All right, we're in Luke chapter 10 this morning. Luke chapter 10. We're in Luke chapter 10. We'll be looking at verses 38 through 42. Of course, taking a pause from our series in 1 Peter to recognize this occasion. Luke chapter 10, and we'll begin at verse 38. Now it came to pass, as they went, that he entered into a certain village, and a certain woman named Martha received him into her house. And she had a sister called Mary, which also sat at Jesus' feet. and heard his word. But Martha was cumbered about much serving, and came to him and said, Lord, dost thou not care that my sister hath left me to serve alone? Bid her therefore that she help me. And Jesus answered and said unto her, Martha, Martha, thou art careful and troubled about many things, but one thing is needful, and Mary hath chosen that good part which shall not be taken away from her. Heavenly Father, we thank you again for the chance to be confronted by your word. Please open our hearts. Lord, not just the hearts of mothers, but I believe this passage has truth for all of us this morning to learn from, to benefit from, and to grow from. Lord, use your word to shape each of our minds and our affections to be more like your son. And we ask this in his name. Amen. It was a chilly January morning in New York City when U.S. Airways flight 1549 departed from LaGuardia Airport en route to Charlotte. Nothing particularly unusual about this flight. The captain and the first officer both had over 20,000 hours of flight time. Doubtless, they had made flights just like this one, dozens upon dozens of times. But within a few moments after takeoff, it became apparent that this was going to be no ordinary flight. The captain could see at a distance of roughly three football fields away that there was a flock of Canadian geese approaching the plane. But of course, when you're in an aircraft that's moving over 300 feet per second, there's not time to maneuver around the geese. This flock of geese intersected with the aircraft and caused both engines to fail. Many of you know that the wise and disciplined actions of First Officer Jeffrey Skiles and Captain Chesley Sullenberger resulted in a safe landing on the Hudson River, so that all 155 people on board survived. Now, how is it that all of those passengers and crew survived with only a few serious injuries? Humanly speaking, the odds were not necessarily good. Canadian geese can weigh anywhere from five and a half to 14 pounds. That is a substantial creature to become lodged in the engine of an Airbus A320. Few water landings of commercial aircraft had ever been attempted, let alone been successful. Even if the flight landed safely, there was still the challenge of getting all 155 people off the plane in the middle of January with below freezing temperatures. So how was this effort successful? Well, of course, as Christians, we recognize the divine element in all of this. It is ultimately the providence of God. Even the governor of New York called this the miracle on the Hudson. Providentially, God used the quick thinking of Captain Sullenberger to preserve the aircraft. Listen to what Captain Sullenberger said. He has a video where he talks about this. He said this, the only training we'd ever gotten for a water landing was a theoretical classroom discussion. But because I had learned my craft so well, I knew my airplane and my profession so intimately, I could set clear priorities. And so, I chose to do only the highest priority items. and then I had the discipline to ignore everything I did not have time to do as being only distractions and potential detriment to our performance. You see, I'm also well-read, and so I knew the neurobiology. I knew that multitasking is a myth, that when we think we are multitasking, what we are in fact doing is switching rapidly between tasks, not doing either of them well. and so I chose not to try to do too much." Captain Sullenberger became a hero because of the fact that he devoted himself single-mindedly to accomplishing a few simple tasks, without getting distracted. Now if multitasking is a myth behind the controls of an Airbus A320, it is surely a myth when it comes to the Christian life. This is what Jesus says in Matthew chapter 6 and verse 24. No man can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will hold to the one and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon. Or consider what Paul says in Philippians 3.13. Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended, but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forth unto those things which are before. Now think of it. This one thing, that is single-minded determination, is it not? Now, similar are the words that we find in our text here. In verse 42, Jesus says, but one thing is needful. Really? Just one? I mean, surely that's an exaggeration. I mean, you know, maybe a handful of things, but one? How could that be? Well, to answer that question, there's only one place we can go, and that's to the text itself. Now the passage we read, this is a unique passage to the Gospel of Luke. It's not mentioned in any of the other Gospels. But one thing that is striking about all four of the Gospels is that each of them emphasizes the events leading up to Jesus' death. This is particularly striking when you come to Luke because very early on in Luke, Jesus begins predicting his coming death for the sins of mankind. If you go back a chapter, to chapter 9 and verse 22, you'll see how Jesus begins predicting this. It says, saying, this is Jesus speaking, the Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected of the elders and chief priests and scribes and be slain and be raised the third day. Now you go forward a few verses, over to verse 44, Again Jesus says, And then you go forward a few more verses to verse 51 in chapter 9. and it came to pass when the time was come that he should be received up, he steadfastly set his face to go to Jerusalem. Now that verse is a significant hinge in the gospel of Luke because everything from chapter nine and verse 51 onward represents Jesus' journey toward Jerusalem. And it of course is in Jerusalem where he is going to lay down his life. Now, the heart of Jesus in being willing to do such a thing, of course, as Paul tells us in Romans 5, 8, God commendeth his love toward us in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Why would Christ be willing to lay down his life for sinners? Well, look at the subsequent verses here in chapter 9, verse 52. and sent messengers before his face, and they went and entered into a village of the Samaritans to make ready for him, and they did not receive him, because his face was as though he would go to Jerusalem." Of course, we know there is that notorious Samaritan-Jewish conflict that you see in the Gospels, this infamous ethnic conflict, and the Samaritans, of course, were not willing to receive this one on his way to Jerusalem, namely, our Lord Jesus. Verse 54, and when his disciples, James and John, saw this, they said, Lord, wilt thou that we command fire to come down from heaven and consume them, even as Elias did? But he turned and rebuked them and said, ye know not what manner of spirit ye are of, for the Son of Man is not come to destroy men's lives, but to save them. And they went to another village. You understand, friends, why Jesus came into the world? It is expressed very succinctly in verse 56. He did not come to destroy men's lives, but to save them. You see, Jesus didn't come just to tell us to be a little bit nicer to one another. He didn't come just to set a positive example or to die as a martyr. Luke chapter 19 and verse 10 expresses this same truth that we see here in a slightly different way. But the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost. And I would venture to say, even in an audience like this, that there are probably those under the sound of my voice this morning who are lost. You are a sinner, friend, and you are in need of the salvation that only Jesus can provide. I wanna tell you that Jesus is a great Savior. He has a heart of compassion toward wayward sinners. He is not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance. And friend, if you will come to Him in repentance and faith, you can be saved this morning. You know, you can do that even where you're seated right now, even as I'm preaching this sermon. Right there in your seat, you can call on the name of the Lord. You can say, Lord Jesus, I'm a sinner. I know I deserve your judgment, but Lord, I believe that you died on the cross, that you rose again, and I'm putting my trust in you. I'm turning from my sins, and I'm putting all my confidence in what you did on Calvary. Friend, if you can do that this morning, even where you're seated, you will be saved. And of course, if you have questions about that, you're welcome to come see me or any number of faithful people in our church that would love to take a Bible and show you what it means to be a Christian. Friend, that's the most urgent priority Now, our text this morning that we read occurs during Jesus' journey to Jerusalem. And on this journey, as Jesus is nearing the time of his crucifixion, Jesus and the disciples make a stop along the way. And of course, this is a well-worn account of Jesus' visit to the home of two sisters named Mary and Martha. Now, this is Mother's Day. You might be wondering why we're looking at this passage in particular. In fact, the text never mentions that Mary and Martha are mothers. Some scholars believe that Martha may have been a widow, but we don't have any mention in this passage of children. But we are considering this text because, first of all, it deals with women. Women play a major role in Luke's gospel. Now, we know that women often had a second rate experience in the ancient world that was, of course, dominated by men. And yet, Luke gives significant attention to women and to their contributions to the kingdom of God. We won't take the time to turn there, but if you look back in chapter eight, you find a record of women that were ministering to Jesus and