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For our meditation tonight before 
the supper, Luke chapter 10, our focus will be on verses 38 
to 42. We have spent a significant amount 
of time with this family in Bethany over the last several Sunday 
mornings as we've gone through John's Gospel. Of course, John 
chapter 11, we see the death of Lazarus, we see these two 
sisters mentioned, We see Jesus speaking with them. And then 
this morning in John chapter 12, the anointing at Bethany, 
when it was Mary who took that very costly oil and poured it 
all over our Lord Jesus Christ, anointing him with reference 
to the coming cross. Well, I've alluded to this section 
in chapter 10, verses 38 to 42. I thought it might be helpful 
for us tonight to look at it. So I will read the section and 
we'll pray, and then we'll look at it in some detail. 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. Amen. Well, let 
us pray. Our gracious God and Holy Father, 
we thank You for Your Word, we thank You for what we find in 
this passage, and the emphasis upon hearing that Word, receiving 
that Word, demonstrating devotion to our blessed Christ as He speaks 
prophetically to His people. Give us ears to hear and hearts 
to receive these things, and again cleanse us in that precious 
blood of the Lord Jesus Christ. Guide us by the presence and 
the power of the Holy Spirit, that spirit who gave us the word. May he now illumine our hearts 
and minds that we may receive it. And we ask through Jesus 
Christ our Lord. Amen. Well, as we come to this 
particular section, as I said, it focuses on this family in 
Bethany. When it says in verse 38, now 
it happened as they went that he entered a certain village. 
We know from those parallels that this is the town of Bethany. 
about two miles from Jerusalem. But this section or this passage 
does not happen in a vacuum. It is connected to the larger 
context in Luke's gospel. If you go back for just a moment 
to chapter 8, in Luke chapter 8 you have the parable of the 
sower. Some have referred to it as the 
parable of the soils, the different ways that men hear or men receive 
the word of the living and true God. He gives the teaching of 
the parable in verses four to eight, and then he gives the 
interpretation of that parable in verses 11 to 15. Notice in 
verse 11, now the parable is this, the seed is the word of 
God. Those by the wayside are the ones who hear. Then the devil 
comes and takes away the word out of their hearts, lest they 
should believe and be saved. But the ones on the rock are 
those who, when they hear, receive the word with joy, and these 
have no root, who believe for a while, and in time of temptation 
fall away. Now the ones that fell among 
thorns are those who, when they have heard, go out and are choked 
with cares, riches, and pleasures of life, and bring no fruit to 
maturity. But the ones that fell on the 
good ground are those who, having heard the word with a noble and 
good heart, keep it and bear fruit with patience. And then 
drop down to verse 18, therefore take heed how you hear. So what he teaches by way of 
parable, he demonstrates by way of a normal, ordinary life situation 
here with this family in Bethany. But as well, closer to home in 
the context of Luke chapter 10. Luke chapter 10, prior to our 
particular passage, notice in verse 25, And behold, a certain 
lawyer stood up and tested him, saying, Teacher, what shall I 
do to inherit eternal life? He said to him, What is written 
in the law? What is your reading of it? So he answered and said, 
You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with 
all your soul, with all your strength, and with all your mind, 
and your neighbor as yourself. And he said to him, You have 
answered rightly. Do this and you will live. But he, wanting 
to justify himself, said to Jesus, And who is my neighbor? And of 
course, Jesus speaks concerning the good Samaritan. And I'm not 
sure that we received the proper instruction from what he says 
here. I'm not convinced that all he wants us to do is go out 
and do good works. I think he's showing this man 
that he's a wretch. He is showing this man who's 
attempting to justify himself that there is no hope by the 
law. You must have faith in our Lord 
Jesus Christ in order for acceptance with God. But all that to say 
this lawyer represents what Jesus says, notice back in chapter 
10 at verse 21. where Jesus says, I thank you, 
Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that you have hidden these things 
from the wise and prudent. I think this lawyer is the wise 
and prudent that gospel truth is hidden from. And then he goes 
on to say, and have revealed them to babes. Mary, contrast 
with that lawyer, is a babe. Mary receives the word of God. 
Mary is devoted to the word of Christ. Mary assumes the posture 
of a humble listener before our blessed savior. So as we look 
at this passage, we'll notice first the difference between 
the sisters in verses 38 to 40. And then secondly, the devotion 
commended by Christ in verses 41 and 42. So as I said, these 
are the same sisters, the same brother that we've met with in 
John 11, and then again in John 12. Notice in the first place 
the devotion of Mary. Verse 39, well verse 38 rather, 
it says, and a certain woman named Martha welcomed him into 
her house, which again is a good thing. That's absolutely an expression 
of one's love and devotion and care and concern for the Savior. 
