A Good Work Done For Christ

Q: What does the Bible say about doing good works for Christ?

The Bible teaches that good works are a response to God's grace and should be done for His glory, as exemplified in Mark 14:3-9. In Mark 14:3-9, we see a beautiful example of a good work done for Christ by a woman who anointed Him with precious ointment. This act was not merely a gesture but a profound expression of love and gratitude towards Jesus, reflecting her understanding of His grace and mercy in her life. Jesus affirmed that this act would be a memorial, highlighting that true good works stem from a heart moved by grace and are intended to glorify God. The Apostle Paul teaches in Ephesians 2:10 that we are created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, indicating that while good works are essential, they are a result of salvation and not a means to attain it.

Q: How do we know that our works please God?

Our works please God when they are performed with a heart of gratitude and are done for His glory, as shown by the woman in Mark 14. To know that our works please God, we must examine the motivation behind our actions. In Mark 14, the woman's act of anointing Jesus was prompted by her love and gratitude for what He had done for her. Jesus said she had wrought a good work, indicating that the quality of our works is not based solely on their visibility or the recognition they receive but rather on the heart with which they are done. Colossians 3:23 encourages believers to work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men, ensuring that our labor reflects our love for God. When our deeds arise from a sincere desire to honor God and are rooted in faith, they align with His will and bring Him pleasure.

Q: Why is the concept of grace important for Christians?

Grace is foundational for Christians as it is the unmerited favor of God that leads to salvation and motivates our good works. Grace is central to the Christian faith because it represents God's unmerited favor towards sinners. According to Ephesians 2:8-9, we are saved by grace through faith, not by our own works, underscoring the truth that our salvation is a gift from God. This grace not only absolves our guilt but also transforms our hearts, compelling us to respond with love and good works. In response to this grace, as illustrated by the woman in Mark 14, we are called to serve and honor Christ with our lives. It liberates us from the bondage of trying to earn God's favor, allowing us to act out of love and gratitude instead.

Q: What does the act of anointing Jesus teach us about worship?

The act of anointing Jesus illustrates true worship, which is marked by love, sacrifice, and a desire to honor God above all. The woman's act of anointing Jesus is a poignant depiction of genuine worship. In Mark 14, her use of precious ointment was not just an act of devotion; it was a costly sacrifice demonstrating her deep love and respect for Christ. Worship is not merely a ritual or routine; it is an expression of our deepest affections toward God. Worship involves offering our best to Him, as seen in this woman's fearlessness to display her love publicly, irrespective of the opinions of others like Judas or the disciples. True worship is sacrificial and driven by love, as demonstrated in Romans 12:1, where believers are urged to present their bodies as living sacrifices, holy and acceptable to God, which is our reasonable service.

Q: How is faith portrayed in the story of the woman who anointed Jesus?

Faith in the story of the woman is portrayed as a simple yet profound belief in Jesus that compels her to act for His glory. In the account of the woman who anointed Jesus, faith is exemplified in its purest and most uncomplicated form. Her actions reflect a deep trust in who Jesus is and what He had done for her, despite the incredulity of those around her. Jesus noted that she came beforehand to anoint Him for His burial, indicating she had faith in His words about His impending death and resurrection. This simple and heartfelt faith stands in contrast to the complexity often perceived in theological discussions; it is simply the recognition of Jesus' glory and an earnest desire to honor Him in light of that recognition. As the Apostle writes in Hebrews 11:1, faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen, demonstrating that true faith is not based on elaborate understanding but on a relationship with Christ.

