Troubled about many things, but one thing is needful.

Service Notes

Text Driven Church Calendar

Counseling Elective

Bible Reading

Premise: DEVOTION TO JESUS IS HINDERED BY THE DISTRACTION OF SECONDARY THINGS. or How do we have a Mary heart in Martha’s anxious world?

Our personal relationship with God that should take priority in our lives

This first short story of 2 sisters is unique to Luke

We are going to pass over a chapter barrier.

Key Themes of Luke 10:38–11:13

■ Two of Jesus’s women disciples provide contrasting examples of devotion.

■ Spiritual understanding takes priority over practical service.

■ The Lord’s Prayer provides for us categories that help us have a proper view of life.

■ We should pray with confidence, knowing that God is not reluctant to respond.

■ Our heavenly Father will give us what is good for us.

Luke 10:38–11:13 (KJV 1900)

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.

39 And she had a sister called Mary, which also sat at Jesus’ feet, and heard his word.

40 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.

41 And Jesus answered and said unto her, Martha, Martha, thou art careful and troubled about many things:

42 But one thing is needful: and Mary hath chosen that good part, which shall not be taken away from her.

1 And it came to pass, that, as he was praying in a certain place, when he ceased, one of his disciples said unto him, Lord, teach us to pray, as John also taught his disciples.

2 And he said unto them, When ye pray, say, Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done, as in heaven, so in earth.

3 Give us day by day our daily bread.

4 And forgive us our sins; for we also forgive every one that is indebted to us. And lead us not into temptation; but deliver us from evil.

5 And he said unto them, Which of you shall have a friend, and shall go unto him at midnight, and say unto him, Friend, lend me three loaves;

6 For a friend of mine in his journey is come to me, and I have nothing to set before him?

7 And he from within shall answer and say, Trouble me not: the door is now shut, and my children are with me in bed; I cannot rise and give thee.

8 I say unto you, Though he will not rise and give him, because he is his friend, yet because of his importunity (willingness to go against social norms) he will rise and give him as many as he needeth.

9 And I say unto you, Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you.

10 For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened.

11 If a son shall ask bread of any of you that is a father, will he give him a stone? or if he ask a fish, will he for a fish give him a serpent?

12 Or if he shall ask an egg, will he offer him a scorpion?

13 If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children: how much more shall your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask him?

The Anxiety of Martha

Love wasn’t motivating Martha’s serving. Anxiety was. Anxiety over what? I don’t know. But if she was like me, it was probably rooted in pride—in how she thought others perceived her.

Martha is troubled.

Accuses Jesus of not caring.

Desire to control the actions of Jesus.

Belief that what Jesus had to provide was not enough.

Creates problems in relationships with others.

Lost sight of what is needful.

1. Accuses Jesus of not caring

Luke 10:40 (KJV 1900)

40 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.

The one she welcomed into her home she now rebukes even though she calls Him Lord.

A life without faith in the fact God cares leads to tremondous anxiety.

We have seen this time and time again (ie in the storm)

Martha is not rebuked for her work but for her attitude towards Jesus and Mary

This does not teach a separation of service and worship

If loving our neighbor competes with loving God we aren’t doing it right

2. We see a desire to control God

Luke 10:40 “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.”

Much like the Pharisee who didn’t think Jesus knew who was at His feet.

Much like the older brother who didn’t understand why his father would kill the fatted calf.

We find it difficult to trust that which we cannot control.

When we trust someone we are opening ourselves to be hurt, disappointed, let down, or simply to act contrary to what we believe is right.

3. Demonstration of the belief that Jesus is not enough

39 And she had a sister called Mary, which also sat at Jesus’ feet, and heard his word. 40 But Martha was cumbered about much serving

This is always the beginning of anxiety.

Yes we have Jesus in the room but we also need…

God’s love and grace being enough is primarily a truth to be believed NOT an emotion or circumstance to be felt.

Lies we believe.

If we do not believe that Jesus is enough, He is not.

If circumstances are not right, Jesus is not enough

If I am in pain, then Jesus is not enough.

“She is in the arms of her creator, and no matter how impossible it might feel, she is with the only one that loves her more than I do.” - Mitch McCormack

Martha is a quick student. Look at what we hear from her the next time she is questioned about Jesus. John 11:26-27 “And whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die. Believest thou this? 27 She (Martha) saith unto him, Yea, Lord: I believe that thou art the Christ, the Son of God, which should come into the world.”

