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[0:00] So what will your life be remembered for? I'm sure you know some interesting people that have lived in the world and are remembered for all sorts of different things.

[0:15] For instance, Alexander Bell. What is he remembered for? You can help me. The telephone, eh? He's remembered for that.

[0:26] I didn't have to really coerce you. You just knew that. What about somebody like Isaac Watts? What is he remembered for? Anybody know that one?

[0:38] Well, light bulb, you're right. That's right. I believe he took about 2,000 attempts before he got it right, somebody said. And they said to him, well, what's it like to fail 2,000 times or something?

[0:53] And he turned and said, I didn't fail. That was just steps along the way until I got it right. What about Florence Nightingale? Anybody know what she's remembered for?

[1:05] Yes, that's right. What a wonderful character she was. And David Livingston? Anybody remember him in Africa? And he's remembered for all sorts of things.

[1:15] And he found the Victoria Falls, didn't he? But he also was one who said when he saw the many needs in Africa, David Livingston said, he talked about the smoke from a thousand villagers that drew him into Africa.

[1:35] Winston Churchill. You know about him, I'm sure. And what he's remembered for. What reminds you of Winston Churchill? What's that? Yes.

[1:46] Never giving up. Never giving up. We'll fight and we'll fight and we'll carry on. What about Hitler? You might not want to remember him. But we remember him, don't we?

[1:58] For the awfulness of the many Jews that were killed. And so we could go on. You could remember people in your life.

[2:09] You could remember your parents possibly. I remember my parents. I remember my father. He's gone for a long time now. But I remember him having hands that were very big.

[2:21] Probably his fingers were twice my thickness. And those hands often were used on my little bottom, you know. You see? And I can remember my father.

[2:31] I can remember him for being a man of strength and character. I remember him for one big thing that he taught me in life. And that was, if you start a job, finish it.

[2:43] You know the many times as a little boy, I wanted to just pack up a job that I tried to start making something or something. And he would say, no, no, you don't stop. You carry on. You do it.

[2:54] You finish it. Whatever you start, you finish. I tell you, that helped me. When I was at the Bible Institute down the road here, having come from a mechanical background, and all of a sudden I'm in a college where I'm studying the Bible, I wanted to run away a few times, you see.

[3:12] That's right. You're right. You can smile, eh? She's at George Whitfield. You see, you get that time. When I've been in churches and the going's been hard, there are many times I thought, well, let me go.

[3:23] But you know, you remember those lessons that you learned when you were young back there, eh? I don't know what your parents taught you. I don't know what memories come into your mind today.

[3:35] But we're all going to be remembered for something. We're going to be remembered for something. And now what we've got here today, in the Word of God, we've got people that are remembered for something.

[3:49] And I'm asking you to look at your own life, to think of your own family, and to say to yourself, when I'm gone one day, what will I be really remembered for?

[4:03] Will my life leave something of a legacy? Or will people be glad when I'm gone? What will your life be remembered for?

[4:15] Well, firstly, we get Mary here in this couch. We've got Mary. When you read through this, you come across her. Mary, who was there, and Jesus said of her, what she hath done will be remembered throughout all ages around the world.

[4:34] Wow. That's a challenge. Will what you have done be remembered over many years? Or will it be forgotten in no time?

[4:47] Mary was an amazing character here. We find Mary coming to Jesus. Jesus had come into their home. He had come many times into their home.

[4:59] It was nothing new to have Jesus in their home. But there he was. He had come. And there was Lazarus. Remember Lazarus. He had come back from the dead.

[5:10] And he was sitting at the table. And Mary came in. And Mary did the wonderful act of taking the spikonite ointment or oil and pouring it on the feet of Jesus and taking her probably long hair and wiping the feet of Jesus.

[5:32] And then they said the fragrance went throughout the whole house. A very wonderful and very beautiful, very significant act that Mary did. Mary is remembered for this.

[5:46] She is remembered for this. What is she remembered for? She is remembered for the act of worship. She was there to kneel at the feet of Jesus, to sit at his feet.

