The Importance Of One Thing

Lift our Bibles up, wave them around, make Jesus glad, the devil mad.

Say this together.

Say Heavenly Father, I thank you tonight for your presence.

I'm greatly encouraged, lord.

I'm determined to shine with your light in this dark world.

I'm determined to release the savor and the salt, not only the fragrance but the taste of heaven, to this generation.

In Jesus' name, amen.

Let's turn to Philippians, chapter 3.

Philippians 3 · chapter mention

Philippians, and we'll start reading with verse 8.

Paul is speaking.

He started talking about his Judaism and his education in the pharisaical world and then, in verse 8, he said Yea, doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus, my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things and do count them but dung garbage.

Refuse that I may win Christ and be found in him, not having my own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith, the righteousness which is of God by faith that I may know him and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of his sufferings being made conformable unto his death.

If by any means I might attain unto the resurrection of the dead, not as though I had already attained either, were already perfect, but I follow after, if that I may apprehend that for which also I am apprehended, of Christ Jesus.

Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended, but this one thing I do.

Everybody shout one thing.

This one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forth under those things which are before, reaching forth unto those things which are before I press toward the mark of the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.

And so tonight I just wanted to share a message entitled the Importance of One Thing, the importance of one thing in scripture this is not the only time it's in there.

One thing, everybody shout.

One thing you know God leads us along a pathway to know him in increasing measure.

I've said this recently and I just want to say it again you know we're either increasing in our knowledge of Him or we're decreasing.

There's no treading water with God, there's no status quo with God.

I mean, the minute you decide the status quo is okay, that means you're going backward.

And tonight it was just so thick in here, so powerful in here.

Everything old is new again.

I mean, I hadn't heard those songs in so long and I'd forgotten I had anything to do with them really, until they started singing them.

I had to let them sing them through a time or two before I could really remember them, but they blessed me.

I mean, really, I have to confess it blessed me because I remember.

You know, I got them when I was just worshiping God at home.

I mean, I didn't just sit down and try to write a song, you know.

I just, you know worshipers and uh, I know Ms May was prophesying over you, carol, about those, those sounds you're going to get, see, cause I know Carol's a worshiper.

See, because I know Carol's a worshiper, she's a blessing, isn't she?

All of our worship team, aj, all of them.

You know, jay, everybody's a blessing, they're all worshipers.

But spiritual growth, growth, you know, when you grow in the natural, I mean nobody, you know you take a kid, you know you ever mark the.

I found an old wall upstairs where we marked the grandkids.

You know their height.

We'd take them upstairs and draw a line at the top of their head and there they were, you know, up on the wall.

I hated to cover that up with paint, but we did.

We covered it up with paint.

I took a picture of it before we did.

They never did decrease, they never decreased.

I mean, you know they didn't get to be eight years old and here they are.

And then, at 10 years old, here they are.

No, they kept going up.

I mean, that's just normal.

If you're going to grow, you're going to get.

You're going to get taller and bigger, and now you know you reach a place where you're not going to get any bigger and so forth.

I know that.

But I mean, generally speaking, a child is going to grow and they're going to grow in a positive direction.

There's no shrinking.

When you get really old you shrink a little bit or your vertebrae just starts collapsing and you get a little shorter.

But no growth.

You know you're increasing in measure.

And here, paul, you see his humility.

I mean in modern times he would have had a doctor of divinity.

You know he went to seminary.

I mean he sat at the feet of Gamaliel.

He knew the law backwards and forwards.

He prosecuted the Christians.

He thought he knew it all.

He thought he knew, he thought he knew, until he met Jesus on the road to Damascus.

And you know, guess what?

He's a baby Christian then, mr Big Shot.

And he's spiritual enough to know that and admit that, and he never would admit.

You know as mature as he was when he wrote to the Philippian church.

I mean, how many of you think?

I mean he knew something about the power of his resurrection, he knew something about being in Christ.

He wrote it in his scriptures over and over again.

