Sermon #61 Miscellaneous Sermons
Title: A
God To Trust And An Example To Follow
Text: Mark
14:1-9
Subject: Mary
Anoints the Lord Jesus
Date: Sunday
Morning - September 13, 1998
Tape # U-84b
Reading: Isaiah
46:1-13
Introduction:
My text this morning is Mark 14:1-9.
The title of my message is A God
To Trust And An Example To Follow. In this chapter Mark begins
to describe those things which our Lord Jesus Christ suffered as the Lamb of
God. Up to this point, he has spoken of our Savior as our Prophet, teaching us
the things of God. Now, he begins to describe the Lord of glory as our great
High Priest. Mark has shown us the miracles and sayings of the Master. Now, he
begins to describe his vicarious sacrifice.
Mark 14:1-9 After two days was the feast of the
passover, and of unleavened bread: and the chief priests and the scribes sought
how they might take him by craft, and put him to death. (2) But
they said, Not on the feast day, lest there be an uproar of the people.
(3) And being in Bethany in the house of Simon the leper, as he sat at
meat, there came a woman having an alabaster box of ointment of spikenard very
precious; and she brake the box, and poured it on his head. (4) And
there were some that had indignation within themselves, and said, Why was this
waste of the ointment made? (5) For it might have been sold for more
than three hundred pence, and have been given to the poor. And they murmured
against her. (6) And Jesus said, Let her alone; why trouble ye her? she
hath wrought a good work on me. (7) For ye have the poor with you
always, and whensoever ye will ye may do them good: but me ye have not always.
(8) She hath done what she could: she is come aforehand to anoint my body
to the burying. (9) Verily I say unto you, Wheresoever this gospel shall
be preached throughout the whole world, this also that she hath done
shall be spoken of for a memorial of her.
I.
First, in verses one and two, I want to show you that The Lord our God Is A God Who can be trusted.
We read Isaiah 46 earlier for a
reason. In our text as in Isaiah’s prophecy, we have a stark contrast between
the God of the Bible and the gods of men.
The gods of men, those idols invented by men, the gods
of this religious age no more resemble the God of the Bible than a gnat resembles
an angel. The gods of religion want to do things, desire to do things, and try
to do things, but are unable to accomplish them because of the works of the
devil and the wills of men.
The God of the Bible, the only true
God, our God and heavenly Father never wants what to do, desires to do, or
tries to do anything except what he does. He is a God in whom we can be
confident, a God who can be trusted implicitly, because he always has he way
and does as he will.
In these first two verses of Mark 14,
we have a very clear example of God’s total sovereignty and omnipotent power to
accomplish his will. He who truly is God over all and blessed forever
always has his way. Here we see our great God disappointing the plans
and designs of wicked men, overruling their wills and decisions to accomplish
his own eternal purpose of grace in predestination.
Mark 14:1-2 After two days was the feast of the
passover, and of unleavened bread: and the chief priests and the scribes sought
how they might take him by craft, and put him to death. (2) But
they said, Not on the feast day, lest there be an uproar of the people.
Our Lord’s enemies did not want his
death to be a public spectacle. Repeatedly, they tried to stone him to death,
throw him off a cliff, or in some other way murder him without the common
people being aware of what they had done. Notice the words of our text - “The
chief priests and the scribes sought how they might take him by craft, and put
him to death.” But that was not what God had purposed. Therefore, in his
wise and adorable providence, he simply overruled their schemes. God defeated
their counsel and performed his own.
A. It was the purpose of God from eternity that the Lord
Jesus Christ must be lifted up upon the cursed tree and crucified as a cursed
man as our Substitute.
There was no way possible for God to
be both just and the Justifier of chosen sinners except by his own dear Son
dying in our room and stead as our substitute.
·
His justice must be
satisfied. Else, he could not forgive sin.
·
Christ alone, the
God-man Mediator, could satisfy the justice of God for us.
Yet, in order to fulfil the
Scriptures, our Savior must die “according to the Scriptures.” You will
recall that our Savior often said, with reference to his sin-atoning death at
Calvary, “The Scriptures must be fulfilled” (v. 49).
