WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:06.379 and his death and his resurrection. And we finished up now with Mark chapter 13, which I 00:00:06.379 --> 00:00:11.820 told you was the hardest section in the gospel of Mark to understand, ending last week with Jesus' 00:00:12.000 --> 00:00:17.640 command to stay awake, to live all of our lives in light of the fact that Jesus is coming back. 00:00:18.480 --> 00:00:25.120 We turn now, picking up again with the action of Holy Week, and we are moving from Tuesday to 00:00:25.120 --> 00:00:29.580 Wednesday. And I want you to remember, as I've reminded you already this morning, of the summary 00:00:29.579 --> 00:00:35.899 that Jesus gave back in Mark chapter 12 of the summary of the law, that it's to love God and to 00:00:35.899 --> 00:00:40.500 love neighbor. And in fact, that's what we're going to dig into this morning. We're going to see a 00:00:40.500 --> 00:00:49.980 picture of love for God, and we're going to examine our own love for him. We'll see a picture of love, 00:00:50.000 --> 00:00:56.480 and we'll examine our love. And so with that, I invite you to turn with me now to Mark chapter 14. 00:00:56.479 --> 00:01:01.959 You can turn with me in your Bible. You can turn on your phone. You can turn in your worship guide. 00:01:02.619 --> 00:01:08.200 No matter where you turn, remember that this is God's word. And God tells us that his word is a 00:01:08.200 --> 00:01:13.560 light to our feet and a lamp to our path, which means that God has not left us to stumble alone 00:01:13.560 --> 00:01:19.719 in the dark, but instead he's given us his word to show us the way to go. And so that's why we read 00:01:19.719 --> 00:01:27.159 now, starting at verse 1. It was now two days before the Passover and the feast of unleavened bread, 00:01:27.900 --> 00:01:32.659 and the chief priests and the scribes were seeking how to arrest him by stealth and kill him. 00:01:33.280 --> 00:01:41.000 For they said, not during the feast, lest there be an uproar from the people. Verse 3. And while he was 00:01:41.000 --> 00:01:46.640 at Bethany in the house of Simon the leper, as he was reclining at table, a woman came with an 00:01:46.640 --> 00:01:53.420 alabaster flask of ointment of pure nard, very costly. And she broke the flask and poured it over 00:01:53.420 --> 00:02:00.400 his head. There were some who said to themselves indignantly, why was the ointment wasted like that? 00:02:01.120 --> 00:02:07.240 For this ointment could have been sold for more than 300 denarii and given to the poor. And they 00:02:07.239 --> 00:02:15.419 scolded her. Verse 6. But Jesus said, leave her alone. Why do you trouble her? She has done a 00:02:15.419 --> 00:02:21.740 beautiful thing to me. For you always have the poor with you, and whenever you want, you can do good 00:02:21.740 --> 00:02:28.859 for them. But you will not always have me. She has done what she could. She has anointed my body 00:02:28.859 --> 00:02:36.019 beforehand for burial. And truly I say to you, wherever the gospel is proclaimed in the whole world, 00:02:36.020 --> 00:02:43.660 what she has done will be told in memory of her. Verse 10. Then Judas Iscariot, who was one of the 00:02:43.660 --> 00:02:50.200 twelve, went to the chief priests in order to betray him to them. And when they heard of it, they were glad 00:02:50.200 --> 00:02:58.080 and promised to give him money. And he sought an opportunity to betray him. I invite you to pray with 00:02:58.080 --> 00:03:06.100 me as we come to this portion of God's word. Our Father in heaven, we thank you again for your word 00:03:06.100 --> 00:03:14.620 and for the time of our Lord Jesus on earth, that you tell us about it. And we ask that you would do 00:03:14.620 --> 00:03:20.460 that again this morning, that you would make it come alive to us in our hearts and our minds, that we would 00:03:20.460 --> 00:03:27.219 see Jesus' glory and his beauty, and that we'd examine our own hearts as to whether we are able 00:03:27.219 --> 00:03:34.280 to see that glory and beauty, whether it flows out into our lives. We thank you that your grace is 00:03:34.280 --> 00:03:39.100 enough, and so we ask these things in the mighty name of Jesus Christ. Amen. 00:03:42.680 --> 00:03:49.319 In the last year or so, I've learned a new phrase that I was not aware of. Apparently, it's been around 00:03:49.319 --> 00:03:55.819 since the 1970s, which is older than me, but it's come to my attention only very recently, and maybe 00:03:55.819 --> 00:04:02.680 it's come to yours as well. It's this term known as love bombing. When you love bomb, it's a pejorative 00:04:02.680 --> 00:04:08.699 term, by the way. It's not a good thing. It's when you make this overwhelming display, this inappropriate 00:04:08.699 --> 00:04:15.459 display of affection and love to someone at the very beginning of a romantic relationship. It's too much, 00:04:15.460 --> 00:04:22.040 too fast. And so this happened recently. The rapper Kanye West was dating this actress named 00:04:22.040 --> 00:04:27.540 Julia Fox, and he surprised her at one point after dinner by taking her to this hotel suite, 00:04:27.860 --> 00:04:33.319 which was full of brand new clothes that he was giving to her. And so the New York Post asked, 00:04:33.480 --> 00:04:39.480 is Kanye West love bombing this woman? Is he using these extravagant displays of affection 00:04:39.480 --> 00:04:46.700 to manipulate her in a way that's inappropriate at the beginning of a relationship? We could say in 00:04:46.700 --> 00:04:51.640 this story that those who are having dinner with Jesus are afraid of something similar, that there is 00:04:51.640 --> 00:04:56.500 some sort of love bombing going on here as well, that this display that this woman makes is 00:04:56.500 --> 00:05:03.560 inappropriate to the occasion. It is gross. It is embarrassing what she does. Of course, it's not 00:05:03.560 --> 00:05:11.600 romantic what she's doing, but it's over the top nonetheless. We find in verse 3 that Jesus is 00:05:11.600 --> 00:05:16.500 staying at Bethany in the house of Simon the leper. Now, if you've been with us, you'll remember that 00:05:16.500 --> 00:05:21.459 Bethany is Jesus' place that he is staying during Holy Week. And so I've told you before that he's 00:05:21.459 --> 00:05:27.939 commuting into Jerusalem every day and then commuting back to where he's staying. He doesn't stay in the 00:05:27.939 --> 00:05:33.120 center of Jerusalem at a penthouse hotel. No, he's hanging out in a city that's in the suburbs. 00:05:33.120 --> 00:05:38.519 While he's there, he's in the house of Simon the leper. We're not told who Simon the leper is, but 00:05:38.519 --> 00:05:43.379 it's guessed. It's assumed that this must be someone that Jesus had healed at some point. 00:05:43.939 --> 00:05:49.379 If he was still suffering from leprosy, it would be unusual for them to have the dinner there. And so 00:05:49.379 --> 00:05:56.639 our best guess is that Simon has been healed and he's now giving a party for Jesus, perhaps as a way 00:05:56.639 --> 00:06:02.980 of saying thanks. Jesus has had this full day of teaching that we looked at on Tuesday. 00:06:03.120 --> 00:06:08.980 That was much of chapters, the end of chapter 11, all of chapter 12 and 13. And so it makes sense 00:06:08.980 --> 00:06:16.720 that he's drawing back for a minute on Wednesday having this meal. None of that is unusual. What 00:06:16.720 --> 00:06:23.340 is unusual, though, is that this woman enters with an alabaster flask of ointment of pure nard. This is, 00:06:23.519 --> 00:06:32.360 again, verse 3, very costly. She takes it, she breaks it, and she pours all of it out on Jesus' 00:06:32.360 --> 00:06:38.500 head. And so we can imagine the scene here. There's some surprise, there's some shock about 00:06:38.500 --> 00:06:43.819 what's happening, not just the display of wealth, but perhaps just how awkward this is to happen in 00:06:43.819 --> 00:06:47.639 the middle of dinner. And we don't just have to imagine it in our minds. We can also sense and 00:06:47.639 --> 00:06:52.879 think about the smell that would have filled the room. What would happen if you take an entire bottle 00:06:52.879 --> 00:06:59.899 of perfume and just break it out? Well, of course, it's going to be overwhelming and powerful and 00:06:59.899 --> 00:07:06.100 potent. And so this is a all-century experience, a full-century experience for those who are with 00:07:06.100 --> 00:07:13.159 Jesus. It shouldn't surprise us, then, what we see in verses 4 and 5, that there is incredible shock. 