"Jesus Anointed at Bethany"

  "Six days before the Passover celebration began, Jesus arrived in Bethany, the home of Lazarus - the man he had raised from the dead. A dinner was prepared in Jesus' honor. Martha served, and Lazarus was among those who ate with him. Then Mary took a twelve-ounce jar of expensive perfume made from essence of nard, and she anointed Jesus' feet with it, wiping his feet with her hair. The house was filled with the fragrance. 

 But Judas Iscariot, the disciple who would soon betray him, said, "That perfume was worth a year's wages. It should have been sold and the money given to the poor." Not that he cared for the poor - he was a thief, and since he was in charge of the disciples' money, he often stole some for himself. 

 Jesus replied, "Leave her alone. She did this in preparation for my burial. You will always have the poor among you, but you will not always have me." 

 When all the people heard of Jesus' arrival, they flocked to see him and also to see Lazarus, the man Jesus had raised from the dead. Then the leading priests decided to kill Lazarus, too, for it was because of him that many of the people had deserted them and believed in Jesus." (John 12:1-11 NLT)

  "Oh, the joys of those who do not follow the advice of the wicked, or stand around with sinners, or join in with mockers. But they delight in the law of the LORD, meditating on it day and night. They are like trees planted along the riverbank, bearing fruit each season. Their leaves never wither, and they prosper in all they do." (Psalm 1:1-3 NLT) 

 Just so you know, this is going to be the Christmas message. Do not ask me how, because at this point in the journey, I really have no idea, except that is just the way that it works! Besides that, God has a way of putting everything into a perfect perspective, in one way or another.

 I can recall when I was teaching at my previous church, and as the time and place would have it, I had the opportunity to share from Genesis 27, as that was where we were on that particular Sunday. That is way I love Calvary Chapel so much, because you aren't led by your feelings, but by the Word of God! 

 Anywho; this particular story was about when Jacob obtains Isaac's blessing that was meant for Esau. As I was preparing for the message, I felt the Lord tugging on my heart, showing me something that was hard to explain, but easy to understand, as I was going to use Jacob's resistance to believe that his mother's plan was going to work.

 Not that it matters all that much, because it did work, and Jocob received the blessing. Besides that, Jacob's name means, "Heal Catcher," which in and of itself, is the point of the Gospel Message. We are only able to make it into the Kingdom of God, by catching hold of heal of Jesus! I know that might sound weird, but Jacob was also a swindler, which is also what his name implied.  

 Without explaining all that the message included, let me conclude with this one statement: I you think that you are good enough to enter into God's Kingdom, you will not enter in...

"And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins; wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of the world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience: among whom also we all had our conversation in times past in the lust of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind; and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others. But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us, even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;) and hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus: that in the ages to come he might shew the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus. For by grace are ye saved through faith; and not of yourselves: it is the gift of God; not of works, lest any man should boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them." (Ephesians 1:1-10 KJV)