One Thing is Needful — E.A. Johnston

Prayer Enlists Heaven and Keeps the Main Thing Central

I am reminded about an oil painting that hangs in a Spanish gallery. In that little scene is a farmer. He's just removed his straw hat. He's laid down his farm implements, and he's assumed the position of prayer.

In the distance of that painting, if you look closely, there's a little village in the background with a church steeple and a bell tower. Evidently, the bell has rung, calling the little community to a time of prayer.

Everyone's laid down their farm implements, set down their work, and they're praying. And he's doing that. But if you look more closely at that painting, over to the right is a form of an angel. And that angel has picked up his plow and has gotten that team of mule going.

And it seems like that angel's getting ready to make a new furrow in the ground. And the caption of that oil painting is three words. Three words. You know what they are? No time lost. Do you get it? When we pray, all of heaven is enlisted on our behalf.

We get more done in prayer than we do out of prayer. Sometimes we get it all confused like Martha did. We're occupied with many things, some of them very useful, some of them very meaningful. But brethren, we're missing the main thing.

The average pastor, I've been told by Dr. Oldford, spends ten minutes a day in prayer. If that's true, what does the average Christian spend? One minute? It's shameful. God have mercy on us. Well, Mary knew what was better.

Mary’s Intimate Relationship With Jesus

Mary knew the joy of an intimate relationship with Jesus Christ. And that brings us to some final thoughts on this text. You see, this text has special significance to me. Very significant. It's touched my heart in a very deep, deep way.

Let me share it with you. I was reading the life of George Whitfield, the two wonderful volumes written by Arnold Dallimore. I don't know if you've ever read them, if you have, and I highly, highly recommend them.

I'll give you some background on it. I'll just read this to you. One of the volumes that caught my attention was a little photo. And here's the background on that photo. ...yet seemed to be destitute of heavenly things.

In the morning, George Whitfield arose, and before he left the room, he took a little diamond out of his pocket, and he wrote with a diamond on the pane of glass these important words from Mr. Fanning, these words he wrote, One thing is needful.

That was the photo. It didn't make a lasting impression on me at the time until God brought it together in another incident. I was sitting in the sanctuary at Bellevue, my church, flipping through my Bible, and the Spirit of God made me stop on our verse of today, verse 42.

One thing is needful. Left off that page. It was as if God took a spotlight and was shining it on that text, and my heart leapt for joy. I finally made a connection with what George Whitfield had written on that pane of glass.

You see, I had realized a new truth. I was sitting in the sanctuary, worrying about some bills, some financial matters. I wasn't paying attention to Dr. Rogers. I know you've never done that when you sit in a sanctuary before, but I was preoccupied with many things.

I wasn't focused on my pastor. But he, the Holy Spirit, broke my heart and showed me I was consumed with many things like Martha. And he opened up that text in a new way. Isn't it great when that happens, when it opens up a text in a new way?

Well, I realized as I sat there that all my efforts in life, all my activities, were useless if they were not centered around one needful thing, Jesus. You see, my many things were crowding out the main thing.

Biblical Examples of the One Thing Needful

I began to study some companion verses that bring this truth home, to hide it in my heart so I'd never forget it. I looked up Luke 18, 22, the story of the rich young ruler. In verse 22, Jesus answers the rich young ruler with these words, Yet lackest thou one thing, sell all that thou hast.

I saw this truth again. The rich young ruler lacked one thing, one thing needful. I looked up Mark 8, verse 36, and read, For what shall it profit a man if he shall gain the whole world and lose his own soul?

I went to the Psalms. I read Psalm 27, verse 4. One thing have I desired of the Lord that I will 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.

Again, one thing have I desired. Even David knew this truth. He had a heart after God. He knew well the one thing needful. Again, I turned to the Psalms, this time Psalm 73, verse 25. Whom have I in heaven but thee?

And there is none upon earth that I desire beside thee. Again, one thing is needful. It's a theme that runs through the Bible like a golden thread. Moses knew it. Abraham knew it. Jacob learned it. Paul saw it.

Peter eventually realized it. Have you? Have you, brother? Do you realize this truth in your life? I don't care if you're a new Christian or a professional Christian. Do you know this truth? Let me share something very personal with you.

Surrendering Good Things to Christ’s Lordship

It's in my heart. Dr. Alford at the Christian Life Convention, that was the first time I had ever come to a Christian Life Convention. And Roger Wilmore was preaching that night. And Roger Wilmore doesn't know this, but I got a blessing that night that's going to last me forever.

Roger Wilmore was telling about and how F .B. Meyer had listened to C .T. Stutt talk about giving it all to Jesus and not holding anything back. It's a well-known story. You've heard it a dozen times.

You've probably preached it several times. I had heard it many, many times before Roger Wilmore preached it that night. In fact, in my study at my home, on my desk, is a framed picture of F .B. Meyer.

F .B. Meyer is very important to me. I treasure his life of holiness and what that stood for. But something happened to me that night. Roger Wilmore was preaching on lordship. And Roger Wilmore said something, though I had probably heard it before.

I'm not a new Christian. I was saved in Chicago in a Plymouth Brethren church in 1968. That's a long time ago. I've been a Christian for a while. But Roger Wilmore said something that evening. He said, you know, F .B. Meyer, when you give everything to the Lord, it doesn't necessarily have to be a moral issue or a sin issue.

