Worship Series
Sermon # 2
“What Part Does Giving Play In Worship?”
Mark 14:3-9
In our first message on worship I gave you the definition that Louie Giglio gives for worship in his book “The Air I Breathe.” He said,
Worship is
Our response
Both personal and corporate
To God –
For who He is!
And what He has done!
Expressed in and by things we say
And the way we live.
[Louie Giglio. The Air I Breathe. (Sisters:Oregon, Multnomah, 2003) p. 12]
Building on that foundation I think that it fitting today that we discuss, “What Part Does Our Giving Play In Worship?” Giving to the church can be one of the most rewarding parts of being in a church family, but many people don’t know the joy that can come from sacrificing time and money for a higher cause. According to Christianity.com in a typical church 25% of the church gives 90% of the weekly offering. So how does all of this relate to our worship? In our last message on worship we noted that we are all worshippers – you may choose not to worship God but you do worship something. Worship is our response to whatever we value the most. We need to consider that what we offer to God is an expression of who we are and what we value most in life. If you want to know what I truly believe and what I am most committed to you don’t have to ask me – just examine my calendar. Notice where I spend my time, take a look at my checkbook, look at where my money is going, look at what I invest my money in. John Piper in his book, “Desiring God” writes, “Money is the currency of the kingdom of God. What you do with it – or desire to do with it- can make or break your happiness forever.”
I think that is significant that in the Old Testament worship was almost always accompanied by a sacrifice. We are told in Proverbs 3:9 to, “Honor the LORD with your substance and with the first fruits of your increase.” Yet today we often think that our giving has nothing to do with our worship and nothing could be farther from the truth. In Ezekiel 33:31 the Lord says, “So they come pretending to be sincere and sit before you listening. But they have no intention of doing what I tell them. They express love with their mouths, but their hearts seek only money.” (NLT)
Some of us approach the matter of money and church like the man who wanted to buy his wife a gift. “After being away on business, Tim thought it would be nice to bring his wife a little gift. So he stopped in at a department story. He asked the cosmetic clerk, “How about some perfume?” She showed him a bottle costing $50.00. “That’s a bit much,” he said, so she returned with a smaller bottle that cost $30.00. “That’s still quite a bit,” he complained. Growing annoyed, the clerk brought him the tiny $15.00 bottle. “What I mean,” he said, “is I want something really cheap.” The clerk handed him a mirror.” Some times that is our approach to God, we want to see how little we can get by with.
This morning I want us to look at one of the most beautiful and awe inspiring pictures of worship recorded in the New Testament. This worship did not revolve around a particular style of music or a ritual of any kind. It is that story of one woman who risked everything to worship Jesus. Her story is so important that it is recorded in all four gospel accounts (Luke 7:36-50, Matt. 26:6-13, John 12:2-8).
We will look at the account in Mark 14:3-9,
“And being in Bethany at the house of Simon the leper, as He sat at the table, a woman came having an alabaster flask of very costly oil of spikenard. Then she broke the flask and poured it on His head. (4) But there were some who were indignant among themselves, and said, "Why was this fragrant oil wasted? (5) "For it might have been sold for more than three hundred denarii and given to the poor." And they criticized her sharply.(6) But Jesus said, "Let her alone. Why do you trouble her? She has done a good work for Me.(7) "For you have the poor with you always, and whenever you wish you may do them good; but Me you do not have always. (8)"She has done what she could. She has come beforehand to anoint My body for burial. (9)"Assuredly, I say to you, wherever this gospel is preached in the whole world, what this woman has done will also be told as a memorial to her."
This morning I want to note three things about this woman’s worship!
First, Her Worship Was Focused.
Jesus is at the home of a man called Simon when suddenly a woman carrying a jar of very expensive perfume entered the room. Without any explanation she broke off the top of the container and taking the entire contents of the jar anointed the head of Jesus. Matt Redman speaking of this woman’s actions said, “It was worship of a woman who didn’t know the rules – an unpredictable, untamed heart on a quest to see Jesus glorified… People in love do lots of crazy things. Sometimes they even become an embarrassment to those around them. The woman who came to Jesus that day with jar of perfume was probably an embarrassment to every person in the room – except, of course, to Jesus. ” [Matt Redman. The Unquenchable Worshipper. (Ventura, Calif.: Regal Books, 2001). p. 51, 52]
Everything about this situation was not conducive to this woman worshipping. She came into a meeting where she was not invited, not welcome and her presence was not appreciated, yet she worshipped because that was what she had purposed in her heart.