There is a contrast here. Notice in verse 39, and she had 
a sister called Mary who also sat at Jesus' feet and heard 
his word. This was a normal posture. This was a typical posture. This 
underscores the reality that women are in fact disciples of 
our Lord Jesus Christ. Sitting at the feet of a rabbi, 
sitting at the feet of a teacher, sitting at the feet of one who 
had that ability to expound the word is absolutely consistent 
with what we know in terms of rabbinic learning in the first 
century. So she assumes that posture. That posture of Mary 
was common to disciples and her devotion to Jesus is conspicuous. Again, we don't want to treat 
Martha as if she's a nasty criminal, but Martha does not have the 
same sort of devotion, at least in this particular setting, that 
Mary does. And it's Mary that Christ commends 
in this particular passage. Christ comes into the house and 
he uses the opportunity to speak truth. Christ comes into the 
house and he uses the opportunity to do good to souls. Christ highlights 
the main thing by his actions. Matthew Henry says, since Christ 
is forward to speak, we should be swift to hear. He comes to 
the house, he begins to teach the Word of God, and what does 
Mary do? She assumes that position as 
a humble listener, as a disciple that is faithful, because she 
tends to, or wants to attend to, that Word of Christ that 
comes from His mouth. Then notice the distraction of 
Martha according to verse 40. So she was distracted with this 
serving. Again, serving's not bad. Serving and working and doing 
are commended by God. These are good things. But when 
we serve, or when we do, or when we get involved to the neglect 
of the Word of God, then there's a problem. And that's what Jesus 
is going to address in this particular section. Note the complaint of 
her heart. It says that she 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 I think this evidences or 
indicates a few things that are not altogether perfect with her 
soul. And it always feels odd, like it's me picking on her. 
I'm not. I've been distracted on many 
occasions. I know what it's like to whine 
experientially. I know what it's like to complain. 
I know what it's like to grumble. Unfortunately, I know what that's 
like all too well. So I want to make sure you know 
I'm not picking on Martha. I'm just trying to expound the 
text and give the meaning of it so that we can see what the 
sort of focus is of our blessed Savior. But all that to say, 
we do have to unpack what she says, and what she says, Jesus 
does rebuke her. He chides her, he reproves her. 
Not in the way of, get away from me, you filthy sinner, but rather 
in a way that he uses it or employs it as a teachable moment. But 
in terms of this particular complaint, there's four things I want to 
point out. First, she impugns Christ with a lack of concern 
for her situation. Lord, Do you not care? Imagine, we do that, so I, again, 
not picking on Martha, but we sort of impugn our thoughts onto 
God and suggest that there's some sort of problem or malady 
or insufficiency in the way that he has chosen, providentially, 
to rule the world and everything in it. Lord, do you not care? We ought to be very careful about 
expressing such a thing to an infinitely holy, an infinitely 
wise, and an infinitely loving God. God, by definition, is love. God is His perfections. All that 
is in God is God. And so when it comes to this 
proposition, 1 John 4.8, 1 John 4.16, God is love. So to imply or to infer or to 
impugn upon him that there's something he doesn't care about, 
that it's something that he should care about, is really ground 
that we ought to be very careful about treading. When our service 
is for God, we ought not to complain that we're doing it alone. When 
our service is done for God, we ought not to complain that 
we're doing it alone. We ought not to say to God, I 
want everybody else to drop what they're doing and help me. I 
want everybody else to come alongside, because after all, what I'm doing 
is the number one priority. And since it is the number one 
priority, then all these other slobs ought to engage in this 
as well. Be very cautious about impugning 
Christ with a lack of concern about your particular situation. 
Notice secondly, she demands that Christ order Mary to help 
her. Therefore, tell her to help me. That will solve this problem. 
