By Dr Jerry Horner
Mark 14:3-10
You’ll notice in here, that Jesus was being anointed. We have a way among us of highly esteeming things that God thinks are abominable. We value things totally opposite to how God evaluate things. We think something good is something big, like a big church. We need to look at what Jesus says is good, not what man says is good. That which is abomination to God is that which is highly esteemed unto men.
When this woman broke this alabaster box, it was an extreme sin. She does this thing so out of the ordinary, such a social no-no, so that the people murmured against her. She breaks this bottle and pours the contents on the head of Jesus. They were saying it was such a waste; she could have given the money to the poor. If you think about it, it was a stupid thing to do. Of what use was it? She wasted that costly perfume; it was useless. They were right to criticise her; but what does Jesus says about it.
He says something that we can hardly believe: ‘Let her alone. I think so highly of what she has done, I’m never going to forget it. Wherever the gospel is spoken, this story will be spoken of as a memorial to her.’ This just shows that Jesus is always surprising us.
John 12:1-8
Sometimes I want to ask the Lord, "What did you think about the sermon today?” We may think it was a wonderful message but he might think differently.
The criteria by which our lives are judged, it’s not what you think about it or what others say about it; it’s what Jesus says about it, how he evaluates it? I would like him to say about me “he has done a good work”.
I want to talk to you about how you can have these kind of commendations from God.
What do I have to do to make Jesus say what he said about this woman? How big a sacrifice to I have to make for the Lord to say “I'm pleased for what you’ve done.”
There’s three simple statements that Jesus made and in these, we are told the necessary requirements for having our Lord’s approval and commendation.
1) Do what you can
What is it that constitutes good service? What is a good preacher, church member? Jesus says ‘do what you can’. He was pleased with what this woman did. “She has done a good work in me, leave her alone".
Mark 14:8
She did what she could. That’s all it took! No one else was impressed; they all thought it was a waste of time and money. Jesus said, I do not judge people by how much or what they do, I judge them about the opportunity that is placed in their hands.
It was easy for Martha to express what God had done in her life; she was very efficient. But Mary was the younger sister, her heart filled with love and gratitude just like Martha’s was. She sees Lazarus raised from the dead and the man who did it.
Love has to express itself. Service for the Lord is nothing more than a heart overfilled with gratitude for him. Suddenly Martha remembers the alabaster box. Maybe she was saving it for her marriage or for some financial security. But it’s all she’s got, her treasure. She takes it out and she is commiting a social error but this doesn’t occur to her; she’s totally oblivious. All she sees is Jesus having raised her brother from the dead. Then she anoints Jesus’ hands and feet and he liked this, knowing she did what she could.
All he demanded from her was what he had given her in the first place. He demands nothing more than what he has already given you. I know that in this contemprorary Christianity, we lift up those with many talents. But if we aren’t careful, that will rule the church. The majority of Christians sit in the congregation and think, “But what is there that I could do”. The only thing God expects from you is, “Do what you can.” If you wait to try and do what someone else has achieved, you won’t ever get there.
As it says in 1 Corinthians 12, the body of Christ is made up of all the different parts: the members. Not everyone has the same role to play, but all are just as important.
All Christian service is simply giving back to God what he has already given you. What God has placed in your hands, that’s all that he demands! God will never demand more than he provides. And he will always provide what he demands. You do what you can, even if it may not seem much to you.
2) You do that much
Jesus said, ‘This woman has done what she could’. She had not only done what she could, but ALL that she could. Make sure you do that much. She broke that box. That’s significant. When she broke it, she had to pour it all out. She didn’t come out with a measuring spoon. Love is extravagant. Not a drop left in the alabaster box. I want to ask you, are there any drops left in your alabaster box?
You say, I’ve prayed...but have you done all that you know to do? I am convinced that God judges me on what I could and should have done, not on just what I have done. I believe that the greatest sin is that I have not done all that I can do. It’s easy to settle for just a little bit, as long as the people are satisfied. No that is not enough, if Jesus is not satisfied.
Don’t be content with being mediocre, which is settling for less that the best. The failure to do all that we can do and develop our abilities. A mediocre person is one who has searchlight ability but is shining like a penlight. It’s one who just gets by. Don’t be feeble when you can be strong. Don’t be content with paddling when there is a whole ocean to explore. Do all that you can do. Everyone wants to be successful, but what is success? It’s not a comparison of what we have done to what someone else has done. It’s coming up to the level of our best and making the most of our abilities and possibilities. We don’t compare ourselves with ourselves. Do all that you can.
3) Do it now
Jesus said, “Let her alone, she did what she could.” Then he said, ‘she is come aforehand to anoint my body to the burying.’ Why would he say that when he isn’t even dead yet?
If Mary had not anointed his body a week ahead of time, the body would never have been anointed for burial. Whatever you do, do it now. Next week may be too late.
Mary was surprised at what he said. She didn’t know he was going to die in a week’s time.
