Awesome. You know, I was wondering who the pastor was here. I'm so thankful to be here with you guys, honestly. Um, you know, there's nothing like, uh, being with family, and you guys have always been kind of our extended family. Um, and we got, you know, we got a lot of family in Texas. So a lot of people that partner with us that just feel connected to the vision and what we're doing. And I'm so thankful, so grateful for your pastor. Um, just his heart for me, missions, and not just in Mexico. I know you guys do things all over the place, but I am thankful. I mean, we're so thankful for the seed that you've still sown into the ministry and what we're doing there.
And God has just done some amazing things over the 14 years now that we've had the church. And we got to lay on, didn't know anybody at all. And we started the church, and just, it's done, it's grown over the years. And I often think about, you know, how we started. And my Spanish was just horrible when we got there. And what was weird to me was, uh, for the first several months, and I'm not exaggerating, just like everybody. I mean, everybody that came to the church, they just cried the entire service. So I wasn't sure if it was my, uh, bad Spanish or, uh, what was going on. I'm like, what are you guys crying the whole service for?
But you know what? The word touches lives. It changes lives. Right? And so if we preach the word, it doesn't matter how we preach it. It doesn't matter how bad your language is, wherever it is you're speaking. The word of God just has a way of cutting through all that and penetrating hearts. Right? And so it's just been, uh, just amazing to see what God's done. And we couldn't do what we've done over these years without your support, um, without your finances, without your prayers. And it's really, really, uh, enabled us to reach so many families, so many that are lost and struggling in life.
And we have different projects that we can do. And the big one that I know you guys have talked about is the orphanage project. And so God put it in our hearts so long ago to, uh, you know, we just felt after so many years and the different outreaches and things that we do throughout the city, there's just, there's a ton of kids that have nothing, no one living in the streets, uh, families where, uh, both the mom and dad are either drug addicts, alcoholics, abuse, and all kinds of things that go on.
And we've worked with orphanages for so many years. And there's two that we, uh, primarily work with that we love. And so your finances have allowed us to really be a blessing into the lives of these kids who, some of them, uh, have been removed from their homes by the state because of abuse, sexual abuse, physical abuse, um, neglect, and so many other things. And there's kids that have lost parents in just, uh, horrific ways. Kids that have seen their dad in a drug-induced situation, stab their mom to death or, uh, just witness to those kinds of things. And it's just horrendous.
Um, and even the orphanages there don't have, they're horrible places, honestly. Um, and so we want to be able to change that. It's always been on our heart. And, uh, you guys have been a big part of the orphanage project that we're doing, uh, the majority of the support. And I'm so thankful, um, for this project that we're about to launch and build has come from this, this place, this house. And I think that's amazing. And I just, I'm so thankful to your pastor and his heart. I'm so thankful for everything that's been going on.
And we had a battle with land that was donated a few years ago. The government donated land to us, but it's been one disappointment after another with the land. Um, it's just, you know, they'll tell us one week, okay, next week we'll get, you know, the deed is done. We'll give you the deed, and it's all yours. And then they ask for something else. And it's just been a nightmare of bureaucracy, red tape, and different things that they've asked us to do and provide.
And so we finally reached the point where we just, you know, God said, we're not waiting anymore. Let's get this done. And so we bought a piece of land, which is what you're seeing right now. Um, and, uh, and the land is ours. And so we'll start building on that just as quickly as we can. We have another project right now that you guys have also helped with. Um, that is our South Campus, uh, where we just celebrated our one-year anniversary at this location.
And it's a real kind of what I would consider like a missions church. It's in just probably the poorest area of the city. And it's just, uh, just a place that needs Jesus. Just the darkness there, there's cartel recruitment, there's drugs, violence, uh, abuse, and all kinds of things. And it's a really rough place. But man, thank God, praise God, we've been able to plant the church there. Amen.
And, uh, as a matter of fact, well, man, I could talk forever on what we're doing, but I got a message to get to. But, uh, but just kind of give you a little teaser. Um, there's a guy in our church that, uh, that we bought the land from. And his brother is like a high up in the cartel, the New Generation Jalisco Cartel, which is one of the most violent cartels in the country right now. But, uh, and this guy, his brother lives there in this colonia.
