• Christ Impacts Homes 

  • One of the coolest things is seeing how Christ can impact a home. 
  • So many homes are in need of Christ
  • Homes without Christ
    • Anger, strife, abuse, disunity, oppression, sadness.
    • Christ is a GAME CHANGER in a home. 

• Set the stage

  • Our first story will take place at a home in Bethany, right outside of Jerusalem. This home would have been in a small village, on the eastern hills of the mount of olives.
  • Three siblings lived together. Homes often stayed in the possession of families after parents passed away. There are three siblings that are seen frequently in the story of Christ
  • Martha, probably the eldest, Lazurus, the one Jesus raised from the dead, and Mary, possibly the youngest.
  • A few weeks prior to the story we’re about to read, Jesus raised a man from the dead. There was so much commotion about this, Jesus had to retreat with His disciples to avoid early death.
  • He comes back to Bethany, to the staging ground before the Easter story unfolds.

Passage

John 12:1–11 (NLT) — 1 Six days before the Passover celebration began, Jesus arrived in Bethany, the home of Lazarus—the man he had raised from the dead. 2 A dinner was prepared in Jesus’ honor. Martha served, and Lazarus was among those who ate with him. 3 Then Mary took a twelve-ounce jar of expensive perfume made from essence of nard, and she anointed Jesus’ feet with it, wiping his feet with her hair. The house was filled with the fragrance. 4 But Judas Iscariot, the disciple who would soon betray him, said, 5 “That perfume was worth a year’s wages. It should have been sold and the money given to the poor.” 6 Not that he cared for the poor—he was a thief, and since he was in charge of the disciples’ money, he often stole some for himself. 7 Jesus replied, “Leave her alone. She did this in preparation for my burial. 8 You will always have the poor among you, but you will not always have me.” 9 When all the people heard of Jesus’ arrival, they flocked to see him and also to see Lazarus, the man Jesus had raised from the dead. 10 Then the leading priests decided to kill Lazarus, too, 11 for it was because of him that many of the people had deserted them and believed in Jesus.

Segue - I really want this passage to speak to every person who needs a new day. Christ represents a game changer for all of us. What I love about this first week is how Jesus can change a household, a family, a home. I see three key movements in this narrative that shows how Christ transformed this family and let them experience A New Day!

Body

A NEW DAY begins with Christ in your home

1. The point of this main point is to focus on the benefit of having Christ in your home, and Him wanting to be there. Simply, He wants to be in your home, your desire must be to have him, and the benefits you’ll experience by having Him in your home. 

2. Jesus wants to be in your home

   1. Ephesians 3:17 (NLT) — 17 Then Christ will make his home in your hearts as you trust in him. Your roots will grow down into God’s love and keep you strong.
   2. Revelation 3:20 (NLT) — 20 “Look! I stand at the door and knock. If you hear my voice and open the door, I will come in, and we will share a meal together as friends.

3. You should have a strong DESIRE to have Him in your home

   1. Martha welcomed him in with a meal in Luke 10.
      1. She gets a bad rap often because she was focused on serving instead of sitting at his feet, but it does say that He came BECAUSE SHE INVITED HIM!
   2. They “prepared a feast in his honor” in John 12.
   3. Out of all the homes in Bethany, Jesus ended up at their house!
      1. This story is all about HONOR, VALUE, ESTEEM, DESIRE
      2. Ask Him in your home, serve him in your home.

4. The benefit of Jesus in your home

   1. He brought TRUTH into their home (Mary at his feet, Martha corrected)
      1. Order, priorities
   2. He brought LIFE into their home (Lazurus brought back to life)
      1. Dead things coming back to life
      2. Christ can cause dead things to come back to life
      3. Relationships that you thought were dead in your home
      4. Dreams that you thought were dead
   3. He brought FRAGRANCE into their home (Joy, presence, peace)
   4. He brought LEGACY into their home! 

A NEW DAY begins with You at his feet

1. In this section I begin to focus on Mary and her heart. She always wanted to be AROUND Jesus. Her heart was pure, and she always found herself at His feet. If you will refocus on Him, always be at His feet, you will live in a New Day! 

   1. Your heart is “what do you want”
   2. Your heart is “what is your angle”

2. What’s fascinating is that everyone saw something different in Jesus. 

   1. Pharisees - Jesus is a PROBLEM
   2. Crowds - Jesus is a PERFORMER
   3. disciples - Jesus is a PURPOSE
   4. Judas - Jesus is a PURSE
   5. Mary - Jesus is PRICELESS

3. Everyone is acting in different ways

   1. Lazurus is probably telling his testimony.
   2. The disciples are probably enjoying the food and joking around.
   3. Martha is hustling in and out of the kitchen.
   4. Mary comes in.

4. Mary wanted to be at His feet! 

   1. In Luke 10, Mary is at His feet LEARNING
      1. There is no higher dispensing of wisdom and truth than at the feet of Jesus.
   2. In John 11, Mary is at His feet GRIEVING
      1. Jesus becomes the place we can bring everything!
      2. We can bring our doubts, fears, hurts, struggles, anything!
   3. In John 12, Mary is at his feet WORSHIPING 

A NEW DAY begins when Everything is poured out

1. The purpose of this point is to dramatize the beauty of the worship moment. Get in her head. What was she thinking?! She was grateful beyond words. She was devoted beyond words. Only HE MATTERED! The bottle communicates extreme worth. The hair communicates total humility and giving of self. The line she drew was stark, as are all followers of Jesus. The judgement she received didn’t matter! 

2. The bottle of Mary

   1. Worth a years wages
   2. A one use only bottle
   3. You can have it ALL!
   4. So many people give Christ portions of their lives, but she was giving it all, holding back nothing!
   5. She saw Jesus the King, Jesus the Sacrifice, Jesus the Groom

3. The hair of Mary

   1. The hair was a woman’s dignity. A woman’s hair was always tied up and back. It was seen as the glory of a woman. Her most glorious thing is washing your least dignified.
   2. She smelled like Him for weeks to come!

4. The line she drew

   1. Never get it back
   2. Never buy another
   3. Never be seen the same way
   4. God loves it when we do this
      1. He loved it when Peter and Andrew walked away from their nets
      2. He loved it when Levi left his booth.
      3. He loved it when Abraham left Haran
      4. He loved it when Elisha killed the bulls and burned the plow
   5. Your life will change when you are willing to cross the line and never return
      1. Never return to your old habits, friends, lifestyle.
      2. Don’t try to mix them, keep them alive.

5. The judgement she received

   1. When you cross a line, many may judge you, say ugly things to you.
   2. Mary was looked down upon by others because of this moment.