one thing.

So I want to begin with our Lord speaking to Martha. The account here we read from verse 38 through to the end. We are told in this account of our Lord visiting this house of Mary and Martha. And we have a picture of Martha and we are told Martha received him into her house She can quite understand.

She is the host. But she is very, very busy about all the meal and the preparations. And her sister is there. But she's not helping her. She is sitting at the feet of the Lord and listening to him speaking. Martha feels that she is in the right to ask the Lord to speak to her sister and to bid her to help her. In many situations we might think that that would be only fair and right to do. But when we think here, that here is the Lord of life and glory, He is the eternal son of God.

He's not going to be with them much longer. He's not long on this earth. And he is visiting that home. Mary, I believe she knew. She knew more than the apostles because she sat at his feet. She understood the time of his sufferings was at hand. Later, she was to anoint his head, his feet. But Martha was missing out.

And there's many of us here, I'm sure. We can look back when we've had our loved ones, maybe our father, our mother. We've had those that have visited. had a short time with us, and we look back with regret, and we've thought, I wish we had spent more time with them. We use the time to do this or that, to look at this thing, to visit this place or that place, but we didn't spend time with them.

Well, here is our Lord. And our Lord knows who He is. He knows what is the one thing needful. And He so faithfully tells Martha, one thing is needful. He looks at from the outside. He can see what she's doing. He can see her carefulness. He can see her troubled about many things. And he knows there is one thing that is needful. And he's able to point Martha to a living example of one who had that one thing, who had chosen that one thing, that good part. And he says, which shall not be taken away from her.

We're told in another account that our Lord loved Martha and he loved Mary and loved Lazarus too. In this account, it's not a case that Martha is not one of the Lords and is lacking this one thing. But she is being robbed of her enjoyment of the Lord, the blessings of the better things, for things of this world that soon pass away, when that meal had finished, when they'd all dined, when they'd all done, they'd all gone home. Martha has nothing left, but Mary has. Mary still has the words that she'd heard from the Lord.

I think one of the greatest dangers for those that are involved in religious things is to replace the real faith of God and communion with the Lord Jesus Christ, with religious activity. With us that are in the ministry, we can be very active in preparing sermons, in preaching, in traveling up and down the country, but not be doing this one thing needful, sitting at the feet of Jesus, having our own fellowship, communion, walk with him, a private closet, religion, a true knowledge of him personally. That is vital. If we love someone, we want to be with them. We want to spend time with them. We want to hear their voice. We want to be with them.

But Martha, the choice that she'd made, she was not having that. But Mary had. And so those of us as well that have been brought up under the sound of the truth, There may be many things that are masking that there is one thing needful. You might be able to say, well, I have my private time of reading and prayer. I go to the Lord's house. We have family worship. There may be many religious things. But do we have a close walk with the Lord, a personal knowledge of Him?

There are several reasons why we read the passage in Philippians chapter 3. The Apostle Paul, he speaks of those things that he had naturally. He says that he was of the tribe of Benjamin, of the stock of Israel. He'd been circumcised the eighth day in Hebrew of the Hebrews as touching the law of Pharisee concerning zeal persecuting the church, touching the righteousness which is in the law blameless. Now we could perhaps put this our way and say that we've been brought up under the gospel standard denomination, we always wear the right clothes, we observe the Lord's day, we go to the Lord's house, we have a King James Bible, and you put all of these things, and they may be all right and all good. With the apostle, those things that belong to the Pharisee, all of these outward things. Of course, he lost his position in the In the Jewish church, as well, he turned to be, instead of the persecuted, the persecuted.

But he says, what things were gained to me, those I counted loss for Christ. Gay, doubtless, and I count all things but loss. Now, notice what he's saying. This is the one thing. For the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord. That is what he is viewing, that's what he desires, what he was given.

For whom I have suffered the loss of all things to count them but done. And here comes the other part, that I may win Christ and be found in him, not having mine own righteousness which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith, that I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, be made conformable unto his death. if by any means I might attain unto the resurrection of the dead. Now I commend that summary to you. Philippians 3, verses 8 through to 11. A real concise summary, really, of the one thing that is needed. One thing that is needful. that knowledge of Christ and to be found in him, really to be saved, to be saved by having a real union with our Lord Jesus Christ. Let's bring it back a little bit with Mary and Martha. We have said that both were loved by the Lord and both were saved.

