One Thing - Pastor Brad DeLong

Turn with me to the book of Luke, chapter 10, verse 38. Our mission as a church is to connect with God and others. This is one of the primary ways we do that. We just stack the deck on Sundays. We we worship the Lord. That helps us connect with God. We commune with the body that helps us connect with the Lord. And then we go to his word. If you leave here without connecting with God, you shouldn't. All right, we turn to this story.

As far as we know, Luke is the only gospel writer to record this interaction between Jesus and two sisters. Some believe Luke did it intentionally to remind his hearers and readers of the admonition to seek and love the Lord with all of our hearts. He's just talked about the parable of the Samaritan, how to love your neighbor. And right after we get this short story about an unorthodox disciple of Jesus and how all of her attention and affection was fixed upon him and his teachings, his presence and his word.

And we see embedded in this text our core value of love for the Lord. Says, "Now it happened as they went Jesus and his disciples that they entered a certain village and a certain woman named Martha welcomed him into her house. She had a sister called Mary who also sat at Jesus's feet and heard his word. But Martha was distracted with much serving. She approached Jesus said, "Lord, don't you care? My sisters left me to serve alone. That's awkward." She said, "Therefore, tell her." She didn't even ask.

Tell her to help me. Jesus answered and said unto her,"Martha, Martha, you're 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." This story, this passage has been at the forefront of my heart and mind as I pray for APC and for our guests, for my own family during this time and season. This morning, I'm here to remind us about that one thing Jesus referenced in verse 42. That's my title for today. You can see it on the screen.

We're going to talk about the main thing, the one thing that we all really truly need. I wonder if you would seek his face right now. If you put your Bibles down and spend some time this morning before we go any further seeking after the Lord, would you call on that name of Jesus again? Lord, we seek you over and above anything else in this era and uh season of distraction. We seek your face. We seek you this morning over and above anything you could do for us, Lord.

We're thankful that we can seek you for the miraculous. We're thankful that we can seek you for many things, for peace and healing and strength. But more THAN ANY OF THAT, we seek you and we seek your face. And we want to encounter you and connect with you today. In the name of Jesus, we pray. Before you're seated, just say the title. One thing. Would you say that with me? One thing. And you may be seated.

This scene in Luke 10 is not difficult to imagine, but I've asked for some help in order to convey this moment with Jesus and Mary and Martha and likely other disciples gathered around. You don't see those disciples pictured here. So, we're just going to recruit you all as disciples of Jesus. So, you're the disciples as well. You're in this thing. I hope you're disciples of Jesus. I believe you are.

Jesus has his disciples and and uh this scene, our closest approximation to this moment, I thought, is probably a Thanksgiving morning as the host of the house tries their best to clean and cook and dress the kids and make sure uh everything gets done and nothing gets burned in the oven all at the same time because Jesus is coming, the the most important guest of all. And Martha is like some of you Thanksgiving hosts that morning trying to show her best face.

Get the the the place and the food ready for this allimportant house guest. Just observe with me that Jesus has arrived and he again has an entourage that you're not seeing pictured here. You are the entourage. All right. He's greeted by Martha. How are you, Jesus? And she immediately gets to work. She's uh making from scratch all the food that's needed for his entire party. They didn't have bread makers and they didn't have KitchenAids in that day. All the things we have, she's doing it all from scratch.

She's she's working on the oranges right now. All right. Mary, meanwhile, has done something very unorthodox, especially for a woman in the first century. She's sitting at the feet of Jesus, which is significant because Jesus is a teacher. He's a rabbi and and usually only his male disciples and followers would sit in that position as he taught. Mary fixated on the master. She sits strategically with her male counterpart.

She's just locked in on the words of the master as he takes advantage of this pre-meal moment and he instructs his students. Jesus is thinking, "All right, Martha's working. I'm just going to take some time and I'm going to teach and I'm going to uh convey some things." And Mary sits in what could be a pretty precarious spot in that day and age. But Jesus takes it all in stride. He doesn't just allow for it. He actually encourages it.

