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Please turn with me in your Bibles 
to Luke chapter 10. Luke chapter 10, our focus this 
evening is on the one thing needful. Luke 10 verses 38 to 42, the 
account of Mary and Martha. Luke 10, I'll begin reading in 
verse 38. Now, it happened as they went that he entered a certain 
village, and a certain woman named Martha welcomed him into 
her house. 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. Amen. Well, let us pray. Our Father, 
we thank You for this section of Scripture. We pray for the 
ministry of the Holy Spirit. Help us to receive lessons from 
this passage, and help us, by Your grace, to put them into 
practice. May we indeed see the importance of sitting at the 
feet of Jesus and hearing His Word. May we value above all 
other things that devotion to Christ. May we see him as altogether 
lovely and chief among 10,000. May we see him as scripture sets 
him forth, as that one who is worthy of our praise and our 
worship and our adoration, of our time and our talents and 
everything that is in us. For certainly he laid down his 
life on our behalf. He was raised the third day on 
our behalf, and he now sits in throne at the right hand of God 
most high, where he will come again in glory to judge the living 
and the dead. May we see, Lord Most High, how 
important it is for us to follow him, and may you enable us by 
the power of your Holy Spirit. Forgive us again for our sins, 
grant us grace to honor you, and we pray these things through 
Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. Last week when we considered 
John the Baptist in his final testimony to our Lord Jesus, 
he made this statement in John 3, 29. He said, but the friend 
of the bridegroom who stands and hears him rejoices greatly 
because of the bridegroom's voice. What made John the Baptist happy, 
what caused him to rejoice, was hearing the voice of Christ. 
You see this emphasis all throughout the gospel records on how important 
it is for us to hear Jesus. In Luke chapter 8, the parable 
of the sower, in verses 4 to 15, you have the parable given 
and then you have the parable explained. And the specific point 
is that we are to take heed, therefore, to how we hear. We need to listen to God's Word, 
and by God's grace, we need to respond to it correctly and appropriately. Well, here in Luke 10, verses 
38 to 42, Jesus teaches the same lesson, the necessity of hearing 
the Word of Christ. but it's in a context of normal, 
ordinary, everyday life. So I want to look at two things 
this evening. In the first place, the difference 
between the sisters in verses 38 to 40, and secondly, the devotion 
commended by Christ in verses 41 to 42. Now I should say at 
the outset, if we come out of this passage concluding that 
Mary was a devoted, godly believer and Martha was an undevoted, 
ungodly unbeliever, then we have misread the passage. Martha was 
a godly woman as well. And as well, this text does not 
teach what's later been called monasticism. a withdrawal from 
the world, no engagement with the world, no dishes, no diapers, 
no service, no work. All we do is steal away in a 
cave and worship the Lord. Certainly, there have been those 
in the history of the church that have taken Mary as the example 
or paradigm or pattern of that type of a mindset. That's not 
what's going on here. It's a question of priority in 
the context of a home. So as I said, the difference 
between the sisters, first of all, in verses 38 to 40, the 
setting is in Bethany. Though the town is not indicated, 
it says he entered a certain village. We know from other portions 
of scripture that Mary, Martha, and Lazarus lived in Bethany. It's about two miles from Jerusalem. This is in the context where 
Jesus has set his face like a flint to go to Jerusalem. So he's on 
his way to Jerusalem. He stops here in Bethany. Notice 
in John chapter 11, John chapter 11, just to fill out in our mind's 
eye who these persons are, Martha and Mary. Specifically in John 
11 at verse 5, now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus. And just to show you something 
of Martha's godliness, notice in verse 20 in John 11, Now Martha, 
as soon as she had heard that Jesus was coming, went and met 
him. But Mary was sitting in the house. 
Now Martha said to Jesus, Lord, if you had been here, my brother 
would not have died. But even now I know that whatever 
you ask of God, God will give you. It's an expression of faith. 
She sees that Christ is pleasing to the Father. I know that whatever 
you ask of God, He will give you. And then Jesus said to her, 
your brother will rise again. Martha affirms a general resurrection 
from the dead. I know that he will rise again 
in the resurrection at the last day. It's very important that 
we get that. The Jews understood the doctrine 
of a final resurrection. This isn't a New Testament teaching 
alone. Certainly the New Testament teaches 
it and fleshes it out for us, but the Old Testament is sufficient 
to teach man that there is a final resurrection at the end of time. 