It teaches me, that sometimes, if we do what God does asks us to do, we don’t have the complete idea of what we are doing. Mary had no idea of what she doing and yet far beyond that simple act of obedience was a meaning known only to God. And someday when we stand in his presence, we are going to be highly surprised at the significance and thne outcome of the simple things we did.
There may be some things you do in the service of God, that you may never know the results of. Some life that you touched, you don’t even know about it. Something that God uses. Now, you notice that Mark says, that Mary anointed the head of Jesus; John says she anointed his feet. I want you to notice this...John gives another detail: that she wiped his feet with her hair and the place was filled with the scent. What she had poured out on Jesus, came back on her. Whatever you pour on Jesus will always come back on you. You can tell when you are around someone who has poured out their life to Jesus, because there is a certain perfume on their life. Jesus says, ‘you do what you can, do that much and do it right now’.
Amen
Showing posts with label grateful. Show all posts
Showing posts with label grateful. Show all posts
Friday, 20 March 2009
Friday, 13 March 2009
God Comes to the Individual
God orchestrates the circumstances in our lives so that, as we go through life, we are perfected, so that when we see Jesus we will be like Him. Life is a constant discovery of the love of God and His goodness to us; it is trials that reveal this to us.
If you can imagine the Great Fire of London which destroyed about 90 churches and displaced hundreds of people. The scapegoat for that fire was the fact that it was put out that French Catholics had started it. A similar effect of a fire was felt in Rome in the year 64 AD. The Roman Emperor, Nero, was blamed for it because he had said that he wanted to rebuild many of the buildings in Rome. He in turn passed the blame of the fire to the Christians. It was this that started the persecution of the Christians. It was incredibly barbaric. When news of what Nero was doing percolated out throughout the Roman Empire it reached areas of what we now call Turkey. Peter wrote this letter about this time, so at the very time that there was the news of the persecution of the Christians, Peter’s letter was written that was going to include messages that would be of incredible value for that time.
1 Peter 1:1
1 Peter 5:12
We have here a time when things were really happening as far as being a Christian was concerned. That’s why in these twelve verse Peter refers to a trial of your faith.
1 Peter 1:1-2
There’s a wonderful explanation there, in verse two, of who does what in the Trinity. When we did the series on Acts it was to do with the fact that God the Spirit was very active when the church was first launched.
1 Peter 1:3-5
He establishes right at the start where those people stood in Jesus Christ, what it was that Jesus had done for them, what it was that the gift of the spirit was still doing in them. In these verses eleven things are confirmed that they can be thankful for. In the midst of difficult circumstances it’s good to remember the foundation on which you stand and what God has done for you.
Peter had walked with Jesus; he was an apostle. Here this apostle gives thanks to the Father for Jesus Christ. We are thankful for his mercy, for the fact that He has caused us to be born from above. It is His mercy that has reached out to you and me. What does it mean to be a Christian? What does it mean for God to reach out to an individual to draw them to His love? It is His mercy that does that. God is interested in us. Our hope is this: when we see Him we will be like Him. This means that as we go through life we are being perfected through the circumstances that we’re going through. Peter had witnessed Jesus’ crucifixion and had also talked with Him. As Jesus took out that guilt of when Peter denied Him, gently withdrew, and Peter could look up. Now, via the letter of Peter, he in turn is communicating to people who are going to encounter things they would never have imagined. We have an incorruptible inheritance, undefiled, that is kept in heaven for us. Our hope is built on certainty. It is built on the confirmed faith that God has given to you and me that as we go through life, when we see Him we shall be like Him. That does not make life a drudgery. The things that God has prepared for those who love Him are wonderful. We are shielded by faith for that salvation to be revealed in the last time. We are talking about the ultimate salvation, when we will see Him.
He paints the picture of their picture in God, and then in verse 3 – 5 he states all the things we can be grateful for.
1 Peter 1:6-7
The circumstances of life right now have relevance. The outworking of the trial is specifically marked for me when I am to presented before God at the end of my life. There is going to be praise, honour, glory to God from you, as it were, as you’ve witnessed how God has brought you through the trial that you are now in. We must consider how we are approaching the circumstances in our life? We must be in the situation where we are confirming what He has done for us, and are resting on that foundation. We must not look at the circumstances; this will only bring fear. The trial of your faith is more precious than gold.
1 Peter 1:8-9
John 20:24-28
God reaches people in different ways. Rather than try and shoehorn into an experience like we had, what God does is come to an individual in such a way that they know Him. When Thomas said that he probably was ridiculed slightly by the other disciples. When he spoke he didn’t know that Jesus had heard him. A week went by and Jesus came to him. He didn’t chide Thomas for not believing, He simply told him to thrust his hand in his side. There was a tailor-made encounter with the living God. In your life when God is moving it isn’t that He’s trying to make you into an experience of someone else. He is meeting you at your point inside exactly. The fact that you have that awareness of emptiness within is God working in you. You think that way because God is working in you. Woe betide us if we try to make everyone have the same experience.
