Christ, The Honored Guest

It's a delight to have Mr. Jerry Rickay with us today. Pastor Dinwiddie is on tour with the Chorale, and he's gracious enough to have his associate in the ministry at the Moody Bible Institute minister to us.

We read the word of God from John chapter 12, verses 1 through 11. John chapter 12, verses 1 through 11. Then Jesus, six days before the Passover, came to Bethany, where Lazarus was, who 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, who 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 bore what was put in it. Then said Jesus, Let her alone, for the day of my burial hath she kept this. For the poor always ye have with you, but me ye have not always.

Many people of the Jews therefore knew that he was there, and they came not for Jesus' sake only, but that they might see Lazarus also, whom he had raised from the dead. But the chief priests consulted that they might put Lazarus also to death, because by reason of him many of the Jews went away and believed on Jesus. And may it be in our lives that people will see us and believe on Jesus.

When a man is going to die, we try to gather around him those who love him. Even the greatest criminal, when he came to that hour of execution, was permitted to be with those whom he loved. Our Lord was going to die.

He had come to Jerusalem for the express purpose of dying. The other Jewish people had come to Jerusalem to celebrate the Passover, and they were going to secure their lambs, and they were going to sacrifice their lambs, and they were going to eat the Passover meal. Our Lord Jesus had come to Jerusalem to be the Passover.

He had come to fulfill that word of John the Baptist, Behold the Lamb of God that taketh away the sin of the world. If you were going to die, you'd want to have around you those who loved you. In just a few short days, our Lord Jesus would be put into the hands of sinners, and they would buffet him, and they would humiliate him.

He would hang on a cross and be surrounded by enemies who would taunt him. So it was in the providence of God that Jesus had a place of refuge. Each of us has some home somewhere that we can go to and be ourselves.

We can be surrounded by people who love us. Jesus had such a home in Bethany. When Jesus went to Bethany, to the home of Mary and Martha and Lazarus, he was among friends.

He was among those who loved him, who trusted him, who served him. They had a special banquet for our Lord Jesus. They knew he was going to die, and so they had a banquet for our Savior.

Jesus was there, and the Twelve Apostles were there, and Mary and Martha and Lazarus. We understand that it was held in the home of Simon the leper. Apparently, this Simon had been healed by the Lord Jesus.

So here were these great people, a great number of people, gathered together for a banquet to commemorate their love for the Lord. Jesus Christ was the honored guest. Wherever Jesus goes, he must be in the place of preeminence.

Paul makes this very clear in Colossians when he says that in all things he might have the preeminence, that he might sit in the place of preeminence in our home, in our business, at school, here in this church, and certainly in our lives. As you meditate on John chapter 12, verses 1 through 11, you see Mary and Martha and Lazarus giving to Jesus Christ the place of preeminence. I fear that many of us, during the course of a week, in between Sundays, forget that Jesus Christ must be in the place of preeminence.

We're concerned about our plans, not his plans. Our feelings, not his feelings. The things that we want to do, not the things that he wants to get done.

Too often, the important one in our lives is I. And yet Paul was to write many years later, not I, but Christ. And I wonder today if you and I are giving to Jesus Christ the place of preeminence he really ought to have. Someone may be saying to himself right now, my Christian life is not what it ought to be.

I don't have that joy that I should have. I don't have the fruitfulness that I should have. I'm just sort of enduring being a Christian.

I'm not enjoying it too much. I'm afraid I'm not accomplishing a great deal. Well, from this passage, I think we can learn how to make Jesus Christ the preeminent one in our lives.

Let's take each of these three friends of the Lord Jesus. Lazarus is mentioned in verse 1. Martha is mentioned in verse 2. Mary is mentioned in verse 3. Let's take them in that order. Let's find out the different ways by which they honored the Lord Jesus Christ and made him the preeminent one.

Not just present, but preeminent. Not just prominent, but preeminent. Not just resident, but preeminent.

That in all things he might have the preeminence. In all things. What are the ways by which these three people made Jesus Christ the preeminent one in their lives? Well, let's look at Lazarus.

There's no question what Lazarus did. Lazarus made Jesus Christ preeminent by his witness. I read here in verse 9 that the people came to Bethany and they were peeking through the windows.

