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Extravagant Love on Everlasting Display · INSIGHT FOR LIVING: Biblical Wisdom For Everyday Living

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Speaker 1: On these five Sundays, moving toward Easter Sunday morning, we
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Speaker 1: are journeying with Christ in various scenes along the pathway
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Speaker 1: of his final week of life, or thereabouts. We've come
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Speaker 1: in our journey to Mark chapter 14. I'll be reading
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Speaker 1: for you verses 1 through 9. Please locate Mark 14.
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Speaker 1: I'll be reading from the New Living Translation as you
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Speaker 1: follow along in your Bible. Stand with me as we
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Speaker 1: read the scriptures together. It was now two days before
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Speaker 1: Passover and the festival of unleavened bread. The leading priests...
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Speaker 1: and the teachers of religious law were still looking for
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Speaker 1: an opportunity to capture Jesus secretly and kill him. But
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Speaker 1: not during the Passover celebration, they agreed, or the people
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Speaker 1: may riot. Meanwhile, Jesus was in Bethany at the home
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Speaker 1: of Simon, a man who had previously had leprosy. While
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Speaker 1: he was eating, a woman came in with a beautiful
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Speaker 1: alabaster jar of expensive perfume made from essence of nard.
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Speaker 1: She broke open the jar and poured the perfume over
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Speaker 1: his head. Some of those at the table were indignant.
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Speaker 1: Why waste such expensive perfume, they asked. It could have
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Speaker 1: been sold for a year's wages and the money given
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Speaker 1: to the poor. So they scolded her harshly. But Jesus replied,
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Speaker 1: leave her alone. Why criticize her for doing such a
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Speaker 1: good thing to me? You will always have the poor
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Speaker 1: among you, and you can help them whenever you want to,
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Speaker 1: but you will not always have me. She has done
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Speaker 1: what she could and has anointed my body for burial
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Speaker 1: ahead of time. I tell you the truth. wherever the
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Speaker 1: good news is preached throughout the world, this woman's deed
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Speaker 1: will be remembered and discussed. Bow with me as we pray. Father,
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Speaker 1: there aren't enough things in our lives that will be
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Speaker 1: remembered and discussed. So when we come across a moment
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Speaker 1: such as this, We pause and let the wonder in.
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Speaker 1: What a beautiful expression of this woman's adoration for your son, Jesus.
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Speaker 1: And without a word, she expressed it in this extravagant manner.
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Speaker 1: How marvelous to witness this. Such an extreme act of devotion.
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Speaker 1: We seldom see such things in our lives. Thank you
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Speaker 1: for the opportunity today to sit before you, to have
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Speaker 1: your word resting in our laps, being able to read
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Speaker 1: it in our own language, knowing there were those who
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Speaker 1: gave their lives that this might happen. May we treat
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Speaker 1: your word with enormous respect. May we see it as
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Speaker 1: no other body of literature. May we realize that it
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Speaker 1: is alive, it is active, sharper than a double-edged sword,
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Speaker 1: piercing to the division of soul and spirit, of joint
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Speaker 1: and marrow, and as a discerner of the thoughts and
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Speaker 1: intentions of our hearts. So we invite you to probe.
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Speaker 1: Open our eyes that we might see what you see
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Speaker 1: and hear what you say and adjust our lives to
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Speaker 1: your plan whatever that may mean. There are those in
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Speaker 1: this world today who would give everything they own for
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Speaker 1: one hour doing what we're doing this morning. But alas,
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Speaker 1: their country is being bombarded, assaulted. They are at the
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Speaker 1: mercy of a merciless dictator we realize Lord that with
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Speaker 1: you there is a time for everything we plead with
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Speaker 1: you Lord to step in bring relief stop the carnage
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Speaker 1: provide hope before the country is totally annihilated preserve lives
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Speaker 1: protect young and old alike. May justice roll down by
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Speaker 1: your power. In the quietness of our worship, we acknowledge
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Speaker 1: you as our only God, the one and only God,
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Speaker 1: We turn to you, we rely on you, we believe
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Speaker 1: in you, we answer to you, and we do so willingly, gratefully.
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Speaker 1: Change us, Lord, so that we might become more like
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Speaker 1: your Son. Begin deep within, and as you do your work,
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Speaker 1: inside us, may it evidence itself on the outside of
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Speaker 1: us in random acts of kindness, words graciously spoken, kind statements,
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Speaker 1: willing forgiveness. And finally, Lord, I pray that you will
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Speaker 1: purify us And make us holy, holy, holy. Through Christ
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Speaker 1: our Lord we pray. Everyone said amen. Please be seated.
