Let's turn to Psalms, if you would. Turn to the 25th Psalm, Psalm 25. We're going to be looking at a section of Matthew chapter 26, verses 1 through 13, where we see a lady, a woman who has come to the Lord with an alabaster box full of ointment. And he says under her, let me read it, where he says about her, why trouble ye the woman? For she hath wrought a good work upon me. And I wanna talk tonight about a good work. So we're gonna look at that a little bit this evening, and that kind of goes along with the Psalm.

As we begin in verse one of Psalm number 25, unto thee, O Lord, do I lift up my soul. Oh my God, I trust in thee. Let me not be ashamed. Let not my enemies triumph over me. Yea, let none that wait on thee be ashamed. Let them be ashamed which transgress without cause. Show me thy ways, oh Lord. Teach me thy paths. Lead me in thy truth. and teach me, for Thou art the God of my salvation. On Thee do I wait all the day. Remember, O Lord, Thy tender mercies and Thy loving kindnesses, for they have been ever of old. Remember not the sins of my youth, nor my transgressions, according to Thy mercy. Remember Thou me for Thy goodness' sake, O Lord.

We're going to start with the handout. I want to read the first couple of paragraphs and then we'll read our text in Matthew chapter 26.

Commenting on these final chapters of Matthew, J.C. Ryle wrote this. He says, We now approach the closing scene of our Lord Jesus Christ's earthly ministry. Hitherto we have read his sayings and doings. We are now about to read of his sufferings and death. Hitherto we have seen him as the great prophet. We are now about to see him as the great high priest.

Don Fortner wrote, he says, I would not exalt any one portion of scripture above another, but the last three chapters of Matthew's gospel, along with the accounts given by Mark, Luke, and John of our Savior's sufferings and death as our substitute, ought always to be read with a peculiar reverence and a careful attention and ought to be read often. This truly is holy ground. Here we see the seed of a woman crushing the serpent's head. Here we see that one great sacrifice to which all the sacrifices of the Old Testament pointed. Here we see that blood shed which cleanseth us from all sin, and that lamb slain who taketh away the sin of the world.

Now if you would look in your Bibles and let's read chapter 26 verse 1 through verse 13 and then we'll come back and break it down a little bit.

Matthew chapter 26 verse 1. And it came to pass when Jesus had finished all these sayings he said unto his disciples Ye know that after two days is the feast of the Passover, and the Son of Man is betrayed to be crucified. Then assemble together the chief priests and the scribes and the elders of the people unto the palace of the high priest, who was called Caiaphas, and consulted that they might take Jesus by subjectly and kill him. But they said, not on the feast day, lest there be an uproar among the people. Now when Jesus was in Bethany in the house of Simon the leper, there came unto him a woman having an alabaster box of very precious ointment and poured it on his head as he sat at meat. But when his disciples saw it, they had indignation, and that word means anger, discernment, saying, to what purpose is this waste? For this ointment might have been sold for much and given to the poor. When Jesus understood it, he said unto them, why trouble ye the woman? For she hath wrought a good work upon me. For ye have the poor always with you, but me ye have not always. For in that she hath poured this ointment on my body, She did it for my burial. Verily I say unto you, wheresoever this gospel shall be preached in the whole world, there shall also this that this woman hath done be told for a memorial of her.

Now, there's many who say this woman is Mary, Mary Magdalene. Others say it's another. We're not going to spend any time trying to figure out who this woman is. We're going to basically look tonight at what she has done, how she did it, and who it was that guided her and caused her to do these things.

Now, back in our handout, bottom paragraph of page one. It is the substitutionary death of our Lord Jesus Christ. The Holy Spirit shows us in I'm sorry I said it is I meant in the substitutionary death in his death the Holy Spirit shows us how God can be both just and justifier of the ungodly. The things contained in these chapters, these next three chapters, are of such peculiar importance that all four gospel narratives contain a detailed count of them. frequently with regard to other matters when one gospel writer refers to something, or the other three say nothing about it. But when it came to the events surrounding our great Savior's sacrifice for sin, the Holy Spirit inspired all four gospel writers to describe that event of all events in detail.

