The One Thing: Fixing Our Eyes on Jesus

Luke 10 puts Jesus in a village, one of those smaller, overlooked places, and Jesus does not rush past it. Jesus enters the insignificant place, and that alone says something to anyone who feels overlooked, unseen, or a little bit forgotten. Jesus sees. Jesus knows. Jesus wants relationship.

Martha welcomes Jesus into her house, and Mary sits at the Lord’s feet listening to his teaching. Martha is not doing something evil. Martha is serving. Martha is getting the bread ready, cleaning the house, running around, and trying to make the meal happen. But Luke says Martha was distracted, and Jesus says, “Martha, Martha,” which carries that sense of urgency. Jesus names what is really going on: “You are anxious and troubled about many things.” Then Jesus brings everything back to the line that matters: “One thing is necessary.”

The one thing is Jesus. The one thing is not the ten crazy things happening over there. The one thing is not the mountain of washing, the house sale, the surgery recovery, the stress, the schedule, or even the good things God is doing. The one thing is Jesus, and Mary has chosen the good portion that will not be taken away.

The question becomes, “Are you listening or listing?” Martha’s posture exposes how easy prayer can become a list instead of listening. The Lord is not looking for a prioritized set of requests as much as a heart that asks, “Lord, what are you saying? Would you lead me? Would you speak?” Ephesians points toward revelation and wisdom: God pulls back the veil so life can be seen inside his larger story, and God gives discernment and character to live that revelation out.

The call to the one thing also challenges comfortable Christianity. Martha was operating in her wheelhouse, doing what made sense, doing what felt normal. Mary chose the uncomfortable place at Jesus’ feet. Comfortable Christianity settles into preferences, convenience, and the easy route, but the new levels people want to see in their faith journey will require new levels of uncomfortability. The mission was never comfort. The mission was courage.

Worship then becomes the clearest test of focus. Worship points the heart back to Jesus and makes the anxious, troubling things shrink in the presence of the King. A moment in his presence can shift attitudes, change mindsets, bring breakthrough, and align a life with its true purpose: glorifying God. Heaven is already singing, “Holy, holy, holy,” and worship joins that eternal song around the one thing, the One who was and is and is to come.

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Key Takeaways

• 1. Jesus enters overlooked places Jesus does not only move toward the impressive, wealthy, or influential places. Luke shows Jesus entering a village, and that matters because insignificance never keeps him away. The person who feels unseen is not invisible to Christ, and the place that feels small is still a place he gladly enters. [45:32]
• 2. Listening is deeper than listing Prayer can easily become a list of needs in order of importance, but the life at Jesus’ feet begins with listening. Revelation pulls back the veil, and wisdom gives the character to obey what God shows. The question is not only what a person wants from God, but whether that person is quiet enough to hear what God is saying. [58:44]
• 3. Comfort can become distraction Martha’s serving was good, but even good things can distract when they keep a person from Jesus. Comfortable Christianity often hides behind duties, preferences, and the easy route, while avoiding full surrender. Mary’s uncomfortable seat at Jesus’ feet shows that deeper discipleship often begins where comfort ends. [64:31]
• 4. Courage is the real mission The mission was never comfort, because Jesus keeps calling his people to step out, lean in, and say yes. New levels in faith do not usually come through convenience or preference, but through costly obedience. The unanswered place may not need more complaining, but a courageous yes to what God has already asked. [70:04]
• 5. Worship fixes the heart on Jesus Worship is not entertainment, and it is not just a song at the start of a service. Worship shifts the focus from the many anxious things to the one necessary thing, Jesus himself. When worship becomes personal and unrushed, God’s presence has room to change attitudes, mindsets, and direction.
  
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Youtube Chapters

• [00:00] - Welcome
• [44:54] - Opening Luke 10
• [45:32] - Jesus Sees The Overlooked
• [46:14] - Martha Distracted By Serving
• [47:14] - One Thing Is Necessary
• [49:08] - Life’s Stress And God’s Goodness
• [52:26] - Taking Eyes Off Jesus
• [54:47] - Listening Or Listing
• [59:13] - Revelation And Wisdom
• [63:25] - Kids Seeing Parents Inquire Of God
• [64:31] - Distracted By What Is Comfortable
• [69:42] - New Levels Require Uncomfortability
• [72:36] - How Is Your Worship Life
• [76:46] - Choosing The One Thing
• [81:32] - Saying Yes To Jesus

1. In Luke 10, what are Mary and Martha each doing when Jesus comes into the house, and what word is used to describe Martha’s condition? [46:14]
2. What does Jesus say Martha is “anxious and troubled” about, and what does he say is necessary? [47:14]
3. According to Ephesians 1:17, what two things does Paul pray God would give believers in the knowledge of him? [59:13]
4. What repeated words are being sung around God’s throne in Revelation 4:8, and what do those words show about the focus of heaven?

1. Martha was serving Jesus, yet Jesus still calls her distracted. What does that show about the difference between doing good things for Jesus and being centered on Jesus? [01:05:19]
2. Mary chose the “good portion” by sitting at Jesus’ feet. What does that suggest about why listening to Jesus is called the one necessary thing? [53:15]
3. Ephesians says God gives wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him. How might revelation and wisdom help a believer move from panic and pressure into clarity and obedience? [59:48]
4. Worship fixes attention back on Jesus and makes anxious things shrink in his presence. Why does worship have that kind of power in a believer’s life? [01:13:59]

1. What are the “many things” most likely to pull this group into anxiety right now—family pressure, work, health, finances, a full schedule, disappointment, even good opportunities? Which of those has been most effective at pulling attention away from Jesus? [46:37]
2. Prayer can become a list instead of listening. What does personal prayer usually look like right now: mostly talking, mostly rushing, or actually leaving space to ask, “Lord, what are you saying?” What might help create more room to listen this week? [58:32]
3. Jesus enters overlooked places. Where has someone felt unseen, small, or forgotten lately, and how does it change that place to remember that Jesus still enters villages and homes like these? [45:32]
4. Comfortable Christianity can hide behind what feels normal, easy, or preferred. Where has comfort become a distraction lately—in habits, schedule, entertainment, serving patterns, or even church preferences? [01:04:31]
5. New levels in faith often require new levels of uncomfortability. What is one specific step of obedience that feels uncomfortable right now but may be the very thing Jesus is inviting? [01:10:04]
6. Worship is one of the clearest tests of focus. What does worship actually look like outside a church service right now? Is there unhurried space to worship during the week, or has worship become occasional and rushed? [01:13:33]
7. In the home, children need to see dependence on God, not just dependence on plans. For those with families or people watching their example, how visible is prayer, listening to God, and kingdom sacrifice in everyday life? [01:03:36]