Before we begin today, I want to encourage you. Take notes on the sermon. Then, during the week, pray your notes. The reason I say this is, that while I’m preaching publicly, the Holy Spirit will preach to you privately. As He pours into you, talk about what He shows you to your family. As you do this, your spouse and kids will learn to expect to hear from the Holy Spirit and they will also begin to share. Memorize scripture. Memorize chapters. We’re raising future moms and dads and leaders. Spend time with Jesus. It changes you. When your spouse tells you that you’re so kind and loving, then you know you’re becoming more like Jesus.
When you spend the time, He will give you an anointing. The anointing makes you effective. This is why pastors have to pray and spend time with Jesus, so their words are effective. As spouses, parents and grandparents, you are pastors of your home. God anoints your words and they become medicine in your home. He makes you a healer, healing with your words. Think of it. You could heal your spouse and your children with your words. You could be a walking pharmacy with healing of the love of Jesus in your home. The price to be an effective spouse, parent and grandparent is time with Jesus. “Lord make me a healer with my words! Let my words be medicine!”
Today I want to focus on two characters in John 12:1-8. Lazarus was at his home after he’d been raised from the dead and the family was hosting Jesus. Mary was worshiping at the feet of Jesus. She anointed Him with expensive oil and wiped His feet with her hair. Judas was criticizing that the oil could have been sold and given to the poor. Please note, Iscariot was not Judas’ last name. It was a political party. After all this time with Jesus, Judas’ identity was not changed. His identity was still tied to his political party.
Mary is a type of generosity, a model of what generosity should look like. Generosity is a godly response to thankfulness and she was overflowing with thankfulness to Jesus. Thankfulness results in generosity. Selfishness is caused by a lack of thankfulness. Think of the example of giving thanks for your food. You do this because you are thankful and you believe thankfulness protects the food. The same principle works for church, parents, children, friendships, job and marriage. Thankfulness protects your heart toward these things. If you’re complaining about something, you’ve lost your thankfulness.
In our relationship to God, we are to enter into his gates with thanksgiving. When you’re really thankful you’ll be generous. When you are truly thankful for what God has done, you don’t need a special class or lunch with the pastor. The heart of serving results from thankfulness. Are you thankful Jesus saved you? Relationships grow out of thankfulness. Thankfulness should never be hard. If it is hard, then something is wrong. Do you have talents and gifts that you never use for the kingdom? Raise your level of thankfulness. Be thankful for mental and physical wellness. Be thankful for your ability to work and provide for yourself and your family. God gave you what you have, the resources and education and people. Find ways to be generous.
Mary offered God the most beautiful and extravagant gift in the whole Bible. What is your annual salary? That’s the value of what she broke and poured over Jesus. Think about this. What wasn’t on Jesus was on the floor because it was an offering. It was fully surrendered in thanksgiving to Him and 2000 years later we are still preaching this story. God gave you what you have. He’s not impressed by what your gifts and talents are. He gave them to you. What impresses Him is the giving of your gift to show your love for Him or His children. He wants His gifts to draw you closer to Him.
As Mary was a type of generosity, Judas was a type of selfishness. In verse 6 he asks “Why didn’t you sell this and give it to the poor?” Have you ever said this? If so, you’re quoting Judas! Have you ever heard someone ask why someone has two cars? Whoever said that only has one car. Or maybe they ask why a person lives in a certain community. It is because they can’t afford that community. Whatever I don’t have is what YOU don’t need. It is based in selfishness. God doesn’t bless us at the same level at the same time. He loves us individually and intentionally. We need to learn to celebrate what happens to each other and we need to teach our children to celebrate what happens to their siblings and their friends. Celebrate when God blesses your brothers and sisters. Think about this. Kids who are jealous believe God doesn’t have something for them. Know that God has something for you and meanwhile celebrate when God blesses another and prophesy good things over each other. Serve each other. David served his siblings and God knew He could trust David’s heart. This is worship to Jesus. Worship is not singing songs about things we do not intend to do in action. Worship happens when you do something in obedience to God even when you don’t want to do it. The very first place the term worship is used in the Bible is in reference to Abraham obeying God and taking isaac to the mountain to sacrifice him. Singing songs oftentimes is us singing about what we refuse to do and not living how God calls us to live.
Get each other familiar with honor. Start by putting God first. If God can’t trust you with something that belongs to another, why would He trust you with true riches. Judas was stealing money for himself. Usually people who don’t give are the ones who are complaining. If my arm hurts and the doctor pushes on where it hurts, it indicates something is wrong in that place. If you’re hearing a message and it hurts, there’s an area that is not right between you and Jesus. Look at Luke 16:11. Do you want true riches? Money can’t buy true riches. True riches include a spouse who loves you, a home and family, health, peace, sleep. Sleep is one of the greatest things. Sleep is one of those things when you get it, you tell everyone, “I slept last night!” Jesus becomes your dream and you will sleep when you are spending time with Jesus,
God is your great reward. Spending time with Jesus requires restructuring your life. It’s the same with tithing. You have to restructure your use of money. God what’s to be first. Seek Him first and expect restructuring. Then you will sleep and He will give you dreams. God's first language is vision and dreams. Solomon’s conversation with God that established his kingdom all happened in a dream. Would it change the value you have in sleep if you dreamed and things happened as you dreamed it? Turn your affections toward God and He will get in your dreams. These are true riches.
Where your treasure is there will your heart be also. Invest your time, talent and treasure in God. Malachi 3 says God will open the windows of heaven and you won’t have room to contain the blessing. Did you know God can change your life with one blessing? Whenever I need money, He never gives me a bunch of cash. He gives me Ideas and strategies. Put God the first.
Cain brought an offering to God but he didn’t bring the first. Able brought God the first. God wants to be first. He doesn’t want us to be stingy. When I committed to putting God first in my day, I had to readjust my life. I had to start getting up earlier which meant going to bed earlier. I had to adjust my family’s schedule. It’s the same with offerings. I had to adjust how I was spending money and give my tithe first. I live without fear because I made this adjustment. This is why you don’t sleep, because you need to put God first. When you don’t put God first, you can’t be the person you’re designed to be because you’re tired. When you put God first, you live without fear and in peace. Ask Him to grow your standard of giving in all aspects of your life. Be generous with your words. What can I add to my home? How do you add value to the people in your life? Serve each other. Don’t be stingy. Spend time with Him. When we put God first and honor Him with our time, we develop a heart for Him. If you can’t be generous toward the One who gave everything to you, you will never be generous toward your family or friends.
Put God first. God will never owe you. He will never allow you to give more to Him than He is going to give to you.