That will rectify this situation. That will be the remedy for what 
I see as an imbalance. Lord, do you not care? If you 
do care, then tell her to get up off of her seat and come over 
here and help me with the dishes. Do we use prayer as a means of 
getting what it is that we want? Now, I realize this isn't technically 
prayer. She didn't close her eyes and 
fold her hands and go to her knees and speak to the Lord in 
that fashion, but it is the kind of speaking to God wherein we 
want something. And oftentimes we use it in this 
particular manner. Do what I want you to do. Tell her to help me. Men might 
do this with their wives. God, please help my wife to be 
more like what I want in my fantasy land of the way wives should 
be. Wives might do this. God, tell my deadbeat husband 
to get up off the couch and to go mow the lawn. God, tell my 
husband to lead me better when it comes to spiritual things, 
which again, these aren't necessarily bad petitions, but the way that 
we frame them and the way that we present them and the way that 
we sort of put, as it were, God into a corner and basically tell 
him he needs to deliver or we're not going to be happy. Lord, 
do you not care? And then tell her to help me. I would suggest thirdly that 
she mingles grumbling with her service to Christ. This does 
not sound like a righteous, godly expression of exasperation. It simply sounds like exasperation. It sounds like she is mingling 
with her service to Christ, grumbling. Look over at Philippians chapter 
2. I mentioned this morning in 1 Thessalonians 4, a passage 
that we oftentimes don't take notice of. In 1 Thessalonians 
4, we're to mind our own business, we're to work hard, we're to 
do those things that God calls us to without being in everybody's 
business. Well, notice in Philippians 2, 
we've got another passage like that. And the backdrop is the 
Song of Moses in Deuteronomy 32. But notice in 2.14, do all 
things without complaining and disputing. Imagine if we actually 
thought through that text all day long. Do all things without 
complaining and disputing. Again, I don't want to project 
my sin upon you, but if you're like me, this is a tough passage. This is a challenging passage. 
And when you look at Martha's response to the situation she 
finds herself in, it sounds like that. It sounds like she's whining. 
It sounds like she's grumbling. It sounds like she's complaining. 
It sounds like she's not happy. And then the fourth observation 
is she expresses self-pity. And this is the rotten source 
where a lot of this stuff comes. Self-pity. When she says, or 
when she asks the question, do you not care? What do you think 
the next two words would be if we supplied them? Do you not 
care about me? Do you not care about my situation? Do you not care that I'm working 
my fingers to the bone to make sure that you have good food? 
Do you not care that she's lazy and just sitting there and not 
doing a thing? This is self-pity. Again, this is a bad place for 
the people of God to come to. If this is your disposition or 
if there is a predilection toward this in your life, seek God's 
grace to fight against it. Do your service for God alone. 
Do your service without whining and grumbling and complaining. 
Do your service in such a way that the focus is off yourself 
and the focus is upon the kingdom of God as it ought to be. Turn 
to Luke 12. We see connection to more of 
Luke's gospel. Look at Luke chapter 12, specifically 
beginning in verse 22 and ending in verse 34. We see this in the 
Sermon on the Mount in Matthew chapter 6. What is it? It's a 
prohibition against worry. It's a prohibition against carnal 
anxiety. It's not a prohibition against 
actually needing food, needing drink, needing clothes, needing 
a tomorrow. It's not a prohibition against 
those things, but rather it's a prohibition about being consumed 
with those things. Because when we're consumed with 
those things, we're not consumed with the kingdom of God. When 
we're consumed with the kingdom of God, as I said, we'll render 
service as unto the Lord. We will render our service without 
whining and grumbling and complaint, and we'll render our service 
in such a way that it does not reveal self-pity. and this idea 
that we've somehow been shorted by the true and living God. Now 
that brings us secondly to the devotion commended by Christ 
in verses 41 and 42. So she sets up the Lord Jesus 
with this statement in verse 40. Lord, do you not care that 
my sister has left me to serve alone? Therefore tell her to 
help me. I want to look at two things 
here. The problem identified, verse 41, and then the remedy 
prescribed in verse 42. Notice his kindness. Verse 41, 
Jesus answered and said to her, Notice, Jesus answered and said 
to her, what did she want? She wanted Jesus to answer and 
say to Mary, get up and go help your sister. Get up and quit 
expressing that devotion and go serve some dishes. Get up 
and get in the kitchen where you belong so that you can function 
alongside of Martha. That's what Martha wanted, but 
that's not what Martha got. Sometimes when we pray incorrectly, 
it's not that God doesn't answer, it's that He answers in the manner 
that is consistent with His purposes and plans. So again, He's using 
this as a teaching moment for Martha's benefit. Mary's already 
got this down. When Jesus comes into the house 
and Jesus, as it were, opens his Bible and starts to expound 
about himself and the law and the prophets, Mary sits down. Mary assumes that posture. Mary 
