Faith Church Sermon Podcast · Faith FWB Church in Goldsboro, NC

3/18/26 These Are Written: The Hour Is Come, pt.2

·37 min·3 clips

Pastor Powell explains why the cross is not a tragedy but the climax where God's plan results in his glory.

This episode is part two of a sermon series titled 'These Are Written: The Hour Is Come' from Faith Church Sermon Podcast. Pastor Christian Powell delivers a solo sermon analyzing John 12, focusing on events leading to Jesus's crucifixion. He begins by redefining 'passion' as enduring suffering, not enthusiasm, and frames the cross as a divine climax rather than a tragedy. The pastor emphasizes that Jesus never fell in love with human praise, using examples like Palm Sunday and temptations from the devil. He introduces the anointing of Jesus by Mary, debating whether it's one event recorded in John 12, Mark 14, and Matthew 26, occurring six days before Passover. The setting is described as Simon the leper's house in Bethany, with Lazarus present after being raised from the dead. The pastor uses maps to explain Jesus's journey from Ephraim to Bethany via Jericho, where he healed Blind Bartimaeus and met Zacchaeus. He provides historical context on first-century meal customs, using a triclinium example to visualize Mary's anointing. Mary's act involves a pound of spikenard, a costly ointment worth a year's wage, which she pours on Jesus and wipes his feet with her hair. The pastor highlights this as a servant-like worship, contrasting it with the disciples' focus on self-exaltation. Judas objects, calling it a waste, but Jesus defends Mary, saying she did it against his burial day. The pastor reveals Judas's greed, as he was a thief who wanted to steal the money. Applications include questioning what worship costs believers, encouraging sacrificial acts, and reflecting on how Jesus's hour impacts personal faith. The sermon concludes with a call for public, spontaneous, and unembarrassed worship, referencing Warren Wiersbe's description of Mary's devotion.

As heard by us

John 12 links the cross and resurrection and ends with Mary's costly worship.

This sermon stays close to John 12, where Jesus' hour and the cross belong with the resurrection instead of sitting apart. It also spends time in Simon's house, with Simon described as no longer a leper and Lazarus held up as a living witness to gratitude.

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Why you'd press play

Press play if you want John 12, the hour has come, and the cross held together.

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