Here was the feast being spread and the people were outside the doors and around the house and they wanted to see Jesus, of course. But verse 9 tells me they wanted to see Lazarus because they had attended Lazarus' funeral and Jesus Christ had raised Lazarus from the dead. And all you had to do was look at Lazarus and you were looking at a walking miracle.

They had seen him one day in the grave clothes. They had seen him four days later in his own garments walking and talking and alive. Lazarus, you see, gave Jesus Christ preeminence by his witness.

It's interesting to note in chapter 12 of John, in verse 1, that Lazarus is identified as the man who had been dead whom Jesus raised from the dead. This, of course, took place back here in chapter 11. The Lord Jesus Christ gave Lazarus life.

Now, when you look at Lazarus, you see a man who is a perfect picture of salvation. We know five facts about Lazarus. Fact number one, he was dead.

Fact number two, he was raised from the dead. Fact number three, he was set free from the grave clothes. Fact number four, he was seated with Jesus Christ at the feast.

Fact number five, people looked at him and his witness won them to Christ. In fact, Lazarus was such a great witness they were planting another cross, one for him. Let's take these facts one by one.

Fact number one, Lazarus was dead. Now, all sinners are dead. The difference between the doctrine at Moody Church and the doctrine being taught in many other places in Chicago is this.

Other people tell us, man is not dead, he's just sick. He needs a little bit of educational medicine. He needs a little bit of ethical medicine.

If you can just give him enough money and enough encouragement, he'll make it. Well, I'm glad for whatever we can do to encourage people, but the facts are simply these. Man is not sick, man is dead.

Ephesians chapter two and verse one. At this point, someone straightens his tie and fixes his coat, clears his throat and says, just a minute, pastor, are you saying that a moral man such as I, a religious man such as I, that because I've never received Christ as my Savior, I'm dead? That's exactly what I'm saying. But I'm not like those people over on Wells Street.

I'm glad. The only difference between corpses is the degree of decay. If I have to my left a man who has just died, and if I have to my right a man who has been dead for two weeks, which of these is the more dead? Now, you smile at that because if you're dead, you're dead.

You're not less dead. You can be more alive, but you can't be more dead. The only difference between the moral sinner walking down Michigan Avenue and what we'd call the bum, the forgotten fellow down on Madison Avenue, the only difference is the condition of the corpse, the state of decay.

One is more rotten than the other. That's the only difference. Our Lord Jesus raised three people from the dead.

A little girl who had just died, a young man who had been dead for a day, Lazarus who had been in the grave for four days. The only difference between the little girl and Lazarus was the state of decay. And you may not be as decayed as some other people, but my friend, you're dead.

Lazarus was dead. He's a picture of every unsafe person, dead because of sin. The day that you eat thereof, God said to Adam, you will die.

As in Adam, all men die. The wages of sin is death. Lazarus was dead.

And dead people can't raise themselves. The only dead person who raised himself from the dead was Jesus Christ. Jesus said, my Father has given me authority.

I have authority to lay down my life. I have authority to take my life up again. You can't do that.

He has life in himself. In him was life, and the life was the light of man. Lazarus was dead.

And my friend, if you've never been saved, you're dead. Lazarus was raised from the dead. How was he raised from the dead? By the power of God.

Jesus came and stood outside that tomb. He spoke to him by name, and he said, Lazarus, come forth. And he that was dead came forth, bound hand and foot in grave clothes.

Now, when your feet are bound, you can't walk. When the power of God moved into that tomb and moved into the body of Lazarus, that power raised him up. He couldn't raise himself up.

And that power brought him forth. And there he stood by that open tomb, alive in grave clothes. How did Jesus do it? By the power of his word.

You see, today resurrections are taking place. All over this world, people are being raised from the dead spiritually. We receive radio letters from our radio listeners.

Regularly, people say, so-and-so listened and was saved. On Wednesday nights, we have our testimony meeting, and someone says, down at the Pacific Garden Mission last week, I led this man to the Lord. Someone else says, we led this lady to the Lord.

You see, people are being raised from the dead. How does the Lord do it? By the power of his word. John 5, verse 24.