Um, but he got saved and was working with his brother, uh, for several years and he got saved and just on fire for God. And amen. So we bought the land from him and a really super nice guy, but it's a crazy story. Um, I'll have to tell it to you someday, but it's just an incredible story.
And I was worried there because we would put these posts up because we've been meeting kind of portable church and we've had tarps and stuff that we've had to drape across these posts. And, uh, and, uh, and, uh, and, uh, and, uh, and, uh, posts to keep everybody out of the weather. But, uh, it's been, we've been in the rainy season the last several weeks and tarps do not work, man. They just kind of fill up with water. Then they collapse and drench everybody.
And so we were like, well, we need more of a permanent type of structure. Um, and so we put, we put up these posts, you guys helped us with these posts and we've actually, today's going to be the first service where they're actually going to have kind of a laminate roofing over the area that we're meeting.
Um, but it's, uh, it's just praise God for what you've been able to help us with. And, uh, what's amazing about this, we were in a different location. Um, and, and again, it was another land donation by the government, but we get tired of waiting on the government. So we just went ahead and felt like we needed to buy this piece of land. So we did.
And, uh, and in the other location, we had cemented some posts in there, um, about two different times. And the next day somebody would cut the post down and take all the posts. So, so, uh, and, uh, and, uh, and, uh, and, uh, and, uh, and, uh, and, uh, and, uh, and, uh, our campus pastors for this location, he was, when you guys came a few weeks ago, we put more posts in at this place.
And I'm like, I don't want to put posts in there. They're just going to steal it again. And he's like, oh no, they're not going to steal it. And I was like, why do you say that? Uh, because they all know who, who, who the guy we bought the land from is. And so, which is so true. So I actually, that's kind of a good thing, I guess. And so they're not going to touch us.
And so, and so funny, cause there's a little brick building right there. And, and, and, and, and, on the property. And so we put all of our stuff in there, sound equipment and all this. And I'm, I'm like, I'm stressing the whole time. We can't put sound equipment in there. They're going to bust in and take it all. And they're like, oh no, they won't touch it.
And in fact, this guy's brother, uh, the cartel guy, uh, paid and put people out there to put a fence, put fencing around the whole piece of property. So it's just crazy. And then one of the other cartel members that, that's there got baptized, uh, in our one-year anniversary service where we had baptism. And so just God's doing some amazing things.
And I say all that just to say, thank you. Thank you. Thank you so much for what you're doing. I got so many stories. So you guys need to come down and, uh, come down on a mission trip. And you guys came just recently. And I don't know if they shared this statistic with you. I'm sure they did, but man, when you guys were there, you facilitated over 600 people surrendering their lives to Christ for the first time.
So man, bien hecho, bien hecho. Christmas land, bien hecho. Uh, good job. And thank you. Thank you for everything that you're doing for us, uh, the support and, uh, you know, it's just, it's just been amazing.
So, uh, I do want to get into the message and I know that you've been in a series going through the scriptures since the last, since, uh, the first of the year, I believe. And I want to continue with that theme really by looking at one of the most powerful stories and demonstrations of what I call, uh, extravagant love or extravagant worship.
Because I think, I really truly believe, uh, and this is true in my own life, that our worship and our response to God, uh, our response to everything that Christ has done for us, uh, really requires something more of us than simply coming to church and singing a few songs and all that.
And so today we're going to explore how Christ's ultimate sacrifice and his profound, unwavering love for us compel us to respond with a love that really is nothing short of extravagant. And I truly believe that his suffering and enduring devotion demand from us that kind of love, a love that mirrors his in its depth, generosity, and extravagance.
And I just think, and I don't know, I don't know about you, but I love that word extravagant. It just, there's such depth and meaning to that. And I love what it means. And as I was preparing for this message, I found myself really contemplating what that means to me.
And this is how I would describe it, thinking about this love that Jesus, uh, expressed to us. And it's the only way you can describe this kind of love that he has for us, which demands, I believe, the same kind of love from us.
