WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:12.200 now can we turn together in our bibles to john chapter 11 at verse 55 and we're going to read 00:00:12.200 --> 00:00:22.280 through chapter 12 to verse 11 thinking about jesus the anointed king so again let's hear 00:00:22.280 --> 00:00:29.900 the word of god when it was almost time for the jewish passover many went up from the 00:00:29.899 --> 00:00:37.039 country to jerusalem for their ceremonial cleansing before the passover they kept looking for jesus and 00:00:37.039 --> 00:00:41.899 as they stood in the temple courts they asked one another what do you think isn't he coming to the 00:00:41.899 --> 00:00:47.060 festival at all but the chief priests and the pharisees had given orders that anyone who found 00:00:47.060 --> 00:00:53.820 out where jesus was should report it so that they might arrest him six days before the passover 00:00:53.820 --> 00:01:00.799 jesus came to bethany where lazarus lived whom jesus had raised from the dead here a dinner was given 00:01:00.799 --> 00:01:06.840 in jesus honor martha served while lazarus was among those reclining at the table with him 00:01:06.840 --> 00:01:13.539 then mary took about half a liter of pure nard and expensive perfume she poured it on jesus feet and 00:01:13.539 --> 00:01:19.819 wiped his feet with her hair and the house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume but one 00:01:19.819 --> 00:01:26.779 of his disciples judas iscariot who was later to betray him objected why wasn't this perfume sold 00:01:26.779 --> 00:01:33.379 and the money given to the poor was worth a year's wages he did not say this because he cared about the 00:01:33.379 --> 00:01:38.579 poor but because he was a thief as keeper of the money bag he used to help himself to what was put into 00:01:38.579 --> 00:01:44.919 it leave her alone jesus replied it was intended that she should save this perfume for the day of my 00:01:44.920 --> 00:01:53.719 burial you will always have the poor among you but you will not always have me meanwhile a large crowd 00:01:53.719 --> 00:02:01.540 of jews found out that jesus was there and came not only because of him but also to see lazarus whom he 00:02:01.540 --> 00:02:08.520 had raised from the dead so the chief priest made plans to kill lazarus as well for on account of him 00:02:08.520 --> 00:02:19.340 many of the jews were going over to jesus and believing in him amen so we're going to use john chapter 12 00:02:19.340 --> 00:02:29.640 to prepare ourselves for christmas and to reflect together on jesus as god's king we are i am sure 00:02:29.640 --> 00:02:38.439 familiar with nativity stories and and with the words of the bible that wise men came to visit 00:02:38.439 --> 00:02:48.060 the infant jesus bringing those gifts fit for a king led by god to honor him gifts to honor 00:02:48.060 --> 00:02:55.060 someone we understand that some cultures more than other we were watching a program paul hollywood 00:02:55.060 --> 00:03:01.319 traveling around japan over the last couple of weeks and he discovered that the culture they have 00:03:01.319 --> 00:03:07.680 there of of gift giving and especially giving fruit and if you are particularly wealthy giving really 00:03:07.680 --> 00:03:15.219 expensive fruit to honor perhaps someone who's inviting you for dinner so he went to a a guy who 00:03:15.219 --> 00:03:22.080 grew strawberries had grown them for decades and one single strawberry would set you back 350 pounds 00:03:22.080 --> 00:03:30.980 a couple of melons that sold at auction for 35 000 pounds some cultures understand that that gift giving is a way 00:03:30.979 --> 00:03:37.659 to honor to honor someone and what do we have here in the anointing of mary she gives extravagantly 00:03:37.659 --> 00:03:47.319 to honor king jesus helps us to ask ourselves the question what do our lives what does our worship 00:03:47.319 --> 00:03:54.959 reveal about our love and honor for jesus and we'll think about that again we go back to 00:03:54.960 --> 00:04:02.280 those familiar nativity stories and very much central to that are the groups who are for jesus 00:04:02.280 --> 00:04:08.600 there's always mary and joseph there are always the shepherds those first 00:04:08.600 --> 00:04:14.439 worshipers who receive the good news there are the wise men who come 00:04:14.439 --> 00:04:18.500 the bible includes but the nativity doesn't 00:04:18.500 --> 00:04:26.759 figures like king herod you remember king herod in in matthew 2 he he doesn't like the news that a new 00:04:26.759 --> 00:04:32.620 king has been born and he fears the loss of privilege and status and so what does he do he arranges for 00:04:32.620 --> 00:04:40.279 the murder of the infants in bethlehem to try and destroy god's king and that theme is here too in john 00:04:40.279 --> 00:04:48.480 12 we see it all through john's gospel a division dividing lines drawn some will worship jesus some 00:04:48.480 --> 00:04:55.900 will believe in jesus but others will plot to arrest and destroy and to kill it seems like there is no 00:04:55.900 --> 00:05:03.759 middle ground jesus claims are so big his power it is so evident some worship and some will kill and 00:05:03.759 --> 00:05:10.200 when we take it back to ourselves don't we see that we live in a world that's very much divided over 00:05:10.199 --> 00:05:15.539 what to make of jesus we make it more personal 00:05:15.539 --> 00:05:19.719 how does your heart how does my heart respond 00:05:19.719 --> 00:05:21.899 to jesus as god's king 00:05:21.899 --> 00:05:25.219 today we're going to 00:05:25.219 --> 00:05:27.759 look at the anointing of jesus 00:05:27.759 --> 00:05:29.579 that anointing 00:05:29.579 --> 00:05:31.579 that helps us to think about 00:05:31.579 --> 00:05:36.620 jesus as god's king anointing symbolic of kingship we're going to see what do we learn about 00:05:36.620 --> 00:05:43.540 jesus as god's king in the bible and think about the different responses that we have to jesus the 00:05:43.540 --> 00:05:47.920 king here in john 12 to help us to think about our own response 00:05:47.920 --> 00:05:56.639 so let's think together about the anointing of king jesus we're told some important details we're given 00:05:56.639 --> 00:05:59.280 the setting here for observations 00:05:59.279 --> 00:06:07.939 in verse one this happened six days before the passover the great worship festival for 00:06:07.939 --> 00:06:10.839 the people of god when they remembered 00:06:10.839 --> 00:06:14.339 the god who rescued by sacrifice 00:06:14.339 --> 00:06:22.319 and from the very beginning of john's gospel john chapter 1 verse 29 we have john the baptist declared 00:06:22.319 --> 00:06:23.099 of jesus 00:06:23.099 --> 00:06:27.819 look this is the lamb of god who takes away the sin of the world 00:06:27.819 --> 00:06:32.599 and in god's perfect timing it was always his plan that jesus would die 00:06:32.599 --> 00:06:34.060 at passover 00:06:34.060 --> 00:06:39.099 to remind us that god always rescues by sacrifice ultimately 00:06:39.099 --> 00:06:42.120 by the sacrifice of his own son 00:06:42.120 --> 00:06:47.740 so passover is in the background also in the background part of our setting 00:06:47.740 --> 00:06:50.019 is the raising of lazarus 00:06:50.019 --> 00:06:54.759 and so notice that jesus came to bethany where lazarus lived 00:06:54.759 --> 00:07:01.219 whom jesus had raised from the dead the last of the seven great signs recorded in john's gospel 00:07:01.219 --> 00:07:07.620 that we've just finished looking at and especially that last one where jesus explicitly says this is 00:07:07.620 --> 00:07:13.180 going to reveal the glory of god where jesus declares i am the resurrection and the life and what do we have 00:07:13.180 --> 00:07:19.959 here at this dinner party we have walking talking eating proof of that because here is lazarus 00:07:19.959 --> 00:07:23.939 one of the guests at this meal 00:07:23.939 --> 00:07:28.879 and it's interesting to think that a little while later 00:07:28.879 --> 00:07:31.299 when jesus himself 00:07:31.299 --> 00:07:35.719 is raised from the dead we had the same lines of evidence given 00:07:35.719 --> 00:07:38.740 jesus meeting with individuals jesus being seen 00:07:38.740 --> 00:07:44.659 by crowds jesus eating with his disciples to prove he is real 00:07:44.660 --> 00:07:50.640 what else do we have in terms of background we discovered in verse two 00:07:50.640 --> 00:07:57.260 that in bethany a dinner was given in jesus honor martha serving and lazarus was among 00:07:57.260 --> 00:07:58.700 those reclining 00:07:58.700 --> 00:08:05.320 it's a village meal most likely was quite common at the time for people to gather together if 00:08:05.320 --> 00:08:10.020 if an honored guest was coming into town people would gather together pull the resources 00:08:10.019 --> 00:08:17.399 and have a meal together and so at some level this is an ordinary event 00:08:17.399 --> 00:08:25.599 but then as mary takes that perfume and anoints jesus it becomes extraordinary 00:08:25.599 --> 00:08:33.360 and again we can't really miss in terms of