So in one sense, what Paul says did apply to Martha. But Martha was not enjoying that fellowship. She had not the assurance that was joined with it. Another thing Paul said was our conversation or our citizenship is in heaven Our walk is in heaven. When he writes to the Romans, it is to be spiritually minded is life, but to be calmly minded is death. With Mary, she was spiritually minded. With Martha, she was filled with temporal, earthly things. Her mind, earthly things. It's a very searching work.

We're not to go into a monastery. We're not to neglect our earthly callings or from helping others and say, well, I'm spiritual and I'm going to spend my time with a book and with a Bible and in prayer while everyone around me does everything in all the world. That's not what is set forth here. We need to look at the The real situation here, that was not to be a daily situation at all in one way. Not to be repeated day after day.

It was a special occasion with the Lord. And Mary, she grasped it. Sometimes it's good where we're found in a situation where we can let go of things in a moment. When I was first called and I lived on my own, of course, there's not much time I spent in the house on my own. But there's times that maybe I was working on the house or cleaning and The Lord would soften my heart.

I'd hear this still small voice go and pray. And I'd drop my broom or my saw or whatever I was doing and go into the bedroom, kneel at the bed and pray. And then I'd get up, and only just a few minutes, and then go back to my work. And then I'd feel the same persuasion and go back again. And the times that the Lord met me in that way, softened my heart, drew me to Him, shed a broad of Saviour's love. Now, if I'd have said, well, let me finish, I've got to finish this job first, and then I'll go and pray.

The Word is instant in season and out of season. And especially where we feel a drawing and feel a softening and feel a desire. You might say, put it this way, when Jesus is in the house, don't just say, I'm continuing doing my working and I'm not going to spend time with you. Some of those times have been very precious times, only maybe a few minutes. But when maybe you've gone a long time with a hard heart, A carnal mind and no drawing to the things of God. Then to feel the heart soften and drawn. Grasp hold of it. And take that moment, if you can. Sometimes you can't. Sometimes you can't.

But those are precious times, when we might say in a similar way here, The Lord is in the house. The Lord is nigh. May we take heed to our spirits. Some of us, when we've had many visits from the Lord, I trust I can say, I know when he first starts to come, when I feel the first softening or drawing And very often he follows it, follows it through to real softening, blessing, and the love of God shared abroad in the heart. Lord doesn't deal with all his people the same. But think of this picture, the Lord in the house, and one not giving him time to listen to him, and the other one doing so.

One thing is needful. Paul summarises it, that saving knowledge of the Lord and interest in him, found in him, in his righteousness, but for the life of God, the comfort, assurance and enjoyment for the people of God, are those sweet moments rich in blessing, which before the cross we spend and spend at the feet of the Lord Jesus Christ. So here with Martha, one thing is needful. May the Spirit bear that in mind and lay it upon each of our hearts, that in the same way that is needful for us each here. The second under this heading is not needful but lacking. And this I turn to Luke chapter 18. And in this chapter, we have one coming to the Lord, a certain ruler, in verse 18.

Good Master, what shall I do to inherit eternal life? He's coming under the law's thought, there's something I must do. What can I do? What will my righteousness avail? So the Lord brings him to the law. He came, what shall I do, thinking of the law, so the Lord brings him to the law.

Thou knowest the commandments, do not commit adultery, do not kill, do not steal, do not bear false witness, honour thy father and thy mother, and he said, all these have I kept from my youth up. Here again we have what I said before, one like the apostle, one like us in our churches, And we might say that we've kept many things, and it's a great blessing if we have, even in an outward way, for many of the things in the world. But hear what the Lord says.

Yet lackest thou one thing. There's the one thing. And he still comes to him in the same way that he came to him in the law. Sell all that thou hast, distribute unto the poor, thou shalt have treasure in heaven, come follow me. Now don't ever think that if we were to do that literally, we would gain heaven. And by doing that one thing, we got it.