Extravagant love is characterized by its lavishness, selflessness, and willingness to go above and beyond for the object of our affection. It's a love that is expressed in grand gestures, sacrificial acts, often without regard for cost, for personal benefit or societal norms, we could say.
And it's the kind of love that's just deeply sincere and wholehearted, showing a profound depth of feeling and commitment. And it reflects a readiness to give everything and to honor our beloved in ways that are bold, generous, and sometimes even unexpected.
An extravagant love is transformative, leading to a lasting impact on both the giver and the receiver. And so I love that definition. In other words, there's just this great worth attached to it, a value, and it's costly and even priceless, I would say.
And it really begs the question as we get into our text today of what is it worth to us? In terms of Christ, what is his worth to us and for all that he's done for us? And I think that demands an answer from us. It demands an expression from us. It demands our heart. It demands us going further than just coming and singing, like I said, singing a few songs and being at church.
And actually, John chapter 12, verses 1 through 11 is our text today. And we see this extravagant love in action. And we catch a glimpse of what it's worth. And we see it in the words that are written here. And we see it in the words that one woman felt that it was worth. And what we see for her is it was worth everything, everything.
And John 12, 1 through 11, we'll start there. It says, six days before the Passover, Jesus therefore came to Bethany where Lazarus was, whom Jesus had raised from the dead. So they gave a dinner for him there. Martha served, and Lazarus was one of those reclining with him at the table.
And so this is a significant moment in the life of Jesus because it's his last week of ministry, his last week of life that we learn. And in just a few days, he would be sacrificed. And so Jesus had just raised Lazarus, and news of this had spread throughout the countryside, causing this incredible commotion all throughout the area that people, people that didn't believe Jesus now believed in Jesus, that he was the Messiah, the son of God, the son of the living God, because there was just no disputing that fact after what had happened.
And I know you guys already studied that. So Jesus visits Bethany, and he really, he's just, he's taking this time out of his journey before the end of his life, really knowing he'll soon be taken from them. And so this visit, this detour to Bethany was just kind of his farewell, offering comfort before he's wrongly accused and sentenced to death, crucified.
So Jesus comes back to this city to see how his miracles have impacted the place. And obviously, it was just like word was, everybody's going crazy. He knows that more and more people now know who he is. They've seen his miracles, and they put their faith in him as the Lord and Savior, the son of God.
And so Mary and Martha, Lazarus's sisters, they want to show honor to Jesus for all that he's done for their family. Because I think about it, how do you repay someone who raised your brother from the dead? I mean, I'm sure that most people would be very thankful for that. Some might be, why don't you raise him for? I was happy when he was dead. Who knows? I don't know.
Yeah. But I don't know that there's anything that would come close to repayment for that kind of miracle, but Mary takes the most valuable of her possessions. And let's read the rest of the story, and then we'll kind of look at it as a whole.
But verse three says, Mary therefore took a pound of expensive ointment made from pure nard and anointed the feet of Jesus and wiped his feet with her hair. The house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume, but Judas Iscariot, one of his disciples, he who was about to betray him said, why was this ointment not sold for 300 denarii and given to the poor?
He said this, not because he cared about the poor, but because he was a thief and having charge of the money bag, he used to help himself to what was put into it. Jesus said, hey, leave her alone so that she may keep it for the day of my burial. For the poor, you'll always have with you, but you don't always have me.
Verse 9, when the large crowd of the Jews learned that Jesus was there, they came not only on account of him, but also to see Lazarus, whom he had raised from the dead. So the chief priests made plans to put Lazarus to death as well, because on account of him, many of the Jews were going away and believing in Jesus.
So we know that his raising Lazarus from the dead was kind of like this catalyst for so many people to finally believe that he was the Messiah and to follow him. And my question for you today is, it really is, what is Jesus worth to you? What is Jesus worth to you?
I mean, you could look in a Kelly Blue Book and find out real quickly what your car's worth. I mean, there's probably a good appraiser in this church who could tell you exactly what your house is worth. There's probably, there might be an insurance agent here today, and with his several questions, he could probably give you an idea of what your possessions are worth, and even life insurance. You can even get an idea of what your life is worth in dollars.
