FBCWest 415 | An Act of Love Criticized
Recorded On: 09/06/2020
Bulletin
September 6, 2020
“God is Spirit, and those who worship Him
must worship Him in Spirit and truth.”
“There is Power in the Blood”
Praise and Worship
SCRIPTURE READING – 1 Thessalonians 5:16 - 18
“There is Power”
“Break Every Chain (There is Power)”
“Anchor (Skillet version)”
“God of All My Days”
Giving of Selves and Our Offerings
OFFERTORY PRAYER
SPECIAL MUSIC – By Pru Hungate
Proclamation of the Word
Message by Pastor Joe
“The Life and Ministry of Jesus The Messiah”
“An Act of Love Criticized”
PRAYER TIME / Time of Reflection
“Love the Lord”
Acknowledgements and Announcements
Benediction “Won’t Stop Now”
Sermon Notes
Mathew 26:6 Jesus in Bethany at the house of Simon
John 12:1 & 2 Lazarus there with Martha serving
John 12:3 Mary anoints Jesus with costly perfume
John 12:4 – 6 Judas and the disciples critize Mary: See Matt. 26:8 & 9
John 12:7 & 8 Jesus defends Mary’s actions
John 12:9 – 12 Lazarus is a celebrate and maked for death
Scritpures
Transcript of Service
Sometimes traditions very good.
When it comes up on principles and.
Situations that are value.
And sometimes tradition is there.
Just 'cause that's all the way we've always done it. So one of the examples that you probably heard this story before is about the woman who was cooking a ham for.
For dinner for her family was going to cut the end off the ham, and the husband said.
What are you doing that for shows? Well, that's the way my mom always did it and made the ham better.
In house, because I don't think so. Maybe you should call your mom.
And so she called her mom and said, mom, you always cut the ham off, right? 'cause that made it better when you cooked it. She goes no I did that. 'cause I don't have a big enough pan for the ham.
So sometimes we do things thinking that it's a good thing and it's just something.
There is another.
Musical.
Some people really like it. I'm not big on musicals. I've watched it once or twice and the theme of it was tradition.
An one of the major songs. Then it was tradition and about the only other than that song, and about somewhere the Wild says something about it. Chicken, the only other thing that I remember about the story, which is what. Maybe some people don't.
Was that I think the guys name was trivial on.
I'm wrong, I'm sorry, but.
One of his daughters wants to get married to an individual, but.
It's not according to his principles.
But if we can't and less or get married and then another daughter.
The same thing, but a different principle.
And we can finally, the third daughter wants to marry somebody outside the faith.
An he recants and in essence he is gone from tradition.
To having surrendered all of his principle.
Why do I say this? Because we're going to come up on some things that are tradition in the church.
One of those things is tradition. In the church is that Jesus died on Friday and we call it Good Friday.
I don't think the scriptures.
Justify that at all. The reason, just like the ham being cut off was that there were those who read the scriptures that talked about the reason that they could not go in a 10. The body of Jesus was that the day after was the Sabbath, and therefore they couldn't go, so they go. Ah ha, that means it was on Saturday that they couldn't go.
No, if you look at the Scriptures.
Basically.
Passover was a Sabbath.
Unleavened bread was a Sabbath and Saturday was a Sabbath and therefore the day after all of those was Sunday and they could go to the tomb. And so instead of trying to make all these.
Pretzels in our logic. How we get three days out of a death on Friday in a resurrection on Sunday. We try to maintain that rather than say. What does the scriptures actually say?
And then go from there and so.
Again, one of the traditions is the church frequently calls.
The resurrection Sunday.
Easter and those who are familiar with the term Easter uncomfortable with that. So we try to come up with other explanations and will say Resurrection Sunday, which is. It's a good name, but the Biblical name is first fruits.
And the sad thing is, even.
Well versed.
Theologians don't seem to even get that. I. There's an article in a magazine in the back and has a nice little article about first fruits.
Except he never discuss is that Jesus is the first fruits that he rose again on 1st fruits and so he missed the great value of what was happening because.
Even though we may be well.
Burst into scriptures were not well versed.
In the Scriptures and so in a little bit, you'll see why I'm bringing this up to cause you to think. I'm not saying that you must think like me, but I want you to think rather than saying, oh.
This is the way.
People who seem to know more than me interpret things and therefore they must be right. And I want you to read the scriptures for yourselves, so that when we all get to heaven.
An the Lord says, well, why did you do XI? Don't want to say Well 'cause ******* Joe said it was a good idea.
I don't want that responsibility. OK, I want you to see the Scriptures and say when the Lord says, why did you do that when I first heard it from Pastor Joe? But I started examining, you know, I kind of thought he was right.
