#3 in the series
“Finding Your Worship Language”
Giving As Worship
John 12:1-8
For the last couple weeks I have been preaching about different ways of worshipping God. We looked at Martha as an example of Service as Worship. Lazarus was an example of Witness as Worship. Today we look at Mary as our example of Giving As Worship.
The point I want to make is that Giving… tithes and offerings… is one way to worship God.
Each week we pass the plate to take up an offering. Most people see that as something we do to pay the bills… a necessary evil. IT IS NOT!
We take up an offering in the worship service because giving is one of the ways we worship God… one of the worship languages.
Our scripture text today is found in John and it is the story of Mary anointing Jesus feet with the very expensive oil.
READ
Get the picture: The house is filled with people… the disciples, some close friends and Jesus. It was a clandestine meting. Jesus was a wanted man… a man with a price on his head. The end of the previous chapter tells us that Jesus was no longer appearing in public. He was hiding out in different rural towns with some of the disciples. Out of fear? NO! Timing!!! He knew he had to be the Passover Lamb and so he could not die until then.
So here he is, according to Mark’s account, in the home of one of his newest disciples… Simon… a former leper who had been healed by Jesus.
What a great place to hide… I the home of a leper. There is no way any of the Scribes of Pharacees would come looking here. They were too worried about their ceremonial cleanliness. To come near this house would leave them ceremonially unclean for a long time.
It reminds me of Corrie Ten Boom’s book, “The Hiding Place.” Some of you know that book. Corrie and her family were locked in a Nazi concentration camp because they had helped many of the Jews escape. In that camp life was more horrible than you can imagine. She tells of the dormitories they lived in… they were filthy and filled with lice. She tells of the misery the lice caused. But then, she praised God because she realized that the lice were a gift from God. That is right… a gift. Because of the lice the Nazi guards would not come inside the dorms. That left Corrie and her friends to have bible studies right there in the open. Because of Simon’s former disease and people’s fear… Jesus had safety from his pursuers.
And just imagine the stories that are being told in that room.
The home that they were in didn’t belong to Lazarus though, it was, according to Mark 14:3, “Simon the Lepers” home.
I bring that up because it is amazing. Imagine being asked to come to dinner and then you find out the host is a leper. Would you go? NO! NEVER! What would it take before anyone would ever come into that house again? A MIRACLE!!! The fact that they were at Simon’s house points to his healing.
Imagine the excited talk that day about what Jesus had done for Simon.
Another guest also owed his life to Jesus. Lazarus was there. In the previous chapter, where was Lazarus? In the tomb!
Two guys…each one “one-upping” the other with story after story. Simon talking about being “whole” and Lazarus talking about being out of a “hole!”
WOULDN’T YOU HAVE LOVED TO BEEN INVITED TO THAT DINNER?
I love the fact that the scripture does not even tell us that Jesus said a word. I like to believe that Simon and Lazarus were doing the talking… praising and glorifying God because of Jesus Christ.
I can almost imagine Jesus sitting there quietly, smiling. The Bible tells us in Ps 22:3 that God inhabits praise… He loves to be in places where He is praised. Jesus was loving every minute of hearing His Father being praised.
The scripture tells us they were having a meal and so where is Martha? Doing her thing… worshipping God I her language… SERVING. It is not even her home… but if Martha is there you know where to find her.
(((Just like Judy Brask)))
And Lazarus was worshipping in his language… WITNESS.
We are missing one person. Mary. Where is she and what is she doing? Listen… this woman is mentioned three times in the bible and all three times she is in the same place… Mary was always at our Lord’s feet.
In Luke 10:38-42, she sat at Jesus’ feet to hear Him teach.
In John 11:32, Mary knelt at the feet of Jesus in sorrow over the death of her brother Lazarus.
Here, in John Chapter 12, Mary is again at Jesus’ feet.
But lets back up a bit. The house is full, the meal is being served and cleaned up. Martha is a busy bee running and complaining that Mary is not to be found… AGAIN!!!
Mary is back at her house, in her room rummaging through her hope chest. She knows exactly what she’s looking for. She comes back to the house, enters the dining room, dodges her sister Martha so she won’t have to hear another lecture from Martha about being “responsible.” She quietly weaves her way around the dinner table to position herself, in her place, at Jesus’ feet. Quietly she works to open the vial--one that had probably been sealed from her birth. She does not pour out a little, just enough to give a sweet savor. She does not measure out just enough to cover the feet of Jesus. SHE POURS THE WHOLE THING O JESUS’ FEET. She pours so much on Jesus’ feet that she needs to mop up some of it—with her hair. The fragrance fogged the room. Imagine the stunned silence of the group. John tells us the small vial was worth a small fortune- the equivalent of 300 days wages. Almost a year’s income!
The scripture goes on to tell us that Judas objected and Jesus defended Mary. I don’t want to deal with that. I just want to concentrate on Mary and her gift.
Today’s value on that oil… even at minimum wage… would be $12,000.00. It may be more like $15,000.00.
That was extravagant. It was over-the-top, beyond the requirement, going too far.
