Hey everybody, Greg Laurie here. You're listening to the Greg Laurie Podcast and my objective is to deliver, hopefully, compelling practical insights in faith, culture, and current events from a biblical perspective. To find out more about our ministry, just go to our website, harvest.org.
So thanks for joining me for this podcast. A few more weeks to go, and then we're gonna start a special series on the book of Revelation, but the title of my message for you right now is The Best Choice. Well, 2020 is finally in the rearview mirror, and what a year it was. A year of a pandemic. A year of shutdowns.
A year of quarantine. A year of protests and riots. A year of political. Upheaval. 2020 seemed to bring out the best and the worst in people, don't you think?
As the opening statement of the book, A Tale of Two Cities says, it was the best of times, and it was the worst of times. That's 2020 in a nutshell. But let's not also forget that God worked powerfully in 2020, and as we already pointed out, we saw our greatest year ever in evangelism, with professions of faith and people coming together. And as we come to the end of one year, and now the beginning of another, this is a good time to reflect. We'll look back, and we'll think about some things we wish we would have done. Maybe we have regrets about things that we didn't.
We did do, but it's a good time to reflect. I'm reminded of a statement that Billy Graham made not long before he went to be with the Lord. He was asked the question if he had any regrets in life. In a response, Billy Graham said, quote, Well, Billy is with the Lord now, spending that time with him in eternity. But here before us, in Mark chapter 14, is a story of a woman who did what Billy Graham wished she had done more of. She spent a lot of time telling the Lord how much she loved and adored him, and then she did something very special. And by the way, she did something that was largely missed by the other disciples, but Jesus singles the story out in the Bible. He wants us to know this story in particular, and I find that fascinating. Because we read in Mark chapter 14, verse nine, Jesus speaking, he says, Assuredly, I say, wherever the gospel is preached in the whole world, what this woman has done will be told as a memorial to her. Wow, okay. Well, we better pay attention.
What exactly did this woman do? Before I tell you what that is, let's pick up where we last left off in the gospel of Mark. Jesus is headed to the cross. He has plainly declared that to his disciples at a place called Caesarea Philippi. He told them he was gonna be betrayed, he was gonna be crucified, and he would rise again on the third day.
And this came as bad news to his boys. Because his popularity was at its total peak. The name of Jesus was on everyone's lips. He was trending on social media.
Well, he would have been if this happened today. Matthew chapter 12, verse 12 said, Large crowds gathered him, and he got into a boat, and the whole crowd was standing on the beach. Close to Jesus. And so he was very popular. But ironically, the same people that were expressing their interest in him would soon turn against him when he made his way to the cross. Even his own hand-picked disciples did not fully understand what he was about to do. He had come to die on the cross. So there would be the atonement, the birth of Jesus. So there would be the death of Jesus.
This was always the plan from the very beginning. And even though he spoke about it in great detail, his disciples missed it. With one exception. And it wasn't John known for his spiritual perception. It wasn't Peter, James, Matthew, or Andrew.
In fact, this person that got it, this person that seemed to understand what none of the others understood, was not one of the disciples. It wasn't John, normally known for his spiritual perception. It wasn't Peter, normally known for his outspokenness. It wasn't Andrew. It wasn't Matthew. It wasn't one of the apostles. It wasn't a man.
It was a woman. And she was not one of the apostles. But she understood what Jesus had come to do. And her name was Mary. Now, there's a lot of Marys in the Bible.
So sometimes we get confused. First of all, there's Mary, the mother of Jesus. Then there's Mary Magdalene. Then there is Mary and Martha, okay? So this is Mary of Mary and Martha Thane. It's worth noting that every time we read of Mary, she is sitting at the feet of Jesus.
Maybe that's why she had this great insight. We remember one occasion when Jesus came over to her home, where she lived with her sister, Martha, and her brother, Lazarus. And Martha went into the kitchen to make a great feast for Jesus.
