Good evening to you all. Thank you for having me back tonight. And I did want to just simply say from the bottom of my heart, thank you to all of you for your love that you have shown me, for your generosity, for coming up and shaking my hand afterwards and introducing yourselves. I have truly enjoyed getting to know all of those who I have talked to, and I hope to catch all of you who I did not have a chance to talk to earlier today, perhaps after the service tonight. And I wanted to just thank you all for your kindness, your thoughtfulness. Thank you for turning up the heat extra high for me. I mean, from California. I did want to say especially thank you to Pastor Mitch and Nancy for your incredible, godly hospitality. And I have been so blessed by your ministry to me. I came here to serve all of you, and I feel like I'm just blown away because I feel like I'm the one that has been served. And I certainly don't deserve that. So thank you very much, Pastor Mitch and Nancy. Well, for tonight, I thought, after hearing about God's love for us this morning, that it would only be appropriate for us to consider tonight our love for God. This is to say, the only fitting response of the love of God for us is for us to love God with all of our heart, soul, mind, and strength. as we have been commanded to do by the Lord Jesus. So if you would, please take your Bibles and turn with me to the book of Mark. Mark chapter 14. We'll be reading verses one through 11. Mark 14, verses one through 11. Mark 14, verse 1. It was now two days before the Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread. And the chief priests and the scribes were seeking how to arrest him by stealth and kill him. For they said, not during the feast, lest there be an uproar from the people. And while he was at Bethany in the house of Simon the leper, As he was reclining at table, a woman came with an alabaster flask of ointment of pure nard, very costly. And she broke the flask and poured it over his head. There were some who said to themselves indignantly, why was this ointment wasted like that? For this ointment could have been sold for more than 300 denarii and given to the poor. And they scolded her. But Jesus said, leave her alone. Why do you trouble her? She has done a beautiful thing to me. For you always have the poor with you. And whenever you want, you can do good for them. But you will not always have me. She has done what she could. She has anointed my body beforehand for burial. And truly, I say to you, wherever the gospel is proclaimed in the whole world, what she has done will be told in memory of her." Then Judas Iscariot, who was one of the 12, went to the chief priests in order to betray him to them. And when they heard it, they were glad and promised to give him money. And he sought an opportunity to betray him. This is the word of the Lord. Let us pray. Our Father who is in heaven, You are worthy. You alone are worthy. You alone are worthy of all honor and power and praise and glory and love. You alone are worthy of more love to Thee. So Lord, our prayer for this evening is very simple. As we open your word tonight, would you stir our hearts for your son, Jesus? Would you stir our affections for our Lord and Savior, Jesus? Would you spur us on to more and more devotion to him, that we might love Jesus with all of our heart, soul, mind, and strength? for he is worthy of it all. We pray in his most precious name. Amen. In the mid-20th century, there were two young gifted evangelists who came on the scene at the same time. They were called the Gold Dust Twins. One of the two young evangelists was named Billy Graham. The other was called Charles Templeton. By all accounts, Templeton was the better preacher of the Gold Dust Twins. He was effective, handsome, brilliant. In 1946, the National Association of Evangelicals gave Templeton the award Best Used of God. The two of them went on preaching tours. They even went to Europe and preached in England, Scotland, Ireland, Sweden, and other countries. Templeton, in the 1950s, was given weekly television programs on NBC and CBS to preach to thousands of American households. He preached in the US to as many as 20,000 people a night across the country. Charles Templeton overshadowed Billy Graham. He was the better speaker and the better preacher. He was the more gifted man, and according to evangelicals, best used of God. In 1957, Charles Templeton declared himself an agnostic. He left the ministry and became a journalist, a politician, and television broadcaster. That same year, in 1957, he signed off on his apostasy with a book entitled, Farewell to God. That was the period. The story from church history, as told by John MacArthur, illustrates for us a very important truth, a tremendously important reality. When it comes to Jesus Christ, there are only two responses. There are only two paths to take, two options from which to choose. Either you follow him, or you