Sermon Tone Analysis

\\ */John 12:1-10/*

 

*/1.

/**/The Occasion/*

 

/Six days before the Passover, Jesus arrived at Bethany, *where Lazarus lived*, whom Jesus had raised from the dead.

2 Here *a dinner was given in Jesus’ honor*.

Martha served, while Lazarus was among those reclining at the table with him.

3 Then Mary took about a pinta of pure nard, an expensive perfume; she poured it on Jesus’ feet and wiped his feet with her hair.

And *the house was filled with the fragrance* of the perfume./

ü    */God calls us as His children to honor Him and to honor others./*

What a great statement!

“Jesus arrived at Bethany where Jesus */lived/*.”

It was that much greater because Lazarus had also died in this community.

He was duly mourned and then spent 4 days in the grave.

The news of a person’s death spreads quickly particularly in a small community.

Many had mourned with the sisters and participated in the burial process.

No one doubted the fact that he had died.

And now he “lived” once again, in Bethany.

There were eyewitnesses to his resurrection as well.

They stood there outside the tomb and listened as Jesus called his young friend back to life.

It’s so far beyond my ability to conceive.

And Jesus was the reason.

Why shouldn’t there be a dinner in his honor.

The event was not to be held in the home because it was something that was likely to be far too big.

And everything was normal at the event.

Martha served.

Mary, now beyond her disappointment and her grieving was about to set a precedent for honoring Christ that would express her gratitude and love.

It would please nearly everyone there that day.

Anyone who loved Christ as she loved him would become a participant with her that day.

/“And *the house was filled with the fragrance* of the perfume.”/

When people worship God without reserve, He is honored and everyone is affected.

The fragrance of her worship was everywhere.

You couldn’t escape it.

When God does His thing, when he works miraculously like this it impacts everyone.

What would it be like if something like this took place in our city?

It certainly would create a stir . . .

expectancy.

It would raise the belief level of a town.

What would it do in our church?

The dinner was held in the home of Simon the Leper according to the gospels of Mark and Matthew.

We don’t know for sure who Simon was but his nickname is significant.

His home was open to honor Jesus.

Perhaps he was a leper healed by Christ.

He certainly would not have been nicknamed by a current illness, but most likely, by what he was before he experienced healing.

And the scripture tells us that we should all be people who are eager to give honor to God and to others.

*/6/*/     Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right.

2 *“Honor your father and mother*”—which is the first commandment with a promise— 3 “that it may go well with you and that you may enjoy long life on the earth.”a

*[1]* /

 

The following scripture relates to church governance.

Beyond the pastoral office but inclusive of it.

/17 //The elders who *direct the affairs of the church well are worthy of double honor*, especially those whose work is preaching and teaching.

*[2]* /

 

/9 //Love must be sincere.

Hate what is evil; cling to what is good.

10 Be devoted to one another in brotherly love.

*Honor one another above yourselves*.

Romans 12:9-10 (NIV)*[3]* /

 

This goes against the grain in our culture today.

Keith Drury calls it our “spit-in-your-face” culture.

The following is from an old article that he wrote called, “Why Are Christians So Cranky?”

 

Christians aren't exempt form our world's collapsing manners.

Last week as I chugged to work at about 50 mph (hey, that's nearly top speed for my old Jeep) I noted an Audi jerkily following me just a few feet from my rear bumper.

The driver had a 'lead follow or get out of the way' attitude.

Shrugging my shoulders, I pulled half-off the road so he could pass.

As the car came even with me, I noted the driver was a middle-aged woman, dressed in a neat business suit.

She reminded me of one of my favorite teachers in elementary school.

On the other hand, as she whooshed past me, glaring for a moment, she caught my eye, then summarily gave me the finger.

Whaaaaaat?

My favorite elementary school teacher?

The truth is, we live in a spit-in-the-umpire's-face culture and we're seeing the disappearance of civility.

Christians today will say or do to their pastor things that even the ungodly wouldn't have ten years ago.

The culture is rougher.

So are Christians.

That's one theory.

You know what Mom and Dad, every time you bark at an official at a sports game you are propagating this dishonorable attitude and passing it on with less constraint to the next generation.

Every time you embarrass a waitress publicly because you feel that you haven’t received what you deserve, you are telling someone that this is normal and acceptable.

You are saying that there are compartments of life in which it is not necessary or a priority to behave as Christ might have you behave.

Doesn’t mean that you should not plead your cause or state your case but it is sinful and inexcusable to hang your faith on a hook and tear into another human being when things don’t go as you might wish.

It is behavior that in incompatible with a profession of personal faith.

If faith does not make a difference in the way that you treat people then it is worthless.

I have no time for this behavior and no respect for it and no tolerance for the Christian who excuses this in the name of personality, offense, cause-justification, compartmentalization.

 

/2 //People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, 3 without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, 4 treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God— 5 having a form of godliness but denying its power.

Have nothing to do with them.

*[4]*/

 

It takes an incredibly large heart to sincerely honor others.

Only honorable people are capable of honoring others.

Honorable people:

 

ü      Confront privately.

ü      Are masters of their tongues publicly and privately.

ü      Give the benefit of the doubt to others.

ü      Gain control of their emotions before responding to offence.

ü      Are faith-filled optimists because they see the future through the lens of God’s promises.

ü       

 

*/2.

The Objection/*

/ /

/4 //But *one of his disciples*, Judas Iscariot, who was later to betray him, *objected*, 5 “Why wasn’t this perfume sold and the money given to the poor?

It was worth a year’s wages.b”

6 *He did not say this because he cared about the poor *but because he was a thief; as keeper of the money bag, he used to help himself to what was put into it.

/

/ /

ü   */To extend honor is more than an act but a reflection of a persons’ character/**/./*

It would be better if certain kinds of people never attended these kinds of events.

Unfortunately, many times they do and they are the most miserable in the room.

It is physically painful for a person with a small heart to rejoice in the honoring of others.

Little petty hearts and minds want to hide in the bushes, conceal themselves and throw garbage at someone else who is being honored.

It’s amazing that Judas was ever admitted to such a gathering.

He couldn’t tolerate it.

In all likelihood, he had no respect for Christ because he looked for someone stronger.

He had a hidden agenda and it was different from Christ’s.