Sacrificial Giving July 26

Think About It … Tell us a situation where you indulged another person with an expensive gift. Today  we study about a woman who gave a very expensive expression of devotion – she must have sacrificed to give this gift to Jesus

Listen for answers to who, what, when, and where. John 12:1-2 (NIV) 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.

Honoring Jesus Who are the people who show up in this passage? Where? What was going on? When?

Information about Passover First of three annual Jewish celebrations. Memorialized plague of death of the firstborn sons Blood that marked the Jewish homes signaled the death angel to “pass over” Passover was on 14th day of the first month. Leviticus 23 specifies the animal sacrifice procedure Meal referred to as Last Supper was actually a Passover meal.

Honoring Jesus How does Jesus’ death parallel the Passover? Mary, Martha, and Lazarus gave a dinner to honor Jesus. What can we do to honor what Jesus has done for us? Why is it so important that believers express their love for God? PassoverJesus’ Death

Listen for how much of a sacrifice would have been made to honor Jesus. John 12:3 - 6 (NIV) Then Mary took about a pint 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. [4] But one of his disciples, Judas Iscariot, who was later to betray him, objected,

Listen for how much of a sacrifice would have been made to honor Jesus. [5] "Why wasn't this perfume sold and the money given to the poor? It was worth a year's wages." [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.

Sacrificing for Jesus What did Mary do to/for Jesus? Why would this have been a sacrifice for Mary? In what way was this an extreme gift? Why do you think Mary was willing to make this kind of sacrifice? What reasons do we have to be grateful to Jesus?

Sacrificing for Jesus How would you have reacted if you had witnessed the woman pouring out a full year’s wages’ worth of perfume or cologne on someone’s feet? How did Judas respond to Mary’s act? What motivated Judas’s response to Mary’s act?

Sacrificing for Jesus Mary poured on Jesus’ feet some perfume that was valued at a year’s wages. Why are we hesitant to offer similar expensive sacrifices? In what ways can we be more sacrificial? What keeps us from pouring out our lives as an offering to God?

Listen to Jesus response to Judas’ comments. John 12:7 - 8 (NIV) "Leave her alone," Jesus replied. "It was intended that she should save this perfume for the day of my burial. [8] You will always have the poor among you, but you will not always have me."

Jesus Reorders our Lives What did Jesus have to say that helped her to know it was the right thing to do, that she had the correct priorities? How can we know that we are making priority decisions that please Jesus?

Jesus Reorders our Lives Judas spent a great deal of time with Jesus but never developed an authentic love for Him. How can we keep from making the same mistake of substituting time spent in religious events for a life-changing relationship with Jesus Christ? How can we demonstrate our love and devotion in excess? How can we response to God’s abundant grace to us?

Application Determine this week to make sacrifices of thanksgiving and adoration – Give up one thing to make possible something which is more important – Give sacrificially of your time, talent, and treasure to further ministries of the Kingdom of God

Application We must be careful of our motives when we sacrifice for the Lord – We should do so to honor the Lord and further the kingdom – Confess impure motives – Ask God to purify your attitudes and motivations

Application Ask God to help you with your commitment to Him. – Ask Him for your commitment to affect your daily living – Pray that your commitment to Jesus shows in how you treat others – Pray that it will show in your concern for the lost

Sacrificial Giving July 26