[6:01] And she was there bowing down before him in a beautiful act of worship. She was prepared, as it were, to be his servant, his slave.

[6:14] She sacrificed, you might say. For that, that oil was very expensive. In those days, it would have been a few years. Wages.

[6:24] She took that oil. She poured it out on his feet. And he said, what you are doing is to prepare me for what is ahead of me. You're preparing me for my death and my burial.

[6:37] And she did this wonderful act of worship that was smelt and sensed around the whole house.

[6:49] Are you going to be remembered for being a Mary? Will you one day be remembered for being someone who knew what it was like to worship at the feet of Jesus?

[7:01] That you came to a building like this, that you sat in a pew like this, that you sang the songs like you did this morning, that you lifted your heart to the Lord and you're a worshipper.

[7:12] People know you. And they know you for being a worshipper. They know you for being someone who they like to be around. Because you have something of a fragrance around you.

[7:26] You have an aura about you. And people actually gravitate to you. They love you. They don't know quite what it is, but they come to you and they love you.

[7:38] You see, too many people drive others away. Too many people are known for other reasons, that you might not want to be with them, or you can't wait to get out of their company.

[7:51] I hope you're not like that. But I hope you're more like a Mary, that you're someone that's learned how to worship at the feet of Jesus. And because of that, because there's a time in your life, the daily time when you come to God, and you spend time with Him, and God is with you, and you are with Him.

[8:11] I read the simple words this week. Abide in me, and I in you. Isn't that good? Yes, of course, it's John 50. Abide in me, said God, and I will abide in you.

[8:24] Is He doing that? Are you remembered? Are you remembered for being a Mary? Someone that knows how to truly worship and praise God.

[8:38] Well, there's not only Mary here, but we also find in this account, there's a Martha. There's a Martha here. Now listen, there's no dichotomy between Mary and Martha.

[8:52] It's not a case of saying the one is the good one, and the one is the bad one. The one is always at the feet of Jesus, bowing down in a place of worship.

[9:04] Another one is always busily running around. Well, of course, that's what Martha's remembered for. Martha is remembered, if Mary's remembered for being a worshiper, then Martha's remembered for being a worker.

[9:17] She was a worker. She was a server. She was there, but she was rushing around, preparing the table, doing the meal, because for Jesus, for Lazarus, for others that come, and she was having to get the meal ready.

[9:36] She's remembered. Because we often use that term, don't we? We say, oh, so-and-so's a Martha. So-and-so's a Martha. This one's a Martha. You introduce them to somebody, you say, no, she's a Martha, a hard worker.

[9:51] I want to tell you, friends, as a pastor in a church, your minister's looking for Marthas. Do you know that? He's looking for Marthas. Every pastor needs some Marthas.

[10:02] They need workers. They need those that are available. Those who are prepared to help, and to work, and to do things.

[10:13] There's a place for worship. There's a real place for worship. But there's a real place for work, for getting the job done, for doing things.

[10:26] No church can move without workers. No amount of gospel preaching, or outreach with the Great Commission can be done without workers.

[10:38] Jesus said the harvest is ripe. He said, Pray ye the Lord of the harvesters. Send out workers. Send out reapers. And so we desperately need Marthas.

[10:52] Are you going to be remembered one day for being a Martha? Or being someone who was always willing, someone who just naturally offered oneself to do a job?

[11:05] That you responded. Whenever there was a need, you would respond when there's somebody sick in the congregation, when there's somebody needing a meal, when there's somebody needed to be taken somewhere in the car.

[11:17] You were there. Because you're a Martha. See, there's a Mary in the story. She was a worshiper. There's a Martha in the story.

[11:28] And she was a worker. But I want you to see thirdly that there was also Lazarus here. There's a Lazarus here. And we find Lazarus there in the story.

[11:43] And Lazarus, what about him? Well, you'll remember Lazarus. You'll remember that he died. You'll remember that they wanted Jesus to come quickly to heal him of his sickness and he didn't come.