00:07:13.699 --> 00:07:19.860 Not just shock over what might be seen as a social faux pas, something that's inappropriate to the 00:07:19.860 --> 00:07:27.439 moment. But even more than that, the amount of money that has just been wasted, at least in their 00:07:27.439 --> 00:07:36.420 minds, poured out onto Jesus, never to be used again. We find just how scandalous this is in verse 5, 00:07:36.439 --> 00:07:44.319 when we're told this is 300 denarii. Now, if you're using an ESV Bible, you'll have a footnote that says, 00:07:44.319 --> 00:07:51.759 a denarius was a day's wage for a laborer. So this is almost a year's worth of income that's just being 00:07:51.759 --> 00:07:58.719 poured out in one event. In other words, this woman has taken a bottle of ointment of perfume that's worth 00:07:58.719 --> 00:08:10.639 tens of thousands of dollars. Tens of thousands of dollars and spent it all in one go. One action, 00:08:10.639 --> 00:08:15.860 she just pours this out. Some people think maybe this was a family heirloom that had been passed on 00:08:15.860 --> 00:08:21.959 from generation to generation. Others say it may have been her life savings, her family savings, 00:08:22.139 --> 00:08:32.159 was contained in this small bottle. Regardless, it is shocking, right, at first glance. We can understand 00:08:32.159 --> 00:08:36.100 why those who are at the dinner are scandalized by what this woman does. 00:08:36.100 --> 00:08:46.779 She has taken so much money, tens of thousands of dollars, and just, we might say, flushed it down 00:08:46.779 --> 00:08:54.639 the toilet. It's all gone. It could have been used for something much better. In fact, that's what 00:08:54.639 --> 00:09:00.759 they point out. There are some there who say, verse 4, why was the ointment wasted like this? 00:09:00.759 --> 00:09:07.120 For this ointment could have been sold for more than 300 denarii and given to the poor. 00:09:08.840 --> 00:09:14.559 And so it seems as if this woman has fit the description. She's met part of the definition 00:09:14.559 --> 00:09:23.299 for love bombing. She has done something awkward and inappropriate that will be talked about for years. 00:09:23.299 --> 00:09:33.219 Except for this. Love bombing, it's not just about something being too much. 00:09:34.039 --> 00:09:39.159 It's about it being too soon for the wrong reasons and the wrong person. 00:09:39.979 --> 00:09:46.139 It's not that it's too much just by itself. It's too much for the wrong reasons and to the wrong person. 00:09:46.139 --> 00:09:56.279 In other words, if Kanye West had been married to Julia Fox, no one would have said he was doing 00:09:56.279 --> 00:10:02.679 something inappropriate. If he was married to her, it would have made sense, right? The level of 00:10:02.679 --> 00:10:08.860 relationship would meet the level of expression that's being poured out here. And so the question 00:10:08.860 --> 00:10:15.919 behind this really is not, is this too much money? The question behind the question, the foundational 00:10:15.919 --> 00:10:29.059 issue is this, is Jesus worth it? Is Jesus worth it? And the verdict is laid out here by those who are 00:10:29.059 --> 00:10:42.919 around. They're saying, no, he is not. And yet Jesus comes here and he corrects them. No, this is appropriate. 00:10:42.919 --> 00:10:54.799 I am worth it. Into verse five. It's not just that they're upset, they're scolding her. And so Jesus 00:10:54.799 --> 00:11:00.899 comes to her defense. Verse six, leave her alone. Why do you trouble her? She has done a beautiful thing 00:11:00.899 --> 00:11:07.659 to me. For you always have the poor with you and whenever you want, you can do good for them, 00:11:07.659 --> 00:11:15.959 but you will not always have me. She has done what she could. She has anointed my body beforehand 00:11:15.959 --> 00:11:26.740 for burial. No, this is actually appropriate to the occasion. Almost a year's worth of wages, 00:11:26.740 --> 00:11:35.500 tens of thousands of dollars makes sense in this situation. What she has poured out is fitting 00:11:35.500 --> 00:11:45.399 to the place and the time. The amount of money that she has spent is worth the person who is here 00:11:45.399 --> 00:11:51.120 in front of you. Jesus is worth it. 00:11:53.500 --> 00:11:57.659 Verse seven, by the way, he says, you know what? You're concerned about the poor. 00:11:57.659 --> 00:12:06.919 You can care for them every day of the week. There's an implicit criticism here. Oh, you're 00:12:06.919 --> 00:12:13.279 concerned about the poor. Don't worry about this woman's alabaster jar. What about your alabaster jar? 00:12:14.659 --> 00:12:20.500 That's what you should take into consideration. Don't condemn her for what she has done. You want to 00:12:20.500 --> 00:12:29.740 criticize others in their actions. Let's look at you and your actions. And so Jesus here is using a simple 00:12:29.740 --> 00:12:37.019 principle, and it's this extraordinary love leads to an extravagant display. 