Verily, verily, I say unto you, he that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into judgment, but is passed from death unto life. That's resurrection. From death unto life.

Today, if you will hear the word of God, and believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, you will experience spiritual resurrection. Lazarus was dead. Every unsaved person is dead.

Lazarus was raised from the dead. Jesus Christ can raise you from the dead, if you'll hear his word and believe. Lazarus was loosed.

The next thing Jesus said was, loose him and let him go. Who wants to live with a man who's wearing grave clothes? That's a beautiful picture of what Paul says in Colossians chapter 3. Since you now are risen with Christ, seek those things which are above. Put off.

Get rid of the grave clothes. Put off these things like anger and malice and all of these sins, and put on those new garments that belong to the resurrection life. You see, the Lord Jesus Christ doesn't just simply save us.

He sets us free. Lazarus, are you alive? Can't talk to a man who's got grave clothes wrapped around. They always put a special bandage underneath the jaw.

Can't talk. Can't work. Can't walk.

Can't enjoy life. Well, loose him, said Jesus. Let him go.

That's what the gospel does for you. The gospel. He breaks the power of canceled sin.

He sets the prisoner free. His blood can make the foulest clean. His blood availed for me.

Have you experienced the wonderful liberty there is in Christ? That when he saves you, he sets you free. Lazarus was dead. He was raised from the dead.

He was set free. The next place we see him, he is seated with Christ. That's Ephesians 2. Ephesians 2 says, you who hath he made alive, who were dead, he raised you from the dead, and he made you to sit together with Christ in the heavenlies.

Where do you find Lazarus? Living in the tomb? No. Let the dead bury their dead. Where do you find Lazarus? Sitting with the Lord Jesus and feasting.

Oh, I feel sorry for unsaved people. They're sitting with each other, gorging on the sinful substitutes of this world. When you're saved, my friend, God lifts you up.

He sets you free, and he seats you with the Lord Jesus in the heavenly places, and he begins to feed you. It's a wonderful thing to be fed at the banquet with the Lord Jesus. Oh, he feeds us on the living bread of heaven, and he feeds us on the sweet honey from the rock, and he feeds us on the milk and the meat of his word.

Oh, how we feast at our Lord's banquet table. That's where Lazarus was. Is that where you are? You say, well, I am saved, and the Lord has set me free, but I'm feasting on the husks of this world.

Don't do it. You're seated with Christ. Eat what he eats.

When he is seated with you and you're seated with him, you share together, seated with Christ in love. He brought me into his banqueting house, and his banner over me was love. And the Christian life is a feast, not a funeral.

The Christian life is a marvelous feast, seated with Jesus, as was Lazarus. The fifth fact we note about Lazarus is this. He was witnessing and winning others.

It's rather interesting that Lazarus is mentioned a number of times in the Gospels. We never hear one word from his lips. You say, oh, if I had two sisters like that, I wouldn't say much either.

That's not the reason. We have words from Martha, and we have words from Mary. We have no words from Lazarus.

He did speak, no question about that. But Lazarus didn't have to go around and get a soapbox and preach a sermon. He was a living miracle.

He was a walking miracle. And he'd go walking through Bethany, and people would look and say, I was there when they buried him. Oh, but I'm alive.

How did you ever get alive? You're so different. Yes, the Lord Jesus did it. That's what it is that wins people to Christ.

Not arguing, not debating, not discussing denominational theology, just being a living miracle. We're supposed to be, you know. Like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life, get rid of the grave clothes, walk around and be a living miracle.

And people looked at Lazarus and got saved. People look at us and say, if that's what goes to Moody Church, oh, we ought to be walking miracles. People can just look at us and say, I want to be saved.

We have two men in the Gospel of John who are opposite each other. John the Baptist did no miracles, but he speaks quite a bit about the Lord Jesus. Lazarus does no speaking, but he was a miracle.

And both of these men won souls. It says of John the Baptist, John did no miracle, but everything this man spoke about him was true, and they believed on Jesus Christ. Why? Because John spoke.

Lazarus did no speaking, but he was a miracle. And when they looked at Lazarus, they said, we're going to believe on Christ. Anybody who can do that.