[11:57] And Lazarus died and Jesus eventually did come. Yes, four days late, somebody said, but right on time. And he came.

[12:08] He took Lazarus and he raised him from the dead. And here he sits in the house at the table. He's not in the back room lying in the bed.

[12:19] He's healed. He's back to life. He's sitting there. And what is Lazarus remembered for? He's remembered for being a witness.

[12:32] He's remembered for being a witness. What is his witness? His witness is simply this. Once I was dead, but now I'm alive. Once I was in sin, but now I'm free.

[12:46] You see, Lazarus is a witness here in the story. Are you going to be remembered for a Lazarus? Are you going to be remembered for having a witness, for having a testimony that once you were dead and you were dead in trespasses and sins, you were going your own way, you were trying to run your own life, but then you came to the moment in your life where you turned to the one who says, I give you life, I give it to you more abundantly.

[13:17] You came to him. You submitted to him. You bowed before him. And by faith, you received the gift of eternal life.

[13:28] You accepted what he did on the cross for you when he gave up his life and said, it is finished. And you accepted that. Today you can say, I'm a Lazarus.

[13:40] I'm just like Lazarus. Because once I was dead, but now I'm alive. You see, the Jews came there and they said, where's this Lazarus?

[13:51] We want to see him. We want to see this great thing. We knew he was dead. Where is he? They wanted to see him and they wanted to sit at the table with him.

[14:03] They wanted to see for themselves and their own eyes. You'd do that. If you knew there was somebody down your road that was dead and had been raised to life, you'd run there to see this. such a miracle.

[14:16] Nothing greater. Nothing greater, by the way, than if one was once dead, but now he's alive. Once lost, but now he's found.

[14:29] Isn't that wonderful? I mean, you listen to so many accounts on your TV when this little boy and that little child has gone missing. The whole community and the police force get involved.

[14:42] Where is this child? And they comb every area to find that child. And what a thrill and a relief it is when they find the child.

[14:54] You see, we were all once lost. We were all once in our sins. We were all once bound. But then we came to Jesus.

[15:07] Amen? Then we handed our lives to him. And now it's like we are Lazarus. Are you a Lazarus? Are you a Lazarus in that you can say, you know, once I was in sin, but now I'm not enslaved any longer.

[15:24] I'm set free by the power of the risen Christ. He's in my life. I'm a new creation. I've been changed. I'm saved, so now I'm a witness.

[15:38] How is your witness then? Are you a vital witness today? Is your witness clear? Do people know that you're a born again person?

[15:48] Do they know that you're saved? Do they know that you've been changed and transformed? Do they know that you walk with Christ every day? Can they see it?

[16:00] It's your life. Show it. See, we need to be like Lazarus. If you don't, if you're not sure, you can make sure today.

[16:11] You can come out at this service at the end and you can commit your life to Christ. You can let him take you out of the death, the death row that you're in and he can take you and he'll lift you up.

[16:24] He'll stand you on your feet. He'll make out of you a new creation. You don't know him. You don't have to carry on in that life. You can come to this life that is worth having, a life in Christ.

[16:40] Well, there was Mary. She was a worshiper. There was Martha and she was a worker. There was Lazarus.

[16:50] He was a witness. Then, friend, I'm afraid we've got to come to the next person and there was a Judas there. There was a Judas in this account. Now, I don't know, mothers, when you have a little child born and he's a boy, do you call him Judas?

[17:09] Anybody here ever called one of their sons Judas? Do you know how many times I've asked people this? Many congregations, many big services in big halls.

[17:22] I've said to them, anybody call their son Judas? No. Nobody calls their son Judas. Why? Because of what he's remembered for. That's why. So what is Judas remembered for?

[17:34] Judas is remembered for being a waste. A total waste, let me tell you. That's who Judas was. What was he doing in the story?

[17:46] Well, he spoke up when there was this beautiful act of worship and Mary anointing the feet of Jesus and using this lovely fragrant oil.