00:12:39.720 --> 00:12:46.919 Extraordinary love leads to an extravagant display. It makes sense. In fact, we know this in other areas 00:12:46.919 --> 00:12:52.719 of life. Let's say that a man and a woman love each other very much, and they've come to the point 00:12:52.719 --> 00:12:58.039 of their relationship where the man decides, I'm going to ask this woman to marry me. Well, what is he 00:12:58.039 --> 00:13:02.839 going to do? He is going to buy a rock 00:13:02.839 --> 00:13:07.399 that's worth thousands of dollars. 00:13:09.500 --> 00:13:11.980 And for some reason, this makes sense in our minds, right? 00:13:11.980 --> 00:13:17.820 Why would you buy a rock worth thousands of dollars? I can find a cheaper rock for you. 00:13:19.440 --> 00:13:20.940 I have them in my backyard. 00:13:22.700 --> 00:13:24.820 We can talk after the service. 00:13:25.659 --> 00:13:30.259 No, we don't question it because it is appropriate to the love that's being expressed. 00:13:30.800 --> 00:13:34.460 There is no greater thing you can say to another human being than, 00:13:34.860 --> 00:13:37.259 I want to spend the rest of my life with you, right? 00:13:37.259 --> 00:13:42.019 So the extravagant display makes sense because of an extraordinary love. 00:13:42.600 --> 00:13:47.960 Imagine then that this man goes out and he buys this ring and he gets down on one knee before this 00:13:47.960 --> 00:13:53.899 woman and she responds to him, not with yes or no, but with how much did you spend on that ring? 00:13:56.779 --> 00:14:02.019 And he says, let's say he spent $3,000, right? Some of you think that's too much. Some of you think 00:14:02.019 --> 00:14:07.519 that's too little. Let's say he spent $3,000 and imagine this woman responds to him. Don't you know 00:14:07.519 --> 00:14:15.559 that the S&P 500 between 1992 and 2021 had an average return of 9.89%? And if we were to take 00:14:15.559 --> 00:14:20.439 that and expect that to continue out and you took that money and you invested it, then in 30 years, 00:14:20.439 --> 00:14:27.259 it would be $50,800. What would you think of that woman? 00:14:27.259 --> 00:14:36.840 Something is off, right? She probably does not love this man. She doesn't understand 00:14:36.840 --> 00:14:43.439 that an extravagant display and an extraordinary love go together. Let's reverse the situation. You 00:14:43.439 --> 00:14:48.259 talk to a man and he's getting ready to propose and he says, you know what? I think it's ridiculous 00:14:48.259 --> 00:14:54.200 to spend thousands of dollars on a rock. I have rocks in my backyard. I'm going to grab one of those. 00:14:54.200 --> 00:15:05.780 What do we know about that man? He's a man who's never loved a woman, right? That man has a hard 00:15:05.780 --> 00:15:18.940 heart. Women, would you marry that man? No, of course not. The disciples here have a PhD, a doctorate 00:15:18.940 --> 00:15:28.420 in missing the point. Okay? Is it wrong to save and invest money? No, it's good. It's necessary. 00:15:28.800 --> 00:15:37.040 Is it wrong to give money to the poor? No, it's good. It's necessary. It's commanded. And they are tone 00:15:37.040 --> 00:15:43.600 deaf to the moment. They cannot read the room. The problem is not that these folks care for the poor. 00:15:43.600 --> 00:15:52.019 It's a wonderful thing to care for the poor. The problem is that they cannot see Jesus. 00:15:53.700 --> 00:15:59.460 The problem is not that they care for the poor. The problem is that they don't see Jesus. Why? 00:16:00.139 --> 00:16:04.080 Because they do not have an extraordinary love. 00:16:04.080 --> 00:16:15.139 And this woman does. They do not have an extraordinary love, but she does. The problem is not 00:16:15.139 --> 00:16:22.139 the amount of money she spent. The problem was the hard hearts in the rest of the room. Brothers and 00:16:22.139 --> 00:16:27.120 sisters, love does not operate in the realm of efficiency. 