This is a break in tradition and in culture in one of the very best ways as Mary takes a chance and she wants to hear the words of life from the originator of life himself. Her position indicates exactly where her heart wants to be. She wants to be with Jesus. That's Mary. Meanwhile, Martha struggling with the same orange. Thank you, Sister Martha. The much maligned Martha, the criticized Martha. She's busy. She's working. She's frantic. Some would say she's anxious and stress laden.

She She's the matron of the house. She's directly in charge of the guests. She's in charge of the inner workings of the house. This is her cultural and inherent role and duty. I know she's often criticized for this very passage, but I also want you to notice she's actually in the middle of practicing the celebrated biblical principle of hospitality in this passage. She's working hard. She's not necessarily sinning. She's not really neglecting Jesus. She's actually trying to do something special for Jesus.

She's being productive in a word we like to use in the United States or in the West. She's being industrious, something we all celebrate. She's fulfilling a cultural mandate and one that's highlighted in places like Matthew 25 and Hebrews 12 and 1 Peter 4 and Romans 12 where we're told to dis distribute to the needs of the saints and and WE SHOULD BE GIVEN TO HOSPITALITY. That's what she's doing. This is literally listed as a qualification of an overseer in First Timothy.

It's something that an elder and a follower of Christ should do and be. And towards the saints and the outsider, the outcasts, especially towards Jesus, we're to BE HOSPITABLE. WE LOVE TO BE A HOSPITABLE CHURCH, RIGHT? We love to welcome persons. THIS IS APPARENTLY what Martha's trying to do. And to be, she's preparing her house and and meals. She's trying to serve her guests. She's trying to serve the master. So, we need to to note this is actually normally a good thing.

And one writer said, "Martha's act may fall short of Mary's in this narrative, but her labor represents the best display of devotion that she knows how to offer. She's trying to serve Jesus. She is malign in many cases, but she's fulfilling what she believes, and this is critical, is the most important thing. LET ME JUST PAUSE AND SAY, and you can pause for just a moment, Martha. LET ME JUST PAUSE AND SAY THIS. MANY OF OUR distractions don't seem to be overt sin. Now, some are. Others are just time wasters.

They they uh steal our focus. They steal our attention for trivial or temporal things. Some distractions are causes for worrying and and we spin our wheels doing just that. We toil, we fret, we worry, we're fixated on these things. But others are responsibilities that are actually important, which is where the lines get a little blurry and the priorities get out of whack. Other distractions are roles and responsibilities.

They're they're even biblical mandates like taking care of our families and and operating in the routine of life. If you took a log of your time over the last week, the past several weeks, there may be a mixture of some screen time and maybe some amoral activities, things that aren't immoral, things that aren't moral. And maybe there's a few moments for which we all would want to repent. I have a few moments that I need to repent for.

But for the most part, it may be a log of time mostly full of God orained responsibilities, taking care of your home and family matters, rest, even ministry service. Our hours are filled just like Martha's. You can proceed, Martha. I know you got a lot to do. Our hours are filled. Like Martha's house was filled that day. and and she locked in ON A COUPLE PRIORITIES THAT SHE thought were the most important. You think they're the most important. She likely even had a few scriptures to back up her priorities.

She likely had some principles to back up her biblical but illtimed and wrongly prioritized hospitality. Instead of doing the most important thing, NOTICE WHAT SHE'S DISTRACTED WITH IN SCRIPTURE. much serving. Not just serving, but over serving. Too much serving. Now, please don't take this scripture and this passage to say, "Well, it's serving is the problem. I just have to stop serving and and I shouldn't do anything." Jesus didn't criticize her serving. She was serving the master. That's a good thing.

Jesus didn't tell her, "You should no longer serve any more." Jesus doesn't reprimand her because she served him in the kingdom. The Bible says instead that she's cumbered, a word meaning that she's overwhelmed, she's burdened, she's distracted, even a word meaning that she's pulled away by much serving. It was not that her serving was evil or inherent problem, but anything that pulls us away from the feet of the master and the presence and the word of the master, that is not a good thing in that space.

