He Chose you on purpose, for a purpose! John 13:18-30

HE KNOWS YOU, DO YOU KNOW HIM? (or, “SHEEP, GOATS, [and an occasional wolf]”)

John 13:18-30 Introduction: John 13 began in the upper room, a last meal for Jesus to share with His disciples. Looking to give them an object lesson, to reinforce His teaching with a living, powerful illustration, He, their Master and teacher, washed the feet of His disciples, revealing the attitude of a servant, calling them to think of others before themselves. And now, even through the unfolding story of His betrayal, Jesus was working to reveal His glory and to show His love. The teacher was still teaching, building their faith, equipping them for life and ministry without His physical presence.

The Big Idea: We should examine our hearts to be sure we know Him, and then live in such a way that it is evident that we do!

I. Jesus knows the truth about us: He predicted His betrayal by Judas in order to strengthen the other disciples’ faith (13:18a). Jesus said in verse 17, “If you know these things, happy are you if you do them.” His disciples were to be doers of the word, and not hearers only! But He wasn’t telling that to everyone in the room. The works He was calling them to do had to spring from genuine faith. Jesus knows His sheep, and He knows the hearts of the goats! He realized that his lesson on serving one another as He had served them was not actually relevant to everyone in the room. “I do not speak concerning all of you…” His message applied to the believers in the room—even Jesus was dealing with a mixed multitude. In virtually every context where the Bible is preached or taught not every hearer is in the same place spiritually. Before we can follow Him we have to know Him. This is a warning against presumption. Judas walked with Jesus, he was surrounded by believers and in close proximity to the Master himself. But he did not know Him. Being in church is a good thing. You have a chance to hear the truth and to learn about God. Going to church is not a substitute for personally trusting Jesus as the Savior and Lord of your life.

“I know whom I have chosen…”

Elections are coming up this year in which Americans will choose the leaders who will set the course for our nation for the coming years. I hope you are all registered to vote and informed on the issues! The verb here is eklegomai transliterated into English “to elect.” John uses it in three other contexts of those He had chosen as his disciples, to carry out his mission. We read in 6:70,

Then Jesus replied, "Have I not chosen you, the Twelve? Yet one of you is a devil!"

15:16 says "You did not choose Me, but I chose you, and appointed you, that you should go and bear fruit, and that your fruit should remain…”

Finally in 15:19 If you were of the world, the world would love its own. Yet because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you.

I am 6' now, but when I was a middle school student and into high school I was kind of short and scrawny, and usually, when they were picking teams for a game I was one of the last ones chosen. You have been chosen by God himself to be a part of His team. If you have trusted Jesus as your Savior and Lord, think about this: He has chosen you out of the world and appointed you to have a part in His mission to the world! I was visiting a dear brother in the hospital this week and we spoke about this passage. He pointed me to Jeremiah 1 where God was calling the prophet in Jeremiah 1:5,

"Before I formed you in the womb I knew you; Before you were born I sanctified you; I ordained you a prophet to the nations."

Before you were coneived you were known by God. According to Paul before the world itself was created He knew you and chose you! You are exactly the one He wanted! He knows you, with all your flaws and weaknesses, and He will use you, if you will yield yourself to Him. We should examine our hearts to be sure we know Him, and then live in such a way that it is evident that we do!

II. Jesus is God, so He knew what was happening, he knew the truth about Judas: Ironically, His betrayal was a fulfillment of Scripture and so a vindication of Jesus’ identity: He is the great I AM (13:18b-25).

Prophecy has purpose, to reveal, to testify to God’s nature and to reveal His plan. Jesus’ betrayal by Judas was a fulfillment of Scripture and so a vindication of Jesus identity. The citation of Scripture and the prediction of His impending betrayal (v.18,19) is a further revelation that He is the great I AM. He talks about this before hand so his disciples will “believe” Think of this, not only the cross, but betrayal by a friend were prophesied centuries before!