And she was standing at his feet. And this frustrated Martha, because it's a lot of work to prepare a meal. And she comes out demanding that Mary join her in the kitchen. And Jesus made an amazing statement to Martha. He said, Martha, Martha, you're worried and upset about many things, but one thing is needed. Mary has chosen what is better, and it won't not be taken from her. Think about that. Mary chose what is better.
In fact, we'll have this choice given to us thousands and thousands of times to do the right thing, to not do the wrong thing. We can be like manic Marthas flitting here and there, going about our business, or we can be like Mary and take the time to sit at his feet and hear what he has to say. This essential truth. Mary realized Jesus was coming to die on the cross. I know it seems obvious to us now, but no one else got this. She knew he was coming to die on the cross.
And she also understood that's where he was now headed. She thought, I've got to do something profound. I have to do something significant that will show my thankfulness to him, my love for him, my devotion to him. She brings this great gift, and Jesus said this will now be a memorial to her wherever the gospel is preached. You know, there's a lot of controversy among some about monuments in America today. What statues should be up? What statues should be taken down?
Well, this is a monument that should never be removed. The gift and the heart behind that gift to Jesus in this special moment. So, what exactly did Mary do? The gift that so moved Jesus, he wanted to memorialize it. Let's read about it now. Mark chapter 14, starting in verse one. Now look at the response of Jesus.
He said, Now just stop and think about this. This is a meal. This is a dinner. And what a collection of people. We've got the Lord himself there. But you know who else was there? Lazarus. Lazarus, the brother of Mary and Martha, who had just been raised from the dead. Man, I would have wanted to ask Lazarus a few questions.
So, wow, what happened? What was it like to die and go to the other side? And what did you see there?
Incredible. So they're all gathered around, probably talking to Lazarus on a lot of questions for Jesus. He had just delivered what we call the Olivet Discourse, recorded in Matthew 24. Basically, that's where Jesus talked about the end times. And they probably had more questions about that.
What did you mean when you said the abomination of desolation? And explain this all to us. So, this was quite the night that they were having together. But everything was sort of coming to a head in the life and ministry of Jesus. And now Mary, watching all of this, is so moved. She knows what Jesus is about to do.
So she does this. Verse three. He came with an alabaster jar of expensive perfume and broke the jar and poured the perfume on his head. Now this probably was a family heirloom. As it's been pointed out, it was worth a year's wages. So it was worth thousands and thousands of dollars. Under normal circumstances, just a few drops from a bottle like this would be sufficient.
She pours the whole bottle on him and then wipes his feet with her hair. The room would have been filled with this fragrance. Now, if I would have been there, I wouldn't have smelled a thing. The reason for that is, as you know, I got COVID-19. And my strength came back rather quickly.
And everything is good. But I've lost my sense of taste and smell. I still don't have it to this day.
I hope we get it back in this coming year. But I wouldn't have smelled a thing. But Judas is very critical. Maybe he had his little calculator out. He knew the price of everything and the value of nothing. He calculated it and said, this is a waste.
And it did seem like a waste, but it actually wasn't a waste at all. But she was giving the most precious thing she owned to Jesus. What is the most precious thing that you own? What is more valuable to you than anything else? What is the best, savory taste?
That's very, very true. But what is mostindividual...? That's the word Jesus used to say.
looked at the man and felt genuine love for him. And then Jesus made this statement. There's one thing you haven't done. Go and sell your possessions and give the money to the poor and you'll have treasure in heaven. Then come and follow me.
Listen to this. And then the man's face fell and he went away sad because he had great wealth. Understand, this was never about the man's stuff. Jesus didn't want his stuff. He just saw that in the heart of this young man, those things were more important to him than anything else, including God. He says, there's one thing you need to do. See, that young ruler missed the one thing and he walked away sad.
He wasn't willing to let it go. But Mary, she got that one thing. One thing is essential, Jesus said of Mary, and she has chosen it. Well, Judas did not get it and so he criticized it.