In Christ is 130 times in the epistles.

I don't know how many of those are Pauline, but most of them because that was his revelation in Christ, through Christ, with Christ, through him, in him.

I mean, he got the revelation.

Where did he get it?

Directly from Jesus.

He went to heaven.

I like what one full gospel Greek scholar said about Paul he got the revelation that Jesus took to heaven unuttered.

You know.

He told his disciples he said I have many things to teach you, but you're not able to bear them now.

So he went to heaven with a lot of what Paul wrote unuttered.

And so that's why Paul had to be brought up to heaven and given this revelation that he wrote.

And so Paul did not consider himself, with all of this amazing, spectacular guidance, he did not consider himself to have arrived.

He did not consider himself as someone who had attained a level that couldn't be exceeded.

No, he wanted more.

He kept going.

One thing, one thing, one thing.

Or we could say that one thing means focus, or it means priority, focus or priority, and that one thing actually wound up being three things.

This one thing I do, well, what was it?

Well, forget the past, number one.

Number two reach to the future.

And three, press toward the mark of the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.

And what that means is that he often used sports, he often used the games.

The Greek were the inventors of the Olympics, the present-day Olympics, and so he used that as an example of the sprinter pressing to break the tape, stretching forth with everything that's in them to break the tape and get the prize.

That's what he's talking about.

This one thing I do, this focus that I have is number one.

It's three things Forget the past, don't revel in the past.

I mean forget your failures for sure, but sometimes you've got to forget your victory sometime.

I don't mean that you have amnesia about them.

I mean don't get so proud about the victory that you don't think that you're going to have to get another victory, because there's going to be another battle, that you're going to have to get another victory, because there's going to be another battle that you're going to have to be victorious over.

There's no such thing as graduating from the school of the Spirit.

There's no graduation.

You just keep going, you just keep increasing.

So forget the past, reach to the future and press toward the mark of the prize, stretching across the finish line to break the tape.

Let's look at Psalm 27, talking about the importance of one thing and I find it in my Bible.

It's pretty important, I think, especially right now.

Time is short, you know, even the world knows time is short.

That's why they're going crazy.

Biden's going crazy, dr Biden's going crazy, dr Jill is going crazy.

I mean, how nuts do you have to be to come up with this kind of thing that they did at the people's house?

Hey people, that's not your house, that's ours.

Psalm 27.

You know, david knew of the realm of one thing, verse 4.

David wrote One thing have I desired of the Lord and that will I seek after.

And actually the one thing happened to be three things.

I mean, one thing happened to be three things To dwell in the house of the Lord, to behold the beauty of the Lord, and number three, to inquire in his temple.

That was his focus.

From a young man, he was a worshiper.

Yeah, he was a shepherd boy Watched his father's sheep, but he was a worshiper.

He was a man after God's own heart.

You know, again, god seeks those who will worship him.

I don't have any doubt.

I mean, you know he had brothers.

He had different people that could have been king after Saul was disqualified.

Saul was disqualified as king.

God had to get a replacement.

Who did he find A worshiper?

He found a worshiper 16 years old, something like that.

The runt of the litter wasn't in his father's thinking when the prophet showed up at his father's house.

Go to that house and anoint the next king.

The oldest showed up.

That's not him, man.

He was a handsome fellow, big, tall guy.

Nope, not him.

Second one nope, not him.

All the way down.

You got any more boys?

Well, yeah, I got one more.

He's out back in the back 40 watching my sheep.

Well, get him in here.

He was last on the list.

I mean Daddy wouldn't have even.

I mean I think daddy already settled.

And when he found out, you know that Samuel was in town.

He was hiding Samuel man.

He was a fearsome prophet.

He looked the part when he showed up.

Most you know people died.

I mean, you know he brought hellfire and brimstone for sure.

No, I'm here to anoint the next king.

Get your sons in here.

One of them is going to be king.

David was not on the short list, but he was number one on God's list and he said 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, that I behold the beauty of the Lord and to inquire in his temple.

