church

INI
The Sixth Sunday after Trinity
July 19, 2009
Ascension Lutheran Church, Tacoma WA
Paul Naumann, Pastor

ONE THING IS NEEDED
Luke 10:38-42

May the God of peace Himself sanctify you completely; and may your whole
spirit, soul, and body be preserved blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus
Christ. Amen. Today's text is found in the tenth chapter of Luke's Gospel,
beginning with the 38th verse, as follows:

Now it happened as they went that He entered a certain village; and a certain
woman named Martha welcomed Him into her house. And she had a sister
called Mary, who also sat at Jesus ' feet and heard His word. But Martha was
distracted with much serving, and she approached Him and said, "Lord, do You
not care that my sister has left me to serve alone? Therefore tell her to help
me." And Jesus answered and said to her, "Martha, Martha, you are worried and
troubled about many things. "But one thing is needed, and Mary has chosen
that good part, which will not be taken away from her." So far the Holy Word.

In the Name of Jesus Christ, Who said, "Come unto Me, all you who labor and
are heavy laden, and I will give you rest," Dear Fellow-Redeemed,

One personal attribute that business recruiters often look for in their new hires
is "detail-oriented." That describes a person who overlooks nothing, who
focuses on the details of a task to such an extent that their work product is of a
uniformly high quality. But there's such a thing as being too detail-oriented.
Sculptor Susan Luery was commissioned to do a larger-than-life bronze statue
of Babe Ruth for the entrance of Oriole Park in Baltimore. As part of her
research she met with countless baseball experts and aficionados. Details were
researched and debated. Did the Babe wear his belt buckle on the left or right?
Was his hat cocked to the side or worn straight? No fact was too small to
escape scrutiny. Finally, on dedication day, the statue was revealed. It showed
the Babe leaning on a bat and clutching on his hip a right-handed fielder's glove.
Just one problem: Babe Ruth was left-handed!

Sometimes when you're so focused on details, you miss the big things. A lot of
Christians have a similar problem. They get all wrapped up in the details and
distractions of their daily lives. So much so, that they lose sight of the big things
- the things that are spiritually essential. Sometimes they even lose sight of the
single most important thing there is, hearing God's Word. The account of Mary
and Martha is a great example. If the worries and cares of this life have been
robbing you of your peace of mind lately, if you've been so busy with the details
of your daily life that you've been missing out on the many spiritual blessings
God wants to give you, then today's text will be music to your ears. Our theme
today is simple:

ONE THING IS NEEDED
I. Neglect the Word -- and everything else is useless.
II. Hear the Word -- and everything else will follow

The little village of Bethany lay a couple of miles outside Jerusalem, on the
eastern slope of the Mount of Olives. Jesus entered the town, and immediately
He was invited into one of the homes there for dinner. The home belonged to
two sisters and a brother; their names were Mary, Martha and Lazarus. It's
important for us to note that this family already knew Jesus. In fact, the Bible
indicates that they were already believers.

Knowing that helps us understand what this story is about -- and what it's not
about. It's not about "making a decision for Christ" (bear with me here for a bit,
because this is important.) I mention it because there are false teachers today,
especially among the so-called "evangelical" churches, who insist that an
unbeliever has the power to "decide for Christ." Essentially, they're saying that
each person has the power to turn himself from an unbeliever into a believer.
This "Decision Theology" insists that the unbeliever must take the first step
toward God, must "decide to turn his life over to Jesus," before he can be
saved. But you know what? -The Bible says that's impossible! We learn just
how impossible it is in Ephesians chapter two. There Paul is talking about
conversion when he says, "Even when we were DEAD in trespasses, God
made us alive together with Christ - by grace you have been saved." -- Eph 2:5.
Only the Holy Ghost can make a believer out of an unbeliever. An unbeliever
can no more "decide for Christ" than a dead man can "decide" to get up out of
his coffin in the funeral home and walk down the street for a cup of coffee!