What the Lord did was to find out the one thing under the law that he was not prepared to do. It's as if he was coming to the Lord and saying, I want to know what to do to inherit eternal life. And he thinks that he's done so much. So the Lord adds another thing, knowing that he's not prepared to do it, he cannot do it. When he heard this, he was very sorrowful for he's very rich. He read in another account how he went away, very sorrowful. Eternal life on one hand, riches on the other. He wouldn't part with his riches. He went away without that life.

The disciples were listening. And so they said, who then can be saved? They are rightly discerning. If on these terms, one is to have life, who can be saved? So the Lord said, the things which are impossible with man are possible with God. The thing is, dear friends, we need not our own righteousness, but Christ. A trust in his work, his righteousness, what he has done for us. Not seek salvation under the law, but under the gospel. Not by works, but by grace. Works and grace are complete opposites. The Apostle Paul had this out with the Galatians. If it be by works, there's no more grace. If it's grace, it's no more works.

You're either circumcised, you're bringing yourself under the law, you're liable to fulfill all the law, or if it is by grace, you are free. from the demands of the ceremonial law. And really the demands of all of the law, for Christ has fulfilled the law and made it honorable, is not by deeds of righteousness which we have done.

May we remember that. But this one thing that he lacked, he was coming out and he was seeking with the law. And this applies for every one of us. No one can fulfill the law's demands. There will always be one thing, and even one thing. Whoso offendeth in one point is guilty of all. We need to remember that.

The Apostle Paul, righteous Pharisee as he was, the Lord convicted him of one sin to bring him in as a guilty sinner. That's all it needs. The Lord doesn't need to convict us of every sin we've ever committed. Just one sin, and to realize that that one sin is enough to damn us to hell, will bring us to, under God's blessing, to seek a salvation on different terms.

New Testament terms, grace terms, salvation by faith in Christ alone. Well, how do these two points find us? One thing needful, one thing lacking. Maybe some of you will say, well, there is one thing needful for me, and that thing is lacking. May the Lord turn that into prayer. and a real concern for you and for me. I want to look then at our second point, which is things to know. In Ecclesiastes chapter 3 and verse 19, the preacher states this, For that which befalleth the sons of men befalleth beasts, even one thing befalleth them.

As the one dieth, so dieth the other. Yea, they have all one breath, so that a man hath no preeminence above a beast, for all is vanity. All go unto one place, All are of the dust, and all turn to dust again. One thing befalleth them, but then he brings in something that's different. Who knoweth the spirit of man that goeth upward, and the spirit of the beast that goeth downward to the earth? That is the difference. The beast does not have a soul. Man has a soul. But your body, my body, must be laid in the tomb. We must die. And a beast dies. But we must do the same. One event to all.

Seems an amazing thing. that we live in the midst of graveyards, we live in the midst of having farms and cattle and sheep and hens and whatever killed and slaughtered for our food and we eat the food and we see death on every hand and yet somehow are heartened to think, well this doesn't apply to me, I won't have to die. Now the preacher here says, no one thing before the them.

You will also have to part this life the same. But what of our soul? What of that which we have, a beast does not? Where shall that soul go? May the Lord lay it to our heart. We're told, the righteous perisheth, no man layeth a heart. But do we lay it to harm of those that are carried off into eternity, day after day, hour after hour, and their hearts remain untouched, unmoved, not laying it to our heart?

Well, maybe think of this, whenever we perhaps see the beasts and see the animals and see those that are slaughtered, one thing, One day, our mortal body also shall cease, and what of our soul then? Peter, he speaks of one thing to know, one thing that we are not to be ignorant of. In 2 Peter chapter 3 and verse 8, There were those in the previous part of this chapter that were scoffing. They were saying, where is the promise of his coming?

For since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of the creation. It's easy for us to think, isn't it? All things will continue just as they are. England will be England always. United Kingdom will be United Kingdom always. The world will always be just the same as it ever was. Yet throughout the world, throughout the world of the Bible, kingdoms rose, kingdoms were destroyed, nations changed, boundaries changed. Throughout the United Kingdom, boundaries of the counties change. But we think everything just stays the same. Where is the Lord's promise coming? Will he really come?

But the apostle corrects them. He says they are ignorant and he points them to the flood. The flood happened. That was a major change in the history of the world. And now the heavens and the earth, which are now By the same word are kept in store, reserved unto fire against the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men. Then he brings in this one thing.

