Your Great Giving to God
Mark 14:1-9
(2007 Series - Giving to Grow) (Part 7)
Sermon by Rick Crandall
McClendon Baptist Church - Oct. 28, 2007
BACKGROUND:
*Please open your Bibles to Mark 14. We are just two days before the cross when we get to this story of magnificent giving. It’s a story so important that the Holy Spirit put it in three of the Gospels. -- A story that Jesus said would be remembered forever.
*The extraordinary giver is a woman. John 12 tells us that it is Mary, the sister of Martha and Lazarus. She was very close to Jesus. He had been in her home. She sat at the Lord’s feet and listened to His teachings. She had seen Jesus raise her brother from the dead. And now she was about to perform a great act of love and devotion to the Lord: She honored Jesus with an extraordinary gift.
SCRIPTURE READING
INTRODUCTION
*Most people don’t understand this thing about giving to the Lord and His church. One time Dennis the Menace was being carried by his dad as they ran to church. They were late. Then you see this look of horror on his parents’ faces as Dennis said, “I hope we get to our seats before they start passing out the money.” (1)
*Dennis had a lot to learn about giving. We all do. We are born into this world as relentless takers -- “Feed me; hold me; change me!” We have to learn to be givers -- And Mary can help us, because she was a great giver. What can she teach us about our giving today?
1. First of all: Your great giving will always have a high cost.
*I’m not going to try to sugar-coat this for you. Great giving always has a high cost. We certainly see this in vs. 3, where Mary came to Jesus with “an alabaster flask of very costly oil of spikenard. And she broke the flask and poured it on His head.”
*Think about the cost of her gift. Vs. 5 tells us that it was worth more than 300 denarii. Remember that the denarius was the main silver coin of the Roman Empire, and it was about a day’s pay for an average working man. So this gift was worth almost a whole year’s salary! Think about how much you make in a year. -- That’s how much Mary’s gift cost.
*But where did she get it? Pastor Christian Cheong tells us that in Jesus’ time, it was a custom for young Jewish girls to have a very expensive jar of perfume. On the day of her wedding, she would break that flask to beautify herself with it. By doing so, the bride would indicate to her bridegroom that she was offering her best, her entire life, to him. When Mary poured out that costly oil on Jesus, she was in effect saying, "Lord, I am pouring out my best for You. I’m pouring out my all to you." (2)
*She gave her best. And I am sure she would tell you today: “It was worth it! -- He was worth it.”
*You see, we give our greatest gifts for the things that matter most to us. Think about the most precious things in our lives. How about the freedom we have to worship here today. That surely didn’t come cheap. Somebody had to pay the highest price. The best estimate I can find for the number of American soldiers who gave their lives for our country is over 1,268,700. Well over a million have given their lives so that we could have the freedoms we share today. (3)
*And think about our children. Children certainly don’t come cheap. We give amazing amounts of our time and money and sometimes our tears for our children. But any decent parent would say, “It’s worth it! -- Because children are a treasure to us.”
*One of my favorite stories was written by Ann Weems. It was one of her most crucial childhood memories. Ann wrote:
“It was a family treasure -- That golden vase, the priceless vase that had belonged to my great-grandmother and my grandmother and now to my mother. The vase sat on the mantle, out of reach of little fingers. However, I managed to reach it. I climbed to reach it, and I broke it. I broke the family treasure.
Then I began to cry in loud sobs that brought my mother running. I could hardly get it out. ‘I broke the vase,’ I said. ‘I broke the treasure.’
A look of relief came over her face, and she said, ‘Oh, I thought that YOU had been hurt.’ She hugged me, and made it very clear that I was her priceless treasure.” (4)
*Our children are a treasure to us -- So we are willing to pay the price for them. But let me tell you that you are a treasure to God. The cross of Jesus Christ forever reminds us that we are a treasure to God. So God gave the greatest gift of all to us and for us. Jesus Christ gave His life on the cross so that we could live forever.
*Stuart Townsend said it so well in this hymn he wrote:
-How deep the Father’s love for us, How vast beyond all measure; That He would give His only Son, To make a wretch His treasure.
-How great the pain of searing loss, The Father turns His face away; As wounds which mar the chosen One, Bring many sons to glory.
-Behold the Man upon a cross, My guilt upon His shoulders; Ashamed, I hear my mocking voice, Call out among the scoffers.
-It was my sin that held Him there, Until it was accomplished; His dying breath has brought me life, I know that it is finished.
-I will not boast in anything, No gifts, no powr’s, no wisdom; But I will boast in Jesus Christ, His death and resurrection.
-Why should I gain from His reward? I cannot give an answer; But this I know with all my heart, His wounds have paid my ransom. (5)
*The greatest gifts have the highest cost. God gave His best for us, and it is most proper to give our best to Him. Give Him the things that are most precious to you: Give Him your heart; give Him your life; give Him your future -- And yes, give Him your money.
