Take your Bible and turn to John Chapter 12. Will you do that? John Chapter 12 and the Word of God. John Chapter 12. It's great to be back. I'm sure thankful for the privilege to be able to stand and preach to you today. We had a wonderful week last week in Rocky Mount, Virginia. On Sunday we had two men trust Christ as Savior. One was a 47-year-old man. He came back several nights during the revival. We had a 68-year-old man trust Christ on Sunday night. We had others saved during the week and I just want to thank you for praying for us. as we were out traveling and serving the Lord up there. John chapter 12. John chapter 12 is where your Bibles are open. John chapter 12. I'm sure that here in chapel this morning there are many different aromas and fragrances and perfumes and colognes and odors that are represented. I want to bring to your attention a particular fragrance. I've looked and tried to find a good number of perfumes and fragrances in that section of the mall. Here's what I found. I found, for the ladies, Eternity, Red, Chalamar, Passion, Journey, Joy, Giorgio, Ralph Lauren, Charlie, Just so you men don't question my masculinity, I got most of these from my wife. Chanel No. 5, Jupe, Opium. For the men, I found English Leather, Old Spice, Brute, Polo, Gucci, Obsession, Michael Jordan. I'm not sure if that's how he smells before or after the game. But I wonder if here this morning, I wonder if there's anyone that's ever heard of the forever fragrance. It's the oldest fragrance known to man. The first time it's mentioned is in Matthew chapter 26. It's found in Mark chapter 14. It's also found in John chapter 12. It's a fragrance that must be a part of your life and mine. It's called the forever fragrance because that's how long it lasts. And I want to preach to you from John chapter 12 this morning on that subject, the forever fragrance. And I want you to understand that if you will perfectly honor Christ, you must lavishly love him. If you will perfectly honor Christ, you must lavishly, holding nothing back, keeping nothing in reserve, you must lavishly love him. In John chapter 12, Jesus Christ is just a little ways away from the Pharisees' headquarters. He's just a few days away from going to the cross. In John chapter 12, the Bible says in verse 1, 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. Now, the Lord Jesus Christ is here with some dear friends. In just one chapter earlier, the Lord Jesus Christ has miraculously brought Lazarus back from the dead. Here, in this passage of Scripture, he is now about to eat his final meal with them before he goes to the cross. In John chapter 12, the Bible gives us three very poignant points that emerge from this passage to show us that if we will perfectly honor Christ, We must lavishly love Him. First, I want you to notice this morning, I want you to notice the offering of the saint. Will you consider that with me? The offering of the saint. The Bible says in verse number 2 that they made him a supper and Martha served. You know, it's amazing that every time we find Martha in the Bible, she's serving. Every time we turn around, Martha is diligent, serving the Lord Jesus Christ. We find her serving in Luke chapter 10, and certainly it can be argued that she got things out of priority and out of proportion, and sometimes she put her service above her worship, but I'm just thankful to say that Martha served. I find a good many Christians today that are sitting on the sidelines, not really willing to jump in with both feet, not willing to get their hands dirty, not willing to roll up their sleeves and serve. Martha here in this passage is doing what she does best, serving the Lord Jesus. Verse 2, it says, but Lazarus was one of them that sat at the table with him. I suppose if we wanted to this morning, we could focus our attention upon Martha, but that's not where we're going to choose to focus. I suppose that if we wanted to... We could look at Lazarus. Well, Lazarus was the one who just a chapter before had been brought back from the dead, no doubt. No doubt people were focusing upon Lazarus. I would venture to say that as people walked by in the street, they wanted to look in the window and just say hello to the one that had just a day or so earlier been raised from the dead. I'm certain that the disciples there every once in a while took a good long look at Lazarus just to make sure he was breathing See if this was real, and not just a dream or an apparition. In fact, Lazarus was there, and yet our focus this morning is not going to be upon Lazarus. I want you to look at what the Bible says in verse 3. It says, 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. I don't want us just to go by this passage like we're driving home from school on Christmas break, 80 miles an hour. You better not go 80 miles an hour down the road. I don't want you just to see this as a blur. Oh, that's a beautiful scene, and then