assumes that position so that she can engage in that one thing 
that is needful, specifically devotion to the Lord Jesus. So 
here, Jesus answers and said to her, Again, I think this is 
kindness. There's that statement in Revelation 
3, to the worst of the churches in the seven churches of Asia 
Minor. The church in Laodicea, the church 
where they were neither hot nor cold. Now, Jesus is not condemning 
or commending, rather, a cold atheism. He's referring to the 
cities around Laodicea. Colossae had medicinal, healing 
hot springs. And nearby, actually, that was 
Hierapolis. Colossae had cool, refreshing water. It was the 
lukewarm water. It was that insipid, that kind 
of not there, not not good in terms of heat and medicine, and 
not good in terms of cold and refreshment. So he threatens 
to spew them out of his mouth. Just like the land vomited out 
the inhabitants in the old covenant, Jesus promises to spew them out 
of his mouth. But how does Jesus correct, or 
rather, how does Jesus approach this? He does it in the spirit 
of love. Listen to Revelation 3.19, as many as I love, I rebuke 
and chasten, therefore be zealous and repent. That's what I mean 
here by the kindness of Christ. Martha was imbalanced. Martha 
needed some correction. Martha needed a bit of a tune-up, 
and Jesus does that because Jesus is concerned. Jesus does care. Jesus is concerned, and Jesus 
wants the proper response and the appropriate action in terms 
of Martha's service unto her blessed Savior. 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. So 
those answers to prayer come to us. Those answers to prayer, 
oftentimes not what we asked for, not what we prayed for specifically, 
but what we absolutely positively need. He uses this to correct 
this imbalance. Notice the content of his rebuke 
here. Verse 41, Jesus answered and 
said to her, Martha, Martha. One commentator points out he 
only uses the name Lazarus once when he calls him out of the 
grave. Here he comes to correct Martha and he says it twice, 
Martha, Martha. Kind of an interesting concept, 
isn't it? One time, Lazarus, come forth. Martha, Martha, she 
needs to be told what it is that he demands from his disciples. So Martha, Martha, you are worried 
and troubled about many things. As I said, Luke chapter 12 verses 
22 to 34 is a corresponding passage. There the prohibition is against 
worry, consumption with things that are not God, lack of focus, 
lack of attention, lack of devotion to that kingdom. Look at the 
principle that's summarized there in verse 31 in chapter 12, but 
seek the kingdom of God and all these things shall be added to 
you. So again, he's not condemning 
food. He's not condemning drink. He's not condemning your life. 
He's not condemning your need for clothing. He's simply condemning 
the attitude or the mindset that puts that stuff before the kingdom 
of Christ. So you see, that's the problem. 
It's not a condemnation of Martha's service. It's not a condemnation 
of a nice meal. It's not the condemnation of 
a clean house, but it's rather the condemnation of putting those 
things before devotion to our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. She was condemned not for wanting 
to serve him. She is reproved because her service 
kept her from his word. She should have been with Mary 
at the feet of Jesus when he was engaged in Bible study. The 
food can wait. The dishes can wait. The laundry 
can wait. Now again, don't let food rot, 
don't let dishes mount, and don't let your laundry reek to high 
heaven. Those things are necessary, but 
it's a matter of priority and it's a matter of focus, and that's 
the issue. She is rebuked because her trouble 
over many things kept her from the one thing needful. So it's 
not a condemnation of the many things per se, but it's a condemnation 
that the many things obscured her pursuit of the one thing 
needful. So not service per se, but lack 
of focus and direction. J.C. Ryle makes the observation, 
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. This is just the reality. I connected 
it to the parable of the sower or the parable of the soils in 
Luke chapter 8. What's Jesus doing in his earthly 
ministry? Jesus is highlighting the importance 
of his word. So Ryle goes on to say, 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 encumbered 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. As I mentioned 
this morning, the passage is not commending monkery. It's 
not commending the monastic life, where you go live out in the 
wilderness and you eat locusts and wild honey. Now, that may 
come in the future in terms of these globalists that want us 
to eat locusts and wild honey, but that's not what's commended. 
It's not the monastery life. It's not the withdrawal from 
society. But it's the proper balance and perspective that 
is very easy for us to lose sight of. Remember the wise man in 
the book of Proverbs, give me neither poverty nor riches. Why 
does he pray that? Because if I'm poor, I might 
be tempted to go out and steal and bring dishonor to the Lord 
God most high. But if I'm rich, what's the tendency 
then? The tendency is to forget God. We are a people walking on a 
tightrope, and we need to make sure we maintain balance. And 
that's what this brief passage concerning Martha and Mary underscores 
for us. Seek first the kingdom of God 
and his righteousness, and then these things will be added unto 
you. That's the takeaway message from this particular passage. 