2. Your great giving will always have a high cost. -- And it will sometimes involve a difficult choice.
*We always have choices to make when it comes to money. Sometimes those choices can be difficult. There are other good things Mary could have done with her precious bottle of oil. We see this in vs. 4&5 where “there were some who were indignant among themselves, and said, ‘Why was this fragrant oil wasted -- For it might have been sold for more than 300 denarii & given to the poor...’”
*How can we make the right decisions on what to do with our money? -- Especially when there are two good choices before us? The best thing to do is ask God to show you what to do, and trust Him to guide you.
*Do you think the Holy Spirit led Mary to pour out her oil on Jesus? I am sure He did. And then down in vs. 6-7 Jesus confirmed her choice, when He said, “Let her alone. Why do you trouble her? She has done a good work for Me. For you have the poor with you always, and whenever you wish you may do them good; but Me you do not have always.”
*The Lord was guiding the disciples, and He will guide us in the right way to spend our money -- Especially if we ask Him to guide us.
3. So ask Him, because your great giving sometimes involves a difficult choice. And sometimes will bring unfair criticism.
*Listen to the criticism again in vs. 4-5: “There were some who were indignant among themselves, and said, ‘Why was this fragrant oil wasted? For it might have been sold for more than 300 denarii and given to the poor.’ And they criticized her sharply.”
*They said Mary’s gift was a waste because she lavished it on Jesus. They didn’t think Jesus was worth it. But Mary knew that Jesus is worth any gift we could ever give to Him. Last week I talked about the stranger who out-of-the-blue gave First Baptist Church in Atlanta the two million dollars they needed for a new building. I wonder what his wife thought about that gift. I hope she was on board, but maybe not. I wonder if all of his children thought it was a good idea. -- Probably not. Some of his co-workers may have thought he was nuts if they found out about it.
4. And sometimes your great giving will bring unfair criticism. But it will be strongly defended by Christ.
*The Lord defended Mary in vs. 6-8, when He said, “Let her alone. Why do you trouble her? She has done a good work for Me. For you have the poor with you always, and whenever you wish you may do them good; but Me you do not have always. She has done what she could. She has come beforehand to anoint My body for burial.”
*The Lord defended Mary for having the wisdom to do what she could, while she could. As Pastor Christian Cheong once said,
-“Mary knew that time is running out, and opportunity is going to pass. She knew that if she was ever going to demonstrate her love to Jesus, this was it! If you have an alabaster jar of perfume and you’ve been thinking of breaking it open, now would be a good time to do it. We have to seize the opportunity God has given us to serve Him. Whatever you want to do for Him, do it while you can.”
-In the days before modern harbors, a ship had to wait for high tide to make it into port. The captain and the crew waited for the precise time when the tide was right because they knew if they missed it, they would have to wait for another tide to come in. The term for this in Latin was “ob portu,” and that’s where we get our English word “opportunity.”
-God gives us many high tides or opportunities to serve Him. But Giving to Grow is one of the best opportunities for us to “break the jar” for Jesus. Do all you can for the Lord while you can. Billy Graham once said: “We cannot bear full responsibility for the next one; but we do have our generation. God will hold us responsible as to how well we fulfill our responsibilities to this age and take advantage of our opportunities.” (2)
*Do all you can for the Lord while you can. -- And know that the Lord will be standing in your corner defending your wisdom.
5. Your great giving will be strongly defended by Christ. -- And it will come from your love for the Lord.
*Great giving never starts in your wallet or bank account. It starts in your heart. Great giving must be grounded in and motivated by our great love for the Lord. Mary was a great giver, because she had a heart full of love for the Lord. We see Mary’s love in Luke 10, as she sat at Jesus’ feet and listened to Him teach. We see her love in John 11, as she sat in her house grieving the death of her brother Lazarus -- But as soon as Mary heard that Jesus was calling for her, she rose up quickly and went to Him.
*Mary loved the Lord. Here in Mark 14, she loved Him so much that she was sensitive to the hour. Mary realized that Jesus’ death was very near. Her heart was in tune with the Lord, and she wanted to show her love in the grandest way possible. Great giving must start with a heart full of love.
*All week we’ve been hearing about the terrible fires in California. A million people were evacuated -- Thousands lost their homes. But with all of the loss, a tragedy like that is also a good time to witness love. King Duncan tells about the love one wife saw after another devastating fire.
*King said: Soon after Angi and David’s 6th anniversary, the couple’s home burned to the ground. Angi’s first act, when they were allowed to hunt through the blackened remains, was to search for their photo albums. When she went to tell David that the pictures had indeed survived, she found him carefully placing some charred, folded pieces of paper in a box -- Love letters from their courtship.
-And Angi later said, “As I watched David kneeling there in the ashes, I was overcome with the certainty that we were meant for each other. There, in the face of our greatest tragedy, our first thoughts were not of our material loss -- But of the potential loss of these precious parts of our life together. As I knelt to help him with the letters, I was certain that we hadn’t lost anything that mattered after all.” (6)
6. That thought came from a heart full of love. So will your great giving to the Lord. And your giving will certainly be honored by the Lord.
