Will you turn with me to the
gospel of Luke chapter 10? Luke chapter 10. We'll read the
last five verses in this chapter. I'm sure these are familiar verses
of scripture to you, but they're so full of instruction. Beginning
at verse 38 of Luke chapter 10. Now it came to pass as they went,
that is our Lord Jesus and his twelve disciples, there perhaps
were others but at least that many, they 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 cumbered about
much serving 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. And Jesus answered and said unto
her, Martha, Martha, thou art careful and troubled about many
things, but one thing is needful, and Mary hath chosen that good
part which shall not be taken away from her. As we said in
these five short verses in chapter 10 of Luke, there is much needful,
helpful, necessary instruction for God's people. How often am
I reminded that I'm much of the time like Martha, careful and
troubled about many things to the neglect of the one thing
that's needful. taking care of the less important
and forgetting that which is the most important. And I'm sure
that this was only a temporary lapse for Martha, as it is for
all God's people from time to time, and he seems to very gently,
very gently to rebuke her, if that's not too strong a word,
but to remind her, perhaps would be a better word, when he says,
Martha, you're careful, you're anxious, you're troubled about
many things, and you have forgotten. You've forgotten one thing. One thing is needful. One thing
is essential. One thing is the most important. And your sister Mary had chosen
that thing, that good thing, which shall not be taken away
from her. The title of my message is, All
I need, all I need. When I was a child at home, and
I'm sure this was your experience too, when we were children growing
up, there were often times we would think, I've got to have
that. Right, Lester? That new bicycle,
I've just got to have that. I'll just die if I don't have
that. Well, unless I was able to earn
the money and get it myself, I didn't get it. Not with a family
of nine children. But as time proved, I didn't
die as a result of not having that. But concerning what our
Lord speaks of here, when he says there's one thing needful,
as Paul said in 1 Corinthians 13, I hope now as a man, especially
as a believer, I put away childish things and realize only one thing
is really essential. Only one thing that I cannot
do without, and our Lord reminds Martha and us what that is, and
of course, it's himself. As I said, the title of my message
is, All I Need. Could that be a long list? No,
no. Louie, I can tell you all I need
in three words. Jesus Christ himself. That's it. That's what he referred
to in his answer to Martha. Three things I'd like to consider
from these five verses of Scripture, and the first is this, a special
distinguishing visit. There was a distinguishing visit
we read of in verse 38. And of course, there was a very
distinguished special guest that came to this house, and then
there was a special distinguishing mercy that he mentioned in verse
42. But first, a distinguishing visit. When I use the word distinguishing,
I'm using it like Paul did in 1 Corinthians 4. When he wrote
to those believers and asked them, why are you puffed up for
one against another? Why are you squaring off as factions
and holding up one of God's preachers against another? Why are you
saying, I'm of Paul and I'm of Apollos or I'm of Cephas? And he reminds them. who maketh
you to differ from another?" It wasn't Paul, and it wasn't
Cephas, and it wasn't Apollos. If there was a work of grace
begun in your heart, Paul asked them, who did it? And what do
you have that you did not receive? And the word there, the word
there for differ is distinguished. Paul said, who distinguisheth
you? First of all, a special distinguishing
visit. Look again at verse 38. And it
came to pass, as they went, that he entered into a certain village. A certain village. Bethany, of
course. Bethany was a small town on the
eastern side of the Mount of Olives. It's set at the foot
of the Mount of Olives on the eastern side, and it was only
about two miles from Jerusalem. Again and again, I thought about
this this afternoon, especially, it seems, in the Gospel of Luke,
we read that our Lord was continually making his journey toward Jerusalem. And we know why, don't we? Because
he said, I have a baptism. to be baptized with? And how
am I straightened until it be accomplished? In John's Gospel
he said, except the corn of wheat fall into the ground and die,
referring to himself, it abideth alone, and so he would. But if
it die, it bringeth forth much fruit. That would be accomplished
at Jerusalem. And when the hour had come, and
they came for him in the garden. And Peter pulls out his sword
and cuts off, I suppose aiming to cut off the head, but missed
and cut off the ear of Malchus, the high priest's servant. Our
Lord said, Peter, put up your sword. The cup which my father
This cup my Father's given me, shall I not drink it?" That cup
of God's holy wrath, that cup of the fury of a holy God, Christ
said, I must drink it. I must drink it. And bless his
name, he drank it. He trod that winepress alone. He endured the fury of a just
and holy God. He was made sin and he drank
it all. No more left of God's wrath,
only mercy and grace. Our cup runneth over with the
blessings of our God because he drank the cup of God's wrath. That's what was his mission as
he journeyed toward Jerusalem. Look, if you will, in chapter
18 of Luke's Gospel. There are several places, but
we'll just look at one or two. Luke chapter 18, verse 31. He reminds his disciples, or
he tells them plainly, although they didn't perceive it, didn't
understand it at the time, but in verse 31 of Luke 18, we read, And he took unto him the twelve,
and said unto them, Behold, we go up to Jerusalem, and all things
that are written by the prophets concerning the Son of Man shall
be accomplished. For he shall be delivered unto
the Gentiles, and shall be mocked, and spitefully entreated, and
spitted on. And they shall scourge him, and
put him to death. But that's not the end of the
story, is it? He didn't stop there, did he?