[17:58] He says, why was this not taken? And sold for a lot of money. And the money given to the poor. Now, on the surface, that sounds so good.

[18:11] That sounds so right. But the Bible tells us about Judas and what he was like. He was a scoundrel, really. You see, Judas was a critical guy.

[18:24] He criticized things. He looked at it and said, no, no, no. Why is this done like this? He was a criticizer. He was a person that pretended to be good.

[18:41] That thought he knew something good that could be done with this. And then he was an absolute liar. He didn't mean what he said. And he pretended to be concerned.

[18:55] He pretended to be a carer. And he was a betrayer. That's what he was. That's what Judas is remembered for. You know, I hope you're not like that.

[19:09] Well, I hope you don't have the Judas principle in you. I hope you have the Rebecca principle in you. You know, rather overdo things and instead of being like a Judas.

[19:22] A Judas is somebody that puts a dampener on everything that's good. And you get them in churches. You get them in church leaders where you give a good idea.

[19:35] Let's do this. Let's do this. Let's do that. Let's get the word out. Let's get things going here. And then they come along with a bucket of cold water and they throw it on the idea.

[19:46] Squash it. That's a Judas kind of guy. And I hope that there's no one here in this church that wants to be remembered for being a Judas.

[20:03] No. We need to be remembered for something different to that. Well, let me tell you quickly and lastly, yes, there was Mary the worshiper, there was Martha the worker, there was Lazarus the witness and there was Judas the waste, just a waste.

[20:27] But there was Jesus here. There was Jesus in this little story, my friend. Yes, Jesus was back in the home of Mary, Martha and Lazarus.

[20:41] A family that he had got to know well. A family that he would return to often. And what is Jesus there for?

[20:52] Well, he's waiting there. Jesus is our waiting savior, by the way. He's our waiting savior. there he is in that home.

[21:05] He's back in that home, a home that he loved. He loved to come to that home. He loved to be with a family, by the way. And Jesus is waiting.

[21:18] He's remembered for waiting. Do you know how it's put in Revelation? Behold, I stand at the door and I knock. What's he doing there?

[21:31] Waiting. He's waiting. He's outside the door. What is he waiting for? For you to open the door? He wants you to take the handle, turn it, open it, and invite him in.

[21:46] He won't just push his way in. He won't barge into your life. He never does that. But he waits. He waits. And if you'll open the door and you'll say to him, come in savior.

[22:01] Come in and be my lord, be my savior. Be the one who takes over my life and runs things for me. He'll come in. He'll come in. He says, I'll be with you and you'll be with me.

[22:14] Have you done that? That's what he's waiting for. He's the savior that's waiting. Ever since he opened his arms on the cross, ever since he opened those hands, opened them and let them put nails through his hands and nails to his feet, he's been waiting.

[22:31] And he waits, he waits for people, he waits for men and women, he waits for young people, he waits for people to turn to him. He's the waiting savior.

[22:42] He waits and he will welcome you. He's the welcoming savior. No one ever cared for me, like Jesus said to him, writer. He's always there, standing somewhere in the shadows you will find him.

[22:58] And you'll know him by the nail scars in his hands. Jesus is welcoming. If you'll really come to him, in your troubles, in your problems, in your difficulties with your family, you'll come to you, you know who wants to be in your family?

[23:16] Do you know that's where he really wants to be, like he is with a family here in this account? He wants to be with you and your family? I told you we had four children.

[23:29] You think it's all been plain sailing? No. We've had our times, we've had our problems. My second daughter, Corin, decided she didn't know if she wanted to be in a church, man's, where she was always on, you know, in the limelight and she didn't know if she wanted this and that and she got quite all sorts of bitter and twisted at times and once she said, I'm leaving because she went for the front door.

[24:00] Well, she didn't get far before I grabbed her and pulled her back. And she went through all sorts of tough things in her life and you know all we could say to her, we love you and we're praying for you.

[24:14] And we'd get round as a family and we'd pray, we'd pray. I want to tell you, friends, you need to bring Jesus into your home. That's what he wants to be.