So notice, after he identifies the problem, he prescribes the 
remedy in verse 42. He says, but one thing is needed 
and Mary has chosen that good part, which will not be taken 
away from her. Some suggest that when he says, 
one thing is needed, he's talking about one dish. Some commentators 
actually suggest that. If it would have been just, you 
know, a plate of nachos, then that would be fine. But, you 
know, bringing burritos and tacos and having all these, that's 
not what's in view here. Again, the obvious implication 
is that in our service unto the Lord Jesus, we're not supposed 
to forget devotion. I've shared this illustration 
probably more times than you care to hear it, but you can 
turn to Revelation 2. Revelation 2, this was a passage 
that I think I learned experientially in the trenches in our church 
many, many years ago. I'm not suggesting that I've 
somehow got some esoteric connection, but I always wondered about the 
letter to the church in Ephesus. They lost their first love, or 
they left their first love. That sounds really serious. That 
sounds really bad, doesn't it? That sounds horrific. You've 
left your first love? Well, if that's the case, just 
cut them off because they're reprobate. But back up for just 
a moment to verse 1 in chapter 2. To the angel of the church 
of Ephesus write, these things says he who holds the seven stars 
in his right hand, who walks in the midst of the seven golden 
lampstands. I know your works, your labor, your patience, and 
that you cannot bear those who are evil. And you have tested 
those who say they are apostles and are not, and have found them 
liars. And you have persevered and have 
patience and have labored for my name's sake and have not become 
weary." That's a wonderful, glowing commendation. That's a great 
statement concerning the faithfulness of the church in Ephesus. I mean, 
look at that. He piles it on in verses two 
and three. I know your works, your labor, 
your patience, and that you cannot bear those who are evil. And 
you have tested those who say they are apostles and are not 
and have found them liars. And you have persevered and have 
patience and have labored for my namesake and have not become 
weary. Again, a glowing commendation 
of their excellence as a church of the Lord Jesus Christ. But 
if you focus in on verses two and three, you've got to ask 
the question, is this easy? Is this natural? Is this the 
walk in the park that it sounds like? No, of course not. You 
know, faithfulness in your individual life is tough. Faithfulness in 
church life is tough. Faithfulness in terms of fighting 
the Lord's battles, not being distracted, not being taken off 
the beaten path. And the sorts of things that 
are involved here and the language that is used shows that it was 
a difficult slug. It was a difficult process. They 
maintained steadfastness in the midst of it. They maintained 
perseverance in the midst of it. But in the midst of it, they 
left their first love. Notice in verse four, the condemnation. 
So commendation, verses 2 and 3, and then the condemnation 
in verse 4. Nevertheless, I have this against you, that you have 
left your first love. I don't think he means they become 
apostate. I don't think he means they become 
reprobate. I think he means they've gotten 
imbalanced. They have been so busy testing 
apostles or persons who said they were apostles and were not. 
They were so busy in their labor. They were so busy in maintaining 
doctrinal fidelity. They were so busy in keeping 
heretics out of the pulpit that they weren't red hot in terms 
of their devotion to the Lord Jesus. In other words, they were 
reading difficult theology day in and day out, and they weren't 
warming the fires of their heart with some devotional stuff by 
C.H. Spurgeon. Believing your first love is 
not defection or apostasy or reprobation. They left their 
first love in terms of balance, in terms of priority. When you're 
fighting the Lord's battle, it is important that you have a 
heart on fire for the Lord of the battle. In other words, it's 
a both and. theology, fighting against heretics, 
but keeping the heart warm and nurtured by the Word of God. 
That's typically the issue in our lives. We get imbalanced. 
We go astray, not off the beaten path entirely, but in terms of 
balance. Back to our text. The one thing 
is devotion to Christ, which was manifested by Mary in her 
hearing of the word of Christ. Jesus commends her. But one thing 
is needed, and Mary has chosen that good part. Verse 39 tells 
us what that is. She had a sister called Mary 
who also sat at Jesus' feet and heard his word. So Jesus commends 
that devotion as a disciple listening to the word of Jesus Christ, 
not to the neglect of everything around you, but in terms of balance. The one thing is not the only 
thing, but it's the most necessary thing. The one thing is not the 
only thing, but it's the most necessary thing. Seek first the 
kingdom of God and His righteousness, and then these things will be 
added unto you. Geneva Bible says, Christ cares 
not to be entertained delicately, but to be heard diligently. That 
is it which He especially requires. That's what he is doing here. 
