United Church of God

The One Thing

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The One Thing

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MP3 Audio (18.17 MB)

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The One Thing

MP3 Audio (18.17 MB)
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People come to different conclusions on what the one thing is that will make nothing else matter in life, but is it different things for different people, or is it really just one thing?

Sermon Notes

The movie, “City Slickers,” came out in 1991 and was a big hit on the big screen. Many of you are probably familiar with this movie about a man named Mitch (played by Billy Crystal) going through a mid-life crisis taking a couple of close buddies to a dude ranch to experience a new adventure together. They each had their demons to deal with, and as it goes along, the movie, a comedy, plays out in such a way that they go from being at a dude ranch to literally helping the crusty old ranch manager do a cattle drive. This ranch manager was a real cowboy named Curly (played by Jack Palance). All three men were afraid of Curly, but at one point, Curly and Mitch are trotting along on their horses when Curly shares some of his wisdom with Mitch.

Curly: You know what the secret of life is?
{holds up one finger}
Mitch: No, What?
Curly: This
Mitch: Your finger?
Curly: One thing. Just one thing. You stick to that, and everything else don’t mean “nothin’”.
Mitch: That’s great, but what’s the one thing?
Curly: [smiles] That’s what YOU gotta figure out…

Isn’t this whole world struggling day by day, week by week, month by month, year by year, generation by generation, to discover the secret to the one thing?

Some come to the conclusion it’s wealth or security. Some, career. Some, family. Some, community. Some, country. Some, self-preservation or self-promotion.

Is the one thing unique to each person, or might it be, in reality, just one thing and only one thing?

I might ask myself, Where is my source of strength? My peace of mind? My confidence? What is the one thing I need to figure out that makes everything else not matter?

Good relationships do get broken, whether by choice or death, and good circumstances can go bad, whether by choice or chance. Jobs and careers can be lost. Subjection to foreigners can happen. So, how can we know what that secret to life is? How can we be at peace no matter what?

Well, let’s ask ourselves, “How is my relationship with God? Do I listen to God? Do I trust what He says? And, do I then strive to obey?

So, first of all, do I listen to God? Do I hang on God’s every word?

Mat 11:15  He who has ears to hear, let him hear! (three times)

Mat 7:24  "Therefore whoever hears these sayings of Mine, and does them, I will liken him to a wise man who built his house on the rock:

But, to not hear and heed (listen) is likened to foolishness…

Mat 7:26  "But everyone who hears these sayings of Mine, and does not do them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand:

We can learn a lesson about listening as a priority…

Luk 10:38  Now it happened as they went that He entered a certain village; and a certain woman named Martha welcomed Him into her house.
Luk 10:39  And she had a sister called Mary, who also sat at Jesus' feet and heard His word.
Luk 10:40  But Martha was distracted with much serving, and she approached Him and said, "Lord, do You not care that my sister has left me to serve alone? Therefore tell her to help me."
Luk 10:41  And Jesus answered and said to her, "Martha, Martha, you are worried and troubled about many things.
Luk 10:42  But one thing is needed, and Mary has chosen that good part, which will not be taken away from her."

How might we describe Mary in this situation? How about, “Anticipating every word of life with bated breath.”

Inherent to listening as opposed to just hearing is to believe or trust. Many hear, but it goes in one ear and out the other.

Bad ear. Good ear. Cupped ear.

So, what are some of the things we can trust from God? The Psalms offer us some insight as to what we can trust in.

Psa 31:23  Oh, love the LORD, all you His saints! For the LORD preserves the faithful… (the LORD preserves)

Psa 40:16  Let all those who seek You rejoice and be glad in You; Let such as love Your salvation say continually, "The LORD be magnified!" (the LORD saves)

Psa 97:10  You who love the LORD, hate evil! He preserves the souls of His saints; He delivers them out of the hand of the wicked. (Again, the LORD preserves and delivers from evil)

Psa 116:1  I love the LORD, because He has heard My voice and my supplications. (the LORD hears and answers to our needs)

Psa 119:159  Consider how I love Your precepts; Revive me, O LORD, according to Your lovingkindness. (the LORD renews us)

And, then Jesus…

Mat 11:29  Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.

Essentially, what does He say? Trust Me, and you will have peace.

Finally, the result of really listening and really trusting is to then obey.

Rom 6:16  Do you not know that to whom you present yourselves slaves to obey, you are that one's slaves whom you obey, whether of sin leading to death, or of obedience leading to righteousness?

Rom 6:17  But God be thanked that though you were slaves of sin, yet you obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine to which you were delivered.

Trust and Obey | John H. Sammis (sing...)

When we walk with the Lord in the light of His Word,
What a glory He sheds on our way!
While we do His good will, He abides with us still,
And with all who will trust and obey.

    Refrain:
    Trust and obey, for there’s no other way
    To be happy in Jesus, but to trust and obey.

In the movie, “City Slickers”, the story goes on to show how Mitch and his two friends, successfully completed the cattle drive, even under great duress, Mitch doing a heroic deed for a stranded calf, and all three men coming to terms with their own life situations.

For Mitch, he concluded that the one thing was dependent on the individual. For him it was his family. His conclusion made me feel good all over when I watched the movie, but I propose his conclusion, which seemed right for him, should really be something else and the same thing for every man, woman, and child on this earth.

Have I shared with you, yet, what the one thing is? Not directly. I asked what the one thing was that brings peace of mind and confidence that cannot be shaken, that one thing that makes anything else worthless in comparison for providing that peace of mind and confidence.

I would like to reveal to you what I believe the one thing should be. Turn to…

Mar 12:28  Then one of the scribes came, and having heard them reasoning together, perceiving that He had answered them well, asked Him, "Which is the first commandment of all?"

Mar 12:29  Jesus answered him, "The first of all the commandments is: 'HEAR, O ISRAEL, THE LORD OUR GOD, THE LORD IS ONE.
Mar 12:30  AND YOU SHALL LOVE THE LORD YOUR GOD WITH ALL YOUR HEART, WITH ALL YOUR SOUL, WITH ALL YOUR MIND, AND WITH ALL YOUR STRENGTH.' This is the first commandment.
Mar 12:31  And the second, LIKE IT, is this: 'YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF.' There is no other commandment greater than these."

You might say that is two things, but I beg to differ…

EXPLAIN – 1-->5, 4-->10

1Jn 4:20  If someone says, "I love God," and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen, how can he love God whom he has not seen?
1Jn 4:21  And this commandment we have from Him: that he who loves God must love his brother also.

Jas 2:10  For whoever shall keep the whole law, and yet stumble in one point, he is guilty of all.

So, what is the result of listening, trusting (believing), and obeying? We learn to love God with all our heart, soul, and mind, AND we learn to love our neighbor as ourselves.

And this love, being defined as the fulfillment of God’s word heard, believed, and obeyed, is revealed in 1 Corinthians 13…

1Co 13:4  Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up;
1Co 13:5  does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil;
1Co 13:6  does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth;
1Co 13:7  bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.

Summarized, then, the one thing is to love as God defines love. That, dearest brothers and sisters, IS the one thing.