the setting for the anointing the division 00:08:33.360 --> 00:08:38.180 that we read about the division that's clear in john's gospel 00:08:38.180 --> 00:08:46.279 now notice in the words of the friends and the enemies of jesus nobody is denying the fact that 00:08:46.279 --> 00:08:50.940 jesus has raised lazarus from the dead he's right there with them he's in the room 00:08:50.940 --> 00:08:55.680 so nobody is denying that they're all agreed on that but but some choose to 00:08:55.680 --> 00:09:00.019 to want to know more about jesus and to believe and to worship others say well 00:09:00.019 --> 00:09:05.319 now we need to get rid of lazarus as well as getting rid of jesus their opposition is so great 00:09:05.319 --> 00:09:11.480 they feel that threat to their position and to their security and so they want to destroy 00:09:11.480 --> 00:09:18.100 both jesus and lazarus who becomes a really powerful witness despite the virtue of his life 00:09:18.100 --> 00:09:25.500 so that's the the setting so we understand what's going on and this is just a week before 00:09:25.500 --> 00:09:34.879 jesus goes to the cross now for the anointing itself verse three let's read again verse three 00:09:34.879 --> 00:09:42.220 mary took about half a liter of pure nard an expensive perfume she poured it on jesus feet 00:09:42.220 --> 00:09:47.980 and wiped his feet with her hair and the house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume 00:09:47.980 --> 00:09:59.100 let's just focus for now on the extravagance of this gift judah says this perfume was worth a year's 00:09:59.100 --> 00:10:08.879 wages put that in our terms we're talking 15 20 25 000 pound bottle of perfume cracked open and gone 00:10:08.879 --> 00:10:16.539 seconds perhaps this family heirloom that's been passed down through the generations 00:10:16.539 --> 00:10:26.699 is opened and poured as so as to anoint jesus and as the smell fills the house we can imagine can't we 00:10:26.699 --> 00:10:34.539 the surprise for some the shock of what's just happened spreads through the house also 00:10:34.539 --> 00:10:46.379 and notice with me that jesus approves of this jesus doesn't say well that's a big gift i'm not worthy 00:10:46.379 --> 00:10:55.259 of that jesus approves of it verse seven he says leave her alone it was intended she should save this 00:10:55.259 --> 00:10:59.740 perfume for the day of my burial then in verse eight you'll always have the poor among you but you'll not 00:10:59.740 --> 00:11:08.220 always have me jesus says i am worthy of this worship jesus isn't saying that he's against the 00:11:08.220 --> 00:11:13.820 poor or against ministry to the poor and we see that all through his life he spends so much time with 00:11:13.820 --> 00:11:19.340 the poor and the marginalized and the weak and the dispossessed but he's saying very clearly to 00:11:19.340 --> 00:11:25.660 mary and everyone who's ready to listen that this is an appropriate act this is the right time for mary 00:11:25.660 --> 00:11:32.860 to honor and to love her king her king who is shortly going to die and one of the themes that we've seen 00:11:32.860 --> 00:11:38.620 as we've been looking through john's gospel is that that jesus is unafraid of saying i am equal with my 00:11:38.620 --> 00:11:45.419 father i deserve the same honor and glory as god my father and so here as he receives this act of 00:11:45.419 --> 00:11:51.740 extravagant worship he is saying another time i am worthy of this because i am the son of god 00:11:53.580 --> 00:11:56.860 but he also at the same time doesn't he reveal something about his kingship 00:11:59.419 --> 00:12:04.700 he says that this has been done to prepare for my burial jesus as god's king knows that he has come to 00:12:04.700 --> 00:12:10.700 die and the cross and and his burial are very much on the horizon for him 00:12:13.820 --> 00:12:24.540 reminds us that all jesus did and all that jesus suffered he did as a substitute as he came under the 00:12:24.540 --> 00:12:33.420 law becoming one of us in order to completely obey the law that we break he came as a substitute going 00:12:33.419 --> 00:12:39.500 under the curse facing the penalty for that law that we have broken though he was sinlessly perfect 00:12:40.059 --> 00:12:47.339 that he was willing to take the punishment that we deserve he did that to save his people and he does it 00:12:47.339 --> 00:12:57.019 as god's obedient humble servant king all that he is doing all that he will do on the cross he does to 00:12:57.019 --> 00:13:05.819 to show to show the glory