you forget about it. I want us to stop. I want us to put it in reverse. I want us to back up. And let's look at verse number 3 again. It says, Then took Mary a pound of ointment of spikenard, very costly, and anointed the feet of Jesus. I want you to notice several things about this. I want you to notice her adoration. The adoration with which she gives this gift. It seems like every time we find Mary in the Bible, we find her seated at the feet of Jesus. In Luke 10, verses 39 and 42, Martha had a sister called Mary, which also sat at Jesus' feet and heard His Word. In verse 42, Jesus was speaking to Martha, and she was admonished by the lips of the Lord Jesus. Jesus said, one thing is needful, and Mary hath chosen that good part which shall not be taken from her. Every time we find Mary in the Bible, we find her seated at the feet of Jesus. Soaking in His truth. Trying to learn from His teaching. Trying to just look into His face. Just to get a little closer. Just to hear His voice and the timbre and the tone. Just to know exactly what He is saying. Just to study His eyes. I want to ask you, have you spent much time recently looking into the face of Jesus? Sitting at His feet? Her adoration is right. In John chapter 11, when her heart was filled with grief, the Bible says Mary was come where Jesus was and saw Him. She fell down at His feet. In a time when there was no grief, not on a high or on a low, but just in a medium time of life, she was at His feet. But when she was at her lowest ebb and she had lost her dearest brother, she fell down at the feet of the Lord Jesus Christ. Because she knew that is where she would find sustenance. And that is where she would find deliverance. And that is where she would find answers. And that is where she would find comfort. I want you to understand something, young people. If you will learn this lesson now, and learn it over and over and over again, and have it nailed down in your soul and etched upon the stone of your heart, if you'll just learn this lesson, that there is nothing more important in your life than sitting at the feet of Jesus Christ. You can have your service all right, but if your service is without worship, it is empty. You can serve Him without worshiping Him, but you cannot worship Him without serving Him. And I'm convinced there are a good many Christians in our solid Bible-believing churches that just have it all mixed up, and they have their service before their worship, when if they only knew that the wellspring of life and the wellspring of power and the source of all goodness and all strength comes when we spend time seated at the feet of Jesus. She was there just because she loved Him. She was there just because she adored Him. I want to challenge you as you're going to wrap up your semester this time, and as you're going to get in your car and head back home, not to forget, in the busyness and the hustle and bustle of the holiday season, in the busyness of just trying to earn a few pennies to come back to school, in the busyness of trying to see all of your family, I would just want to challenge you this morning to spend time, much time, at the feet of the Lord Jesus Christ. I want you not only to notice her adoration, but her anticipation. No, there's a reason why she gave this offering. It wasn't a capricious offering. It wasn't a white elephant gift. It wasn't something that she rummaged through her closet at the very last minute to find what she didn't really want to give to Jesus, something that she didn't really have to pay much for to give to Jesus. This was a well-thought-through gift. I want you just to consider her anticipation. You see, if you'll study your Bible, you'll look in Matthew 28, 1, and Luke 24, 1, and Mark 16, 1, and John 20 in verse 1, and you will find that this Mary was not at the tomb to anoint the body of Jesus after His death and burial. Do you know why? She was anointing His body now. If you will, she was giving roses while there was still life yet to give them. She was showing her praise while she still had breath in her body to praise. She was giving her love now. Young people, understand this from the Bible. You don't have forever. How life is a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away. It's but a hand breath, the Bible says. Just a dash between two dates. Understand, your life is just a very small time. portion, just a very small portion, in comparison to eternity. And the psalmist cried and said, can I praise Him when I'm dead? No. When you're dead, you can no longer praise Him. When you're dead, you can no longer give. When you're dead, you can no longer tell others of Christ. When you're dead, you can no longer begin to fall at His feet and through a glass darkly look through the Word of God and know who He is. When you're dead, you'll never have a chance to impact this life like you have right now while you're alive. She gave her gifts in anticipation, in