It doesn't matter to Jesus if you serve five or ten dishes 
and they're all wonderful and they could be in magazines for 
award-winning recipes. What is needful is that when 
he brings forth that word of truth, the humble disciple receives 
that word of truth. The commendation is clear. It's 
upon Mary. The condemnation, not unto death 
or damnation or hell, but sort of a gentle chide, a gentle rebuke, 
a gentle reproof is for Martha. And then notice the lasting benefit. I mean, you may be the best servant 
that a house has ever had. You could eat off your floors. Not that anybody would want to 
do that, but just say you had that sort of propensity. I want 
to eat off my floor because it's so clean. I'm so awesome at cleaning 
things. I'm going to put my food on the 
floor. You may have all that, but that does not bring comfort 
in the time of distress. When push comes to shove, it's 
not your service to Christ that ultimately lifts you out of the 
doldrums, it's Christ's service to you. And so I want to go from 
scolding us all to putting the emphasis on where it ought to 
be. Christ says that there is lasting 
benefit in receiving his word. Christ says there is lasting 
benefit in attending to his means. Christ says there is lasting 
benefit in not foregoing the public house of God and going 
and doing any other thing today, but be in the church, be in the 
study, be under the word of truth. Why? Because that one thing that 
is needful has lasting and eternal benefit. It pays rich dividends 
to all those who receive that word. You will not go wrong when 
you hear the word of Christ, whether in private or public. 
Have you ever come away from just a halfway decent sermon 
and said, man, I'm the worst for that? Or have you ever read 
a passage of Holy Scripture and you got some nugget out of it 
and say, man, that just made my life miserable? What's typically 
the response from the people of God? Oh, that my heart were 
more soft. Oh, that I were more receptive. 
Oh, that I opened up my arms more so to the word of God. Why? 
Because we've tried and proven our God and know that his word 
is sure, that it is in fact the balm of Gilead, that it is that 
which does bring us to that place of stability, to that place of 
balance, to that place wherein we know the comfort of God most 
high. How many people throughout the ages of the church have been 
encouraged by Psalm 4610? Be still and know that I am God. I will be exalted among the nations. 
I will be exalted in the earth. Doesn't that bring stability 
to your needy soul when you see instability all throughout this 
world? When you see the chaos that actually obtains in the 
various cities on the face of the earth today, doesn't it calm 
you to read of the book of Revelation chapters 21 and 22, that new 
Jerusalem, that city adorned as a bride coming down out of 
heaven, that blessed place wherein righteousness dwells? It is those 
sorts of things that the people of God need to encourage them 
along the pilgrim way. You'll never regret spending 
time with Christ, and you will never lose the spiritual benefit 
that Christ brings. It's not a blessing. It's not 
like he gives it and then takes it back. You benefit from the 
Word of God. You benefit from a sermon. You 
benefit from fellowship with the saints. You benefit from 
these things, and it proves lasting. It proves forever. It proves 
eternal. It has staying power. Again, 
Ryle says, it, the true Christian's portion as the grace of God, 
the Christian's portion as the grace of God 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." That's obvious, brethren, and that's 
what the passage sets forth. 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. In other words, follow Mary's example here, Martha. 
Instead of me telling Mary to get up and serve me, I'm telling 
you to sit down and serve me by listening to my word. Because 
that is what you need, that is what is going to give you power, 
that is what is going to give you that ability to function 
in this lower world. In conclusion, I would suggest 
first the passage does not commend monkery. It does not commend 
monastic life. For those of you who don't know 
about the monastic life, monasteries, or monasticism, or persons who 
are known as monks, then I call it monkery. Those were people 
that withdrew. They withdrew from everything. They would go live out in the 
wilderness, and they'd read their Bibles, and they would pray, 
and they would fast, and they would chase in their flesh, and 
they would do things such that it was pious and righteous in 
the sight of God. Brethren, that's imbalanced. 