serving him. Luke gives attention not only to women, but he gives attention to other groups that are rejected, maligned, despised in the ancient world of Palestine. He gives attention to the poor, to sinners, tax collectors, Samaritans. Luke's gospel demonstrates that the gospel of Jesus Christ goes out to the whole world. even to those that are disenfranchised by the standards of this world. There's a song that expresses that truth well. When I was a student at Pensacola, they had this on one of their albums that their ensembles put out. It says this, I don't know what a sinner you are, but I know what a Savior He is. I don't know where your feet have taken you, but His climbed up Calvary's hill. I don't know what kind of words you've spoken, but His words were, Father, forgive. I don't know what a sinner you are, but I know what a Savior He is. Not only does this passage deal with women, but it deals with a struggle that many women and men, for that matter, face. Now, when you read an account like this, your mind might very well go to people that you know, but I think really, if we're all to be honest, we can probably see ourselves in this passage. There may be times when we can identify with Martha and times that we can identify with Mary. But these two women, Mary and Martha, teach us a valuable lesson, and that is this. We must choose to set aside all distractions and to devote ourselves to hearing the Word of God. Now, I'd like us this morning, in light of that verse that we saw, chapter 10, verse 42, one thing is needful. So we're considering the one needful thing. And I want to consider this account here in three different parts. First of all, number one, a stop on the journey. A stop on the journey. Notice how verse 38 begins. Now it came to pass as they went. And as we've already established in the context, as they went means that they are headed to Jerusalem specifically. Of course, everything from Chapter 9 verse 51 onward represents Jesus' journey toward Jerusalem where He's going to lay down His life. Now the weight of that journey had to have been pressing on our Lord's mind. He knew exactly what was going to transpire. He knew the suffering that was awaiting Him once the journey was over. And it is in that light that the next words are particularly striking here in verse 38. as they went that he entered into a certain village. Now this isn't a major city. Brother Roland this morning was mentioning these fortified cities that you had in the ancient world, which was vital for any bustling area. But this is a no place in the ancient world. In fact, in this text, the village is not even named. Now, if you read in John's account, where John refers to another incident involving Mary and Martha, he mentions that they are from Bethany. But here, it's very open-ended. Jesus is headed to Jerusalem to pay the ultimate penalty for the sins of mankind. This is the Lord of the universe on a crucial mission. And yet, he stops at a small town that's not even important enough to be named in our text. You know, it's worth pausing to consider, friends, that God's work in this world is not restricted to the major cities. God is not just at work in New York City or in Shanghai or in Chicago. God is at work in Paxton, Illinois. He's at work in Cisna Park, or in Sibley, or in Gibson City, or in Loda, or whichever town you might be from. These are not out-of-the-way places to God. God sees each person in these places, and He has an interest in them as people that are made in His image, and as people for whom Christ came to die. So friends, let's not ever convince ourselves that the important things that are happening in the world are only happening in these big places. Jesus himself took the time to go to this unnamed village. So, our text here, as we go on, we're told in verse 38, and a certain woman named Martha received him into her house. We have a certain village and a certain woman. But this time the woman is named Martha. Many of the scholars believe that her name means mistress. The indication is probably that she is the oldest sister and the housekeeper. Now we can, as preachers, sometimes we can be awfully rough on Martha. But our first introduction to her is actually quite positive, because the text says here that she received him into her house. The Greek word here speaks of receiving someone, or welcoming someone as a guest. Now this is no small feat, especially in light of what Jesus has said prior to this. When Jesus initially gives that prediction that he is going to be betrayed, he's going to be crucified and rise again the third day, what immediately follows in Luke chapter 9 is his description that if any man is going to come after me, let him deny himself, take up his cross daily, and follow me. There was a cost to be paid for following Christ. For Mary and Martha to be willing to open their home to the Lord Jesus Christ was certainly a courageous step in that context. So, we immediately have very positive impressions of Martha, and those positive impressions continue. We