John 12:1-15 | Praise and Worship
Notes
Transcript
Today we are continuing in our series in the book of John.
And we looked 2 weeks ago at how the content of the book would change drastically moving forward
In the following chapters, everything would be leading up to the death of Christ
But before that would happen, Jesus would have some very important interactions with followers of his
Some would further elevate who he is, and some would challenge him
Lets jump right in
1 Then, six days before the Passover, Jesus came to Bethany, where Lazarus was who had been dead, whom He had raised from the dead.
2 weeks ago we looked at this story of Jesus raising Lazarus from the dead, and we observed how this single ministry would change everything moving forward
This miracle was too powerful of a work, for the religious leaders to let him Jesus live and conduct his ministry any longer.
But Jesus goes to Bethany where Lazarus and his sisters are, and he visits with them.
2 There they made Him a supper; and Martha served, but Lazarus was one of those who sat at the table with Him. 3 Then Mary took a pound of very costly oil of spikenard, anointed the feet of Jesus, and wiped His feet with her hair. And the house was filled with the fragrance of the oil.
Mary has shown great reverence for Jesus already throughout scripture, but this act was an entirely new level of worship.
You see we tend to not understand the fullness of what happened here.
This perfume was not your average department store bottle. It was a specific oil called spikenard
Spikenard was one of the most expensive perfumes in the ancient world.
It came from the ().
nard plant which grew naturally in the
Himalayan mountains
It had to travel roughly 2,500–3,000 miles before reaching Judea.
It would have been imported through long trade routes, making it extremely rare.
Because of its rarity, it became associated with:
royalty
wealthy families
weddings
burials
This was not something the average person had
And scripture says she not only had some, but she had a pound of it, stored in an alabaster jar.
The jar itself would have been worth hundreds of dollars
Alabaster was a light colored soft stone that was used specifically for perfumes and oils
But we see later that this perfume was worth the most
We are told in verse 5 that it could be sold for over 300 denarii
1 denarius would approximately a days wage of work, so 300 denarii would be roughly equivalent to a years worth of pay
It is estimated that this jar of perfume was worth anywhere from 20 to 60 thousand dollars
Now how in the world could someone like Mary have something like this?
We don’t really know
Most likely this was some sort of a family heirloom, as these things would have been passed down over time
But it didn’t matter, because Mary takes this jar, and instead of admiring it, or even gifting it to Jesus, she breaks it.
You know you don’t intentionally break something you intend to keep.
You see these jars were made with a long narrow neck, so you could control the flow and you wouldn’t waste it
But she decided she was using all of it
There was no need to keep anything back
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You know there are two words that we use to commonly describe what we give back to God.
Praise and Worship
They are often used interchangeably, and they are very similar, but there is one important difference between the two.
Praise looks up
Worship looks down
Praise says God is holy
Worship says, therefore I submit to him
Praise says God is good
Worship says I will be thankful
Praise says God is powerful
Worship says I will fear him
Now we can praise a lot of things.
We can recognize the greatness of a variety of things
I can praise an employee when they do a good job
I can praise a sports team when play well
But I don't worship employees, because worship is not just an internal response, it is the posture of our heart
The greek word used for worship literally means to bow down
So when we are worshiping God in our hearts we are submitting to him
We are lowering ourselves so that he can be elevated
In John 3:30 we saw John the Baptist say.....
30 He must increase, but I must decrease.
That is the heart of worship
That Jesus is elevated and we are humbled
But here is the key
worship is designated only for God
God is the only one we worship
We can humble ourselves for others, we can elevate others, but there is only one that we elevate above all, and one we humble ourselves fully before
And that is God
This is how I can praise a sports team or an employee, but I am not worshiping them, because I am not elevating them above all others in reverence, even though I elevate them in praise
_____________________________
When Mary broke that alabaster bottle, she was preparing to praise Jesus, but she was reflecting an ultimate heart of worship
Because in that moment she was showing....