And it may be a good thing when you're doing it with the right uh timing and motives, but if it pulls you away from this, it is now no longer a good thing. It was the timing of her serving, the motive of her serving, the method of her serving that pulled her away from the master. The truth is, church, we will always be serving someone. We're always going to be serving something. Some of us, we're going to take some time. We're going to serve our flesh and our desires and ambitions as well.

Most of it though is going to be good things. We're going to be serving our family and serving our community and serving our church and serving our co-workers, etc. But but in all of our serving and our time and our motives and our methods, they can become misaligned like Martha's. And we need a one thing moment like Martha had in verse 41 when she's confronted by the word of the Lord and of the master. She finally has a breakdown. She's done. She's exasperated because her heart is misplaced.

Let me just pause here and say what I felt the Lord instruct me to say earlier this week. Some of you are headed for a moment where you are just exasperated. Will you throw your hands up in the air? I want you to notice who she gets mad at. She gets mad at her sister and SHE GETS MAD AT THE MASTER. LORD, don't you care? Don't you see me? I'M WORN OUT. I'M TIRED. I'm distracted. Or I've been working. I'VE BEEN SERVING. I've been doing all the the right things she has this moment.

Lord, don't you care that my sister has left me to serve alone? Therefore, tell her to help me. Someone may look up from all your busyiness and distraction, even busyness for what appears to be biblical reasons. And and you're going to be exasperated with your serving and your motives and your master. And I want you to notice the response of Jesus. These words have been ringing in my ears, in my heart. He looks at her. HE SAYS, "MARTHA, MARTHA, you're worried and troubled about many things, but one thing is needed.

Mary has chosen that good part which will not be taken away from her." Jesus sometimes repeated himself for dramatic effect to arrest her attention. He may have even used this as a gentle rebuke. I want you to note that in scripture, Jesus usually only says this in A PIVOTAL MOMENT. SIMON, SIMON, SATAN'S DESIRED TO SHIFT YOU LIKE WHEAT. You know, Jesus only does this three times with three people. Martha, Paul, and Peter. It's important when Jesus repeats himself. And especially when it's your name, Martha. Martha.

He's needing to drive home a point to her. And the point is to show her YOU'RE CAUGHT UP IN SO MANY IMPORTANT things that you're missing the main thing. the one thing, the only thing about which you should be concerned. Martha, you're worried, you're anxious, YOU'RE DISTRACTED, YOU'RE YOU'RE WORKED UP ABOUT A WHOLE LOT OF THINGS, and that's relatable. In fact, IT'S IT'S OFTEN WHEN I'M focused on everything else but Jesus that I'm the most overwhelmed, the most distracted, the most anxious.

I'm going to say that again for the people in the back or the ones who need to hear it. It's often It's often when I'm forgetting about Jesus. It's often when I'm my mind's on other things that I'm the most anxious, the most distracted, the most overwhelmed. Even when it comes to ministry and serving, when my motive isn't right and the aim of my servant uh serving is anything other than pleasing Jesus and helping others, I I tend to be the most worked up and the most distracted about that serving.

He reminds her, you have many things on your plate and on your mind, but you really just need one thing. Mary has chosen that GOOD PART WHICH WILL NOT be taken away from her. To recap, no one can deny she's engaged in good things at face value. She's serving the master through biblical the biblical practice of hospitality, but at the same time, all her good things have crowded out the God things that were in the same space and time. She was in the service of the king, WORKING WHAT SHE thought was the priority.

And Jesus arrests her attention to remind her, you're missing the most important thing the entire time. He he essentially tells her, you're missing the one thing in light of all the other things. These are not evil things. They are simply not the most important things. The master's in the room giving the words of life. And you're missing his words and time with him doing something that is entirely secondary and subordinate. I know it's important.