00:16:27.120 --> 00:16:36.139 Love does not operate in the realm of efficiency. A great love, an extravagant love will always be 00:16:36.139 --> 00:16:45.879 shocking and offensive to those with hard hearts. A great love and an extravagant love will always be 00:16:45.879 --> 00:16:54.120 shocking to those with hard hearts. A man giving a ring, if you confronted him, you asked him, 00:16:54.120 --> 00:16:57.779 why would you spend thousands of dollars on this? What would be the right response? 00:16:58.779 --> 00:17:03.399 You don't understand. This is the woman I'm going to marry. 00:17:05.839 --> 00:17:12.880 What would we say to those with Jesus? You don't understand. This is the Savior. 00:17:14.640 --> 00:17:22.519 And so he is worth it. Do we care for the poor or do we show love? False choice. 00:17:22.519 --> 00:17:37.160 We're able to do both. Now, as much as we might laugh at tone deaf disciples and misguided fiancés, 00:17:37.960 --> 00:17:49.379 this passage points back to us. Are you willing to break an alabaster jar for Jesus? 00:17:52.519 --> 00:18:02.279 Are you willing to break an alabaster jar for Jesus? Where is your love? 00:18:04.680 --> 00:18:07.720 How great is your love? 00:18:09.680 --> 00:18:16.259 Now, we all know no matter how stingy or cheap or frugal someone is, there is always 00:18:16.259 --> 00:18:19.519 something you spend too much money on. 00:18:21.740 --> 00:18:26.079 And if you came back to me and said, well, I know this one person and that's not true. 00:18:26.299 --> 00:18:29.980 All of their money is in the bank. They've saved every penny. You know what I'm going to say? 00:18:31.379 --> 00:18:33.000 Yes, you've proven my point. 00:18:33.720 --> 00:18:38.839 They have spent every penny on security, control, and power. 00:18:38.839 --> 00:18:45.740 Whatever we are willing to be extravagant about reveals our love. 00:18:47.819 --> 00:18:54.899 Whatever we are willing to be extravagant about shows and reveals our love. 00:18:54.900 --> 00:19:00.700 And so as we're talking about an extraordinary love and an extravagant display, 00:19:01.240 --> 00:19:06.660 one of the questions this passage raises is what does an extravagant display look like? 00:19:07.140 --> 00:19:13.120 What does it look like for us to break an alabaster jar for Jesus? 00:19:13.119 --> 00:19:24.799 It is certainly something that involves more than money, but it cannot mean less than money. 00:19:25.959 --> 00:19:28.239 Especially in this passage. 00:19:28.599 --> 00:19:35.159 We would abuse and misuse this passage to miss the point that the scandal is caused by the cost. 00:19:36.519 --> 00:19:41.459 That is what reveals this woman's love for Christ. 00:19:41.460 --> 00:19:47.019 In your life, does Jesus get the leftovers? 00:19:49.620 --> 00:19:54.600 Does he get the leftovers of your time and your talent and your treasure? 00:19:57.200 --> 00:20:00.980 It's a story that's meant to make us search our hearts. 00:20:02.299 --> 00:20:06.480 Verse 8, the statement that Jesus gives about her, he says this, 00:20:06.480 --> 00:20:11.180 She has done what she could. 00:20:11.460 --> 00:20:17.299 Have you done what you can? 00:20:20.500 --> 00:20:26.259 Have you, are you willing to give too much to Jesus? 00:20:26.259 --> 00:20:37.579 Now there's lots of different directions we could go with this passage. 00:20:38.079 --> 00:20:41.879 One of them would be the classic avenue of shame. 00:20:42.039 --> 00:20:44.379 I could say, oh, you're not willing to break an alabaster jar? 00:20:44.940 --> 00:20:45.879 Well, shame on you. 00:20:45.940 --> 00:20:46.720 You're a bad Christian. 00:20:46.720 --> 00:20:47.400 Shame on you. 00:20:47.920 --> 00:20:49.839 And that's useless. 00:20:50.000 --> 00:20:50.900 That's powerless, right? 00:20:51.680 --> 00:20:55.240 Shame is not a helpful motivator. 00:20:55.319 --> 00:20:59.839 Not only is it not a helpful motivator, what we learn in the Bible is we actually can't change our hearts. 00:20:59.839 --> 00:21:06.319 And so the problem when we come up against passages like this is we say, yes, we must change. 00:21:06.559 --> 00:21:08.179 We need a greater heart for God. 00:21:08.279 --> 00:21:11.579 We want the extraordinary love that we see from this woman. 00:21:11.939 --> 00:21:15.699 We want to be the type of people who break alabaster jars. 00:21:15.700 --> 00:21:20.340 And we cannot change ourselves. 