of god to show obedience to his father to satisfy god's justice to demonstrate god's love 00:13:07.579 --> 00:13:16.460 he is the king that god promised and here he is anointed as king but he's a king who will suffer 00:13:17.340 --> 00:13:25.500 a king who was born to die to die for his people and this theme of kingship 00:13:25.500 --> 00:13:30.379 i just wanted to spend some time thinking about it because it's everywhere in god's word and it's so 00:13:30.379 --> 00:13:37.340 important for us to to understand it we think about the the christmas story and perhaps we need to keep 00:13:37.340 --> 00:13:43.419 asking ourselves the question why would the eternal son of god leave the glory of heaven to become the baby 00:13:43.419 --> 00:13:49.820 born in the manger and when we go to the christmas story and we'll go there this evening we discover that 00:13:49.820 --> 00:13:57.900 he does that to save his people from their sin he leaves the glory of heaven in order to be god with us 00:13:59.820 --> 00:14:06.780 he leaves the glory of heaven and comes to live a life of suffering here on earth because he is god's 00:14:06.780 --> 00:14:14.380 anointed chosen king the one promised in the old testament the one the true and better king david the one who 00:14:14.379 --> 00:14:20.220 would lead us in worship the one who would rule over us in righteousness and justice forever 00:14:22.460 --> 00:14:27.899 now we see it in the old testament it's why we we sang sam two together to remind ourselves that for 00:14:27.899 --> 00:14:35.100 the old testament believer their hope was in a messiah king who god would send and one thing that sam 00:14:35.100 --> 00:14:41.899 two says it says that this king will be rebelled against and think about what's happening in the 00:14:41.899 --> 00:14:46.860 background of john 12 think about what will happen when jesus is crucified don't we see that rebellion 00:14:46.860 --> 00:14:56.939 reach a climax but but nevertheless sam two can declare the only option the only way of safety salvation for 00:14:56.939 --> 00:15:08.059 people is to submit to this son who is the king talks about to kiss the son to submit to him 00:15:08.059 --> 00:15:18.459 to use new testament language to repent of our sin to believe in him to trust him as our lord 00:15:20.219 --> 00:15:25.579 we can also usefully i think connect like what we learn in the old testament with what we see in john's 00:15:25.579 --> 00:15:33.099 gospel and so we read together isaiah 11 and amos 9 and there we saw imagery it's saying to us that with 00:15:33.100 --> 00:15:37.340 the coming of god's true king is the beginning of new creation 00:15:40.139 --> 00:15:45.820 isaiah pictures um new creation being like a a feast on the lord's mountain 00:15:47.180 --> 00:15:53.740 there's pictures of the end to sadness the end to threat and fear and to distress the end of death 00:15:53.740 --> 00:15:58.300 itself and a beginning of life of peace and prosperity and blessing for the people of god 00:15:58.299 --> 00:16:04.859 and then think about john's gospel and think about the miracles that john chooses to record for us 00:16:04.859 --> 00:16:11.500 where does he begin if you remember the first of those seven signs back in john chapter two it's the 00:16:11.500 --> 00:16:18.779 wedding cana and galley jesus turns water into wine there's the wedding feast jesus produces joy 00:16:18.779 --> 00:16:26.299 and people saw his glory jesus is bringing in the new creation think about all of those healing 00:16:26.299 --> 00:16:31.100 miracles that he performs what's he doing he's bringing an end into sadness and suffering he's 00:16:31.100 --> 00:16:36.620 saying this is what my kingdom is like this is what world is going to be like for the people who trust in me 00:16:37.899 --> 00:16:45.259 and think about the last great sign that we just read uh the context for chapter 12 he raised 00:16:45.259 --> 00:16:53.580 lazarus and he said i'm the resurrection and the life jesus is god's king bringing in god's kingdom 00:16:53.580 --> 00:17:00.460 that kingdom that was promised and foretold in the old testament is now anticipated in the life of jesus 00:17:02.299 --> 00:17:11.019 and it's the world we all want a world of perfect love and peace and joy without sadness and sickness 00:17:11.019 --> 00:17:19.099 and death and destruction and decay and jesus is the king who's bringing in that kingdom and all 00:17:19.099 --> 00:17:25.339 through john's gospel we see this as well the beginning of john's gospel we we see jesus meet a 00:17:25.339 --> 