But beloved, be not ignorant of this one thing. What is this one thing that Peter is saying, the Holy Spirit is saying through Peter, do not be ignorant of it. One day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. The Lord is not slack concerning his promise.

Of course, we're reminded the first promise of our Lord, the seed of the woman, was in Genesis, 4,000 years before he came. But he did come. He did come. 2,000 years have passed by and the gospel is still being preached. The Lord has promised he would come again. He hasn't come yet, but he will come.

And though we tend to think all this stretch of time, all of these years, how long it is, but in the Lord's mind, in the Lord's doing, it's just as a day. Remember the Lord created time. We cannot comprehend eternity. We try and measure eternity by time. We cannot. Some of us, I do at least, sometimes have those times when I feel frightened of heaven. I feel frightened of eternity. We are used to having a day that begins and ends and then we can go to sleep We're used to a beginning and an ending. The idea of a God that does not have a beginning and an ending and an existence that never changes is eternal is frightening. It's terrifying if it be in hell, but it's also frightening even for eternal life when we think about it.

But that's where faith comes in because the Lord says, It hath not entered into the heart of man, but God hath prepared for them that love him. We know it shall be wonderful and lovely, and there shall not be anything in it that is terrifying or horrible or hard.

But here below, as time goes on, the Lord's purposes have now him ripe and fast unfolding. every hour and yet to minds and those that scoff things just go on nothing changes nothing happens the holy spirit says don't be ignorant of this this one thing keep this in mind now as there was a generation peter included that lived on this earth at the time when our Lord and Saviour, the Son of Man, came and they walked with Him on this earth. So there will be those on this earth when the Lord comes in the clouds of heaven. They shall be changed, they shall be caught up with Him in the air. It shall happen. And the Church of God is to remember this, that we're not to be sleepy, we're not to be careless or indifferent. This is a thing to know, one thing we must know and not be ignorant of. The next one I bring before you is that in John chapter 9. It's a well-known account of the man that was born blind.

Our Lord miraculously gave him sight, and the scribes and the Pharisees, they questioned and questioned him about what had happened. They questioned his parents. They thought perhaps he hadn't even been born blind. They did not like the Lord Jesus Christ. They did not want to ascribe to him any miracle in the things that he'd done. And so they tried to undermine what the man that had been born blind and had been given his sight by our Lord, what this man knew.

But he is able to say in verse 25 of John 9, when they had said to him, give God the praise, we know that this man is a sinner. Speaking of the Lord Jesus Christ. He answered and said, whether he be a sinner or no, I know not. One thing I know, that whereas I was blind, now I see. In some ways, I find this one of the most encouraging things, words, in the scriptures.

This man, the Lord had opened his eyes by putting clay upon them and telling him to go and wash. So when he came seeing, the Lord was not there. He hadn't seen the Lord. He had heard him. He'd heard of him. He'd been the subject of his work, of a miracle. Later on, the Lord did meet with him. He found him after they'd cast him out of the temple. And he asked him, dost thou believe on the Son of God? He answered and said, Who is he, Lord, that I might believe on him? And Jesus said unto him, Thou hast both seen him, and it is he that talketh with thee. And he said, Lord, I believe.

And he worshipped him. is not how much we know, but it's whether what we know is real and the Lord is the author of it. Every one of God's children will be taught of God. They'll all have their one things. How Lord went on and told that for judgment he had come into this world, that they which see not might see, and that they which see might be made blind. Some of the Pharisees which were with him heard these words and said unto him, Are we blind also? Jesus said unto them, If ye were blind, ye should have no sin, but now ye say we see, therefore your sin remaineth. In a spiritual way we may not be blind, literally like he was, but we all are blind, blind to our state by nature, blind to spiritual things, blind to who the Lord Jesus Christ is.

But when the Lord opens our eyes, When we see what we really are, we see our danger, we see our need, we see the one thing needful, we see the one thing that we lack, where there is a real conviction, it enters in so we cannot escape it, then we'll be able to say, with this man that was born blind, one thing I know.

I remember years ago driving to work and I'd been listening to others' testimonies and various of the Lord's people. And I was starting to feel that what I had and what I'd experienced was very little, almost ready to cast it away. thinking that I didn't come up to these that seem to be Christians that live much closer to the Lord, knew much more than I did, and had a much clearer call by grace, that then this word come to mind.