4. Creates problems in our relationships

Luke 10:40 “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.”

Her hands might have been filled with meal preparation but her mind became filled with a preoccupation with her sister.

Her disappointment in others is the fruit of her meditations of her mind

Measuring Mary against herself. Doesn’t see Mary’s different or even deeper love for the Lord.

5. Lost sight of what is needful.

Even in service there is a temptation to be distracted.

“Satan will try to make everything feel more urgent than sitting down to be with Jesus.”

The only thing going on in the house that was necessary was what Mary was doing.

Jesus rebukes Martha - lovingly by calling her name twice.

The benefit of Mary is eternal - it can not be taken away.

“One thing is necessary — today, tomorrow, next Tuesday, and every day after — to know, obey, and enjoy Jesus.”

Illustration

On December 19, 1972, an Eastern Airlines jumbo jet crashed into the Florida Everglades. Filled with holiday travelers, Flight 401 was bound for Miami from New York City. But as the plane approached the Miami airport for its landing, the light that indicates proper deployment of the landing gear failed to light. The place flew in large, looping circles over the swamps below while the cockpit crew checked to see if the gear had not deployed or if the bulb was defective. When the flight engineer tried to remove the bulb, it wouldn’t budge. The other crew members tried to help. As they struggled with the bulb, no one noticed the aircraft was losing altitude. And the plane simply flew into the swamp. Dozens of people were killed in the crash. While an experienced crew of pilots fiddled with a seventy-five cent light bulb, the plan with its passengers flew right into the group

Devotion to Jesus is the ultimate priority.

Don’t let the distraction of secondary things keep you from sitting at the feet of Jesus to hear what he wants to teach you. Be a one-thing person.

David testifies Psalm 27:4 “One thing have I desired of the Lord, that will I seek after; That I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, To behold the beauty of the Lord, and to inquire in his temple.”

When Jesus healed the blind man, the religious leaders tried to distract him from glorifying God by calling Jesus a sinner. the blind man answered, John 9:25 “He answered and said, Whether he be a sinner or no, I know not: one thing I know, that, whereas I was blind, now I see.”

Paul confesses Philippians 3:13-14 “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, 14 I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.”

Transitional Phrase

This story comes in a series of three passages, each of which treats a different key aspect of our relationship to God:

how we relate to neighbors (10:25–37),

how we view one another and our time with the Lord (10:38–42).

how we engage in dialogue with God (11:1–13)

Great value in memorizing this prayer. So that those categories are so fixed in your mind we have them readily available.

The Model of Prayer

Teach US to pray - teach us to sit at your feet.

1. Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name.

Our Father

Shocking - When you pray” verse 2 “say, ‘Father.’”

No matter how bad you Father was our Father is loving. No matter how wonderful your father he pales in comparison to our Heavenly Father.

No wonder this may the word that is most under attack in our society.

Hallowed

“Lord, may Your name be considered holy, may Your name be considered set apart, may Your name be considered high and lifted up, may Your name be considered glorious.”

Thursday night message - We should worship God in reverence because of His holiness

Show reverence in prayer.

2. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done, as in heaven, so in earth.

They kingdom come

A prayer of destruction — Satan's kingdom would be destroyed.

A prayer of construction — that God's kingdom would be built.

A prayer for conversion - praying that always would recognize that Jesus is Lord

A prayer for the completion - What's the last prayer of the Bible? Come, Lord Jesus.”

They will be done

This life we are living is headed in a definite direction.

Jesus, even in the order of this prayer, is turning our priority right-side up again.

3. Give us day by day our daily bread.

We need to be humbled and remember that we are not self-sufficient.

We are to remember the needs of others as we pray.

Lord, You give us our daily bread. You’re the Giver. We’re coming to You. We’re never ever going to want our daily bread more than You because we're coming to You and acknowledging that You are the Giver of our daily bread and if we had to choose between You and our daily bread, why we’d rather give up our daily bread than give up You.”

4. And forgive us our sins; for we also forgive every one that is indebted to us.

We need to immediately relate that sin to the cross because that's where our relief comes from

Look at the cross then look at those to whom are indebted to you. If there debt seems too large to forgive. Look at the cross again.