“…but [all of this happened so…] that the Scripture might be fulfilled that says, ‘He who eats bread with me has lifted up his heel against me’…”

Prophecy was being fulfilled: this a prophetic statement in Psalm 41:9. The writing of this scripture before it happened on the pages of the Hebrew Bible is a further testimony, more evidence, vindicating the identity of Jesus.

“…that… you may believe that I AM [He]” (13:19).

Without the fuller understanding of what Jesus has revealed about himself, this statement would almost be incomprehensible: “Now I tell you, before it happens, so that when it does happen, you will know, that I AM…” I AM what? The NKJV fills in “I am He,” that is the promised One, the One that spoke to Moses in the wilderness, I AM that I AM.” The fulfillment of prophesy written in Scripture and spoken by Jesus would be one more means that He used to build the faith of the disciples, and to confirm His identity as God the Son—the Great I AM. V.20 hints at the mission that faces the church. “He who accepts anyone I send accepts me; whoever accepts me accepts the One who sent me…” It anticipates the words of Christ after the resurrection, “As the Father has sent Me, I also send you.” (John 20:21). God had a mission for the Son to complete—to provide salvation through his death on our behalf. Now he has a mission for us to carry out: proclaiming the gospel of salvation by grace through faith to the world. We are sent! You are sent! You have a mission field that you touch on a daily basis. And if they reject you, don’t take it personally, it’s Jesus that they are rejecting. Though Jesus knew the heart of Judas, He was nevertheless “deeply troubled” by his treachery. Judas was with Him for three years. Walking, talking, living, their relationship was as disciple and teacher. Jesus took no pleasure in the reprobate heart of Judas. It hurt Him, it troubled Him that Judas would turn his back on Him. We see the heart of Jesus, his compassion, his full humanity alongside His absolute divinity. We saw the same word in 12:27, there his “soul” was troubled over the impending passion, here his imminent betrayal left Him “troubled. We need to watch for wandering sheep. We need to be diligent in teaching the truth so that goats among the sheep will be convicted of their need. The question of John, instigated by Peter, may have been motivated by lingering doubt, “could it be me?” That might be better than presumption (22-25)! It may be that Judas was deceiving himself up to the last minute. Covering up his sin, hiding his treacherous intentions from the others (all but Jesus that is!). Some think Judas may have even justified his actions thinking that he was forcing Jesus to show his hand and to reveal his power. I can’t count the number of times I have counseled with people who were engaging in sin, and justifying their behavior – God wants me to be happy, this is different from other cases we love each other (but are you married), we are really committed (but, are you married), you don’t know my heart (no, but God does!). Sometimes, “I believe the Lord has led me to do this…” (Well, if it is in direct contradiction to His Word, its not the Lord that is leading you!). We should examine our hearts to be sure we know Him, and then live in such a way that it is evident that we do!

III. Jesus is God, and He was in control, over-ruling even The Darkness and the Devil to accomplish His purpose (26-30).

13.26-In response to John’s question Jesus gave an answer, that apparently wasn’t understood by John (or Peter), until perhaps after the cross. Based on vv.28-29 it seems like still no one got what Jesus said, they suspected nothing about Judas. Even as Jesus handed the bread to Judas it seems that Peter and John were blinded to what Jesus had just said: “Ok, you’re giving us bread, and it’s one of us?” Back in v.2 we read that the devil had put treachery in Judas’ heart – now it goes further in v.27, “Now after the piece of bread, Satan entered him…” The word is striking here, the bread entered Judas, then Satan entered him. It’s clear that the enemy was working, seeking to destroy Jesus, seeking to defeat this intrusion of Good into this world of evil. Of course He was just as oblivious it seems to God’s plan as were the disciples. Remember the scene in the “Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe” where Aslan had delivered himself up to ransom Peter from the clutches of the witch? He he surrenders himself to be bound, and laid on the stone table, and the witch plunges a knife through his heart. Celebration—for a moment. She thought her enemy was beaten. That seems to have been Satan’s thinking—oblivious to what God was doing in allowing Jesus to go to the cross. But apparent defeat would be turning into overwhelming victory! In 27b, was Jesus talking to Satan or to Judas (or to both)? He said what you do, do quickly. He had no plans to interfere, no intention of exposing him to the other disciples so that they would intervene, in fact it may be He is sending Judas out before it dawns on John and Peter what Jesus had just said, “It’s to the one I give the morsel of bread…” “Get out of here (while you can!) and get it done!” It’s clear that Jesus is in control, He is directing the unfolding of this story. The leaves are starting to change. Fall is still a week away officially, by have you noticed it’s getting dark earlier?... That little phrase at the end of v.30, “And it was night.” That was the time of day, but by now “light and darkness” conveys a deeper meaning to the reader of John. The light shined in the darkness, but the darkness did not comprehend it. The prince of darkness sought to snuff out the Light of the World. Dawn will come.