don't need to turn there now, but you can look at John chapter 11, where we have this other interaction with Mary and Martha. Of course, that passage is infamous for telling us about Lazarus, who had died four days before Jesus had arrived. And Jesus and Martha have an exchange. And in that context, in John chapter 11 and verse 27, Martha affirms, Martha had genuine faith in Christ. And so she did what any true believer would do. She showed hospitality and welcomed Jesus into her home. Jesus, in this case, was not just some remote miracle worker, as far as Martha was concerned. No, this Lord of the universe was Mary's friend and Martha's friend. John 15 and verse 14, "'Ye are my friends, if ye do whatsoever I command you.'" I wonder if Jesus were to come to your house, would you respond as Martha did? Well, this introduction brings us to the next part of the story. A stop on the journey, first of all, but second, a contrast of two characters. A contrast of two characters. As you come here to verse 39, notice, as she had a sister called Mary. The name Mary in the New Testament is identical to the name Miriam in the Old Testament. Of course we know Miriam as Moses' sister. She's called in the Old Testament a prophetess. She is the one who approached Pharaoh's daughter about arranging for a Hebrew woman to nurse the baby Moses. So we have two women in this household, Martha, mistress, the housekeeper, and Mary, named after this famous prophetess in Hebrew history. Now, you may be aware of the fact, if you've read the New Testament for any length of time, that this is not the only Mary we read about in the New Testament. In fact, there appear to be at least five other identifiable Marys in the New Testament, so it can be a lot to keep track of. But this is the Mary that we would call Mary of Bethany. Now we mentioned, of course, that Mary of Bethany is the sister of Martha and the sister of Lazarus. She's also the one that we read about recently in our Sunday morning scripture readings. She is the one who came and poured perfume on our Lord's head and feet in preparation for His burial. Now notice what Mary is doing in our text. We're told here in verse 39, which also sat at Jesus' feet and heard His word. To be seated at the feet of a teacher was a significant posture in the ancient world. It's really the language of discipleship. This is the same language that Paul uses of his tutelage under Gamaliel. Acts chapter 22 and verse 3, Paul says he was brought up at the feet of Gamaliel. So this is, of course, a place of intimacy, it's a place of fellowship, but it is also a place where she can hear Jesus teach. Now this in and of itself was totally counter-cultural to the conventions of the time. It was taboo for a woman to sit at the feet of a male teacher and to receive instruction directly from him. But as we've seen, Jesus didn't hesitate to reach out to women and to minister to them, even in a culture that was dominated almost exclusively by men. We come then to verse 40. Notice the first two words, but, Martha, that word but signals to us that there's a contrast coming. We have Mary sitting at the feet of Jesus and listening to his word. But the picture of Martha is very different. But Martha was cumbered about much serving. The word cumbered here has the idea of being drawn away. Most modern versions translate the Greek word here as distracted. What is it that Martha here is distracted by? The text says, about much serving. That word serving, it's the Greek word diakonia. It's the same root from which we get the word deacon. In Martha's case, all these acts of service have become overwhelming. There's much serving, and the idea really is that all of these service tasks, they're encircling her from every direction. Does that sound familiar? Does that sound like your life? You know, isn't it an amazing thing in the 21st century, all the things that we have to supposedly make our lives easier? I mean, ladies, you don't have to wash clothes by hand. You've got washing machines, right? Many of you don't have to do dishes by hand. You have a dishwasher. You've got a smartphone. If you've got kids or grandkids, even on the other side of the world, you can communicate with them in a split second. And when you have to take the kids to soccer practice, you don't have to go in horse and buggy. You've got a car. But isn't it amazing, even with all of these advances, that our lives seem busier than ever? And you've got all these pressures that are coming at you from every direction. A kid that has to go to soccer practice. You've got another load of laundry that has to go into the dryer. You've got a sink full of dishes. I mean, all of these different pressures. And day by day by day, you feel the weight of that. That's the situation that Martha is in, cumbered about Much serving. Now again, preachers are so hard on Martha, but can't we all identify with her to some degree? And you think about the context of this. She has welcomed the Lord Jesus Christ into her home. Wouldn't this be the natural