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Speaker 1: Certain scriptures deserve special It's as if when we come
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Speaker 1: to them, the Lord is saying, you certainly may read this.
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Speaker 1: You must imagine the scene, but don't touch it. Don't
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Speaker 1: fuss around with it. He says to preachers like me,
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Speaker 1: don't exegetically pick it to pieces. Let it be. Let
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Speaker 1: it be. It's as if we've come across something sacred,
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Speaker 1: so significant that to fuss around with it and put
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Speaker 1: our hands on it would cheapen it. Years ago, a
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Speaker 1: group of tourists making their way through Germany came to
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Speaker 1: the house of the great composer Ludwig van Beethoven. The
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Speaker 1: small group upon entering, of course, the guide led them
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Speaker 1: ultimately to the conservatory where the great master had spent
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Speaker 1: hours toward the end of his life. completely deaf, hearing
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Speaker 1: the sounds in the bones of his head as he
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Speaker 1: rested them on the piano lid. And he said to
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Speaker 1: all those in the group, and here, here is the
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Speaker 1: master's instrument. Abruptly, a a well-meaning but thoughtless woman pushed
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Speaker 1: her way to the front of the group and sat
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Speaker 1: right down on the bench and began to play one
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Speaker 1: of Beethoven's sonatas. As she said to the guide, I'm
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Speaker 1: sure there are many people who would love to play
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Speaker 1: this piano. He frowned and reached over and put his
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Speaker 1: hand on her hands to stop her. And he said,
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Speaker 1: Not long ago, I had a group here, and in
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Speaker 1: the group was Ignace Paderewski. And several of our tour
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Speaker 1: members asked that great pianist if he would please play
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Speaker 1: for us. Oh, no, no. He said, I'm not worthy
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Speaker 1: to place my hands on the same keys as the
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Speaker 1: great Beethoven. very appropriate response. And sometimes we preachers need
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Speaker 1: to know when we've come to such moments. We're there today.
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Speaker 1: We're there. I feel the same way in other scriptures
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Speaker 1: as well. Some of the Psalms of lament need no
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Speaker 1: comment from me. They speak for themselves. And then there
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Speaker 1: are various prayers of the saints woven through the fabric
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Speaker 1: of scripture. Again, it's time to back away, read them,
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Speaker 1: respect them, don't overanalyze them. Prayers are never meant to
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Speaker 1: be overanalyzed. We're to enter into them and let the
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Speaker 1: wonder of them enter into us. There are also times
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Speaker 1: of great anguish and grief. As is always helpful when
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Speaker 1: being with those who have suffered loss, the less words
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Speaker 1: you say, the better. Just be there. Feel with them
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Speaker 1: the anguish of their souls. You don't have to talk.
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Speaker 1: The scene portrayed for us in Mark 14 is one
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Speaker 1: of those scriptural treasures. We're free to read it, of course.
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Speaker 1: Our imaginations should kick in as we put ourselves in
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Speaker 1: the place of those who were there, but we should
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Speaker 1: treat it as a literary treasure that it is. and
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Speaker 1: leave it at that. It may help if I set
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Speaker 1: the historical stage for us, sort of set the table,
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Speaker 1: if you will. What's happened right about now is the
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Speaker 1: most significant event in the year of every Jew, Passover.
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Speaker 1: followed with a feast of unleavened bread. I don't know
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Speaker 1: if they did it back in ancient days like we
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Speaker 1: do it today, but if they did, every calendar would
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Speaker 1: have that date circled. Because it would be the reminder
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Speaker 1: that that was when their forefathers were delivered from Egyptian
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Speaker 1: bondage and led by Moses into the Exodus era. out
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Speaker 1: into the wilderness for the next 40 years. A time
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Speaker 1: of deliverance never to be forgotten to this day. To
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Speaker 1: this day, still the most significant event of the year.
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Speaker 1: They're there. However, not everyone was in a mood of
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Speaker 1: remembrance and a worshipful heart. As you read in the
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Speaker 1: first verse of Mark's words in chapter 14, of all things,
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Speaker 1: the leading priests, the teachers of religious law, those who
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Speaker 1: should have been most consumed with the time of the
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Speaker 1: year were preoccupied with murder. In their mind was one hope,
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Speaker 1: and that was to capture Jesus secretly, push him through trials,
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Speaker 1: take him to torture and then to death. Get rid
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Speaker 1: of him, this phony Messiah. So they thought. Now, why secretly?
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Speaker 1: Why secretly? Understand, again, it's Passover. And the population of
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Speaker 1: the city of Jerusalem swelled multiple times its normal number.
