Sermon in Phoenix 01.04.2012

In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, let us unite our hearts together this morning in opening prayer and thanksgiving unto our Heavenly Father.

Dear Lord God Almighty, we thank You, dear Heavenly Father, that Thou hast awakened us this morning to a new day of grace. We pray, dear Heavenly Father, that Thou would continue to carry us in this faith. That Thou would continue to nourish us with Thy precious and undying Word. We pray even this morning, dear Father, that Thou would open Thy Word unto us. That we could hear Thy Word and receive this Word into our hearts. That it would strengthen us and uplift us as we journey in living faith.

We pray, dear Lord, that Your Word would also touch the hearts of those who travel in unbelief, that they too could come to the knowledge of the sin that corrupts their flesh and their soul. And we pray, dear Heavenly Father, that Thou would continue to give abundance, grace, and mercy. And that through the living Gospel, that one could come unto repentance.

We thank You, dear Lord, for this gift of faith, for all of those spiritual gifts that Thou hast bestowed upon us. We also thank You for those temporal gifts in our lives, our homes, our families, and our friends, that Thou hast provided for us, even as promised through Thy dying Word.

But most of all, dear Heavenly Father, as we look even forward to this festive week of Passion Week, or Holy Week, we want to keep in remembrance of those things that were done on our behalf by Thy only begotten Son, our Lord and Savior, Jesus, who suffered and died on that middle cross of Golgotha for our sins and the sins of the world.

And we pray even in that most perfect way that He has taught us to pray. Our Father, who art in Heaven, hallowed be Thy name. Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth as it is in Heaven. Give us this day our daily bread and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For Thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever and ever. Amen.

Amen.

For our text this Sunday morning, which we know that this Sunday is Palm Sunday, we will read from the Gospel of St. John as it's recorded for us in chapter 12, verses 1 through 8. And the words are as follows in Jesus' name.

Then Jesus, six days before the Passover, came to Bethany, where Lazarus was, which had been dead, whom He raised from the dead. There they made Him a supper, and 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.

Then saith one of His disciples, Judas Iscariot, Simon's son, which should betray Him, Why was not this ointment sold for three hundred pence and given to the poor? This He said, not that He cared for the poor, but because He was a thief, and had the bag, and bare what was put therein.

Then said Jesus, Let her alone. Against the day of my burying hath she kept this. For the poor always ye have with you. But me ye have not always. Amen.

First of all, I'd like to bring those greetings of the children of God, those greetings of love and God's peace from the brothers and sisters there in Rockford, which last week, Diane and I had the opportunity to travel there and serve those brothers and sisters at the Mary's weekend services. And certainly, those were warm services, and it was good to be in the hearing of God's Word, and to be reminded of how God's Word is the same throughout all the congregations of God here in this world.

And the weather there was much like it is here today. Spring-like. And certainly, even the weather outside reminds us of this very festive time of year, this time where we study those events that led up to the death and the resurrection of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

I always marvel at this time of year because when you begin to read of those events that took place surrounding the disciples and our Lord and Savior, Jesus, there were just so many amazing things that happened during that period of time. And God's Word is rich in revealing unto us the preciousness of that crucifixion and of that Easter morning resurrection.

So I would even encourage you, dear brothers and sisters, especially this time of year, to open this Holy Bible and read of some of those events and again, familiarize yourself with those events of Passion Week, for we are all leaky vessels. And I know even myself, having sometimes served as a speaker brother during this season, that each year I still need to study those words, for my memory is short and my vessel is leaky, and even for my own doubts and many sins I wish to hear that Gospel can you even bless me? I promise to believe with you dear brothers and sisters.

This portion that we have read today is one of the texts that is used on this Palm Sunday. We heard of what's referred to as the anointment. It took place six days before the Passover Sunday where Jesus had come to Bethany and He abode in that familiar home that He had oftentimes had fellowship with, that home of Martha and Mary and their brother Lazarus.

And there in that home there were other disciples, and our text tells us that they had made Him a supper and Martha had served it. And Mary had come with that pound of ointment, which was that spikenard, and that spikenard was a very expensive ointment. I had read that, and we have probably heard that it came from the Himalayas or from China, and it was very costly.

And the price of it, this 300 pence as it says, was as much as a laborer might make in a year's worth of labor. And I know myself, and I'm sure you probably also, that you wonder also why or how would they spend this much money on a product such as this to wipe the feet of Jesus. And this is how our flesh might think.

Yet there was also one there within their midst, this Judas Iscariot, and we know that this is that Judas that betrayed Jesus. He was one of the twelve disciples, and he was also that one that we could say was the treasurer of this group, this group of disciples.

It said that he had the bag. That bag contained the funds or the money that these disciples used to conduct their work and their ministry. And Judas Iscariot questioned Mary over the use of this ointment.

I would imagine since they had appointed Judas to be the treasurer that he understood the value of money. And we know that later on when Judas had betrayed Jesus, that he had collaborated with those chief priests and scribes and had agreed to betray Jesus for thirty pieces of silver.

So here we see where he questioned Mary over the use of this spikenard. But it said here in our text that when she wiped the feet of Jesus with her hair, that this house was filled with that odor of the ointment.

The children of God, those whose hearts were in the correct place who were together at that supper, they smelled the odor of that ointment. It filled that entire house, and we could say that that was an odor that they liked. It was an odor that smelled good to them.

But to Judas, that one that would turn Jesus into those who hated Him, we could say that he did not care for that smell. This odor of that spikenard, that very costly ointment, is a smell that the child of God desires. It is that same odor that even is with us here today.