And they trusted the Savior. How did Lazarus make Jesus Christ preeminent? By his witness. Have you gotten rid of the grave clothes? Can people look at us and watch our lives and believe on Christ? How did Martha make Jesus Christ preeminent? Well, we read one word about Martha in verse 2. Martha served.

That's what you'd expect. Martha served. You know this family at Bethany well.

There was Mary and Martha and Lazarus. Perhaps we ought to turn back to Luke chapter 10 and get reacquainted with this family. Luke chapter 10, verse 38.

Now it came to pass as they went that he, Jesus, entered into a certain village, and a certain woman named Martha received him into her house. And she had a sister called Mary who also sat at Jesus' feet and heard his word. But Martha was cumbered about much serving and came to him and said, Lord, dost thou not care that my sister hath left me to serve alone? Did you ever talk like that? Lord, don't you care? Bid her therefore that she help me.

And Jesus answered and said unto her, Martha, Martha, thou art anxious and troubled about many things, but one thing is needful, and Mary hath chosen that good part which shall not be taken away from her. Martha was a worker. You can just see these two sisters.

Now Mary was also a worker. She served, but she also sat at Jesus' feet and listened to his word. But Martha was, well, she was the energetic kind.

She was the homemaker kind. She was the Betty Crocker of the four gospels. And Martha served.

Now back here in Luke chapter 10, Martha is serving herself and Mary and Lazarus and Jesus. We don't read that the other disciples were there. So here she is taking care of four people, and she's frustrated and worried, and she's coming unglued and she's distracted and she's critical, and nobody can get along with her.

Do you know people like that? Have you ever been like that? You've had some little job to do. Serving four people. I think as limited as I am in culinary ability, I might be able to take care of four people.

And here's Martha falling apart, coming apart at the seams because she has four people to take care of. And she's critical of Christ and she's critical of her sister. That's what happens in churches.

People try to serve the Lord in their own strength, and they can't do it, and they get critical. I'm the only one doing it. Elijah got that way, you know.

He said, Lord, I'm the only one left. Everybody else has failed. God said, Elijah, I've got 7,000 people yet.

Oh? But here in John chapter 12, Martha's taking care of, I count, 17 people. The 12 apostles and Jesus, that's 13. Mary and Martha and Lazarus, that's 16.

And Simon, in whose house they were made, 17. Here is Martha taking care of 17 people, and she's not complaining. And she's not coming unglued, and she's not running around saying, nobody's helping me.

What happened to Martha between Luke 10 and John 12? The same thing that had better happen to you and me if we're going to make Jesus Christ preeminent. Let him do the serving through us. You see, in John chapter 11, Martha learned an important lesson.

When her brother died, Jesus came to the grave, and Martha came to him and said, Lord, if you had been here, my brother wouldn't have died. And Jesus said, wait just a minute, Martha. I'm the resurrection and the life.

You believe on me. You don't have to worry about death. She said, oh, but by now he smells.

Jesus said, didn't I tell you that if you'd believe, you'd see the glory of God? You know what Martha's problem was? She wasn't serving by faith. Back in Luke chapter 10, it was Martha's strength and Martha's plans and Martha's success. But in John chapter 12, it's our Lord's plans and our Lord's glory.

It's faith in him. She learned to get down at Jesus' feet and let him take care of things. I suppose someone listening to me right now is distracted and disturbed.

There's so much to do. How are we going to get it all done? And some of the things we have to do we don't enjoy doing, and the pressures are so intense. Well, let's learn the lesson Martha learned.

Just trust him. We're serving the Lord, not people, not ourselves. Martha made Jesus Christ preeminent by her work.

There's a great deal of work that needs to be done. I thank God that in a home, you can work for the Lord. I'm grateful for mothers and dads and children who serve the Lord in their home.

In a church, there's much that can be done for the Lord. There are people who are needed for teaching and for visiting and for ushering and for driving vehicles, and yet so many people don't want to be involved in doing something for the Lord. They want others to do it all.

They want to be able to come to the services and have no responsibilities during the week, and they miss such a blessing. Do you want to make Christ preeminent in your life? Lazarus made him preeminent by his witness, and Martha made him preeminent by her work. She said, Lord, I can't preach sermons, but I can cook.