response? What kind of meal would you wanna prepare if the Lord Jesus came to your home? I mean, you're probably not gonna be pulling out the pizza rolls. and putting them in the microwave for three minutes. I mean, you would want to put out the very best for our Lord Jesus. And from that vantage point, we can understand, can't we? But we do see this contrast here between Mary and Martha. Mary seated at the feet of Jesus, listening to his word. and Martha cumbered about much serving. And notice in this context, the text says in verse 40, and came to him. Now really the English here, it doesn't fully communicate the sense of urgency that there is in the original language. The idea is that she came suddenly, without warning. In fact, it seems to be implied that she interrupted Jesus' teaching. Now, what concern could be so important that it would necessitate interrupting the teaching of our Lord? Notice what it says here. Verse 40, she said, Lord, dost thou not care that my sister hath left me to serve alone? Bid her therefore that she help me. Now, we shouldn't overlook. Again, we see Martha's heart here. You notice how she addresses Christ. She addresses him as Lord. Very common in the Gospel of Luke. And we know, Romans 10, nine, that's the saving confession. That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. The idea of confessing Jesus as Lord. So this is not a woman who has a loose detachment from Jesus. She has a close connection with him. She's a believer. And yet what we will see here is that she demonstrates an incredible lack of sensitivity spiritually in what she says. Notice she notes, my sister hath left me. So apparently, both Mary and Martha, they were working, they were preparing for the Lord's arrival, they were preparing all kinds of dishes, perhaps cleaning up the house. But once Christ came to the house, Mary's priority changed. She went and she sat at his feet and heard his word. And this is why Martha is griping. Now, ladies, you've been there, haven't you? Now, of course, you haven't had the Lord Jesus physically present at your home, but you've had the experience of hosting an important guest before. Whenever you have that, you want to go all out, don't you? Even if it's just an ordinary guest, many times. I remember some years ago, my mom was having cleaners come to the house every couple weeks or so. I remember her saying, we need to clean up the house, because the cleaners are coming. There's evidently something I'm missing here. But that's kind of the womanly nature, isn't it? That someone comes into your home, you want to put on the very best for that guest. So yes, we can be rough on Martha, but probably every lady in this room, you can identify with where she's at, and even us men to a degree. We can understand her heart and what she's trying to do here. Now, notice the request, "'Bid her therefore that she help me'". If we think of it from a purely human perspective, doesn't it make sense? If this house is going to get an order, if this meal is going to get prepared, it's going to take more than one set of hands, right? I mean, this is the Lord. This is Jesus himself who's our guest. The way that she poses the question is quite revealing. Notice in verse 40, does thou not care that my sister hath left me to serve alone? The idea there is that this is a question that anticipates a positive answer. The way that this is phrased in the original language, it has the idea that she is expecting Christ to come back and say, yes, Martha, of course I care. It is therefore shocking, perhaps, what comes next, because Martha doesn't get the answer that she's anticipating. We come next to the third part in this brief narrative, a correction from the Lord. Notice verse 41, and Jesus answered and said unto her, Martha, Martha. In the scriptures, you often see this. Repetition is used as a way to show emphasis. You see this, for example, in the Gospel of John. Repeatedly, Jesus says, verily, verily, I say unto you. Verily, verily, I say unto you. And when he says that, he's drawing particular emphasis to what he's about to say. Now, there are a couple of similar instances when Jesus repeats someone's name when addressing that person. Listen to this example in Luke chapter 22, verse 31. And the Lord said, Simon, Simon, behold, Satan hath desired to have you that he may sift you as wheat. Verse 32, but I have prayed for thee that thy faith fail not, and when thou art converted, strengthen thy brethren. You see there in Jesus' address to Peter, Simon, Simon, there's a sense of urgency and there's a sense of tenderness there. There's tenderness and urgency because the Lord knows the havoc that the evil one is about to break forth in Peter's life. You see a similar phenomenon in Acts. Jesus comes to Saul of Tarsus. He says, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me? Now, the repetition here in our context I think is particularly significant because of what Jesus says next. He says, thou art careful and troubled about many things. You see, when someone