In other words, the Lord Jesus must be
betrayed by his own familiar friend for thirty pieces of silver, crucified by
the hands of Gentiles at the insistence of the Jews, without a single bone in
his body being broken, yet having his heart pierced. He must be numbered with
transgressors in his death, mocked, beaten, spit upon, and stripped in public
humiliation. And the soldiers who crucified him must cast lots to see which one
would get his garment.
All these things were prophesied in
the Old Testament Scriptures. But “the chief priests and scribes sought
how they might take him by craft and put him to death.” Listen to me
now - That presented no problem to God Almighty! His counsel stood firm. His
purpose was fulfilled. God’s will always prevails.
1. These men thought they would put an end to Christ’s
kingdom by killing him; but they were actually instruments in God’s hands for
the erection and building of his kingdom.
2.
When they did, with vile
hearts, have the Lord Jesus crucified, they thought they would vilify him and
make him a laughing stock; but God used them to make his name glorious.
3.
The Jews thought they
would scare his disciples into silence by killing our Master; but God used
their wicked deeds to embolden his disciples in preaching the gospel.
I want you to understand that our God
is in control of this world, absolutely in control of it (Ps. 76:10).
B. That God, and that God alone, who is in absolute,
total control of the entire universe, we can and should trust with implicit
confidence in all things and with all things.
The Word of God, the promises of God, the prophecies
of Holy Scripture are all utterly meaningless unless our God is the God who
rules everything, whose will is always performed, whose purpose stands fast,
whose thoughts are irresistible!
Here is the basis of our faith and the
foundation of our comfort. We live in a world of woe. We are often tossed to
and fro in this world, confused and perplexed by many things. Let us ever rest ourselves
in our God.
1. “All things are of God.”
2. All things are ordered by our heavenly Father for our
good.
3. All things are arranged by God’s infinite wisdom and
omnipotent arm for his glory.
C. Look yonder to Calvary and laugh at those will
worshippers who vainly imagine that the events of this world are ordered not by
the will of Almighty God but by the wills of puny men!
I often hear preachers and others say,
“God will never interfere with the will of man.” Our text gives the lie to that
notion. It was the will of these men that Christ be out to death secretly. But
God willed that he be crucified in due time for the ungodly. Look at this and
think for a minute.
1. God would not allow these wicked men to kill his Son
when they wanted to, the way they wanted to, or in the place they wanted.
2. However, he did permit them to kill his Son exactly
according to the malice of their hearts.
3. Yet, he used their sinful malice to accomplish his
purpose of grace in the redemption of his people, exactly as he had purposed
from eternity.
Acts 2:22-23 Ye men of Israel, hear these
words; Jesus of Nazareth, a man approved of God among you by miracles and
wonders and signs, which God did by him in the midst of you, as ye yourselves
also know: (23) Him, being delivered by the determinate counsel and
foreknowledge of God, ye have taken, and by wicked hands have crucified and
slain:
Acts 4:27-28 For of a truth against thy
holy child Jesus, whom thou hast anointed, both Herod, and Pontius Pilate, with
the Gentiles, and the people of Israel, were gathered together, (28) For
to do whatsoever thy hand and thy counsel determined before to be done.
Acts 13:28-30 And though they found no cause
of death in him, yet desired they Pilate that he should be slain.
(29) And when they had fulfilled all that was written of him, they took him
down from the tree, and laid him in a sepulchre. (30) But God
raised him from the dead:
If the god you trust can be
controlled, hindered, or even influenced by you, by Satan, or by all the powers
of earth and hell, then the god you trust is no God at all, and you are an
idolater. Our God is not a spectator or even a competitor in this world. He is
the Ruler of it. Salvation is knowing him, the only true and living God as he
is revealed in the Lord Jesus Christ his Son, the God-man, our Savior (John
17:3). He who is our God is the God we can trust.
John 17:3 "And this is life eternal, that they
might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent."
II.
Second, in verses three through nine, we are given an example to follow.
In these verses Mark records, by
divine inspiration, the story of a woman coming into the house of Simon the
leper and anointing the Lord Jesus for his burial. It is an event recorded in
all four of the gospel narratives (Matt. 26, Mark 14, Luke 7, and John 12).