As I said this morning, you've got wives, you've got husbands, 
you've got kids, you've got a need to make money. Those are all 
real life issues. As my brother has often said, 
we don't live on love and fresh air. You don't just show up at 
Costco and they say, well, it's you. You go right ahead because 
it's you after all. No, you've got to have money 
in order to go to Costco. Got to have money in order to 
put food in the cupboard. Got to have money to put food in 
the fridge. So the Bible does not commend or hold forth the 
monastic life as something virtuous in and of itself. In fact, Calvin 
makes the observation on this passage. Nothing was farther 
from the design of Christ than to encourage His disciples to 
indulge in indolence. On the contrary, we know that 
men were created for the express purpose of being employed in 
labor of various kinds, 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. So don't think that what is in 
view here is that you need to grow up and go live in a hut 
somewhere and just read your Bible and pray. No, that's not 
what the passage demands. But a bit of time in a hut with 
just your Bible and prayer probably wouldn't be the worst thing for 
any of us. That devotion to Christ, that 
sitting at the feet of Jesus, that posture of humble discipleship, 
receiving the Word of God, that is the one thing needful. Secondly, 
the passage commends the proper priority for the believer. It 
commends the proper priority for the believer. The devotion 
of Mary is the proper priority for every child of God to attend 
to the preaching of the word. Again, go back to Luke chapter 
eight, the emphasis on the parable of the sower. Actually, you don't 
need to, I need to, because I have some Spurgeon notes written in 
my margin. His sermon on this particular passage, specifically 
on Mark, which is the parallel, Mark 4.24, he makes this observation 
relative to receiving the word of God. He says here, It is your 
wisdom to know what God says. Hear well. God's teaching deserves 
the deepest attention. It will repay the best consideration. And then he says, hear often. 
Waste no Sabbath, nor any one of its services. Use weekday 
lectures and prayer meetings. And then he says, hear better. 
You will grow the holier thereby. You will find heavenly joy by 
hearing with faith. So there's this emphasis on receiving 
the Word of God that our passage commends. As well, the distraction 
of Mary over many things is a potential problem for every child of God. 
Now, I've been a pastor for a bit of time, and it's not usually 
people that, you know, all I ever do is read my Bible and pray. 
You know, it's like the job interview. Tell me your strength or your 
weakness. Oh, my weakness is that I work 
too hard and I care too much. Okay. You just don't meet people 
who, yeah, I just, you know, I'm really struggling with, you 
know, doing my work. I'm really struggling with loving 
my family. I'm really struggling because 
all I'm ever doing is reading my Bible in prayer. That's usually 
not the imbalance that we face today in the 21st century. Just 
gonna head us off at the pass here. The imbalance is that I 
don't read my Bible, and I don't pray. I don't spend time at the 
feet of Jesus. Again, I don't want to lecture. 
I don't want to scold. Now, tomorrow, read 18 chapters and fast all 
day, and then you'll be super whole. I don't want to do that. 
I think that's legalistic. I think it's angular. I think 
it's unhealthy for the people of God. But I do want to encourage 
us, and I do want to suggest that we get a view of Mary in 
this particular passage. And if we have come up short, 
and if we're lacking in sitting at the feet of Jesus as humble 
learners to hear and receive that Word of God, then we need 
to put that into practice. And it's interesting because 
sermons like this, people will do that. Well, I gotta read more 
Bible. I gotta read my, you know, 10, just pick it up. Read that 
much. Just, you know, how do you eat an elephant? One bite 
at a time. It's not an all or nothing proposition. I've met those people too. None 
of you, obviously, but people in the past, you know, I'm really 
struggling with reading my Bible and praying. You know what the 
answer to that is? Read your Bible and pray. It's 
pretty simple. I think it goes like this for 
Christians. I need to pray more. So I'm going 
to read A.W. Pink's book on A Guide to Effective 
Prayer. Again, read A.W. Pink's Guide 
to Effective Prayer. But there's no substitute for 
actually praying. I need to read through the Bible 
in a year, and because I don't do that, I'm not gonna do anything. 
Just pick it up and read, sit at the feet of Jesus, be a humble 
disciple, be a humble listener, and receive with thanksgiving 
that word. If as I've suggested, Luke 12, 
22 to 34, and that emphasis on not worrying is what we find 
consistent with this passage, this idea of worrying. in the 
passage in Luke 12. It's about your life, your food, 
your body, your clothes. Those are not sinful things. 
Those things are not sinful in and of themselves. There's nothing 
wrong with your life. I mean, there's probably a lot 
of things wrong with it, but you living, you having been created 
by God, being a carbon-based life form and breathing in oxygen 
and expelling it, that's not a sin. That's not bad to think 
about your life. Your food, as I said, if you 
don't eat, you're going to die. There's nothing wrong with food. 
There's nothing wrong with clothes. In fact, it's wise that you wear 
that. These are not sinful things in themselves. They are necessary 
things. But the problem is the problem 
of focus. The problem is the problem of 
priority. The worry betrays a lack of focus 
with reference to the kingdom of God. Worry paralyzes the individual 
in terms of growth in the kingdom of God. Worry shifts the focus 
from the eternal to the temporal. We're not supposed to worry, 
Jesus says. We're not supposed to be encumbered. 