And to inquire in his temple.

He wrote this while he was running from Saul, running from Saul, running for his life.

I mean, you know, he could have easily if he'd have had a miniature, a kind of immature vision of God and opinion of God not based on the Word, not based on His personal worship of God.

Like a lot of people do, they have a very immature notion of God and they tend to blame God for their trouble.

Well, god, why did you let this happen to me?

What have I done?

And I just all?

I just keeping my dad cheap.

I didn't ask to be king and now I'm anointed king, but I'm not ready to be king.

And now Saul's trying to kill me.

I mean, what in the world?

What did I?

What?

No see, he never blamed God for any of that.

He knew God and he's an Old Testament man.

I mean, he's not born again.

He doesn't have the Spirit of God living on the inside of him.

Yet you know, you just can't seek God and blame him at the same time.

You can't blame God and blame Him at the same time.

You can't blame God and worship Him at the same time.

Let's look at Mark, chapter 10, talking about the importance of one thing I'm just, I'm determined not to fade out, to slack off.

Mark 10 · chapter mention

I'm determined I don't care, I'm determined to keep on rising, keep on pressing, keep on pressing.

What'd I say?

Mark, mark 10 okay, verse 17.

And when he Jesus was gone forth, verse 17, mark 10, 17.

When he Jesus was gone forth into the way, there came one running and kneeled to him and asked him Good master, what shall I do that I may inherit eternal life?

And Jesus said unto him why callest thou me good?

There's none good but one, that is God.

You know the commandments Do not commit adultery, don't kill, don't steal, don't bear false witness, defraud, not Honor your father and mother.

And he answered and said unto him Master, all these have I observed from my youth.

Then Jesus, beholding him, loved him.

That's pretty good.

I mean, so far the interview is going pretty good.

I mean so far the interview is going pretty well.

He's checking a whole lot of boxes right there.

I mean check, check, check, check, check.

And then Jesus beholding, see.

Beholding means I mean he's not just glancing at him, he is looking at him, considering him, loved him, and said unto him One thing thou lackest.

I won't ask you to raise your hand, but wouldn't it be something if Jesus said there's just one thing that you lack.

I mean I think maybe I might feel pretty good about that.

Just one, there's only one thing wrong with me.

That's not too bad.

Just one thing, really.

I mean I don't know, if I had to guess, I would have maybe guessed a dozen or more.

You know One thing, one thing, everybody shout one thing One thing thou lackest.

Go thy way, sell whatever you have and give to the poor.

Notice he didn't say give it all to the poor.

We misread that.

He didn't say give it all to the poor.

We misread that.

He didn't say give it all away, go, give everything.

He didn't ever say that.

He said sell what you got and give to the poor and you shall have treasure in heaven.

And come and take up the cross and follow me.

And he was sad at that saying and went away grieved.

Why?

Because he had mega possessions.

He might have been one of those Ukrainian oligarchs, I'm not sure, I really don't know.

No, he was Jewish.

And so he went away grieved.

So let's go down the list here.

He's very rich, but yet he's good moral character.

He's loved by Jesus and he had an apostolic call.

He was just as called as Peter, james and John, just as called as the 12.

He could have been in position if he had just obeyed what Jesus said when Judas betrayed Jesus, he could have been fit right in there.

He had an apostolic call and he said oh, I can't, I can't give up, I can't give up my possessions.

So his riches had him, didn't they?

One thing you lack your riches have got a hold of you.

You've got to break that off of you.

You've got to let God know and the devil know and the riches know that they don't own you.

And you're going to sell everything you got and you're going to give to the poor, you're going to help people less fortunate and then you're going to take up your cross and follow me.

In other words, you're going to get into this apostolic call.

He loved riches more than jesus, and yet it was just one thing.

But his one thing was mighty, huge, what it's?

A pretty big gap.

I don't want a gap like that.

I don't want any gaps.

When I discover them, I want to close them.