flee from him. Either you walk with him, or you walk away from him. Either you love him, or whether or not you say it, you hate him. The cross of Christ is the dividing line of all humanity. either devotion or rebellion. As Jesus said, you are either with me or against me. There are only two paths in life, two roads to take, two options from which to choose. So this evening, let me begin by asking, which path are you on? Which road are you taking? Which option are you choosing? The psalmist in Psalm 86 verse 11 says, teach me your way, Lord, that I may walk in your truth. Give me an undivided heart that I may fear your name. That's what God wants. God wants an undivided heart, a heart that is united in its love for him. God wants, nay, God demands and deserves a singular affection, a prioritized love, a united heart towards Him. And that's what this passage before us illustrates. And before we jump into our text, let me set the context. In Mark 14, we are in the Passion Week, the week of Jesus' suffering. We have entered the final week of Jesus' life. Gethsemane, Gabbatha, and Golgotha are just around the corner. We are watching history unfold in the shadow of the cross. Calvary is beckoning. We are drawing closer and closer to the holy of holies, the inner place of sacrifice, the crucifixion of the Lord of glory. That's because the permeating theme of this passage is the death of Christ. Death is casting its shadow over these 11 verses. In verses one and two, the religious elite are plotting the murder of Jesus. In verses three through nine, the worshipful woman is preparing Jesus for burial. And in verses 10 and 11, Judas is betraying Jesus unto death. In a literary sense, we are approaching the climax of Mark's gospel. In a historical sense, we are approaching the climax of salvation history. Now a word about the chronology of this passage, which is very, very important to understand. On Friday of this week, Jesus will be lifted up on a cross, hung, suspended between heaven and earth, and he will drink the cup of God's wrath for us. But in Mark 14, verse one, we arrive at Wednesday of Passion Week, two days before the cross, two days before Calvary. Notice in verses one and two, the chief priests and scribes meet together to plot. They are seeking to kill the Savior. Then in verses 10 and 11, Judas Iscariot, one of the 12, goes to the chief priests and scribes to betray Jesus to them. When does this happen? Actually, both of these events happen on the same day. Both of these events happen on the same day of this week, on Wednesday of Passion Week. So on Wednesday of this week, the chief priests and Judas meet together to kill Jesus Christ. Verses 1 and 2 and verses 10 and 11 happen on the same day. They happen at the same time. But against this backdrop of utter wickedness in verses three through nine, Mark drops this story of simple, unabashed, undivided devotion to Christ. When does this happen? John, in the parallel passage, gives us a timeline. John gives us the chronology. In John 12.1, John says this occurred six days before the Passover. This means this event happened on Saturday night before the Passion Week, before Jesus even entered Jerusalem at all. This is the night before Palm Sunday. So verses 1 and 2 and verses 10 and 11 occur on Wednesday at the same time, but verses 3 through 9 are a flashback to Saturday night. It is out of chronological order. Why? Why would Mark do this? Why would Mark interrupt the events of Wednesday to include something that happened on Saturday? For contrast. For emphasis. For comparison. Verses three through nine stand as one of the greatest displays of love to Christ ever in salvation history. But it is bookended, it is bracketed by two of the greatest displays of hatred ever in salvation history. We are meant to see the stark contrast between these two groups of people. The wickedness of verses 1 and 2 and verses 10 and 11 sandwich the goodness of verses 3 through 9. This is the climax of love and hate, the climax of devotion and rebellion juxtaposed together. So let's see exactly that this evening. Our passage, Mark 14, one through 11, illustrates for us two contrasting responses to the polarizing person of Jesus Christ. These are two contrasting responses, two diametrically opposed responses to the person of the Lord Jesus Christ. Let's look first at the climax of rebellion, the climax of rebellion, verses one and two. It was now two days before the Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread. And the chief priests and scribes were seeking how to arrest him by stealth and kill him. For they said, not during the feast, lest there be an uproar from the people." Here we find ourselves on Wednesday of Passion Week, two days before the Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread. Passover, of course, was a time of remembrance of Israel's deliverance from the slavery of Egypt. It was symbolic for God's deliverance from the