What is God saying to me in this passage?

It’s not God’s purpose in giving us this story—nor is it mine in preaching from it—to cause you to doubt your salvation. It is a good thing however to allow the Word, from time to time, to push us to take an honest look in the mirror, and first of all to make certain that we have trusted in Jesus as our Savior and Lord. We should examine our hearts to be sure we know Him, and then live in such a way that it is evident that we do!

What would God have me to do in response to this passage?

First of all, we should be cautioned against the danger of presumption. There was an old chorus that sang, “If you think this business of serving the Lord is just singing in the choir or serving on the board, you’ve just been kidding yourself…” Going to church won’t save you. Giving money won’t save you. Just as the blood had to be applied over the door of the Jews in Egypt for the firstborn to be spared, the blood of the Lamb must be applied to our heart through faith in Jesus. Nothing in my hands I bring, simply to His cross I cling. For those who have done that, think about this, He knew you and chose you before you were ever conceived, before the world was created. He chose you on purpose, for a purpose. Are you willing to allow Him to use you however He would chose? In light of what He was done for us, it’s the least we can do! Amen.

Improving your Serve! John 13:1-17

Improving your Serve John 13:1-17

Introduction: I remember hearing Dr. James Dobson telling the story of a couple he was counseling. The husband had gotten very frustrated with his wife’s lack of care in the cleanliness of the house. She just didn’t seem to care that he worked all day and wanted to come home to a clean house. Well one day he came home and saw a chicken bone under the table! The worst thing was they weren’t having chicken for dinner, that was two nights ago! He was furious. He determined not to say anything, but to wait and see how long it took her to pick up that chicken bone. Each day he would come home and look, and sure enough that bone was still there. Finally, after a week, he could take it any more and he exploded. “Don’t you see that chicken bone?!” he shouted. “Do you realize that has been there all week?” His wife calmly replied, “That chicken bone has been there all week? Why didn’t you pick it up?” Sometimes we get so focused on “what we have coming to us,” that the idea of serving someone else just doesn’t come to mind. I remember the story of a student at a Bible school in the Philippines who became disturbed over the condition of the men’s rooms. When nothing was done to eliminate the filth, he took matters into his own hands and complained to the principal of the school. A little while later, the student noticed the problem was being corrected, but he saw with amazement that the man with the mop and pail in hand was the principal himself! Later the student commented: “I thought that he would call a janitor, but he cleaned the toilets himself. It was a major lesson to me on being a servant and, of course, it raised a question in my own mind as to why I hadn’t taken care of the problem!” A servant attitude is revealed by our actions. If we really love one another like Jesus said we should, are we willing to serve one another? Jesus showed His love by dying as a sacrifice for sinners when “He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross” (Phil. 2:8). As the Lord Himself will say a little further on in John, “Greater love has no one than this, that one lay down his life for his friends” (John 15:13). Paul reminded the Ephesians, “Christ… loved you and gave Himself up for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God as a fragrant aroma …” (Eph. 5:2). “We know love by this,” John wrote, “that He laid down His life for us” (1 John 3:16). Love is not just an emotion, it is a choice that shows itself in action. James said “faith without works is dead…” I think the biblical evidence would affirm the parallel truth that “love without works is dead…” Jesus showed his love, by becoming a servant. Do you have the mind of Christ? Do you have the attitude of a servant? How do you react one someone treats you like one? The Big Idea: Jesus showed His love for us by taking the form of a humble servant. We show our love by our willingness to serve.