that there will be a judgment of the just and the unjust. And 
she affirms that. I know that He will rise again 
in the resurrection at the last day. Jesus said to her, I am 
the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though 
he may die, he shall live. And whoever lives and believes 
in Me shall never die. Do you believe this? Note what 
she responds. She said to him, yes, Lord, I 
believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, who is to come 
into the world. So we're not dealing with Martha 
as if she's an unbelieving goat. We understand that she is a godly 
woman. She gets distracted. She loses 
sight of the priority when Christ is in the midst of that. As well, 
these are the same ones indicated in John chapter 12. This anointing 
at Bethany, when Mary takes that pound of very costly oil of spikenard, 
anoints the feet of Jesus, and wipes his feet with her hair, 
and the house was filled with the fragrance of the oil. Several 
weeks ago, we looked at that woman who was a sinner in Luke 
chapter 7. It's a different account. That was in the home of Simon 
the Pharisee. This is Simon the leper. This 
is Mary, the mother of Martha, or the sister of Martha and Lazarus, 
two different accounts, but these are the same people, Martha, 
Mary, and Lazarus. Now notice back in Luke chapter 
10. It says at the end of verse 38, a certain woman named Martha 
welcomed him into her house. Now that it's her house indicates 
that most likely she was a widow at this particular time, not 
that it would be you know, never heard of that a woman would own 
a house or own property, but most likely she's the oldest 
sibling and she has seen the death of a husband and it is 
her house. So she extends this welcome to 
the Lord Jesus Christ, again, understanding who He is. Loving 
Him, wanting to esteem Him, and give Him those expressions of 
courtesy and hospitality. Now note the difference. The 
devotion is seen in Mary, verse 39. She had a sister called Mary, 
who also sat at Jesus' feet and heard His word. Now this posture 
was somewhat common. We read it, and it certainly 
sounds worshipful, and I don't doubt there was a worshipful 
tendency or energy in her heart at this particular time, but 
disciples sat at the feet of their rabbis. They sat at the 
feet of their teachers. Notice the devotion of Mary is 
conspicuous in that she is hearing His Word. It's intriguing. Christ comes to this house, he's 
welcomed by Martha, and what does he do? The first thing he 
engages in is speaking the word, preaching the truth. He doesn't 
say, what's for dinner? He doesn't say, what do you have 
to drink? He doesn't say, do you have a place where I can 
lie down and take a nap? Again, none of these are sinful 
claims or sinful desires. None of them are things that 
are outlandish. None of them are things that we would want 
to withhold from anybody. But we see Jesus' purpose. He 
begins to teach the Word of God. He comes into the house. He declares 
the Word. He seizes the opportunity to 
do good to souls, and Christ highlights by this action the 
driving force of His ministry. He came to make known the Kingdom 
of God. This is what He was about. This 
is what He specified when He said, it is my task, it is my 
business to be about preaching the Kingdom of God. Matthew Henry 
made this observation concerning her devotion to His Word. Since Christ is forward to speak, 
we should be swift to hear. That's precisely what you see 
here. Mary sitting at His feet and hearing His Word because 
He is preaching, He is teaching, He is having a study with them. 
So she is the devoted one in this particular house. But notice, 
secondly, the distracted one. Verse 40, Martha was distracted 
with much serving. Or, as the old King James has 
it, she was cumbered about 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. 
So the distraction is highlighted, and then she makes a complaint. 
We're going to slow down for just a moment here because I 
think that in some sense we might be in this particular passage. 
She is distracted with much serving. She approaches Christ and she 
says, Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me to serve 
alone? Lord, do you not care that I'm 
doing everything all on my own? Lord, do you not care that I 
am preparing this bounty, cooking these dishes, fixing your meal, 
creating a context of hospitality? Do you not care that I'm doing 
all of this on my own? Brethren, if we are engaged in 
service unto God, we ought not to think that we need others 
to participate in it. Now certainly it's good, and 
I'm not suggesting that all you Marys out there just continue 
to let everybody else cook the food and let everybody else vacuum 
the floors. But brethren, when we are engaged 
for service unto God, it is God to whom we look. And in this 
instance, she says, do you not care that my sister has left 
me to serve alone? When that service is rendered 
up to the living and the true God, we should be content to 
know that He sees. We should be content to know 
that He rewards. We should be content to know 
that our service is done for Him. And whether we have help 
or not, whether everybody else participates or not, if the activity 
is a noble one, if the activity is service unto God, then we 
need to get about it, and we ought not to complain that we're 
all alone. Again, don't abuse the text and 
say, well, last week, Pastor Butler, you said that Mary was 
the devoted one, so I'm not coming to the church workday. I'm gonna 
sit at home and listen to sermons on sermonaudio.com. Please don't 
abuse passages like that. I always hate the fact that people 
put passages on the torture rack and they sort of crank it and 
make it say what they want it to say. Don't do that to passages 
of scripture. It's an unwise, ungodly, unrighteous 
thing to do. But the point of this is she 
impugns the concern or impugns Christ for a lack of concern 
for her situation. But notice she doesn't stop. 