I know it is, but it's lesser than sitting with Jesus and being with him and learning from him and taking his yoke and way of life from him. Martha was doing a good thing from most objective angles. Mary had chosen the better thing. Mary had chosen the God thing. Luke is recording this moment intentionally as one writer says because he's helping to make the point that waiting quietly on the Lord is more important than the busying uh uh busyiness or the the bustling busyiness.

And even the acts of service in which we would engage ourselves being with Jesus, learning from Jesus, abiding with Jesus, apart from me, he says you can do nothing. Nothing. Being a disciple of Jesus, listening to the words of Jesus, resting with Jesus, the combination of these disciplines and practices, these are more important than even our very important but ultimately lesser priorities and acts of service.

Simply put, the one thing Jesus is the most important thing and priority in the room and in our lives for that matter any day and any time. I believe this is Jesus is in Luke's point. It's the one we're trying to convey today. Truth is, church, I can hardly think of a more apt scenario for 2025 in the busy season in which we find ourselves than the one we just read about in scripture and the one we just saw displayed. Thank you to you all. You all can take your seat. Thank you. Give him a round of applause.

I read these words and they cut me. It's what the word of God does. I don't know of a season in which those words are more apt. It's not just fitting for this season and this year. The reality is it bears a striking similarity in general with the busy lives in which we find ourselves. Martha had a moment. We have a series of moments that str seem to string all the way back to before co and the pace of life in the last decade or more. How many would just just being honest?

How many would freely admit that the world seems to be spinning faster than it ever has? That's a euphemism to say life is busy. Yeah. I had a friend tell me, he said, "My life is basically saying that this week and next week are really busy, but the week after is going to slow down only for that week to be busier than the others." And how many times we ask someone, "Hey, how you doing?" They say, "Good and busy." As if those two things are compatible.

Now, we celebrate busyness in our culture at least, and I'm guilty of it. I I'm busy. A word meaning having a great deal to do or a word meaning consistently occupied. That one cut. To use a biblical equivalent, I could say, "I am constantly cumbered, easily distracted." Many of us are busy in one way or the other. Even if we don't have a full schedule, we're busy. We're busy. Some are busy with distractions, weights, maybe even sins that ens snare us and encumber us. Some some are overt.

They're they're they're clear. They're obvious. Others are less obvious. Others are just busy with time wasters. Things are they're not immoral, but but things that squander one of the greatest gifts we've been given to steward, which is our time. And still others are consumed with the cares and the worries of this life that choke out the word of God. Some of those cares and worries were on your mind when you walked in this room.

Even even as I talk right now, some of those cares and worries, like Jesus said, are trying to choke out the word OF LIFE. EVEN DUR I got to get home and I got to get this done. And I know you do. But what's the one thing you really need today? I know like Martha that we're busy with responsibilities that are important and and THEN THEY'RE A LOT LESS BLACK and white. They're they're gray. They they blur the lines when we try to decide IS THIS A PRIORITY OVER SITTING at the feet of Jesus.

There may be a few Marthas in the room who ARE BUSY WITH BIBLICAL MANDATES, good things, things they've got a scripture or two to back up unless they compare it with the whole of scripture. And I've been there. Others are busy with ministry, ministry, hospitality, serving others. commend you for seeking first the kingdom of God and doing good things, taking care of the kingdom and the concerns of the kingdom while the master watches from the corner of your life waiting to break in.

Can I just present to you that IF YOUR GOOD THINGS displace and outweigh all your God MOMENTS AND YOUR GOD THINGS AND they cease to continue to be good things. If your ministry and your service, your responsibilities are not motivated by your moments with the master AND THEY'RE NOT FUELED by the overflow of your relationship with God and THEY ARE NOT HEALTHY. NOR ARE they fully sanctioned by the master the way that they currently are. God may have called you to it.