I. AN ACT OF SERVANTHOOD: A Servant exemplifies love that never fails (13:1-5).

The scene described here in John 13 would have been shocking, unthinkable. Not only a respected teacher, their Rabbi, but the One they had come to know as the Son of God, humbling himself as a lowly servant. Washing feet—It was such a lowly act of service that there was a rabbinic law that no male Jewish servant should be required to do it, it was for foreigners, or women or children. Jesus had a way of turning the world’s expectations upside down. First the setting is outlined in 13:1… Passover, His hour had come, specifically the hour of His departure and return to the Father, He loved his own, to the end. (The NIV says, “He now showed them the full extent of 1His love” That certainly is true: greater love has no man than this: that he lay down his life for his friends). This is an example of a servant’s heart, an act done by Jesus to teach his disciples, and it is motivated by love. He loved them to the end. By the way, if you know Jesus as Savior and Lord you can have that same assurance. He has showed His love for you, and His love for you will never fail. Paul said in Romans 8:35-39 “Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? 36 As it is written: ‘For Your sake we are killed all day long; We are accounted as sheep for the slaughter.’ 37 Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. 38 For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, 39 nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” His love for you won’t fail! V.2 gives us a little more information about the moment, the devil already put treachery in Judas’ heart… The story was unfolding exactly as Jesus knew it would. Rather than thinking of himself He used the opportunity to teach His disciples, to prepare them a little more for continuing as a body, as a family, without his physical presence. Think about what v.3 is saying: Jesus knew the Father had put all things into his hands. He was in control, he had all authority. Judas was about to betray him and he doesn’t raise a hand to stop him. Jesus knew who he was and where he was from and here he was going. God the Son. And he does this most humble service for his disciples, including Judas! Jesus showed His love for us by taking the form of a humble servant. We show our love by our willingness to serve.

II. A LESSON ABOUT GRACE: Jesus came to provide salvation and the means to grow in holiness and to maintain fellowship with God (13:6-11).

This lesson on servanthood is only one step toward the greatest demonstration of the suffering servant, when Jesus willingly goes to the cross. Many years later Peter would write,

“You were not redeemed with perishable things like silver or gold from your futile way of life inherited from your forefathers, but with precious blood, as of a lamb unblemished and spotless, the blood of Christ” (1 Peter 1:18–19).

In the same epistle he wrote that “He Himself bore our sins in His body on the cross, so that we might die to sin and live to righteousness; for by His wounds you were healed” (1 Peter 2:24). Besides teaching his disciples a lesson about humility and serving one another, there is also a spiritual symbolism to this scene. In John 13:6-10 we read

6 And so He came to Simon Peter. He said to Him, "Lord, do You wash my feet?" 7 Jesus answered and said to him, "What I do you do not realize now, but you shall understand hereafter." 8 Peter said to Him, "Never shall You wash my feet!" [He felt himself unworthy] Jesus answered him, "If I do not wash you, you have no part with Me." 9 Simon Peter said to Him, "Lord, not my feet only, but also my hands and my head." [He didn’t think before talking, but wanted to relate his total commitment to Jesus] 10 Jesus said to him, "He who has bathed needs only to wash his feet, but is completely clean; and you are clean, but not all of you."