I AM GIVING ALL THAT I HAVE TO THE SAVIOR
I AM NOT ONLY ELEVATING HIM, I AM FULLY HUMBLING MYSELF, AND FULLY EXALTING HIM
She could have poured a little out and anointed Jesus with it, and that would be praise, and maybe it would have even reflected a heart of worship, but this pictured what should be in all of us
THE FULL BOWING DOWN, SUBMISSIVE HEART BEFORE JESUS
GIVING ALL THAT WE HAVE TO HIM, HOLDING NOTHING BACK AND WORSHIPING HIM AND HIM ALONE
Earlier today we sang praises to God
We recognized who he was and outwardly expressed that recognition to him
But you see while all worship will naturally produce praise, not all praise reflects worship
24 God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.”
Praise is the natural outward expression of worship
And this is challenge I would like you to wrestle with today.
Simply - IS MY PRAISE A REFLECTION OF WORSHIP?
It has been said that the distance from heaven to hell is only six inches.
The distance from the head to the heart
Praise proceeds from the head, from the hands, as we sing and we recognize the power of God
BUT WORSHIP COMES FROM THE HEART
And there will be many who will one day stand before Jesus, the one they praised, and he cast them out of his presence declaring that he never knew them
Because praise without worship, means nothing
Let me say that again.....
PRAISE WITHOUT WORSHIP MEANS NOTHING
Does the God of creation desire that a sinful man made of dirt to tell him he is great?
Does the God of all creation delight in hearing a created being tell him he is holy?
Only if the heart
8 ‘These people draw near to Me with their mouth,
And honor Me with their lips,
But their heart is far from Me.
9 And in vain they worship Me,
In the book of Amos, God is so tired of vain praise, that he tells them he doesn’t even want it anymore
He tells them that he despises the expressions of praise because there is no true heart of submission
21 “I hate, I despise your feast days,
And I do not savor your sacred assemblies.
22 Though you offer Me burnt offerings and your grain offerings,
I will not accept them,
Nor will I regard your fattened peace offerings.
23 Take away from Me the noise of your songs,
For I will not hear the melody of your stringed instruments.
I would hope today that God does not look at us and say...
WOULD YOU JUST STOP SINGING!
I KNOW IT DOESN’T REFLECT YOUR HEART
And this is the position the Christian must live in, that we are praising from a heart that fully believes in what we are sharing
from a position of full inward humility before Christ
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One of the issues with expressing praise without a heart of worship is we lose sight of the whole purpose.
This is what happened in John 4:4-6
4 But He needed to go through Samaria.
5 So He came to a city of Samaria which is called Sychar, near the plot of ground that Jacob gave to his son Joseph. 6 Now Jacob’s well was there. Jesus therefore, being wearied from His journey, sat thus by the well. It was about the sixth hour.
Judas definitely lived a life consistent of praising Jesus.
We see throughout scripture he does miracles, he shares the gospel, he is actively working to advance the ministry of Jesus
But now he has completely lost sight of the reason for it all
I think most that praise without a heart of worship will struggle with this same thing
They will sing I’m gonna praise the Lord from their church pew while they are complaining in their mind about how they don’t like the song
They will tell the same people they were just gossiping about that they are praying for them
They will post a Bible verse on the same social media page where they just shared some inappropriate picture
And they will often think.… WELL I AM PRAISING GOD SO I AM DOING A GOOD THING
BUT IF THATS YOU I WOULD REMIND YOU OF WHAT GOD SAID THE THE ISRAELITES WHO HAD THE SAME TYPE OF HEART
Take away from Me the noise of your songs!
You might think, well if I just praise enough, it will transform my heart to worship, but in reality it is the other way around.
WE SHOULD BE WORSHIPPING SO THAT PRAISE COMES AS A RESULT
Don't pursue praise. Pursue worship.