00:17:32.940 man called nathanael who becomes one of his disciples and in verse 29 um nathanael announces that jesus is 00:17:32.940 --> 00:17:42.059 the teacher he is the son of god and he is the king of israel so chapter one jesus is announced as the 00:17:42.059 --> 00:17:49.580 king of israel then way back chapter 20 we've gone there so many times verse 31 as john explains towards 00:17:49.580 --> 00:17:57.340 the end of his gospel why he wrote it these things are written that you may believe that jesus is the 00:17:57.339 --> 00:18:04.299 the messiah god's anointed king the son of god and that by believing you may have life in his name so it's there 00:18:04.299 --> 00:18:11.579 at the beginning jesus is king it's there at the end jesus is king it becomes a frame to see all of john's 00:18:11.579 --> 00:18:20.139 gospel to see through this window that john gives us that jesus is god's promised king what do we see we see so 00:18:20.140 --> 00:18:29.980 often he's rejected misunderstood and resisted even while some will worship and believe from john 00:18:29.980 --> 00:18:37.660 chapter 12 through to john chapter 19 we find 14 times references to jesus as messiah jesus as king 00:18:37.660 --> 00:18:43.580 and we discover that he is the humble and suffering king and the king of glory who will wash his disciples 00:18:43.579 --> 00:18:51.500 feet anticipating and that he will die to wash his people from sin we will see jesus as the rejected 00:18:51.500 --> 00:18:59.259 king as we hear the crowds cry we have no king but caesar and then as jesus is nailed to the cross 00:18:59.259 --> 00:19:08.460 there is a sign nailed above his head this is the king of the jew the bible wants us to know it and john 00:19:08.460 --> 00:19:14.700 wants us to know it that jesus is god's promised king he is the one we are to worship he's the one 00:19:14.700 --> 00:19:20.779 we are to submit to and this king what does he do he comes to lay down his life for his people 00:19:21.819 --> 00:19:30.299 he comes to bring peace between us and god by shedding his blood dealing with in his own body the sin that 00:19:30.299 --> 00:19:38.380 separates us from a holy god he dies so that we might live and now jesus is risen and reigning 00:19:38.780 --> 00:19:43.820 now jesus is building his kingdom in the hearts and lives of his people and jesus the king will 00:19:43.820 --> 00:19:51.340 one day return to take us home to be with him forever jesus is worthy and what's crucial 00:19:52.700 --> 00:20:00.700 crucial for your life and mine is the crucial truth that mary saw is that we need to understand that we need 00:20:00.700 --> 00:20:07.660 to respond to jesus as god's promised king so that we would respond with faith 00:20:08.460 --> 00:20:09.340 and with worship 00:20:12.300 --> 00:20:17.180 we spent a lot of time thinking about who is jesus here's jesus the king jesus the king in the bible 00:20:19.180 --> 00:20:22.940 because it makes sense of our passage the only thing in a sense that makes sense of our passage 00:20:22.940 --> 00:20:29.420 we will never understand mary's worship we will never understand why she would give everything for jesus 00:20:29.420 --> 00:20:36.940 unless we have a clear sense of who jesus is unless we understand that he is that promised king 00:20:37.820 --> 00:20:42.060 unless we understand that he came on a rescue mission to save people like us 00:20:42.059 --> 00:20:48.220 if we don't understand that then the idea of spending a year's wages on perfume that's gone in a few 00:20:48.220 --> 00:20:51.500 seconds will seem perhaps shocking confusing 00:20:51.500 --> 00:20:58.140 just as we might be shocked and confused by the idea that people could spend thousands of pounds 00:20:58.140 --> 00:21:04.299 on a piece of fruit to give to a friend and likewise we won't appreciate the tragedy 00:21:04.299 --> 00:21:11.579 of judas because judas is very much in this story unless we understand who is it that judas chooses to 00:21:11.579 --> 00:21:18.379 reject and betray unless we understand what it is that judas lost when he chose to turn his back on jesus 00:21:18.380 --> 00:21:27.580 so let's look to learn some lessons from the worship of mary let's think about three qualities of mary's faith 00:21:28.220 --> 00:21:32.300 and worship for us to value ourselves 00:21:34.140 --> 00:21:40.220 the first thing that we can recognize about mary's worship is that it is humble 00:21:40.220 --> 00:21:47.180 she pours this perfume on jesus feet and wiped his feet with her hair 00:21:48.059 --> 00:21:55.420 here