MY FRIENDS, WHAT IS SALVATTION WORTH?

March 19, 2017

MY FRIENDS, WHAT IS SALVATTION WORTH?

“While Jesus was in Bethany in the home of Simon the Leper, a woman who lived a sinful life learned that Jesus was eating at the Pharisee’s house, so with an alabaster jar of perfume she entered the home as she stood at Jesus feet weeping, she began to wet his feet with her tears as she wiped them with her hair, as she kissed His feet, she begin to pour expensive perfume from an alabaster jar on them.

When Simon saw this, he said to himself, “If this man were a prophet, he would know this woman touching him “is a sinner.” In-spite of Simon the Leper prejudice accusation, Jesus said to her “Your sins are forgiven.” The other guests began to say among themselves, “Who is this who even forgives sins?” John tells us this woman was Mary of Bethany the sister of Martha and brother Lazarus who Jesus had raised from the dead.

Even His disciples considered it a foolish act, “Why this waste they asked?” But the kindness of Mary was all about Christ journey to Calvary and because of her pure and repentant heart she was chosen by the Holy Spirit who prompted Mary to carry out this unselfish act. And she obeyed, as others looked on with haughty disdain.

Inspiration my friends “stoops to give no reason. An unseen presence [like the wind,] it speaks to mind and soul, and moves the heart to action. It is its own justification. Christ told Mary the meaning of her act, and in this He gave her more than He had received.” (E.G. White, Desire of Ages p 560)

My friends, let’s look forward to where God is trying to take us and then look back at where he has brought us from and then pause. Was Calvary to great of a price to pay for our “steadfast unmovable always abounding” towards evil character. Mary knew her life before Christ came into it and “each of us know our transgressions, our sins are always before us. And against God our creator, only have we sinned and done what is evil in His sight.” Ps 51:3-4 (NIV)

Now, it must become personal we must become Mary of Bethany because I don’t know about you but I can’t forget “the way life used to be at a time when I was a prisoner to the sins that had me bound,” a slave under the domination of an evil force that placed within me those hereditary tendencies that went back six thousand years.

So an alabaster jar of perfume three hundred dollars by today’s standards, compared to what was done for us at Calvary. My friends, no gift could compare or even come close. So a character formed into the likeness of Christ is the only thing that will enter God’s kingdom. A character that gave it all up to come to this world not to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” Matt. 20:28 (NIV)

That is why Christ Spirit cries out to us daily, “the harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few” my friends, we are the laborers, and such love and gratitude, and a passion to serve among the harvest must become our Character, if not remember Christ warning, “not everyone who says, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he or she who does the will of My Father who is in heaven” Matt 7:21 (NASB)