Judas is typical of so many people today. Like dutiful Pharisees, they wanna give the bare minimum to God. They'll lamely ask questions like, can you do this and still technically go to heaven? Can I get away with this and still call myself a Christian?
Those are the wrong questions. We'll give our leftovers to God, if you will. We'll pray briefly if we think of it. We'll read the Bible if we can make time in our busy schedules for it. And then what's even worse is we will criticize others that are more committed to the Lord than we are. Maybe that's one of the reasons why the early church changed their world. Maybe that's why the early church turned their world upside down, because they had a sense of abandon. God would tell Philip, go to the desert, and he went in obedience to the Lord. God would tell Peter, God would tell Peter, reach down and take that man by the hand and pull him to his feet, and he would do it. They took risks and they left their comfort zone.
Why? Because the scripture says they had been with Jesus. Acts 4-13 says the members of the council were amazed when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, because they were ordinary men, they had no special training, but they recognized them as men who had been with Jesus. Can someone tell you've been with Jesus? Can they see it reflected in your life? Does the fragrance of your life fill the room as it did with Mary and her gift to the Lord? It's a wonderful thing when people see that and ask us why we are the way that we are, and they wanna know more about us, and then we can share the gospel. Now again, I wanna emphasize, Mary did not have the same privileges as the disciples.
They spent pretty much every waking hour in the presence of Jesus for some three years. She was with him sporadically, but she was gonna take advantage of this opportunity. She's gonna listen to him, she's gonna learn from him, and she's gonna bring a great gift to him, because she could see the lines etching his face and read aright the problems reflected in his eyes, and she understood he had said what he meant, and he meant what he said.
He was going to die on a cross, and that broke her heart, so she was gonna bring her tribute to Jesus now. She would not wait until he was gone, and I wanna remind you right now, there might be someone that you know and love, and I wanna ask you, when's the last time you told them you loved them? Well, I'll see something nice at their funeral service. Well, they won't be around to hear that, will they?
So bring your flowers now. If there's someone you love and appreciate, tell them now. If you have regrets about something you did this year, deal with that now and make the appropriate changes. If there's someone you need to forgive, do it now. And why should you forgive someone? You say, well, they don't deserve my forgiveness. My response is, do you deserve to be forgiven by God?
The answer is no. So the Bible says forgive as God in Christ has forgiven you. See, forgiving a person isn't letting them off the hook. It's a way for you to get free of your bitterness, because the one that's being hurt more by your lack of forgiveness is not the person that hurts you, it's you.
As I've said so many times, when you forgive a person, you set a prisoner free yourself. And so this woman said, I'm gonna do it now. Listen, we have a new year with new opportunities before us. Let's seize the moment. Carpe diem is the expression. Now is the time to share that gospel with the person.
Now is the time to make that change in your life as we're at the beginning of a new year. That's exactly what Mary did. But of course, Judas thought it was a waste, and he criticized her for it. But then John gives us an interesting little detail about Judas. He said, Judas did not say this because he cared about the poor. He said this because he was a thief.
Basically, Judas was hanging onto the money for the disciples, and he was pocketing it. And so this had nothing to do with this concern for the poor. And that reminds me of a very important point about critical people. Sometimes the people that complain the most actually do the very least. And sometimes the people who are aiming accusations at you are revealing something about themselves.
The thing they're accusing you of is actually what they are personally guilty of. After all, it was Judas who sold Jesus for 30 pieces of silver. So careful, if you're always harping on a certain sin over and over again, you may be telling us more about yourself than you want to reveal. And so things are not always as they seem. From the outside, Judas looked thrifty and careful and spiritual, and the woman looked frivolous and wasteful and silly, but the very opposite was true. Judas was evil and greedy and wicked, and she was thoughtful and godly and committed.
So things are not always as they appear. You know, we always think Judas would have been the easiest guy to identify. You know, all the other disciples wore white robes and he wore a black robe, a black leather robe with a collar turned up, right?