John 20:29
Peter knew that he was writing to people who had not seen Jesus physically. He knew the love in Jesus’ words that He spoke to Thomas: “blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed.”
1 Peter 1:9-12
I am confirming to you tonight that the circumstances you are going through are tailor-made so that you can encounter the love of God. Through the circumstances that we go through it is a constant discovery, more and more, despite all the pressure and seeming impossibilities, a constant discovery of God’s love for you. You are in the palm of His hand; no man can take you from the palm of His hand. He is a wonderful, living God.
If you can imagine the Great Fire of London which destroyed about 90 churches and displaced hundreds of people. The scapegoat for that fire was the fact that it was put out that French Catholics had started it. A similar effect of a fire was felt in Rome in the year 64 AD. The Roman Emperor, Nero, was blamed for it because he had said that he wanted to rebuild many of the buildings in Rome. He in turn passed the blame of the fire to the Christians. It was this that started the persecution of the Christians. It was incredibly barbaric. When news of what Nero was doing percolated out throughout the Roman Empire it reached areas of what we now call Turkey. Peter wrote this letter about this time, so at the very time that there was the news of the persecution of the Christians, Peter’s letter was written that was going to include messages that would be of incredible value for that time.
1 Peter 1:1
1 Peter 5:12
We have here a time when things were really happening as far as being a Christian was concerned. That’s why in these twelve verse Peter refers to a trial of your faith.
1 Peter 1:1-2
There’s a wonderful explanation there, in verse two, of who does what in the Trinity. When we did the series on Acts it was to do with the fact that God the Spirit was very active when the church was first launched.
1 Peter 1:3-5
He establishes right at the start where those people stood in Jesus Christ, what it was that Jesus had done for them, what it was that the gift of the spirit was still doing in them. In these verses eleven things are confirmed that they can be thankful for. In the midst of difficult circumstances it’s good to remember the foundation on which you stand and what God has done for you.
Peter had walked with Jesus; he was an apostle. Here this apostle gives thanks to the Father for Jesus Christ. We are thankful for his mercy, for the fact that He has caused us to be born from above. It is His mercy that has reached out to you and me. What does it mean to be a Christian? What does it mean for God to reach out to an individual to draw them to His love? It is His mercy that does that. God is interested in us. Our hope is this: when we see Him we will be like Him. This means that as we go through life we are being perfected through the circumstances that we’re going through. Peter had witnessed Jesus’ crucifixion and had also talked with Him. As Jesus took out that guilt of when Peter denied Him, gently withdrew, and Peter could look up. Now, via the letter of Peter, he in turn is communicating to people who are going to encounter things they would never have imagined. We have an incorruptible inheritance, undefiled, that is kept in heaven for us. Our hope is built on certainty. It is built on the confirmed faith that God has given to you and me that as we go through life, when we see Him we shall be like Him. That does not make life a drudgery. The things that God has prepared for those who love Him are wonderful. We are shielded by faith for that salvation to be revealed in the last time. We are talking about the ultimate salvation, when we will see Him.
He paints the picture of their picture in God, and then in verse 3 – 5 he states all the things we can be grateful for.
1 Peter 1:6-7
The circumstances of life right now have relevance. The outworking of the trial is specifically marked for me when I am to presented before God at the end of my life. There is going to be praise, honour, glory to God from you, as it were, as you’ve witnessed how God has brought you through the trial that you are now in. We must consider how we are approaching the circumstances in our life? We must be in the situation where we are confirming what He has done for us, and are resting on that foundation. We must not look at the circumstances; this will only bring fear. The trial of your faith is more precious than gold.
1 Peter 1:8-9
John 20:24-28
God reaches people in different ways. Rather than try and shoehorn into an experience like we had, what God does is come to an individual in such a way that they know Him. When Thomas said that he probably was ridiculed slightly by the other disciples. When he spoke he didn’t know that Jesus had heard him. A week went by and Jesus came to him. He didn’t chide Thomas for not believing, He simply told him to thrust his hand in his side. There was a tailor-made encounter with the living God. In your life when God is moving it isn’t that He’s trying to make you into an experience of someone else. He is meeting you at your point inside exactly. The fact that you have that awareness of emptiness within is God working in you. You think that way because God is working in you. Woe betide us if we try to make everyone have the same experience.
John 20:29
Peter knew that he was writing to people who had not seen Jesus physically. He knew the love in Jesus’ words that He spoke to Thomas: “blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed.”
1 Peter 1:9-12
I am confirming to you tonight that the circumstances you are going through are tailor-made so that you can encounter the love of God. Through the circumstances that we go through it is a constant discovery, more and more, despite all the pressure and seeming impossibilities, a constant discovery of God’s love for you. You are in the palm of His hand; no man can take you from the palm of His hand. He is a wonderful, living God.
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