(He knew Judas’ heart…) On a spiritual level, once we are cleansed, saved by grace through faith in Christ, we don’t need to get saved again. We don’t need another bath, but we do need to regularly have our feet washed. I think at a spiritual level this refers to the confession of sin that should characterize the life of a believer in Jesus. John said in his first letter,

“If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”

Confession and cleansing go together. We’ve been forgiven, once and for all, through faith in Christ. Why then does John talk about confession? The verbal tense reflects the idea of an ongoing, repeated action, something that is characteristic of the life of a believer. Because we are still in this fallen world and because we have a nature that is redeemed but still affected by sin, we still sin. When we do, we are convicted by the Spirit, and confess our sin. If you’ve trusted Jesus as your Savior you’ve been washed in the blood of the Lamb! You are clean. You have eternal life. But, our feet still get dirty as we walk through this world, and they need regular washing. Would I be pushing this too far to say that one aspect of washing each others’ feet, of loving as Jesus loved, is to be willing to forgive, as Christ has forgiven us? Paul said in Ephesians 4:2

“…with all lowliness and gentleness, with longsuffering, bearing with one another in love,..”

If confession and cleansing are necessary for Christians to maintain fellowship with God, isn’t dealing with the things that would separate us from one another necessary? Confession, confrontation, forgiveness. Willingness to do these humbling acts will deepen our relationships with one another. Is it hard? At times. But remember that Jesus showed His love for us by taking the form of a humble servant. We show our love by our willingness to serve.

III. A CALL TO DISCIPLESHIP THROUGH SERVANTHOOD (13:12-17).

The disciples were concerned about which of them was greatest, Jesus shows them that is the wrong question—rather they should be asking how they can follow the example of their master, by serving others. So when He had washed their feet, taken His garments, and sat down again, He said to them,

"Do you know what I have done to you? 13 "You call me Teacher and Lord, and you say well, for so I am. 14 "If I then, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another's feet. 15 "For I have given you an example, that you should do as I have done to you.”

Jesus is using powerful imagery here. By now the disciples had an idea of who Jesus is, the Son of God. Yet we know from the other gospels, that once again, at the last supper, they were discussing which of them was greatest! Jesus got up from the table and served them in the most humble way imaginable. He, their teacher and Lord, washed their dusty feet. Then he tells them it was a lesson, as He served them, they should serve on another. Its not human nature! The mantra of fallen humans is to “Look out for number one!” It’s all about me! Remember the story about the novelist who met an old friend? After they had talked for two hours, the novelist said, “Now we’ve talked about me long enough-let’s talk about you! What did you think of my last novel?” I was interested to read that one of Theodore Roosevelt’s own children commented about his self-centeredness: “When he went to a wedding, he wanted to be the bride. When he went to a funeral, he was sorry he couldn’t be the corpse!”

"Most assuredly, I say to you, a servant is not greater than his master; nor is he who is sent greater than he who sent him. 17 "If you know these things, blessed are you if you do them.”

We are to be doers of the Word, and not hearers only.

What is God saying to me in this passage?

Jesus showed His love for us by taking the form of a humble servant. We show our love by our willingness to serve.

What would God have me to do in response to this passage?

Our human nature says look out for number one! Our natural tendency is to prioritize our own comfort. We all like to be loved and to receive love. Jesus says, “If you know these things…”, i.e. the lesson he has just taught about putting the needs of others before your own, about humbly serving in the name of Jesus, “If you know these things, blessed are you if you do them.” Shortly after WW2, Europe was in shambles, picking up the pieces. One of the saddest consequences of war then and now is the children who were orphaned. Early one chilly morning an American soldier was making his way back to his barracks in London. As he turned a corner he saw a little boy, dressed in rags with his nose pressed against the window of a bakery. .Inside, the cook was working on a batch of pastries. The soldier stopped, and walked over to where the boy was standing looking in the window. As the hot pastries came out of the oven the boy was pressed against the glass. The soldier’s heart went out to the boy next to him. “Would you like some of those?” the soldier asked. “Oh yeah, … I would!” The American bought a dozen and came out and gave the bag to the boy. He turned to walk back to his jeep and felt a tug on his coat. The boy looked at his face and asked, “Mister… are you God?” It may be, that when we serve others, thinking no one is watching, expecting nothing in return, that we reflect Jesus most clearly. AMEN.

"To Whom has the Arm of the Lord been Revealed?"