Page two. Consider with me the message of the Bible the whole Bible Old Testament and new Listen to Matthew 26 verses 1 through 2 and it came to pass when Jesus had finished all these sayings He said unto his disciples You know that after two days is the feast of the Passover, and the Son of Man is betrayed to be crucified. You remember throughout Matthew, we've seen over and over and over again how the Lord would tell his disciples, we're going to go up to Jerusalem. I'm going to be scourged and beaten and spit upon. the Pharisees, the high priest will turn me over to the Romans, and the Romans will crucify me. And then he always closes with this. Every time he talks about it, he closes with it. And on the third day, I'll be raised again. I'll be raised again on the third day.

Throughout his earthly ministry, second paragraph, page two, the Lord Jesus carefully and consistently called the attention of his disciples of his sin atoning death at Calvary. The connection of these first two verses with the preceding chapter is not accidental. Our Redeemer had just been talking about his glorious second coming, the end of the world, the day of judgment, and the eternal states of the righteous and the wicked. Again, I quote from Brother Don, he says, without even pausing, After he had gone through those things without even pausing, he directs our attention to his own crucifixion and death. While the wondrous predictions of the end were still ringing in their ears, says Don, he tells his disciples once more of his sin-atoning death. He reminds them that before he reigns as the king of glory, he must die as the substitute for sinners. Before he takes his crown of universal monarchy, he must endure and satisfy the wrath of God as our sin offering. He must put away the sins of his people by the sacrifice of himself.

Folks, we can never attach too much importance to the sin-atoning death of our Savior, the Lord Jesus. The focal point of scripture upon which our minds ought to ever be fixed is the death of Christ. Without the shedding of his blood, there's no remission of sins. This is the foundation of Holy Scripture. Without it, there is no gospel in the gospel. Without it, the doctrine of the cross in the Bible is meaningless. It's a meaningless book.

J.C. Ryle stated this. He said, like a clock without a dial, or a spring without a building, or a building without a foundation, or a solar system without a sun. We must never minimize. our Lord's incarnation, nor His example as He walked this earth, pleasing the Father, nor His death. I delight to think of His second coming, heavenly glory, and the day when our God shall make all things new. But these things, great and glorious as they are, are meaningless without our Savior's death upon the cursed tree.

Page three. The doctrine of the atonement is the master truth of Holy Scripture. This is and must be our daily bread. Christ died for our sins. What can be more marvelous? What can be more inspiring? What can be more instructive? Some, like the Greeks of old, sneer at this message and call it foolishness. Others, like the Jews of Paul's day, looking for signs and wonders, stumble over it and perish. But to those who are saved by the grace of God, Christ crucified is the power of God and the wisdom of God. And that's in 1 Corinthians chapter 1.

The message of the Bible is the gospel of Christ's substitutionary atonement. That's what we read in Luke 24 verse 27 where it says, the son of man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men and be crucified. And here we see once again, and the third day rise again.

Luke 24 verse 44 through 47, we read these words, and he said unto them, these are the words which I spoken to you while I was yet with you, that all things must be fulfilled which were written in the law of Moses and in the prophets and in the Psalms concerning me. Then opened he their understanding that they might understand the scriptures and said unto them, Thus it is written and thus it is behooved Christ to suffer and to arise from the dead on the third day and that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in his name among all nations beginning at Jerusalem.

One more if I may, 1 Peter 1 verse 25, but the word of the Lord endureth forever and this is the word which by the gospel is preached unto you. This message of God's service, that is the message God's servants are sent to preach. Paul says in 1 Corinthians 2, 1 through 2, and I, brethren, when I came to you, came not with excellency of speech or of wisdom, declaring unto you the testimony of God. For I determined not to know anything among you, save Jesus Christ and him crucified.

The sacrifice of Christ for us is the motive and the inspiration for devotion, faith, godliness, worship, and obedience. Know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost, which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not of your own? For ye are bought with a price. Therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God's. 1 Corinthians 6. Verse 19 and 20,

page four. The doctrine of the cross is the glory of the redeemed. Listen to Galatians 6, verse 14. But God forbid that I should glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world is crucified unto me and I unto the world.

