Romans 12:1 NLT And so, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all he has done for you. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice—the kind he will find acceptable. This is truly the way to worship him.
I. Simon The Leper
A. The Cleansed Hospitable Man
1. We know from Matthew 26 and Mark 14, that this dinner took place in the home of a man known as Simon the Leper, who must have been healed by Jesus.
2. If he was still leprous, no one would have been near him.
3. Leprosy was incurable, except for the miraculous; we believe that Jesus healed him.
4. The Jewish leadership wanted to kill Jesus; they were looking for him. We know they wanted to kill Lazarus, because his life was a testimony to the power of Jesus.
5. In spite of the danger, Simon opened up his home for the dinner which honored Jesus.
6. He had been healed, and wanted to offer up his material possessions to honor Jesus.
B. Honoring And Worshipping Jesus With Our Possessions
1. Leprosy has been used as a picture of sin: incurable by man, and deadly.
2. The Christian is one who has been cleansed of the deadly disease of sin. (2 Peter 1:9)
3. When we realize how we’ve been healed, we make our possessions available to Jesus.
4. Examples: Peter’s boat that Jesus used to preach from, the few fishes and loaves given to Jesus to feed the multitudes, the donkey Jesus rode on Palm Sunday, the Upper Room where the Last Supper was, the borrowed grave that Jesus was laid in.
5. Application: As you realize how you have been healed, you will be willing to honor and worship Jesus with your possessions. It’s just a natural response.
II. Martha
A. Martha The Servant
1. The Gospels reveal Martha as a person who liked to be hands on, and liked to be serving.
2. Her personality type was that of a person who got the job done.
3. Martha was seen previously in Luke 10:38-42.
4. Previously, when Martha served Jesus, she did it with a complaining spirit. She resented feeling that she had to do all the work, and she blamed Jesus for not correcting Mary, who sat at His feet. It was such a bad situation, that Jesus had to correct her in her own home. It seems that after Lazarus was raised, Martha lost her complaining spirit.
B. Honoring And Worshipping Jesus Through Service
1. Ephesians 2:10 For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.
2. Romans 12:6-8 6Having then gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us, let us use them: if prophecy, let us prophesy in proportion to our faith; 7or ministry (service), let us use it in our ministering…
3. Application: We are all called to do good works, but some of us are more inclined to be very hands on. When we do good works as a response to the love that God has for us, it is honoring and an act of worship to Jesus.
III. Lazarus
A. Lazarus The Friend
1. The Bible doesn’t record one word that Lazarus ever said.
2. It does tell us that Jesus loved Lazarus and His sisters.
3. John 11 tells us that Jesus raised Lazarus to life after he had been dead for four days.
4. This miracle was witnessed by many people, including friends and enemies of Jesus.
5. V. 2 tells us that Lazarus sat at the table with Jesus. Imagine the reality of that.
6. In that culture, to dine with someone was a sign of oneness and union.
7. Now Lazarus was dining with Jesus, not serving, not at his feet, but in fellowship.
8. Everything about Lazarus’ life, though seemingly unspectacular, brought glory to Jesus.
B. Honoring And Worshipping Jesus In Fellowship
1. Lazarus was previously dead; people are spiritually dead to God until He awakens them.
2. Ephesians 2:1, 4-5 1And you He made alive, who were dead in trespasses and sins… 4But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, 5even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved)…
3. Ephesians 4:1 …walk worthy of the calling with which you were called…
4. Application: We honor and worship Jesus when walk as spiritually alive people.
IV. Mary
A. Mary The Worshipper
1. Mary’s worship of Jesus was costly.
a. Very costly oil of spikenard-
b. Estimated value was 300 denarii: equal to 300 days wages for a common laborer.
c. Modern day equivalent would be $30-50,000 in 2015.
2. Mary’s worship of Jesus was done in humility and intimacy
a. It was the job of the household slave to wash guest’s feet of and perfume them.
b. Mary volunteered for this job. She also anointed Jesus’ head (Matthew 26:7)
c. She let her hair down in Jesus’ presence; a sign of intimacy and extreme closeness.
3. Mary’s worship of Jesus was criticized.
a. Judas found fault with such an extravagant act of worship.
b. We may feel awkward at certain kinds of expressions of worship, but we have no right to judge the sincerity of those actions, or determine if God is pleased with them.
c. Our criticism of such worship may indicate that we have little or no love for Jesus.
d. Mary’s action fit a cultural norm, but it was taken to an extreme, and criticized.
4. Mary’s worship has memorialized for 2000 years.
Matthew 26:12, 13 For in pouring this fragrant oil on My body, she did it for My burial. 13Assuredly, I say to you, wherever this gospel is preached in the whole world, what this woman has done will also be told as a memorial to her.”
B. Honoring And Worshipping Jesus Through Costly Worship
1. The cost of worshipping Jesus can be measured in many ways.
2. Regardless of those measurements, do you spend yourself to worship Jesus? Is there cost?
V. Judas
A. Judas The Hypocrite
B. May We Examine Ourselves Re. Hypocrisy
2 Corinthians 13:5 5 Examine yourselves to see whether you are in the faith; test yourselves. Do you not realize that Christ Jesus is in you—unless, of course, you fail the test?
Life Group Questions…
1. Which of these people do you most resonate with? Who do you most resemble?
2. As these people honored and worshipped Jesus, there was no competition between them.
a. The Bible emphasizes Mary’s action, but there was no record of jealousy amongst them.
b. What is the key for us to not compare ourselves with other people?
3. Because the religious leaders were out to kill Jesus, these people were in danger by spending time with Jesus, but they didn’t seem to care. What made the difference in their lives?