No, of course not. In fact, Judas was such a good actor, such an effective faker, that when Jesus said one of you is gonna betray me, no one suspected Judas. You would have thought that someone would have said, I bet it's Matthew, he used to work for Rome. It's him, isn't it?
No. They said, is it me? No one thought Judas, if he was as obvious as people thought he might have been, they would have all pointed in unison and said, it's Judas, isn't it?
The guy who wears the black robe. No, no one suspected Judas because he was such a good actor but he was a liar. And it's interesting because Judas accused her of being wasteful, yet Jesus would say of Judas, he was the son of waste.
Jesus called Judas the son of perdition, which means the son of waste. He was the very thing he accused her of being. Now Jesus commends her as an example to us.
Look at verse eight. She has done what she could. She has come beforehand to anoint my body for burial. She did what she could because she understood that he would do what he did. In the same way, the more we discover about what Jesus has done for us will cause us to want to do more for him. The Bible says we love him because he first loved us. She saw this love that was driving him.
She saw this concern for her and the others and all of humanity and so she wanted to do something for him to show her love. And I think sometimes we'll look at people who offer something to the Lord and some might criticize them for it. For instance, a young person may give up a promising career to go into the ministry and some people like Judas will say, what a waste. You could have gone out and had a great career and made a lot of money. That's a waste.
It isn't a waste at all. I'm reminded of a young lady I just met. Her name is Tiffany and she works with the World Health Organization and the United Nations over in Yemen and they're reaching out to the poor people that are living there and so Tiffany has been able to show God's love to these people and be a great witness.
In fact, she watches Harvest at Home. That's where she gets her teaching, being so far away from the United States and some would say, well, that's a waste of a life. That's a waste of a life?
As far as I'm concerned, that's an investment of a life. You might give up certain pleasures and activities that other people are engaged in and be able to say, man, what a waste. You missed the big party. Oh, you should have been at this thing. What, you went to church again?
Seriously, what a waste, really? Let's just run the clock out and come to the end of our life and let's just see how that played out for you and how that played out for me. I just read a very interesting study that was done that showed people who go to church on a regular basis and have faith in God live longer, healthier lives.
So there's even a practical aspect to it. Oh, no, if I've given up any pleasure, that's no sacrifice compared to what God has given up for me. It said that Moses chose to give up the pleasures of Egypt and the pleasures of sin for a season to pursue God's will for his life. And whatever you give up will be more than made up to you as a follower of Jesus Christ. Or maybe you avoid that temptation to go astray. You're faithful to your wife for a lifetime.
People say, oh, man, come on, you missed out. You could've had an affair here and there. Oh, yeah, let's just look at the wreckage of divorce and the impact it has on you and on your children and even on your grandchildren.
And we'll see who made the right choice. That's not a waste. Nothing is a waste if it's done for the glory of God. And that's what this woman did. She gave her very best. It was the very opposite of a waste. Or you may decide to simply live for yourself and do whatever you wanna do with your life, and one day God will say, what a waste.
What do you care about the most, the opinion of people or the opinion of God Almighty? Give your most precious thing to the Lord. My son Jonathan was in Peru a while ago with his wife, Brittany. We worked on some projects with Compassion International, a great organization impacting people around the world, but especially children, helping to lift people out of poverty and they share the gospel with these folks. And so Jonathan went to a village in Peru. He took a backpack full of toys and other things and they were hanging out with this little family and there's a little boy named Anthony and Jonathan was playing soccer with the little guy and it was just great. And as Jonathan was leaving and getting ready to get into his cab, little Anthony ran to him and hugged him and then presented Jonathan with a little gift. It was like this little piggy bank of a little dog and obviously this was a very precious object to this little boy. He had very little and he gave his very best to Jonathan. And I just thought that's a perfect picture of what we're talking about here, giving our very best to God.