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Speaker 1: And so the streets were packed with people. The stores
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Speaker 1: were busy. There was no way to get away from
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Speaker 1: the crowds. And a number of those in these crowds
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Speaker 1: of people would be followers of Jesus. They had by
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Speaker 1: now trusted in him. They saw him as the promised Messiah.
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Speaker 1: He was the prophet that had been promised by the
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Speaker 1: living God. And so they knew that if they acted
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Speaker 1: in public and the word got out, there would be
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Speaker 1: a riot. That's the last thing they wanted. So their
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Speaker 1: whole plan was a deceitful plan behind the scenes. They
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Speaker 1: needed someone to help make that plan work. They found him,
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Speaker 1: as we'll see in our next time together, as we
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Speaker 1: follow the trail of a traitor and expose the one
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Speaker 1: who betrayed Jesus, even Judas, who appears interestingly in this scene.
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Speaker 1: Though he's not mentioned in Mark, he's here. When you
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Speaker 1: get to verses 2 and 3 of this 14th chapter,
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Speaker 1: you see that Mark has escorted us out of the
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Speaker 1: busy city of Jerusalem and up into a quiet and
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Speaker 1: quaint village named Bethany. We're in the home of a
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Speaker 1: man who had once had leprosy, but had now been
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Speaker 1: cleansed of it. But he would live with the stigma
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Speaker 1: the rest of his life Simon the leper. Simon must
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Speaker 1: have loved Jesus. He wanted him there in his home
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Speaker 1: for a meal. And with Jesus came the disciples. And
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Speaker 1: they are reclining at the table. Interesting way to put it.
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Speaker 1: We don't recline at tables today. We sit around tables.
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Speaker 1: But in those days, tables had no legs, tabletops set
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Speaker 1: on the floor, and pillows were provided around the edges
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Speaker 1: for comfort, and people reclined on their side and they
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Speaker 1: would eat with their hands and fingers from the table
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Speaker 1: and drink from the chalices that were provided. So they're
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Speaker 1: engaged in this meal What they talk about, we're not told.
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Speaker 1: I imagine, and it's only that, worth nothing more than
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Speaker 1: an opinion, I imagine Jesus said very little, if anything.
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Speaker 1: He's preoccupied. The time of the torture is soon to come,
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Speaker 1: only hours away. So the small talk around the table,
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Speaker 1: the passing of food, the eating of it, the conversation
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Speaker 1: doesn't really matter enough for Mark or any of the
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Speaker 1: gospel writers to mention. But all of them tell of
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Speaker 1: the interruption that occurred that was such all eating and
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Speaker 1: all talking stopped. You see, this is an all men's dinner,
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Speaker 1: not uncommon in that day, especially. What was also true
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Speaker 1: back then is that when all men gathered around a table,
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Speaker 1: women sat. had no place. They would not be there.
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Speaker 1: Perhaps some would serve, but not even here would there
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Speaker 1: be one or she would have been mentioned. This is
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Speaker 1: an all men's gathering and suddenly through the door, unannounced
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Speaker 1: and unexpected, came a woman We don't know her name
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Speaker 1: from what Mark writes, but thanks to John and Matthew,
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Speaker 1: we know that she is Mary of Bethany. Common name
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Speaker 1: in that day. Mary walks in. It's not who she
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Speaker 1: was that was significant. It's what she was carrying. And
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Speaker 1: here we're to take this in with a great deal
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Speaker 1: of interest, most unusual, most expensive. We read that she
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Speaker 1: was carrying a beautiful alabaster jar of expensive, exquisite perfume
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Speaker 1: made from the essence of nard. We're unfamiliar with those words.
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Speaker 1: You do a little research on this and you find
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Speaker 1: that this was made from the leaves of a rare plant.
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Speaker 1: The oil excreted from the leaves. A plant in the Himalayas.
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Speaker 1: Perhaps the most expensive of all perfumes. Back years ago
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Speaker 1: when I was preaching on this, I did some research
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Speaker 1: into expensive perfumes. I've I know just about as little
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Speaker 1: as anyone in this place or any place could know
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Speaker 1: about perfumes. So I had a friend of mine who
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Speaker 1: knew that world to investigate for me. And she told
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Speaker 1: me that the most expensive at that time was the
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Speaker 1: French perfume Jean Partout 1000. You buy it in half
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Speaker 1: ounce sizes, you know, The more expensive, the smaller the container.