Or I thought it was an idiot and I discounted it, whatever it may be.
And so you're going to see why I'm bringing this up towards the end of the message, but this message today has great value both in a warning to us Ana warning to us.
As to what to do, and so in Matthew 26, starting with verse six says now when Jesus was in Bethany at the home of Simons a leopard, a woman came to him with an alabaster. While I'm going to stop there. The reason I'm gonna stop there is, I'm going to use John John Chapter 12 as the explanation that we're going to go through now. There is controversy, debate, division discussion that what is talked about here in Matthew is not the same incident that's talked about.
In John.
I see some similarities. I see some whatever, so I don't know the answer. I don't know if it was two events.
Very close to this time an one chose to discuss it even though it had a lot of the same elements as the other or that they discussed it leaving certain things out, or that it happened at a different time, but.
But again, in the Jewish idea, it is not chronology, but themes, and so there may be certain explanations, but I want you to see. So we're going to look at John Chapter 12 or the.
The events that take place so Jesus is in Bethany.
He's very close to Jerusalem.
It's a matter of fact.
He's going to enter Jerusalem.
Here from Bethany to go to Jerusalem. And so it's if you will his last before he gets.
To Jerusalem.
In Chapter 12 of Jana says this is Jesus there for six days before the Passover came to Bethany, where Lazarus was whom Jesus had raised from the dead now in.
Matthew's account he's having dinner or supper at Simon's house. You maybe Simons a leper. He maybe somebody else.
In John, everybody says he's probably having supper at.
Lazarus and Martha and Mary's home.
I don't think you can determine from this which home it is, so it very well may be in Simon, so this is where I want to say six days before the Passover.
So if you assume.
That the Passover is on Friday.
Then six days would be Saturday.
If it's six days before Saturday.
Six days before Passover. It's Saturday, therefore.
There's a whole lot of work going on on a Sabbath.
Maybe that's OK.
But then it fits if you will, for the what we all called the triumphal entry.
On Sunday.
However.
This is where we get a little challenged.
If Passover was on Thursday.
In six days before Thursday would be Friday.
And it says the next day he enters Jerusalem.
I'll let you figure that out.
I will tell you.
I think there's much more support for.
Passover being on Thursday.
Anne also therefore, this is on Friday.
Nobody has to worry about whether they're violating the Sabbath or not, and nobody is going to complain about all the work going on.
So they made a supper there, and Martha was serving, but Lazareth was one of those reclining at the table with him.
So in this.
Suffer.
Martha is always doing with Martha always does. She's working hard.
And God bless her 'cause we need people who are working hard.
And then we have last breath.
Who's the?
Who is the star mean? Jesus rose him from the dead so it's cool. So let's let's invite Lazarus because.
He's cool an we all want to see last.
Because it was dead and now he's alive and so much. Though he's eating at the table, so that's cool. So let's get last breath. But but Martha.
I said God bless, or Martha is just working serving the tables.
Mary then took a pound of very costly perfume perfume of pure nard.
Now.
In order to get.
This particular perfume, it is believed that it's come from India.
Which means that it had to travel quite a distance.
And you know when things have to travel quite a distance.
That adds cost.
So when you have an expensive perfume that now has to travel a great distance, it adds great cost and so this is a very expensive perfume people would would acquire these things, not only because they like the smell.
But they didn't have financial institutions like we did or do.
So.
There wasn't a governmental insurance that the banquet.
BK that you would lose your money, there weren't 401K's and IR A's and all that so often times people would acquire expensive items that were easy to carry.
So for instance, Gold is heavy.
Silver is heavy.
So a lot of people who are Preppers, if you will, will try to get diamonds 'cause they're very expensive, but you can carry a whole lot of money in your pocket.
In kind of the same way, this this is a perfume that has great value in for what it is, but it also can be considered an investment.
And so there's this very costly perfume of pure nard and anointed the feet of Jesus and wiped his feet with her hair.
And the house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume, and so we can see in these short statements that Mary, when she's doing this, isn't being.
Skimpy on what she's doing.
To anoint Jesus.
She's using enough of it that the entire house smells of the perfume.
Now, some perfumes are really strong.
And you don't need much of it too. 'cause you the other day I was.
I went somewhere.
Ann
didn't have to map a mask. I don't know where it was.
For all of a sudden I started sneezing.
And my first thought was everybody's going to think I'm sick.
Because, you know, you're not supposed to sneeze now, I'm not supposed to call 'cause. That means you have some terrible disease. You're going to give everybody.
And then I I smell just the upper few min ago. Ha, I'm allergic to that perfume.