slavery of sin. The Feast of Unleavened Bread was symbolic for the necessary removal of sin. Jewish tradition tells us that during the Feast of Unleavened Bread, the Jews were to go through their entire house and remove any leaven, any yeast, which was a symbol of the cleansing and removal of sin in their lives. So we have two festivals celebrating the deliverance from sin and the necessary removal of sin. The point of these two festivals occurring together is you have been delivered from sin, now cleanse yourself from sin. So on the cusp of these two festivals, the religious lead of Israel call a meeting. Matthew tells us these men met together secretly at the house of Caiaphas. the high priest. However, this isn't just any meeting. This isn't a men's barbecue. This isn't a Bible study. This isn't a men's breakfast where they serve wawas. This isn't together for the Torah conference. This is a meeting for conspiracy, for murder, They were seeking how to arrest him by stealth and kill him. Obviously, they thought this through because they knew they had to do it by stealth. They had to do it secretly, cunningly, craftily, with guile. They knew that Jesus was very popular. Jesus had fed the masses. He had performed miracles. He had healed the sick. He had cured the blind. So they wanted to save face. They wanted to arrest Jesus secretly in private. So here we are on this fateful day. Just imagine it with me. Just let us exercise some holy imagination. And I would like for us to imagine this particular day. On the outside, in the streets of Jerusalem, you can hear all the noise All the clamor, all the laughter, all the festivities, all the joy. People are coming from all over Israel to Jerusalem for a feast. During the festival seasons, the population of Jerusalem would swell from an estimated 50,000 people to 250,000 people. The population of Jerusalem would increase by five times almost overnight. Passover is a time of reunion. People haven't seen each other in a long time. Hey, brother. Hey, sister. Hey, friend. Hey, cousin. I haven't seen you in forever. How are you doing? People are giving each other hugs. They're giving each other kisses. There is laughter in the streets of Jerusalem. There is joy in the streets of Jerusalem. But with all that noise going on outside, The religious leaders are quietly having a secret meeting inside. Behind closed doors, they speak in hushed tones as they devise a plot for murder. We have a secret meeting to devise a secret plot to secretly kill the savior. Sometimes there is a sense in which familiarity breeds complacency. We've read this text so many times, we know the story so well, we think to ourselves, oh, yeah, yeah, the chief priests, they hated Jesus. The scribes, they wanted to kill him. Tell me something I don't know. But brethren, we need to understand the gravity of this. These men, were the men that everyone looked up to, everyone followed. These were the men who were supposed to teach and model God's word. These were the spiritual religious leaders of the entire country of Israel. This would be like America's greatest Christian leaders meeting together for murder. Just as an illustration. about how ludicrous this is, just hypothetically, this is just hypothetical. Can you tell this is hypothetical? Wouldn't we be amazed, for instance, wouldn't we be appalled, hypothetically speaking, if John Piper, John MacArthur, Mark Dever, Ligon Duncan, Al Mohler, and Kevin DeYoung all secretly met together to kill someone? We would be revolted. We would be disgusted. We would be appalled. We would be astonished. And as these chief priests and scribes were deviously meeting with dimmed lights in a back room, a knock comes on the door. And they all pause and wait anxiously to see who it is. And an awkward tension fills the room. And as the awkwardness crescendos, door opens, and out of the darkness and into the room walks Judas Iscariot, one of the 12. Verse 10, then Judas Iscariot, who was one of the 12, went to the chief priests in order to betray him to them. And then comes, perhaps, the bitterest line in all of the Gospel of Mark, verse 11. And when they heard it, they rejoiced. Most translations, like the ESV says here, translates it as, they were glad. The NIV gives the closest rendering. They were delighted. But the word Cairo is much more ironic and bitter than that. When they heard it, they rejoiced. They had joy, joy over the murder of God's son. They would have clapped their hands. They would have smiled. They would have danced. They threw a party, a party to celebrate the murder of God's son. This is bitter to the taste. And they promised to give him money. Matthew 26, 15 says, he agreed to do it for 30 pieces of silver. Exodus 21, 32 says that 30 pieces of silver is the price of a slave. In today's wages, 30 pieces of silver would be the equivalent of about five weeks worth of income. Five weeks worth. That's a little more than two paychecks. Would