00:21:22.740 --> 00:21:27.259 And so how do we have, how do we gain an extraordinary love? 00:21:27.880 --> 00:21:29.640 Of course, the first answer is that you can't. 00:21:31.100 --> 00:21:33.319 You cannot change your own heart. 00:21:33.440 --> 00:21:36.660 You cannot give yourself an extraordinary love. 00:21:37.779 --> 00:21:40.240 But the second answer is that God can. 00:21:40.240 --> 00:21:44.819 God is the one who changes the hearts of men. 00:21:44.940 --> 00:21:49.440 So you see this quote on page seven of your worship guide from Richard Sibbes who says this, 00:21:49.440 --> 00:21:54.579 Be under the means whereby God's spirit will work. 00:21:55.519 --> 00:21:56.519 How do you change? 00:21:56.680 --> 00:21:58.519 How do you grow in your love for Christ? 00:21:59.519 --> 00:22:01.839 How do you have that great love? 00:22:01.980 --> 00:22:06.140 Well, you need to put yourself in the place where God's spirit can be at work 00:22:06.140 --> 00:22:12.880 and the fire of his word can melt your heart from a heart of stone to a heart of flesh. 00:22:13.960 --> 00:22:18.040 Place yourself in the arena in which God is at work. 00:22:19.680 --> 00:22:23.220 And so I'm going to give you guys a variety of ways that this happens. 00:22:23.800 --> 00:22:28.860 First of all, and this is the same I said last week, come and be in worship. 00:22:30.520 --> 00:22:34.640 When the church gathers, gather with her. 00:22:34.640 --> 00:22:40.160 You may have seen this quote on the very first page of your worship guide for the call to worship. 00:22:40.600 --> 00:22:42.500 It says, worship isn't just something we do. 00:22:42.620 --> 00:22:44.780 It's where God does something to us. 00:22:45.560 --> 00:22:51.440 Worship is the heart of discipleship because it is the gymnasium in which God retrains our hearts. 00:22:52.420 --> 00:22:56.840 In other words, right now, you are at the gym of the heart. 00:22:58.220 --> 00:22:59.920 You want your body to change? 00:23:00.460 --> 00:23:02.520 You go to a gym with weights, right? 00:23:02.519 --> 00:23:05.980 You want your heart to change. 00:23:06.379 --> 00:23:08.639 You come to God's gym. 00:23:08.879 --> 00:23:12.740 The worship where he reshapes you as a person. 00:23:13.579 --> 00:23:14.259 And what do we do? 00:23:14.339 --> 00:23:15.519 We sing here. 00:23:15.740 --> 00:23:17.539 What does it tell us about singing on page two? 00:23:17.660 --> 00:23:23.079 It's a means for bringing a worshiper's soul out of the ordinary and mechanical into passion and activity. 00:23:23.079 --> 00:23:27.159 When we sing, we are not just expressing what's in our hearts. 00:23:27.259 --> 00:23:29.480 We are shaping what's there as well. 00:23:29.720 --> 00:23:37.039 We are using the tool that God has given us to rise up our emotions and our affections for him. 00:23:37.039 --> 00:23:44.000 The other thing we do in worship is that we reverse engineer our hearts. 00:23:44.680 --> 00:23:51.779 Remember that we've talked before about Jesus' statement that where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. 00:23:53.039 --> 00:23:55.220 And so on the one hand, that's a diagnostic, right? 00:23:55.220 --> 00:23:58.880 We've talked before about the thermostat and the thermometer. 00:23:59.079 --> 00:24:01.600 The thermometer tells you what the temperature is. 00:24:01.839 --> 00:24:06.100 You can look at where your treasure is as a thermometer and say, oh, that's where my heart is. 00:24:06.160 --> 00:24:06.940 That's what I love. 00:24:07.660 --> 00:24:11.400 But you can also use your treasure as the thermostat. 00:24:11.400 --> 00:24:14.740 You can use it to turn your love up and down. 00:24:16.519 --> 00:24:17.660 You can think about it this way. 00:24:17.720 --> 00:24:25.300 In your worship guide quote on page six, it talks about if you buy stock in Nike, suddenly your heart will be fascinated by Nike. 00:24:25.940 --> 00:24:28.060 I can give you a more personal example. 00:24:29.160 --> 00:24:31.480 This past week, we had the banking crisis, right? 00:24:32.200 --> 00:24:33.580 What did I decide to do? 00:24:34.300 --> 00:24:35.320 Stocks are on sale. 00:24:36.720 --> 00:24:39.680 So I bought a few shares in Bank of America. 00:24:39.680 --> 00:24:41.340 It went down. 00:24:41.460 --> 00:24:43.060 I'm assuming it's going to go up. 00:24:43.220 --> 00:24:45.380 What happened after I bought those shares? 