Extravagant Worship

Introduction

https://www.brides.com/story/bride-cancels-wedding-after-charging-guests-to-attend - Can you imagine? Entitlement and Self-Worship! Does your life center around the worship of you or the worship of the One who saved you?

One thing for a house to be redeemed, another for a person to be redeemed - you have gone from death to life - you’re not a place of worship. You’re a person of worship.

Worship central to life of believer. Worship is far more than an enthusiastic and inspiring Sunday service. Worship is absolute devotion and allegiance to the King because of who He is and what He has done.

A story of worship - also a story of contrasts. A simple woman who has a better understanding of Jesus than religious AND disciples who spent every day with Jesus for three years. She knows that He is worthy of her worship. (Story in Matt. Mark, and John)

Three truths about extravagant worship.

Worship is the ultimate goal of the Christian life.

Wed. of Holy Week - Chief priests and scribes orchestrating to kill Jesus. Quietly - not to upset the crowds and have crowds turn on them. Two days before Passover - God orchestrating the timeline so that Jesus will be the Ultimate Passover Lamb - Feast of Unleavened Bread - right after Passover - commemorating haste in which left Egypt. ()

Mark suddenly shifts stories to show a stark contrast. Chief priests and scribes didn’t recognize the Messiah - but a woman did - () Event took place on the Saturday before Palm Sunday - A flashback.

Bethany - home base for Jesus during Holy Week - Simon the Leper’s home - healed by Jesus - maybe appreciation banquet - redeemed - can have people in his house! Some speculate he’s the father of Lazarus, Martha, and Mary.

According to John, Lazarus, Martha, and Mary present. Must have been an amazing afternoon! Simon - new life as leper. Lazarus - what it was like to rise from the dead. Maybe he recounted the last moments of his life - taking final breaths. Then, waking up in a tomb - not sick at all!

Jesus reclining - talking and listening - enjoying the company of his disciples and those he had healed - perhaps heavy heart knowing what lies ahead.

Mary comes from around the corner carrying a jar of nard - worth 300 denarii - not Stetson or Old Spice - maybe worth as much as $40,000! Maybe a family heirloom passed down from generation to generation. Everyone else talking, but she’s about to worship.

Pours it on Jesus head - Doesn’t use a single drop - the whole jar! According to John - washes feet with her hair - Self-humiliation! Doesn’t care who sees, who knows, what people think - She interrupts dinner for this! Completely outside of cultural norms! This is weird! But, she wants to show devotion to Jesus in an extravagant way - after all - He raised her brother from the dead!

The aroma! Overwhelming - would linger in the house for days as a reminder of this moment of adoration and worship.

A reminder - Worship is the ultimate goal of the Christian life - God desires for you to put your eyes on Him and say, “You are worthy of my complete adoration and devotion.”

Being blessed is not the ultimate goal but blessing the One who gave His all

Being a better person is not the ultimate goal but a result of worship.

Serving Christ not the ultimate goal (If it is - we’ll pat ourselves on the back for all that we are doing!) Service an act of worship.

Living on mission not the goal (If it is - we’ll be more interested in counting converts than spreading God’s glory.) Missions is an act of worship to spread God’s glory on the earth.

What is the ultimate goal of your Christian faith? To serve to get a pat on the back? To be a better person and have a better life? Share the Gospel to add another notch in your spiritual belt? OR to live a life that demonstrates that Jesus is worthy of your complete adoration.

Mike Tyson’s house - redeemed as a place of worship - You’ve been redeemed as a person of worship! That’s your ultimate goal in life!

Contrast: Priests, Scribes, and Disciples - Wanted - Religious leaders wanted power and authority and so did the disciples! A worshipper gives - not takes. Are you a taker or a giver? Examine your attitude, prayer life, etc.

Worship is laser-focused on the Savior

Pours it on Jesus’ head - Doesn’t use a single drop - the whole jar! According to John - washes feet with her hair - Self-humiliation! Doesn’t care who sees, who knows, what people think - She interrupts the celebration for this! Completely outside of cultural norms! This is weird! But, she wants to show devotion to Jesus in an extravagant way - after all - He raised her brother from the dead!

The aroma! Overwhelming - would linger in the house for days as a reminder of this moment of adoration and worship.

