There is No Waste in Praise
Mark 14:3-9
3 And being in Bethany in the house of Simon the leper, as he sat at meat, there came a woman having an alabaster box of ointment of spikenard very precious; and she brake the box, and poured it on his head.
4 And there were some that had indignation within themselves, and said, Why was this waste of the ointment made?
5 For it might have been sold for more than three hundred pence, and have been given to the poor. And they murmured against her.
6 And Jesus said, Let her alone; why trouble ye her? she hath wrought a good work on me.
7 For ye have the poor with you always, and whensoever ye will ye may do them good: but me ye have not always.
8 She hath done what she could: she is come aforehand to anoint my body to the burying.
9 Verily I say unto you, Wheresoever this gospel shall be preached throughout the whole world, this also that she hath done shall be spoken of for a memorial of her.
God is at work!
I think we need to take a praise break in here this morning. We need to lift a voice of rejoicing that rattles these timber rafters!
In fact if God has done anything for you in the last month you need to stand to your feet, lift your voice and shout his praises for a little while!
God is Good!
We are in the midst of an outpouring of the Holy Ghost. Its not time to sit back and talk about how good it was, or how much we were blessed, its time to move forward and launch into a victorious realm of revival power!
I don’t have a whole lot of sermon in me today. Just a lot of victory!
Let me show you some pictures of Grace and worship.
An often overlooked fact is that the host of this party with Jesus is Simon the Leper. He is known as the leper.
I don’t know which encounter it was but at some point his miracle was realized. Perhaps it was this one.
Luke 5:12-13
12 And it came to pass, when he was in a certain city, behold a man full of leprosy: who seeing Jesus fell on his face, and besought him, saying, Lord, if thou wilt, thou canst make me clean.
13 And he put forth his hand, and touched him, saying, I will: be thou clean. And immediately the leprosy departed from him.
This man was healed and restored to a new life.
What a moment that must have been.
I wonder if that was Simon the Leper that is hosting the party for Jesus and his friends?
One thing I do know, he doesn’t have leprosy anymore!
What must it have been like to move back into your home after being banished to a leper colony? What must it have been like to enter and have your kids run up to you and your wife kiss you for the first time in years?
I guarantee you one thing! It was something worth throwing a party for!
Honey, I want you to call the neighbors, invite everybody you know. Its time to celebrate! I am whole!
Can I tell you something today? It would be impossible to quiet down a man that has had this experience!
Some probably tried. Some probably complained. He just kept going!
Hmmmmm. Lets’ see. Has anything good happened to you?
Anybody here been healed lately! Anybody here had a miracle in your life?
I want you to know today, Jesus is worthy of your praise!
How do you tell a man that has literally been given his life back not to throw a party for the man that gave it to him?
Mary. A figure of historic prominence.
Slips in to the area by the feet of Jesus.
While others are going about their business, she breaks open an alabaster box of precious oil and pours it on the feet of Jesus. The aroma instantly fills the room. Heads turn. Mouths drop open.
What an extravagant display of love.
Then the comments start. What is she doing? He must not know what manner of woman she is etc.
Then. An unbelievable comment.
Why was this oil wasted? Why was it just poured out on him like that?
That oil is too costly. If she wanted to do that she should have gotten a cheap bottle down at Sav-Mart. She should have done something a little less noticeable.
What a thought! This oil is too good for Jesus.
I wonder today are we holding back? Are we measuring the worship of others as too costly?
How could anything ever be worth too much to give to God? How could anything ever cost more than he deserves?
Hey church! He is worth it! There is no waste in praise!
If you dance…it’s not a waste!
If you run
If you shout
If you leap
If you walk
If you wave your arms
If you roll on the floor!
That oil was precious yes. But Jesus is more precious!
Elijah on Mt Carmel. Highlights.
And Elijah came unto all the people, and said, How long halt ye between two opinions? if the LORD be God, follow him: but if Baal, then follow him.
And call ye on the name of your gods, and I will call on the name of the LORD: and the God that answereth by fire, let him be God. And all the people answered and said, It is well spoken.
They worshiped. Nothing happened. Hours and hours.
Then Elijah’s turn.
Extravagant.
Altar. Bullock. Wood. Water. 12 barrels full.
64 word prayer.
Fire!
Why? No waste in praise.