Before I leave this world, I would love to do something
truly good. I'd like to do just one thing,
just one thing, purely for Christ, just for him, nobody else, just
for his glory. just for his honor, just to extol
him. In Mark chapter 14, we have the
story of a woman who did just that. Now this morning I want to talk
to you about a good work done for Christ. Our text is Mark
chapter 14 verses 3 through 9. We have read Luke's more detailed
account of this same event. Here we'll read Mark's account,
verse 3. Being in Bethany in the house
of Simon the leper, as he sat at meat, there came a woman having
an alabaster box of ointment of spikenard very precious, and
she broke the box and poured it on his head. And there were
some that had indignation within themselves and said, Why was
this waste of the ointment made? For it might have been sold for
more than 300 pence, and had been given to the poor, and they
murmured against her. And Jesus said, Let her alone,
why trouble ye her? She hath wrought a good work
on me. For you have the poor with you
always, and whensoever you will, you may do them good, but me
you have not always. she hath done what she could. She is come beforehand to anoint
my body to the burial. Verily I say unto you, wheresoever
this gospel shall be preached throughout the whole world, this
also that she hath done shall be spoken of her for a memorial
of her." Now in these verses, Mark was inspired to give us
a record by God the Holy Spirit of the story of the woman who
comes to the house of Simon the leper as she anointed the Lord
Jesus for his burial. It is a remarkable story in that
it is one of the very few that's recorded in much detail by all
four of the gospel narratives. As we look at this passage this
morning, I'm going to say nothing about the negative attitude and
the wicked conduct of Judas and the disciples of Amaskim. I want
to simply to observe this woman, what she did, why she did it,
and why our Lord Jesus calls it a good work. Notice in verse
6, the Savior says she hath wrought a good work on me. In verse 8, he says she hath
done what she could. Then in verse 8 again, she has
come aforehand to anoint my body to the burying. And then in verse
9, the Lord says, Verily I say unto you, Wheresoever this gospel
shall be preached throughout the whole world, this also that
she hath done shall be spoken of her for a memorial of her. Now may God the Holy Spirit be
our teacher, and graciously inscribe upon our hearts the lessons he
has in this text for us. Here is a scripture fulfilled.
In verse 3, as our Lord Jesus sat in the house of Simon the
leper in Bethany, as he sat at meat, there came a woman having
an alabaster box of ointment, of a spikenard very precious,
and she broke the box and poured it on his head. Turn, if you
will, to the Song of Solomon, chapter 1 and verse 12. I notice
something preparing this message I had not noticed specifically
before in this context. this act which was performed
by this dear woman on the Lord Jesus Christ was an act of singular
respect, an act of great humility on the part of the woman, but
as an act of singular respect and honor performed toward the
Savior. More importantly, this was a
literal fulfillment of this text in the Song of Solomon. In the
Song of Solomon chapter 1 verse 12, the bride of Christ speaks,
the church, the believing center, and says, while the king sitteth
at his table, my spite good, sendeth forth the smell thereof."
Now here this woman comes to the Lord Jesus, the King of glory,
who's already come into Jerusalem, pronouncing himself to be king,
who is now about to be crucified and thus ascend up into heaven,
and by merit of his shed blood, take possession of the throne
of David, the throne of God himself, to reign forever. And as the
king sits at his table, this woman comes in with an alabaster
box of ointment, spikenard, very precious, and she didn't just
open it up and sprinkle a little ointment here and there. She
broke it open and she poured out this precious ointment and
the precious spikenard, the perfume, filled the air where everyone
was around and smelled the sweet aroma. Now that's a pretty good
picture. of what ought to take place here
today. And every time a man stands to
preach the gospel in the house of God, we come here today into
his house. I'm not talking about this physical
building, I'm talking about this gathered body of believers. We
who are he has gathered together in his name are the house of
God. and will come to his house where
the Lord Jesus, the King of Glory, promises that he shall sit together
with us, and we with him, where we will sit with him, and he
with us in his house. As I stand before you and open
to you the word of God, this precious chest called Holy Scripture
contains a spikenard, very precious, an ointment, fragrant beyond
compare. And it is my privilege and responsibility
to so study, and so prepare, and so seek from God a message
from his Spirit, and so seek from him power to declare that
message, that I break open the book of God and show forth the
precious ointment of Jesus Christ crucified. Oh, if you can get
a whiff of him. If you can get a smell of the
crucified Son of God this day, so that your heart burns within
you to open to Him, then I have fully accomplished what I hope
God has sent me here to accomplish this hour. We too, like this
woman, must anoint the Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God, spiritually. Anoint Him by faith in Him. giving him the honor which he
so richly deserves. May God give us grace to anoint
him as our sovereign king with the kiss of allegiance. As anyone
might come before the king and kiss his hand or kiss his feet
and thus signify their allegiance to him, let us now bow to the
