and turn to John 12. I'd like to look at the first
three verses of John 12. Before we look at those verses,
let me just kind of remind you that after our Lord had raised
Lazarus from the dead. A plot was raised by those that
opposed the Lord and Lazarus. They wanted to kill Lazarus because
of the attention that the people were giving to the Lord and to
Lazarus from being raised from the dead. And the high priest
that year, a man named Caiaphas, under the direction of God's
Spirit, now what he said, he didn't have any love for the
Lord. He said what he said totally out of an evil heart. For what
he said was absolutely the truth. He said it was expedient. It
was advantageous that one man should die that the whole nation
perish not. Now we see our Lord just before
His crucifixion spending some intimate moments with His friends,
His brethren there in Bethany. He is about to go to the cross. He is going to be made sin. He is going to pour out His blood
for the redemption of those that He has everlastingly loved and
stood for. He has eternally stood as their
surety. How truthfully do we behold? The Scripture sets forth in chapter
13, of this book. We're not here. I just wanted
to read it. The Scripture says, Now before the feast of the Passover,
when Jesus knew that His hour was come, that He should depart
out of the world unto the Father, having loved His own which were
in the world, He loved them unto the end. How glorious to behold
the love of the Lord Jesus Christ that is peaceful, tender, kind,
compassionate, long-suffering, merciful. Well, back in John
12, verses 1 to 3, let's read this. Then Jesus, six days before
the Passover, came to Bethany where Lazarus was which had been
dead, whom He raised from the dead. And there they made Him
a supper. Martha served. But Lazarus was
one of them that sat at the table with him. Then took Mary a pound
of ointment of spikenard, very costly, and anointed the feet
of Jesus and wiped His feet with her hair. And the house was filled
with the odor of the ointment." Now, from these three verses
right here, we learn something of what it shall be with us in
our glorified state. That is, when time is no more. I realize Brother Neil was just
reading a few minutes ago. When he read out of Isaiah chapter
6, there was a line in there that he read, a verse of Scripture,
and it said, The whole earth is full of His glory. Oh, if
we could see that. If we could behold. The whole
earth, the whole world is full of His glory. And we look around
and we see so little, don't we? In these three verses right here,
I know a few things. And this is what I know. I know
that we are going to be in His presence. There, the Scripture says in
verse 2, they made Him a supper. Martha served. But Lazarus was
one of them that sat at the table with Him. Here was a man that had died. and the Lord raised him from
the dead. Now, I know this. I know that
we are going to be raised. I know that there is going to
be a resurrection. There are some things that I
don't understand the fullness of. I know what Job said. Job set forth and he says, I'm going to see God. These eyes
changed, but these eyes changed from mortality to immortality,
changed from corruption into incorruption, made to be able
to live eternally with Him, like Here was Lazarus. He had died,
and the Lord raised him, and here he was sitting at the table
where the Lord was. I know John 17, 24. This is a
precious passage of Scripture. You take this passage, John 17,
24, Father, I will. that those that Thou hast given
Me be with Me where I am, that they may behold
My glory which Thou hast given Me. For Thou lovest Me before
the foundation of the world. I will that they also whom Thou
hast given Me be with Me where I am." Here was a resurrected saint
sitting in the presence of the Lord Jesus Christ, the One that
raised Him. Father, I will that those Thou
hast given Me be with Me where I am. Where is the Lord going
to be? Wherever He is, that's where
we're going to be. And I'm glad. Wherever He is, is the right
place. a supper had been made, and Lazarus,
now he was in a body. He was in the same body. You
say, well, Lazarus died again. I know. But I can tell you this,
the Lord has spoke life into him, allowed him to sit with
him. Right there, here's a picture. Here's a type of what it's going
to be like. We're going to be with him. Lazarus
was in a body and he sat there and they ate supper. He looked, he saw, he heard,
he spoke, and he realized that where he was was in the very
presence of the one in whom he rested. Martha and Mary. Two that had
not died, they were actively engaged in some activities that
we're going to be engaged in. A whole lot more is being said
in those three passages right there than just first meets the
eye. You think about this. Lazarus
was just as settled as he could be. that saw the Lord raise her brother
from the dead. He had been dead four days. Now
you just stop and think about this for a second. You think
about somebody you know that has died, and the Lord would