She says at the end of verse 40, and again, it probably sounds 
like I'm picking on her. I'm really not. I'm just simply 
trying to point out what's going on in the passage. She says at 
the end in verse 40, therefore tell her to help me. Tell her 
to help me. Now, on the surface, this is 
probably not the most outlandish claim one has ever made. Mary 
is there devoted at the feet of Christ, Martha is busying 
herself with all of the preparations to entertain Christ, and Martha 
comes and expresses her concern, you don't care, tell her to get 
up off of her backside and join me in the preparation of these 
particular things. You look at this particular thing, 
it kind of does parallel sometimes our prayer life, doesn't it? 
Therefore, tell her to help me. I'm sure that I've seen a book 
with the title, The Weapon of Prayer. The Weapon of Prayer. Has anybody ever seen that book? 
Maybe you have, maybe you haven't. I'm not sure the author. It's 
one of those persons that you find in the thrift store, so 
I'm guessing it's not the best author. I don't find John Owen 
in the thrift store. The Weapon of Prayer. There's 
a sense where that's legit, isn't it? Prayer is a mighty weapon 
when we pray properly before the living and true God. When 
we pray according to the will of God, we are employing that 
piece of armor or armament from the storehouse of God. We're bringing to God specific 
prayers, supplications, intercessions, all those things. But brethren, 
do we ever weaponize prayer? Do we become Joel Osteen or Benny 
Hinn at the throne of grace? We don't like their big hair 
and we don't like their foolish teaching, but we like the idea 
that God gives us what we want. When you pray, do you pray for 
people and then tell God how their sanctification will look? 
Think about that for a moment. It's legit to say, God, please 
sanctify my wife. But to fill in, God, that will 
look like dinner at 5.30 with those roast potatoes that I so 
desperately love. It will look like the most pure 
home that never had any dirt in it whatsoever. It will look 
like her just waiting for me on the stairwell, embracing me 
in the warmth of her arms and giving me a kiss after, is that 
how we pray? Are we prosperity prayers? Lord, tell her to help me. Or what about you dear sisters? 
God, sanctify that deadbeat husband. Make him clean out the garage. 
I've been after him forever on that one. Make him bring me flowers, 
God. One of the sisters in church 
got jewelry. He never brings me jewelry, God. 
Please move him to bring me jewelry. Now, maybe this isn't how you 
pray. Praise God Almighty. But maybe 
it has seeped into your heart. You try to use God to change 
people. You try to use God to change 
your circumstances. You try to use God to make your 
life better. Now again, I'm not laying all 
this at the feet of Martha. I do not believe for a moment 
that this is going on in her head. I'm going to try and manipulate 
Jesus to make my sister pick up this pot of food and take 
it to the table. It's a genuine issue. Therefore, 
tell her to help me. But take this principle to your 
prayer closet. Yes, it's righteous to pray for 
your elders. But Lord, if he goes one minute 
past 1230, cut him off! It's right to pray for civil 
authority. It's right to pray for all sorts 
of things. But brethren, when we get into 
the posture of telling God what sanctification will look like 
in His people, no one likes to be told their job, do they? Wherever 
you work, whatever it is you do, you don't like it when the 
customer says, you know, I think you could go about this in a 
much more efficient way. I think we all know this response 
when the police officer pulls us over. When the police officer 
marches up to our car and knocks on the window, and we roll that 
window down, what's typically our first response? If not verbal, 
at least in our hearts, why aren't you out catching a child molester? 
We want to tell him how to do his job. We're not supposed to 
tell the high and lofty one how to do his job. We're not to specify 
what sanctification will look like in our wives, or in our 
husbands, or in our children. We can certainly pray sanctify 
them. We might even, in our intercessions, 
give some specifics. I'm not saying pray vagaries 
and pray generically, but beware of being in the mindset of a 
prosperity prayer. I want God to fix my life. I 
want God to make me happy. I want God to do that, and the 
way to do that, God, is to fix this man I'm married to. Fix 
this woman I'm married to. Pray for her. Pray for him. Pray 
for their sanctification. Pray for their growth and grace. 
But brethren, don't pray to change them into somebody else. You 
married that person. Don't want to say you're stuck 
with them, but in a sense, you are, till death do you part. 
And you ought not to come to the point where you are telling 
God how sanctification is going to look. Notice then, secondly, 
by way of a major concern, or the major heading, the devotion 
commended by Christ, verses 41 and 42. Christ first identifies the problem. 