Been talking a lot about this lately.

We can't let ourselves, we can't give ourselves permission to fall short.

We've got to.

When we see things we don't, it's not, it's not about condemning yourself.

It's about keeping short accounts with God.

Get it under the blood right now.

Receive his grace to change.

Let's look at Luke 10.

Get anything out of this tonight the importance of one thing.

It's so important.

Verse 38.

Now it came to pass as they went that he, jesus, entered into a certain village and a certain woman named Martha received him into her house and she had a sister called Mary, which also sat at Jesus' feet and heard his word.

Sat at Jesus' feet, heard his word, but Martha was cumbered about much serving.

She was busy cutting the lemons up for the iced tea, busy, crushing the ice.

The sun tea wasn't ready yet.

And she came to him, came to Jesus, Now get a picture of this.

Came to him and said Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me to serve alone?

Bid her, therefore, that she help me.

Man, she's godlly, ain't she?

Lord?

Have mercy, woo.

And Jesus answered and said unto her Martha Martha, double annunciation of God Abraham, abraham, simon, simon, martha Martha, thou art careful and troubled about many things.

Everybody shout many things.

See, she didn't have a focus, she wasn't prioritizing.

She had lots and lots of stuff to worry about.

She had lots of plates spinning.

You know what I mean by plates spinning.

You ever watch Ed Sullivan's show?

Oh, y'all are too young, you don't even know who Ed Sullivan is.

Well, we're going to have a shoot tonight.

You know we've got to watch Ed Sullivan, youtube it.

You know we've got to watch Ed Sullivan YouTube.

You know, search on YouTube and watch at least Elvis on the Ed Sullivan Show.

But he'd have these acrobats, he'd have these acts, and they would have.

This is one, the guy that had the pool cues sitting on a plate.

You know, or have a plate sitting on the top of a pool cue and he'd spin the plates.

And you know, the plates spinning around would cause the pool cue to stand up, it wouldn't fall down, it would just sit there, like, and he would spin the plates and they had the music in the background and he would run back and forth across the stage spinning the plates, you know, and every now and then the plate would start wobbling, you know, like this, and the pool cue would start going like this and like this, and his job was to keep those plates spinning.

So those pool cues would go upright, you know, and of course usually one would fall and everybody would laugh, you know it'd break the plate.

So he, you know, here's Martha, she, that was her act.

She had lots of plates to spin, she's spinning lots of plates.

And Jesus said Martha, martha, you're careful and troubled about many things, but one thing is needful Everybody shout one thing.

You got many things, but there's only one thing, it's that important.

One thing.

Everybody shout one thing.

You got many things, but there's only one thing, it's that important.

One thing.

Everybody shout one thing.

And Mary hath chosen that good part which shall not be taken away from her.

Mary has chosen that good thing.

What did she choose?

Well, to sit at Jesus' feet and hear his word.

Jesus said one thing is needful number one.

Number two it has to be chosen.

And then number three it's better, it's better.

And number four it shall not be revoked.

So one thing is pretty important in the Bible, which gets me back to why am I preaching this?

I just want us to remember that we're on an ascending place.

I mean, you know, everything old is new again, everything that has receded is now advancing.

Let's make sure we're on the advancing of this wave that's coming.

There's coming a wave.

There's coming a wave and it's going to do two things at once it's going to bring revival and it's going to bring judgment.

Let's make sure we're on the advancing of that wave.

Let's get to know Jesus better and better.

Let's choose the better part, because it won't be.

It has to be chosen.

You have to choose.

He won't.

He won't just rain it on top of your head just because, no, he loves you enough to tell you the truth and it's your choice.

Everybody say I'm choosing the one thing, it's my focus, he's my priority.

Lift your hands and receive tonight Hallelujah.

Glory to God.

Thank you, lord.

Wonderful Jesus, thank you.

Thank you, lord, hallelujah.

Did you get anything out of this tonight?

Hallelujah, glory to God.