Comparing Scripture with Scripture, I cannot avoid the conclusion that this
woman was Mary, the sister of Martha and Lazarus, and that she is the same
woman often referred to as Mary Magdalene, out of whom the Lord Jesus had cast
seven devils (Mk. 16:9; Lk. 8:2). Perhaps the reason Mark withheld her name was
modesty. Most likely, this woman was his mother.
She was a remarkable woman, modest and
unassuming. She said very little. In fact, so far as I can determine, there is
only one sentence written in the Scriptures which was spoken by Mary. It is
found in John11:32.
John 11:32 "Then when Mary was come where Jesus
was, and saw him, she fell down at his feet, saying unto him, Lord, if thou
hadst been here, my brother had not died."
Yet, it is obvious that Mary was a
woman of great wisdom, devotion, and faith, a woman who truly loved the Lord
Jesus Christ. The Word of God presents Mary to us as an example of faith,
devotion, and love on four different occasions.
1st, We see Mary sitting at
the Lord’s feet, absorbing every word which fell from his lips (Luke 10:39).
2nd, We see her falling at
the Master’s feet in humble, submissive faith (John 11:32). As a broken-hearted
woman might run into the arms of her husband for comfort, Mary ran to the Lord
Jesus, fell at his feet, and sought comfort in him in her time of great sorrow.
3rd, We see Mary early in
the morning of the resurrection at the tomb where our Lord’s body had been
buried (Matt. 28:1-9).
·
She was the first one to
hear the good news of the resurrection
·
She was the first one to
see the risen Christ.
·
This woman was the first
one to proclaim the resurrection.
4th, Here in Mark 14, we
see Mary in the house of Simon the leper breaking an alabaster box of ointment
of spikenard very precious,” anointing the Lord Jesus for his burial (Mk.
14:3-9).
This picture of this dear woman is
perhaps the most instructive of the four. Our Lord himself declares “She
hath wrought a good work on me” (v.6). “She hath done what she could” (v.8).
“Verily I say unto you, Wheresoever this gospel shall be preached throughout
the whole world, this also that she hath done shall be spoken of for a memorial
of her (v.9)." Truly, this woman sets before us an remarkable
example to follow.
A.
This good work
which was performed by Mary might be most reasonably expected from any
believer.
Like you and me, Mary had experienced
the grace of God in Christ. This work which she performed was only the
spontaneous response of gratitude and love for the grace of God she had
experienced. It was but her reasonable service (Rom. 12:1-2).
1. Mary had been given faith in Christ. The Lord Jesus
revealed himself to her and gave her the gift of faith. He chose her and
graciously caused her to choose him.
2. The demons who tormented her and held her captive were
driven from her; and the Son of God established his throne in her heart.
3. Her sins, which were many, were all forgiven her.
4. The Lord graciously revealed to her the mysteries of
the gospel. Mary alone seems to have known and understood how the Lord Jesus
would accomplish redemption by his death as our Substitute.
5. With all these things in her heart, Mary came to
Simon’s house to anoint her Lord in anticipation of his death and resurrection.
B.
Mary’s loving
devotion and sacrificial zeal drew a very unexpected response from from those
who witnessed it (vv. 3-5).
Mark 14:3-5 "And being in Bethany in the house of
Simon the leper, as he sat at meat, there came a woman having an alabaster box
of ointment of spikenard very precious; and she brake the box, and poured it
on his head. (4) And there were some that had indignation within
themselves, and said, Why was this waste of the ointment made? (5) For
it might have been sold for more than three hundred pence, and have been given
to the poor. And they murmured against her."
She must have been shocked by the
comments she heard. She only wanted, in some modest, but public way to honor
her Lord. The fact is, those who
serve the Lord Jesus with the most ardent, self-sacrificing devotion are often
ridiculed and criticized by those who ought to imitate their exampleS.
1. For her good work Mary was severely censored by Judas,
the church treasurer (John 12:4-6).
2. All the disciples followed Judas’ wicked lead and
became indignant at what they considered was Mary’s waste (Matt. 26:8 - “To
what purpose is this waste?”)