throne of grace and kiss the Son of God. Let us anoint him
as our savior with the kiss of repentance, You remember in Psalm
2, when the Lord God speaks of the king, he says, kiss the son
lest he be angry. Now kiss the son in repentance. Come and fall at his feet and
kiss him, seeking his mercy. And let us anoint him as our
beloved with the kiss of affection as well. Come to one who is himself
the beloved of your soul. Now anointing him as your king,
bowing before him. by anointing Him as your Savior,
kissing Him, bowing to Him, but kiss Him as the beloved of your
soul. Give Him the affection of your
heart, all the affection of your heart. As this woman came and
broke open this alabaster box of heart with this precious spikenard
and poured it all out, oh God give me grace to pour everything
out to Christ. Turn to Colossians chapter 3,
I'll show you what I mean. Colossians chapter 3. Let us
give him the affection of our hearts for the glory of his great
name, that we might honor him. The apostle urges us in Colossians
3, if ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above.
Set your affection on things above. Do you see that? Not your
affections, Your affections go here and there. Your affections
go to this thing, this person or that. Set your affection,
the totality of your heart on the Son of God. Are you risen
with Christ? Set your affection on him. Set
your heart on things above, not on things on the earth. Seek
ye first the kingdom of God and his righteousness. Seek to the
exclusion of all things Jesus Christ the Lord. Now then, look
at verse 3 in our text again. Here is a sinner forgiven. There came a woman having an
alabaster box of ointment, spikenard, very precious, and she broke
the box and poured it on his head. Turn back to Luke chapter
7. Let me read Luke's account to
you again. Luke was inspired to give us
more details. Mark was inspired to omit many
of them. Luke gives us some things. Mark gives us other things. But
here in Luke's account, we have some details that Mark left out. Left out on purpose, not by accident.
Left out because that's exactly how God the Spirit inspired him
to record the story. But look at Luke 7 verse 36. one of the Pharisees desired
him that he would eat with him and he went into the Pharisee's
house and sat down and behold a woman in the city which was
a sinner. So identified because she was
so publicly known in the city as a sinner that everyone with
any self-righteous opinions concerning himself And everyone who was
fearful of being identified with this woman and her behavior would
cross the street rather than walking around with her. She
was a sinner. When she knew that Jesus sat
at meet in the Pharisee's house, brought an alabaster box of ointment
and stood at his feet behind him, weeping, and began to wash
his feet with tears. and did wipe them with the hairs
of her head, and kissed his feet, and anointed them with the ointments.
Now when the Pharisee saw this, when the Pharisee which had bidden
him saw it, he spoke within himself, saying, this man, if he were
a prophet, would have known who and what manner of woman this
is that toucheth him, for she's a sinner. This woman is identified
in the very next chapter as Mary Magdalene, out of whom the Lord
Jesus had cast seven devils. Now though most conservative
and liberal theologians and commentaries would disagree with this, or
commentators would disagree, I'm convinced that all four accounts
of this anointing of our Savior for his burial were by the same
woman and are the same event. They were performed by this woman
called Mary Magdalene, who was also Mary the sister of Lazarus
and Martha of Bethany. Now, here this woman is set before
us as a notorious sinner. one who had been possessed of
seven devils, but she had been the object of God's saving grace.
The Lord Jesus had met this woman on her path to hell. He had cast
out of her the devils. He had forgiven her of all her
sins, robed her in his righteousness, and told her plainly that soon
he would lay down his life as her substitute and raise up again
from the dead. And now She has all these things
in her mind, and she comes to the Pharisee's house. The time
is now present when the Lord Jesus must be crucified, and
she knows it. The Lord Jesus is now in his
last time on this earth, and she's aware of it. Other disciples
did not understand what the Master taught, she did. She heard his
words, and now she comes and stands behind him at his feet. Not a word. Not a word. And as she watches him and listens,
she remembers. She remembers who he is. And she remembers what and who
she is. She remembers what he had done
for her, and what he had promised he would do. She knew that the
time of his death was at hand, and her heart broke within her.
Her heart broke within her, I'm certain for many reasons, but
I am certain this reason above all. Her heart broke within her
because of her sin, for which he is about to suffer a wrath
of God Almighty. her heart broke within her with
deep love and gratitude. She had been forgiven much. Have
you? She knew it and she loved much. So she wanted to do something,
just something just for Christ, something to honor Christ, something
to set forth His glory in her esteem, to set forth her appreciation
to Him. And so she, as she weeps, she
washes his feet with her tears, and she wipes them with the hairs
of her head, and she picks them up and kisses them. In fact, she just kept on kissing
them. Our Lord said she hath not ceased
to kiss my feet since I came in here. She just, like a mother
would take a newborn baby and kiss those things, just kiss
them. As she washed his feet and wiped them with her hair
and kissed them, then she did what she had come there to do.
She takes out this small little casket, this box, this alabaster