wonderful portraits of mary in the gospels three times we discover jesus and mary at jesus feet 00:21:56.299 --> 00:22:04.140 in luke chapter 10 while martha's busy serving getting things ready for dinner we find mary sitting at the 00:22:04.140 --> 00:22:08.460 feet of jesus her master taking the posture of a disciple listening and learning 00:22:08.460 --> 00:22:17.819 in john chapter 11 we find mary in grief and despair falling at the feet of jesus her lord and savior 00:22:17.819 --> 00:22:24.779 and only hope for her brother who had died and then here in john chapter 12 again we find mary at the 00:22:24.779 --> 00:22:31.019 feet of jesus taking the posture of the lowest servant john chooses to focus on on the fact that she's 00:22:31.660 --> 00:22:34.700 washing his feet to show that humility of mary 00:22:34.700 --> 00:22:44.220 understanding that compared to the great king she is but a servant and she wants to honor her king 00:22:44.220 --> 00:22:53.259 so there's humility in her worship there's also a great sense of gratitude that sense that she worships 00:22:53.259 --> 00:23:01.500 gratefully mary is acting out of a sense of deep love for jesus a deep sense of gratitude because 00:23:01.500 --> 00:23:12.140 remember what's jesus recently done for her she has her brother back alive and well raised from the tomb 00:23:13.500 --> 00:23:20.859 and more than that mary understands who jesus is mary understands that jesus is the messiah 00:23:21.819 --> 00:23:30.619 that jesus has come as the resurrection and the life and there's a source of grateful joyful worship 00:23:31.500 --> 00:23:38.140 to understand here is god's promised king and he's come to give eternal life he's come to give access to his kingdom 00:23:39.180 --> 00:23:42.380 and we also see from mary's worship that it's wholehearted 00:23:43.579 --> 00:23:48.059 we see that in the cost don't we she's not holding back 00:23:49.579 --> 00:23:54.779 but rather she's giving everything she can to honor her king she doesn't care what others think about the 00:23:54.779 --> 00:24:01.819 expense if it seems extravagant or over the top and nor does she care about what is proper 00:24:02.779 --> 00:24:08.619 so there's that little detail there in verse three where where mary's pictured wiping his feet with her 00:24:08.619 --> 00:24:15.660 hair and in that culture no jewish woman would ever let their hair down in public but but she cares to 00:24:15.660 --> 00:24:21.980 honor jesus more than she cares for her own reputation or for what's proper she knows 00:24:21.980 --> 00:24:32.299 this is the right time to honor jesus to show how much she values him as lord and king 00:24:34.940 --> 00:24:42.620 i wonder as we come to this time of year sometimes december can be a hard time can't it's dark 00:24:42.620 --> 00:24:49.019 it's coming towards the end of term we get tired i wonder if we find ourselves today or maybe 00:24:49.019 --> 00:24:55.740 in this season tired from worship and service jesus 00:24:57.579 --> 00:25:05.740 times the guest like that doesn't it can be hard work to to give of ourselves for others consistently 00:25:07.339 --> 00:25:13.420 perhaps it can be a time when we get frustrated perhaps a lack of gratitude shown for 00:25:13.420 --> 00:25:21.740 things that we try and do for people or perhaps frustration that that we feel like we're serving 00:25:21.740 --> 00:25:28.220 by ourselves and we'd love for others to be able to help perhaps we come here today and if we're honest 00:25:28.220 --> 00:25:32.620 we're kind of going through the motions of worship because we're really tired and we're done and we feel 00:25:32.620 --> 00:25:39.420 flat we can give duty but we don't have a great sense of joy i wonder if we feel that today 00:25:39.420 --> 00:25:45.420 not much room for god in our lives not much room for god's words in our lives not much room for the 00:25:45.420 --> 00:25:54.460 people of god in our lives i wonder when we think about mary's worship mary's extravagant honestly does 00:25:54.460 --> 00:25:56.700 it does it make our worship seem seem small 00:25:56.700 --> 00:26:09.259 if that's where we are today what what should we do what's the response that we need in order to to 00:26:09.259 --> 00:26:12.299 return to our first love to have joy and worship 00:26:15.340 --> 00:26:18.140 we need to look to jesus in the gospel again 00:26:18.140 --> 00:26:28.620 we need to remember our king again to see in jesus as loving king who came to serve you 00:26:29.820 --> 00:26:40.220 to give his life for you the one who