anticipation of this gift. Do you know why? She had heard Him say, just in a few days, I'm going to Jerusalem. I'm going to be crucified. I'm going to be buried. And in three days, I'm going to rise again. Brothers, it boggles my mind that of all the disciples, of all the disciples, not even Peter, James, and John, who were in the inner circle, really got it. They didn't really understand that Jesus was indeed going to the cross. That these were not figurative words that He was giving. But of all the disciples, she got it. And that is why she anointed His feet with this ointment. I want you to notice her attitude that she showed. The Bible says in this passage of Scripture, in John chapter 12, in verse 3, that she wiped His feet with her hair. She let down her hair in public, in Jewish culture, in Jewish custom. That was a sign of great humility. Do you know what else showed her humility? She was not giving this gift to flaunt it. She was not giving this gift as a show. She was giving this gift because she sincerely loved the Lord Jesus Christ. She didn't really care what others thought around her. And when she did it, she wiped His feet with her hair. She was letting down her glory, if you will, according to 1 Corinthians 11 and verse 15, and taking the place of the lowest of the low servants. She was washing her feet. None of the other disciples thought to do it. Even Martha that was there serving didn't do it. Even Lazarus who had just been raised from the dead. But now Mary, taking the place of a servant, is showing her humility before the Lord Jesus Christ. You won't find others in the Bible, at least specifically mentioned, outside the Lord Jesus Christ who washed someone else's feet. She did. I want you to notice the amount that she gave. Look at what the Bible says in John 12 and verse 3. It says she took a pound of ointment of spikenard. Very Costly. Now, this would be in value at about that time, 300 denarii. It would be worth today about 45 to 50 dollars in gold. It was a great amount. The Bible says that it was very costly. It was very precious in another account. Here the Scripture is saying that she gave a great deal. 45 to 50 dollars in gold. 300 denarii. Listen carefully. Was at that time, the average man's working salary for a year. That tells me one of two things about this. Either she was very wealthy and or she saved up a long time to give this gift to Jesus Christ. This was not a capricious gift. This was not casually thought of. This was very diligently examined. And a price was paid to give this to Jesus. I want to ask from your time, hear me, from your talents, from your treasure, what have you given? What have you lavished upon the Savior? That would be of this value. I want you to consider the great amount that was given, but will you consider the aroma? Look what the Bible says in verse 3, at the end of the verse, after she anointed his feet, after she wiped his feet with her hair, it says the house was filled with the odor of the ointment. I would have liked to have been there, wouldn't you? I would have liked to have seen everyone as they were putting the last bite of their sweet potato casserole in their mouth. I would have liked to have just been a fly on the wall as someone said, would you please pass the dessert? Or could I have another glass of sweet tea? Wouldn't you like to have been there that day when the conversation was very vivacious and alive and as people were talking and maybe about things that were meaningless and all of a sudden maybe nobody was even paying much attention? to what she was doing. Well, they saw Mary get up, and they saw her push away from the table, and maybe they even saw her go into the back room, and they saw her come out, but perhaps they thought she was just cleaning up a spill. Maybe they thought she was just laying something down to wipe up a spill on the floor, and all of a sudden they realized what's taking place. She had taken a box of spikenard. And with absolutely no intention of holding anything back for herself, she broke the box. She anointed the head of Jesus and His feet. And she got down and she began to wipe His feet with her hair. And all of a sudden, the idle chatter stopped. All of a sudden, another glass of sweet tea didn't really matter. All of a sudden, everyone in that room was focused in their attention to Mary. The gift she had given. to Jesus. And don't you know that the aroma filled that house? No longer were you smelling apple pie. No longer were you smelling just the odor of people as they gathered in that room. I wonder if there were those outside the house who were walking by, and out from beneath the door, and out from the window, and out from that house, this odor could be smelled. And people thought, what is going on in that place? I just wonder if the fragrance of my life is making that kind of impact. I want you to notice not only the offering of the saint, but will you