*As Jesus said in vs. 9, “Surely -- truly, I say to you, wherever this gospel is preached throughout the whole world, what this woman did will also be spoken of as a memorial to her.”
*The Lord gave a most definite promise that Mary would be remembered for her generous gift of love -- And we are helping fulfill that promise today. You are hearing Mary’s story, because the Gospel is being preached in this place:
-The Good News that Jesus died on the cross for our sins and rose from the dead! The Good News that He will forgive all of your sins and give you eternal life -- if you will turn to Him and open your heart to receive Him as Savior and Lord.
*Put your faith in Jesus today, and make up your mind to be a great giver like Mary. But why did Jesus honor Mary’s giving? Not because her gift cost so much, but because she gave the best she possibly could. As Howard McGlamery once said, “Mary broke the box! She didn’t just pour some out. She gave it all. She held back nothing. She gave her best.”
*And Howard told about a father who had two grown sons. One was brilliant and one was very handicapped. In the same week one son graduated from college with a 4.0 average -- and the other learned how to tie his shoes. But the father was equally proud of both his sons. And God will be equally proud of us, whenever we give Him our best. (7)
*Mary heard some wonderful words of praise in vs. 9, and God wants to praise you too. He wants to say: “Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things. Enter into the joy of your Lord.” Let’s make up our minds to give Jesus our best.
*In April of 2005, Rick Warren and Saddleback Community Church celebrated their 25th anniversary at Angel Stadium in Anaheim, California. Thirty thousand people were there, and together they read this declaration:
“Today I am stepping across the line. I’m tired of waffling, and I’m finished with wavering. I’ve made my choice; the verdict is in; and my decision is irrevocable. I’m going God’s way. There’s no turning back now!
I will live the rest of my life serving God’s purposes with God’s people on God’s planet for God’s glory. I will use my life to celebrate his presence, cultivate his character, participate in his family, demonstrate his love, and communicate his Word.
Since my past has been forgiven, and I have a purpose for living and a home awaiting in heaven, I refuse to waste any more time or energy on shallow living, petty thinking, trivial talking, thoughtless doing, useless regretting, hurtful resenting, or faithless worrying. Instead I will magnify God, grow to maturity, serve in ministry, and fulfill my mission in the membership of his family.
Because this life is preparation for the next, I will value worship over wealth, “we” over “me,” character over comfort, service over status, and people over possessions, position, and pleasures. I know what matters most and I’ll give it all I’ve got. I’ll do the best I can with what I have for Jesus Christ today.
I won’t be captivated by culture, manipulated by critics, motivated by praise, frustrated by problems, debilitated by temptation, or intimidated by the devil. I’ll keep running my race with my eyes on the goal, not the sidelines or those running by me. When times get tough and I get tired, I won’t back up, back off, back down, back out, or backslide. I’ll just keep moving forward by God’s grace. I’m Spirit-led, purpose-driven, and mission-focused, so I cannot be bought, I will not be compromised, and I shall not quit until I finish the race.
I’m a trophy of God’s amazing grace so I will be gracious to everyone, grateful for every day, and generous with everything that God entrusts to me.
To my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, I say: However, whenever, wherever, and whatever you ask me to do, my answer in advance is yes! Wherever you lead and whatever the cost, I’m ready. Anytime. Anywhere. Any way. Whatever it takes Lord; whatever it takes! I want to be used by you in such a way that on that final day I’ll hear you say, “Well done, thou good and faithful one. Come on in, and let the eternal party begin!” (8)
Conclusion:
“Well done, you good and faithful servant.” -- That’s our goal, and great giving will help us get there. So give your heart to Jesus. -- And make up your mind to be one of God’s great givers.
1. Adapted from 08-01-04 email from sermons.com
2. Adapted from SermonCentral sermon “Offer Up Your Best Now” by Christian Cheong - Mark 14:3-11
3. Found online at www.militaryfactory.com
4. SermonCentral sermon “Christmas - Joy or Despair” by MELVIN NEWLAND - Matt 2:1-18
5. How Deep the Father’s Love - John Mark Ministries - 1995 - Stuart Townsend
6. Reader’s Digest, August, 1982 - (Found in Christianglobe.com sermon “The World’s Only Perfect Husband” by King Duncan - John 17: 11b-19) (Guidebook for a Successful Family, Chapter 4)
7. Adapted from SermonCentral sermon “Alabaster Giving #2” by Howard McGlamery - Mark 14:3-9
8. KERUX ILLUSTRATION COLLECTION - ID Number: 20566 - SOURCE: Baptist Press, http://www.baptistpress.org/ - TITLE: The Angel Stadium Declaration - AUTHOR: Rev. Rick Warren - DATE: 4/27/05