box of ointment, of precious And she breaks it, breaks it
open. And she pours out the ointment
on the master's head according to Mark, Matthew, and John. And
now, as she pours it out on his head, it trickles down like the
anointing of Avon over his beard, and his body, and his feet. Not
the soaking liquid, but the sweet fragrance of this precious ointment. Now then, here is a simple, simple
faith. Look at verse 8. She hath done
what she could. She is come beforehand to anoint
my body for the burial. Now listen carefully. When I
say her faith, Bill, was a simple faith, I'm not saying that condescendingly
but admiringly. You see, all true faith is simple
faith. All true faith is. Some folks
like to think they're deep, deep thinkers. They like to think
they're intellectual giants. They like to think they're profound
theologians. They like to think they have
unraveled the deep mysteries of the word of God. You listen
to me. All true faith is simple faith,
but it is simply believing God. True faith does not stand in
evidence. true faith does not stand in
logic and reason, true faith does not stand in the word of
men, true faith does not stand in historical accuracy, true
faith stands in thus saith the Lord. That's all. God said it. I believe it. Our Lord Jesus
had declared plainly to all his disciples how that he must be
lifted up, how that he must be put to death, how that he must
be crucified, how that he must rise again from the dead. And
you know, nobody paid him any attention except this woman. Nobody else seemed to get it
until after the event. But this woman, she comes to
anoint him for his burying in prospect of his resurrection. She has come aforehand to anoint
me, the Master said. Let me ask you, where does your
faith stand? Where does your faith stand? What's the basis
of your faith? Turn over to 1 John chapter 5.
1 John chapter 5. Our Lord inspired
the apostle John to give us this record, and it is a blessed,
blessed record. In 1 John chapter 5, verse 7,
I call on you today to believe God. I call on you who are yet
without Christ to bow to Him in repentance and faith. I call
on you to come to Jesus Christ right now, right where you are,
just believing God. And here is the basis of it.
First John chapter 5, verse 7. There are three that bear record
in heaven, the Father, the Word, that is the living Word who is
the Son of God, Jesus Christ, and the Holy Ghost, and these
three are one. There are three that bear record
in heaven. They all say the same thing, testify the same thing,
reveal the same thing. The Father, the Son, and the
Holy Spirit. Look at verse 8. And there are three that bear
witness on earth, the Spirit. The Spirit by whom we are born
again and causes us to cry, Abba Father. And the water, not the
waters of baptism, but rather the water of the world by which
we are cleansed and made whole as the Spirit of God applies
it to our hearts. And the blood, the blood of Jesus
Christ sprinkled in heaven and the blood of Jesus Christ sprinkled
upon our consciences to purge us from dead works to serve the
living God. And these three agree in one.
That is, the word of God revealed to us, the gospel revealed to
us in the written word, the Holy Spirit by whom the word was inspired
and by whom the word is applied, and the blood of Jesus Christ
shed for sinners at Calvary, they all agree with one thing.
Read on, verse 10, or verse 9 rather. If we receive the witness of
men, you go to a court of law, and the court of law requires
the mouth of two or three witnesses, let every word be established.
Here, if we receive the witness of men, the witness of God is
greater. For this is the witness of God,
which he hath testified of his Son. He that believeth on the
Son of God hath the witness in himself." He that believeth not
God hath made him a liar, because he believeth not the record that
God gave of his Son. And this is the record that God
hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. Do you believe on the Son of
God, taking God's record out here? Yeah, I do. I believe him. Believing the
Son of God. I have eternal life. That's his
record, Bobby. To deny that is to say he's a
liar. This is his record. All right? Now then, look at
verse 8. Here is a service found. Mary wanted to honor the Lord
Jesus. She wanted to serve him. She wanted everyone around her
to understand how gracious he had been to her and how much
she owed him. how great and great, how great
was his grace and how great was his glory. Modesty, however,
and obedience to God would not allow her as a woman to preach. She couldn't do that. She could
never become a pastor, a deacon, a missionary, or an evangelist.
The Word of God prohibits that, and modesty prohibits that from
any woman who understands what womanhood is. You see, Mary was
not one of our modern, mouthy, obnoxious, domineering women.
Well, if I can't preach, I just won't go to church. If I can't
preach, then I don't think I'm equal to anything. No, no. This woman, rather than being
repulsed by her proper place in the kingdom of God, used it
in the most honorable manner possible. She found the place
where she could serve the Lord And she found a way to do something
just for Christ. She couldn't do what others did.
She couldn't do what others had the ability and opportunity and
gifts to do. But she could do what she could. And that's what she did. She said, we see here in verse
8, she hath done what she could. What an honorable, honorable
thing. Blessed is that man, blessed
is that woman who does what he or she can for Christ. I know pastors who stay frustrated
all the time because they don't feel like they're getting done
what they want to do. And then I get calls that frustrated You
know, see what y'all doing, see what they're doing, and we're
