Dear TVCC Students,
It is always such a joy to worship with you all on Wednesday evening. It encourages us so much to see you intimately worshipping Jesus. Last night Sonny taught on John 12 and delivered to us some great nuggets of truth to dwell on. Here is a recap...
John 12:1-3: Mary, Martha and Lazarus are all worshipping Jesus in these passages but are worshipping Him in different ways. Sometimes the Lord wants us to glorify Him by serving others, sometimes He wants us to just recline with Him and listen, and sometimes He wants us to literally give something costly to Him as an act of worship.
Q: Do you spend time worshipping Jesus in different ways? There are so many ways to show Jesus that He is our hearts greatest desire. How have you shown Him that this week? In what way of worship do you feel closest with Jesus (He created us all differently so it can be different for us all)?
John 12:3: Mary anoints Jesus with perfume that was about a years salary. That would be like us giving Jesus in worship something around $50,000. Mary was showing Jesus in a physical way that He is worth more to her than even a year's salary.
Q: Are you willing to give to the Lord anything He would ask of you as an act of worship? Is He really more important to you than anything in this life?
John 12:3 Mary anointing Jesus with her hair was an act of vulnerable and intimate worship. In those days only a husband saw the wife's hair. Mary was showing Jesus in a physical way that she was fully His. The Lord already knew her fully and she was just responding in a way that demonstrated that her heart was fully His.
Q: Are you living a life of complete honesty and vulnerability with the Lord or are you trying to hide areas of your life from Him? Remember that He already knows you fully but desires for you to realize this and live in complete intimacy with Him.
John 12:4-6: Judas responds with disgust at Mary's worship of Jesus. Judas had always been with Jesus for the wrong reasons and again he is angry because he would not benefit from this situation. Though Judas was always around Jesus and "heavenly" things, his heart was always hard and he was continually trying to do what was best for himself, not the kingdom of God.
Q: Are you like Judas? What are your motives for doing "Christian" things ( ie. going to church or serving others)? Are you genuinely trying to honor Jesus in all that you do or are you trying to make a name for yourself? Just as with Judas, one day ALL of our motives will be exposed. We encourage you to check your motives now and ask for forgiveness from the Lord where your motives have been wrong (and help from the Spirit to love Jesus with pure motives).
John 12:7-8: Jesus responds by saying that Mary was doing the best thing with her time and money. She gave herself fully to the Lord and He was pleased with her. We need to continually be seeking to know from the Lord how He would have us worship Him and then act accordingly. He wants our all and that looks different for each of us.
Q: What does it look like for you to give your all to loving Jesus? Are you doing that?
John 12:9-11: The crowd was so fickle. After this event some went to follow Jesus and some sided with the Pharisees in wanting Jesus dead. Following the crowd is never a good place to be. Sometimes the crowds were shouting "Hosanna!" to Jesus and then shortly later were shouting "CRucify!" If we are just "following" Jesus because others around us are, we will never fully know intimacy with Him. We must have a PERSONAL relationship with Him where we are willing to love Him even if the crowd does not.
Q: Are you easily swayed by the crowds or is your faith rooted in the Lord? Are you willing to "go against the crowd" if the Lord calls you to?
Dear students,
We pray that last night was encouraging to your souls and that you were able to engage with the Lord through worship and teaching. We pray that you will meditate on John 12 this week and ask the Lord to change any parts of your life that He desires to change that you may walk with him in a vulnerable and intimate way. We love you and are praying for you!
WIth hope,
Sonny and Casi
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