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SERMONThe Priorities to Love

Crossway Multinational ChurchFebruary 26, 2017

A Chinese Idiom

Perch: a thing on which a bird dwells, typically a branch or a horizontal rod in a birdcage.

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A Chinese Idiom

赶鸭子上架

drive a duck onto a perch -- make somebody do something entirely beyond him

Why Qiang (Chung) is Preaching?

Pastor John Drives Qiangonto a perch of preaching.

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Open Prayer

The Priorities to

Love

Mark 14: 1-11February 26, 2017

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A few Discussions

• Love (share some comments / insights)– Youth (< 18), Young Adult (18-30), Adult (31-65), Mature Adult (65+)

• Priority (plural: priorities)– a thing that is regarded as more important than another;– something given special attention.

• Is setting priorities critical in loving? Why?• Sermon: the Priorities to Love

– What are the priorities?– How to reflect the priority to love (Head, Heart, and Hand)?

Outline of Mark

• (Chapter1:1-13)BeginningofJesus’Ministry• (Chapter1:14– Chapter10)

Teaching,Healing,andMiraclesofJesus• (Chapters11-13)JesuscomestoJerusalem• (Chapters14-16) Jesus’DeathonCrossandResurrection

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Mark 14:1-11

• Jesus had spoken of His death and resurrection multiple times.Mark 8:31 He then began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer

many things and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests and the teachers of the law, and that he must be killed and after three days rise again.

Mark 9:31 because he was teaching his disciples. He said to them, “The Son of Man is going to be delivered into the hands of men. They will kill him, and after three days he will rise.”

Mark 10:33 “We are going up to Jerusalem,” he said, “and the Son of Man will be delivered over to the chief priests and the teachers of the law. They will condemn him to death and will hand him over to the Gentiles.

• Different actions/preparations towards Jesus’ Death.

• How these actions reflected the Priorities.

Mark 14: 1-2

1 Now the Passover and the Festival of Unleavened Bread were only two days away, and the chief priests and the teachers of the law were scheming to arrest Jesus secretly and kill him. 2 “But not during the festival,” they said, “or the people may riot.”

Passover (Hebrew Month of Nisan,15th) and the Festival of Unleavened Bread (Nisan 15th to 21st): Important Jewish festival to member the exodus from Egypt (see Exodus 12)

Religious leaders wanted to kill Jesus, because Jesus challenged their traditions, authorities, pride, and hypocrisy, and they refused to accept Jesus as God.

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Mark 14: 3-5

3 While he was in Bethany, reclining at the table in the home of Simon the Leper, a woman came with an alabaster jar of very expensive perfume, made of pure nard. She broke the jar and poured the perfume on his head.

Alabaster jar: Made from a precious stone found in Israel. This stone resembles the texture of marble, and was extremely expensive to own.

Nard: a plant from India, is still used for perfume.

4 Some of those present were saying indignantly to one another, “Why this waste of perfume? 5 It could have been sold for more than a year’s wages and the money given to the poor.” And they rebuked her harshly.

Indignant: feeling or showing anger or annoyance

Mark 14: 6-9

6 “Leave her alone,” said Jesus. “Why are you bothering her? She has done a beautiful thing to me. 7 The poor you will always have with you, and you can help them any time you want. But you will not always have me. 8 She did what she could. She poured perfume on my body beforehand to prepare for my burial. 9 Truly I tell you, wherever the gospel is preached throughout the world, what she has done will also be told, in memory of her.”

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Mark 14: 10-11

10 Then Judas Iscariot, one of the Twelve, went to the chief priests to betray Jesus to them. 11 They were delighted to hear this and promised to give him money. So he watched for an opportunity to hand him over.

Three Different Actions

1. Religious leaders plotted to arrest and kill Jesus.

2. A woman prepared for Jesus’ burial using expensive perfume.

3. Judas betrayed Jesus, and watched for opportunity to hand Jesus over to religious leaders.

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A few Questions

• Who is the woman? • When was the dinner held?• Did the disciple(s) really care about the poor? • What priorities were reflected by these actions?• What are the priorities to love?

John 12: 1-81 Six days before the Passover, Jesus came to Bethany, where Lazarus lived, whom

Jesus had raised from the dead. 2 Here a dinner was given in Jesus’ honor. Martha served, while Lazarus was among those reclining at the table with him. 3 Then Mary took about a pint of pure nard, an expensive perfume; she poured it on Jesus’ feet and wiped his feet with her hair. And the house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume.

4 But one of his disciples, Judas Iscariot, who was later to betray him, objected, 5 “Why wasn’t this perfume sold and the money given to the poor? It was worth a year’s wages.” 6 He did not say this because he cared about the poor but because he was a thief; as keeper of the money bag, he used to help himself to what was put into it.

7 “Leave her alone,” Jesus replied. “It was intended that she should save this perfume for the day of my burial. 8 You will always have the poor among you, but you will not always have me.”

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Answers to the Questions

• Who was the woman? – Mary, the sister of Martha and Lazarus.

• When was the dinner held?– Six days before the Passover.– Mark 14:1, Two days before the Passover.– The three events/actions were not written in the order of their occurrence, but to put

together for making comparisons.• Did the disciple really care about the poor?

– No. Judas was a thief, and cared about money.

What are the priorities to love?

• Matthew 22:37-40 1. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your

mind.2. Love your neighbor as yourself.

• 1 Corinthians 13:1-3Doing wonderful things such as speaking in the tongues, having gift of prophecy and

knowledge, having faith that can move mountains, giving all I possess to the poor, giving over my body to hardship etc. ...

without Love (of God and neighbor in right priority), is Nothing!

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What priorities are reflected by these Actions?

1. Religious leaders plotted to arrest and kill Jesus.Priorities: authority, tradition, pride, and hypocrisy etc.

2. Mary prepared for Jesus’ burial using expensive perfume.Priority: God / Jesus

3. Judas betrayed Jesus.Priority: money.

How Did Mary Demonstrate her priority to Love God?

1.Head

2.Heart

3.Hand

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Luke 10: 38-4238 As Jesus and his disciples were on their way, he came to a

village where a woman named Martha opened her home to him. 39 She had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet listening to what he said. 40 But Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made. She came to him and asked, “Lord, don’t you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself ? Tell her to help me!”

41 “Martha, Martha,” the Lord answered, “you are worried and upset about many things, 42 but few things are needed—or indeed only one. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.

Mary’s Love to God / Jesus

• Listen to Jesus’ teaching attentively (Remember in Head)

• Trust Jesus’ Words wholeheartedly (Believe in Heart)

• Act sacrificially without reservation (Practice in Hand)

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Big Idea

We are called to love God as our first priority,

by listening to His Words (Head),

trusting His Promises through Faith (Heart),

and acting without reservation (Hand).

Reflection and Application

• What is your priorities to love?• What would other 11 disciples (excluding Judas) think of

Mary’s action?• What do you learn from Mary’s love to Jesus?• Do you love other things more than you love God? If yes,

what is one thing that you can give up for God?• How do you practice loving God through listening,

trusting, and acting?

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Reference

• Grace to You: https://www.gty.org/• Preparations For Christ’s Death

http://westpalmbeachchurchofchrist.com/mark/mark_14-1-11.html

• Images, Definitions – Internet