But what is Jesus worth to you? How do you value your relationship with your Lord and Savior? How do you calculate that? And that's where Mary's extravagant act of worship and love shows us something about this moment. And I think it's important for us to understand and to take note of what this truly means.
And if you were to ask Mary, the sister of Martha and Lazarus, what Jesus was worth, she would undoubtedly say, you know, something like, man, he's worth everything. All of it, all that I have, all that I am, that's what he's worth to me.
And think about this. In John 12, this famous story in the Bible, honestly, is either the most flagrant waste of money or the most extravagant act of love. And how you see it depends entirely on what's valuable to you.
And all throughout the Gospels, we see Jesus completely rearranging our priorities and redefining our understanding of what is value and worth. And the context of this moment in Jesus's life is that we're less than a week before the crucifixion, and Jesus is just, you know, we're going to be in a little bit of a death on the cross.
And even in the shadow of the cross, and even in the shadow of this whole event, Jesus has already shown that he is Lord even over death. I mean, this whole crowd, all the people there, he made this statement that death is not the end, that he has authority. I mean, in the previous chapter, he raised Lazarus from the dead.
And what an incredible moment that I can't even imagine. But the miracle of Lazarus was this emphatic declaration of his authority over the grave. And that should give all of us hope. And it did the people then. There was no question in the minds of the Jews what this miracle meant, because the Jews had this belief that the spirit left the body after three days.
I mean, that's what they believed. That was, I mean, after three days, it's done. It's over. It's not possible to resurrect anybody. I don't care who. It's too late. But Jesus, in order to make this point that he had authority over death, and that he could, and that through him, we had that same authority, he raised Lazarus on the fourth day.
And I don't know if that really hits you, but in the backdrop of one of the most significant miracles of Jesus' ministry, the religious leaders are already plotting how they might arrest him and take him into custody. And as we see in the end of the verse there, verse like 9 through 11, I mean, they're trying to figure out how to kill Lazarus so people won't hear about the miracle, so they can stop this movement of people surrendering their lives to Christ and putting their faith in him.
And Jesus is about to enter Jerusalem for the very last time before his arrest. And we know the story. It's this triumphal entry, fulfilling the prophecy of Zechariah. And the crowd is hailing him as king. But just as one crowd hails his entry into Jerusalem, another crowd on Friday will shout and demand his death.
And we know the story. I mean, Jesus was very much aware of what had to happen. And this wasn't a surprise to him. He predicted his death and even prophesied what sort of death he would die. But Jesus enters this arena where fate and the sin of the entire world happens.
And he enjoys one last moment of spending time with his close friends. And so today, well, as he's there, there's just a revelation of who he is as Mary sits there and as she expresses to him this just extravagant love and worship to him.
Because today, this love will be poured out in the most extraordinary and extravagant way. And some would even say shocking or scandalous what took place when Mary decided to show her love and worship to him. Because in this time, it wasn't unusual to wash the feet of a guest who enters your home, especially an honored guest.
I mean, that was just what they do. That was merely common courtesy. What was unusual was to do so with a pound of expensive perfume. And it's not just some little drop that she dabbed on. We know from Matthew and Mark that retells the same story, that Mary anoints Jesus generously.
And she begins by anointing his head and moving down to his feet. And it's the whole bottle. And it runs everywhere, down his body, into his clothes. In Mark, it says that she breaks the bottle. And this is like a one-time extravagant act. You break the bottle, and man, it's like, you got to use it.
The quantity is so great that the whole house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume. And so I'm trying to imagine this story and imagine the shock on everybody's faces around the room. I mean, mouths wide open. I mean, they're just gasping at how could somebody do this? It whispers and murmurs about what's happening.
And some said it was a waste. And finally, as the story goes, Judas burst out what everyone's thinking. Why wasn't this perfume sold and the money given to the poor? And like Judas, everybody in the room probably could have thought of at least a dozen different things that money could be better used for.
