How To Choose The Best Part

Listen; if I am not mistaken I can not remember going to a grocery store since I became an adult.

But as I got inside I had no idea where the bread was. I walked all over the store and finally found the section that had the bread. That was not an easy job because there were all kinds of bread on the shelf. I finally grabbed one hoping it was the right kind.

As I was walking out I saw a display of Pomegranates seeds and I knew my wife liked them so I picked one of them up but as I looked at it I did not know if it was ripe or not.

So finally I had to choose, so I chose it like I did with the bread, I picked up one hoping it was the best one.

I tell you this story because LIFE IS MUCH LIKE MY EXPERIENCE IN THE GROCERY STORE….TRYING TO CHOOSE THE BEST.

And I am convinced with all my heart that if a person is going to CHOOSE THE BEST IN THIS LIFE HE HAS TO CHOOSE TO HAVE THE RIGHT RELATIONSHIP WITH CHRIST.

Illus: A famous actor was invited to a dinner party. After the main course, the actor was asked if he would be willing to recite a piece of poetry for the guests.

The actor readily agreed and asked if someone at the dinner table would like to suggest what he should recite.

There was a deadly hush until an old clergyman raised his hand and said: “May I ask you to recite the 23rd Psalm?”

The actor was rather taken aback but agreed, saying: “I will recite Psalm 23 - if you will recite it once I am finished”.

The clergyman rather reluctantly agreed. The actor then recited the 23rd Psalm with as much passion as he could arouse.

His voice was perfect. His modulation was flawless. The audience was spellbound. When he finished, he was met with rapturous applause.

The old clergyman then stood up and recited the 23rd Psalm. But his voice was rough and broken from many years of preaching. His diction was anything but polished. But when he finished there was not a dry eye in the room.

Then the actor got up from his seat came over and put his arm around the clergyman and said: “Ladies and Gentlemen, I know the 23rd Psalm. This man however knows the Shepherd of the 23rd Psalm.”

Jesus is the Great Shepherd – and the actor hit the nail on the head

Choosing to have the very best that life has to offer is all about having the right relationship with Christ.

And the story in our Scripture reading from Luke’s Gospel today of Martha and Mary illustrates this.

Only God knows how many sermons have come from the life of these two sisters.

It is always amazing how a family like this can have two sisters who are so different:

• They had the same parents.

• They were raised in the same environment.

But yet they were so different.

Illus: It is the same when it comes to church. Two people can attend the same church, hear the same sermon and one will go home empty, the same way he came, and the other one will go home praising the Lord.

However, when it comes to these two sisters we can be grateful for their differences because it is their differences that teach us so many things about serving the Lord.

Let’s take a good look at these two sisters. I would like to show you THREE things in this story about them.

First, let’s look at-

I. THE SAVIOUR

Notice, when the Lord entered the village of Bethany the Bible talks about a “Certain woman” and then the Bible tells us this certain woman was Martha that invited Him into her house.

Look at verse 38. We read, "Now it came to pass as they went, that He entered into a certain village: and a certain woman named Martha received Him into her house."

The Bible tells us specifically that MARTHA RECEIVED HIM INTO HER HOUSE.

Perhaps the reason that Mary did not have a part in inviting the Lord into the house may have been because IT WAS NOT HER HOUSE.

From what we read in the scriptures it is safe to assume that Jesus came to the house of Martha.

What is significant in this verse of scripture about Jesus entering Martha’s house?

We often find in the scriptures Jesus went in many homes.

• Matt. 8:14 Jesus went into Peter’s house.

• Matt. 9:23 Jesus went into the Rulers house.

• Luke 7:36 Jesus went into the Pharisees house.

• Luke 8:51 Jesus went into the house of Jairus.