Jesus answered and said to her, Martha, Martha. What an endearing 
way. Martha, Martha. Christ is so 
good, isn't he? Martha, Martha, you are worried 
and troubled about many things. The Lord does not respond in 
the manner in which she hoped. Do you see that? And I suspect 
that when we do those prosperity prayers, God may not always answer 
in the way that we prosperity pray. Lord, fix my spouse. What does the Lord say? The problem 
isn't your spouse. The problem isn't her. Martha, 
it's you. Martha, Martha, you are worried 
and troubled about many things. Matthew Henry said, she expected 
Christ to have blamed Mary for not doing as she did, but he 
blamed her for not doing as Mary did. The Lord basically seizes 
this opportunity as a teachable moment. Again, not an abiding 
principle for all of life, not that if you are the devoted person 
that sits at the feet of Jesus, that means you're going to quit 
your job, you're going to live in a cave, and you're going to 
chant all day. That's not what this passage is teaching. The 
Lord reminds her of the situation that is facing her, and I think 
what we find in this instance, the way that he addresses her, 
is an indication of what we find in the letter to the Laodiceans 
in the book of Revelation. Revelation 3.19, Christ says, 
"'As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten. Therefore, be zealous 
and repent.'" Christ uses this time not to correct Mary, not 
to get her in the kitchen, not to get her behind the saucepan, 
but to try and reorganize the thinking process of Martha, Because 
it's an issue of priority. Again, it's not wrong to cook. 
It's not wrong to vacuum. It's not wrong to sweep. It's 
not wrong to change diapers. In fact, by all means, change 
those diapers. It's not wrong to engage in the 
ordinary and the mundane. But if Christ, Jesus, is sitting 
in your living room and He is teaching the Word of God, the 
diapers can even weigh, the saucepan can weigh, the vacuuming can 
weigh. There is something more important 
with reference to the Kingdom of God. And notice the language 
that Christ uses in this particular rebuke. You are worried and troubled 
about many things. Not just the dishes, not just 
the vacuuming. Perhaps that Martha was dispositionally 
given to that mindset. Maybe there is a dispositional 
difference involved in this contemplative Mary and this type A wired up 
Martha. But Jesus puts his finger on 
the issue. You are worried and troubled 
about many things. In other words, you need to sit 
still and listen to the word of Christ. Look at Luke chapter 
12, specifically verses 22 to 34. This parallels Matthew chapter 
6, where Jesus condemns the sin, yes I said it, the sin of worry 
or the sin of carnal anxiety. And over and over again, do not 
worry about what you will eat. Do not worry about what you will 
wear. Do not worry about tomorrow. Do not worry about those things. What's the governing principle 
here in Luke 12, 31 and in Matthew 6, 33? Seek first the kingdom 
of God and His righteousness and all these things will be 
added to you. So you see, Martha has missed 
the kingdom in her presence. Her service was not wrong, but 
her service distracted her from the one thing needful. When Christ 
is speaking His word, it is more important to attend to that word. She was worried and troubled 
about many things, not just one thing. She is rebuked because 
her trouble over many things kept her from that one thing 
needful. Now, the new King James translates 
verse 42, but one thing is needed. If you're familiar with the old 
King James, you'll note that I am using that phraseology because 
it has a long pedigree in the history of the church, the one 
thing needful. Her many things. the dishes, 
the diapers, though I suspect she probably didn't have diaper-wearing 
children in the home at that time, the vacuuming, the pictures, 
the, you know, hanging on the whatever they had. The vase was 
a little off. Those many things are distracting 
you from the one thing. That's the whole context in Matthew 
6 and here in Luke 12. Brethren, when clothing, when 
food, when tomorrow takes your focus off the kingdom of God, 
Jesus' corrective is don't worry about those things. Do not be 
anxious. Now he's not saying don't ever 
think about it. Of course you think about what 
you're gonna put on. Of course you think about what you're gonna 
eat. But don't be carnally anxious. What happens when we're carnally 
anxious? It's an evidence that we're not 
trusting God. This is what's condemned in that 
particular section. And I suspect that this is what's 
going on as Jesus identifies the situation facing Martha. 
You are worried and troubled about many things. You've got 
the focus wrong. You've got the priority wrong. 
It's not wrong to serve the Savior, but in this instance, it's better 
to listen to the Savior. It's better to attend to His 
Word. Matthew Henry said, care is good and duty, but cumber 
is sin and folly. And J.C. Ryle makes this observation 
concerning the fault of Martha. The fault of Martha is this worried 
and troubled about many things. Ryle says the fault of Martha 
should be a perpetual warning to all Christians. If we desire 
to grow in grace and to enjoy soul prosperity, we must beware 
of the cares of this world. Except we watch and pray, they 
will insensibly eat up our spirituality and bring leanness on our souls. 