And I believe that he did, but he did not call you to that instead of him. He did not call you to that in place of him. You cannot have one without I can have Jesus and and not serve. And that's really difficult because when I get in Jesus's presence, I feel the call to serve. If I'm going to be like Jesus, I need to serve. So really, I don't know if that's entirely possible, but I absolutely cannot serve the kingdom effectively if I don't have Jesus.

If you are doing good things but neglecting the one thing Jesus talks about your good things may end up causing your own encumberment and distraction from the master. Hear me. God never intended for us to be encumbered and captured and anxious and overwhelmed by many things while we completely miss the one thing. And again, he does call us to ministry and to service and to hospitality. Please don't take this to mean well I'm done with serving. I I got distracted with serving. No, you can have both. He did.

But he did not cause to ministry without him. You cannot have one without the other. Instead, it's to a culture of busyiness and to an age of distraction, a season of time wasters, an era of extracurriculars. It is to this busy urban wonderful beautiful church. It's to this pastor with 10 spinning plates in any given moment. It's in this family of beloved but busy believers. The voice of the master breaks through this morning like it DID FROM MARTHA. MARTHA. MARTHA. ABC. ABC. BRADLEY. BRADLEY.

MOM, DAD, CHILD OF GOD, ELDER HYPHEN YOUTH, NEW BELIEVER, SEASON SAINT, FIRST TIME GUEST. MAYBE YOU'RE DISTRACTED with many things. And maybe you're cumbered and and caught up by any number of misaligned priorities. You're you're anxious and worried and stress laden and overwhelmed. You're focused and fixated on the task at hand and the many things that vi for your time and attention.

I hear the voice of the master saying, "I've been waiting for you to look up and listen up and heed my word and my voice long enough and to fix your eyes on me and your attention on the one thing who's the answer to it all." And just in case that one thing isn't clear yet, let me remind you it's been the same one thing from the beginning to the end. From the Old Testament to the New. The Psalmist declares it. The Psalmist declares him to us this morning. Psalm 27. The Lord is my light and my salvation.

Whom shall I fear? The Lord is the strength of my life. Of whom shall I be afraid? Even when the wicked come against me to eat up my flesh, my enemies and foes, they they stumbled and fell. Though an army may encamp against me, that's a couple things to be worried about. My heart shall not fear. The war may rise against me. And this I will be confident.

What one thing he says I desired of the Lord, and that will I seek, THAT I MAY DWELL IN THE HOUSE OF THE LORD ALL THE DAYS of my life, TO BEHOLD THE BEAUTY OF the Lord, TO INQUIRE IN HIS TEMPLE. FOR IN THE TIME OF TROUBLE, HE SHALL HIDE ME IN HIS PAVILION, in the secret place of his tabernacle. He shall hide me. He'll set me high upon a rock. Verse eight, he said, when you said, seek my face. My heart said to you, your face, Lord, I'll seek one thing. Verse 14, wait on the Lord. Be of good courage.

He'll strengthen your heart. Wait, I say on the Lord. I think you're getting the picture already, but just in case it's a little fuzzy, I'll continue to paint it from Psalm 37. What's the one thing I really need in this life? Delight yourself also in the Lord and he'll give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way unto the Lord. Trust also in him and he'll bring it to pass. He'll bring forth your righteousness as the light, your justice as the noon day. Rest in the Lord. Wait patiently for him.

Do not fret because of him who prospers in his way. Because of the man who brings wicked schemes to pass. Cease from anger. Forsake wrath. Do not fret. That's a word for somebody right then and there. Psalm 62, my soul, wait silently for God alone. For my expectation is from him. All those things we put our faith and trust in. And the Lord's I believe he's just kind of grabbing us by the face and say, "No, no, no. Here, right here." I do this with my kiddos every once in a while.

I don't necessarily grab them by the face, but I'll say, "Hey, look, look, look, look, look at me. Look me in the eyes." And I'll get down on their level. Just imagine the Lord of Hosts and all our worries and all our anxieties. Hey, hey, come here. Look at me. Look at me. I have something to say to you. He calls you by name and says, "I'm what you've been looking for. I'm the thing you've been looking for. He only is my rock and my salvation. He is my defense. I shall not be moved.