All that happened. All that took place just exactly
like he said it would, but he also said this, and the third
day he shall rise again. That happened too. That took
place too. Bless his name. Turn, if you
will, to chapter 19. Look what we read here in verse
28. This is as he enters into Jerusalem. But in verse 28 it
says, "...and when he had thus spoken, he went before, ascending
up to Jerusalem." Always ascending up to Jerusalem. He went before,
leading the way, going to accomplish eternal redemption for all of
his people. going to bear away their sins
in his body on the tree, bear them away so completely, so eternally
that they should never be found again. But now, back in chapter
10, he comes to a certain village, Bethany, and he comes to a certain
house. You see why I call it a special
visit? He doesn't come to just any place.
He comes to a certain place. And there in that little village
of Bethany, in this certain house, we read again in verse 38, was
a certain woman, certain town, certain house, certain woman,
Martha. There was this family there.
Martha and Mary, her sister, and their brother Lazarus lived
together. And they were different from
all their neighbors around them because grace had made them to
differ. Each of the three Each of these
three, these two sisters along with their brother, living together
under one roof, had experienced what our Lord spoke of in verse
21 of this chapter. Look there again, if you will,
in chapter 21. Unlike the majority around them, this one who came to their house,
had worked a miracle of grace in their hearts. And he spoke
of this in verse 21 of Luke 10. He said, I thank Thee, O Father,
Lord of heaven and earth, that Thou hast hid these things from
the wise and the prudent, and hast revealed them unto babes.
like Mary and Martha and Lazarus. Even so, Father, for so it seemed
good in thy sight, all things are delivered to me of my Father.
And no man knoweth who the Son is but the Father, and who the
Father is but the Son, and he to whom the Son will reveal him. And he turned unto his disciples
and said privately, Blessed are you, the eyes which see the things
that you see. For I tell you that many prophets
and kings have desired to see those things which you now see,
and have not seen them, and to hear the things which you hear
now, and have not heard them. So it was with Mary and Martha
and Lazarus. They had been made to differ
by God's grace. These three believed what few
around them, few believed. that this one was none other
than the Son of God. The neighbors, if they would
happen to look out and see him coming to the house of Martha
and Mary and Lazarus, they said, oh yeah, there's that carpenter's
son. We know him. He's that poor deceived
man that claims to be the Son of God. and perhaps they would
snicker. Look, he's going to their house. Oh, but what a blessing it was
to them because their eyes had been opened. God had performed
a miracle. He had done for them. Christ
said He had done also for Peter. Blessed art thou, Simon Barjona. Flesh and blood didn't teach
you this. You didn't learn this on your own. It doesn't come
that way. My Father has revealed to you
who I am and He did the same for this little family in Bethany. When they looked at this one,
They believed with all of their heart that he was the Messiah
that should come into the world. None of the people around them
did. Even the religious leaders didn't. The Pharisees didn't. The Sadducees didn't. The high
priests didn't. Oh, but they did. They knew that
he was that one that all the prophets Moses, David in the
Psalms all spoke about. Jesus Christ of Nazareth was
the Savior of sinners. He it was that should redeem
them. They had experienced His grace. They had experienced his grace. That's a marvelous thing. That's
a miracle. They'd experienced the grace
of God that is in Christ Jesus. Grace is not some sort of theological
football that we toss around and discuss. Grace is something
experienced in the heart by every child of God. Grace is not something
God desires. It's something that God actually
does, and it comes to us through that one who is the embodiment
of all grace. These three, this trio, and this
little homie, Bethany, have been loved by Him, the Son of God,
with an everlasting love. Isn't that something? They were
included among those sheep that he spoke about in John chapter
6. Turn there if you will. John
