Deo Gloria
Sermon for July 17, 2022
Pastor Martin Bentz
Text: Luke 10:38-42
Theme: Make Time to Listen to Jesus!
- There are many things that distract us.
- Only one thing is needed.
About 80 years ago a fascinating interview took place between Mr. Charles Schwab, then president of Bethlehem Steel Company, and Ivy Lee, a motivational speaker and self-help advisor. Lee was a confident, aggressive man who through perseverance had secured this interview with Mr. Schwab, one of the most powerful men in America. During the conversation, Lee proposed that if Mr. Schwab would follow his advice, the entire company would become more prosperous. Mr. Schwab answered, “If you can show me a way to be able to accomplish more with the time I have, it’ll be my pleasure to listen. In fact, if it works, I’ll pay you whatever you ask within reason.” So Lee gave Mr. Schwab a blank piece of paper and told him: “Write down the most important things that you have to do tomorrow.” Mr. Schwab did so.
“Now,” Lee continued, “number them according to their importance.” Again Mr. Schwab obliged.
“Tomorrow morning start with number one. Then go on to number two and so forth. Don’t worry if you haven’t completed the list by the end of the day. At least you will have accomplished the most important projects. Do this every day. Afterwards, if you are convinced of its value, have your men follow the same system. Test it for as long as you like, and then send me a check for what you think this advice was worth.”
The two men shook hands and Lee left the president’s office. A few weeks later Charles Schwab sent Mr. Lee a check for $25,000. He said it was the best lesson he had ever learned in his long career in business.
The lesson we find in these verses from Luke ch. 10 is far more valuable than $25,000. Like the advice Mr. Lee gave Mr. Schwab, it’s really quite simple and, if followed, will bring countless blessings into our lives. So are you ready? Do you have a pen and paper? The advice is this: Make time to listen to Jesus!
As you may remember, Jesus and his disciples were on their way to Jerusalem. At this point they came to the village of Bethany, a small village located about 2 miles east of Jerusalem. There they were welcomed by a woman named Martha, who invited them to dinner at her home. We know who this Martha is, don’t we? She had a sister named Mary and a brother named Lazarus, whom Jesus later on raised from the dead. As Luke tells us, Mary, her sister, sat at Jesus’ feet, listening to what Jesus said. Literally, the original says that she “kept on listening to Jesus.” In other words, Mary didn’t just sit and listen for a minute or two. She “kept on listening to Jesus.” Jesus kept on talking and Mary kept on listening.
Martha, on the other hand, was distracted. Literally the original says that she “kept on being pulled away.” She kept on being pulled away…. Do you see the picture? Mary is sitting there at Jesus’ feet, calm and content, soaking up Jesus’ every word like a sponge. And Martha is over on the side somewhere, going back and forth, back and forth. She listens for a minute or two and then she’s off to the kitchen, peeling potatoes or chopping vegetables. She listens for a minute or two and then she’s off to the dining room, changing the tablecloth and pulling out her good china. She listens for a minute or two and then she’s off to the market to get another gallon or two of milk and another couple dozen eggs.
Now before we become too hard on Martha, let me ask you ladies a question: How would you respond if Jesus and 12 other men showed up at your house one afternoon and suddenly you had 13 more guests for supper? Would you be a bit frantic? Would you be scrambling a bit to get everything ready, to prepare a nice meal, to straighten things up a bit and make things look nice? After all, it’s not every day that Jesus comes over to your house for supper. You would, wouldn’t you? If Jesus and his disciples came over to your house for supper, my guess is you’d respond the same way Martha did. You too would be busy in the kitchen, peeling potatoes and chopping vegetables. You too would be pulling out your good china and setting a nice table. You too would be busy straightening and tidying up a bit. After all, this is Jesus! So there certainly was nothing surprising or unusual about what Martha was doing.
And there was nothing wrong with it either. The things she was doing were good things, things done out of love for Jesus, things done to serve Jesus, to prepare a nice meal for him and his disciples. Certainly nothing wrong with that!
But look at the effect it was having. Martha was so busy and so distracted by all these other things that she didn’t have time to listen to Jesus. All of these other things kept dragging her away. And then it reached a point that they were about to drag Mary away too. As Luke tells, as time went along, Martha became a little upset with her sister. Here she was busy cleaning up, busy setting the table, busy cooking supper, and Mary wasn’t helping her. She left her do all the work by herself. How do you like it, children, when your parents give you a list of chores to do and while you’re busy doing them, your brother or sister just sits there and watches TV? Do you like it when they do that? Of course not! So finally, Martha became irritated enough that she said something to Jesus: “Lord, don’t you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me!”(v. 40)
And notice Jesus’ response: “Martha, Martha,” he said, “you are worried and upset about many things, but only one thing is needed. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her”(vv. 41-42).