I mean, what Mary did in this moment makes no economic sense at all. And anyone who knows the value of this product is just horrified by her extravagant display in this moment. The only one who wasn't upset by it was Jesus, who defended Mary's act of extravagance.
And think about this. Mary, as much as anyone, if you know Mary's history, you know her story, she understood the grace of Jesus. Remember? For it was her brother Jesus had just resurrected. And even now, Jesus said she was preparing his body for the greatest act of grace to ever be shown in all of history.
Think about that. Jesus said it was a worthy investment for a life about to be laid down for all of humanity. Thinking about this whole situation in terms of economics, and Mary's act makes no sense whatsoever.
And I stole this phrase from a preacher that I listened to, and I love it. In kingdomnomics, it didn't make sense economically. But in kingdomnomics, extravagant love makes perfect sense. And I think it should make sense to us.
And if we're to see our Savior, to understand the depth of what he's done for us, there's only one reasonable response to such abounding grace. And it must be this expression of love that we see so clearly in what Mary does.
And in fact, in order to understand it, we need to know that probably the most important thing is that we need to know that extravagant love always costs something. It does. I heard a pastor just talking about this, and it just makes so much sense to me.
And so the first lesson, in kingdomnomics, if I can call it that, we see from this story is extravagant love always costs something. Mary saw Jesus as worthy of the very best she could give him. And in her case, it was a bottle of pure nard.
And in this story, what we see here is there was this tremendous financial cost to this extravagant love. And I know probably some people are thinking, well, pastor, there you go. You went right to the money. Why do you have to bring money into it? Money, money, all you pastors are the same, talking about money.
But the reality is, yeah, there was a financial cost involved in this display of extravagant love. Because pure nard was an extravagant luxury item that was prized throughout the ancient world for a variety of reasons. And scholars say it came from either India or China.
So just getting it to Israel was this tremendous cost. But it was used in medicines, as a flavoring for wine, a breath freshener, a perfume for the body, for the clothes. It was known by the redness of its color, the sweet smell, which they said was like that of gladiolas.
And I've never smelled a gladiola, so I don't know what that is. But there was a taste to it, and they diluted it. I mean, it's just almost like these guys selling drugs, where they cut the product to make it go longer and increase their profit. That's what they were doing with nard.
But Mary's nard, this was the real deal. It wasn't some knockoff street vendor type of stuff that she could buy. It was like, it was the best, only the best. And that was her heart. That was her expression was, man, I am giving God, I'm giving Jesus my best. Hello? Están conmigo?
And it was a Roman pound, about 12 ounces, and it was worth about a year's wages, 300 denarii, the Bible says. Imagine taking what you make in a year and blowing it all in one single extravagant act of worship. I mean, can you even imagine doing such a thing?
And if you were to do it, what would it look like? How would you worship with your 30, 40, 50, or 60,000 that you make in a year? How would you worship in that one moment? I mean, that was a huge sum of money for anyone to have, especially a first-century Jewish woman. It was a huge financial expenditure for Mary.
Extravagant love, it costs us something. But there was also this social cost that was attached to it. And I try and think of this in terms of my life today, in today's world, today's culture. Because it's, I don't know if you know this, but man, we've been under attack. The church has been under attack. You're, you know, even mentioning that you're a believer and that you're a person of faith brings ridicule and a whole other kind of persecution, right? I mean, canceled. You get canceled if you talk about that.
But this was more than a financial expenditure. There was a huge social cost as well. And the shock comes not only from what she gave, but how she gave it. Because women in that time simply did not let their hair down in public. I mean, this was a violation of every social custom.
And the only one in Jewish society who ever saw a woman with her hair let down was her husband. And looking through several commentaries, there was one in particular that described what she did. And I love this description because it said, Mary acting, this moment was Mary acting with abandon, extravagant abandon, which is so true.
And letting her hair down is really only the beginning of the scandal. And look what she does in verse three. Then Mary took a pint of pure nard, an expensive perfume. She poured it on Jesus' feet, wiped his feet with her hair, and the house was filled with the fragrance.