Decision Theology would look at our account for today and say that Mary
made the right choice and believed in Jesus, while Martha made the wrong
choice and rejected Jesus. But the Bible makes it very clear: both women were
already believers.

Martha, too, welcomed Jesus gladly into her house. She referred to Him as
"Lord." She no doubt believed that He was the promised Savior. When you get
right down to it, Martha really only had one problem: she temporarily lost sight
of the ONE THING NEEDED. She failed to realize the fact that if you
neglect the Word, everything else is useless!

The two women reacted differently to Jesus' arrival. Mary sat at Jesus' feet and
heard His word. But Martha was distracted with much serving. Martha was
preoccupied. Maybe she wasn't expecting Jesus. She certainly wanted to prepare
the best meal possible for their honored Guest, and there was a lot to do. So she
hustled about, feverishly trying to get things ready. The text says she was
"distracted." The Greek word means she literally was "pulled" or "dragged
away" from Jesus because of her work. Was there enough to eat? Would the
food be done on time? What if Jesus didn't like it? And where was that lazy
sister of hers? At the end of her rope, Martha came up to Jesus and said, Lord,
do You not care that my sister has left me to serve alone? Therefore tell her to
help me.

It wasn't that she was doing something bad. What she was doing was good -
even necessary. It was her timing that was bad. There's a time to work, and a
time to stop working and pay attention to God's Word. Jesus once said, "Do not
labor for the food which perishes, but for the food which endures to everlasting
life, which the Son of Man will give you." -- John 6:27. The thing Martha
misunderstood was that all her preparations were nothing compared with the
opportunity Jesus was presenting her to hear His life-giving Word. Jesus
answered and said to her, "Martha, Martha, you are worried and troubled about
many things. But one thing is needed." Neglect the Word, Jesus was telling her,
and all your other activity is useless, empty -- even dangerous.

Let me ask you a question. If you could have been in the house that day, what
would you have done? Would you have sat down with Mary -- or would you
have felt it your duty to pitch in and help Martha with the meal? For myself I'm
not so sure - maybe you're not either! Life in this frantic world of 2009 seems to
hold so many things to trouble and distract us. If you own a business, you're
worried about overhead, employee costs and profit margins. But remember,
ONE THING IS NEEDED. If you're an office worker, you're concerned about
promotions and office politics, possibly even layoffs. But ONE THING IS
NEEDED. Parents have plenty to be distracted about, what with their
children's health, their homework, their activities. But ONE THING IS
NEEDED. What about retirees? You have your own concerns - your health,
your retirement funds, your grown children. But ONE THING IS NEEDED.

Have you allowed yourself to be distracted from the ONE THING
NEEDED? Is there something tugging at you like there was at Martha? Pulling
you away from Jesus? An observation: our average Sunday attendance here at
Ascension is roughly one-half of our membership. That means that, on any
given Sunday, one-half of the members will be here in God's house attending to
God's Word, and half will be someplace else. What about you? Can you afford
to allow these precious opportunities to slip past you? What about your Bible
reading? Can you afford to go on, day after day, intending to read the Bible but
never actually doing it? Remember: there's a time to work, and a time to stop
work and listen to the Word of your Lord. Take heed to your Savior's warning
question, "For what is a man profited if he gains the whole world, and loses his
own soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul?" -- Mat 16:26.

Today - and every day - you are invited to leave your anxieties and your
troubles behind. You're invited to sit at Jesus' feet and learn from Him. Perhaps
you'll object, "But Pastor, there are other important things in my life besides
church and Bible study and personal devotions. I can't just drop everything and
hear the Word." God's answer to you is: YES, YOU CAN. And the reason is
clear - because when you hear the Word, everything else follows! Jesus said,
"Martha, Martha, you are worried and troubled about many things. "But one
thing is needed, and Mary has chosen that good part, which shall not be taken
away from her.