have raised them. And you look at them, and you
know, you think, God raised Him from the dead. That's a miracle. That's what it's going to do
for us. The Scripture says, verse 2, Martha served. That supper was an expression
of love and gratitude to the Lord Jesus Christ. The Scripture
says, that six days, verse 1, before the Passover came, then
Jesus, six days before the Passover, came to Bethany where Lazarus
was, which was dead, whom He raised from the dead, and there
they made Him the Lord. They made Him a supper. The One that spoke this world
into existence. the one that took five little
loaves of bread and two fish and blessed it. And the Scripture
says it just kept making bread and fish until 5,000 men plus
women and children ate. And when they got through eating,
they picked up 12 baskets of fragments He who holds this world
together by the Word of His power. God Almighty that made this world
by the Word of His mouth. And they served Him. They made
Him some supper. And there was the Lord sharing. their appreciation, accepting
it. The one who had recently groaned
in the Spirit and troubled himself when he saw Mary and the Jews
weeping because of Lazarus' death, now he is pleased to fellowship
with them in their joy for Lazarus' resurrection. This was an honor
that was given Him. And He allowed them, by grace,
to serve Him. Martha served. That was her characteristic. That was her joy, to express
her appreciation for Him. Truly, the Lord had gently reproved
her at one time and told her, He said, Martha, Martha, you
cumbered about with much serving. But now, He says nothing to her
in a rebuke. He allows her to do just exactly
what she wanted to do. She had a heart to make Him a
supper. You know the Scripture says, 1 Corinthians 10, 10-31,
Whether therefore you eat or drink, whatever you do, whatsoever
you do, do all for the glory of God. Revelation 22, 3 and 4 says,
There shall be No more curse, but the throne
of God and of the Lamb shall be in it, and His servants shall
serve Him, and they shall see His face, and His name shall
be in their foreheads." His name. His character. They know Him. They're going
to know Him. Be like Him. The Lord's chosen,
redeemed, regenerated, and now glorified saints shall serve
Him, how? As trophies of His power and
grace. Ephesians 2 says concerning our
serving Him, that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding
riches of His grace in His kindness toward us. through Christ Jesus. Servants. What are they doing?
Trophies of His grace. Praising Him. The four twenty
elders, Revelation 4 says, casting their crowns before Him. Where
did they get them? He gave them to them. It was
His honor. Saying, Lord, symbolically, in
the casting of those crowns, Lord, You are deserving of all
the honor and glory and praise for Thou has redeemed us out
of every nation and kindred and tribe and tongue. Redeemed us
by Your blood. Servants of the Most High God
seated with Him in the heavenlies. He has brought us from corruption,
sin and death into the glorious liberty and revealed us to be
sons of God. Now are ye sons. And it doth not yet appear what
ye shall be, but we know that when we see Him, we shall see
Him as He is and be like Him." Paul, in Romans 1.1, this is
what he said. Paul, a servant of God, called
to be an apostle. Marvin, a servant of God, called
to be a pastor at Katie Baptist Church. Every one of God's saints
regenerated by God's Spirit, servants of the Most High God.
Servants. I know we see through a glass
darkly. I know that there will come a time when we will see
Him no more by faith. We will see Him in reality. I know that we'll drink of Him
who is the eternal living water. I know we're going to thirst
no more. I don't understand all the terminology. But I know that
we'll rejoice in the seeing of Him and being with Him as His
servants, trophies of His grace. Then verse 3, the Scripture says,
"...then took Mary." There was Lazarus. Lazarus sat with Him.
Martha served Him. Then took Mary a pound of ointment
of spikenard, very costly, and anointed the feet of Jesus, wiped
His feet with her hair, and the house was filled with the odor
of the ointment." You know, how precious must that
moment have been to this dear rescued sinner to bow at His
feet claiming no merit in herself, and to be given a heart to worship
the eternal God. By the grace of God, if a man,
if a woman has a heart to worship, bow in heart. I'm telling you,
you just can't teach anybody to worship. I mean, you teach
somebody a few little outward, you know, movements. I'm talking
about to have a heart to worship Him. A believer thinks, Chuck,
about worshiping and they realize, I don't even know where to start.
Lord, how can I thank You? Lord, how can I honor You? Lord,
how can I bow in heart as I would desire? And a believer struggles. But I'm telling you, in those
struggles, God's people worship Him. While they're struggling,
they're seeing something of themselves. Who's sufficient for these things?