Much of the modern christian music today is focused on praise, and I think the reason is because praise is much more relatable
even the unbeliever can understand the idea of praising an all powerful being
BUT WORSHIP REQUIRES SEPARATION
WORSHIP REQUIRES DECISION
YOU COULD GET AN ENTIRE GROUP OF PEOPLE, BELIEVERS AND UNBELIEVERS TO PRAISE, NOT FULLY UNDERSTANDING THE POINT BUT GETTING THE IDEA OF RECOGNIZING AN ASPECT OF GOD
BUT WORSHIP SAYS = WHAT DOES MY HEART SAY!
WORSHIP MAKES YOU LOOK INWARD, AND YOU CAN’T BE COMPLACENT WHILE LOOKING INWARD
WORSHIP CAUSES YOU TO ACKKNOWLEDGE YOURSLEF AND YOUR OWN HEART
WORSHIP CAUSES THE SINNER TO FORCEFULLY BE MADE AWARE OF THEIR SIN AND CHOOSE TO HUMBLE THEMSELVES BEFORE GOD OR TO REJECT HIM AND ELEVATE THEMSELVES
Praise doesn’t always do this
And as a result, a group of believers who’s desire is to praise, but not to worship, can lose site of the purpose for it all
And God is no longer pleased by that praise
And this is exactly how Jesus responded to Judas
Judas wanted to money for himself, though what he said appeared to be out of a heart of recognition to advance the ministry of Christ in helping the poor....
His true heart had turned to pride, not worship
But notice how Jesus responds...
7 But Jesus said, “Let her alone; she has kept this for the day of My burial. 8 For the poor you have with you always, but Me you do not have always.”
Within a week....
Jesus’s body would be broken, and he would pour himself out, in full, to pay for the sins of mankind
12 Therefore I will divide Him a portion with the great,
And He shall divide the spoil with the strong,
Because He poured out His soul unto death,
And He was numbered with the transgressors,
And He bore the sin of many,
And made intercession for the transgressors.
Ephesians 5:2 tells us that just like the perfume was broken and poured out, and the smell of it filled the house, so is the sacrifice of Christ to appease the wrath of God
2 And walk in love, as Christ also has loved us and given Himself for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling aroma.
You see praise is a wonderful thing, and we should live in a constant state of praising God.
But worship keeps us aligned to the will of God
Worship is what helps us remember the purpose behind all of this
And that is the defining factor, that separates a mature christian from a weak one
A weak, childish believer, often compensates for their lack of worship, with praise
While a mature believer, is solidified and steady in their worship, and praise comes as a result
Why is it usually the loudest singer in the room is the most prideful?
Why is it the one who can’t say a sentence without mentioning the name Jesus is often viewed as hypocritical?
I taught an entire message on this idea before,
But if you were to pick out the person in your life that you think has the most solid and foundational relationship with God, one that is firm, never wavering, and is consistent....
How expressive is that person in their faith?
I don’t mean are they obedient and do they share the gospel or do they sing to God, but are they the ones making an extra effort to force the presence of God into every aspect of their lives in the eyes of others?
Or do they appear to just naturally reflect what is in their heart
Its not wrong to praise God
Its not wrong to talk about God
Its not wrong to sing to God
Its not wrong to bring up God in conversation regularly
But I think often times we know our heart is not in a position of humility, the true relationship with God is wavering, so we compensate with more outward expression
And as a result we lose sight of the point of praising at all
Jesus reflects on Mary’s worship and reminds them, the goal is not ministry
The goal is not to do as much good as possible
The goal is not to give as much money as possible to the poor
THE GOAL IS TO HUMBLE OURSELVES BEFORE THE SAVIOR OF THE WORLD AND TO WORSHIP HIM
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9 Now a great many of the Jews knew that He was there; and they came, not for Jesus’ sake only, but that they might also see Lazarus, whom He had raised from the dead. 10 But the chief priests plotted to put Lazarus to death also, 11 because on account of him many of the Jews went away and believed in Jesus.
