The worth of Jesus:  What is He worth to you?-(John series-Chapter 12)

Introduction:  Relevance and Reference point of your soul

Ex:  Challenge to students in the Philippines-”where do you go for the deep things of your soul?”

Psalm 42:6-8-…My soul is cast down within me; therefore I remember youfrom the land of Jordan and of Hermon,

from Mount Mizar. 7 Deep calls to deep at the roar of your waterfalls;  all your breakers and your waves have gone over me. 8 By day the Lord commands his steadfast love, and at night his song is with me, a prayer to the God of my life.

–The Psalmist is speaking from a place that everyone reaches who needs help, the soul-yet how many of us go this deep regularly with God to answer all the questions, frustrations, the past, and complexities of our life?

-Do I regularly ignore deep emotions that I have no answer to, mainly because I don’t see a place I can go with them-a place I trust, a place where vulnerability is a reality, because that is where my disappointment is, that is where my regrets live,etc.=deep

Ex:  the relevance of our pain is for us first to go to God for our own healing and understanding-yet that is to lead to us ministering to others who share the relative pain/disappoint/ or frustrations we had

2 Corinthians 1:6-7-If we are afflicted, it is for your comfort and salvation; and if we are comforted, it is for your comfort,which you experience when you patiently endure the same sufferings that we suffer.

-if we cannot articulate our sufferings b/c we never dealt with them before God (in the deep place)-than we miss our opportunity to minister and comfort others-(to have children/people who look up to you who desire wisdom and not have anything to offer, is to have suffered in vain)-Galatians 3:4-5-Did you suffer so many things in vain, if indeed it was in vain?

–What did God teach you in what you went through?-That answer only comes through worship, going deep with God

Ex: this is how we show more anxiety instead of ministering grace-b/c instead of dealing with what happened, we project our fear of what could happen (not comforting from our experience in the grace/love of God, but projecting fear/shame)

(vs.8)-The difference between a burden being light and one being heavy, is who is managing our life/burdens?-If you read carefully the Psalmist implies that His relationship is not reactive with God, but proactive=settled in God

-”God is His life”, so the reference point of His soul in the big things that are overwhelming is established in God as well-That He has declared God deep enough to answer the depths of his soul!-(The Truth, the Way, the Life, is Jesus that?)

Jesus is must be the most relevant Person in life, and where we go to feed and empty the soul, “the God of my life”-even if you are trying to find “peace” between your spouse or kids, job, etc. they can’t answer the soul-

(the difference between the root of a problem and the “branches”-and our frustration with people/our life maybe because we are not going deep enough with God to the root?)

What has it cost you?

John 12:1-5-Six days before the Passover, Jesus therefore came to Bethany, where Lazarus was, whom Jesus had raised from the dead.2 Sothey gave a dinner for him there. Martha served, and Lazarus was one of those reclining with him at the table. 3 Mary therefore took a pound of expensive ointmentmade from pure nard, and anointed the feet of Jesus and wiped his feet with her hair. The house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume.

–This is Mary the sister of Martha, are recipients of the miracle from Jesus in seeing their brother Lazarus being raised from the dead.-So in honor of this event there is a dinner. Where we see Martha serving, and Mary worshiping…(2 Tim.3:16)

-In the two times we hear about the description of Martha-we see scripture giving a distinction between the two, both times Martha is serving, while Mary is worshiping-It is possible to serve without worship, but impossible to be a true worshiper and never serve.  (Numerous examples of God rebuking “service” void of  any worship=Eli’s sons were priest)

Luke 10:40-42-But Martha was distracted with much serving. And she went up to him and said, “Lord, do you not carethat my sister has left me to serve alone? Tell her then to help me.” 41 But the Lord answered her, “Martha, Martha, you are anxious and troubled about many things,  42 but one thing is necessary. Mary has chosenthe good portion, which will not be taken away from her.“

–Notice when it comes to worship, Jesus says Mary chose what is good-while Martha “you chose to be troubled because you find your identity in serving, and not in worship”…and get mad when people aren’t affirming your service=identity

-But worship is to find it’s identity and affirmation in God, and if people affirm than great-but anger in not getting help in what you want affirmation in, is why Jesus rebuked Martha, “that’s it’s not about your identity/agenda”

Ex:  When you expect people to be passionate about what you do-and they’re not b/c their passion is elsewhere, that’s how the Body of Christ works!-(Yet we do this in churches, and don’t recognize that we need passions for worship everywhere to function in sync-shouldn’t our homes operate the same way? Or are we making it about us, like Martha?)