What does our text say about Mary? -Not really very much, when you think
about it! It says simply, Mary sat at Jesus' feet and heard His Word. That's the
only thing she did -- but what an important thing! Like a flower turning its
petals toward the sun, Mary looked into the face of her Savior and let His
soothing words comfort her soul. Mary recognized that the ONE THING SHE
NEEDED above everything else was to hear God's Word. Everything else is
less important. In fact, when you take care to choose this good thing, you'll see
that God will supply you with everything else you need! Jesus says, "Seek first
the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added
unto you." -- Mt 6:33.

What do you get when you regularly hear God's Word? Well, what did Mary
get? Let's look.

First of all, when you pay attention to the ONE THING NEEDED, you get
peace of conscience. I'm sure Mary did! Mary, after all, wasn't that much
different than you and me. She no doubt had problems that needed her
attention, just like Martha did, just like we do. But deep down, her greatest
need was the need for forgiveness, the need to be right with God. And she came
to the right place to fulfill that need! Because what do you suppose Jesus was
talking about as Mary sat there at His feet? I think He had to be talking about
His work of redemption. I'm sure He was telling Mary that she need not afraid -
"Though you are a sinner," He may have said, "you will not be punished for
your sins. I Myself will be the sacrifice that will take away your sin, and the sin
of the whole world!"

My Christian friends, those kind words are for you, as well. Jesus kept the
whole Law in your place, in order to give you the perfect righteousness you
need to be truly right with God. With the precious blood He shed on the cross,
Jesus erased from God's book every sin you've ever committed. -Yes, even for
those times when you forgot the ONE THING NEEDFUL; even for those
times when you allowed the worries and troubles of this world to distract you
from God's Word.

Does your conscience bother you? Do your sins weigh heavily on your soul?
Come and sit at Jesus' feet! Trust in Him. Listen to His reassuring Word: "Fear
not, for I have put away your sin. You shall not die! Rather, you shall live with
Me in eternal happiness in heaven. All this I give to you as a free gift. Take it,
and rejoice in it! I have called you by your name; you belong to Me!"

Jesus has solved the great problem of sin. He did it for Mary, and He's done it
for us. He solved it once and for all with His death on the cross. Now I ask you:
with that problem behind you, all your other problems sort of seem to lose their
bite, don't they? What can really cause us trouble and anxiety anymore, when
our Lord Jesus has promised us a place in heaven? Oh, I suppose you could still
find things to worry and fret about if you tried, but what's the point? Paul
reminds us, "He Himself has said, 'I will never leave you nor forsake you.' So
we may boldly say: 'The LORD is my helper; I will not fear. What can man do
to me?'" -- Heb 13:5-6.

Hear the Word -- and everything else follows. Because finally, the solution to
ALL your problems really does lie in the ONE THING NEEDED. Maybe
you've been struck with an illness lately. Perhaps you've been having family
problems, troubles with your spouse or your children. Maybe you've got
financial difficulties at the moment, and you're wondering where you'll find the
money to cover your bills -- REMEMBER: ONE THING IS NEEDED. First
of all, make sure you and your family are found at Jesus' feet on Sunday
morning - listening to God's Word here in God's house. Take advantage of
every opportunity to hear His word in personal Bible study and daily devotions
with your family. If you choose the ONE THING NEEDED, I guarantee that
all your other problems will be taken care of by the Lord. Or rather, God is the
one who guarantees it in His Word. As Paul says in Romans, "He who did not
spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him
also freely give us ALL things?" -- Rom 8:32.

To my mind, one of the most comforting things about this text lies in the last
sentence. Jesus said, Mary has chosen that good part, which shall not be taken
away from her. You can lose all your money. You can lose your house, your car,
your family, your friends. Even your health can be taken from you. But God's
Word is a treasure that can never be taken away from you. Every time you read
that Word with your family, every time you come to church to hear it preached,
that precious Word will be a fountain of salvation to you, springing up to
everlasting life. That's why Jesus said, "Do not lay up for yourselves treasures
on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal; but
lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys
and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there
your heart will be also." -- Mat 6:19-21. AMEN.