Jesus’s healing of Lazarus was a very serious transitional moment, and now they are trying not only to kill Jesus, but Lazarus
But while there are many who are against him, there are almost many that are following him as a result
And we will see next perhaps the greatest example in all of scripture of a group of people who praise Jesus, but do not worship him
12 The next day a great multitude that had come to the feast, when they heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem, 13 took branches of palm trees and went out to meet Him, and cried out:
“Hosanna!
‘Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!’
The King of Israel!”
The people here Jesus is coming, and now with the raising of Lazarus they are excited to see Jesus
Great multitudes have gathered just to see this man
And they are waving palm branches, and crying out hosanna, blessed is the king of Israel
Sort of sounds like a praise and worship song
This scene might remind you of a church worship service.
Excitement, singing, praising Jesus, lifting him up
But there is one issue
These multitudes, were not all worshiping
Some were, some understood, some were joyous over the fact that Jesus was with them again
But the majority did not
But Jesus knew the city praising and welcoming him return, would be chanting to crucify him by the end of week
OH ZACH THAT ISN’T ME - I AM STRUGGLE WITH A HEART OF WORSHIP BUT MY PRAISE ISN’T FAKE
And I would say many of them thought the same thing
You see their error was not in a lack of sincerity, it was in lacking the truth
I don’t think if you find praising easier, but worshiping difficult, its because you don’t genuinely mean your praise
I THINK ITS BECAUSE YOU ARE PRAISING A VERSION OF JESUS THAT SUITS YOU BEST
And this is precisely what many of the people here were doing.
They wanted a king, they wanted a deliverer, they wanted a military leader
They had manufactured this version of Jesus that fit the kind of person they wanted to praise - but worship can only be done in truth
Remember what Jesus said in John 4:24
24 God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.”
You can praise in deception all day long, but its impossible to worship in anything other than truth.
Because worship reflects the heart, and a heart that truly desires to serve God will desire the truth, not a lie that aligns with our preferences
19 You believe that there is one God. You do well. Even the demons believe—and tremble!
Praise is good, and the content of that praise may even be true, but that doesn’t mean its reflective of true worship.
And Jesus reminded them of that.
You see Jesus didn’t come into Jerusalem on a war horse, with an army behind him, declaring his power
THOUGH HE COULD HAVE AND HAD EVERY RIGHT TO DO SO
Instead he forced those praising, to acknowledge the true heart of worship
14 Then Jesus, when He had found a young donkey, sat on it; as it is written:
15 “Fear not, daughter of Zion;
Behold, your King is coming,
Sitting on a donkey’s colt.”
Fear not, because your king is coming, riding on a donkey
What a concept
YOU WOULD EXPECT THE ONE WHO CAUSES US TO NOT HAVE TO FEAR TO BE ONE WHO ARRIVES IN POWER
But instead we are not to fear, because our king is coming, and not just because he is coming, but in how he is coming
You see any king, dictator, boss, leader, anyone in power can demand earned praise.
And if they have earned it, they deserve it, but you can’t force worship
There is no king powerful enough force the heart of a man to submit themselves to him
They may force physical submission, but they can’t change the heart
Yet we have a savior who has every right to come into our lives with nothing but power, demanding praise or else
Jesus had every right to charge into Jerusalem, take the throne and demand all there to acknowledge his greatness
But instead him comes a donkey
The one deserving of exaltation, comes in humility
And that’s why we worship him
Because he doesn’t just demand recognition of those beneath them, he loves them, and he humbles himself before them, and he gives his life for them
And what worship does in light of this
is it says I recognize that he humbled himself for me, so I will humble myself for him
AND I WILL ALSO SING PRAISES TO HIM AND GLORIFY HIS WORKS AND LIFT HIM UP THE THINGS HE HAS DONE
But they will come from a heart of humble worship
Can I ask you today to reflect on not what your mouth says about Jesus, but what your heart says
Is Jesus just the giver of blessings that you lift up
Is Jesus the one you sing to once a week to ease your conscious
Is Jesus the king you serve by compulsion instead of willingness
Or is Jesus to you what he was to Mary
The one worthy not just of praise, but of the full pouring out of your heart, in humility, and worship