consider quickly with me this morning the opposition of the scorner. Would you know that in this place there were those who withstood such a gift? There were those who criticized such an offering? Would you know and could you imagine that there were people who withstood this gift lavished upon the Lord? But there were. Who do you suppose it was? I mean, now listen. Let's just say we don't have hindsight. And let's say you've never read this passage or Matthew 26 or Mark chapter 14. Let's just imagine that this is the first time you've ever been introduced to this story or to the disciples, and you don't really know. I mean, if you had to choose, who would you choose? Maybe you'd choose Thomas. You know, always cynical, always doubting, had a little analytical personality, always coming up with why we can't instead of why we can. Or maybe it was Thomas. Or maybe it was Peter, always opening his mouth and inserting his foot. Maybe it was Peter. He was the one who had the audacity to criticize such a gift. Who would you think? He's a preacher. I know who it is. Well, let's just find out from the Bible. Verse number 4, it says, Then saith one of his disciples. Who do you suppose it would be? You know, if you were one of the disciples, you wouldn't have guessed Judas. You wouldn't have guessed Judas. Well, you'd guess now because you're a Monday morning armchair or whatever, Tuesday morning armchair, quarterback, whatever. You're the one looking back on the game. You're the one that says you have got hindsight. But don't you understand that none of the disciples guessed that Judas would be the one. In fact, when Judas opened his mouth to criticize it, they all chimed in. The Bible says in John chapter 12 and verse 4, Then saith one of his disciples, Judas Iscariot, Simon's son should betray him. I want you to see his description. Well, the Bible describes him before he does it. Before he carries out his dastardly deed. Before he completes his betrayal, vile, wretched betrayal of the Lord Jesus Christ. Before he does it, the Bible marks him as the one that should betray him. Verse number 5, it says why. It says exactly what Judas said. He said, why was not this ointment sold for 300 pence and given to the poor? I can just be there. I can just see Peter and Thomas and Bartholomew and Andrew. I can just see the disciples. They're here. Yes! Amen! Maybe there was a hearty amen to what Judas had to say. Why was this waste of the ointment made? Mark said, why was this waste of the ointment made? Why here? Judas said, why wasn't this sold for 300 pence and given to the poor? Why isn't that a good question? Don't you have plenty of poor to feed? Isn't there some charity that we could have given this to? What good was a box of ointment that cost an entire year's salary for a working man? $35,000? Maybe $40,000? Put it in, maybe even $25,000? Why was this waste of the ointment made? There's nothing even there to collect the excess. Why was this waste of the ointment made? Do you hear his disgust? He's not glad. that someone is lavishing love upon the Savior. Hear me. He's not thrilled that someone has given such a gift to Jesus. He's disgusted. I'm going to tell you how you view money and how you view money given to the work of God reveals your character and spirituality. Some years ago, I was preaching in a Midwestern state, and there was a man there who was an assistant pastor. We'd gone to school together, and we were talking, and I'd been to his church several times. Now, he had brought a youth group to a camp where I was preaching, and we were just talking, and I said, well, how's the church going? He said, well, we've been through some bumpy roads lately. I said, really? I said, well, what's happened? He said, we had a church split. A church split. I said, who are some of the people that left? And I knew the church and had been there on several occasions. And he named one family. I said, you're kidding me. They didn't leave. He said, yes, they did. I said, they've been a part of that church for so many years. He said, I know. I said, they were mainstays. He said, yes. He said, they were always, always complaining about the finances, how the money was being spent, where the money was going to. There was nothing unethical about it. There was nothing immoral or wrong about it. They were just always complaining about it. I said, is that why they left? He said, that's why they said they left. He said, but you know what happened? He said, when they left, the giving increased. For the childs, I wish I had a dollar for every time that story's been told me. Over and over and over again. You know what it told me about their spirituality? They didn't have much of it. How you view money, hear me, how you view your money and how you view money for the work of God reveals a lot about your spirituality. And how Judas viewed this money being spent, if you will, in his terms, wasted upon Jesus, revealed