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Speaker 1: And back then, this was 25 years ago and more,
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Speaker 1: it sold for $ 150 for half an ounce. This woman
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Speaker 1: has a pound, a pound of this thick, pungent ointment
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Speaker 1: that she has brought with her perhaps a part of
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Speaker 1: what she had inherited from her parents. Perhaps never been opened,
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Speaker 1: but saved, sitting on her shelf. We are told by
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Speaker 1: each of the writers that it was worth a year's wage.
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Speaker 1: So if you want to know the cost, as I'm
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Speaker 1: sure some of you would love to know, Think about
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Speaker 1: what you make each year. That was the value or
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Speaker 1: the cost, I should say, of what was in this
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Speaker 1: alabaster jar. She walks in, I'm impressed with this, she
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Speaker 1: says nothing. Then she does something extremely extravagant. She breaks
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Speaker 1: open the jar Quite likely the first time ever in
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Speaker 1: her life. The scent must have filled the room instantly.
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Speaker 1: And of all things, she poured it out on his head.
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Speaker 1: John adds that she poured it on his feet and
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Speaker 1: massaged his feet with her hair. I found this interesting.
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Speaker 1: In his book titled Rabboni, Philip Keller writes, the delicious
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Speaker 1: fragrance ran down over his shining hair and thick beard.
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Speaker 1: It enfolded his body with its delightful aroma. Even his
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Speaker 1: tunic and flowing undergarment were drenched with its enduring pungency.
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Speaker 1: Wherever he moved during the ensuing 48 hours, imagine this.
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Speaker 1: Wherever he moved during those hours, the perfume would go
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Speaker 1: with him into the Passover, into the Garden of Gethsemane.
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Speaker 1: into Herod's hall, into Pilate's praetorium, into the crude hands
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Speaker 1: of those who cast lots for his clothing at the
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Speaker 1: foot of the cross. I would add into the grave
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Speaker 1: where they placed his body. That aroma must have filled
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Speaker 1: that cave-like grave. This special rite of perfuming the head
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Speaker 1: of the body was a rare ritual reserved only for
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Speaker 1: dying royalty. It was the most lofty honor that could
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Speaker 1: be bestowed by a common person. Jesus recognized this, not
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Speaker 1: those around him, It was a significant moment of momentous meaning.
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Speaker 1: In the verses that follow, the magnificent moment is almost
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Speaker 1: ruined by the impudence of some of the men who were,
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Speaker 1: we read it, indignant. They missed the whole point of
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Speaker 1: her act of worship by a mile. This was her
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Speaker 1: profound moment of devotion. This was her sacrificial worship, the
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Speaker 1: most significant of her life. Her deep desire to pour
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Speaker 1: it all out for Christ. Without saying a word, I repeat,
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Speaker 1: And here sit these carping critics. What an extravagant waste.
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Speaker 1: What are you doing, woman? It was an impulsive act
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Speaker 1: of grandstanding to them. Did you notice? They're indignant. They
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Speaker 1: scold her like you would a mangy dog that had
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Speaker 1: roamed through the room. How thoughtless, they added. You could
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Speaker 1: have even given this money to the poor, those hypocrites.
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Speaker 1: Why would I say that? Well, unfortunately, we do not
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Speaker 1: have John, what he wrote in front of us. If
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Speaker 1: you take the time to read, John chapter 12, verse six.
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Speaker 1: Encourage you to do that. You will see who spoke first.
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Speaker 1: Judas Iscariot. And John adds, because he's writing after the fact,
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Speaker 1: he was a thief. He was the one who held
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Speaker 1: the purse He was the one who stole from the
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Speaker 1: treasury of the disciples. Did you know that? He's the
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Speaker 1: only disciple not from Galilee. He's from Judea. Probably, intelligence-wise,
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Speaker 1: the brightest of the bunch. So he was chosen to
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Speaker 1: keep the money bag hidden. What little bit they had.
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Speaker 1: And he stole from that. He's the one who says.
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Speaker 1: You could have given the money to the poor. He
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Speaker 1: didn't care about the poor. He cared that he didn't
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Speaker 1: get into it. And I love it. That Jesus finally speaks.
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Speaker 1: And when he does. It is really worth reading. Leave
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Speaker 1: her alone. our way of saying, back off. Mary still
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Speaker 1: has said nothing. She's simply going about what she came
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Speaker 1: to do. Jesus commends her for her extravagance, having rebuked
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Speaker 1: those disciples who were criticizing her. Had it been a
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Speaker 1: hymn in those days, Mary would have had on her
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Speaker 1: mind King of my life, I crown thee now. Thine
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Speaker 1: shall the glory be, lest I forget thy thorn-crowned brow.
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Speaker 1: Lead me to Calvary. Lest I forget Gethsemane. Lest I
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Speaker 1: forget thine agony. Lest I forget thy love for me.