00:24:46.220 --> 00:24:48.840 I am so interested in Bank of America. 00:24:49.420 --> 00:24:52.440 I'm more interested in Bank of America than I've ever been. 00:24:53.120 --> 00:24:55.680 And I'm so involved in their success at this point. 00:24:56.259 --> 00:25:01.259 I even opened up the stock app on my computer so I could check it from time to time and I could urge it on. 00:25:01.340 --> 00:25:01.840 Go up. 00:25:01.940 --> 00:25:02.440 Go up. 00:25:03.019 --> 00:25:03.140 Right? 00:25:04.140 --> 00:25:05.259 Fan it into flame. 00:25:05.259 --> 00:25:11.539 When we invest, we're making a decision where our hearts are going to reside. 00:25:14.000 --> 00:25:18.039 Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. 00:25:19.039 --> 00:25:22.339 Do you want more love for Christ? 00:25:23.339 --> 00:25:26.779 Do you want to have an extraordinary love? 00:25:26.779 --> 00:25:33.220 Then put your treasure there and let your heart follow. 00:25:36.279 --> 00:25:39.059 This woman didn't need to hear a sermon to do this, right? 00:25:39.099 --> 00:25:41.079 She was overwhelmed with love for Christ. 00:25:42.240 --> 00:25:43.819 That's not necessarily us. 00:25:43.819 --> 00:25:50.159 But God gives us means and ways to grow our love for him. 00:25:52.079 --> 00:25:58.819 All of those, though, are secondary answers because I've been leading us along to the primary answer. 00:25:59.399 --> 00:26:05.460 What is it more than anything else that grows our love for Jesus? 00:26:06.319 --> 00:26:09.779 Well, we get that answer in a similar story in Luke chapter 7. 00:26:09.779 --> 00:26:13.099 We have another woman, a sinful woman, who also comes in. 00:26:13.420 --> 00:26:17.379 In this story, she wipes Jesus' feet with her hair. 00:26:17.720 --> 00:26:19.460 She also has an alabaster flask. 00:26:20.000 --> 00:26:23.139 And in that story, people are also scandalized by what she does. 00:26:24.299 --> 00:26:27.399 And Jesus confronts them head on. 00:26:27.480 --> 00:26:29.859 And he ends with this indicting statement. 00:26:30.519 --> 00:26:32.759 As the host who's a Pharisee objects, 00:26:32.759 --> 00:26:52.599 In other words, your heart is cold towards Christ 00:26:52.599 --> 00:26:58.119 if and when you do not think your sin is that bad. 00:26:58.119 --> 00:27:03.859 The more highly you think of yourself, 00:27:04.459 --> 00:27:06.199 the less you will think of Jesus. 00:27:07.119 --> 00:27:08.839 Why do you lack love? 00:27:09.639 --> 00:27:12.579 Because you don't believe you're a sinner. 00:27:15.159 --> 00:27:20.219 The more we look and see the depth of depravity in our lives, 00:27:20.279 --> 00:27:24.119 the more we are coming back to Jesus to repent of our sins, 00:27:24.119 --> 00:27:28.299 and we see his grace that forgives us and restores us, 00:27:28.299 --> 00:27:31.559 the more we will love him. 00:27:32.719 --> 00:27:38.479 It is as we see our sin and Jesus there that is greater than all of it, 00:27:39.139 --> 00:27:42.959 that our love will grow and increase and overflow. 00:27:43.299 --> 00:27:48.539 That is more than anything what will give us an extraordinary love. 00:27:48.539 --> 00:27:52.299 In fact, I'm going to invite you to turn again. 00:27:52.399 --> 00:27:54.099 Page four in your worship guide. 00:27:54.460 --> 00:27:56.359 Charles Spurgeon says this very thing. 00:27:56.940 --> 00:27:58.740 Pardon breeds love in the soul. 00:27:59.500 --> 00:28:03.200 The more a man is forgiven, the more he loves. 00:28:03.759 --> 00:28:06.159 Where great sin has been blotted out, 00:28:06.279 --> 00:28:09.099 there comes to be great love. 00:28:10.559 --> 00:28:17.700 Christian, do you believe that God has blotted out great sin in your life? 00:28:17.700 --> 00:28:22.039 If you do, when you do, 00:28:22.440 --> 00:28:26.620 your love for him will be great as well. 00:28:27.960 --> 00:28:33.019 That will stir your affections more than anything else. 00:28:37.519 --> 00:28:40.580 And so we see the extravagance of love, 00:28:40.680 --> 00:28:43.880 an extravagant display more than anywhere else 00:28:43.880 --> 00:28:45.759 in the love of our Lord Jesus. 00:28:45.759 --> 00:28:51.879 Jesus does not pour out merely tens of thousands of dollars. 00:28:52.980 --> 00:28:57.079 He does not just pour out almost a year's worth of wages. 