is in Martha's condition, when they're burdened by all these different cares, it becomes very difficult to get their attention, doesn't it? And so, I think there's significance in the fact that Jesus has to repeat her name, Martha, Martha. Are you like that this morning? I mean, you're just so weighed down with care. You're so weighed down with frustration. And maybe this has been going on for years of your life. You don't even know what it's like anymore not to be that way. And you're so burdened. And friend, it's gonna take God beating you upside the head for you to hear what he's trying to tell you in those circumstances. Martha, Martha. Now, the language that Jesus uses here, thou art careful and troubled about many things. That word careful, it's one of those words that as we've gone forward from the King James English, it's a word that has kind of evolved in meaning over time. We think of careful more as something that's, someone who's cautious. But when we see this Greek word here in Scripture, it has the idea of worry or anxiety. In Matthew 6, this same word is translated, take thought. Let me read some of these passages to you. Matthew 6, verse 25. Therefore I say unto you, this is Jesus speaking, take no thought for your life, what you shall eat or what you shall drink, nor yet for your body what you shall put on. Verse 27 of the same chapter, which of you by taking thought can add one cubit unto his stature? Verse 28, why take ye thought for Raymond? Verse 31, therefore take no thought saying what shall we eat or what shall we drink or wherewithal shall we be clothed. Verse 34, take therefore no thought for the morrow. Now the idea in all those verses is obviously not that we shouldn't be thinking about what we're gonna eat or drink, but the idea is that we shouldn't worry about these things. We shouldn't be anxious about whether our needs are going to be met. We should, in the words of verse 33, seek first the kingdom of God and all the things that we need are going to be added to us. Same word incidentally used in Philippians 4 and verse 6. Be careful for nothing. And the idea there is don't worry about anything. Don't be anxious about anything. Paul goes on, but in everything, by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passes all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. Do you know, friend, that worry is a sin? That's one of those assertions that we think is just too strong. You know, well, it seems more like an oopsie or something like that. You know, we joke about people that are worry warts, But friend, when you are worrying, you are not trusting the promises of God. To trust in the promises of God is not to be anxious, it's not to be fearful. There could be some in this room that you're really battling worry from a number of different directions. Just like Martha did. Oh friend, that we would embrace the promises of God and surrender that worry. Jesus, He uses also the word troubled in this passage. Now, that word troubled, it appears only here in the New Testament, but it's related to another word that means to throw into disorder or disturb, to be in turmoil. Is that you this morning? Are you disturbed? Frustrated? in constant disorder, panicking? Is that you? Maybe you need to perk up and hear what Jesus says to Martha. Now, in verse 42, we come to this focal point, really, of our message. But one thing is needful. Not many things, not a few things, not even two things, but one thing. Now, what is that one thing? As some scholars have imagined that the one thing is one dish that would have been prepared for the Lord as part of this meal. And the idea being that, well, no, Martha, I don't really need all this big fancy spread. I just need one dish. Well, that's clever, but we don't have any references in the passage to dishes. We can assume that such would have been presented. In the immediate context, I think the one thing is much more obvious. Look at verse 39. She had a sister called Mary, which also sat at Jesus' feet and heard His word. I would suggest, friends, that the one thing is hearing the word of God. Hearing the word of God. Martha was so distracted that she could not sit to hear the word of God. She was too busy with all of these service tasks that were encroaching upon her. Now, I don't mean to denigrate serving. Serving is vitally important, and I know we have many in this church that have servant's hearts, that you serve in a number of different areas, and really free me up to be able to focus on the most important tasks of pastoral ministry. But think of this opportunity that Martha had. This was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to hear Jesus teaching in person in her living room. But rather than avail herself of this once-in-a-lifetime chance, Martha is led away by the demands of serving. Incidentally, there are other passages in the context that point to the importance of hearing the word of God. If you go back to chapter eight, Of course, this is Jesus' parable of the soils, sometimes called the