And so here's this whole house filled now with just a little sent, both filled the house with this.
Fragrance
but Judas Iscariot.
One of disciples who was intending to betray him said, why was this perfume not sold for 300 denarii and given to the poor?
So he objects.
'cause this perfume could have been sold for at least three and in that.
You can convert that to a years wages.
So I said This is expensive.
Why wasn't it sold?
Instead of using it to anoint Jesus feet.
Now I won't go there, but in Matthew, back in this image, it says that the other disciples became indignant too.
So Judas is criticism of Mary's gift.
Causes others to become indignant as well.
Which means sometimes it's very easy to get other people.
To be critical of other people.
So here's the first thing, and so let me finish first, and so he says. Now he said there's not because he was concerned about the war, but because he was a thief.
And as he had the Money Box he used to pilfer what was put into it. So he had his own agenda in his own agenda was everyday got 300. Dinara, I could have taken a little more than I could have been better off.
So he wasn't concerned about the poor.
And so.
The warning here, first of all.
Is that when you love Jesus?
There will be people who are critical of you.
For demonstrating your love.
Of Jesus.
I'll give you an example.
We have we.
Live stream this our services we put him on YouTube and Facebook. Periscope and and other things and one of the responses that we got in.
Our thing was, well, do you help the poor?
Wasn't that we were doing a good or bad job of what we're doing in the ministry? It was well. Are you helping the poor now? If your question was and it was not, do you help the poor? Can I help you also? Or if you don't have the poor, can I volunteer to help it? No, no. It was given to us to criticize us because we don't do enough.
We don't do what she thinks is important.
And apparently what she thought was important is feeding the poor, and so we did respond. But then I is that we.
Join with another church to give out food on particular days and we do have a benevolence whatever, but then I said it.
She doesn't really want to know this information. She wants simply to criticize us.
For doing what we do.
And so when you are demonstrating your love for Jesus.
Don't be shocked if people criticize you for what you do for Jesus.
Well, you know.
Shouldn't do it that way.
And you know this criticism isn't unique to Jesus this time.
David King.
Was bringing the Ark of the covenant back to Jerusalem.
After had been out.
In somebody else's presence for awhile and they discovered that that person who is housing the Ark of the covenant was being really blessed. So David goes, you know, maybe we ought to have it gruesome so we can be really blessed. So as there bringing the Ark back, they avoid the first mistake and they carry it the way they're supposed to. But every few steps they carried, then they stop. And then they offer sacrifice. And then they care it a few more steps in the offer sacrifice. And David is so joyful.
At the Ark of the covenant, coming home to Jerusalem that he's dancing.
And he's excited and he's carrying on enjoy that the Ark of the covenant, the presence of God is coming, Jerusalem.
His own wife criticizes him.
For not acting responsible indignant.
And you will see when you demonstrate your love for Jesus. Sometimes it can be emotional, sometime it can break forth and song or dance or whatever. It might be. Another might be saying.
That's not real dignified.
And you'll be criticized.
And you know it's true for the longest time. We Baptists.
As we didn't want to be considered Pentecost.
We would think.
Don't let it hang up.
As we let the handle up, they'll think you're Pentecostal. If they think you're Pentecostal, they're going to want to put their hand over your mouth as you might break out in tongue.
And so we sit with her hands.
Suicide.
'cause we don't want anybody to think we're Pentecostal.
And so we are robbed of the joy of expressing our love for Jesus because of what others might think.
Don't let them do that.
Not your job to monitor the gift from somebody else.
You see, it was Mary who decided to offer this costly perfume for Jesus because in her love for him and in her appreciation for him because Jesus was her friend.
Jesus was being her Lord. Jesus had given her love.
And redemption, and it raised her brother from the dead. What would you give if Jesus did that for you?
Maybe you would make a pretty big offering.
Let me tell you a little secret.
Jesus is your friend.
Jesus did redeem.
Jesus doesn't love you.
And Jesus sacrificed himself and will raise you from the dead.
So let's not worry about what the type of offering it is and whether you give a big or small offering, and I give a big or small offering. It is none of your business what the offering is that the other gives is kind of the reverse if you will. When we saw a few weeks ago when Jesus said that the master gave.
Certain amount of money to people, and some of them made more and someone made lesson whatever.
Whatever God gave you and you returned at the God that's between you and God does not between you and me.
So number one we should not be critical of others because we're not there. Master God is.
And we can tell in their heart wide it is that they're giving the gift that they're giving because of the love that they are expressing.
And likewise, we should not let other people be critical of our praise and adoration and love of God.
And even if they criticize us, So what?
They're not our mask.
Therefore, for seven.
