Day 14 - Honour by Pastor Philip Olubakin: MP3 Download & Sermon Notes

Religious People and the Problem of Fault-Finding

Mark 14:1-2

The chief priests and scribes were seeking how to take Jesus by cunning and kill him. It was religious people — not the sinners, not the prostitutes, not the tax collectors — who organized the death of Jesus. One of his own twelve delivered him.

There is a religious spirit that defaults to seeing what is wrong in people before seeing what is right. God's eyes go to and fro throughout the earth looking for who he can show himself strong for — looking for someone to bless. The religious person's eyes go to and fro looking for what is wrong.

If your default setting is to pick up people's sins, you have a religious spirit, not a Spirit-filled life.

The gift of the Holy Spirit is not the gift of fault-finding. It is the gift of love. Even correction must come in truth and in love.

The Woman Who Broke the Alabaster Box

Mark 14:3-9

In the house of Simon the leper, a woman came with an alabaster box of precious ointment — spikenard, very costly — and broke it and poured it on the head of Jesus. Those present were indignant and called it a waste.

This kind of reaction still exists in churches today. Whenever someone brings an extravagant act of honour toward a man of God or toward God's house, voices immediately rise: "Why this waste? Why not sell it and give the money to the poor?"

But Jesus said: "Leave her alone. Why trouble her? She has done a good work on me."

Note who was leading the objection: it was Judas. The gospel of John makes this clear. And the moment no one agreed with his position, Judas went straight to the Pharisees to betray Jesus.

Watch out for people who never honour. People who speak against every act of honour tend to have hearts that are already turned.

Jesus went further: "For you have the poor with you always, but me you do not have always." This was an act done ahead of his burial. And he said that wherever this gospel is preached throughout the whole world, what this woman did would be spoken of as a memorial of her.

Honour has eternal weight. What is done in genuine honour of God and his servants does not disappear — it is spoken of forever.

Beware of Those Who Eat with You but Are Not with You

Mark 14:18-21

At the Last Supper, Jesus said: one of you who eats with me shall betray me. Judas was there at that table. He had been there through the entire ministry. But his heart had already moved.

Be careful of people who are present in your life but whose hearts are not with you. Jesus knew. And even knowing, he said: "The Son of Man goes as it is written of him — but woe to that man by whom the Son of Man is betrayed."

Judas repented later, but it was too late. He had already lost his portion, his place, his anointing, and his position in the kingdom. He lost everything because of greed and covetousness.

Greed is a spirit. Do not let it cost you your destiny.