Trading The Master For Money

INTRODUCTION:

Illustration/Story/Quote/Statistic- Have you ever been to a pawn shop? Many times people who are struggling financially and have no other option will go to pawn off items in order to pay bills. And every time that you try to sell something of value, you never get back what it is worth. We trade something of value for a temporary fix.

I think that's what we do with Christ too; we trade our relationship with God for a temporary fix. Our relationship with God has eternal value. It was paid for not by you or me, but by the blood of Jesus on the Cross. It was Costly! Extremely costly, beyond anything that we can imagine. Yet we go to the world's pawn shop to exchange something that has infinite worth for something that is temporary and only satisfies for the moment.

Spoken Need- How many times have you traded Christ for a crutch?

Traded the Savior for sin? Traded eternal life for a lie? Traded eternal blessings for earthly pleasures? Have we? Yes? We have. I have. We all have.

“All have sinned and fallen short of God's glory.”

“All of us like sheep have gone astray each of us to our own way.”

The Bible says, “There is a way that seems right to a man, but it ends in death.”

Transition-

This month as we prepare our hearts for Easter, as we think about what Jesus did for us so that we could be forgiven and free from sin, as we think about the price He paid for each of us… how much He considered it worth for us to be saved, I'd like you to consider one question: What will you do with Jesus?

Pilate asked the crowds on that day long ago, “What then shall I do with Jesus, who is called the Christ?” And we have the same question to answer today. Will we claim Him as our Lord and Savior or trade Him for something that cannot save?

BODY:

Please Turn in your Bibles to... John chapter twelve

A little background before we read today's scripture… Jesus has raised his friend Lazarus from the dead. Do you remember, Lazarus? Jesus' friend, who was dying and Jesus waited. It was too late when He showed up at the funeral. But Jesus said, “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies...” And then He told Lazarus to come forth from the grave. And he did!! Many times when traveling through here, Jesus would stay with this family. Lazarus had two sisters – One was Martha and the other's name was Mary.

One time when Jesus stayed with them Martha got upset at her sister Mary because Mary wasn't helping her with the food preparation and being a good host. She was just sitting there at Jesus' feet listening to Him. So Martha demanded that Jesus tell her sister to get to work, and Jesus said, “Martha, you are worried about many things when only one thing is required. Mary has chosen what is better and it will not be taken from her.” Luke 10:38-42

We do that. We get worried and upset about many things when only one thing is needed, to have faith… to trust Jesus… to seek Him, and know Him.

Mary loved Jesus and Jesus had given her back her brother who had died. So a dinner is being served in Jesus' honor. Lazarus, the dead-man-raised-to-life, is there and Martha is once again serving the food. Being the host.

But what is Mary doing? What is she doing with that perfume jar?

In John 12:3-8 New International Version (NIV) it says…

3 Then Mary took about a pint of pure nard, an expensive perfume; she poured it on Jesus’ feet and wiped his feet with her hair. And the house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume.

4 But one of his disciples, Judas Iscariot, who was later to betray him, objected, 

5 “Why wasn’t this perfume sold and the money given to the poor? It was worth a year’s wages.”

6 He did not say this because he cared about the poor but because he was a thief; as keeper of the money bag, he used to help himself to what was put into it.

7 “Leave her alone,” Jesus replied. “It was intended that she should save this perfume for the day of my burial. 8 You will always have the poor among you, but you will not always have me.”

Mary takes something that was worth a lot. It was costly. About year's worth of wages, and pours it on the Master's feet. Our paychecks go quickly, don't they? The expenses come and our income becomes our outcome; it leaves as quickly as it came. But think about it. If you could save up a year's worth of your income. Maybe $20 to $30,000 depending on your job situation. That's a lot of money. We could probably get a nice car for that amount.