Lord, I can't go out and do what other people can do, but I can work. Have you found that one thing God wants you to do, and are you doing it? That's the way to make him preeminent. Now, Mary.

How did Mary make Jesus Christ preeminent in her life? By her worship. We don't read that Mary served. We do read that Mary sacrificed.

You people know, because you are good Bible students, that every time you find Mary in the New Testament, she's in the same place, at the feet of Jesus. In Luke chapter 10, she came to Jesus' feet and listened to his word. In John chapter 11, she came to Jesus' feet and poured out her broken heart.

Her brother had died. Here in John chapter 12, she comes to Jesus' feet and grants to him, gives to him a sacrifice in worship. In Luke chapter 10, she found at his feet her blessing.

Do you find your blessing at Jesus' feet, or do you have to go out someplace in the world to find it? In John chapter 11, she brought to his feet her burden. Do you bring your burdens to Jesus' feet? In John chapter 12, she gave at his feet her best. She brought a bottle of precious ointment that it would take us a year's wages to purchase.

Judas, who was the treasurer and a thief, had it all figured out. When she came out with that ointment, he didn't know what she was going to do with it. And Judas thought to himself, aha, she's going to give this to Jesus, and I can sell that, and I can get a year's wages and put it in my pocket.

But she didn't give it to Jesus the way Judas thought she would. She broke the bottle. Now, the Lord loves broken things.

A broken and a contrite heart thou wilt not despise, O Lord. He took the bread and he broke it. His own body was broken for us.

The bones weren't broken, but his body was broken for us. And Mary came and she brought her precious ointment. She could have used this for burying Lazarus, but she didn't.

She brought this precious ointment and she gave it to Jesus. And the people were aghast because Jewish women never unbind their hair in public. For a Jewish woman to unbind her hair in public was a rare thing.

But Mary did it for Jesus. Paul tells us a woman's hair is her glory. She was taking her glory and laying it at the feet of Jesus.

And she anointed his feet with that precious ointment. And she wiped his feet with her hair. And as she went from place to place in the house, she spread the fragrance of that ointment.

You know, my friend, wherever you go, you spread a fragrance. Each of us, saved or unsaved, has a fragrance. The saved people should be sharing the fragrance of Christ.

Did you meet with the Lord Jesus this morning? Did you come to his feet this morning and lay at his feet your best? Did you break, as it were, the alabaster bottle of your life and pour out at his feet all that you are? Did you pick up some of the fragrance of that worship? There are some people, when you are with them, you sense the fragrance of Christ. There are other people, when you are with them, the smog and the pollution of sin just moves in in an overwhelming, stifling, choking way. And you want to get away from them.

Mary showed that Jesus was preeminent by her worship. And, of course, she was criticized. In fact, every time Mary did something, somebody misunderstood her.

Her sister misunderstood her when she sat at Jesus' feet and listened to his word. And here, Judas misunderstood her. You see, Judas has the attitude the unsaved person has.

The unsaved person looks at Moody Church and says, Why this waste? Let me tell you an interesting story. We had voted at the last church I was pastoring. We had voted to build a new building.

We had to have some more room. And the Lord provided the funds, and so we voted to build a new building. In the meeting where we voted to build the new building, there was a visitor.

He happened to be a liberal preacher. He didn't believe the gospel. He didn't believe the word of God.

He was a liberal, modernistic, Christ-denying preacher. And he was very unhappy that we were going to build this new building. Now, frankly, it was none of his business.

It was a family matter in the church. It wasn't his business. And he came up to me afterward, and he said, That money you're going to spend would feed a lot of people.

That's quite a waste. And I said to him, That's interesting. Another man made that statement once to Jesus.

He said, Who? I said, Judas. My friend, anything given to Jesus is not wasted. Do you recall when those five godly men were martyred, and some of the liberal publications had editorials on the waste that evangelicals make of their manpower? Why this waste? You come and give yourself to Christ.

You pour out the fragrance of your life at his feet. You say, Lord Jesus, here I am. I want you to be preeminent.