He deserves nothing less. So let's all ask ourselves, what's the most precious thing to us? Little Anthony got that little piggy bank and gave it to my son. What is the most precious thing you can give to Jesus? Let me give you an idea of what it might be.
Yes, it's your resources. Yes, it's your time. But overall, it's your life. Present your future to the Lord. I'm speaking to someone right now who's very young and they're thinking about their future.
Can I tell you the best thing you can do with your future is choose to follow Jesus Christ. That is the best choice, the best choices I made in my life. Number one, I gave my life to Jesus Christ at the age of 17.
And number two, I married a young girl named Kathy and we've been married now for 47 years. Those are choices I've never regretted. You will never regret choosing to follow Jesus Christ. And here's why choices matter. You make your choices, then your choices make you.
So make that choice now. And then choose to dedicate your life to the Lord. I pretty much dedicated all of my life to Jesus. I was around 50 years ago and I didn't have a lot to offer Christ at the age of 17. I was a confused kid.
I'd gotten into drugs, I'd made some bad decisions. And I said, here I am, Jesus. And I actually said to him, God, if you're real, make yourself real to me.
And he did, and he does. And whatever good has come out of my life, my ministry, has been God taking very little and multiplying it. Sort of like that little boy with the loaves and fishes that came to Jesus. And Jesus took that loaf, or that little bit of bread and those fishes, and he distributed it.
It was sort of like the guy came with, here's my little crackers and my sardines. Jesus says, I can work with that. And he touched so many lives. And you need to come, I need to come, we all need to come and offer our life to the Lord. Especially as this new year is upon us.
And you will never regret that decision. Because one day will be your last day. A couple of days ago, I made a phone call to a man named Jim, who's in the hospital. Jim, tragically, is dying of cancer. But as we talked, he told me he came to Christ hearing me preach in 2011. And then he made this statement, Greg, I'm not afraid.
I'm ready to see the Lord. And I was so moved by that. And then Jim made this statement to me. He said, the meaning of life is a life with meaning in Christ. I thought, man, you are so right.
He had such clarity. Only a Christian can look death in the face and say, I am not afraid. And I reminded Jim of the statement of the apostle Paul when he said, to live is Christ and to die is gain.
It doesn't mean that the Christian has a death wish. What it means is, we don't have to be afraid to die anymore because Jesus died on the cross for our sin and rose again from the dead. This gives us hope for the afterlife.
And I ask you right now, do you have this hope for the afterlife? Could you look death square in the face and like Jim say, I'm not afraid to die? You can say that if you put your faith in Jesus, but if you haven't, I can't think of anything more terrifying than death. But death is coming to all of us.
As it has been said, the statistics on death are quite impressive, one out of every one persons will die. Only those who are prepared to die are really ready to live. Are you prepared to die?
Are you ready to meet the Lord? Listen, if you wanna go to heaven, if you wanna know that your sin is forgiven, you can ask Christ to come into your life and everything can change for you. So in a moment, I'm gonna pray a prayer. And I'm gonna ask any of you that are watching right now who are not sure if Jesus is living in your life, you're not certain that your sin is forgiven.
You don't have the confidence that you go to heaven when you die. I want you to pray this prayer with me. You can pray it out loud if you like, you can pray it silently, but you pray this prayer and mean it and God will hear you. So if you want Christ to come into your life, pray this prayer right now. Just pray these words, Lord Jesus, I know that I'm a sinner, but I know that you're the Savior who died on the cross for my sin and rose again from the dead. I ask you to come into my life right now and forgive me of all of my sin. I wanna see you in heaven one day. Thank you for hearing this prayer and answering this prayer. In Jesus' name I pray, amen.
Hey everybody, Greg Laurie here. Thanks for listening to our podcast and to learn more about Harvest Ministries, please subscribe and consider supporting this show. Just go to harvest.org. And by the way, if you wanna find out how to come into a personal relationship with God, go to knowgod.org. That's K-N-O-W-G-O-D.org.
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