chapter 6. I want you to look at this with
me. I know they're familiar verses. I could quote them and you could
too. But let's look at them a couple. Where our great shepherd speaks
about his sheep. Where he, or who gave them to
him. how he loved them, that he would
lay down his life for them. In John chapter 6 verse 39, and
this is the Father's will which has sent me, that of all which
he had given me I should lose nothing, but should raise it
up again at the last day. That included Martha and Mary
and Lazarus. And this is the will of Him that
sent me. This is the will of God Almighty, that everyone which
seeth the Son and believeth on Him, many saw the Son but didn't
believe on Him, but Mary and Martha and Lazarus did. They
saw Him and they believed on Him, may have everlasting life
and I will raise Him up. at the last day. Look in chapter
10 of John's gospel. Again the great shepherd speaking
of his sheep. And that's not everybody. He
said plainly all men are not his sheep. He told Well, let's
read it here in verse 24 of John 10. Then came the Jews round
about him and said unto him, How long do you make us to doubt? How long are you going to keep
us in suspense? If thou be the Christ, tell us plainly. He had
told them plainly again and again. Verse 25. Jesus answered them,
I told you, and you believed not. The works that I do in my
Father's name, they bear witness of me, but you believe not. because
you are not of my sheep, as I said unto you. My sheep hear my voice,
and I know them, and they follow me, and I give them eternal life. Everything's for the sheep. Everything's
for the church. Everything's for his bride, and
they shall never perish. Don't you like that? child of
God. They shall never perish, neither
shall any man pluck them out of my hand. My Father which gave
them me is greater than all, and no man is able to pluck them
out of my hand." Now what we just read there was true of Mary
and Martha and Lazarus, but it's also true of you. It's also true
of every child of God. He's loved all of His own with
an everlasting love. We're all in His hand now. None of His sheep will ever be
plucked out, no matter who they are, no matter where they are,
no matter how they are. They'll never be plucked out
of His mighty hand. Right now. Right now, he says,
I've given you eternal life, and ye shall never perish. That
will never change. That will never change, Louis.
Tomorrow, we may wake up to numerous changes in our life, for the
better or for the worse, but this is something that can never
change, that can never be altered. We're his sheep. We're his forever,
and we'll always be his, and he says nothing. Nothing can
pluck you out. Not only did he love them, but
they loved him as well. When most men around despised
him, this little trio of believers in Bethany, they loved him. You know why? Because he first
loved them. We're told in John 11, now Jesus
loved Mary and Martha and Lazarus. He loved them. He loved them. Now, child of God, you know that
the love of God that's in Christ Jesus is not some helpless, sentimental
emotion. No, He loved us and gave Himself
for us. The love of God matters. The love of God makes a difference. The love of God involves this. When the fullness of the time
was come, He sent forth His Son because He loved us. God so loved
the world, Jew, Gentile, that He gave His only begotten Son. Love does this. He loved me. He loved me and He gave Himself
for me. He loved me. Therefore, He called
me by His grace. When the time had come for Him
to reveal Himself to me, to do for me what I couldn't do for
myself, what I wouldn't do if I could have, didn't want to,
didn't have the will or the power. He called me by His grace. That's what love does, the love
of God. If He loves me, He will never
allow, as we read in John 10, don't you find this comforting?
If God loves me, and He does, He will never allow anything
or anyone to separate me from His love. In John 11 again, Jesus
loved Mary. and Martha and Lazarus. The prophet said, love is stronger
than death. And even the death of their brother
didn't separate him from the love of God, which is in Christ
Jesus, did it? Your brother shall rise again. Verse 38 again in Luke 10, and
a certain woman named Martha received him. received him. That's no small thing. That deserves some thought. She received him. Very few people
in that day were receiving him. They were doing the very opposite.
