Sermon notes from Sunday 5 November 2017
Mark 14 verses 1 - 11
As I looked at this portion of scripture one thought came to my mind - the simplest of tasks for the glory of the Saviour. We are all looking for the big thing for the Lord that will stand out yet more often we find it is the little things for the Lord that stand out. Oswald Chambers said "if we feel that God is using us he is not". It is the quiet and unseen things that happen in every moment of life that we can glorify God with. In verses 1 and 2 we see the underlying current of hatred and bitterness against the one who came into the world to seek and to save this which was lost. He came into the world with one purpose - that he might take the sin of every person, that he would die on the cross, dying to forgive us our sins. We must acknowledge what he has done. He has died on the cross for you and I because we could never get to heaven in our own strength. It was in the plan and purpose of God to do that although it was evil man who took the Saviour and nailed him to the cross. This was God`s plan for your salvation.
We read that there was a supper provided for the Lord. In John chapter 12 we read that this incident took place in the home of Simon the leper. Lazarus was there - the one brought back from the dead. Martha was there opening up the kitchen that she might serve. Mary is the one we want to look at. She opened up the alabaster box. Verse 8 "she hath done what she could". Imagine the scene for a moment - the Lord is invited into this home. Mary comes into the room. She breaks the seal on the bottle, takes it over to where he was and used it to anoint him. The cost of this oil would have been enough wages for a man for a full year. There was outrage amongst the guests. What a waste. Isn`t that what we hear today. It is a waste of time to give our hearts to the Lord, to spend time tring to bring people in, to go to the mission field to serve Christ. Think for a moment on that statement. First of all notice here as the Lord looked on her.
The Lord looked on her ability. "She hath down what she could." The Lord doesn`t expect any more. She did what she could. The Lord stood out in this house. She was glorifying him. Giving to him her praise. Mary had in her possession a box of precious ointment, fragrance to anoint the body of the Lord Jesus. She had the ability to do this. She could d what ever she wanted with this box but she decided to use it on the Lord. Once she broke the seal she couldn`t take it back. It was in her ability to do this. Nothing more was expected of her. Sometimes we think the Lord wouldn`t be happy with all I could give him. Mary could have been overshadowed. We are in the house of Simon the leper. Leprosy is an awful disease, incapable of healing, can bring death. Leprosy separates families. Yet here was Simon inviting friends into his house. Something had happened to his body. Mary looked at him, what a miracle. She would see also her brother sitting there. Dead and buried at one time but brought back from the very dead. What a miracle. A living testimony. She also looks at Martha who is always ready to serve. She sees the disciples working with the Lord. She thinks to herself "all I have is this jar of ointment". You may be overshadowed, you might often do that ourselves. Look around and see people who could do so much more than us. We have very little to give. The Lord wants what you have. He wants you to give what you have. The ability. In the Old Testament scriptures we read of a woman whose husband died and she was left a debt that meant her 2 sons would have to be sold into slavery to pay for it. She comes to Elisha and asks him what to do. He asked what she had in her house. A small cruise of oil. She was to go and borrow all the vessels in the neighbourhood and pour her oil into them. She used all that she had in terms of vessels. One cruise of oil was all she had yet she was able to use it. Moses out in the desert for 40 years saw a burning bush. The Lord speaks to him "I want you to go down to Egypt and bring my people out." Moses thinks to himself "how could I do that?" The Lord says to him "I want you to do it." "They wouldn`t believe me, if I went there what would I say?" The Lord asks "what is that in your hand Moses?" Moses looked and said "it is a rod." The Lord told him to cast it on the ground and it became a serpent. "Now put forth your hand and lift it up again" the Lord said. It turned back to a rod again. The Lord was going to use that in the palace of Pharaoh. That was all Moses had. That is all God is looking for today. What you have at present. Not something you have to borrow today. Open up your life and say PLord here I am to bring glory and honour to the one who died for me." The Lord spoke to David facing Goliath. "What is that in our belt?" "Just a sling that I use out in the mountainside." He took the sling and a few stones and killed Goliath. A man was going into the far country for some business. He chose a few men and gave them each talents. He gave one 5 talents and another 2 then the third receives one talent. He tells them to work with these talents until he came back again. Matthew 25 he chose these people because of their ability. Is there something you can give to the Lord or are you holding it back from the Lord today, not willing to give it up? This man came back and brought the servants in again. The man with 5 talents had increased it to 10, the man with 2 had increased it to 4 but what about the man with the one talent? He dug a hole and buried it. He gave back that one talent. The Lord said "you never used it?" You have the ability to use it but you don`t. The Lord this morning wants you to use what you have.