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Speaker 1: Lead me to Calvary. God bless you, Mary, Jesus is saying.
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Speaker 1: acknowledging the fact that her act will be rewarded from
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Speaker 1: here on. In fact, if you read closely, please do that.
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Speaker 1: Look at the end of the passage. She has done
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Speaker 1: what she could and has anointed my body for burial
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Speaker 1: ahead of time. Look, I tell you the truth. Anytime
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Speaker 1: you read that from Jesus, it's saying, listen, listen up.
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Speaker 1: Wherever the good news is preached throughout the world, this
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Speaker 1: woman's deed will be remembered and discussed. Here we are,
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Speaker 1: 21st century, still reading it, still discussing it. How magnificent.
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Speaker 1: Good for you, Mary. You have honored me as no
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Speaker 1: one has up to this point. How magnificent is your extravagance?
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Speaker 1: I'll leave the passage there and let it speak for itself.
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Speaker 1: I'll let the aroma of it go with you through
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Speaker 1: the afternoon, but not until I have finished with a
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Speaker 1: couple of points of application. Very personal words to all
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Speaker 1: of us regarding extravagance. Hold on tightly, you'll hear words
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Speaker 1: like this very seldom in churches like ours. I want
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Speaker 1: to extol the rare presence of extravagance. My first point
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Speaker 1: in application is there's a great difference between the price
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Speaker 1: of something and the value of something. Bean counters never
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Speaker 1: get that. Never. The question always is, how much did
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Speaker 1: that cost? What how much he or she paid for that?
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Speaker 1: That's what these disciples are thinking. That's why they call
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Speaker 1: it a waste. I mean, you're pouring that out on
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Speaker 1: his head, on his hair, on his beard. on his garments,
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Speaker 1: on his feet. They saw no value in what she did.
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Speaker 1: All she did see was value. She forgot the price. Unconvinced,
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Speaker 1: it's the most priceless thing she owned. And therefore, only
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Speaker 1: that was good enough for her Savior Jesus. By the way,
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Speaker 1: if you are dealing with the type of people who
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Speaker 1: care only about price, don't waste your time trying to
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Speaker 1: convince them of value. They'll never get it. It happens
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Speaker 1: in various ways. When a church decides it wants a
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Speaker 1: pipe organ, there we go. You have to figure out
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Speaker 1: a way to take up an offering for it so
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Speaker 1: that those who care only about cost won't have to
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Speaker 1: pay for it. So you have special offerings. I've done
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Speaker 1: that in two churches. It works. It works. Interestingly, over
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Speaker 1: the years, I've never once been asked, not once, how
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Speaker 1: much did that cost? But again and again and again
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Speaker 1: and again and again and again, I've received notes, email, texts,
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Speaker 1: even phone calls thanking me as if I were the
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Speaker 1: one doing the music. Believe me, had I been, there
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Speaker 1: would have been no phone calls, no messages. But because
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Speaker 1: we have a John Dill and because we have people
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Speaker 1: who know how to play beautiful music, it enhances our worship.
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Speaker 1: Am I saying this is for everyone? You never heard
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Speaker 1: me say that. Don't go there with me. I'm saying
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Speaker 1: if I'm going to be pastor of this church, we're
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Speaker 1: going to have a pipe organ. That's what I'm saying.
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Speaker 1: That's all. It's not about me. It's just that's what
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Speaker 1: enhances worship for us. I'm not saying one should be
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Speaker 1: in every church. I'm not pastor of every church, and
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Speaker 1: they're all happy about that. I'm pastor of this church.
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Speaker 1: And I'm grateful that many of you were visionary enough
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Speaker 1: to look past the cost because it was expensive. And
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Speaker 1: it should have been when you build one with quality. Again,
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Speaker 1: it's the value, not the price. Cynthia and I know
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Speaker 1: she's gone now, but we knew a great lady who
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Speaker 1: was married to a pastor back in earlier years, and
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Speaker 1: they had two children, and he was pastoring a little church,
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Speaker 1: and his deacons were all bean counters, and most of
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Speaker 1: the people in the church watched carefully what they wore,
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Speaker 1: what they drove, where they lived. They needed a car,
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Speaker 1: and her husband, the pastor, looking in the want ads,
36:21
Speaker 1: back in those days, that's how you search for a car,
36:24
Speaker 1: And he found one. He said, look at this, Helen.
36:27
Speaker 1: And it was unbelievable. Low mileage. And of all things,
36:37
Speaker 1: very little price. He says, it's got to be a gimmick.