-So when Mary decides to pour expensive perfume on Jesus to honor what He was about to do in dying on the cross-she is expressing that Jesus is worth the expense, whatever it cost, I’ll pay it=that’s worship (Mary never answered Martha

-Do you look at Jesus/faith with an idea of having a “salary cap”?-That I’ll only give Jesus so much, and I’ll keep the rest? But the problem with that, is life, when it starts shaking our soul that what we decided to give Jesus isn’t enough-which proves we were never proactive, settled in God as Life (Psalmist)=always trying to recover from things happening

Daniel 5:27-Tekel, you have been weighed in the balances and found wanting;

 

What Jesus knows is what matters=True worship

John 12:4-8-4 But Judas Iscariot, one of his disciples (he who was about to betray him), said, 5 “Why was this ointment not sold for three hundred denarii and given to the poor?” He said this, not because he cared about the poor,but because he was a thief, and having charge of the moneybag he used to help himself to what was put into it. 7 Jesus said,“Leave her alone, so that she may keep it for the day of my burial.  8 The poor you always have with you,but you do not always have me.

-Notice how Judas is trying to interpret Mary’s worship, but the moment he does, he devalues it to mean something that he thinks-but worship is personal and for Jesus, but when we are not a worshiper, we live as a critic of what people do, b/c it’s not benefiting us the way we want!=which is why such people can’t genuinely serve b/c their hidden motives end up coming through=light exposing darkness

Philippians 2:2–complete my joy by being of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind.

Ex:  The reason division, confusion, and fighting can reign more than peace-is because a worshiper is criticized by the non-worshiper who has their own agenda-(b/c we’re not of the same mind, if my mind is on Jesus and your mind is on you…)

-But also like Judas, if we say it’s to do something good, is that genuine?-True worship is in Spirit and in Truth, so it makes me have to be honest with myself before God,

–Mary’s focus as worshiper, should I have to wonder if your motives are pure, shouldn’t you do that?–notice Mary is a true worshiper, she isn’t answering her critics or worried about Judas’ motives, she’s focused on what God has on her heart to do=she is like Jesus was with Judas, unhindered!!

-What is fascinating about Judas is that no one knew he was a fraud, only Jesus-because picture yourself being with Judas in making that comment, he could really be caring for the poor, that being his ministry, I don’t want to criticize that…

Yet here is the immaturity Judas proves he has, in that criticizing Mary, is to first think of how things effect him, and putting himself before God/her worship-I challenge you, do you put yourself before God, by criticizing those who give to Jesus what you would consider foolish, but God honors?

Conclusion:  Does the benefit of worship outweigh the risk

John 12:9-11–When the large crowd of the Jews learned that Jesus was there, they came,not only on account of him but also to see Lazarus, whom he had raised from the dead. 10 So the chief priests made plans to put Lazarus to death as well,11 because on account of himmany of the Jews were going away and believing in Jesus.

-The religious Jews hated Jesus anyway, b/c He was taking away their affirmation-these Jews used God’s name in order to have people esteem them, their agenda (which is why they could conspire with Judas=one mind)...(Lazarus represented the true glory of God in Jesus Christ, and because of that they wanted to kill him too.)

Ex: The benefit of worship is that we get a chance to experience the glory of God throughout our life-in that He heals the past and works it for good, as well as giving purpose, joy, and hope for the present and future

Psalm 31:7-8-I will rejoice and be glad in your steadfast love, because you have seen my affliction; you haveknown the distress of my soul, 8 and you have not delivered meinto the hand of the enemy; you have set my feet in a broad place.

-The benefit of seeing your life in God, is that in being healed and comforted you can settle in Him as life-for His love (present), be thankful in healing your afflicted soul (past) and thankful for where He has you now (confidence for the future)-(but without worship you live tormented by your past affliction in  your present place in life=(bondage), coming from the hands of an enemy or oppressor, bitter at people or life itself…)

-What are the risks of worship?  The risk is loneliness because you realize without worship-people have agendas that are not of God, yet portray they are (Judas/Jews) yet actually live to sabotage you for their own glory…

-If you consider the worshipers in this passage, Mary, Lazarus, and Jesus, Mary has no real fellowship with her own sister-who at one point criticized her lifestyle of worshiping while she was busy and angry about her not helping her…

-But we also see Jesus and Lazarus, in that because of Jesus’ relationship with God and the power to raise Lazarus-the Jews wanted to kill both of them, thus showing us that the will of God has to be worth it, and it only is if we are deep in intimacy with Jesus-that He is truly my treasure

The enemy uses isolation, a lack of affirmation, and loneliness to try and wear us down to compromise the will of God for the approval of the world=their will no real resolve to minister faith and encourage others from the soul-Psalm 94:17-19-If the Lord had not been my help, my soulwould soon have lived in the land of silence. 18 When I thought, “My foot slips,”your steadfast love, O Lord, held me up. 19 When the cares of my heart are many, your consolations cheer my soul.