If you are committed to Christ, if you
are inclined to do some unusual for him, just for his honor and his glory, for
the interests of his kingdom, for the furtherance of his gospel, simply because
you love him, simply out of a deep sense of overwhelming gratitude, do not
expect the approval of either the world, religious hypocrites, or even true
believers.
Whole-hearted devotion condemns and
exposes half-hearted religion. It stirs up the wrath of those whose hearts are
cold and indifferent. Real consecration to Christ is sure to be criticized and
mocked by those who know nothing about it.
Illustration: Mr. Sturgess
C.
Though her actions
were criticized and condemned by others, even by her friends, the Lord
Jesus approved of, highly esteemed, and commended both Mary and her work (vv.
6-9).
Mark 14:6-9 "And Jesus said, Let her alone; why trouble ye her?
she hath wrought a good work
on me. (7) For ye have the poor with you always, and whensoever ye will
ye may do them good: but me ye have not always. (8) She hath done what she could: she
is come aforehand to anoint my body
to the burying. (9) Verily I say unto you, Wheresoever this gospel shall be
preached throughout the whole world, this also that she hath done shall
be spoken of for a memorial of her."
Because the Lord Jesus was pleased
with Mary, she seems oblivious to what anyone else had to say about the matter.
She did it just for him. They really did not matter. Her faith in, love for,
and devotion to the Son of God gave her courage and strength.
Illustration: Bob Allgood
If I am conscious that I am sincerely
doing something as unto the Lord, for the glory of his name, the interests of
his kingdom, and the furtherance of his gospel, the opinions of men, neither
their approval nor their disapproval, are really of no consequence to me. As
David said to his half-hearted brothers, I say, Is there not a cause?”
We must not allow the opinions of men to be the rule of our actions.
Let me wrap this message up by calling
your attention to several things which are obvious about this great thing Mary
did for the Lord Jesus, several things that make her good work a very
remarkable work for us to follow.
1. Mary did what she did for the glory of Christ alone. All that perfume, all that sweet aroma, all that
precious spikenard was meant for Christ alone!
2. This was an act of pure love. Love never counts the cost. Love never weighs the
consequence. Love never considers a loss a loss when the loss is made for the
one who is loved.
3. This was a work requiring considerable sacrifice and
self-denial. - (300 pence - a
year’s wages! See Matt. 20:9-13.)
4. Though it was a spontaneous act of love, this
sacrifice and anointing required thoughtful, deliberate preparation. Our
Master tells us (John 12:7) that Mary had specifically kept this precious
ointment for this occasion.
5. Mary did this thing without calling any attention to
herself.
Spurgeon said, “Silent acts of love have musical voices in the ears of Jesus.
Sound no trumpet before thee, or Jesus will take warning and be gone.”
6. This was the response f Mary’s heart to the sacrifice
of her Savior, her Lord, her Redeemer.
She believed what she heard the Lord speak (John 3:14-16) and understood that
the price of her soul’s ransom was his life’s precious blood!
7. This sacrifice was a work of faith. She knew that the Lord Jesus was about to die as her
substitute; but she believed that he would rise from the dead. Therefore, she
anointed him for his burial in anticipation of his resurrection (Isa.
53:10-12).
Isaiah 53:10-12 "Yet it pleased the LORD
to bruise him; he hath put him to grief: when thou shalt make his soul
an offering for sin, he shall see his seed, he shall prolong his days,
and the pleasure of the LORD shall prosper in his hand. (11) He shall
see of the travail of his soul, and shall be satisfied: by his knowledge
shall my righteous servant justify many; for he shall bear their iniquities.
(12) Therefore will I divide him a portion with the great, and he
shall divide the spoil with the strong; because he hath poured out his soul
unto death: and he was numbered with the transgressors; and he bare the sin of
many, and made intercession for the transgressors."
Application:
1. Trust our God.
2. Children of God, follow Mary’s example. Do what you
can for Christ, do it while you can, do it whenever and wherever you can.
1 Corinthians 10:31 "Whether
therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of
God."
AMEN.