00:28:57.400 --> 00:28:58.680 No, what does Jesus do? 00:28:58.799 --> 00:29:02.500 He comes and he pours out his entire life. 00:29:02.859 --> 00:29:06.619 He is willing to die an excruciating death on the cross, 00:29:07.000 --> 00:29:09.680 receiving the punishment that is ours, 00:29:10.000 --> 00:29:13.420 and instead giving us the righteousness that is his. 00:29:13.420 --> 00:29:19.660 It is when we see that our love for Christ grows more and more. 00:29:19.940 --> 00:29:23.360 In other words, we pour it all out for Jesus 00:29:23.360 --> 00:29:29.460 because Jesus has already poured it all out for us. 00:29:31.140 --> 00:29:35.019 His sacrifice leads to our sacrifice. 00:29:35.300 --> 00:29:38.960 It is not guilt or shame that will motivate us, 00:29:39.019 --> 00:29:40.860 but seeing our Lord and Savior. 00:29:40.859 --> 00:29:43.439 In fact, that's what we have already sung together. 00:29:44.299 --> 00:29:46.299 Hast thou heard him, seen him, known him? 00:29:47.359 --> 00:29:51.299 Captivated by his beauty, worthy tribute haste to bring. 00:29:52.019 --> 00:29:54.299 Let his peerless worth constrain thee. 00:29:54.879 --> 00:29:57.500 Crown him now unrivaled king. 00:29:58.500 --> 00:30:00.279 And the order there is important. 00:30:01.139 --> 00:30:03.399 Captivated by his beauty first. 00:30:04.339 --> 00:30:07.539 Worthy tribute haste to bring second. 00:30:07.539 --> 00:30:15.099 By the way, I haven't talked about Judas at all, 00:30:15.859 --> 00:30:17.399 and I'm simply going to say this. 00:30:18.659 --> 00:30:20.859 There's a movie montage going on here, 00:30:20.899 --> 00:30:22.859 a contrast in opposites. 00:30:22.960 --> 00:30:25.159 Remember I warned you at the beginning of the Gospel of Mark 00:30:25.159 --> 00:30:26.619 that as we go along in the story, 00:30:27.259 --> 00:30:30.599 we're going to see three camps divide into two. 00:30:31.299 --> 00:30:32.980 Either we're opposed to Jesus, 00:30:33.440 --> 00:30:35.180 or we're pouring ourselves out for him. 00:30:35.180 --> 00:30:38.299 This woman gives all she has. 00:30:38.960 --> 00:30:43.100 Judas betrays Jesus for money. 00:30:45.039 --> 00:30:48.840 Which camp will you be in? 00:30:49.500 --> 00:30:52.220 Because there are only two. 00:30:53.920 --> 00:30:57.440 Embrace the Savior or reject him. 00:30:57.440 --> 00:31:03.279 On August 31st, 1997, 00:31:04.039 --> 00:31:05.640 some of you, just because I've said that date, 00:31:05.700 --> 00:31:06.600 know what I'm about to say. 00:31:07.500 --> 00:31:10.000 There was the death of Diana, Princess of Wales. 00:31:12.400 --> 00:31:17.259 And what did the people of the United Kingdom do in response? 00:31:18.000 --> 00:31:22.140 There was a spontaneous outpouring of love and affection. 00:31:22.140 --> 00:31:24.759 You'll see this on the back of your worship guide, 00:31:24.860 --> 00:31:31.080 that they gave over $40 million in flowers. 00:31:31.880 --> 00:31:32.400 Why? 00:31:32.600 --> 00:31:34.540 Why such an extravagant display? 00:31:35.700 --> 00:31:40.400 Because they had an extraordinary love. 00:31:40.520 --> 00:31:43.840 She was beloved for being a woman of the people. 00:31:44.320 --> 00:31:48.140 They loved her because she loved them. 00:31:48.140 --> 00:31:51.060 Brothers and sisters, 00:31:51.560 --> 00:31:55.360 how much more of our Lord Jesus. 00:31:56.800 --> 00:32:02.600 He is not merely an earthly princess. 00:32:02.980 --> 00:32:05.420 He is the heavenly king. 00:32:07.420 --> 00:32:12.600 Someone so much greater than Diana, Princess of Wales, 00:32:12.599 --> 00:32:13.659 is here. 00:32:14.299 --> 00:32:19.480 Will you break open an alabaster jar for him? 00:32:21.159 --> 00:32:24.179 Hast thou heard him, seen him, known him? 00:32:24.480 --> 00:32:25.899 Is not thine a captured heart? 00:32:27.039 --> 00:32:27.740 Let's pray. 00:32:29.419 --> 00:32:30.579 Our Father in heaven, 00:32:30.799 --> 00:32:32.899 we praise you and thank you 00:32:32.899 --> 00:32:36.519 that Jesus poured it all out for us. 00:32:37.759 --> 00:32:39.639 We ask that you would change our hearts, 00:32:39.719 --> 00:32:40.579 that you would grow them, 00:32:40.659 --> 00:32:42.199 that we would pour it all out for him 00:32:42.200 --> 00:32:42.980 as well. 00:32:43.480 --> 00:32:45.340 We ask these things in his mighty name. 00:32:45.740 --> 00:32:45.980 Amen. 00:32:47.860 --> 00:32:50.019 I invite you to stand for our closing hymn. 00:32:50.019 --> 00:32:50.100 Amen.