TO WHOM HAS THE ARM OF THE LORD BEEN REVEALED? John 12:37-50

Introduction: “Apologetics” is an area of study that relates not to saying “I’m sorry!” [Though that would be a valid and important study for another sermon!] but rather to defending the truth of the Christian Faith. We raised one question last week that has been put before the church for two millennia: If Jesus really is the Son of God and did the things the Bible says He did, why was He rejected by his own people? Part of the answer that is difficult to grasp is related in this context. Jesus died because God planned for Him to die so that we could be saved through faith in Him. The Context: Jesus had just spoken of his impending death/departure and called his listeners to believe in the Light. The last phrase of v.36 is interesting, the same word that appeared in 8:58, He was “…hidden…” from them. In both contexts it seems to me that is talking about more than the fact that suddenly he was gone and they couldn’t find Him. They couldn’t see, they couldn’t understand, He was hidden from them. God had a plan then that had to lead to Calvary, and He has a plan now that we should preach the cross, proclaim the Gospel, and call people to repentence and authentic faith in Jesus. The Big Idea: It was God’s plan for Jesus to be rejected by His own people, so that through His life, and His death and resurrection, He could reveal the way to eternal life.

I.THEN: The Scriptures predicted the unbelief of the Jews (37-41).

John 12:37 points to the problem:

“But though He had performed so many signs before them, yet they were not believing in Him…”

The wording here is quite emphatic: the signs were compelling evidence. There were many of them and they were done “before [there very eyes],” yet still they were not responding in faith! Its similar to the idea Peter presents in his sermon on the day of Pentecost in Acts 2:23,

“Jesus of Nazareth, a man attested to you by God through miracles, wonders, and signs, which God did through him in your midst just as you yourselves also know…”

He was “…attested…” to them, publically revealed to a legal certainty by the miraculous signs he did. In this very context he opened the eyes of a man born blind (John 9) and raised from the dead a man who had been dead and buried for four days (John 11). Only God could do such things! Yet, despite the evidence, they were not believing in Him. The majority of those who saw Jesus still “…would not believe in Him… despite the signs He did…” They had the proof, the evidence of his teaching, the testimony of his mighty works, but still they held back. The “weren’t believing in Him…” Sometimes the failure to believe the warnings we receive can prove fatal. I read this report this week:

A San Diego man killed Friday by a grizzly bear in Alaska’s Denali National Park had been taking pictures of the animal for at least seven to eight minutes before the attack, park officials said Sunday. Richard White, 49, was between 50 and 100 yards away from the bear that ultimately mauled him to death, according to images found on his camera, park spokeswoman Maureen McLaughlin said. He is the first person to die in a bear attack in the history of the park, which covers 4.7 million acres. Hikers are typically advised to stay at least 300 yards away from a bear, McLaughlin said. The bear, which weighed approximately 600 pounds, was shot and killed by a state trooper as he was defending the spot where White's remains were found.

He was warned to keep a safe distance. What was he thinking? We’ll never know, maybe, “It will never happen to me. I’m not like others who might have been mauled. I’m quiet, keeping a low profile, and besides this grizzly isn’t acting like it’s very dangerous.” Until it killed him. There is a way that seems right to a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death. John gives an explanation of their unbelief in 12:38ff.:

“…that the word of Isaiah the prophet might be fulfilled, which he spoke, "LORD, who has believed our report? And to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?"

Notice there are two parallel statements in this verse that focus first on “words,” i.e. verbal testimony, and secondly on “works [the arm of the Lord].” He asks two rhetorical questions: 1) Who has believed our report?; and secondly, 2) “…and to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed…” Believing, and having the truth of God’s powerful presence “revealed” are connected. The context is Isaiah 53, the powerful revelation of the suffering servant who would bear our sorrows and have the iniquity of us all laid on him. At the end of Isaiah 52 it prophesies that though he would be marred more than any man, he would be exalted, lifted up, and the nations would consider him (remember the Greeks had just come seeking him!). John then gives us another quote from Isaiah in Jn 12:39-41

“For this cause they could not believe, for Isaiah said again, 40 "He has blinded their eyes, and He hardened their heart; lest they see with their eyes, and perceive with their heart, and be converted, and I heal them." 41 These things Isaiah said, because he saw His glory, and he spoke of Him.”

