David Stone – Priceless Love
Pastor David Stone is one of the speakers at the REFUEL this year, October 11-12, 2016. In this clip he clarifies Mary’s anointing of Jesus with a “priceless” gift was an act of Worship. When Mary used it wash to Jesus feet, ‘she was not wigging out it.’ Her hair was wet, yet she is not the one second guessing her decision, or thinking that she got carried away.
He continues, that to understand John 12, we have to look at John 11. It is the story of the resurrection of Lazarus (Mary’s Brother). Jesus is going around healing total strangers; of course, he will take the time to help his good friends. However, Lazarus dies before Jesus made time to go there. When Jesus finally makes it Lazarus has been dead for a few days. Separately both sisters state, ‘if you had been here, our brother would still be alive.’ There’s a bite, frustration, a little bit of anger in their comments. They were saying, “If you had been here there would not have been a funeral.” Then Jesus cries and He asks them to move the stone away. Martha & the crowd wince because Lazarus is going to smell bad.
The most important words of the story were not ‘Lazarus come out’. The most important words were after the sisters stated, “If you would have been here.” Jesus’s stated, “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me though they be dead, they will live.” The statement “Lazarus come out” had implications for a few people. Jesus’ previous comments have implications for millions of people. So in John 12, Mary does not give a rip if she just spent a year’s salary on Jesus. This is an act of worship, worshipping the One who is able to bring life. Worship will always cost you something. Maybe your time, your talent, your treasure, or your testimony.
Worship will always cost you something, but there is a huge reward!
Dave then shared a story of an escort (prostitute). She started coming to their Bible studies. However, she continued prostituting herself for 7.5 months after getting pregnant with her 2nd child. After a while she said, “I cannot get enough of God. I love the Lord.” Once this happened and she decided she wanted to follow Jesus, Dave asked her to get a new phone. He said, “If you love the Lord, I am going to ask you to get a new phone. I know you have hundreds of guys who can get you with a text or phone call.” Remember…Following Jesus is going to cost you something. What she was hearing was, “following Jesus may means giving up 200 dollars an hour for around 8 dollars an hour.” She sent Dave and his wife a text this last Saturday and said, ‘My old life is so far behind me, I have no desire to go back. I’d like to be baptized, can we talk about that?” Dave stated, “What was the value of that cell phone? It was priceless.”
Dave conclude, “True love is priceless…Giving up that cellphone, it was priceless.”
To see the whole message from REFUEL Conference please click here.