Jesus said, let her alone so that she may keep it for the day of my burial.
Notice Jesus doesn't say Oh.
You know you guys are right.
We could do so much more.
There is a reason she's doing this.
She.
Either understanding are doing that without understanding that Jesus is going to be buried soon.
And she's offering this in that.
Vinny says something.
It kind of custom to the quick.
For you always have the poor with you.
But you do not always have me.
You want to help the poor.
You can do that 365 days.
A year
24 hours a day.
As a matter of fact, the need is so great sometimes it overwhelms us because what can we do?
To help the poor 'cause there so many.
Which causes me to remember the story.
And my wife likes.
About how all these starfish dot.
Placed upon a stand of the seashore, but couldn't get back because it was dry.
In this little child was taking.
A starfish, and throwing it back into the water.
An adult.
In typical can ever do anything says?
You don't expect to save all of them, do you?
Charlie went down, picked up one more, threw it back in water. I save that one.
And so oftentimes we think that the problem is so big we do nothing rather than doing what we can.
Yeah, you cannot feed the all the poor.
You say that one.
You say that.
I wonder?
After Jesus resurrection.
Or maybe even during his burial.
How the disciples might have thought.
What more could I have done for him?
When I was with him.
Maybe I could have gone and got him water when he was thirsty.
Like we did.
At the woman at the well.
Maybe I could have got him food before he asked for it.
To show how much I appreciated his love and his ministry in his teaching.
Maybe I should have been like Mary.
Who anointed him?
Or like Mary, who previously had wept and washed his feet.
Wizards here.
What could I have done?
When Jesus.
Was here.
As Jesus said, in Essence.
There's six more days that he's going to be here.
But there will be the poor after that.
And after that.
And even some 2000 years later.
A large crowd of the Jews then learned that he was there.
And they came not for Jesus sake only, but they might also see Lazarus, whom he had raised from the dead. Like said, he's a celebrity.
This go see Lazareth.
It's cool, is there any side effects to being dead?
That's pretty cool. Let's go see this. Go see Jesus and let's go see Lazarus.
Which I always think is interesting.
Most of us, I guess.
But rather see the works.
Of some great painter.
Then to have the conversation.
But that great painter.
So here the people are coming to see the works of Jesus.
Almost as much or more.
And Jesus himself.
But the chief priests planned to put Lazard to death also.
Because on account of him, many of the Jews were going away and they were believing in Jesus.
You see last month with more if you will then just a celebrity.
Lazareth was proof that Jesus raised him from the dead.
All those people who he raised the the son of the widow there up somewhere else.
The woman who had been bleeding for 12 years. She was somewhere else.
Young child who is 12 years old that he raised from the dead was somewhere else.
But last breath.
Bethany.
Just a few miles from Jerusalem.
And people were believing in Jesus and notice they didn't say believing in the works of Jesus believing in him.
And the religious establishment could have none of it.
Notice they don't care what the truth is.
Notice they don't care whether Jesus is the son of God. Notice they don't care whether he is the Messiah.
They only care.
The people are going after him.
Rather than after them.
Which is another one that we should.
In our ministry and in our life.
We should be more concerned that people are going after Jesus that after us.
So they criticize is OK.
Equal size Jesus.
So people want to do us harm. OK, they did. for Jesus, they plan not only to put Jesus to death, but last with the death so that it would stop.
The bully.
But just as Lazarus was raised from the dead and cause people to believe.
When Jesus rises from the dead.
They're not going to be able to stop the belief.
Or you see.
Throughout history.
There are those who have some really good philosophies and those who have some really terrible flaws.
There are some who have some spiritualism and rose, others who.
So much in the dark, they had no clue.
We don't pursue with.
We pursue Christ.
Because he is the risen Lord and save.
And so if he is that, and he is.
And we need to express to him our love for him.
Regardless of criticism.
If he is the Lord and he is, then when others offer their gifts of love.
We are not to say a word against them.
Because.
They're not R.
Employees or slaves?
There Jesus.
And it's between Jesus and.
You see, Mary gave a truly great gift of worship.
She offered for fume as if we're burial.
Nothing can be used again.
Or recycled.
Or that others by then?
Do the same for her.
Her gift was self less.
And the only thing we should consider when we give.
Our gifts are price.
Is it selfless?
Or is it?
For something.
If you watch many of the TV evangelists and preachers they will say well, if you'll send X amount of money to me, God will bless you and give you more.
That is not a selfless gift.
That is a selfish gift.
Marys
'cause she loved Jesus.
For who he was and what he did.
Offer him something that could not be repaid.
Didn't expect repayment.
And our gift of love to Christ.
Should be the same.
And all God's People said.