I'm going to worship you, and I'm going to serve you. And some carnal Christian or some unbelieving worldling comes along and says, What waste? Nothing is wasted that is given to Jesus, my friend. Did you notice that she gave her best to the Lord Jesus, and she brought joy to his heart? He was going to die.

Oh, anybody can come after you're dead and bring you flowers and embalm your body, but she did it for him while he was alive. And Jesus said, She's prepared my body for burial. Mary wasn't there to embalm him because she knew he was going to be raised from the dead.

She'd spent her time listening to his word. And so Mary brings her best to the Lord Jesus, and his heart is blessed, and the fragrance fills the house. The whole house was filled with the fragrance of the ointment.

Is your house filled with fragrance because you come to Jesus' feet and worship him? But it didn't stop there. The whole town was blessed. I note here in John chapter 11 that Bethany is called the town of Mary and Martha.

The whole town was blessed. And Jesus said the whole world is going to be blessed for what she did. He said, Leave her alone.

Wherever this gospel is preached, what she has done will be told. You say, Well, I don't do much for the Lord. It makes no difference.

If you're doing what he calls you to do, if you're worshiping him, it starts a series of concentric circles like throwing a pebble in the lake, and it goes farther and farther and farther, and you worship the Lord, and you serve the Lord, and you witness for the Lord. You don't see much coming from it. Don't worry about that.

When you get at Jesus' feet and give him your very best, it starts a series of blessings that go on and on and on, because he that doeth the will of God abideth forever. You know what Judas left behind? A graveyard. Why this waste? Is Jesus Christ waste to you? Is giving your life to him waste? Judas was the one that ended up being wasted.

You know what the Lord calls Judas? In John 17, the Lord calls Judas the son of perdition. You know what that word perdition means? Waste. Judas says, Why this waste? Usually those who criticize others end up being judged themselves.

Judge not that ye be not judged. Why this waste? And Judas becomes the son of waste. He wasted his opportunity.

He wasted his life. I hope that no one listening to me now becomes like Judas. You look upon the gospel and the precious things of the Lord, and you say it's a bunch of waste.

Oh, no, it isn't. No, it isn't. He that doeth the will of God abideth forever.

The fragrance of her worship of the Lord goes on and on. The next day, the Lord Jesus rode into Jerusalem. He still had on his person the fragrance of Mary's worship.

When they arrested him, he had on his person the fragrance of Mary's worship. I wonder if during those difficult hours it wasn't a great encouragement for him to know that there was somebody who loved him and was willing to give her best and not count the cost. How then do we make Jesus Christ preeminent? Well, the way Lazarus did with our witness.

Loose him and let him go. The way Martha did with our work. Find the job God wants you to do and do it.

The way Mary did with our worship. Regardless of what others may say, just coming to the Lord Jesus and submitting to him and giving him our best. King of my life, I crown thee now.

Thine shall the glory be, lest I forget thy thorn-crowned brow. Lead me to Calvary. Oh, but you say, I can't give my best to the Lord Jesus.

Why? He gave his best for you. He poured out his life for you. There are some here today who have never been raised from the dead.

You have no witness because you're dead. You need to come and give your heart to Jesus Christ and be raised from the dead and then go out and witness for him. There are some Christians here today who have been raised from the dead, but you aren't working.

You're on vacation. And there are some who don't take time for worship. Too busy.

And yet we say we want him to be preeminent. If he is preeminent in our lives, you'll know it and everybody else will know it. How will they know it? By our witness, by our work, by our worship.

That in all things he might have the preeminence. Heavenly Father, you search our hearts just now. You know those who have never been saved who need to come and receive Christ.

Help them to come. You know those believers who have not found their place of service. Help them to find it and to do it.

And Father, you know those who have been neglecting the place of worship and prayer and sacrifice. Forgive us, Father, for counting the cost. O Lord, we want to come to you and pour out at your feet lavishly and lovingly all that we are and all that we have.

We aren't concerned about the consequences. We want only to bring joy to your heart. And so where there's a believer here who's been neglecting this, speak to that heart.

Lord, may all of us be found giving you and you alone the preeminence in our lives. For Jesus' sake I pray, amen.