It is not open sin or flagrant breaches of God's commandments 
alone which lead men to eternal ruin. It is far more frequently 
an excessive attention to things in themselves lawful. and the 
being cumbered about much serving. It seems so proper to attend 
to the duties of our station. It is just here that our danger 
lies. Our families, our business, our 
daily callings, our household affairs, our intercourse with 
society, all, all may become snares to our hearts and may 
draw us away from God. Brethren, I doubt that you would 
have ever heard Martha in her life say, wow, I wish I would 
have served more dishes at that meal. You probably would have 
heard Martha later in her life say, I wish I would have attended 
to his word more earnestly. It's like me, when I talk to 
other believers, the majority report of God's people is not, 
yeah, I've just been spending so much time in scripture. I 
have been spending almost too much time in scripture. It's 
like the guy at the job interview. What's your greatest weakness? I care too much. Oh, okay. I work too hard. Oh, yeah, that's 
a weakness. It's like, people don't do that. 
They don't say, I read my Bible too much. You know what most 
of God's people are saying? I don't read my Bible enough. 
I'm busy with my life. I'm busy with my job. I'm busy 
with my spouse. I'm busy with my kids. I'm busy 
with my whatever. Fill in the blank. This is Ryle's 
point. It's not just the flagrant violations 
of God's commandments. It's the lawful, righteous things 
in our lives crowding out the kingdom of God most high. It 
never seems to dawn on us that we could get up earlier. It never 
seems to dawn on us that we could discipline ourselves more earnestly. 
It never seems to dawn on us that we take Paul's admonition 
to Timothy seriously. Discipline yourself for the purpose 
of godliness. Bodily exercise profits little, 
but godliness is profitable for all things, for this age and 
the age to come. Reverend, do not let the busyness 
of life crowd out devotion to God. That's the point in this 
particular passage. Martha's not a reprobate. Martha's 
not an unbeliever. Martha's not a goat. She's not 
a wretch. Martha is just cumbered about. dishes and saucepans and whatever 
is taking more of her attention than the fact that the incarnate 
word of God is sitting in her living room speaking the words 
of truth. Mary understood that and Mary 
sits at the feet and she takes in that data. Notice, the remedy 
is prescribed by Christ to Martha in verse 42, but one thing is 
needed. Now, there's a variant reading 
here, and some suggest that the idea is that the one thing is 
only one dish as opposed to several dishes. In other words, she's 
probably making food for Jesus. Excuse me, and on this reading, 
some suggest only one dish is needed, just the soup, Mary, 
or Martha. We don't need buns, and we don't 
need, you know, dessert. It's just, that's to de-spiritualize 
the passage. The one thing needful is what 
Mary's doing. The one thing needful is devotion 
to Christ. The one thing needful is devotion 
to Christ as manifested in evidence by the fact that she is hearing 
the word of Christ. So this is the remedy prescribed. 
If you've got a mindset that is troubled, you've got a mindset 
that is worried, you've got a mindset that is anxious, or you are cumbered 
about by much serving, here's the remedy for you. If you have 
this dispositional proclivity to be more about diapers and 
dishes than hearing the Word of God, listen to what Christ 
has to say. But one thing is needed, and 
Mary has chosen that good part which will not be taken away 
from her. Notice, it's one thing. It's 
not the only thing. He's not saying don't ever change 
diapers, don't ever do dishes, don't ever cook food. He is saying 
that in terms of the priority structure with reference to the 
kingdom, the kingdom is run most essentially by our attendant 
upon the king himself in terms of his word. One thing is needed 
and Mary has chosen that good part which will not be taken 
away from her. The one thing is the priority 
of seeking first the kingdom of God and his righteousness. And notice how he underscores 
Mary has chosen that good part. I just like to be there, you 
know, as a fly on the wall watching this scene. Martha tells her, 
tell my sister to start getting busy. And not only does Jesus 
not tell Mary to get busy, he tells Martha to change her focus. Right? You see the point? It's not monkery, it's not monasticism, 
it's not living in a cave. It's in your normal, everyday, 
regular lives, be faithful to Christ. In your normal, everyday, 
ordinary lives, attend to the word of Christ. If Christ comes 
to your house and has a Bible study, forget about the crockpot. Forget about the rug. Forget about those things because 
Christ is in your midst and he's going to speak the truth. And 
his truth trumps all crockpots. Notice the choice Mary made was 
that good part, devotion to Christ first. Notice the choice Mary 
made was lasting, which will not be taken away from her. It's 
a great encouragement to seek after Christ. You will never 
go wrong in hearing the word of Christ, whether in private 
or public. You're never going to be the 
worst for wear for hearing Christ. You're never going to get to 
the point where you say, wow, I wasted an hour hearing the 
word of Christ. I wasted an hour reading the 
word of Christ. Again, the majority report among 
God's people is I've wasted so much time that I haven't spent 
time in God's word. I have become lazy. I have become 
lethargic. I have become apathetic. I have 
allowed everything else in my life to crowd out that one thing 
needful. You do not hear the persons that 
are devoted to Christ, those persons who listen at the feet 
of Christ. You don't hear them complaining, wow, what a waste 
of time this has been. You will never regret spending 
time in the presence of Jesus. You will never lose the spiritual 
benefit that communion with Christ brings. One thing is needed, 
and Mary has chosen that good part, which will not be taken 
away from her. It will not be taken. The spiritual 
benefits that you accrue through communion with Jesus Christ are 
yours. They are lasting. They are permanent. 
