WORSHIP THAT PLEASES GOD
We hope today’s message was encouraging and helpful. These notes are meant to help you remember and reflect on the message, help you go deeper into study on the subject, or to be used for a Bible/sermon group study. Enjoy!
Main Scripture: MATTHEW 26:6-13
Other scripture mentioned: {Romans 12:1, Psalm 22:3, Colossians 3:16, 2 Samuel 24:24}
If you’re going through this discussion with a community group this week, consider taking the time to read or paraphrase through some of the provided scripture to catch everyone up!
In Matthew 26:6-13 we find the story of a woman (Mary of Bethany), who comes to Jesus with an alabaster jar of expensive perfume and pours it over his head as an act of worship. Though the disciples criticize her, Jesus corrects them, saying she has done a good thing to him. This story is a beautiful picture of worship.
Notes:
We are all called to worship the Lord, and it is important that we know what that means!
Worship: Our response to who God is and what He has done for us.
Romans 12:1 “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.”
When we live in relationship with Jesus our whole life becomes our act of worship unto Him. Worship is our lifestyle!
Why do we use music?
The Bible models worship through music.
Music is an excellent tool for expressing worship.
Why do we worship corporately?
We want to glorify the Lord together.
It unifies us as the body of Christ.
It is a time for us to encourage and minister to one another.
Colossians 3:16 – “Let the message of Christ dwell among you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom through psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit, singing to God with gratitude in your hearts.”
It provides an opportunity for us to engage with God.
We want to encounter the presence of God.
When we gather together to lift up our praises we experience what we call his manifest presence.
There are different ways we experience his presence:
His Omnipresence – He is everywhere, in all of creation
His Inner Presence – He lives inside of us
His Manifest Presence – He inhabits the praises of his people (Psalm 22:3)
God has already done the work 🡪 we respond 🡪 He responds to us
Scripture: Matthew 26:6-13
There are four different places in scripture that we see a woman with an alabaster jar, once in each of the Gospels.
It is commonly mistaken that these are all the same story.
The accounts in Matthew, Mark, & John are the same occurrence, which is the story we’ll be looking at today.
From the account in John, we know the woman with the alabaster jar was Mary of Bethany, the sister of Lazarus & Martha.
Culturally in that time it wasn’t out of the ordinary for oil to be poured on someone’s head. Anointing with oil was often a sign of hospitality and respect. They also anointed priests, kings, and prophets with oil marking them as holy and set apart.
There are three things we can take from this story and apply to our personal worship.
Application:
Mary’s worship was a sacrifice.
It cost her a lot! Another account says it cost a year’s worth of wages.
It not only cost her monetarily, but it also cost her reputation. The disciples chastised her for doing this.
Worship is directly tied to sacrifice.
The first mention of worship in the Bible is the story of Abraham & Isaac, when the Lord asks Abraham to sacrifice Isaac. We know that God provided a ram for the sacrifice, but it is significant that the first mention of worship in the Word of God is in regards to sacrifice.
David said in 2 Samuel 24:24 – “I will not present burnt offerings to the Lord my God that have cost me nothing.”
We sacrifice because he made the ultimate sacrifice for us.
Does your worship cost you anything?
Mary’s worship was wholehearted.
She didn’t hold back, she broke the jar and poured it on Jesus.
Jesus deserves extravagant worship.
We should hold nothing back from Him.
He deserves every part of our lives.
A life of worship should look different than the world around us.
We were created to worship. Our hearts will worship something, the question is what it will be!
God is not pleased with half-hearted offerings.
Jesus wasn’t concerned with the price tag on her offering, he was pleased with the fact that her worship was given with her whole heart.
We can become content with our half-hearted offerings, but there’s so much more of Him to experience when we give Him our everything!
What God did for Mary was greater than her personal comfort zone, it demanded a greater response.
Mary’s worship had the right motive.
Her motive was to please Jesus.
She didn’t break the jar and pour it on Jesus to impress the disciples.
She didn’t come to get anything from Jesus.
She came to give him worship.
When we come on Sunday mornings, what is the attitude and posture of our hearts?
We’re not consumers, we’re worshippers.
We’re not spectators, we’re participants.
We don’t come to get, we come to give.
Our only motive should be to please the heart of our Father.
What Mary did was remarkable for its motive – a pure, loving heart.
Her worship pleased the Lord.
Action Step: Is God pleased with your worship? Take a moment to examine your heart and ask God if your worship in your lifestyle and Sunday mornings please His heart.
Discussion:
Name one thing from the message that resonated with you?
What does it look like for you personally to worship God with your lifestyle?
What are some ways that worship costs you?
Are there areas in your life where you know you’ve held back from God?
Why do you worship God? What are your personal motives?
What are some personal takeaways from this message that you can apply in your day-to-day life, or during our Sunday morning worship experience?
The most important decision you will ever make!
If you’re ready to trust in Jesus for salvation and eternal life we encourage you to process this decision with a strong believer and when you’re ready say a simple prayer like this from your heart: Dear God, I acknowledge and admit I have sinned. I see my need for Jesus Christ. I believe in Jesus as my Lord and Savior. I believe I am forgiven and cleansed of my sin by His death. I also believe I have eternal life because of His resurrection from the dead. I repent, I turn away from my old ways and I choose to live my life to worship you and follow Jesus, Amen!
We would love to know if you decided to accept Jesus as your Lord and Savior. Let us know here.
Pray Together
Father, thank you for who you are and what you have done for us. We choose to worship you as our response, out of gratitude and love. Thank you for the examples of worship that you have given us in your Word. We ask you to reveal any area of our lives that we may have held back from you, and to give us the desire and ability to please you with our worship. We choose to give you our whole heart and our whole life. We worship you today because we love you!
We hope you found this AFTER THE SERMON discussion helpful for your walk with Jesus. We pray you can find ways to apply it this week!