I'm laying the foundation here, folks. I'm laying the foundation for what we're about to see of this woman. Next, we read, then assembled, in Matthew 26, 3 through 5, we read this, then assembled together the chief priests and the scribes and the elders of the people unto the palace of the high priest, who was called Caiaphas, and consulted that they might take Jesus by subjectly and kill him. But they said, not on the feast day, lest there be an uproar among the people.

This is religious people. These are those who went about preaching to their people, to the congregation, the great congregation, thou shalt not kill. And they assembled together in the castle of the high priest and conspired with the high priest himself, Caiaphas, how they would kill the Lord Jesus. Isn't that what all religions do? What must we do to put this one who is sovereign God over all? They know he is by the reading of the word. They just don't believe it. They don't believe that the Jesus of scriptures is sufficient. God's people know he is, don't we? We know he is.

Paragraph three of page four, what a display we have of the hypocrisy and the viciousness of self-righteous lost religionists. Little needs to be said about these men. They were lost. They were the religious leaders of the day. They spent their lives in religion. They did all that they did in the name of God, but they were lost. And you can mark this down as a general rule. The most vicious people in the world are lost religionists. Here are men of the cloth as they say consulting on the business of trumping up an excuse for murdering the son of God because they despised his doctrine and they did it in the name of God.

God's people in this world are sinners still and we all at different times and in different ways behave in such a way that we make manifest what weak sinful creatures we are. Peter. did that several times. You'll recall one time the Lord said to Peter, get thee behind me, Satan. He said that about one that he loved. How often has he said that about John Reeves? More often than I would care to admit.

Such shameful weakness we see in response in the response of our Lord's faithful disciples to a humble devotion of another as she bows before and worships the Lord Jesus. Verses six through eight of our text we read these words, now when Jesus was in Bethany in the house of Simon the leper there came unto him a woman having an alabaster box of precious ointment and poured it on his head as he sat at meat. But when his disciples saw it, they had indignation, saying, to what purpose is this waste? For this ointment might have been sold for much and given to the poor."

Remember, these were our Lord's disciples. These were our brothers and sisters in Christ. Loving John, bold Peter, and faithful James, they were all amongst those standing there railing on this woman for what she did. They, along with the rest, were upset with this dear woman, but they were led astray by the actions of one wicked man whom they mistakenly respected. When Judas spoke out against this woman, so did the others.

Listen to John's account given here in verses four and five of John chapter 12. Then said one of his disciples, Judas Iscariot. Notice who it is, it speaks out first, Simon's son, which should betray him. Why was not this ointment sold for 300 pence and given to the poor? So he said that first, and then the other disciples joined in with indignation as we see in Matthew. Some say Judas was probably the most prominent and highly respected man in the church at this time. His word and his opinions carried weight among the rest. He was the change keeper. He was the money keeper. He did the business of the church.

Observing the bad behavior of these saints, as it is recorded here, we should learn two things and lay them to heart. First, we should never harshly or rashly condemn one another when our weaknesses are manifested. Frequently, genuine believers are led into evil actions by the influence of others, actions which are contrary to their character. I do not excuse evil done by these disciples. It was a horrible thing that they did to this woman, but their actions did not reflect their true character, as we have seen throughout all that is given about them in Acts and in Paul's letters and in their own letters and Peter's letters.

Secondly, self-denying, self-sacrificing acts of devotion and commitment to Christ are seldom understood by others. not even by other believers. Can you imagine how shocked this woman was when she heard the response of her brethren to what she had done? She only intended to honor her Lord. She wanted to show in some public way how much she loved him and how thankful she was for his goodness and grace to her.

The sad fact is if you are committed to Christ, if you are inclined to do some unusual thing for his honor and the interest of his kingdom because of your love for and gratitude to him, you need not expect the approval of others. If it's in your mind that you're doing something for the Lord, you don't need to worry about what others think about it, whether they agree with it, whether they look at you with thankfulness or not, just do it. Do it for your Lord's sake, for the glory of your Lord in your own heart.

Remember what worshiping God is, it's a heart matter. It's not what we do with our bodies and our flesh, it's what we do with our heart. Where was her heart is what this is talking about. This is showing us where her heart was. It was for the love of God that what she was doing.

Others rarely recognize and honor that which is done for Christ, that which is truly done for Christ. But God our Savior declares, them that honor me, I will honor, as he says in 1 Samuel 2, verse 30. And he honored this woman who honored him.