And God is my salvation and my glory. The rock of my strength. My refuge IS IN GOD. TRUST in him at all times, you people. Pour out your heart before him. God is a refuge for us. And then from the master himself, we hear the call that's especially pertinent, I believe, this time of year. In fact, I look back at my notes. I did not plan this. I think I've preached this passage every November for the last three years. Again, didn't plan it.

The Lord says, "Come to me all labor and heavy laden and I'll give you rest." All that restlessness in your life. I'm talking to someone right now. All that restlessness in your life, it is not found in all the other things and all the other devices and all the other rest is in him. It's in him. My yoke is easy. My burden is light. Mary responds directly to that call. and she sits at the feet of the rabbi.

She takes his yoke upon her and it's clear from the context and and from his response what or should I say who that one thing is. What Martha really needed. What we all really need this morning and all of our busyiness and and distraction. I walked into Sam's Club and they got 10 foot tall reindeer. I'm already distracted. Come on. We are in WE'VE GOT WAY TOO MANY DISTRACTIONS than we know how to handle. Feel the Lord reaching for somebody today.

Way too many distractions in your life than you can handle and filter. Here's your filter. Here's your filter. In the presence of God, what we really need in all of our anxiety and exasperation and what we need when our life is spinning and our priorities are caving in.

And when when when Martha was exasperated, the Lord didn't say, "All right, give it all up and and and abandon your call and step away from serving." He said, "No, no, why don't you just get back to the feet of the source of this thing?" What we need has always been Jesus. Jesus is the one thing we need. His presence is the antidote for what I'm facing. His word and his voice are what I really need right now. His closeness, his yoke, his rest. So, he speaks to you and me today. Martha. Martha. Bradley. Bradley.

Some of you didn't even know my name was Bradley. There's three people in my life that call me Bradley. Jesus is one of them. Whatever your given name is, the Lord's calling to you today. I feel the God of heaven trying to arrest someone's attention like he did the church of Ephesus in Revelation. He said to them, "I know your works and your labor. I see it. I see your patience. I I see that you cannot bear those who are evil and and you've you've tested those who are say they're apostles and are not.

And you found them liars. Good things. Good things, church of Ephesus. AND YOU'VE PERSEVERED AND YOU'VE HAD patience and you've labored for my name's sake. You have not become weary. Nevertheless, I have this against you." You should have been here listening to the word of God, but you left your first love. Verse seven, he who has an ear to hear, let him hear what the spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes, I'll give to eat from the tree of life which is in the midst of the paradise of God.

There's a dispute about that first love and who John's talking about. Maybe a love for others or a love for the Lord. I believe those two are intertwined. first love. In other words, you you used to love one another and you used to love me and my word with all your heart, but somewhere along the line in all your works and all your busyiness, you lost sight of the most important thing. First love, he says, "Come back.

Return to me." He doesn't say, "Stop your serving and your works and quit the things for which he commended them." He doesn't tell them to choose one or the other. But he does say, "You better choose this first. first love. And elsewhere in Psalm 127, we see a similar theme. It's not a bad thing to serve in labor.

But when it's absent of the master in his word and mandate, and this is a a specific I know I'm I'm reaching for everybody, but for someone who is serving and your your motives for serving have shifted, he says, "Unless the Lord builds a house, they labor in vain who build it. Unless the Lord guards the city, the watchman stays awake in vain. It's vain for you to rise up early and sit up late to eat the bread of sorrows. For so he gives his beloved sleeps.

He says to the Israelites later and to those exasperated to us by extension in Isaiah to a people who trusted in Egypt. He says, "For thus says the Lord God, the Holy One of Israel, in returning and rest you shall be saved and quietness and confidence shall be your strength." He says, "But but you would not. But you would not. Don't let that be your story.