And without doubting or casting aside what others said, I felt this, what the Lord has done for me, I know He has done. I've experienced it. That's worth more to me than everything else that others might say they've had, because He's done it for me. It's one thing I know.

Do prize, dear friends, where the Lord has taught you maybe not just one thing, But do prize those one things you can say the Lord has taught you. The Lord has revealed or opened to you or shown in his word or shown about yourself. Prize that, value that. Remember, this dear man, he went from that statement, one thing I know, to having a full revelation, a seeing of the Lord, and a blessing of the Lord. Cast not away your confidence, which hath great recompense of reward. Despise not the day of small things. These one things, don't despise them. On to look then thirdly, at our main third point, a way forward. Way forward. I want to go back to the Psalms, to Psalm 27. In Psalm 27 and verse 4, this is a Psalm of David.

He says this, 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 to behold the beauty of the Lord and to inquire in his temple. Have we one thing that we've desired of the Lord?

One thing we've asked him in prayer? One thing that to us is the most needful, vital thing, and we've turned it into prayer. It's a way forward. This last point to be an encouragement of pressing forward, going forward, and it begins here with a desire. One thing have I desired of the Lord.

But it's not just a desire, it's not just a prayer, but he's seeking after it as well. Are we seeking after those things we desire? Or are they just a loose desire that every now and again comes in? We can't say that we are seeking earnestly after it. They that seek shall find. The seeker, a true seeker is so because the Lord has bid them No man can come unto me except the Father which sent me draw him, and I will raise him up at the last day.

So as we would see Jesus, or the eunuch seeking in reading Isaiah in a passage he couldn't understand too. But what David is desiring and seeking after, he wants to dwell in the house of the Lord, not just in eternity, not just beyond the grave, but all the days of my life. He wants that eternal life of blessings of communion and fellowship to begin here below. To behold the beauty of the Lord and to inquire in his temple.

May we have focused desires, desires that also equate to our seeking. And even if it is one thing, that will keep us focused, that will keep us like even the publican. God be merciful to me a sinner. That's what he was seeking, mercy. Mercy through blood I make my plea. God be merciful to me. The second thing, a way forward. I want to go back to our second reading. Paul's epistle to the Philippians chapter 3. The apostle says there in verse 13, Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended, that is to fully realize the things of God. But this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus. This one thing I do."

The apostle had many things that were behind that must have been very, very painful to him. And it may be you have as well. I certainly have those things that fill me with shame and sorrow that I remember in my unregeneracy and also since being called by grace.

The devil will use it to stop us going forward. He will say that you are such a sinner, there's no hope for you, and you are discouraged in the way. But the apostle says no. I forget in that way the things that are behind. The apostle certainly didn't forget them altogether because he says that I am not made to be called an apostle because I persecuted the church of God. So those things that were behind were used to humble him. They were used to bring him in a right frame of mind and spirit. They were not designed to keep him back from pressing forward, for seeking, for desiring those things of Baphonitha.

There are those of you here that are hindered from seeking, from praying, from pressing toward this mark of Christ because Satan is tempting you, well you've done this or that, and he won't bless you for this sake or that reason, or you don't know what you're praying for, you shouldn't pray for this, you shouldn't pray for that, and you get so confused you don't pray at all.

Don't let anything stop us from walking in the path that the Apostle here says. I reach forth unto those things which are before, desiring for the things of God, running the race, as he says in Hebrews, that is set before us, looking unto Jesus. Or here, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.

To in life conversation and to every appearance, be altogether a Christian. Let us therefore, as many as be perfect or complete, be thus minded. And if in anything ye be otherwise minded, God shall reveal even this unto you. May we walk by this rule, may we have this one thing, this pressing, forgetting those things which are behind, reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark. That's the one thing, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus. But in doing so, there's a forgetting those things behind and reaching forth.

May these things be for help and a blessing to us, two words, one thing, that applied in these ways, one thing needful, yet lacking, and things to know, one thing I know, and a way forward, to desire, and also to do. May we be doers of the Word, May we be pressers toward that mark and be in possession of what Mary had, the one thing

One thing

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