you kill your best friend for two paychecks? Jesus loved Judas like a familiar friend. Judas sold Jesus like a slave. And he sought an opportunity to betray him. Judas plotted and waited and watched for an opportunity to let his secret rebellion come out. See, brothers and sisters, this account is an entire account of hypocrisy. That's what this really is. This is a story of hypocrisy. This story drips with hypocrisy. It is thick with hypocrisy. The chief priests of the religious elite, who look oh so righteous on the outside, secretly meet together for murder. And they do it during the time of the festival season, during the Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread. While they should have been removing the leaven of sin from their heads and their hearts and their homes, they were plotting the most wicked sin in the history of the world. Judas Iscariot, now he is the epitome of hypocrisy. Judas is a Latinized version of his real name, Judah. Judah is his Hebrew name. Brothers and sisters, do you know what Judah means? It means praise. Praise. Can you taste the irony? Judas is identified as one of the 12. This emphasizes his treachery. This wasn't some assassin or hit man off the street. This wasn't even an enemy of Jesus. Judas was one of the 12. Judas had eaten the bread when Jesus fed the 5,000. Judas was in the boat when Jesus calmed the wind and the waves. Judas beheld with his own two eyes the people that Jesus had raised from the dead. This is Judas Iscariot, one of the 12. It seems complicated, but it's not. All of these characters had one thing in common. Their hearts were not right with God. They looked oh so good on the outside, but on the inside their hearts were full of poison. It was only a matter of time before their secret rebellion came out. All it needed was an opportunity. There's a saying that I like that I think just captures this. Time and truth go together. Time and truth go together. Who you are on the inside will eventually come out. It's only a matter of time. All it needs is an opportunity. You think, how could Judas have let this sin possibly get this far? This is what happens when secret sin goes unchecked. When secret sin is harbored in the heart, it longs to come out. Secret sin plots and plans and waits for an opportunity. It's just looking for an opportunity. The adulterous heart plots for that secret glance to see that someone you're being tempted by. The bitter heart jumps at the first chance it gets to speak a destructive word because it's been waiting so long. The gossiping heart waits until someone says something so you can chime in and really get going. Secret sin is just looking for an opportunity. So I ask you this evening, brothers and sisters, Who are you really? Who are you in your heart of hearts? Forget who you are on the outside. Who are you on the inside? God sees. God knows. God knows what is in the darkness. Proverbs 5.21 says, for the ways of a man are before the eyes of the Lord, and he watches all his paths. Can't hide from God. Sinners try to hide from the light, but you can't hide from God. Man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart. Listen. Listen closely. Who you are when you're alone will tell you what you worship. Who you are when you're alone and what you do when you're alone will tell you, will show you, What sits enthroned in your heart? Who you are when you're alone is who you really are. Who you are when you're alone and what you do when you're alone will show you what sits on the throne of your heart. William Temple says, religion is what you do with your solitude. What do you do with your solitude? What do you do when no one else is looking? What entertains you? What preoccupies your mind? Whatever you do in the secret of your own home, in the secret of your own closet, in the secret of your own heart, what preoccupies you? What entertains your mind? That is your object of worship. That is your religion. That is your idol. Religion is what you do with your solitude. But thankfully, rebellion is not all that we see in this story. Secondly, we see the climax of devotion, verse three. The climax of devotion. And while he was at Bethany in the house of Simon the leper, as he was reclining at table, a woman came with an alabaster flask of ointment of pure nard. very costly, and she broke the flask and poured it over his head. Against the backdrop of the chief priests who were having their wicked meeting, Mark tells us that there was another meeting, this time a gathering of friends. And we are all invited. It's a Saturday night and you're walking around on the dusty roads of Bethany in Israel with nothing to do when you hear a chime on your iPhone. You pull it out of your pocket. And look, you've received an Evite. There's a get-together at the house of Simon the leper. And so you make your way over to the house of Simon the leper. And as you walk through the door, before you are all 12 