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Which P will You Be?

• God remembers what we do on earth
• 10:4 “Cornelius stared at him in fear. “What is it, Lord?” he asked. The angel answered, “Your prayers and gifts to the poor have come up as a memorial offering before God.”
• The bible says its good to to remember what people did
• 1 Tim. 3:6 “But Timothy has just now come to us from you and has brought good news about your faith and love. He has told us that you always have pleasant memories of us and that you long to see us, just as we also long to see you.”
• The bible says its right to remember
• 2 Pet 1:13 “I think it is right to refresh your memory as long as I live in the tent of this body,”
• The Bible says The memory of the righteous is good.
• Prov 10:17 “The memory of the righteous will be a blessing, but the name of the wicked will rot.”
• How will you be remembered?

1. A plotter?

• What is a plotter? someone who secretly makes plans to do something illegal or harmful; a conspirator.
• That’s whats going on in this story- these guys are plotting against Jesus- want him to die
• V1 And the chief priests and the scribes sought how they might take Him by trickery and put Him to death.
• Their entire mission is simple. Lets come up with a plan to kill Jesus- why? He’s ruining our plan to control our own destinies. He’s trying to lead people away from our power and we want it
• Micah 2:1 Woe to those who devise iniquity, And work out evil on their beds! At morning light they practice it, Because it is in the power of their hand.
• Those who desire to hurt others will never be dealt well with God according to his word
• But these guys specifically are not doing well- they are the ones who sent Jesus to the cross
• Now- sure it was the plan of salvation- Jesus had to die- but that’s not the point
• I don’t know these guys names- I don’t know anything about their lives more than this- we are sitting here in Auburn 2000 years later talking about these plotters. That’s how they are remembered. Not as a benefit- but as a detriment- why? Because they devised evil in their hearts;
• This is their heart- Psalm 36:4 He devises wickedness on his bed; He sets himself in a way that is not good; He does not abhor evil.

• IF they hadn’t devised evil in their hearts against Jesus- this isn’t how theyd be rememebered
• But they ARE- I would guess this wasn’t just one part of their life- they had much more evil in their hearts- Jesus called some of these guys the sons of satan!
• Proverbs 4:16 For they do not sleep unless they have done evil; And their sleep is taken away unless they make someone fall.
• Do you have a plotter in your heart?
• Sure- you aren’t going to send Jesus to the cross- but who are you sending to the cross with your thoughts? Who are allowing to fail around you so you can control your territory?
• Proverbs 24:8 He who plots to do evil Will be called a schemer.
• Evil doesn’t always manifest itself in ways that we would expect. Its not always plotting death
• Withholding information that would help someone else be successful

• Gossipping to others to change their thoughts about another person “Im just trying to protect”
• Maybe they have changed! Maybe they needed time to grow- Shut your mouth!
• Planning how you are going to say something to get a positive outcome that will benefit yourself at the expense of others and instead of being honest about it
• Planning to sin and then asking for forgiveness after. Planning to take the grace
• Proverbs 15:26 The thoughts of the wicked are an abomination to the Lord, But the words of the pure are pleasant.
• The plotter spirit can raise its head when you least expect it if you don’t watch it.
• Is that how you want to be remembered? A self serving plotter that sends people to the cross?
• Zechariah 8:17 Let none of you think evil in your heart against your neighbor; And do not love a false oath. For all these are things that I hate,’Says the Lord.”
• Don’t be a plotter. Don’t devise evil in your heart!

1. A persecutor?

• Definition- belittler, derider, detractor, giber (or jiber), insulter, jeerer, scoffer, scorner
• a person who causes repeated emotional pain, distress, or annoyance to another
• a persecutor isn’t very hard to spot- they are the negative- the put downers- the never do wells the ones who only have something negative to say about everything. Best idea ever- SHOT DOWN
• That’s whats happening here- presumably it was Martha, but maybe not depending and irrelevant, but his lady pours approximately a 40k vat of oil on the head of Jesus
• And these dudes say- V4 But there were some who were indignant among themselves, and said, “Why was this fragrant oil wasted?
• These are Jesus disciples that are saying this! These are his closest friends!
• You figure tho- at this point they’ve been around a few years- Jesus is getting more famous, more attention, and they are becoming more insignificant-
• There are scriptures that talk about the disc. Scheming about their position in heaven- some of their hearts have turned- and now they might be wondering, maybe I am not willing to give all

• Here’s what John said about this interaction- it was JUDAS who said something- 
  John 12:6 This he said, not that he cared for the poor, but because he was a thief, and had the money box; and he used to take what was put in it.
• That’s how JUDAS was remembered. Way to go Judas! Such a persecutor-
• Here’s how most persecutors are- the action happening in front of them reveals a deficiency in THEIR character- so they attack the action to try to compensate for the guilt they are feeling
• Judas NEVER would have poured 40k of oil on Jesus- He would have sprinkled and sold the rest for himself- because he was GREEDY and SELF SERVING
• Psalm 10:3 For the wicked boasts of his heart’s desire; He blesses the greedy and renounces the Lord.
• That was the heart condition of these guys- persecuting this woman for her act of kindness because they didn’t have the kindness in their own heart!
• Persecutors- 1. Have wrong priorities, 2. Have evil in their hearts 3. Have greed in their hearts 4. Devise evil to cover up for their own evil 5. Don’t value others over themselves- filled with selfishness
• They don’t have the priorities of the LORD in their heart- they have their own PLANS
• 2 Peter 3:3 knowing this first: that scoffers will come in the last days, walking according to their own lusts,
• They are driven by their own lusts- Judas wanted what he wanted for HIM