loves the church consistently sacrificially holding nothing back from us 00:26:40.220 --> 00:26:48.940 to understand he is worthy of all our service he is worthy of all of our lives 00:26:50.940 --> 00:26:55.100 we need to recognize that nothing we give of ourselves even if we were to give everything 00:26:55.100 --> 00:26:59.660 nothing we do even if we spend all our lives serving compares with how jesus loves us 00:27:00.620 --> 00:27:09.019 and how jesus serves us we need to go back to the gospel for our sense of of energy in our worship 00:27:10.220 --> 00:27:15.980 to return to jesus our king as our first love for our motivation for worship and service 00:27:19.019 --> 00:27:22.140 and to recognize too that when our love fails 00:27:23.579 --> 00:27:30.700 and it does we're honest our love for jesus fails at times we need to understand that as christians his 00:27:30.700 --> 00:27:37.500 love for us never fails while our service so often can feel cold and feel limited 00:27:37.500 --> 00:27:44.859 that's never the way jesus serves us we need to understand jesus never stops praying for us 00:27:46.299 --> 00:27:50.700 jesus never stops sending his spirit to help and to comfort and to encourage us 00:27:50.700 --> 00:27:55.980 jesus never stops holding on to his people in his hands and in his heart 00:27:58.940 --> 00:28:05.019 so what we need to do is we need to see his mary soul to pray for a heart like mary's 00:28:05.819 --> 00:28:10.779 that will be humbled and humbled again by god's amazing love and ascending of jesus 00:28:10.779 --> 00:28:20.940 to be thankful for jesus to be overwhelmed by the sacrifice that he came to make for us 00:28:23.420 --> 00:28:28.539 so that our hearts it would and would again overflow with worship 00:28:30.460 --> 00:28:33.980 but you know it's not just mary that we're invited to learn from 00:28:33.980 --> 00:28:42.620 john john the gospel writer who loves contrasts puts mary and judas side by side here 00:28:43.900 --> 00:28:52.299 let's read again in verse 4 and 5 one of his disciples judas iscariot who is later to betray him 00:28:52.299 --> 00:28:59.819 objected why wasn't this perfume sold in the money given to the poor it was worth a year's wages 00:28:59.819 --> 00:29:07.339 he didn't say this because he cared about the poor but because he was a thief there are some warnings 00:29:07.899 --> 00:29:14.139 for us from judas here i think the first warning is that of apathy 00:29:15.899 --> 00:29:19.419 what's the the sense we get of judas as we read his reaction 00:29:21.099 --> 00:29:25.019 jesus is not worth that big sacrificial worship 00:29:25.019 --> 00:29:30.059 maybe you should avoid the extremes of religious devotion 00:29:33.339 --> 00:29:38.700 we need to be wary of that apathy that makes god god seem small that makes jesus seem common 00:29:40.859 --> 00:29:46.539 there's also a warning too about hypocrisy because judas sounds really good and he sounds really pious 00:29:46.539 --> 00:29:52.299 doesn't he oh you should you should have taken that money to should have taken that perfume to the bank and 00:29:52.299 --> 00:29:57.099 and cashed in and then you should have spent the rest of the year caring for the needs of the poor and 00:29:57.099 --> 00:30:06.139 serving them sounded good perhaps he found people agreeing with him within the crowd but his true motive he was a thief 00:30:07.980 --> 00:30:17.819 he's what to steal from their money a dark heart clothed in fine-sounding religious language 00:30:17.819 --> 00:30:24.220 and i think when we look at judas we have that warning against idolatry 00:30:24.859 --> 00:30:25.659 and once again 00:30:27.500 --> 00:30:30.939 there is a real tragedy in judas life and you think of all that he saw 00:30:31.980 --> 00:30:34.299 he was there with the disciples for three years 00:30:35.019 --> 00:30:42.220 he saw every one of the miracles that jesus performed he saw time and again the love and mercy of jesus the son of god god's 00:30:42.220 --> 00:30:50.539 promise king think about all that he heard jesus so many times uh bringing words with 00:30:50.539 --> 00:30:57.100 authority and power speaking of himself as god and the only way to god he heard all of that and he saw all 00:30:57.100 --> 00:30:59.339 of that and yet in the end of the day what did he choose 00:30:59.339 --> 00:31:06.779 he chose to put money over jesus he chose to sell out his friend for some 00:31:07.500 --> 00:31:11.099 coinage money not jesus had his heart 00:31:13.179 --> 00:31:17.259 judas didn't think jesus was worthy of a