We come to the hearing of God's word because we desire to hear that precious gospel. And isn't it true, dear brothers and sisters in faith, that the ointment, the odor of the gospel, was paid for by our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ? The price of this ointment was very expensive.

God, in His great love and mercy, sent His only begotten Son into this world. And as we study the scriptures, we know that He suffered greatly on our behalf. He was sent here to pay for the sins of the whole world.

What greater love can one have shown unto us than to redeem sin-fallen mankind from his sins? It was a heavy price that was paid in order for us to receive that gift of living faith, to be given the ability through the sacrifice of Jesus on that middle cross of Golgotha and through His resurrection victory to be able to have salvation through the gift of the Holy Spirit.

That we are also able to preach that same gospel message. We can anoint one another with that same oil. It is truly an expensive ointment, but it has already been paid for by our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

But this gospel message that Jesus paid for with His life is not a message that everyone in this world enjoys. It is not an odor that all would wish to smell, for we know that it is also can be likened unto that smell of the stable, or we could even consider the ark of Noah, whereas he filled that ark with those many beasts of the earth and he entered into that ark.

And that ark was pitched with tar and it was made of that gopher wood, and the smell that came forth was not a smell that everyone agreed to, but it was certainly a smell that Noah and his family lived with and they lived by.

And so it is even today, dear brothers and sisters in faith, we continue to preach Christ. We continue to speak of the love of God and of salvation. And this is why we even gather together at services such as these, that we can be uplifted through His word, that we can be given strength and nourishment.

But we also have that desire, that desire to hear those precious words of the gospel. We oftentimes come to services feeling poor and sinful, but be encouraged even this morning hour, dear brothers and sisters in faith, you can lift up your hearts and believe all sins, doubts, and temptations forgiven and washed away in Jesus' precious name and atonement blood.

We have a good and a gracious Heavenly Father, one that has cared for us and has uplifted us on the way and the journey.

Here in the last three verses of our text, it goes on to say, or John writes, that this, he said, speaking of Judas, not that he cared for the poor, but because he was a thief and had the bag and bare what was put therein.

Then said Jesus, Let her alone. Against the day of my burying has she kept this. For the poor always ye have with you, but me ye have not always.

This is one of the stumbling blocks that sin-fallen mankind has often argued concerning the church and the death and the resurrection of Jesus.

That we know that our Lord and Savior Jesus came to save man's soul. This is the reason that He was sent into the world.

The world in and of itself is a sinful place, and we know that there are many in this world amidst the billions of people in this world that are living in poverty, that are poor, and often are living in conditions that are not good.

And man often argues this point, that how could God, who is also loving and gracious, allow things such as this to happen?

Here we look at our text and we understand this matter, that through one man sin came into this world, through the fall of one. That sin has been placed on many, and the world is no longer a paradise as it was there in the garden of Eden.

And there are many things that we see and many events that occur in this world that cause pain and sorrow, but nevertheless, our Lord and Savior Jesus was sent by the Heavenly Father to save sin-fallen mankind from their sins.

And dear brothers and sisters in faith, the most important matter in this world is the matter of our own personal salvation.

The question in our lives is this: Are we still believing today that is the most important matter, that our own walk of faith is correct, that our conscience is clean, that we have put those matters away that have soiled our conscience, that we are traveling in living faith?

As Jesus even responded to Judas in this way, that Let her alone. Against the day of my burying has she kept this. For the poor always ye have with you, but me ye have not always.

Here we know that Jesus was speaking of His death on the cross and that He would be leaving His own, but we know that through that resurrection victory and by believing on Him that we can have that hope of eternal life in heaven.

So dear brothers and sisters in faith, be encouraged to hold fast that faith which you have been taught from the beginning. Hold true to these promises of God.

Let not the world and its enticements and its many sorrows turn us from this house of God. Let the house that we live in continue to be filled with that odor of the ointment.

Let us continue to wash one another's feet with that precious gospel, with that precious oil which is from heaven, for we know that it's through that preaching of the gospel that we can attain that goal of eternal home in heaven.

So dear brothers and sisters in faith, be encouraged and uplifted and continue to believe all of your many sins and doubts and temptations forgiven and washed away in Jesus' precious name and atonement blood.

And certainly we hope and pray that this Lord and Savior Jesus, who often visited in that home of Martha and Mary and Lazarus, would continue to visit even our own homes, that we could often have that opportunity to sit and sup, that we would continue to serve our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ in these very same ways that we see here in our text.

This kingdom of God is a kingdom of serving, and we know that even in one of those texts which is set aside for this Passion Week, we remember how our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ taught that disciple Peter when He spoke unto him and He asked Peter, "Lovest thou me?" and Peter responded that yes he did.

And Jesus continued to tell him to feed His sheep.

It is through the serving of one another that this most precious fruit of all, that fruit of love, is seen in the lives of the believers.

And truly, when we look around this kingdom of God, we can see much love, we can see much hope, and much joy in the lives of the children of God.

And it is through the freedom that is offered through the gospel that we can travel as free children of God, keeping faith and a good conscience so that one day we can close our eyes and open them again at our eternal home in heaven where we can see our Lord and Savior, where we can see God through eyes which are eternal.

In Jesus' precious name, Amen.

Let us close our services this morning in closing prayer and benediction.

Dear Heavenly Father, we thank You again, dear Lord, that Thou hast preserved us in faith. We pray, dear Lord, that Thou would continue to bless us as we travel unto our home in heaven.

The Lord bless us and keep us. The Lord make His face shine upon us and be gracious unto us. The Lord lift up His countenance upon us and give us peace.

In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. Amen.