The Lord looks also at her activity. "She has done what she could." She didn`t think about anything too long. It was done. She didn`t let the opportunity go to serve the Lord, didn`t waste what was holding her back. She may have looked at Lazarus or the leper and thought what a testimony they had. She didn`t let anything stand in her way. She anointed the Lord with the oil from her jar. The man with one talent had the ability to do something with it but he buried it. This man had something valuable but he didn`t use it. When the master came back from the far contry it was too late. One day the Lord is coming back again. He will break the clouds, will stand before the world. The things left undone will be left undone because we must stand before him as we are. The important thing is to know Jesus as Lord and Saviour and the moment he breaks the clouds on that particular day, the day of grace comes to a close. The day of your opportunity to get saved is closed, sealed, gone forever and you will never be saved. The day of my work when he breaks the clouds will be over and there will be no time to nip around the corner to see someone about the gospel. No time for invitations to meetings, they will all be gone. This man had the opportunity to use the talents while his master was away in another country buy he didn`t use them. The young man with the loaves and fishes. The disciple Andrew asked him to give them to the Lord. He did give them up, hand them over to the Lord. It was only his lunch but now it was in the hands of the Lord. In Jesus` hands they fed 5000 people. When you bring that talent to the Lord then there is a difference. Joseph of Arimathea, a secret disciple, he was afraid to stand up for the Lord because of the Jews around him. Most of his life was spent like that until the day he looked on Jesus` lifeless body hanging there on the cross of Calvary. Now we see the ability he had. Going back to stand before Pilate and asked for Jesus` body. His ability has now turned into activity. He takes Jesus` body down from the cross and carefully wraps him in linen cloths then carried his body to the tomb he had for himself. Joseph of Arimathea had the ability to do something for the Lord. He had the activity to do it. He didn`t care about his name or his reputation. This time was more important than anything he had done before for the Lord. It could be said of him "he hath down what he could." Have we done or have we left undone that which we could have done this week?
Jesus saw her application - verse 6. "She hath done what she could." In verse 8 Jesus defended her and her work because it had the right motives. We can do things for the wrong motives. We could preach to be seen of people. We could stand to preach and show men to Christ. The same goes for you today - is there someone in that family of yours you could influence to bring them out to hear the gospel but will we do it? That is the activity and the application is we do it for the Lord. Whatever your hands find to do do it as unto the Lord. Simon assisted in carrying the cross, he did it for Jesus. Matthew 10 verse 42 "And whosoever shall give to drink unto one of these little ones a cup of cold water only in the name of a disciples, verily I say unto you he shall in no wise lose his reward."
Jesus gave his appraisal. "She hath done what she could." More people were affected that day. Once she opened that box the fragrance filled the whole room. Everyone was affected because she had done something for the Lord. Bethany was affected. Maybe there were villages who knew nothing of the Lord up until this day. The people in the room were affected by her actions. She did what she could. She got the approval from Christ for doing it. It brought a great challenge to me - what I give to the Lord affects everyone else. What I hold affects everyone. If you have been saved today, walking with the Lord don`t hold it back. You have the abiity that affects others no matter how small. Will you use it today?
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