apostles, Mary, Martha, Simon, and Jesus. The atmosphere is merry, it's joyful, it's celebratory. You can just picture it with me now. Over here we have Matthew and James and John and they're talking and laughing. Over here are Lazarus and Andrew and they're sharing stories about that time that Jesus did that thing. You've got Peter, he's just the life of the party. And he's alternatively stating profound theological truth and then putting his foot in his mouth. And then there's Judas. Oh, Judas is here, too. Do you think he's standing aloof in the corner, wringing his hands, looking suspicious? Do you think he's got one of those long, dark, curly mustaches, or he wears eye shadow, or he's wearing a hood? or he speaks with a British accent, like all the bad guys in the movies, even though he's Hebrew. No. He looks exactly like the rest of them. He does not stand out at all. He is one of the 12. This story is here to emphasize his treachery. And as you pan around the room, finally you spot him reclining at the table, Jesus Christ, the Savior himself. But all of a sudden, a woman emerges from the far end of the room. Her eyes are full of joy and gratitude, and they're just fixated on Jesus. She can't take her eyes off of him. And she's clutching something in her hands. It's a flask, a sealed alabaster jar. And she's holding onto it very tightly. She's gripping it very dearly, because it is extremely precious to her. She starts walking, first hesitantly, then confidently. And she walks over to Jesus. And she stops behind him. And she takes the flask and breaks it at its neck. and slowly pours out the liquid onto Jesus' head. And as she starts pouring, your nose is immediately filled with an exquisite aroma, a sweet and delightful fragrance. And she pours all of it out to the very last drop. And you begin to hear a few gasps and whispers around the room, verses four and five. But some were indignantly remarking to one another, why has this perfume been wasted? For this ointment could have been sold for more than 300 denarii and given to the poor. And they scolded her. You see, inside this flask, inside this vial, was a very costly perfume of pure nard. Nard was an extremely expensive ointment that had to be extracted from the root of an herbal plant native only to India and Nepal. It was so expensive because, as you can imagine, it was so difficult to get. To get it, you had to go up to the Himalayan mountains, dig it out, put it on the backs of camels, and bring it all the way to Israel. It was so costly, it was worth 300 denarii, the equivalent of an entire year's income. This was her all. This was her best. This would have been her life savings. This would have been incredibly precious to her. But she joyfully, sacrificially, lovingly gave it up to worship the Savior in an act of climactic devotion. So, brothers and sisters, have you freely, joyfully, sacrificially, lovingly handed over to Jesus what is most precious to you? Have you surrendered all? Maybe it's your material possessions, a bank account, maybe a house. Perhaps it's a person that you love more than you love Jesus. Maybe it's your time, or your hopes, or your dreams. Or not just your hopes or dreams, but maybe it's the hopes or dreams you have for your children. Whatever you are holding back, brothers and sisters, give it up to Him. Give it up to the Lord Jesus. Don't give Him your leftovers. Give Him your first fruits. O Christians, give over to Jesus what is most precious to you, for no sacrifice is too great for him. One writer tells the story of 1 Samuel 15 as an illustration of handing over to God everything. You know this story well. In 1 Samuel 15, God tells King Saul to kill the Amalekites. And not only that, kill all of the livestock, kill all the oxen, kill all the sheep, kill everything. But Saul refuses. Saul disobeys. Saul keeps the best of the sheep and the oxen for himself. And so Samuel, the prophet, goes to Saul and asks him, Saul, why did you not obey God's command? Why do I hear the bleating of sheep and the lowing of oxen in my ear?" And Saul says to Samuel, well, I was thinking about sacrificing them to God, of course. And Samuel says to Saul, behold, to obey is better than sacrifice. Samuel says, Oh Saul, you've missed the point. You've missed the point. The point is, God didn't want the sheep. God didn't want the sheep. God wanted you. And by keeping the sheep to yourself, you kept yourself from God. By not giving up the sheep to God, you're not giving yourself up to God. By keeping the sheep to yourself, you're keeping yourself from God. Christians, whatever you are holding back from God, give it up to Him. Give it up to Him. Surrender it to God. Trust Him with it. Don't keep it to yourself. Don't keep yourself from God by keeping your treasure to yourself. Trust Him with it. But the disciples don't get this, and Jesus has to set them straight. Verse six, let her alone. Why do you trouble her? She has done a