This quote comes from Isaiah 6, that tremendous scene where God is calling Isaiah and he gives him a glimpse of the heavenly throne room. God is so majestic and powerful that His glorious presence is more than Isaiah can take in: “Woe unto me I am undone…” Two things: First John explains that Isaiah saw HIS glory, i.e., Jesus’ glory. That was Jesus on the throne—He is God, Immanuel. Jesus was a man, but not merely a man. He was more than the babe of Bethlehem, more than the carpenter from Nazareth, more than itinerate preacher who attracted crowds and annoyed the leadership. John has been pounding away at a truth that is indispensable to our faith: the Deity of Christ. The Muslims will affirm that Jesus was a great prophet, many people even today will agree that He was a wonderful teacher. But if that is all you can say about Him according to John you are missing the point:

“In the beginning was the Word, the Word was with God, the Word was God… And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us…”

Jesus is eternal God, the Son. Think about it! The Creator came to die for your sins and mine! He is the One we worship, the One who’s Word we read. Secondly, it says here that they could not believe, because God hardened their hearts, he blinded their eyes. I believe one way that He did that was by sending a kind of messiah that they couldn’t fathom—it just didn’t compute. At that point in Jewish history, in the “fullness of time” when God sent forth His Son (Gal 4:4,5), they were not wired in their expectations to receive a humble servant, a suffering servant, a Lamb. It was God’s plan for them to reject Jesus—it was His plan to go to the cross. He was delivered up by the predetermined purpose and foreknowledge of God. He came to His own, but there was no question, absolutely no doubt, that He would be rejected by them, they would not receive Him. Ironically, His rejection was our only hope, and it was God’s only plan. So ironically, their rejection of Him fulfilled prophecy, confirmed His identity, and carried out the Father’s plan. *** It was God’s plan for Jesus to be rejected by His own people, so that through His life, and His death and resurrection, He could reveal the way to eternal life.

II. AND NOW: What kind of believer are you?

There were some who “believed” but were fearful to make their faith public (42-43). There seemed to have been some “secret believers” almost from the start. Here, many “believed” among the leaders but “were not confessing Him” before the Pharisees-lest they be excommunicated from the synagogue. Men like Joseph of Arimathea who would later expose himself (along with Nicodemus) by asking for the body of Jesus so that he could give him a respectable burial. It’s also clear that some who “believed,” did so in an inadequate way, not having the faith that saves. We saw that in John 2:23-25

“Now when He was in Jerusalem at the Passover, during the feast, many believed in His name, beholding His signs which He was doing. 24 But Jesus, on His part, was not entrusting Himself to them, for He knew all men, 25 and because He did not need anyone to bear witness concerning man for He Himself knew what was in man.”

Their faith was not saving faith, in some way it was partial incomplete. Some people have a mere, intellectual assent to certain facts of history. They believe in Jesus, that is, they believe he walked on the earth, taught good things, maybe even did miracles. But they have not trusted in Him alone as their only hope for salvation. They might believe in Jesus like they believe in George Washington, he’s a historical figure, but they are not trusting him to do anything for them today! Whether or not these leaders who “believed” had saving faith I’m not sure, but John is pointing out that a faithful disciple should not be a secret disciple. But before we’re too hard on these—are we faithful in letting those in our sphere of influence—those we bump shoulders with on a regular basis, do they know who we have believed? Or are we afraid to speak up-hesitant to risk offending them or losing their friendship? In verses 42-43 we see the motivation for their not publically affirming their faith: the cost seemed too high, these it said loved the praise of men more than they loved the praise of God. Authentic faith in Jesus illumines our understanding so that in Jesus we can see the invisible God (44-46). He’ll say again in chapter 14,

“He who has seen me has seen the Father…” (14:9).