And as I said earlier, we know from the other Gospels that she actually poured it over his head and body. And what's interesting about this story is that John focuses on the feet, either because she wiped them with her hair, or because in the very next chapter, John will tell us how Jesus himself would wash the disciples' feet.
And to wipe Jesus' feet with her hair rather than a towel would have been seen as just this incredibly intimate act. This would have been completely inappropriate and improper for her to do. This would be the stuff, it was the social cost of expressing this type of love.
I mean, this would be the stuff of rumors. You'd be talking about this around the water cooler, and it would just be so scandalous. But Jesus didn't care. He knew her heart. And obviously, he knew she meant nothing inappropriate by it. He knew it was coming from a place of love and grace in her heart.
And here's the thing, and I think we can all understand this. When you've been deeply touched by the grace of God, and how many have been deeply touched by the grace of God today? Lots of people. You can't help but respond in ways that make no sense to the world. No sense.
I mean, God's love and God's grace will make you do things that the world says, what's going on? That doesn't make any sense. But how often? And listen to me. How often have we backed down from loving Jesus extravagantly because of our fear of what others would think?
How often do we only act with this wimpy, reluctant love because of what someone else might say? And I think it's even tougher today, in today's culture. You know, as long as there's someone or something worth more to us than Jesus, then we'll never love him extravagantly.
Because whatever you love most, you'll love most extravagantly. Here's another key thought about love that we should always strive for in our relationship with Christ, is that, unfortunately, there's always a good reason for not loving extravagantly. And there really is.
And I'm sure we're all guilty. This is our second lesson in Kingdomnomics. There's always a good reason for not loving Jesus extravagantly. Because to love extravagantly, there's a cost. And there will always be good-sounding reasons not to pay the cost.
And imagine when Mary first starts to anoint, there was just stunned silence in the room because of the scandal. Then as the full extent of her audacity becomes apparent, people are like, then you hear the murmurs and the whispers. And finally, there's the grumbling.
And the economics of the kingdom, man, it runs so counter to the values of this world that when heaven's values are lived out in the midst of this world, and its soul-destroying values, the culture, it has a shocking impact, doesn't it?
When we, you know, when we, you know, when we, you know, when we, you know, when we, you know, when we, you know, when we, you know, when we, you know, when we, you know, when we, you know, that just confounds and is completely contrary to the values of this world. It just, especially today, it's, I mean, it sends shockwaves in every direction, as it should.
John only mentions Judas' reaction, but Matthew tells us that all the disciples were indignant. Mark says, actually, Mark says the same story, says some of those present were saying indignantly to one another, why this waste of time? Why this waste of time? Why this waste of time? Why this waste of perfume? And they rebuked her sharply, if you look at another account of the story.
Their shock at the waste of such costly perfume only emphasizes for us the extravagance of Mary's worship and her display of worship in that moment. So Judas is merely expressing what all the others were thinking. And John also makes it clear, though, that Judas isn't really concerned about the poor.
And in verse 5 and 6 says, why was this perfume sold and the money given to the poor? It was a year's worth of money. It was a year's worth of money. It was a year's worth of money. It was a year's worth of wages. And he didn't say this because he cared about the poor. I mean, we know, but because he was a thief. He was the keeper of the money bag, and he used it to help himself to whatever money was in there.
And that doesn't mean, though, that everyone in that room had, you know, an ulterior motive. They all didn't have access to the money bag. Some of them were probably legitimately concerned about the best use of the money. Were they wrong? I mean, couldn't that money have been used for lots of other things? I mean, yes. Sure, it could.
And although she didn't know the details, Mary recognized the significance of what Jesus was about to do. And the disciples, we know, the disciples just, they didn't get it. They didn't have a clue, but Mary, she just, she knew that Jesus was about to lay down his life.
And I think this is so interesting. The three times we meet Mary in the Gospels, up close and personal, we find her in the same place, at the feet of Jesus. We see this in the previous chapter, after Lazarus dies, she comes to town and we find Mary at the feet of Jesus, you know, pouring her heart out, Lord, if you had only been here, if you'd only come sooner.