a great lack of his own spiritual discernment. In fact, I want you to notice his defilement. He defiled the other disciples around him. Well, the Bible says in Matthew 26, 8, When his disciples saw it, they had indignation, saying, To what purpose is this waste? Mark 14, 4 says, There were some that had indignation within themselves and said, Why was this waste of the ointment made? Hey, young people, you better be careful who influences your life. You better be careful who your friends are and whose sentiments you echo. The great Peter, who would someday preach at Pentecost, was probably right involved in the chorus of calling this a waste. James, James, who would pen several words to the disciples. James, James, probably was involved in this chorus. Hear John, the beloved disciple. There were several disciples who were singing the sentiments of Judas. They had no idea who he was and why he called this a waste. But Jesus did. I want you to notice his desire. Jesus highlights it in verse number 6. This he said. This he said. Not that he cared for the poor, but because he was a thief. and had the bag and bear what was put therein." God had the last word concerning Judas. He put the nail, he nailed it down perfectly when he said that he wasn't interested in really the poor, or even that we would show a good show by giving to the poor. He was just interested in padding his own pockets. Now, I want to ask you, how do you view giving money for the work of God? How do you view it? How you view it will determine what you do in your own ministry. Do you view it as an obstacle or an opportunity? Let's not talk about out there in the future. Let's talk about right now, when Brother Comfort says, we've got to give an offering. He said, one dollar, one dollar. I'd like to have a hamburger or a double cheeseburger off the dollar menu at McDonald's, thank you. I'd like to not fast on my way home. How do you view it? Do you say, praise God, I'm coming to church, I'm excited about giving an offering. Is it an obstacle or an opportunity? Is it an expenditure or an investment? Is it a priority or an afterthought? With your money, that's just one part. With your talents? With your time? Or do you walk through life with clenched fists saying, what is mine is mine is mine is mine? You know, several years ago, I heard Brother Beal talk about when you get married, you realize how selfish you are. Now, I wasn't married then. And I thought to myself, he might be selfish. He's less spiritual than me. But when I get married, I'm not going to see how selfish. I'm self less than I got married. And you know, if you think marriage will show your selfishness, just wait till you have kids. Just wait till you have three kids in the back seat, three boys with an appetite as big as an elephant, and there's one Twix candy bar between you and your wife. Just watch how you act. Well, you'll be passing that Twix candy bar between you and the front seat where they can't see it. Just watch. You'll find how selfish you are. You know, we like to think we're not selfish. We like to think that we're selfless. Why? After all, we've given so much up to come to Bible college. And after all, we spend two hours of our week every week out soul winning. Just wait. Just wait. God will show you how selfish you are. And I tell you, it's a battle we always have to face. Because the truth of the matter is, we are not our own. We're bought with a price. The precious blood of Jesus Christ. We're bond slaves to the King of Kings and to the Lord of Lords. And the very best thing we can do to lavish upon our Savior great love is to realize our talent is not ours. Our time is not ours. Our treasure is not ours. And any opportunity I have to give to Jesus Christ will be just that, an opportunity and not an obstacle. He didn't view it as such. I want you just to compare for a moment his greed with her graciousness. I want you to compare his love for money with her unabated and sincere love for the Master. I want you to compare how he sold Jesus for 30 measly pieces of silver and she gave to Jesus. $45 to $50 in gold. I want you to compare his cursed end to her blessed memory. You know someone here named Mary? You know someone back home named Mary? Is there anybody here named Judas? Anybody that even likes to name their dog Judas? Nobody. But in fact, she had the greater impact. I want you to notice before we leave the observation of the Savior. Look what the Bible says. We'd be remiss this morning if we left the chapel service without noticing what Jesus has to say on the subject. Look at verse number 7. It says, Then said Jesus. Then said Jesus. Then said Jesus. Now every ear in that place is tuned to Jesus. Now Jesus is about to speak. Now He clears His throat and He's just about to give His comments on the subject. Now Jesus Christ is speaking. And what does He say? Verse 7, "...let her alone." He observed the evil. The evil of this