I didn't plan to talk about that at all, but that while the word is going forth, the Lord tells them, "You're going to hear it and you're not going to do it." Not us, church. Not us. We're going to hear. We're going to repent. We're going to return. We're going to get to the feet of the master. What does it all mean today? What's the one thing we really need? What was Martha missing? What do I need to get a hold of before I leave this place and when I come to this altar in a moment?

What should I find in this service? What should I find every morning when I awake? What should I prioritize with my routine and my schedule? What should I root my ministry in and my service and my responsibilities? What should I root all my decisions in? It's Jesus. It's his word. Hear me today, child of God. Like the Lord himself was calling your name twice in a row. If I do it all and I gain it all, but I miss Jesus. I missed it all. If I miss Jesus in my home, but I get all my chores done, I missed it all.

Moms, dads, if I instill everything in my kids that they need to learn to grow and develop and be successful, but I miss Jesus and his word, I missed it all. All those things are important, but you you can have both. And if there's anything you miss, it cannot be Jesus. If I'm gonna find anything in my day today, it's going to be Jesus.

If you're a guest with us today and you're coming into this place and you've been running ragged and you're exasperated and you're ready to throw your hands in the air, maybe you're just you feel empty, you feel devoid like Martha did that day, let me encourage you that if you'll find Jesus this morning, if you'll repent and you'll turn away from some of those other things and you'll say, "Lord, I I need you.

Would you forgive me of my sins?" If you go down in baptism in Jesus' name and you receive the gift of the spirit of God with the biblical evidence of speaking with other tongues, you can gain it all. You can find it all. You can gain the world today. And if you're weary and heavy laden, doing all the good things, but missing the God things, you can and should get back to Jesus today and every day. Musicians, you can come. Let me say today, if you're distracted, I believe you're in good company.

And that assumes that I'm good company. I hope I'm good company. But even the pastor needs Martha moments. I've been calling them one thing moments where I'm reminded the mo the most important things. I had one. We got to go be with brother Brady, right? His wedding. We were sitting in the in the house. had a family devotion time. My kids were playing in the floor and the Holy Ghost was in that room. Those times are so precious.

If I didn't get to do anything else and I missed out on all the other wonderful good things of life, but I got that. I've gained it all. for those in ministry who I really felt called to talk to today. Those who are serving the kingdom of God. We've got such an awesome group of people here today. Hundreds of volunteers that serve here at APC. But maybe you missed it and maybe you're tired and weary. I want to share a story with you.

I've shared before, but it'll help you know again every one of us need these moments like we're going to have this morning. It's a busy season of ministry and the ministry wasn't the problem. It was my mindset. And I remember I preached a couple times and I went to pray one morning in the basement of my home. You should pray before you preach, right? Should seek the face of God. But I went to the Lord.

I said, "Lord, I I need to know what you want me to say." in his gentle and corrective and loving way which I feel today. He responded to me. He said, "Did you come to me for just another sermon? Or did you come because you want to know me? You can tell that moment marked me. And every day I sit and I seek one thing first and foremost. Believe me, I got a list. Lord, this person needs help.

And this person and I could spend all day praying for my wonderful church family, but my main motive, the one thing I need to find is Jesus. And I need to hear his voice. And the Lord has said this consistently in our services over and over again. And if you're not hearing the voice of God, you need to open your ears and you need to open your Bible and you need to listen and God will speak to you. This morning as I invite you to stand, the altar call is simple.

You may have a hundred things on your mind, but I'm going to ask you to set those aside right now. And there's one thing and one person and one great God who we're going to seek together this morning. In just a moment, I'm going to turn this mic off and I'm going to pull it down and I'm going to find a place at this altar and I'm going to join you because no one's exempt. We all need the Lord. Maybe you found him this morning. Maybe you sat with him already. We can all spend more time with him, right?