5. And lead us not into temptation; but deliver us from evil.

We need the Holy Spirit to help guide us so we do not lose sight of the needful thing in our lives.

“Christianity is not devotion to work, or to a cause, or a doctrine, but devotion to a Person, the Lord Jesus Christ.”

All sin is idolatry on some level.

Transitional Statements

SLIDE: We have seen Martha’s Anxiety but we have also seen a framework of prayer that confronts her false world view that had caused her so much trouble.

You can come to the Father with your troubles.

Luke 11:7 “And he from within shall answer and say, Trouble me not: the door is now shut, and my children are with me in bed; I cannot rise and give thee.”

We should come to the Father with importunity.

But my friends, we are always needy. We simply vary and fluctuate as to our awareness of that need.

Hospitality is big but our need is greater than the need in this illustration

We must realize we are like that friend who has nothing to give unless our friend gives us something to give.

Our Father does not find your requests inconvenient no matter what time of the night.

Luke 11:9-10 “And I say unto you, Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you. 10 For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened.”

The way that God has appointed for us to experience assurance and nearness to Him in this life is by communing with Him in prayer.

“Those who live without prayer live without God in this world.

Our Father only knows how to give good gifts.

Luke 11:13 If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children: how much more shall your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask him?

Jesus wants us to expect that God will answer our prayers.

A father does not give his a child a scorpion if he asks for egg. But he also does not give him a scorpion if he asks for one.

“God does not answer our prayers as we pray them, but as we would pray them if we were wiser.”

We come to the Father by listening to His Word. The Word is what is needful.

Luke 10:39 “39 And she had a sister called Mary, which also sat at Jesus’ feet, and heard his word.”

At Jesus feet we are able to trade our sorrows for the Joy of the Lord

Story: Young man adopted goes on his first mission trip. As he heard God’s Word preached under a tent in Honduras he is confronted with the truth that God has demonstrated His love to in an amazing manner. As they sang “I’m trading my sorrows for the joy of the Lord” he kneels in a field and submits His thinking to God’s Word.

Conclusion

Today is a good day for you to trade your sorrow for the joy of the Lord.

I hope Martha goes and turns off the stove and returns to the room and sits down. We don’t know how that story ends but I expect you know what you need to do.

Not the last time there will be a meal at Martha’s that Mary will be defended

John 12:1–6 “Then Jesus six days before the passover came to Bethany, where Lazarus was which had been dead, whom he raised from the dead. 2 There they made him a supper; and Martha served: but Lazarus was one of them that sat at the table with him. 3 Then took Mary a pound of ointment of spikenard, very costly, and anointed the feet of Jesus, and wiped his feet with her hair: and the house was filled with the odour of the ointment. 4 Then saith one of his disciples, Judas Iscariot, Simon’s son, which should betray him, 5 Why was not this ointment sold for three hundred pence, and given to the poor? 6 This he said, not that he cared for the poor; but because he was a thief, and had the bag, and bare what was put therein.”

How did Mary have so much insight?

When did she decide to purchase spikenard? How long did she save up for it?

Our anxious lives has caused us to miss out on the needful thing far too many times. One thing is necessary — today, tomorrow, next Tuesday, and every day after — to know, obey, and enjoy Jesus.

In a world that is frantic we can make the choose Mary made. Let us choose the needful thing or eternal value that no one can take from us. Though we cannot sit at His feet today we can still most certainly be still and listen to His Word.

Psalm 46:10 “Be still, and know that I am God”

In his book And the Angels Were Silent, MAX LUCADO writes of riding bikes with his young daughter. She had just learned to keep her balance on a two-wheeler and was ready to leave the safety of the front street and try the hill behind their house. They sat atop the descent and looked down into it. To her it looked like Everest. “You sure you want to try?” he asked. “I think so,” she gulped. He then reminded her to put on the brakes when she wanted to stop. Lucado rode down midway and waited. Down she came. The bike began to pick up speed. The handlebars began to shake. Her eyes got big. Her pedals moved in a blur. As she raced past she screamed, “I can’t remember how to stop pedaling!” She crashed into the curb.

Have you forgot how to stop peddling?

You need to sit down and listen to His Word. It is needful.