There are many things that distract us too, aren’t there? They aren’t necessarily bad things. Is there anything bad about working? Is there anything bad about preparing a meal? Is there anything bad about doing the laundry or running errands or walking the dog or fishing with friends or checking email or watching TV? Of course not! But what effect do they have on our lives? Sadly, all too often they have the same effect on us that they had on Martha. They distract us and drag us away from time with Jesus. Our lives become so busy and so hectic with all these other things and all these other activities that we don’t have time to listen to Jesus. So let me get this straight: I have time to watch the latest episode of CSI, but I don’t have time to sit down with my family and have a family devotion? I have time to go fishing with my friends, but I don’t have time to go to church and listen to Jesus? I have time to text my friends and chat with my friends on Facebook, but I don’t have time to sit down with my Bible for a few minutes and listen to Jesus? May God forgive us for such sins, for allowing other things to get in the way and drag us away from what’s really important! May God have mercy on us and forgive us for the sake of Jesus Christ our Savior!
How thankful you and I can be for our Savior Jesus, a Savior who always has time for us; a Savior who did not let anything distract him and drag him away from what was important, especially his all important mission of saving our souls from sin and death; a Savior who, even though he is the Son of God, “did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many”(Mark 10:45); a Savior who gave his life for us on Calvary’s cross so that we might dine with him one day in the banquet hall of heaven!
Out of gratitude and thanks to Jesus for all he has done for us, let’s take the advice and encouragement he gives us in this story to heart. Let’s be on guard against all the distractions and the many things that can drag us away from him and always make time for the most important thing. Make time to listen to him.
You see, as Jesus says, only one thing is needed. Sure there are lots of things we can do each and every day, each and every week, but only one thing is needed. I can work 50 or 60 hours a week and make lots of money, but will doing so keep me close to my Savior Jesus and help me get to heaven? I can prepare wonderful meals for my family and make sure they always have fresh, clean clothes to wear, but will doing so nourish my faith and refresh my tired and weary spirit? I can spend hours surfing the internet, texting my friends, chatting with my friends on Snapchat, but will doing so give me guidance and wisdom for my daily life? You see, the one thing I need, the one thing you and I need more than anything each and every day is to spend some time with Jesus in his Word.
Through his Word Jesus does for us what nothing else can do. Through his Word he assures us of our forgiveness and gives us his comfort and peace. Through his Word he feeds our faith and refreshes our tired and weary spirits. Through his Word he guides us in the right paths, the paths that are truly good and right for us. Through his Word he strengthens and sustains our faith day by day until he brings us safely to his eternal home in heaven. This is what we need, the one and only thing we truly need each day: to spend time with Jesus in his Word. Make time to listen to Jesus!
A while back I remember hearing a story about the devil and his demons. I was told that it was a fictional story, but I wonder sometimes if it isn’t actually true. The story goes like this:
One day the devil called a meeting of all the demons to address a serious problem: the growing number of Christians and their faith in Jesus Christ. “We need to come up with a plan,” he said, “a plan to undermine their faith and get them to turn their backs on Jesus. Anyone have any ideas?”
“I say we use persecution,” suggested one demon. “I’ll have them thrown in prison and tortured. I’ll have them beaten and mocked in public. I’ll have them thrown to the lions and burned at the stake. That’ll make them turn their backs on Jesus.”
“We’ve tried that already,” replied Satan, “and it didn’t work very well. In fact, it had the opposite effect. The Christian faith spread even more.”
“Well, I say we destroy the Bible,” suggested another demon. “I say we have governments outlaw that stupid book and burn every copy they can find and ban it from the schools. Then those Christians won’t be able to read about Jesus and pretty soon they’ll fall away.”
“I don’t think that’ll work either,” Satan replied. “I’ve heard the Bible is even available on the internet now days.”
“How about if we double our efforts to lead them into sin,” offered a third, “and not just any sins, terrible sins like murder and adultery and prostitution and drunkenness, sins that will lead to great shame and despair?”
“It’s a good idea,” Satan answered, “but no matter how bad their sins are, so often those Christians still turn back to Jesus.”
“I know what will do it,” said a fourth. “Let’s make their lives really, really busy. Let’s fill their lives with work and sports and magazines and news and music and movies and cell phones and internet and email and texting and on and on and on. And pretty soon they’ll be so busy that they won’t have time to read their Bibles. They won’t have time to listen to Jesus.”
A sinister smile crept across Satan’s face. “Go, my friend,” he said. “Put your plan into action. It will bring many to hell.”
How successful has Satan been in carrying out his plan in your life? No matter how successful he has been, today’s a new day and an opportunity for a fresh start. Today’s the day to repent our sins and our short-comings, to find full and free forgiveness for all our sins in our Savior Jesus, and to recommit ourselves to what’s really important in life, the one thing we truly need—for our souls and for eternal salvation. Make time to listen to Jesus! Amen.