I know this isn't necessarily for everybody really. it is. But maybe you can come and pray for someone else. We're going to seek the Lord together. If you want to seek God's face, you want to be closer to him, would you just start to make your way right now and find a place to pray? And I I'm going to ask you just to stay until you found him. Would you stay until maybe he's spoken to you clearly? Maybe maybe he'll envelop you in his presence and his goodness and his mercy. Let's join together. Let's pray this.

at the center of it all. Jesus at the center of it all from the beginning to the end. It will be Jesus. Jesus. Jesus at the center of it all. Jesus at the center of it all. From beginning to the end, it will always be. It's always been you, Jesus. Jesus. Nothing else matter. Nothing in this world will Jesus, you're the everything revolves around you. Jesus, you nothing else matter. Nothing in this world will do. Jesus, you're the center. Everything revolves around you, Jesus. Jesus at the center of it all.

Jesus at the center of it all. From beginning to the end, it will always be. It's always been you, Jesus. Jesus nothing else matterers nothing in this world will do Jesus you're the center everything revolves around You Jesus you. Nothing else matterers. Nothing in this world. Nothing in this world will do. Jesus, you're the center. Everything revolves around you. Jesus, you Jesus be the center of my life. Jesus be the center of my life. From beginning to the end, it will always be. It's always been you, Jesus.

Jesus. Nothing else matterers. Nothing in this world will do. Jesus, you're the center. Everything revolves around you, Jesus. You from my heart to the heavens. Jesus be the center. It's all about you. Yes, it's all about you. From my heart to the heavens, Jesus be the center. It's all about you. Yes, it's all about you. From my heart to the heavens, Jesus be the center. It's all about you. Yes, it's all about you. From my heart to the heavens, Jesus, be the center. It's all about you.

Yes, it's all about you, Jesus. Be the center of your church. Jesus be the center of your church. And every knee will bow and every tongue shall confess you Jesus. Jesus nothing else matterers. Nothing in this world will do. Jesus be the center. Jesus, you're the center. Everything revolves around you, Jesus. you. Nothing else matterers. Nothing in this world will do. Jesus, you're the center. Everything revolves around you. Jesus, you. Jesus at the center of it all. Jesus at the center of it all.

From beginning to the end. It will always be you, Jesus. Jesus. Jesus at the center of it all. Jesus at the center of it all. From beginning to the end, it will always be. It's always been you, Jesus. Jesus. Nothing else matterers. Nothing in this world will do. Jesus, you're the center. Everything revolves around you, Jesus. You nothing else matter. Nothing in this world will do. Jesus, you're the center. Everything revolves around you. Jesus, you nothing else matter. Nothing in this world will do.

Jesus, you're the center. Everything revolves around you, Jesus. I wonder if you feel that drawing presence of the Lord right now.

I want you to mark it then what it feels like because it doesn't feel like condemnation does it doesn't feel like the Lord coming and slapping you on the hand saying you should feels like the Lord saying come back to me like that prodigal coming back to his father I wonder if you would respond you already have but if you'd respond to it by making a commitment to the Lord Oh God, I'm going to pursue you first and foremost every day.

And please, if you make that commitment, don't make it if you don't intend to follow up on it. Would you stand with me right now? And would you commit to the Lord, oh God, however many moments I need in your presence, one thing moments, we commit to you, Jesus, as individuals, as a body, we're going to get the main, we're going to keep the main thing, the main thing. We're going to pursue one thing over and above everything else.

We're going to love the Lord our God with all of our heart, with all of our soul, with all of our strength. We're going to pursue you first and foremost, Jesus. More than the things that we need from you, and more than the miracles we seek, and more than what you can do for us, Lord, we're going to seek you. We're going to seek your face, oh God. And if we've missed it, if we're distracted, we're anxious, we're worried, I pray that you'd help us to fulfill this commitment until that peace comes.

Help us to sit with you and commune with you in the name of Jesus. In the name of Jesus. In the name of Jesus. We talked about in our class this morning. Everything on this planet just about is going to try to steal that commitment from you in that time, especially the holiday season. I love it. Don't get me wrong. I love it. We wouldn't be the first to miss Jesus. Please carve it out. Make it a priority. And the Lord will bless you for it.