When Jesus understood it, he said unto them, why trouble ye the woman? For she hath wrought a good work upon me. For ye have the poor always with you, but me ye have not always, for in that For in that she hath poured this ointment on my body, she did it for my burial.

Page six. Verily I say unto you, whosoever, wheresoever this gospel shall be preached in the whole world, there shall also this, that this woman hath done, be told for a memorial of her.

In these verses, our Lord Jesus shows us what high regard he has for anything that is done for him. You remember what we looked at last week in Matthew, where the Lord talks in those last verses of Matthew chapter 25, speaking of the goats and speaking of those on the right and those on the left. how they didn't even realize that they had done it. They asked the Lord, when, when did we do these things for you? And the Lord said, when you have done it for the least of my, let's see, where is it? I'm not gonna. In verse 40, insomuch as you have done it unto the one of the least of these, my brethren, you have done it unto me.

Others found fault with what she had done, but the master quickly rebuked. the fault finders and honored the woman. Those who honor him, he will honor. Not only did he approve of her sacrifice and accept it, he gave her the highest honor imaginable in this world for what she had done. He called her work a good work. She had done what she could. what she was able to do and had an opportunity to do for him, our Savior established her work as a memorial to be proclaimed throughout the world.

Since Christ was pleased with what she had done, can we not assume this dear soul was indifferent to the opinions of others about what she had done for her Lord? Their opinions mattered nothing. Her faith, love, and devotion to Christ gave her the courage and the boldness in the face of opposition. If I'm conscious that I'm doing something as unto the Lord for the glory of Christ, in the interest of his kingdom, and for the furtherance of his gospel, the opinions of men, either their approval or their disapproval, should be of no matter to me. If I'm confident that what I'm doing is giving my Savior all the glory, the opinions of men should have no...

In reality, that's how we face the ministry. That's how we face the constant battle of you're not doing enough. We need more. We need it. The message of Christ in him crucified is not sufficient. We need to go deeper into scriptures. And folks, I'm not the only one that hears these things. Every one of God's preachers have heard these for years and years. Pastor Gene said that was the one thing consistent over the 38 years that he preached. That was the one thing consistent that he heard over and over and over again. You're not going deep enough into God's word. Yet he knew that what he was doing was for God's glory. The opinions of men made no difference.

As David said to his Envious cowardly brothers we ought to say to those who oppose our work for our master. Is there not a cause? If we could serve Christ, we simply must not allow the opinions of men to rule or even influence our actions His mother said into the service whatsoever. He saith unto you do it. That was Mary and Jesus's mother speaking in John chapter 2 verse 5 whatever he says for you to do go do it and My brother Steve here has been talking about a pact that he's made with the Lord. And if the Lord has given you a reason to make a pact, then just go do it, no matter what other men would say. Just do it. The Lord has caused me to come out and preach Jesus Christ and Him crucified. And no matter what men say, I'm just going to do that. That's the way we should live our lives. If the Lord has given us something to do, just go do it.

to reveal his son in me that I might preach him among the heathen. This is Paul writing to Galatians. Immediately I conferred not with flesh and blood. Paul didn't even confer with flesh and blood. He didn't even bother to go to the other apostles. He relied on what God was leading him and causing him and teaching him the ways of God.

Last paragraph, page six. This woman is held before us as a noble example to follow. Our Lord holds her up as an example of what we should do, be and do as his servants in this world. Page seven. Let me show you several things about what this dear lady did, which her work shows itself to be indeed a good work done for Christ. It was a work done for the glory of Christ alone. It wasn't for anybody else in that room. She took that expensive oil and poured it on his head, preparing him for the sacrifice that he was about to face. She was wrapped up and absorbed with and consumed by the Lord Jesus Christ. She was focused on him all the way. There was a room full of people, yet she didn't go about broadcasting what she was going to do. She just went and did it. She cherished him. This perfume was meant for no one but him. She had no regard for herself, the consequences of her actions, what she might lose or what she might gain. She wanted nothing but to honor Christ.

