What Does It Really Mean To Serve?

Today we are going to look at John 12:1-12:7

• But Today I want to start by looking at 2 words and those are serve and give

• Now what I Think is interesting Is the way that these words go together

Now when I think about the word serve”

• I think about service

• I think about doing things for others. (ELAB Get Involved)

Now when I hear the word “give” the first thing I think about is money

• Put into the offering plate.- Stroke a check

Now I don’t know about you but my first reaction is that I would rather

• Serve than give.

• For some reason it just sounds easier

• And it feels so much more rewarding.

But when we really stop to think about it,

• There really isn’t that much difference between the two. (ELAB)

• Let me serve you some food / give yo some food

Think about it for a moment…

• Think about times that are serving your parents, / church, / God, or anyone else for that matter.

• Aren’t you really just giving something in order to serve?

• It might be our time, / money, / talents, / wahtever resources we have to give

• And we do this in order to serve.

At the same time when we are giving,

• Whether it is putting money in the offering plate,

• Or collecting food for the food pantry in Jacksonville

• Or our giving time to help someone out,

• What we’re really doing is serving God and others at the same time.

Today we are going to focus on what it really means to serve,

• So lets dive right

• But Instead of using the word serve

• Lets use the word give because in all reality it is the same thing

• Only somehow when we hear the word give it takes on a negitive image

• And we really have to quit limiting ourselves

To help us we’re going to look at John 12:1-7 verse by verse.

Jn 12:1 Six days before the Passover ceremonies began, Jesus arrived in Bethany, the home of Lazarus—the man he had raised from the dead.

Jn 12:2 A dinner was prepared in Jesus’ honor. Martha served, and Lazarus sat at the table with him

Now, this dinner was more likely a celebration that Lazarus was alive.

• John specifically points out the fact that Lazarus was at the table

• A further reminder that at one point in the previous chapter he was dead

• But now thanks to Jesus he’s alive and at the table

Now even though this group wanted to celebrate the fact that It Lazarus was still with them

• It was a very risky move on their part because of the religious leaders.

• You see, they weren’t happy that Jesus had raised Lazarus from the dead

• Because now “everyone was believing in him,”

• Which when we think about it was one of the main reasons why Jesus did miracles;

• He did them so people would believe.

• But the religious leaders were so selfish and so caught up in their own ideas

• That a man being brought back to life didn’t even phase them.

• So, because they weren’t happy,

• They “had publicly ordered that anyone seeing Jesus must report it immediately

• So they could arrest him.”

So Jesus was risking his life, on purpose

• By going to Bethany where the Passover celebration was going on

• Because of the amount of people that would be there.

• In addition to Jesus risking His life

• Simon, Lazarus, Mary and anyone else who were at the house, were risking their lives

• Because they were disobeying the orders of the religious leaders.

• But despite the risks they were boldly participating in this dinner,

So let’s look at verse three to see one of the boldest move in this entire story.

3 Mary took a twelve-ounce jar of expensive perfume made from essence of nard, and she anointed Jesus’ feet with it and wiped his feet with her hair. And the house was filled with fragrance.

What we see here is probaly the most amazing act of love that a person of this era could do

• Think about this for just a moment

• The room is filled with people

• And everyone is focused was already on Jesus.

• And the Mary walks right up in front of everyone

• And anoints Jesus’ feet with expensive nard,

• Which was oil that’s extracted from a plant found in the mountains of India.

• Because of the rarity of it, even the small amount that Mary used cost about a year’s wages.