36:41
Speaker 1: It's got to be something wrong. So he went there,
36:43
Speaker 1: and the dear family had lost their loved one, and
36:45
Speaker 1: they had decided we just need to sell it. He said, mine.
36:50
Speaker 1: I'd love to buy it. Thank you. So he drove
36:53
Speaker 1: away in this four-door lengthy Lincoln. You could put about
36:57
Speaker 1: five bodies in the trunk of really a big, big,
37:01
Speaker 1: big car. And he suddenly realizes driving home, oh man,
37:08
Speaker 1: I got to explain this to the deacons. How are
37:12
Speaker 1: we going to ever tell the congregation? And she said,
37:15
Speaker 1: we spent the next seven years parking the car eight
37:18
Speaker 1: blocks away from the church. so we could walk to
37:21
Speaker 1: church lest anybody knew we had a car that nice.
37:29
Speaker 1: I got a friend that was one of our youth
37:31
Speaker 1: leaders in a former church, and he and his wife
37:35
Speaker 1: became real good friends with an older lady in their neighborhood,
37:38
Speaker 1: cared for her right up to her death. She happened
37:41
Speaker 1: to drive a nice, big, fat Cadillac, and they were
37:45
Speaker 1: driving a little Volkswagen. And she said, now, when I'm gone,
37:49
Speaker 1: I want you to take this and drive this. And
37:52
Speaker 1: Ed began to think, oh, man, how am I going
37:54
Speaker 1: to make this happen? And he came up with a
37:56
Speaker 1: fantastic idea. He had his wife print out a sign
38:00
Speaker 1: to go in the back window. It said, this was
38:03
Speaker 1: a gift. They never got flack for it. Isn't that
38:10
Speaker 1: a shame? Why in the world do you care who
38:15
Speaker 1: drives what? Why do you care who lives where? Why
38:21
Speaker 1: do you care who makes what? Who died and put
38:26
Speaker 1: you in charge? Who left the accounting of their life
38:30
Speaker 1: up to you? Do you pay their bills? And while
38:34
Speaker 1: I'm asking questions, do you know how much they give?
38:41
Speaker 1: Are you aware of their financial portfolio? Of course you're not.
38:46
Speaker 1: You're just busy criticizing because it's something you couldn't afford.
38:54
Speaker 1: That means that what they afford is none of your
39:00
Speaker 1: or my business. I better move on here. The wonderful
39:07
Speaker 1: part of Mary's great gift to Jesus, I add, is
39:13
Speaker 1: her silence. Not once does she defend her act. Not
39:18
Speaker 1: once does she explain her motive. Jesus read everything. The
39:24
Speaker 1: disciples missed it. Even if she had tried, they would
39:27
Speaker 1: have silenced her with their critical comments. Now let me
39:34
Speaker 1: go one step further. Every once in a while when
39:40
Speaker 1: the moment is right, be like Mary. Go ahead.
39:47
Speaker 2: Huh.
39:49
Speaker 1: Break a vase. Go ahead. Are you going to take
39:55
Speaker 1: it with you? I buried a lot of people and
40:00
Speaker 1: they all die the same way. Hands open and not
40:05
Speaker 1: a crying dime in their pocket. Some of them with
40:12
Speaker 1: families in deep regret that they didn't enjoy more of
40:15
Speaker 1: life because everything was so tight. so carefully handled, so
40:23
Speaker 1: cautiously protected. I realize when I speak there are many
40:31
Speaker 1: who are unable because they haven't much. I understand that.
40:35
Speaker 1: Please don't think I missed that. But I think more
40:41
Speaker 1: of us than not are able to enjoy more than
40:45
Speaker 1: we do. Summer's coming. Are you planning a nice vacation?
40:51
Speaker 1: Even if it's three days? Are you telling your family
40:55
Speaker 1: about it? Are you saving for it? You're looking forward
40:59
Speaker 1: to a time away? Is it going to be at
41:02
Speaker 1: least part of it extravagant? Will you really, truly pull
41:10
Speaker 1: out all the stops? You love the one you married.
41:17
Speaker 1: When is the last time the two of you really
41:21
Speaker 1: did something worth remembering? I find myself every time we
41:26
Speaker 1: sponsor a cruise at our Insight for Living ministry, I
41:31
Speaker 1: have to give a little speech because normally people get
41:34
Speaker 1: on board making sure their friends don't see them. So
41:38
Speaker 1: they're able to get on board. I'm just joking. but
41:42
Speaker 1: some of them have put up with a lot of
41:43
Speaker 1: flack at home. Well, we're glad you can afford a cruise,
41:47
Speaker 1: stuff like that. So I say, you know what? This
41:50
Speaker 1: is your moment to enjoy it. And if you want
41:54
Speaker 1: to know some good advice, stay out of the gambling
41:57
Speaker 1: room and spend time doing some of these excursions we're
42:01
Speaker 1: able to do together. Live it up, live it up.