blessing and glory and honor 00:31:19.419 --> 00:31:22.859 judas and the religious leaders they had the same access to jesus 00:31:22.859 --> 00:31:27.019 they saw and heard many of the same things 00:31:28.699 --> 00:31:32.619 but they chose to reject they chose to despise they chose to ignore 00:31:34.859 --> 00:31:39.019 we need to ask ourselves the question where where are we today when it comes to king jesus 00:31:40.699 --> 00:31:43.659 how are things with our hearts when it comes to jesus 00:31:45.419 --> 00:31:48.379 because the question we all need to answer as we think about this passage is 00:31:48.380 --> 00:31:55.340 is that one that we sang earlier is he worthy i love that reflection revelation 5 let me encourage 00:31:55.340 --> 00:32:01.020 you to read revelation 5 some point this week it's a it's a glorious vision of jesus 00:32:01.660 --> 00:32:07.660 god's chosen king who's able to bring about all god's purposes and history receiving all the worship of 00:32:07.660 --> 00:32:08.140 heaven 00:32:10.540 --> 00:32:16.140 and the angels are singing he is worthy of all that blessing and honor and glory 00:32:16.140 --> 00:32:20.700 is that a song we can honestly sing from our hearts 00:32:23.100 --> 00:32:28.380 do we think he's worthy of the first place in our lives and does it show 00:32:30.140 --> 00:32:37.980 are we submitting today to his good and loving rule are we ready to be loyal to him to follow his 00:32:37.980 --> 00:32:45.420 commands because how you and i answer well it matters for today but it matters for all eternity 00:32:45.420 --> 00:32:55.259 we have a really stark warning in the bible from the life of judas a warning about about as it were 00:32:55.259 --> 00:33:00.220 keeping jesus at arm's length arm's length not becoming too attached to him but rather being 00:33:00.220 --> 00:33:04.380 attached to money about being happy with a religious show with an unchanged heart 00:33:05.660 --> 00:33:09.900 about placing other people or things or money over king jesus 00:33:09.900 --> 00:33:18.380 if that's where we find ourselves today pray that god would rescue you from that cold heart 00:33:19.180 --> 00:33:23.980 towards jesus your king so that rather you would see him and you would want to submit to him 00:33:26.380 --> 00:33:30.220 but we learn too from mary don't we that wonderful beautiful picture of worship 00:33:30.220 --> 00:33:36.299 this holding nothing back sacrificial loving gift fit for god's king 00:33:39.019 --> 00:33:45.420 may god give to each of us eyes like mary that recognize jesus for who he truly is 00:33:46.620 --> 00:33:49.660 hearts like mary that would truly worship 00:33:49.660 --> 00:33:53.900 is he worthy 00:33:53.900 --> 00:33:58.860 to answer that question look to jesus this christmas 00:33:59.500 --> 00:34:04.300 i consider again the wonderful story of jesus coming leaving the glory of heaven to become 00:34:04.860 --> 00:34:11.820 one of us think of the message of easter that jesus dies as a a loving sacrifice a loving sacrifice 00:34:12.539 --> 00:34:16.940 for our unbelief for our lack of love for our sin he takes it and he pays for it 00:34:19.180 --> 00:34:21.900 think about easter sunday jesus risen so we might live 00:34:23.100 --> 00:34:27.100 think about jesus the king who came not to be served but to serve and to give his life 00:34:27.900 --> 00:34:33.100 as a ransom for many may the song of all our hearts be he is 00:34:34.140 --> 00:34:36.539 worthy let's pray briefly 00:34:36.539 --> 00:34:46.940 lord god we thank you for your words and we thank you for the wonderful devotion and worship of mary 00:34:48.139 --> 00:34:55.259 thank you for her humility for her gratitude for her wholehearted loving sacrifice because she knew 00:34:55.259 --> 00:35:03.179 jesus was her king and her savior and her lord lord may you give us hearts like mary that are ready 00:35:03.899 --> 00:35:09.339 to love and to serve and to give in response to all that you have done for us in jesus 00:35:10.379 --> 00:35:16.619 lord please save us from being like judas from being cold-hearted from being half-hearted and apathetic 00:35:18.219 --> 00:35:23.179 for putting other things or other people ahead of jesus as lord and king 00:35:24.779 --> 00:35:29.659 lord may we all be able to say from the bottom of our hearts he is worthy of all 00:35:29.659 --> 00:35:37.500 honor and glory and praise please help us by your spirit to see him more and more clearly 00:35:38.059 --> 00:35:47.259 so that we might love him more and more deeply i we ask in jesus name amen