• Do you have a persecutor in your heart?
• When was the last time you saw someone do something generous and you had greed and envy in your heart because the act wasn’t towards you?
• Faith- new Birkenstocks- I want some! Not until my daughter had some!
• Jude 18 how they told you that there would be mockers in the last time who would walk according to their own ungodly lusts.
• Today it is no different- everyone has an idea about they think other people should spend money- the govt, your spouse, the church, whatever-
• But its not really about the MONEY its about the heart- this woman wanted to give a costly gift and it revealed something in the hearts of those that saw it-
• Namely- why isn’t my heart that generous? And since it isn’t let me attack the action to minimize what had happened in front of me

• Wouldn’t it be horrible if you attacked an act of worship towards Jesus and he allowed it and it revealed something about YOUR heart?
• “sell the church building and help the poor”
• Roughly 375k churches in America. Each 1.5m church building. US spends about 550b on poor doesn’t even include state section 8. every year 562Billion. One year of the US Budget.
• Every church sells their buildings- and every year the poor continue being poor
• 15 trillion spent on the poor since Johnson- roughly same poverty rate-
• My point isn’t that we shouldn’t help the poor- its that what people say in regards to the poor rarely has to do with the poor- It’s a value statement about how others should spend their money
• I don’t see anyone making 100k living in an apartment at a 30k level giving 70k to the poor every year
• But they sure wish everyone else would!
• 1 Timothy 4:1 Now the Spirit expressly says that in latter times some will depart from the faith, giving heed to deceiving spirits and doctrines of demons
• Satan would love nothing more than to destroy Christs church- and he’ll use whatever rhetoric he needs to to do so.

They didn’t care about he poor- they cared about the money for themselves

1. A Payee?

• 11 And when they heard it, they were glad, and promised to give him money. So he sought how he might conveniently betray Him.
• Theres many theories to why Judas was Judas but the bottom line is that Satan took over-
• Luke 22:3 Then Satan entered Judas, surnamed Iscariot, who was numbered among the twelve.
• Did Judas give up to the schemes of Satan, or did he welcome him in? IDK. I do know he did.
• At some point there was a deviation from the norm. A point where Judas lost sight of what he was doing and why he was doing it. He allowed Satan in
• John 12:6 This he said, not that he cared for the poor, but because he was a thief, and had the money box; and he used to take what was put in it.
• Satan entered into Judas through his divided heart and his love of money.
• 1 Timothy 6:9 But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and harmful lusts which drown men in destruction and perdition.
• Many a person has missed the mark because of their love of money and Judas is a prime example of it. He valued money more than anything.

• The chief priests needed a conspirator, and the found one in Judas. He was willing to do it because he LOVED the money. Willing to sell out Jesus for the money.
• What does it mean to you?
• Watch out for your love of money! Watch out you don’t let the god of mammon become your master- he’s a horrible ruler.
• 1 Timothy 6:10 For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil, for which some have strayed from the faith in their greediness, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.
• The love of money can take root in crazy ways that you wouldn’t expect and you’ll find your life in shambles because you worshipped the created instead of the creator.
• Luke 12:15 And He said to them, “Take heed and beware of covetousness, for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of the things he possesses.”
• This life is so much more than just money- there is so much more to this life. You can lose your job, your spouse, your friends and even your soul because of the love of money.
• Proverbs 15:27 He who is greedy for gain troubles his own house, But he who hates bribes will live.
• You must be a person that doesn’t have a price. Everyone has a price. Be a person who doesn’t.

1. A Pourer?

V3  as He sat at the table, a woman came having an alabaster flask of very costly oil of spikenard. Then she broke the flask and poured it on His head.

A pourer is someone who is able to love and give sacrificially. Give more than expected. ]
This woman gave so much- a heart that wanted to bless Jesus for no other reason than he was worth it. A sacrificial offering. – it was prophetic.

Song of Solomon 1:12  While the king is at his table, My spikenard sends forth its fragrance.

Acts 20:35 remember the words of the Lord Jesus, that He said, ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’”

1 chron 21: 24 Then King David said to Ornan, “No, but I will surely buy it for the full price, for I will not take what is yours for the Lord, nor offer burnt offerings with that which costs me nothing.”

Proverbs 11:24  There is one who scatters, yet increases more; And there is one who withholds more than is right, But it leads to poverty.

2 Corinthians 9:6 But this I say: He who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully.

What does it mean to you?

Be a pourer- be the generous one- be the one who is willing to give more than expected.

Be sacrificial towards God and others. Give more of your time and resources.

Proverbs 3:27 Do not withhold good from those to whom it is due, When it is in the power of your hand to do so.

God is pleased with pourers

Hebrews 13:16 But do not forget to do good and to share, for with such sacrifices God is well pleased.

Matthew 6:21 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.