42:05
Speaker 1: You will never have a week like this. This is
42:08
Speaker 1: your week. Enjoy it to the fullest. And since their
42:13
Speaker 1: friends aren't around, they applaud. That's a great idea. That's
42:16
Speaker 1: what we're going to do. You have plans for something
42:19
Speaker 1: like that? Or are you talking yourself out of it
42:22
Speaker 1: because money's tight? Believe me, I know that. Believe me.
42:29
Speaker 1: I realize that. Money was tight in the first century.
42:37
Speaker 1: I don't know what Mary's condition was at home, but
42:40
Speaker 1: I would have a feeling that She lived rather frugally,
42:44
Speaker 1: but this was her moment to express the maximum expression
42:50
Speaker 1: of her devotion. And she did it with extravagance. I
42:56
Speaker 1: close with a touching story, and it's true. Only Cynthia
43:01
Speaker 1: knows it, because she was there with me through it all.
43:07
Speaker 1: We fell in love with a couple that had fallen
43:10
Speaker 1: in love together They were both in medical school, and
43:15
Speaker 1: as soon as they finished, got their degree and had
43:21
Speaker 1: completed their specialties, he was in oncology, she was OBGYN,
43:28
Speaker 1: they married. They practiced their medical practice in the places
43:36
Speaker 1: where they lived there in that part of the country.
43:40
Speaker 1: As I recall, it was in New England. And then
43:43
Speaker 1: they had an opportunity to team up together and to
43:47
Speaker 1: move to the other side of the country, which they did.
43:51
Speaker 1: They had two boys in the process, busy, rambunctious little guys,
43:57
Speaker 1: but they continued on and they were such great, great
44:02
Speaker 1: medical folks. Their practices swelled and he began a little
44:08
Speaker 1: larger practice than she did. Hers remained rather small. And
44:14
Speaker 1: she was diagnosed with an aggressive form of ovarian cancer.
44:21
Speaker 1: It was inoperable by the time it was found and
44:25
Speaker 1: he knew too much about cancer to need to ask
44:29
Speaker 1: about anything. And so this dear man decided we can
44:38
Speaker 1: spend the rest of our weeks, months, however long we
44:42
Speaker 1: have together, just sighing and crying, or we can make
44:51
Speaker 1: the most of it. He put his practice on hold,
44:57
Speaker 1: set it aside four to five months while he would
45:00
Speaker 1: be away. He didn't know how long he'd be gone.
45:02
Speaker 1: She lasted about that long. And a part of their
45:06
Speaker 1: time together He took the family, the dad took the
45:11
Speaker 1: family to Hawaii, planned a marvelous 10 day vacation. They
45:17
Speaker 1: rented a hotel room that actually was a suite they
45:21
Speaker 1: could enjoy. And by then she was hardly able to walk.
45:30
Speaker 1: So as the boys played in the surf, he would
45:32
Speaker 1: set up her umbrella on the beach. and the lounge
45:36
Speaker 1: chair and then would carry her because the wheelchair wouldn't
45:40
Speaker 1: roll across the sand. He carried her to the chair
45:44
Speaker 1: each morning and let her watch the boys play in
45:47
Speaker 1: the surf. The joy of her life for those two
45:51
Speaker 1: kids as she watched them. She also did something I've
45:55
Speaker 1: never heard anyone else do. Maybe you've heard of this,
45:58
Speaker 1: I hadn't. She took the time while in the room
46:02
Speaker 1: as well as on the beach to write out birthday
46:07
Speaker 1: cards for each one of the two boys' birthdays as
46:12
Speaker 1: they would come with dates on them, whatever the year, 1997, 1998, 1999,
46:23
Speaker 1: each one addressed to each of the sons. They were
46:27
Speaker 1: not to open them until their birthday, and she wrote
46:31
Speaker 1: her own handwriting, her love note to them, She did
46:37
Speaker 1: the same for their graduating from high school long before
46:40
Speaker 1: they were even in high school. And then even their
46:44
Speaker 1: graduation from college, congratulating them for accomplishing that. And if
46:49
Speaker 1: you could believe, for the day of their wedding, when
46:53
Speaker 1: and if they married, she wanted them to have a
46:56
Speaker 1: note from their mother written in her own hand. She
47:02
Speaker 1: did that. It was part of their time together. In
47:06
Speaker 1: the evening, he and she listened to love songs in
47:10
Speaker 1: their room. Or they would watch old movies that they
47:14
Speaker 1: enjoyed together late into the night. He said, I must
47:19
Speaker 1: have told her I love her 20, 30, 40 times
47:25
Speaker 1: a day. I covered her with my kisses. And she
47:32
Speaker 1: with me. When she died, I was asked to do
47:39
Speaker 1: the burial. It was an unusual experience. 10, 11 years earlier,
47:44
Speaker 1: I'd married them, and now I'm burying her. Had a
47:51
Speaker 1: little time with him, and I embraced him and told
47:55
Speaker 1: him how pleased I was with how tight they had stayed.