It can be a good thing. That's just not the wrong thing. And then came to my mind Leonard Ravenhill. I remember Leonard Ravenhill telling a story that he had a dear Christian friend who was wealthy. And every time Leonard Ravenhill got with this dear Christian man, all this man wanted to talk about was Jesus.

Every time Leonard Ravenhill got with this man, this man made him so thirsty for Christ, he was salt. They made him thirsty to long in the presence of Jesus. Well, one day, this man took up stamp collecting.

And he collected stamps. And he collected and collected and collected. And he told Leonard Ravenhill, he said, brother, you want to come over and see my British Colonials? I just paid $50 ,000 for them.

$50 ,000 for some stamps. And Leonard Ravenhill said, you know, after a while, this dear brother didn't want to talk about Jesus anymore. He just wanted to talk about stamps. See, sometimes a good thing can become a bad thing.

That was with me at one time in my life with a game of golf. Golf was not necessarily a bad thing, but I was getting to where I was playing golf five times a week. If I could take back the years that I spent wasted on a golf course unnecessarily and put that time on my knees and in my Bible, brethren, I would do that right now.

But I can't take that back right now. What happened here with Roger Wilmore, when he said that, the Holy Spirit convicted me. The Holy Spirit said, I want you to go down front. Tonight's Lordship Night, where people are going to go down front and commit their lives to complete Lordship.

And I thought, well, I've already done that, Lord. You know, I don't have any sin issues or moral issues. I don't need to do that. I'm fine. You know, you're using me. You've got me here at the Offering Studio.

You're using me in other ministries. I don't need to go down there and do that. That's for, you know, some of these other people here. And the Holy Spirit pounded on my heart that if I didn't go down front and surrender this one thing, I was through.

Through. I had a negative and critical attitude. I came down here and surrendered that. And I can tell you right now, I have liberty. Liberty. I'm free. He has all of me. All of me. And He'll have all of me here and all of me for all eternity.

Because of Roger Wilmore that night, here, with that story I'd heard a dozen times on F .B. Meyer. The Holy Spirit showed me the one thing needful. He said, there's still one thing you haven't given me.

Go do it. Go give it. And I did. And I'm glad I did. And I've noticed that have a life full that means more to them than others. J. Sidlow Baxter had a life verse. He would sign books that he autographed with Philippians 310.

Life Verses and Knowing Christ

I have many books by Sidlow Baxter with his signature in there with Philippians 310. That I may know him and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of his sufferings being made conformable unto his death.

That's not a real good impersonation of Sid, but that's about as good as I can do. J. Sidlow Baxter lived that verse. He knew Jesus. He knew Jesus. When you heard him preach, you saw there was a man that just came out of the presence of God.

He knew him. Dr. Stephen Alford has a life verse. We all know what it is. When he signs a book, what does he put near his name? Galatians 220. Right? It's his life verse. In fact, he's written an entire book on its subject.

Not I but Christ. If you haven't read it, shame on you. Go get a copy and read it. Memorize it. Stephen Alford lives that verse. Verse 42. I will live this verse out in the course of my life however God chooses to use me.

By the enabling of the power of the Holy Spirit, I say here today that you too will go to the book and get your life verse. It's here. If you don't have it, it's waiting for you. We see Mary is concerned about one thing.

Mary at the Feet of Jesus

Verse 42. Mary hath chosen that good part. Mary knew the best thing. Mary sat at the feet of Jesus and she heard him. Do you do this? Do you sit at his feet? Do you sit at his feet and listen to him? I hope so.

If you don't, make time to do it. Take time to do it. Mary chose the good part. If we neglect this aspect of her Christian walk, we will suffer loss. Also, Mary was focused on the main thing. Mary was well aware that the only thing that was needful in her life was Jesus.

She realized the magnificent truth that Jesus was all she needed. She found out who she was in Jesus. My wife, three years ago, found out who she was in Jesus. It's transformed her life. Have you found out who you are in Jesus?

Mary had her priorities in the right place. She had chosen the good part. You know what? There's some hope in this verse and I'll close with this. There's some hope in this text. I got some devastating news this week.

Finding Hope in Christ Amid Suffering

Very crushing news. My wife got a bad report from the doctor. She has an incurable disease. I got this disease this year at the age of 60 and now my wife has it. It seems possibly that she's lacking an enzyme in her body.

It's genetic and it makes you an invalid eventually and you literally suffocate to death. It's horrible. It's horrible. We got that news this week. What do you do when you get news like that? I'll tell you what you do.

You stand on this and you lean on him. That's what you do. One thing needful. One thing needful. Mary had his feet. We saw Martha occupied about many things and Mary occupied with one thing. Let me close this in prayer.

This message is a transforming message, Lord. I pray that there's a dear brother here or a dear sister here, Lord, who still has something, one comportment in their life that they haven't fully given to you, Jesus, in total Lordship.

That they give that to you now, Lord. That they settle it this week. It doesn't have to be a bad thing, as I learned, like a moral issue or a sin issue. It could be your pride, brother. It could be your attitude.

It could be a good thing that maybe is keeping you from the main thing, something that's taking up too much of your time. You should be spending more time at the feet of Jesus. I pray right now that the Holy Spirit will speak to your heart and that you will surrender all, all to him in total Lordship because if he's not Lord of all, he's not Lord at all.

I pray this in Jesus Christ's name. Amen.