And then on another occasion, Jesus is over for dinner. Martha's in the kitchen. She's cooking up. She's mad that her sister isn't helping her. And where do we find Mary? She's at the feet of Jesus, listening, learning. And I can imagine her with a quill and a scroll, taking notes. She's taking in every word.
She's taking in every word to her heart and mind. And so we find her here in this story, in John 12, at Jesus' feet, anointing him. And there was just this, if you understand those three moments in her life, there was this prophetic aspect to what Mary was doing.
Because anointing with perfume was part of the traditional Jewish burial rite. And Mary didn't want to wait until Jesus was dead to demonstrate how much she loved him. She wanted to know while she was still alive, while he was still alive.
And interestingly, she would never get another chance. I mean, do you remember why the ladies were going to the tomb on Sunday morning after Jesus died? They were taking burial spices to properly prepare his body for burial. Something that, in hindsight, you can see Mary's part in that as she anointed Jesus.
Perfume would have been a part of that mixture. Mary had been unable to prepare the body after taking him down from the cross because it was almost time for the Sabbath to begin. And Jewish religious laws wouldn't allow them to prepare the body for burial on the Sabbath.
But they were never able to prepare the body because there was no body. Aren't you glad about that? Yeah. Mary didn't even know the full significance of what she was doing because she was actually preparing his body. But she knew what Jesus was worth to her. She knew he was worth extravagant love.
Matthew tells us that Jesus calls what Mary did a beautiful thing. Extravagant acts of love, acts of beauty and worship and praise, they always seem wasteful from a certain point of view. I mean, right? It's like, couldn't you do something more useful with that time? Couldn't you do something more important? Why can't that money be spent on something that makes a difference?
And I don't know if you've ever noticed this. I'm sure as I'm mentioning it now, it probably makes sense. But there's always something wasteful about love. People don't show their love in extravagant ways because they're being practical. I mean, what's practical about a dozen roses? Hello? What does a diamond ring accomplish?
The money spent on a beautiful wedding could always be more practically spent on a new car for the couple or a new house. Why the extravagant waste? We just married off our last daughter. A daddy's girl. I'm still sad about it. No, I'm happy about it. But I mean, why? Because of love.
Because love sees a worth in things that defies simple accounting. Love understands a value beyond dollars. I mean, think about it. A boy showers a girl with gifts and he wastes inordinate amounts of time with her and carefully crafts prose, poetry, and lyrics. Because in her, he sees a worth beyond reason.
Isn't that true? Such is God's love for us and so should be our love for him. And so Jesus' response to these concerns is like, you'll always have the poor among you, but you'll not always have me.
And on the one hand, some have said that this means that Mary's extravagant expression of love was justifiable in this one instance only, but never would such a lavish outpouring be appropriate in any other time or place because Jesus only died this once.
It's just interesting to me, the thought behind that. Jesus was giving a description of how the world should be, not of how the world should be, but how it is. As the people of God, we should always be pointing to a better way. We're called to demonstrate God's love for the poor and downtrodden.
Yes, while it's true, we'll never fully solve this problem until Jesus comes, returns. We'll always need to demonstrate that Jesus is and will be the ultimate solution. And so there's this moment in her worship, in her extravagant expression of love and worship to him.
And Jesus is emphasizing this moment to everyone that's there. And this example that Mary gives us shows us, demonstrates to us, the worth that is in Jesus, that we should worship him in the same way, so to speak, where we give him the best of our love.
We give him the best of our time, our talents, our treasures. We give him the best without fear of what others might think. And we can perform extravagant acts of beauty and kindness. And when people ask why we do such a thing like Mary's, we say, well, I don't know.
I don't know. I don't know. I don't know. I don't know. I don't know. I don't know. I don't know. I don't know. I don't know. I don't know. I don't know. I don't know.
We can point to the death of Jesus and say, I do this because God so loved the world that he sent his one and only son. Whoever believes in him will not perish, but will have eternal life.