beautiful thing to me. The disciples judged by appearances. What a waste. Jesus judges by motive. What a beautiful thing. Man looks at the outward appearance. The Lord looks on the heart. And verses seven and eight. For you always have the poor with you, and whenever you want, you can do good for them. But you will not always have me. She has done what she could. She has anointed my body beforehand for burial." Caring for the poor is a good ministry. It's a great ministry, and we are commanded to do it. But we ought not to make the good the enemy of the best, the worship of God. Complete devotion to God must be our priority, not ministry. Yes, ministry, a heart of worship will work itself out into a life of ministry, but don't minister for the sake of ministry, minister for the sake of worship. Brethren, labor is no substitute for love. You cannot exchange labor for Him in the place of love for Him. Brothers and sisters, do you ever feel like ministry is work? Is it just work? Now, don't get me wrong. Ministry is not less than work. We need to labor for Christ. We need to strive for Christ. But it ought to be more than just work. Ministry ought to be worship. Worship is a beautiful thing to God, and the beauty of Jesus demands a beautiful response. E.W. Tozer says, God wants worshippers before workers. Indeed, the only acceptable workers are those who have learned the lost art of worship. This woman was well acquainted with the lost art of worship. Both she and Jesus knew the cross was just around the corner. With every passing moment, the cup of God's wrath drew nearer and nearer. He knew he was going to die, and she knew he was going to die, because she paid attention to his teaching. Three times in Mark 8 through 10, Jesus predicted that he would be delivered over to the cross to die for the sins of the many. And in light of his impending death, this woman shows an act of foremost devotion. Her act of love. foreshadows his act of love, his coming death. When Jesus died on the cross for sinners, his death was like her act of love. His death was inestimable, costly, priceless, sacrificial, but his was the greater act. At the cross, Jesus didn't just sacrifice his whole life savings, he sacrificed his whole life. The woman broke this flask and poured it out on him who was entirely worthy. But at the cross, Jesus' body was broken for us and his blood was poured out for us, we who are entirely unworthy. Her act of love points forward to his act of love. Her act of love foreshadows his act of love. This is why this act is one of the greatest demonstrations of worship in history. So much so that verse nine says, truly I say to you, wherever the gospel is proclaimed in the whole world, what she has done will be told in memory of her. This woman's deed cannot be forgotten because it is eternally recorded on the pages of sacred scripture. Wherever God's word goes, this story goes with it. Wherever God's word goes, this story about her climactic act of devotion goes with it. Brothers and sisters, there is a reason this story is in the Bible. It is written for our benefit. We would do well to emulate her in her act of love for the Savior. Brian Chappell, in his book Holiness by Grace, tells this story of love and lost love. She took her children to the park to break the monotony of schoolchildren now homebound for the summer. And instead, she broke her own heart. She had watched her children run to the playground equipment as another car drove into the parking lot. The new car ground to a quick stop. A young, attractive woman with a beaming smile leaped out of the seat and virtually skipped to a secluded picnic table near an adjoining lake. The mother's imagination began to race. Who could this attractive young woman be meeting in such a secluded spot with so much enthusiasm? Was this a long-awaited and carefully planned rendezvous with an over-busy husband? A lunch date with a best friend or a tryst between secret lovers? She was determined to stay on the lookout for whoever got out of the next car. No one else came immediately. The mother soon grew preoccupied with her children and forgot to watch for whomever the young woman was meeting. When she did finally glance again at the secluded woman, What the mother saw made her own heart hurt. The attractive young woman was reading a Bible. The person she had leapt from the car to meet with such enthusiasm was the Lord. The mother recognized with pain that penetrated her spirit that she no longer had that same enthusiasm She did not know what it was, but she did know that she was not now the kind of person who would skip to meet him. She had lost something wonderful, and she wept. She wept there in the park for her loss. Oh, brothers and sisters, have you left your first love? Have you lost your first love? Have you forgotten the greatest commandment, to love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength? Brethren, did you once have a burning