We're not supposed to be weighed down with all this busyness of 
life to the neglect of our blessed Savior. Worry reduces us to fearful, 
doubting, tormented souls instead of bold, faithful, earnest subjects 
of God's kingdom. Look at the history of our world 
over the last few years, brethren. A good dose of kingdom priority 
would have gone a long way to help the churches of Christ in 
a very difficult season. As well, this worry fixates on 
self rather than on Christ. It's about what we wear. It's 
about what we eat. It's about what my tomorrow looks 
like. And again, not always sinful 
to be concerned about those things, but sinful when you're concerned 
about those things, to the neglect of the one thing needful, to 
the neglect of the word of God, to the neglect of the blessed 
Christ who we serve. And of course, the discovery 
of the kindness of God is a helpful antidote for every child of God. 
Look again at Luke 12. And look at what Jesus says in 
verse 32. So the prohibition is against worry. Someone has 
said that 365 times in the Bible. I saw this on Facebook. This 
wasn't my diligent research and I took my concordance out. I 
think I saw it on Facebook. Once in a while I go on my wife's 
Facebook and it said there are 365 times that we're told not 
to fear in the Bible. Okay, that seems legit. I know we're told not to fear 
a lot in the Bible. Like I said, I've never counted them all out, 
but that makes sense. And of course, the application, 
365 days of the year, right? So for every day of the year, 
you're told by God not to fear. You're told by God not to worry. And so in the passage where Jesus 
condemns worry or carnal anxiety, notice what he says in verse 
32. Do not fear little flaw. For it is your father's good 
pleasure to give you the kingdom. He's not a harsh taskmaster. 
He's not an ogre. He's not against you. He's not 
trying to ruin your life, but rather it is his good pleasure 
to bestow upon you the very kingdom of God most high. Receive it 
with a welcome hand. And then the final observation 
is that the passage commends the contemplation of the altogether 
loving Christ. If monkery is unbiblical, and 
it is, so is a lack of contemplation. We can learn that much from the 
monks. Go Get a part by yourself for 
a while, read your scriptures, pray to God, and enjoy that secret 
communion or fellowship with Him. Dale Ralph Davis in his 
commentary on Luke had a particular application for pastors that 
sort of resonated with me. He says, there is a specific 
application here for Christian pastors. How often one bumps 
into that expression in book advertisements or plugs for ministry 
resources that it is just what the busy pastor needs. The busy 
pastor. He says it's accessible or brief 
or dumbed down or whatever. The busy pastor obviously doesn't 
have time to ponder or think or read or listen because he 
is, well, a busy pastor. He says, believe me, I know something 
of the load a pastor carries, but I repudiate the busy pastor 
model. I don't think that there should 
be any busy pastors. Ministerial busyness may fulfill 
our egos, but it empties the soul. Many of us need to join 
Mary at Jesus' feet if we are to be equipped for our labor. 
I think that's a good application, not just obviously for pastors, 
but for all of us. Life is busy. There are a lot 
of demands on our time. There are a lot of hands on our 
time, to quote a famous drummer. we often think about we have 
too much time on our hands. That's usually not our problem. 
We've got a lot of hands on our time, and as a result of that, 
the tendency to imbalance, as demonstrated in Martha, is a 
real one. So again, don't want to lecture, 
don't want to scold, but want to encourage all of us to sit 
at the feet of Jesus and to receive his word, and bless God for the 
provision of Jesus as that one alone in whom there is salvation. His life of perfect obedience 
to the law, His death as a sacrifice and atonement on Calvary, His 
resurrection again the third day. It is as a result of that 
we have peace with God through faith in our Lord Jesus Christ. 
So let us contemplate, let us receive it, and may it indeed 
encourage us to be steadfast and persevering, always abounding 
in the work for the Lord, for his glory and for his honor. 
Well, let us pray. Our Father, we thank You for 
Your Word. We thank You for this one thing needful, and we pray 
that You would help us to seize upon this. Help us not to be 
neglectful when it comes to the Word and prayer. Help us as well 
not to beat ourselves up, though. Give us grace and wisdom to pursue 
these things in a manner that is well-pleasing in Your sight. 
and thank you for the sacrament of the supper, thank you for 
this bread and wine. It's not about our doing, it's 
not about our devotion, it's not about us serving or anything 
like that, but it's about the service of Christ, the provision 
of God, and the Son of God who lived for us, who died for us, 
and who was raised again for us. We bless you and we praise 
you, and we pray in Jesus' holy name, amen.