Secondly, this was an act of pure love. This is exactly what Luke's narrative of this event teaches us in Luke 7, verse 36 through 50. And I'll leave that for you to read of your own time. The one thing that motivated this woman to do what she did was the love for Christ. Listen to 1 John 4, verse 19. We love him because he first loved. There's our motivation for anything that we might do. I was thinking one time about something I had done. And one of the men of the church had broadcast it to some others. And I took him aside later and I asked him, I said, don't do that again. Well, shouldn't they know that you did this? No, I didn't do it for men to know. I did it because I love the Lord. I did it because the Lord told me to do it. And men's opinions doesn't matter. Listen to what it says in 2 Corinthians 5.14, for the love of Christ constraineth us. That's exactly what it is right there. When our hearts and our lives are ruled by love for Christ, they are well ruled.

Thirdly, this was a work requiring considerable cost, self-denial, and sacrifice. If you read the accounts of Mark and John, you'll find that this ointment was worth nearly a year's wages, 300 pence.

Fourthly, this great sacrifice was the result of thoughtful, deliberate preparation. She had it all set up and ready to go. She knew that his death was coming, and she went into that room with purpose. She went into that room planning to do exactly what she had done. She had been saving this rich perfume specifically for the use of Christ's honor and the appropriate opportunity as we read in John 12 verse 2, there they made him supper and Martha served.

This woman's sacrifice was made silently. She said nothing. She drew as little attention to herself as she possibly could. She said nothing about what she would like to do, what she had planned to do, what she was going to do, or what she had done. She just did what she could.

Six, this is the response of the believing heart. the sacrifice of her Lord. This woman appears to have been the only one of the Lord's disciples who clearly understood at this time how he must accomplish our redemption, and that was by his death as our substitute.

Seventh, this was an act of faith. She anointed him for his burial, but she did so in anticipation of his resurrection.

Yet it pleased the Lord to bruise him He hath put him to grief. Page 8. When thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin, he shall see his seed, he shall prolong his days, and the pleasure of the Lord shall prosper in his hands. He shall see the travail of his soul, and shall be satisfied by his knowledge, shall my righteous servant justify many, for he shall bear their iniquities. Therefore will I divide him a portion with great, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong. because he had poured out his soul unto death and he was numbered with the transgressors and he bared the sins of many and made intercession for the transgressors. That's Isaiah 53 10. She knew these words. The primary object of embalming was and is a belief in the resurrection of the dead. Brother Don wrote this, he said, I see in this incident a blessed foretaste of the honor that shall be given to God's elect on the day of judgment. In that great and glorious day, no honor done to Christ shall be forgotten. The speeches of orators and the feats of warriors, the deeds of the greatest politicians, the trophies of athletes, the poetry and literature of art produced by men, all shall be forgotten, but this work, and the least work of any and every believing man and woman, even the giving of a cup of cold water in Christ's name shall be remembered and honored before men by God himself. So do what we can for our Redeemer in his honor as he gives us opportunity

Listen to the words of 1st Corinthians 6 19 through 20. Know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost, which is in you, which ye have of God? Are ye not your own? And ye are not your own? For ye are bought with a price. Therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God's.

1st Corinthians 10 verse 31, where, whether therefore you eat or drink or whatsoever you do, do all to the glory of God.

Romans 12, verse 1 through 2, I beseech you, brethren, brethren, I beseech you, therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. But be not conformed to this world, but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God, Romans 12, verses 1 through 2.

1 Corinthians 15, verse 58, therefore, my beloved brethren, be you steadfast, unmovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, for as much as you know that your labor is not in vain to the Lord.

With all that in mind, half of page 9. With all that in mind, I bring this to a close with this. Consider what state Israel was in when they received the oracles of God. They received them in truth, did they not? God was the giver of them, was he not?

Then over time, men, as those that were prophesied of by the Apostle Jude, and I put it here in our handout, beloved, when I gave all diligence to write unto you of the common salvation, that means the same salvation that we all have, and that common salvation is Jesus Christ and him crucified. It was needful for me to write unto you and exhort you, to lift you up, to remind you that ye should earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints. That's what we're to look to. That's what contend means, to look to, to lean to, to pursue, to go after.