They are not going to go away. Moth and rust cannot destroy 
them. Take whatever other venture in 
your life, whatever other thing in your life. It ebbs and it 
flows. It's good or it's ill. But this 
relationship with Jesus, that's what's most important, Martha. 
Martha, I'm okay with soup. I'm okay with oatmeal. I'm okay 
with creamy farina. I'm okay with whatever it is 
you have. I want you to hear the word of 
Christ. I want you to know the joys of 
spiritual communion. Martha, I am in your house to 
do good to your soul. Christ is the one we ought to 
take heed to in this matter. Ryle, again, says it concerning 
the one thing needful. He describes it as the grace 
of God. The true Christian's portion 
is the grace of God. He says, it is the only good 
thing which is substantial, satisfying, real, and lasting. It is good 
in sickness and good in health. good in youth and good in age, 
good in adversity and good in prosperity, good in life and 
good in death, good in time and good in eternity. No circumstance 
and no position can be imagined in which it is not good for man 
to have the grace of God. Amen, Ryle, a hundred times over. The point of the passage is simple. When Christ speaks, attend. When 
Christ speaks, listen. When Christ speaks, give your 
attention. Don't be cumbered about with 
these many things. Don't be troubled and worried 
over things that you have no control over. You need to attend 
to the word of the living God as revealed to us in the scripture. In conclusion, I want to draw 
out just a couple of practical lessons and then we close. First, 
the passage does highlight for us the differences between believers. Not everybody in the church is 
a Mary. Not everybody in the church is a Martha. Jesus doesn't 
say you need to stop being a Martha and you need to start being a 
Mary. Martha's always gonna be Martha, Mary's always gonna be 
Mary, but Martha can learn something from Mary here, right? And I suspect there are times 
when Mary can learn something from Martha. If all you ever 
do is listen to sermons on sermonaudio.com and your house looks like it 
should be condemned by the city because it's a pigsty, then listen 
to Martha. Get up and dust. Get up and sweep. Get up and cook. Get up and do 
something. but the passage highlights differences 
between God's people. Not everybody in the church is 
the same. Praise be to God for that. Have 
you ever considered and pondered that reality and are thankful 
for the fact that not everybody in the church is just like you? 
If you do it the opposite way, you're sick. Oh, I wish everybody 
in the church would be just like me. That's a problem, brethren. You ought to be thankful everybody 
in the church is not like you. Praise God for a blessed diversity. What we find in this passage 
is that Martha had something to learn from Mary with reference 
to the one thing needful. But you know, this is a few verses. We don't know what happened in 
the rest of their lives. I'm certain that Martha had lessons 
to teach to Mary as well. Ryle, again, comments, and if 
you don't have Ryle, get Ryle. Don't buy Tim Hortons for a month 
and buy J.C. Ryle or find him online. The 
expository thoughts of Ryle are online. I've always thought if 
there's one book I could make people read, I think I can tell 
you to read scripture, I can make you if I come over to your 
house and Put your eyes in front of the passage, but if there 
was one thing outside for horse sense and for just good expository 
thoughts, that's the name of the commentary on the Gospels, 
you can't beat Ryle. He's just pithy, and it's just 
quick and easy. There's not a lot of, you know, 
difficulty in embracing what he says. But he makes this comment 
concerning the differences between believers. He says, we must not 
expect all believers in Christ to be exactly like one another. 
We must not set down others as having no grace because their 
experience does not entirely tally with our own. We don't 
want Mary to rise up and say, hey Martha, you're a real goat. 