not doing that. I know churches who give pastors
a hard time because they're not getting done what somebody else
is getting done. Listen carefully to this preacher. God, it's up
to you to hear me. Ron Wood is not responsible under
God to do what I do. Not at all. You are responsible
to do what you can. Merle Hart, not responsible to
do what Ron Wood does, not responsible to. You are to do what God's
put in your hand to do. This congregation is not responsible
to do what 13th Street Church in Ashland does or Todd's Road
Church in Lexington does, oh no. We are responsible to do
what God gives us the means and the opportunity and the ability
to do. We're responsible to. This woman
did what she had opportunity to do. Here's the master. I've
got a box of ointment here. Best thing on this earth I can
do with this, I know I can. She did what God gave her the
ability to do, and she did what she did when it had to be done. Had she not done this thing now,
she could never Now that presses hard on me all
the time. Folks tell me, you know, slow
down, don't do this, don't do that. Oh, Lindsay Kimball, whatever
I've got to do for Christ, I've got to get it done now. I've
got to get it done now. Now. If she hadn't come at this time,
on this occasion, and done what she could, she could never have
done it. The wise man says, whatsoever
thy hand findeth to do, do it with all thy might. For there
is no work, nor device, nor knowledge, nor wisdom in the grave whither
thou goest. Oh my soul, children of God,
whatever you're going to do for Christ, don't put it off. Do
it now. Well, when I retire, when I hear
fellas say, yeah, you'd be astonished at how fellas talk. How you fellas
sometimes come to me and say, you know God's called me to preach
but I want to get my pension taken care of. I want to retire. When I retire I'm going to serve
the Lord. Oh no you're not. Oh no. No, no, no. Do what God
has given you the opportunity to do right now. You may not
draw another breath. Whatsoever you do, do it heartily
as unto the Lord, not unto men. because she did what she could.
The Lord Jesus said of this woman, she hath wrought a good work
on me. Oh God give me grace to do that.
Now let me show you some things about this woman's work, which
I think clearly identified as a unique, unique thing. First Mary did what she did just
for the glory of God. This perfume wasn't meant for
anybody but Him. Just for Him. Well, Judas didn't
approve. Who cares? It wasn't for Him.
Well, Peter didn't approve. Who cares? He didn't do it for
Him. But John didn't approve. The beloved John. Who cares? He did it just for Christ. Secondly,
it was an act of pure love. People ask me, What do you think
I ought to give? How much do you think I ought
to give? Just as much as love demands,
that's all. That's all. Don't you think we're
tired? Oh, no, no, no, no. I can't imagine love. Charlie's
been in the hospital for two weeks. Matter of fact, two weeks. You've been concerned about her.
We've all been concerned about her. Well, let's see here. Honey, I'm going to give you
10% of my time and 10% of my money, and if that doesn't take
care of it, sorry. Well, that's stupidity, Doc. No, but that's the way most folks
think about religion and Christ, isn't it? Oh, no. Love never
counts the cost. Not in doing something for one
who's loved. Love never considers anything
spent on the object of its love a loss. Never. What this woman
did thirdly was a work requiring considerable expense and sacrifice. Considerable self-denial. If
you will read Matthew chapter 20, you remember the parable
of the husbandman who went out and hired servants to labor in
his field? You remember the price he gave them? a penny a day,
penny a day. Well, that's not much salary,
no, but it's what was the average salary for a laboring man in
that day, penny a day. This alabaster box of ointment
is rated in our text to be valued at 300 pence. What'd she give? Though it was a spontaneous act,
an act of love, this sacrifice, this anointing, was obviously
something that was demanded of her and required of her thoughtful
preparation. This gal, if she is, as I suspect,
Mary Magdalene, if she is a common harlot before God's She'd been putting aside a little
of this spike nut, a little of this ointment, holding it up.
It's all she had to live on when she got to be an old woman. But
now the Lord had saved her and she had given up her ungodly
behavior. She no longer sold her body or
gave it away either. She was now given to the master.
And she takes this spike and she said, he gave me life, he
gave me righteousness, he gave me forgiveness. And this was an act that was
done without calling any attention to herself. Spurgeon put it this
way, he said silent acts of love have musical voices in the ears
of sound no trumpet before thee, or Jesus will take warning and
be gone." Whatever you do for Christ, whatever
you do for Christ, got to be just between you and him, whatever
it is.

A Good Work Done For Christ

What does the Bible say about doing good works for Christ?

How do we know that our works please God?

Why is the concept of grace important for Christians?

What does the act of anointing Jesus teach us about worship?

How is faith portrayed in the story of the woman who anointed Jesus?

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A Good Work Done For Christ

What does the Bible say about doing good works for Christ?

How do we know that our works please God?

Why is the concept of grace important for Christians?

What does the act of anointing Jesus teach us about worship?

How is faith portrayed in the story of the woman who anointed Jesus?

Sermon Transcript

About Don Fortner

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