passion for the Savior? Were you once on fire for God, and now you barely have a flickering candle? Would you be one to skip to meet with the Savior today? O Church of the Living God, O Beloved Bride of Christ, here is Jesus Christ, the Great Bridegroom, the one who has loved us from before the foundation of the world, the one who has loved us to the end, the one who has loved us to death, It is he who has been of great patience and long-suffering, he who has always been faithful, he who is the pearl of great price, he who has purchased us with his precious blood from now on and forevermore, O church of the living God, O beloved bride of Christ, do you love him? Do you love him? Oh, brothers and sisters, Do you remember what you once were? Do you remember those days of early adoration for your Lord and Savior when you first became a Christian? Do you remember the excitement, the zeal that once filled your heart? You couldn't wait to spend time with him in his word. You couldn't wait to commune with him in prayer. You couldn't wait to tell anybody and everybody about him. You loved much because you knew you were forgiven much. But over time, something happened. Over time, you found yourself simply going through the motions. You read your Bible. You pray your prayers. You come to church. You take communion. All good and necessary means of grace But now, there seems to be very little devotion in it. Over time, you found that your love has grown cold. Have you been there? Are you there right now? If you are, why go on like that? Why wait another day? Why go on another day? What will it take, what will it take to awaken you to the fact that you have left your first love? Brethren and sisters, we should be sorrowful over our lack of love for Christ. Our hearts should break at the thought of breaking his heart. But brethren, don't stop at sorrow. Don't stop at shame. Repent. Go to the Lord. Go to the cross. Go to Christ. Run at once to be with him. He welcomes the brokenhearted, a broken spirit and a contrite heart he will not despise. Mark 14, 1 through 11, is a story with a series of contrasts, of comparisons, We are meant to see the stark contrast between these two stories. We have two gatherings, one celebrating evil, the other celebrating good. We have two people who can't contain their true inward heart. Judas could not contain his rebellion. This woman could not contain her devotion. We have two approaches to money. Judas showing his greed, this woman showing her generosity. We have Tukas, a measly 30 pieces of silver contrasted with 300 denarii. We have Judas, one of the 12, a name which will live forever infamously. And we have a nameless woman who will live forever famously. We have two acts which will never be forgotten, an act of rebellion and an act of devotion. So I ask you once again this evening, who are you in this story? Do you have a heart of rebellion or a heart of devotion? Which path are you on? Which option are you choosing? Which road are you taking? Which side of the cross are you on? If you're not a believer here tonight, whether you know it or not, whether you admit it or not, you have a heart of rebellion towards Jesus Christ. And I urge you, Trust in Christ for salvation. Know your sin, but know your Savior. Trust in Christ. Run to Him. Believe in Him. Believe in His life, death, and resurrection, and you will be saved. And for the believers this evening, I just have one last question. Who is this woman? Who is this nameless, anonymous woman? It is Mary, the sister of Martha and Lazarus. John 12.3 tells us that it was Mary who took a pound of expensive ointment. It was Mary who anointed the head and feet of Jesus. It was Mary who was performing this act of climactic devotion. But why have I waited so long to tell you that it's Mary? Because Mark never even tells us that it's Mary. The emphasis is not on Mary. The emphasis is on her act of worship. By keeping her anonymous, the point is, this could be any of us. This could be all of us. This should be all of us. This sort of worship should mark all of us, brothers and sisters. And if not, why not? I pray that we would all be like this woman, a believer whose name and renown are secondary, but whose love and devotion to Christ are primary. Let us pray. Our Father who is in heaven, We confess to you that too often we have forsaken you, the fountain of living waters, and we have hewn out for ourselves broken cisterns which hold no water. Lord, draw us back to yourself. Return us to you. Give us a prioritized love, a primary love, Let us return to you, oh Lord, our first love. Do not let us leave tonight acting as if everything is okay when everything is not okay. Do not let us go out and pretend as if everything is okay when everything is not okay. Do not let us go on another day. Lord, shake us from our stupor. Snap us out of our idleness. Stir our hearts for Christ. For his glory and for our joy. We pray in Jesus name.