[24:25] That's what he's longing to be. He wants to be in your home, in the circle, with you and your family. How do you do that? When you spend time in prayer, when you spend time around the word of God with your family, when you pray, you're bringing him into your family.

[24:44] You're bringing him in. Yes, there are times they didn't want to do it. There are times when they want to do, say, I don't want to pray. I said, no, you're going to pray. Come, we're going to pray.

[24:55] We're going to talk to God together. And I'm thankful to tell you today they're walking with the Lord. They're all walking with him. They're all bringing up their own families with him.

[25:06] But Jesus is waiting to be welcomed in your home, my friend. He's waiting to be put in the rightful place in your home. He's in the center and where all things come.

[25:20] Will your home, will your life, will your family be remembered for welcoming Jesus into your family? And he was reclining here, by the way.

[25:31] He was reclining at the table and he wants to recline in your home. He wants to just be at home with you. By the way, he was also waiting for his death.

[25:44] Because he was willing to die. He was willing to be buried. The act she had done to him prepared him for his burial. When he would be buried and he was waiting to pay the price for your salvation.

[26:01] That's the waiting Christ we're talking about. Who comes and says, I give life. I give the life, the life that is worth living.

[26:12] I give it. And I make it beautiful and fragrant. If you'll allow me to, I'll do that for you, says Jesus. Somebody wrote this.

[26:25] If Jesus came to your home to spend a day or two, if he came unexpectedly, I wonder what you do. I know you'd give your nicest room to such an honored guest.

[26:40] and all the food you'd serve him would be the very best. But when you saw him coming, would you meet him at the door with arms outstretched to welcome your heavenly visitor?

[26:58] Would you have to change your clothes before you let him in? Or hide the magazines and put the Bible where they'd be? Would you turn off the radio and hope he hadn't heard and wish you'd rather hadn't said that last loud, hasty word?

[27:18] I wonder if the Savior spent a day or two with you. Would you go right on doing the things the way you used to do? Would you go right on saying the things you always used to say?

[27:34] Would life for you continue as it does from day to day? It might be interesting to know the things that you would do if Jesus Christ in person came to spend some time with you.

[27:52] Let us pray. Let's bow our heads in prayer. I don't know where you are in life, my friend, but if there's a need in your heart here today to be the person that God wants you to be, it might be that you need to reach out in faith and make a commitment of your life to Jesus Christ.

[28:21] You might need to speak to him in prayer, or you might even be someone here who says, I have received Christ, but I'm not walking the life, I'm not living the life, I'm not going to be remembered for the right things.

[28:40] You might like to put yourself back into the hands of Jesus today. And in closing, I'm going to pray. I'm going to pray a prayer that you can pray.

[28:55] And I invite you to pray this prayer in the silence of your own heart, with your heads bowed and eyes closed, you can pray this prayer, and if you'll do it honestly, if you'll do it sincerely, I want to tell you Christ will not only come into your life, but he'll be on the throne of your heart if you pray this prayer.

[29:20] And he said he would, and he wouldn't lie to you. So pray with me, if this is the desire of your heart, and pray it from the innermost part of your being, say this, I come to you, Lord Jesus, and I know my life is not what it ought to be, but I come now to confess, to confess my sin, to confess my failures, and my foolish ways, and I confess my wrong choices in life.

[30:02] I confess this sin to you, but now, Lord, as I repent of my sin, I now, by faith, receive Jesus Christ into my life.

[30:19] I ask you, Jesus, to be on the throne of my life, and I ask you, please, to make me the kind of person you want me to be, so that I, one day, will be remembered for the right things.

[30:42] I ask this in the precious and wonderful name of the Lord Jesus Christ. Father, I want to pray for any here this morning that might have prayed that prayer, and might have meant that prayer.

[30:57] I pray for them that they will go from this service knowing that you've heard that prayer, and that you've answered it, and that you're going to give them power by the Holy Spirit to live the kind of life you want them to live.

[31:13]  We pray this all in Jesus' wonderful name. Amen.