No, Christ is teaching a lesson here. We need to be able to do 
that without making people feel unsaved or unconverted. There's 
lessons that we can teach another believer. It's not implying or 
inferring. If I were to say to you, you 
know, there's a better way to hammer that nail, well, you're 
telling me I'm not a carpenter? No, but you shouldn't put your 
thumb in the trajectory of the hammer. You know, it's pretty 
obvious, right? I'm not telling you you're a 
carpenter. I may think you're not the best 
carpenter if you keep trying to hammer nails that way, but 
in the church, we try to do, I mean, you're saying I'm not 
Christian. No, I'm giving you a piece of advice. Why can't 
we do that? Why is it judgmental for Mary 
to say, hey, Martha, put the dishes down and come over here 
and watch this sermon? Anyways, Ryle goes on to say, 
we must not set down others as having no grace because their 
experience does not entirely tally with our own. The sheep 
and the Lord's flock have each their own peculiarities, don't 
they all? Yes? Amen that one. The sheep and the flock each 
have their own peculiarities. Yes, we do. The trees in the 
Lord's garden are not all precisely alike. All true servants of God 
agree in the principal things of religion. All are led by one 
spirit. All feel their sins. All trust 
in Christ. All repent, all believe, and 
all are holy. but in minor matters they often 
differ widely. Let not one despise another on 
this account. There will be Marthas and there 
will be Marys in the church until the Lord comes again." Secondly, 
just to underscore that the passage does not commend monasticism, 
Calvin makes this observation. Nothing was farther from the 
design of Christ than to encourage his disciples to indulge in indolence. Nothing was farther from the 
design of Christ to encourage his disciples to indolence. In 
other words, just sit around all day. He goes on to highlight 
the response of some to see monasticism held forth in this passage. He 
says, on the contrary, we know that men were created for the 
express purpose of being employed in labor of various kinds. It's that Protestant work ethic. 
Listen. On the contrary, we know that 
men were created for the express purpose of being employed in 
labor of various kinds. Why were we created? To be in 
labor, to serve, to work, to labor. And that no sacrifice 
is more pleasing to God than when every man applies diligently 
to his own calling and endeavors to live in such a manner as to 
contribute to the general advantage. Thirdly, the passage does commend 
the proper priority for the believer. It commends to us the one thing 
needful. And in this particular instance, 
the one thing needful is devotion to Christ as evidenced through 
hearing the word of Christ. The distraction of Martha over 
many things is a potential problem for every child of God. Just 
to draw out some ideas from Matthew 6. I'm more familiar with Matthew 
6 than Luke 12. I realize the language is very 
similar, but because I've preached through Matthew 6, here are some 
things that happens with reference to anxiety in the hearts of God's 
people. Here is what happens when we 
are worried and troubled about many things, when that many things 
crowds out the one thing needful. In the first place, it betrays 
a lack of focus with reference to the kingdom. Jesus ends those 
sections, whether it be Luke 12 or Matthew 6, with that banging 
of the gong of the priority structure with reference to the kingdom. 
It is the kingdom. Seek first the kingdom of God 
and His righteousness and all these things will be added to 
us. Secondly, it paralyzes individual growth. When you are cumbered 
about or when you are worried and troubled about many things, 
guess what's probably not happening? You're probably not growing in 
the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. 
Thirdly, it shifts the focus from the eternal to the temporal. 
Again, don't neglect the temporal. Please, when you're driving home 
tonight, do not neglect the temporal stop sign. Do not neglect the 
temporal red light. Do not neglect the temporal cars 
that you see out there. Well, I'm just eternally minded. 
Brethren, the idea being is that when we're worried, when we're 
troubled, when we have anxiety about many things, it shifts 
the focus from the eternal to the temporal. Ryle again says, 
profits and pleasures are dearly purchased. Listen. Prophets and 
pleasures are dearly purchased if, in order to obtain them, 
we thrust aside eternity from our thoughts, abridge our Bible 
reading, become careless hearers of the gospel, and shorten our 
prayers. A little earth upon the fire 
within us will soon make that fire burn low. As well, fourthly, 
it reduces us to fearful, doubting, tormented souls. I mean, think 
about it. If you are troubled and or worried 
and troubled about many things, the context in Matthew 6, do 
not worry about what you'll eat, do not worry about what you'll 
wear, do not worry about tomorrow, You know, people, perhaps you're 
like that. Perhaps you look at the world 
and say, man, I don't want tomorrow to come. Today's been bad enough. 
Christ says don't think that way. What does it do to people? 
It paralyzes us. It causes or produces fearfulness, 
doubt, torment, instead of bold, faithful, earnest subjects of 
God's kingdom. And as well, and I would suggest 
finally, it may ultimately prove to be a problem of idolatry. 
It may ultimately prove to be a problem of idolatry because 
if we are consumed with what will I wear? What will I drink? What will I eat? What will happen 
to me tomorrow? There's a lot of I and me in 
that mindset. A lot of I and me in our lives 
is evidence of the fact that we've got an idolatry problem. We come first. Instead of seeking 
first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, we seek first 
our food, we seek our comfort, we seek our ease, we seek our 
complacency. It may ultimately prove to be 
a problem of idolatry as self is the center and not Christ. Worry advertises where the treasure 
is laid up. We're worried about food, we're 
worried about drink, we're worried about clothes. That's what's 
important to us. And finally, the passage commends 
the altogether lovely Christ. Christ is worthy of us sitting 
at His feet and hearing His Word, isn't He? Christ is worthy of 
us sitting at His feet and hearing His Word, attending to the preaching 
of God's Word. Brethren, whenever I say that, 
it probably sounds self-serving. You need to sit here. Find a 
church. If you cannot be in this church 
because of some reasons, my heart and my desire is that you're 
happy and that you grow in grace and in the knowledge of the Lord 
Jesus. Whenever persons in the history of our church have ever 
come to me and said, we are thinking about leaving the church, I always 
express grief over that because I don't want to see anybody ever 
leave this church. I think we're a family, albeit 
the peculiarities abound, but we are a family and it always 
hurts to see somebody leave the flock. But secondly, I always 
express to them that I want them to grow in grace and in the knowledge 
of Jesus Christ. If they cannot do that here, 
then find a place to be. Find a place where your soul 
is fed and your heart is stirred and the Word of God comes to 
you. By all means, I'll open the door for you. I'll give you 
recommendations. I will give you a list. I'll 
give you pastors' names. Call them. Set something up. 