This is not worship in moderation! (Ok to worship in moderation - to give God a little praise, to give God a little adoration, to show God a little love, but you don’t want to go overboard. You don’t want to be so heavenly minded that you do no earthly good! - We need Christians that are so heavenly minded so they will be empowered by the Spirit to do some earthly good!) This was worship solely focused on the Savior with little regard to what others thought of her. Real worship is not moderated worship - limited time with God, limited time thinking about Him - Real worship is consuming! Worship is the ONE THING you can do without moderation! (Hudson - “I miss Georgia…” Ok to be a little sad, but he didn’t even like the dog! Hud lacked moderation - Jesus is worth more than worship in moderation)

Everyone in the room is for Jesus - they’ve seen the miracles and they’ve followed - but the immediate response was criticism - NOT, Wow! Look how Mary has been changed by Jesus!

: Judas leads the criticism! What a waste! Think of all the poor people we could have helped! Reality - Judas wasn’t focused on the poor or the Savior. (He was a thief! He could have profited off the sale of this Nard… ) A DEMEANING criticism. It demeaned Mary, and it demeaned Jesus. Essentially, Judas led the disciples to hurt Mary and affirm that Jesus was not worthy of this extravagant gift.

When your worship is focused on the Savior you invite criticism - and sometimes you’ll receive the most criticism from people who are for Jesus! Complete adoration/surrender doesn’t make sense. How can you give so much time to the church? Your kids need a well rounded life. How can you leave your high paying job to go to seminary? To move overseas? Minister to homeless? Isn’t that unsafe? BUT when life is focused on Jesus - the voices of your critics do not matter - the voice of your Father calling you to obey is all that matters. Remember, your critics did not go to the cross for you! Why focus on them! Some of us pay far more attention to people we will never please rather than to the God of all creation who has demonstrated that He is pleased with you by giving His Son for you.

Some of you are the critics - no different than Judas and other disciples - For you, Jesus isn’t worth the cost, the sacrifice, your time, your resources, etc. And, you want everyone to know it! Shows that you don’t understand the sacrifice made for you! Repent!

When your worship is focused on the Savior you point others to Jesus. (vs. 9) What a statement! What kind of impact might your life have when people see that Jesus is more significant to you than anything else in this life? There will be some who will be drawn to Christ and forever changed because of your absolute devotion to Jesus.

Worship flows from an informed heart

Jesus come to Mary’s defense. “Leave her alone.” Jesus will always ultimately defend those who honor Him!

You will always have the poor but you will not always have me - She has anointed my body for burial. - Not that giving to poor is unimportant - BUT crucifixion a week away - now is the time to understand who Jesus is - now is the time to know the sacrifice that will be made - (What Jesus had repeatedly told disciples.) Now is the time to focus all your attention on ME!

Mary had more insight than the twelve who closely followed Jesus for three years. They had seen Him transfigured, heal the sick, walk across the water, etc. But, slow to understand that He would die for them. Mary knew! Gave her best because Jesus was worth her best!

() - She had heard the words of Jesus. She had seen Him raise the dead. No doubt that He was God who had come for her. Anoints Jesus for His burial - a sacred moment for a woman who knew the sacrifice of her Savior.

Contrast: disciples don’t get it - particularly Judas - 2 days before Passover He makes a deal with the Priests and Scribes - to turn Jesus over in the darkness of night for a handful of money. Judas spent three years with the Son of God but didn’t listen.

Contrast: Disciples three years with Jesus - they don’t listen, they bicker about silly stuff, and ultimately, one who should have known the truth betrays. It’s not just the Scribes and Priests who fail to understand - its also the ones closest to Jesus.

You can be so close yet so far away. (Thankfully the disciples would get it at the resurrection, but not Judas… Judas could have had the same joy Mary had - but refused to embrace truth!) Some of us are close to Jesus - been around the church for years - but we still don’t understand. We’re not opposed to God, we’re just not devoted to God. We’re not against Him, He just doesn’t get our allegiance.

BUT an informed heart leads to a Transformed life. Do you know? Do you know the price that was paid? Do you know how valued you are to the God of all creation? When you know the price that was paid for you - you can’t help to be a devoted, extravagant worshiper of the King of kings and Lord of lords.

Unbeliever: Know what Jesus has done and let it transform you today. Know that He died and rose again. Turn from your sins and turn to Him.

Believer:

You can’t love Jesus too much! But, maybe your life shows you love Him too little. Ask Jesus to grow you in His love.

Repent of worship in moderation - What is the sacrifice that you need to make as an expression of worship? A sacrifice of time? - Rising early to spend time in His Word - giving more time to ministry in the local church? A sacrifice of resources? A stingy heart? What’s the jar of nard that you need to give? A sacrifice of talents? What’s the ability that God has given you to further the Kingdom that you are refusing to use for His glory?

Repent of petty criticism -