Very few places the Son of God could go and knock on the door
and they would open the door and say, Come in. Thank you for coming. Most would
slam the door in his face. Foxes have holes. Birds have
nests. But the Son of Man, he doesn't
even have anywhere to lay his head. One of the few places he
could go and find a welcome, a heartfelt welcome, was this
little home in Bethany. Martha received him. John said
he was in the world, and the world was made by him. and the
world knew him not. He came unto his own, John 1,
and they received him not. That's always the response of
the natural man. That's always the response of
lost man. They'll receive religion. If
one shall come in his own name, Christ said, you'll receive him,
but I come in my Father's name and you won't receive me. But
John didn't stop there, did he? He said, but to as many as received
him. What made the difference? What
made the difference? Were they smarter than the rest? No. No. God made the difference. He distinguished them. He did
something for them and in them as he did for Mary and Martha
and Lazarus. Again, I repeat and remind you,
when you think about them and how our Lord manifested his obvious
love to them, remember, he loves you the same. He does for you
what he did for them. He says to you and I, child of
God, what he said to his poor troubled disciples that night.
He told them, I'm going away. I'm leaving you. I'm leaving you." And remember,
they didn't have a clue. At that time, they didn't have
a clue as to what his mission was. They kept looking for him
to set up some earthly kingdom, like people talk about today.
But he told them, I'm going away. And where I'm going, you can't
come. You can't follow me now. And
man, they were brokenhearted. He said, because I've told you
this, sorrow has filled your heart. But he said this, and
hasn't he proved this to you? Hasn't he proved this to you
time and time again? He said, I will not leave you
comfortless. I'll come to you. I'll come to
you. I've mentioned it to you before.
The word comfortless is orphan. I'm not going to leave you like
an orphan. David said, when father and mother forsake me, the Lord
shall take me up. He said, I'm not going to leave
you orphans. I will come to you. And so many
times haven't we had those spells, those feigning fits were flesh. And we feel like, well, feel
like an orphan. Feel like I'm all alone. And
he proves the faithfulness of his promise again and again and
again. that promise in which he said,
I will come to you. Isn't that comforting? Who's
going to stop him? Who's going to stop him? What's
going to stop him from coming to me? Nothing will keep Christ
away. If he has to walk on water to
get to his sheep, he'll do it. If he has to go through a stormy
sea while he's walking on water, he'll do it. I will come to you. When? Always. I will never leave you. I will
never leave you. And when he does come to us,
when he comes to us, in those times we're feeling alone, forsaken. He comes to us whispering these
sweet words. It is I. Don't be afraid. It is I. Isn't that what he told
his disciples that night? They thought they saw a spirit.
When he came walking on the water, it says they were afraid. They
were afraid. And he spoke, don't be afraid.
It's I. It is I. Don't be afraid. The hymn writer said, oh, this
full and perfect peace. Oh, this transport all divine. in a love which cannot cease. I am his and he is mine. Second, a distinguished visitor,
a distinguished guest came to this house in Bethany. Did he
not? A special guest. It says, and
it came to pass as they went, the Lord and his twelve disciples,
that he entered into a certain village. He entered. Martha received Him. Mary sat
at Jesus' feet and heard His words. His words. They are life. The disciples
were there too. Oh, but it wasn't at their feet
that Mary said. It wasn't of them that our Lord
was speaking when He said, one thing is needful. No, they would
afterwards write, as John, for example, concerning Him. We beheld
His glory, John said. the glory of the only begotten
of the Father. It's him. Only he is full of
grace and truth. John doesn't have that. Peter
doesn't have that. No man has that except the God-man. And John said of his fullness,
his fullness have we all received over and over and over again. and the supply, although we approach
the throne of grace to receive help and grace and mercy in time
of need, every hour, every day, every month, every year, every
believing sinner, the supply of his grace is never diminished. That's amazing. It's never lessened. The fountain of living waters
is always overflowing. He's full of grace and truth. His ability to meet every need
is never less. His sweet peace is forever the
same because he's the Prince of Peace. Oh yes, what a guest
he was in the little home of Bethany. His power to comfort
never fails. How often these words have comforted
my heart. I'm with you always. I'm with
you. I'm not sending Gabriel. I'm
not sending an angel. I'm not sending a proxy. No,
this is my promise to you. I'm with you always. I will come
to you. And when your life is over, I
will still be with you always. Where I am, there you shall be
also." He's that one thing needful. Martha, you're distracted for
right now. You forgot one thing that's essential. Not many things. One thing's
essential. One thing you cannot do without. One thing is priority over everything
else. Is that not what our Lord taught
when he said, what shall it profit a man if he should gain the whole
world? That's a lot of things. That's
a lot of things, isn't it? But it's not the one thing. if
he should gain the whole world and all those things and lose
his own soul but not seeking the one thing needful. That rich man died. That rich man that had all those
things and in hell he left it up his eyes because he didn't
have the one thing needful. In Matthew chapter 7, our Lord
taught solemn, solemn words, truths. In that day, he said,
many shall stand before me, apparently religious people, because they'll
say, Lord, we did a lot of things. We cast out devils in your name. We did many wonderful works.