What your extravagant love for Jesus will look like will be, it's different for everyone. For one person, it might be serving in a ministry and loving extravagantly through that ministry. It might be coaching a little league team, not because you're passionate about sports, but because you want to love those kids.
It might mean giving up a lucrative career to go to the mission field. It might be taking in a foster child. I think of our Savior's love for us. Think of what it cost him to demonstrate that love that didn't make sense.
The only explanation is our heavenly Father loved us with an extravagant, indescribable love. And think of all the things Jesus could have done. He could have come to the earth to do. He could have traveled the entire globe imparting wisdom and knowledge and truth wherever a crowd would gather to listen.
I mean, he could have visited the sick beds and the leper colonies and healing all the diseases in the world, and he could have fed 5,000 after 5,000 after 5,000 until all the hurting and hungry of the world were well and well-fed. But that wouldn't have saved us. That wouldn't have given us what we needed most.
So God poured out his love extravagantly. He didn't just give a little drop, a little dab here and there, but he broke the bottle. The body of his son was broken on the cross, and every last ounce of his love was poured out so that you may know him and be with him, so that we could experience the love and grace. Amen.
Mary is merely acting out what she knows in her heart. She knows that she loves Jesus with all that she has. So now she loves him literally with all that she has.
And if you're a believer, you've supposedly given him your life. But do we really love him with all that we are? And too many Christians are like the guy who bought an engagement ring for his special girl. He told the jeweler to inscribe the inside of the ring with these words: for the only girl I could ever love.
The jeweler asked, do you want her name on it? And the young man answered, no, that way if she says no, I can give it to someone else because he wasn't all in.
So my question today for you is, are you? I mean, honestly, are you all in? I hope that you are. And if you're not, today's the day to be all in.
And you know what? If you could stand, I just want to pray. Hallelujah. God, we are so thankful for your word. God, we're so thankful for what you've showed us today. We're so thankful, God, for the love that you have poured out over us, for the anointing that you have bestowed upon us in your act of extravagant love.
May we understand what that means. May we truly, truly understand what that means. And may we respond in a way that's just extravagant like Mary in our way of extravagance. God, help us. Help us to worship you that way.
But help us to pour that same love out over others, family members, co-workers, strangers, people we meet, people in church. May we make that commitment to a deeper relationship with you.
God, and I don't know where you are spiritually today, but maybe there's somebody here. You came today maybe for the first time, or maybe you've been coming for a while and you've been hearing, uh, pastor talk about God and about Jesus and about a relationship, and you're not sure where you sit with God, where you stand with him, whether or not your eternity is secure.
And if you would like to have that assurance today, the Bible says that it's just a matter of a declaration of faith, a prayer of faith, acknowledging who God is and his son Jesus and what he did on the cross to save your soul, to save you, to make you a child of God.
And if you have not done that at all in your life, not once, and you will be saved, and you will be saved, and you will be saved, and you will be saved.
And I would like to do that today for the first time. I would ask that you just raise your hand so that I can see. I'm not going to call you up front or anything, but raise your hand. Thank you. Thank you. Who else? Thank you. Thank you. Who else? Who else? Thank you.
Anybody else? How I do? Thank you. And those that are watching online, you can participate because the Bible tells us that through a simple confession of faith, we're saved.
So if you could just repeat this after me, everybody: Heavenly Father, I know I'm a sinner. I need a Savior. Thank you for sending your son Jesus to pay the highest price for my soul, for my healing, for my forgiveness.
Forgive me of all my sins. Heal me of my brokenness. Jesus, I need you to save me, to change me, make me new, to fill me with your Spirit so that I can know you, so that I can serve you, so that I can belong to you.
I recognize you as my Lord and Savior today. I give my heart to you. Thank you for saving me. My life is no longer mine. I give it all to you. In the precious name of Jesus.
And everybody said, Amen. Amen. Awesome. Let's celebrate with those that gave their lives to Christ. If you did that for the first time today, uh, there's a QR code on the screen. Uh, open up your phone and open up that link. We have some information we'd like to give you.
And guys, thank you for coming today, and thank you for supporting us. And, uh, you are dismissed.
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on Jul 29, 2024