criticism. And the evil of this attack. And the evil of this slander. He said, "...let her alone." In Matthew 26.10, He said, "...why trouble ye the woman?" In Mark 14.6, He said, "...let her alone." Why trouble ye her? He observed the evil of this unwarranted criticism. Verse 7, He said, against the day of my burying hath she kept this. He observed the expectation. You see, Jesus knows more than just the outside. He knows more than just the outward appearance. He knows the motive, and He knew why she was giving this. He said in verse number 12 of chapter 26 of Matthew, she did it for my burial. In Mark 14, verse 8, He said, she has come beforehand to anoint my body to the burying He observed the expectation in this passage. He said, "...against the day of my bearing hath she kept this." In verse number 8, the Bible says Jesus continues to speak and says, "...for the poor always ye have with you, but me ye have not always." He observed the effort in Mark 14.8. He said, "...she hath done what she could." I tell you, Jesus is highlighting the great, great sacrifice that she made. In our day, it would be $20,000 to $35,000 to $40,000 that at one time was given to the Lord Jesus Christ. Just let that sink down in your heart. Just compare that to what you've given proportionally to the Lord Jesus Christ. Just compare what she gave just now and consider it a waste. By the way, the same word translated waste in Mark 14 and Matthew 26, the same word translated waste when Judas said, why was this waste of the ointment made, is the same word that is translated perdition when Judas is described as the son of perdition. And don't you know that while Mary, in essence, according to some, wasted her life on Jesus, giving her all, lavishing upon Him her love, Judas wasted his life on himself. Jesus observed the effort with which this was given. He observed the excellence, because in Matthew and Mark, He said, She hath wrought a good work on Me. Why? Because she had won several hundred thousands of people to Christ? No, no. Not that that's any less important. But why? Because she sat at the feet of Jesus and she lavished upon Him her sincerest love. Jesus observed the excellence. She wrought a good work. You know what would be a wonderful thing? If someday somebody could look at Dwight Smith and his life and say, he's wrought a good work on Christ. That'd be something that would thrill me for the ages of eternity. She hath wrought a good work on me. This wasn't just something that someone else said. This was something that Jesus said. I want you to notice that He observed the effect. The effect. In Matthew 26, verse 13, He said, In other words, wherever the Gospel, the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ is preached to lost sinners, there will also be told this story. What was Jesus saying? It's nearly as sweet as the Gospel story. Can you think of anything more glorious than the Gospel? More wonderful? More precious? More dear to your heart and to mine? The Gospel story? Jesus said wherever the Gospel is preached, on a mountaintop, in a far off jungle, in a little town of Lattimore, This story is going to be preached. He was observing the effect that this would have. I want to ask you this morning, how does this impact your life? You come to this passage and just casually go over it, 80 miles an hour, and you don't really get a good chance to look at the beauty of it? Or did you stop? Did you put it in reverse? Did you back up? Did you roll down the window? Did you look at it? I'll tell you how I'm impacted when I read this passage. I'll tell you, I wonder to myself, what have I done for Jesus Christ that has any lasting value? I want to read this passage, and when I do, my heart wells up with tears when I think about the great gift that Mary gave to the Lord Jesus Christ. It says in verse number 8, the poor always you have with you, but me you have not always. And the scripture clearly says that Jesus Christ observed the effect. I want to ask, what have I done in my life that's going to make a difference two millennia after I'm gone? I ask the question, I wonder, have I done my best for Jesus, who died upon the cruel tree? To think of His great sacrifice at Calvary, I know my Lord expects the best from me. The hours that I've wasted are so many. The hours I've spent for Christ, so few. Because of all my lack of love for Jesus, I wonder if His heart is breaking too. I wonder if I cared enough for others. Or have I let them die alone? I might have helped to wander to the Savior. The seed of precious life I might have stoned. No longer will I stay within the valley. I'll climb to mountain heights above. The world is dying now for want of someone to tell them of the Savior's matchless love. How many are the lost that I have lifted? How many are the chained I have helped to free? I wonder, have I done my best for Jesus? has done so much for me. Would you bow with me in prayer?