When you come into this place, do you come to worship? Are you ready to pour yourself out in such a selfless act that there is no room for self. Do I have a preference of worship styles? Yes, of course. But whether or not the style is completely to my liking is irrelevant, I can still worship. Worship is not about the worshipper but one who is worshipped. That is the whole point of worship. We cannot say on one hand I am going to worship God because of his greatness and then refuse to participate because of style preference.
Her Worship Was Focused…
Secondly, Her worship was Costly.
What she did that day remains to this day a profound example of real sacrificial worship. Verse five tells that her gift was worth 300 days work or about 10 months wages. So for example if you made $25,000 a year, 10 months wages would be over $20,000. It illustrates the truth; that real worship costs.
David knew this… for in the book of 2 Samuel 24 we read that David sought to secure the land on which he intended to build the Temple. The owner a man by the name of Arauna, offered the land all the resources necessary dedicate this place by way of sacrifice as a gift, free of charge to David. David’s response found in 24:14 was, “No, but I will surely buy it, from you for a price, nor will I offer to God that which costs me nothing.” But is that not exactly what we attempt to do? We offer to God our left over time, our left over energy, our left over resources. The gifts I give to God should cost me something. My giving to God should stretch me. It should cause me to re-think what I spend my money on.
Lee Strobel makes a very thought provoking statement when he says, “ We … can learn a lot from how President George W. Bush did not respond to the terrorist attack on September 11, 2001. He didn’t merely increase the military budget by 3 percent, ask Americans to be a little more vigilant and send a sternly worded e-mail to those responsible for the aggression. Instead he went on national television to declared war on terrorism….” [In the Foreward to the book “Grow Your Church From the Outside.” pp. 9-10 By George Barna ( Ventura Calif: Regal Press, 2002)
Think with me about what that means. For most of those in this room we have never seen our country in an all our war effort, like we did in WWII. We have witnessed the Vietnam Conflict and the Gulf War and even the current war on terrorism but other than a few inconveniences it has affected us very little. But during war-time every available resource is redirected to the war effort. Some goods are rationed and others were simply not available. Think of what it would mean if every church member redefined their livestyles as if we were at war. If we simplified our life’s a little, gave up a few luxuries, think of what we could give to the cause of Christ.
“I believe that God cannot expect less from us as our Christian duty… than our own nation in wartime …requires of us in order to save our nation.” [Ralph Winter. Perspectives On the World Christian Movement. (Pasadena, Calif.: William Carey Library, 1992) p. 290]
The church will continue to have problems as long as we church members consider our money a gift from God to spend however we wish on ourselves rather than a responsibility.
True worship will cost me something. It will call for sacrifice of life, personal time and family time. It will command talent, giving, obedience, effort and diligence throughout all our days. One thing that worship cost us is our self-centered-ness. True worship takes energy and effort. “It is not always convenient or comfortable, and sometimes worship is a sheer act of the will – a willing sacrifice. Passive worship is an oxymoron. When you praise God even when you don’t feel like it, when you get out of bed to worship when you’re tired, and when you help others when you are worn out, you are offering a sacrifice of worship to God.” [Rich Warren. The Purpose Driven Life. (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2002) p. 106]
Her worship was Costly and…
Third, Her worship was Precious.
Let me close by asking you, “do you know what is so interesting about worship? It is the one thing that you can do for God that he cannot do for Himself. Somehow God is enriched by our worship and praise. You have the potential to be a blessing to God.
Jesus responds in verse nine by saying how much this one woman act of worship meant to Him when he said, “wherever this gospel is preached in the whole world, what this woman has done will also be told as a memorial to her.” He said, “… for as long as the gospel is preached this woman’s sacrificial worship will be remembered.”
“What Part Does Giving Play In Worship?”
It reveals as nothing else can what we value.