Here was Mary, the Scripture says, she took that pound of
perfume And it was very costly perfume. And the Scripture says
that she anointed His feet. The Lord Jesus Christ humbled
Himself even to sit with her. To sit with her family. And now,
He who sat with His friends, He loved them. He loved Martha
and Mary. And now she's been made willing
in the day of God's power to worship Him. She's got a new
heart, new will, new mind. She took something that was so
costly, it was too costly to use it on herself. Some say that
it was worth a year's wages. I don't know. But the Scripture
says it was very costly. And she anointed His feet. And the Scripture says that the
Lord in another passage of Scripture, John 12, 7, He said she did this
against the day of His burying. Anointed Him. Mark's account, Mark 14, 3, says
She broke the box. It was an alabaster. It was a
stone box. And the only way that the ointment
could be gotten out of the box was to break the box. There was
a picture of the broken body and the pouring out of the precious
blood of the Lord Jesus Christ. Christ, our alabaster box. And
the Scripture says in verse 3, she took that very costly ointment. and anointed the feet of Jesus,
and wiped His feet with her hair, and the house was filled with
the odor of the ointment." You know, I got to reading that
scripture again either yesterday or the day before yesterday.
I can't remember now, but that last part right there, the house
was filled with the odor of the ointment. I began to think as
she took that ointment and poured it all over him. It was for his
honor. It was against his bearing. The
Lord said that she did it. And he said, wherever this woman,
wherever this gospel is preached, it's going to be for a memorial
to her. She began to wipe his feet with
her hair. Now, you know. after she wiped his feet with
her hair. Her hair smelled like that ointment
too. Truly, when that odor went through
the house, people smelled it. She did that to him. But she
benefited from what the Lord had given her a heart to do. Whenever she walked by, I wrote
a little article. In fact, the article that I put
in the bulletin today was from this right here. Whenever she
would walk by, the way she smelled, the way
he smelled. By the grace of God, what she
had given to him was not a waste. It was to his honor and to his
glory and to his praise and to his worship to the worship of
Him, but oh, the benefit that she received from it. She would
walk by and men would smell that smell the way she smelled the
way He smelled. Turn to 2 Corinthians 2.14. 2
Corinthians 2.14. The Scripture says, Now thanks
be unto God, which always causeth us to triumph in Christ, and
maketh manifest the savour of His knowledge by us in every
place. For we are unto God a sweet savour of Christ. We are unto
God a sweet savour of Christ. In them that are saved and in
them that perish, To the one we are the saver of death unto
death, to the other the saver of life unto life. And who is
sufficient for these things? I thought about that Scripture.
I thought, you know, whenever she would walk by after she had
anointed the feet of the Lord, and the saver of what she had
given unto Him by the grace of God, worship, that's what it
was. That ointment set forth. That pictured her worship, her
love for Him, her dedication to Him. By the grace of God,
He had given her a heart to give all she had to Him. The most precious thing she had. The Scripture sets forth, my
son, give me your heart. God gives a man a new heart and
that heart is the Lord's. Whenever she'd walk by, those
that had a heart for Him, they'd smell that smell and they'd say,
you know what? You smell like He does. They loved Him. They loved her. Some hated Him,
despised Him. She'd walk by and they'd smell
her. You're a savor of death to me. To some, a savor of life. To some, a savor of death. But
oh, the Scripture that sets forth that we are unto God a sweet
saver of Christ and them that are saved. That precious ointment
that the Lord gave that woman a heart to anoint His feet with
was to her benefit. By grace, she benefited from
what she had a heart to give unto Him. She gave herself. The Lord had given her life.
I entitled this message, The Fragrance of Grace. You know,
a believer gets around another believer and they listen for
that savor of life when they begin to talk. There is a fragrance
of Christ. There is not a fragrance of themselves,
not a fragrance My ability. My worthiness. In fact, when
you hear a believer talk of himself, it's always downhill. Going downhill
fast, too. You know, when you hear that,
you say, that's the way a believer talks. Right there. Woe is me. I am undone. That's what you
read. I'm a man of unclean lips. I live in the midst of a people's
unclean lips. I've seen the King. I've seen
the Lord. Oh, the fragrance of God's grace.
Sweet savor of life. That life that's in Christ to
those that are saved. Lord, give me a heart. Lord,
give me a fragrance of Yourself today. Afresh for Christ's sake. Amen.