47:59
Speaker 1: He said, oh, you have no idea. And she said
48:04
Speaker 1: to me, I really don't want you to stay single.
48:07
Speaker 1: The boys are going to need a mother, and please,
48:11
Speaker 1: as much as we've loved each other, I want you
48:13
Speaker 1: to move ahead with your life. God will give you
48:18
Speaker 1: a wonderful woman. I buried her, and I'm grateful to
48:27
Speaker 1: say that it was in a matter of a couple
48:30
Speaker 1: of three years he met a lady, and she had
48:33
Speaker 1: a number of children, so they all came together but
48:38
Speaker 1: like recess let out, as a matter of fact, when
48:40
Speaker 1: they were all together, they would come to our Mount
48:43
Speaker 1: Hermon Christian Conference Center conference, and we had the joy
48:47
Speaker 1: of meeting her and entering their life. But I've never
48:51
Speaker 1: forgotten the extravagant way he looked upon her death. He
49:00
Speaker 1: loved her to the end. How marvelous. Extravagance isn't always
49:12
Speaker 1: in some possession or something you purchase. It's in demonstration
49:23
Speaker 1: of your life. Can you think back over the last
49:29
Speaker 1: five years and remember one time that you poured yourself
49:34
Speaker 1: into something without restraint? You cast caution to the winds
49:42
Speaker 1: and you let it all out. And you wrote in
49:47
Speaker 1: that letter how you really felt about this individual. And
49:53
Speaker 1: you let your love shine through. Don't forget those closest
50:00
Speaker 1: to you. When's the last time your children heard you
50:04
Speaker 1: tell them how much you admire them? adore them, and
50:12
Speaker 1: you're mate in life. Perhaps you've lost your mate or
50:19
Speaker 1: perhaps it didn't work and you've gone through the sadness
50:23
Speaker 1: of a divorce. Have you fully forgiven? Have you let
50:28
Speaker 1: that go? Have you been extravagant in your forgiveness? Or
50:32
Speaker 1: do you drag that around that only adds to your morbidity?
50:40
Speaker 1: and your negative spirit. Let it go. Let it go.
50:49
Speaker 1: Mary poured it all out, then left the room filled
50:57
Speaker 1: with this aroma, the fragrance of her worship. Bow with me,
51:09
Speaker 1: will you? For you without Christ, you have unfortunately not
51:21
Speaker 1: realized how extravagant God's love is demonstrated for you. Do
51:26
Speaker 1: you know something? He sent his one and only son, S-O-N,
51:33
Speaker 1: to come to this earth and die. Die for you.
51:40
Speaker 1: He died for you. And he offers you the gracious
51:48
Speaker 1: opportunity to take the Lord Jesus, his son, as your
51:53
Speaker 1: savior and to enter into his extravagant life filled with
51:59
Speaker 1: his forgiveness and hope and love and plan for your life,
52:07
Speaker 1: whatever that may be. He wants to change you from
52:11
Speaker 1: the inside out but it must begin with your decision.
52:18
Speaker 1: Make that decision now. I urge you. King of our life,
52:25
Speaker 1: we crown you now. Thine shall the glory be, lest
52:33
Speaker 1: we forget thy thorn-crowned brow. Lead us to Calvary. Lest
52:43
Speaker 1: we forget Gethsemane. Lest we forget thine agony. Lest I
52:51
Speaker 1: forget thy love for me. Lead me to Calvary. Through
52:59
Speaker 1: Christ we pray. Everyone sit. Amen.
53:07
Speaker 2: The preceding message, Extravagant Love on Everlasting Display. was copyrighted
53:13
Speaker 2: in 2022 and 2023 and the sound recording was copyrighted
53:19
Speaker 2: in 2023 by Charles R. Swindoll, Inc. All rights are
53:22
Speaker 2: reserved worldwide. Duplication of copyrighted material for commercial use is
53:27
Speaker 2: strictly prohibited.