Sermon Intro

• Start with a story
  • I’ve been writing these songs for you. 
• All true worship finds its way to the throne of God to the feet of The King
  • You will never outgive The King
• In a way, worship is a seed that will always produce a harvest
• This week: Worship is a seed. 

Passage

Matthew 26:6–13 (NLT) — 6 Meanwhile, Jesus was in Bethany at the home of Simon, a man who had previously had leprosy. 7 While he was eating, a woman came in with a beautiful alabaster jar of expensive perfume and poured it over his head. 8 The disciples were indignant when they saw this. “What a waste!” they said. 9 “It could have been sold for a high price and the money given to the poor.” 10 But Jesus, aware of this, replied, “Why criticize this woman for doing such a good thing to me? 11 You will always have the poor among you, but you will not always have me. 12 She has poured this perfume on me to prepare my body for burial. 13 I tell you the truth, wherever the Good News is preached throughout the world, this woman’s deed will be remembered and discussed.”

Post Passage thoughts

• Three stories of women anointing Jesus with fragrance
  • One in Galilee at the Pharisee's house
  • One in Bethany at the Leper’s house
  • One in Bethany at Mary’s house
• Things to note:
  • All three were women
    • One was a sinner, one was unknown, and one was a dear friend. You shouldn’t let your backdrop keep you from worship
  • There was criticism in each story.
    • The people closest to him were most critical.
  • A little about the oil - FIND PICTURE OF SPIKENARD
    • 

Body

1. The Motivation for Worship
   1. They saw Him as worthy
      1. Each woman saw Jesus as worthy of this type of expression. 
      2. His great mercy  
      3. His great power  
      4. His great love  
      5. What makes Him worthy to you?
   2. They were deeply grateful
      1. The woman was grateful because she had been forgiven. 
      2. The man had no gratitude because he was self-righteous. 
      3. The more self-righteousness you hold, the less love you have for Jesus.
      4. Do you realize what He has done and is doing for you?
   3. They wanted to serve Him
      1. They each had a desire to serve Jesus. They wanted to do something for him to express their love. 
   4. They wanted to be close to Him
      1. I think they desired to be close to Him. 
   5. Thesis of this point: Behind all worship is motivation. In each of these scenes Jesus is surrounded with people, but these women had motivation to worship. They were drawn to him. One was drawn by his mercy, another his power, another his love. They recognized his extreme value. One was motivated from gratitude. They were all motivated by a desire to serve him. They were motivated by a desire to be close to him. 
2. The Obstacles of Worship
   1. People’s perspectives
   2. It’s not important
      1. Didn’t offer water
      2. Didn’t greet with kiss
      3. Neglected courtesy of olive oil
   3. It’s not appropriate
      1. Didn’t think the woman was qualified to do that act
   4. It’s not priority
      1. Thought it could go to a better cause
      2. Jesus allowed them to do this because He agreed it right
   5. Thesis of this point: There will always be obstacles to our worshiping Jesus. For Simon, he didn’t see the value and thought it was unimportant. In his mind it was inappropriate for her to be lavishly giving him that love, especially with the history she had. For the disciples, the problem was that it should go to the poor, and not be spent on Jesus. Nonetheless, these women pushed right through the opinions and gave their worship to Jesus, and He allowed it. 
3. The Harvest of Worship
   1. Immediate harvest - They smelled like the perfume
   2. Long term harvest - They leave an example for all of us
   3. Eternal harvest - If Jesus remembers the ones who give a cup of cold water, surely he will never forget the one that anointed him for burial
   4. Considering the seeds of others throughout the Bible:
      1. Consider the seeds of Solomon: He worshiped and the glory fell
      2. Consider the seeds of David: He danced and set the culture for the Kingdom
      3. Consider the seeds of Paul: He worshiped in the prison and the walls came down
      4. Consider the seeds of Job: He worshiped and it became an example in heaven
   5. Thesis of this point: Worship is a seed, and there's always a harvest. No worship is ever wasted. For these women, there was an immediate harvest, a long term harvest, and an eternal harvest. The immediate harvest was the fragrance and the moment, the long term harvest was that they gave an example to us on how to worship, and the eternal harvest is it is impossible to outgive a king.  

Closing