Be in a place. But do not miss the preaching 
of God's Word. Brethren, God sets a premium 
on the preaching of His Word. There is something unique about 
preaching. There is something that is unique 
about this endeavor. When you are reading privately, 
certainly you're receiving the information. To be sure, it's 
a great medium, and by all means, continue in your private reading. 
But when Paul comes to the end of his life and he exhorts Timothy 
on what conduct in the church ought to look like, the parting 
command, the final command that is given to Timothy in the context 
of corporate responsibility is preach the word. Be ready in 
season and out of season. Convince, rebuke, exhort with 
all longsuffering and teaching. For the time will come when they 
will not endure sound doctrine. They will heap up for themselves 
teachers that will tickle their ears. Timothy, the response to 
that is to preach the word. Brethren, I believe in the preaching 
of the word, not as a preacher of the word, but as a Christian, 
as a Christian. The time I wasn't a pastor, when 
the church was open, I was there. I praise God that I had men in 
my life who, when they led me to Christ, answered the question, 
here's what you do now. You never miss church. You always 
show up. When the doors are open, you're 
there, and you listen to the word of God. It just seemed like 
a no-brainer. If God is speaking to us through 
the medium of preaching, then we ought to be there. We ought 
to attend, we ought to hear, we ought to give attention to 
that. So certainly the corporate gatherings of God's people where 
the word of God is preached, but as well privately. I know 
you're busy, brethren. I know that you have lives that 
are full of events and full of issues. There are some people 
in this church that in my mind are heroic. To use my brother's 
adjective or descriptor, there are machines in this church. 
Men who labor, men who are diligent, men who get up early and work 
hard and go to bed late, and women too. I'm not saying men 
inclusively. There are people that work hard. 
But there is always time in a day. There has to be time in a day 
to spend some moments at the feet of Christ and hear his word. If something must get shorted, 
then do your best to short something that is in Christ. He ought not 
to be the one that's edged out of the day timer or the calendar. 
He ought not to be the one that gets deleted in your calendar 
app. He ought not to be the one that 
is not nodded to in the course of a day. This, you may go home 
and say, oh, he tried to guilt manipulate us to read our Bible. 
If that's what you want to call it, fine. You know, I'm sure 
I've got a lot to answer for, guilt manipulation is just another 
one of them. If the one thing needful is devotion 
to Christ as expressed by hearing his word, and you're not hearing 
his word daily, then brethren, you need to repent. If it's a 
busier season than normal, you don't know what... Yeah, you 
know what? God's good. We started off worship this morning 
by singing Psalm 103. You know what Psalm 103 tells 
us? God knows our frame. He pities us. He knows we're 
but dust. Brethren, this is not to say 
that if you miss a day because you're so busy, Jim Butler's 
gonna be mad and God's gonna get you. No, God knows. He knows 
your heart. He knows your intents. He knows 
your desires. He knows what makes you tick. 
But if you've lived at a comfortable distance with God, if you have 
marginalized the living Christ right out of your calendar, if 
you do not attend regularly to the corporate means, you do not 
attend regularly to the private means, that's a different animal. 
That's a different situation. That's where we need to hear 
the word of Christ and hear there is one thing needful. And Mary 
has chosen that good part. And what Mary has chosen will 
not be taken away from her. In other words, you'll never 
be the loser for spending time with the Lord Jesus. Well, let 
us pray. Our Father, we thank you for 
the Word of God, and we thank you for this section in Scripture 
and what it reveals to us concerning how important it is to spend 
time at the feet of Jesus Christ. I pray that you would just help 
us in this, that you would guide us in this, that you would grant 
us grace, Lord, to schedule our lives accordingly, not to be 
overrun or overruled by carnal anxiety, by these worry fits. Help us, God, to put things into 
proper perspective and to seek first your kingdom and your righteousness. 
I ask that you would go with each one of us now and bring 
us together on Wednesday night as we study Scripture. Help us 
to hear there the word of the living God. And we pray through 
Christ our Lord. Amen.