Why did she do it? Why so much? Why not some now and some later?
Because Mary was not just giving something to Jesus, SHE WAS WORSHIPPING!
Worship is never partial or just what is required. That is not worship. That may be religion. But it is not worship.
Worship is pouring out our whole heart, soul, mind and body before Him who is worthy. It is holding nothing back, laying it all on the altar for him.
In the Old Testament, worship always involved giving. In fact, it not only involved giving... it involved sacrifice.
Think of every instance you can think of in the OT and you will remember that the worshipper brought a sacrifice.
You remember the sacrifice was to be a perfect animal, the best, not just any. That means it was a true sacrifice.
You may only be able to afford a dove. Sometimes two families had to go together to offer a sacrifice. That was not a way to make the offering cheap, easy to afford. That was only for the poor. You were still expected to give at the highest level you could… at the level of sacrifice.
David understood that. He was the king. He could offer animals that belonged to the palace, property of the state.
But David knew that was not acceptable because that was no sacrifice. David only gave sacrifices from his own private flock or herd.
In 1 Chronicles 21 David, the king of Israel, took a census of the people… which was a sin. As a result God sent a plague on the Israelites and thousands died. David repented and asked for forgiveness. God told him to offer a sacrifice at a certain place. It was land that David did not own. When he learned what David wanted the land for… the owner offered to give David not only the land but also all of the materials necessary to build the altar and offer the sacrifice.
But David understood sacrifice. He knew that God would not accept an offering like that. And he told the owner… No sir, I want to pay for it. And I want to pay the full price, every penny.
Then he made a great statement: “I will not offer to God that which costs me nothing”… that is not a sacrifice.
If you want to worship God in this place today YOU MUST BRING A SACRIFICE to lay on the altar.
It may the sacrifice of your pride
Or your lust
Or your gossip
There are churches all over the world meeting today for what they call “Worship.” But there is no worship happening in those places.
Or maybe one person on the second row is worshipping, and one on the back pew, and a couple in the choir. There are six people on the pew but only one or two truly worship.
Others go away disappointed, unchanged… they did not have a worship experience.
They blame the music or the sermon.
The real problem is with them. They did not worship because they did not offer a sacrifice.
The plate came by and they put in $5… no sacrifice… no worship.
The preacher preached on sin and they hardened their heart and would not confess their sin, and offer it to God as a sacrifice. They refused to lay their sin on the altar.
Or they are a little sorry. They know it was wrong, but not that wrong. They just decide they will change.
Others don’t worship because they hear God calling them to lay their gift on the altar… their spiritual gift… or talent… or ability. But they look at the job and say, “I can’t do that, I don’t have time, I don’t like to do that, I don’t feel comfortable.
God is calling for them to lay it on the altar… use it for Him and for his church and they say “NO.”
They don’t want to be bothered, put out, inconvenienced, asked to do things. That would be a sacrifice. That is too much to ask.
They just want to come to church, sit in their pew… and worship.
Guess what? “It ain’t happenin’”
You know the sign at the restaurant that says, “No shirt No shoes No service”? God’s sign says, “NO sacrifice No worship.”
Let me ask you this question. With what sacrifice did you come to this service today.”
For most of you the answer is NONE.
I want to ask you today to do something for me. For the next two weeks I want you to intentionally bring a sacrifice when you come to worship. Bring something that has cost you something... the more the better.
It may be a sin that you are confessing and laying on the altar… truly promising God that you will turn away from it.
Don’t play the game that catholic children play at Lent… promising to give up something you don’t even like… like broccoli.
You pray all week… each day and ask God to show you what sacrifice he would have you to bring.
Maybe it is some gift, talent or ability that you offer to use for His church.
And if God does not answer… or if you don’t understand… BRING A SACRIFICIAL TITHE… not a token, not what you normally do…SACRIFICE… over the top, too much.
Do that for two weeks. Then on the third week, you come to me and tell me what happened to your worship time.
I won’t ask you. I will not know who is doing it. You come to me and tell me.
If you will do that. And if you will continue to come before God with your sacrifice… in time let me tell you what will happen.
Look at Mary there at Jesus’ feet, pouring out that valuable essence.
She is not at church… she is in a house… someone else’s house.
It is not the Sabbath, if it were Jesus would be at church
Mary has learned the secret of worship… bringing sacrifice to the feet of Jesus.
She can now do that any where—any time.
When you come to the feet of Jesus and bring your sacrifice for a while... and you really learn to worship… WORSHIP WILL BECOME A PART OF YOUR LIFE THAT CN HAPPEN ANY WHERE AND ANY TIME.
Worship will become REAL!!!
Now here is what I ask you to do today.
If you came here today and thought you could just “show up” and worship would happen… if you came with no sacrifice…SACRIFICE…
Confess it… ask Him to forgive you… commit never to come here like that again.
Or you can bring your sacrifice NOW!!!!!!!!!!
Rev Rick Pendleton
Palm Harbor, Florida
randdp@peoplepc.com
Feel free to use any or all of this sermon without referencing me. I freely drew from many other sermons on sermoncentral.