For there are certain men crept in unawares who were before of old, ordained, predestinated to this condemnation, ungodly men, turning the grace of our God into lasciviousness. And I tell you what that means right there, lasciviousness is wickedness. What is the absolute opposite of grace? Works. And anytime you mix a little bit of works in with God's grace, you have made it wicked. that's what that's talking about and denying the only Lord God and our Lord Jesus Christ

I will therefore put you in remembrance though you once knew this how that the Lord having saved the people out of the land of Egypt afterward destroyed them that believed not

going back to that part that I started this paragraph with. Have you considered the state of Israel? The state that Israel was in when they received the oracle of God? Over time, they slowly fell away by those men who were ordained of old to creep in. They slowly fell away from the truth and began to worship the works they did. That's what Israel and Jerusalem was all about in the end there. When the Lord was hung on that cross, their worship was not God. Their worship was what they were doing for God. It was all about their ordinances, what they were doing, fulfilling, you know, worshiping on the Sabbath, fulfilling all the different ordinances and the feasts and all that they were to be done. That's what they were worshiping instead of worshiping the Messiah. instead of worshiping the one who was to come, who was standing right in front of them.

In fact, they even eventually added their own to the word of God. This is why we take no confidence in our flesh and what we do. Our only confidence can be in who Christ Jesus is. That's our confidence. The Lord Jesus is God Almighty. What he did and what he purposed shall come to pass. What he did, accomplished what he wanted, what he purposed shall come to pass. He's God Almighty in the flesh. How could it be anything less? Our only confidence is in what he has done. He gave himself for us. It says in Hebrews chapter 1, he purged us. You ever look that word purged up? That means it's not just taking a white wash paint and painting over the outside. It's wiping everything out of you. It's squeezing it to where there's nothing left in you. Take a wet towel in the shower and you squeeze it till it's almost dry. Well, God did it till it was dry. And he did it through the giving of his son.

Our confidence is where he is right now. If God accepted his son, we have every reason to do so as well. Every reason. And he sits on his throne today making intercession for us. Like this woman, Lord help us to do what you would have us to do and say nothing of it. but give you all the glory.

I want you to turn over to Philippians chapter one with me real quick, and we'll bring it to a close. Philippians chapter one. Look with me if you would, beginning at verse three. I once told a man, I said, we were talking about, we don't want to, Let our left hand know what our right hand is doing because we're weak in the flesh. And we can so easily, so easily turn away from our Lord, just as Peter turned away and looked at the sea. We can so easily turn away from our Lord and look to what it is we're doing. That's how weak we are in the flesh.

People see things in me that I don't want to see myself. Because I know that if I see them, it's just like that golf game. I'll hit a ball right down the middle and think, look at there, I can be just like. I know I say that in gist. I know I say that with a little bit of humor. But that's really an account of the way it is, isn't it? Look at that roof I put on the house. Didn't I do a good job of that roof? Look at the yard, how the yard is looking so well. Didn't I do a good job with the yard? That's just in our nature of our flesh, folks. But that doesn't mean that other people don't see the work of the Holy Spirit. When we do things and we just don't, we don't take any credit for it. We don't want to look at it. I don't want to see it. I can see that woman right now pouring the ointment on her head, and she doesn't care what other people are seeing, even though they are seeing it.

Paul says here in verse 3, he says, I thank my God upon every remembrance of you. Why? Because they were faithful people. The Holy Spirit was doing a good work in them by drawing them to continue preaching the gospel, to be faithful servants of God and going out and spreading the gospel throughout the world.

Lord, help us to be like that woman and not care about what other people say and not look at it even ourselves.

Look at verse four. Philippians chapter 1 verse 4, always in every prayer of mine for you all making requests with joy, for your fellowship in the gospel from the first day until now. Do you see who sees their good work? Brother Paul. And he says it clearly in his word here, always in prayer of mine for you, making requests with joy for your fellowship in the gospel from the verse until now,

verse six, being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ.

Lord, help us. Lord, cause us. to walk in the way that you would have us to go.

I wonder, I wonder often about Jonah when he ran from the Lord. What was going through his mind? What was he thinking when he ran from the Lord? If he had just got down on his knee, would it have been any different? I know it couldn't have been, because he did exactly what God had purposed for him to do, to show you and I the message that God has for us in that.

But I just wonder. Lord, help us to submit ourselves to him. Lord, help me to submit myself to him.