Devotion To The Lord – In The House.

JOHN 12:1- 11 DEVOTION TO THE LORD – IN THE HOUSE.

ARE YOU DEVOTED TO THE LORD IN THE HOUSE TONIGHT? I CAN’T HEAR YOU, ARE YOU DEVOTED TO THE LORD IN THE HOUSE TONIGHT? I STILL CANT HEAR YOU..........

TONIGHT WE WILL BE EXAMINING THREE CHARACTERISTICS OF OUR DEVOTION TO GOD - WHICH WE FIND IN THE HOUSE OF GOD. OF COURSE THE HOUSE OF GOD IS NOT ONLY THIS PLACE WE ARE TONIGHT BUT ITS RIGHT IN HERE ISN’T IT! (POINTING TO THE HEART)

BACKGROUND: WE ARE SITUATED IN BETHANY, OUTSIDE JERUSALEM, ON THE EASTERN SLOPE OF THE MOUNT OF OLIVES, JERUSALEM IS ON THE WEST. JERUSALEM IS FILLING UP WITH PILGRIMS FOR THE PASSOVER; THE RELIGIOUS ELITE ARE PLOTTING TO ARREST AND KILL JESUS AND LAZARUS AS WE SPEAK JOHN 12:10.

THIS ACCOUNT IS INTERESTING BECAUSE MATTHEW AND MARK PLACE IT, JUST BEFORE THE LAST SUPPER AND JOHN PLACES IT A HERE A WEEK BEFORE THE PASSOVER JUST BEFORE THE TRIUMPHAL ENTRY 12:1. AND LUKE MENTIONS ANOTHER ACCOUNT OF A MEAL, WHICH MAY HAVE TOOK PLACE AT A DIFFERENT TIME. BUT WE MUST REMEMBER THAT THE GOSPEL WRITERS HAVE NOT WRITTEN TO GIVE US AN EXACT CHRONOLOGICAL ACCOUNT OF EVENTS, BUT TO GIVE US AN ACCURATE RECORD OF HIS MESSAGE.

WE FIND JESUS BACK AT BETHANY AT THE HOME OF MARTHA, MARY AND LAZARUS WHO HE HAD RAISED FROM THE DEAD SOME TIME EARLIER. THE BIBLE TELLS US IT WAS THEY HAD A MEAL PREPARED FOR JESUS IN HIS HONOUR V2. I IMAGINE A WAY OF SAYING THANK YOU, FOR ALL THAT JESUS HAD DONE FOR THEM AS A FAMILY. TONIGHT WE WILL SEE TRUE DEVOTION BEING MANIFESTED TOWARDS JESUS IN THIS HOME AND I HOPE WILL STIR OUR HEARTS TO GREATER HEIGHTS OF DEVOTION.

APPLICATION: AS THEY RECLINE WITH THE LORD FOR A MEAL ALL THOSE YEARS AGO – AS THE LORDS APPROACHING THE HOUR OF HIS DEATH – WE TOO TONIGHT RECLINE WITH OUR LORD TOO SHARE A MEAL TOO. AT THIS MEAL WE ARE THE INVITED GUESTS AS WE COME TOGETHER TO HONOUR, TO REMEMBER - TO SHOW OUR DEVOTION FOR WHAT JESUS HAS DONE FOR US THROUGH HIS DEATH AND RESURRECTION - LIKE LAZARUS – HE TOO HAS BROUGHT YOU AND I BACK FROM THE DEAD TO ETERNAL LIFE! AND THIS SUPPER REMINDS US OF THAT FACT.

SO TONIGHT AS WE GATHER IN GODS HOUSE, MAY WE HAVE A SPIRIT OF REFLECTION , AS WE GATHER AROUND HIS WORD, THIS TABLE, IT IS A PERFECT OPPORTUNITY TO PUT THINGS RIGHT WITH GOD, WITH A TIME OF REPENTANCE, AS INDIVIDUALS AND CORPORATELY AS A CHURCH, TO ACKNOWLEDGE THOSE SINS WHICH MAY BE PREVENTING US FROM THE BLESSINGS OF GOD.

AS PAUL SAYS TO THE CHURCH IN CORINTH, “BEFORE WE PARTAKE IN THE LORDS SUPPER LET US EXAMINE OURSELVES.”

TONIGHT WE WILL BE EXAMINING OUR OWN DEVOTION TO THE LORD - IN THE LIGHT OF THE BIBLE – AND BE ASKING THE LORD BY HIS SPIRIT TO OPERATE - OPEN HEART SURGERY SO THAT WE MIGHT SEE TONIGHT – THE CONDITION OF OUR OWN HEARTS AS CHRISTIANS AND AS A CHURCH IN REGARD TO OUR OWN DEVOTION.

WHERE THERE IS DEVOTION TO THE LORD - GOD WILL BE IN THE HOUSE - THIS HOME IN BETHANY WAS FULL OF DIFFERENT TYPES OF DEVOTION AND JESUS WAS IN THE HOUSE.

1. A DEVOTION MANIFESTED BY CHRIST CENTERED SERVICE.

2. A DEVOTION MANIFESTED BY CHRIST CENTERED SACRIFICE

3. A DEVOTION MANIFESTED BY SELF CENTERED HYPOCRISY

1. A DEVOTION MANIFESTED BY CHRIST CENTERED SERVICE V2 .

THEY KEY TO MARY’S DEVOTION OF SERVICE HERE IS THAT IT IS NO LONGER DISTRACTED BY SELF FOCUSED SERVICE, BUT HER SERVICE IS COMPLETELY FOCUSED UPON CHRIST.

BEWARE OF SELF FOCUSED SERVICE.

AT ANOTHER MEETING WHEN JESUS CAME TO THEIR HOME IT WAS A DIFFERENT STORY.

LUKE 10:38 – 42 READ. HERE MARTHA THINKS THAT MARY’S SERVICE OF JUST SITTING AT THE FEET OF JESUS AND LISTENING IS INFERIOR, AFTER ALL SHE’S DOING ALL THE WORK! - BUT IN HER DESIRE TO SERVE SHE WAS ACTUALLY NEGLECTING JESUS , SHE HAD BECOME DISTRACTED BY THE PREPARATIONS V40.

APPLICATION.

A) WE CAN BE SO BUSY SERVING, DOING OTHER THINGS, WE CAN ACTUALLY BE NEGLECTING JESUS, AND OUR SERVICE BECOMES SELF FOCUSED AND JUDGMENTAL OF OTHERS.

B) ALSO IT IS POSSIBLE THAT OUR SERVICE CAN BECOME MERE WORK EMPTIED OF ALL TRUE DEVOTION TO GOD. YES ITS SERVICE FOR GOD BUT WE ARE SO BUSY IN IT -WE ACTUALLY FORGET WHY WERE DOING IT –

C) ALSO OUR EVERYDAY SERVICE, MANY THINGS LEGITIMATE, PREVENT US FROM SERVING JESUS AND OUR SERVICE BECOMES AGAIN SELF FOCUSED. JESUS WASN’T ANGRY AT MARTHA FOR DOING THE CHORES, THEY NEED TO BE DONE, JUST THAT SHE NEEDS TO SET HER PRIORITIES RIGHT, JESUS MUST COME FIRST.