We did a lot of things in your name. and they were trusting
those things. But the one thing needful they
didn't have because he said to them, I never knew you. You didn't
know me. You didn't know the one thing
needful. Having Christ, the believer has
all, all that's needed for eternal salvation. All. All that's needed for acceptance
with God we have in the person of our glorious Redeemer. He's
all my salvation, all my hope. God, God himself, has made him,
Christ, to be unto us wisdom and righteousness, sanctification
and redemption. Remember what Paul said concerning
his religious pedigree a Pharisee, a Pharisees, and so on. And he said concerning those
things, I count as done, that I might win Christ and be found
in Him. Christ is all, and having Him,
I have all that God Almighty demands. All I need in life All I'll need in death, all I'll
need in heaven is him. Complete, complete in him. A righteousness that God himself
will find without fault. That's what the scriptures teach.
Without fault, before the throne of God. There was an old saint
that used to carry a little pamphlet. It had three pages and he said
those three pages was his entire biography and they were all blank. Nothing
on them. Often he would take it out. The
first page was black and he said that's a picture of my sin. That was my condition by nature
and he would shudder when he would look at that black page.
But the second page was red and he said that's the blood of Christ
and his face would just light up when he would gaze upon that. And the third page was white
and that was himself washed in Christ's blood and made whiter
than snow. Oh, precious is the flow. And
his book told the whole story of every redeemed sinner. Between
the black of our sins and the pure white of our redemption
must always come in the red blood of our glorious substitute. When all men are brought before
their great white throne, Only one thing is going to matter,
not many things. Remember? In Revelation chapter
20, we read of it. All men are brought before that
great white throne of God Almighty, and we're told, whosoever was
not found written in the Book of Life was cast into the lake
of fire. Rejoice, our Lord said, because
your name's written in the book of life. Christ is all." That's
what he was referring to when he told Martha that good part
Mary has chosen, that one thing is himself that gives a sinner
hope before God, that gives him peace. that doesn't exempt him
from trouble or heartache. It didn't. This family did it
soon after their brother would die. It didn't exempt them from
those common things among men, heartaches and trials, but it
gives them peace during the tribulation. During the trial, I know that
he's with me as I journey through this world and when life is over,
He's still with me. Oh God, give me grace. Delight
Mary, just set at His feet. Just submit everything to Him. Just set at His feet. Look up
by faith at His glorious person. and trust his mighty grace. Last of all, there's a distinguishing
special mercy concerning this unspeakable gift to this family. That good thing, Jesus Christ
himself, he said, it shall never be taken away from her. Never
be taken away. Isn't that another sweet thought?
once where he is, and we've always been here, where he is forever,
nothing from his love can sever. Go with John and behold that
multitude before the throne and you'll see Martha and Mary and
Lazarus. because they were loved with
an everlasting love. And you'll also see every one
of those that Christ loved and redeemed and called to himself. They'll be with him where he
is. They'll all be there. They'll
all be there. It's to his honor and glory if
they're not. Turn, if you will, to 2 Timothy
chapter 4. Let's close by reading the testimony, the witness of
this old soldier of the cross, the soldier of Jesus Christ,
this old warrior whose battle is just about over, when he writes
these last words, And he bears witness to the faithfulness of
his faithful God. In chapter 4 of 2 Timothy, look
what he says in closing his epistle at verse 16. At my first answer,
that is his first hearing before Nero, no man stood with me. All men forsook me. I pray God
that it might not be late in their charge. Notwithstanding,
notwithstanding, nevertheless, the Lord stood with me. The Lord stood with me and strengthened
me that by me the preaching might be fully known and that all the
Gentiles might hear and I was delivered out of the mouth of
the lion and the Lord shall deliver me from every evil work and will
preserve me unto his heavenly kingdom, to whom be glory forever
and ever. Amen. Amen. Lord bless you.