parable of the sower. Luke 8, verse 15, Jesus summarizes the whole point of that last seed that falls on the good ground. He says in verse 15, but that on the good ground are they which in an honest and good heart, having heard the word, keep it and bring forth fruit with patience. Skip down a few verses to verse 20. And it was told him by certain which said, thy mother and thy brethren stand without desiring to see thee. And he answered and said unto them, my mother and my brethren are these which hear the word of God and do it. If you go over a few chapters to chapter 11, of course it takes place shortly after the passage that we just read. with Mary and Martha, but in Luke 11, verse 27, And it came to pass, as he spake these things, a certain woman of the company lifted up her voice and said unto him, Blessed is the womb that bare thee, and the paps which thou hast sucked. But he said, Yea, rather, blessed are they that hear the word of God, and keep it. Now, one place this is really highlighted is in Volume 2 of Luke's writing efforts, which is the Book of Acts. If you go over to Acts, very quickly, to Chapter 6. Now, I have to imagine, I don't have any dogmatic proof of this, but it seems to me that Luke probably had Mary and Martha and that whole incident in the back of his mind when he wrote what he did in Acts, Chapter 6. Notice Acts 6 and verse 1, and in those days when the number of the disciples was multiplied, there arose a murmuring of the Grecians against the Hebrews because their widows were neglected in the daily ministration. Now that word ministration is the same word that is translated serving in Luke chapter 10, diakonia. Just as Martha was distracted by serving, so here In its early stages, the early church in Jerusalem is distracted by serving. Notice verse two, then the 12 called the multitude of the disciples unto them and said, it is not reason that we should leave the word of God and serve tables. Wherefore, brethren, look ye out among you seven men of honest report, full of the Holy Ghost and wisdom, whom we may appoint over this business. But we will give ourselves continually to prayer and to the ministry of the word. You have a contrast here between serving tables, which is of course a necessary task, but that's not the ultimate purpose of the church. The ultimate mission of the church is hearing the word of God. And so in verse four you have mention of the ministry of the Word. That is the task to which the apostles needed to commit themselves. The one thing that is needful in Luke 10 is the one thing that is needful in Acts chapter 6. Again, we don't want to minimize service. That's important. But the one thing that is needful is to sit at the feet of Jesus and to hear His Word. Now, if we go back to Luke chapter 10, we continue reading in verse 42. Jesus says, but one thing is needful, and Mary hath chosen that good part. That word good should probably be understood in the sense of best. She has chosen the best part. Now, serving. Preparing a nice meal, that's a good thing. But it wasn't the best thing. Martha's choice here wasn't a choice between good and evil. It was a choice between good, better, and best. And I wanna tell you, friend, that that's how so many of our decisions are in the Christian life. One of the hallmarks of Christian maturity is to pursue not simply what is good, not simply what is better, but what is best. Well, Brother Nick, I just don't see anything wrong with thus and so. Well, maybe there's not anything wrong with it, but is it best? As followers of Christ, that should be our heartbeat. That word that's used here, that word part, interesting word, we don't see it with great frequency in the New Testament, but it occurs quite often in the Septuagint, the Greek translation of the Old Testament. And this particular word occurs often in contexts that are related to inheritance, particularly in the books of Deuteronomy and Joshua. The concept of inheritance in the New Testament is one that is rich with eschatological associations. Now, I know that sounds fancy, but all I'm suggesting here is that the part is a reward that is awaiting Mary in the future when she gets to heaven. Notice what is said here, it is that good part, which shall not be taken away from her. And really what Jesus says here, it echoes very strongly what you see him saying in the Sermon on the Mount. Let me read this to you, Matthew 6, verses 19 through 21. Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven. where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal, for where your treasure is, there will your heart be also. You think Martha's heart, it's consumed with the earthly things. Now, nothing wrong with preparing a nice meal, but that nice meal was only going to last for a few minutes of time. In the scheme of eternity, what is that? But what would have enduring benefits was Mary's willingness to hear the eternal word of God. What's it gonna be, Martha? Are you going to content yourself with these earthly things that are going to pass away? Or are you going to choose an inheritance that is permanent, that is lasting, thousands and thousands and millions of years into the future, hearing the word of God and allowing the word to transform our lives, friends, that will reap eternal rewards. So a story perhaps that we're familiar with, but I wonder this morning, which of these two ladies can you identify with? Are you burdened with care? Troubled with anxiety, oppressed by all kinds of acts of service that are pressing in on you like Martha was? Or are you cultivating a heart that is hungry for the word, just like Mary did? Now, we can speak in generalities, but I want to, as we close, make two specific applications. The first is personal. And so let me pose the question, how is your devotional life? Are you in the word? And you say, brother Nick, I'm just so busy. If you're too busy for the word, you're too busy. You think about things that are important to us are things that we prioritize. Now probably most of us in this room, you wouldn't have thought about leaving your house this morning in your pajamas. Now I know you see people at Walmart like that, but nobody in this room would do that, right? No, you believe it's important to take the time to put nice clothes on. Brush your teeth, right? I mean, you make time for that. Yeah, it takes a couple of minutes. But you take the time because it's important. I mean, most of us, we eat three square meals a day. You wouldn't think about skipping a meal. You make time for that. If you can make time for those things, how much more urgent is it to make time for the word? for hearing the word, for sitting at Jesus' feet. Now there's another application, and that's simply for the life of our church. And in mentioning that, I wanted to mention a case study, because this could have been a source of frustration. I didn't hear any feedback on this from anybody in the congregation, but I suspect it may have been a source of frustration, something that we did recently. On Easter. I know that it was customary sometimes in the past to have a big breakfast and everybody would sign up and bring various dishes for the breakfast. No, there's nothing wrong with that. But we didn't do that this year and there's a reason for it. The reason in my thinking as pastor and as I was talking with some lay leaders in this church was that I didn't want Resurrection Sunday to become a burden to our people. And I know that there would have been ladies, if we had had a breakfast like that, they would have gone all out. They would have cooked a big meal and brought it to the church. They would have stayed late to clean up. And then they'd have to go back home and cook another big meal for all the family gathered at home. And my heart was to say, well, this is not what this is all about. This is the resurrection of Christ. And I wanted more than anything for the focus of our people to be on our resurrected Lord and not to be weighed down with these various acts of service. Now, maybe you still think I made the wrong decision. I don't know, maybe I did. But it does demonstrate, I think, the heart of what we're trying to be about here. I don't ever envision Grace Baptist Church of being kind of this behemoth organization with millions of different ministries and programs. Some of you have been in settings like that where you just get exhausted with all the different programs. I mean, you've got the singles one night, and the kids the next night, and the seniors the next night. And it could just be dizzying to work through all these various programs. What I want us to be about as a church is what Jesus tells Martha here, that one thing that is needful. Well, Nick, wouldn't it be great if we had this and this and this? Well, you know, maybe. But there's only one thing that's needful, hearing the word of God. How are you doing with that? Friend, Satan will do everything in his power to distract you from that one thing that is needful. And it could be any multitude of things in your life that threaten that seed of the word of God from being implanted and bearing fruit. Oh friend, don't let it happen. Take the posture of a Mary, slow down, Don't allow the pressures of life to get you down, but sit at Jesus' feet and hear his word. Heavenly Father, we thank you for this wonderful passage of scripture. More of the lessons that we learn from this, Father, I pray that you would give us all hearts that are hungry to hear the word of God. Lord, give us a determination to sit at Jesus' feet, to hear what He has to say, and not to be distracted with all kinds of things, Lord. I know it would, even thinking off the top of my head, it would be impossible to enumerate all the things that might distract us. We know that our enemy is clever. He uses even plenty of legitimate things to distract us from the ultimate thing. Oh Father, give us hearts that love Christ, that want to hear His word, and that will determine to live it out in our lives. We ask this in Jesus' name. Let's stand and turn to number 362. There's power in the blood.