Here he says “He who believes in me believes in the One who sent me…” (v.44); and “He who sees me has seen the one who sent me…” (v.45). In the first chapter of John we read that “No man has seen God at any time, but the only begotten Son, who is in the bossom of the Father, He has made him known…” (Jn 1:18). Think of that, as we read these stories of Jesus and consider His works and words, we are brought face to face with our Creator, the God who spoke this universe into existence! Faith means believing Him, taking Christ at His Word. The Word of Christ is the Truth that brings life: rejection of the Truth will condemn unbelievers (47-50). The idea that faith that requires signs, faith that demands proof, is inadequate, that idea has been repeatedly affirmed in this Gospel. Thomas will be the epitome of that teaching at the end of John 20 when, after the resurrection, He refuses to believe unless he cans see and touch “the evidence” for himself. Jesus answers “blessed are those who have not seen and yet believe.” God’s Word is truth, it is fact, it is absolutely reliable and it is self-authenticating. It doesn’t require justification or defense in order to be effective. Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the Word of Christ.

What is God saying to me in this passage?

It was God’s plan for Jesus to be rejected by His own people, so that through His life, and His death and resurrection, He could reveal the way to eternal life. You’ve been warned—there are bears in the woods—there is only one place of safety, in Christ.

What would God have me to do in response to this passage?

Next Sunday is “Rally Day” for our Sunday School. We will be having a church breakfast in which well express thanks for our Sunday School teachers as they introduce a new semester of study. We invite you to be here, and to invite a friend or neighbor who isn’t part of a Bible preaching church. Some of our small groups that stopped for the summer will be restarting soon—a great opportunity to get involved and to invite a friend. Let’s seek to be ready to give a reason for the hope that is in us… Amen.

The Glory of the Cross: The Beautiful Gift of Jesus

The Glory of the Cross: The Beautiful Gift of Jesus John 12:17-36

Context: One of the issues the early church faced was to understand and explain why God allowed Jesus to go to the cross. How could it be that the Jews failed to recognize their own messiah? If Jesus was God, and did the things the Bible said He did, why did they reject Him and turn Him over to the Romans? John is answering those questions by teaching us about God, showing us that His majesty and His sovereignty are so profound, so overwhelming, that God can even turn apparent defeat into victory, and He can over-rule the sinful intentions of men to accomplish His good purposes. Even the Cross, the rejection and murder of the sinless Son of God, is turned by Him into something glorious. [We are moving ahead a bit in John 12 to verse 17. Back on April 2nd, Palm Sunday, we looked at the story of the Triumphal Entry in John 12:12-19. You can still read the text of that message on the blog, go to the entry for April 2, 2012]. That part of the story points to Jesus, the Passover King, and is a call to worship Him. John 12:17-36 brings a somber note to the context as it reaffirms the aspect of the impending sacrificial death of Jesus. It also points to the paradoxical truth that the cross, and the death of Jesus, would be the moment of His glorification. It wasn’t a defeat, but the supreme demonstration of His love, and a vindication of his identity as the Son of God, the promised Messiah. The Big Idea: The Glory of God was revealed in the Cross of Christ. It is God’s glorious plan to save a remnant from every nation. By grace YOU have a part in that mission!

I. The Mission: The World and the Glory of God (12:17-26).

First, we see both the attraction and repulsion of the Life-giver in vv.17-19. After the meal and anointing of Jesus in the beginning of John twelve, came the triumphal entry into Jerusalem. At the beginning of the week that would lead up to the Passion, He was hailed as the Son of God, the King of Israel who comes in the name of the Lord. Following that event “The crowd that had been with Him when he called Lazarus from the tomb…” were in Jerusalem, still buzzing about the miracle—they couldn’t stop talking about what had happened, and the crowd grew, some true converts, many curious inquirers. They wanted to see what Jesus would do next! We also see here the Universal Appeal of the Gospel – The missionary plan of God (20-22). It’s a curious scene that isn’t really explained, simply stated that John 12:20,21 “Now there were certain Greeks among those who came up to worship at the feast. 21 Then they came to Philip, who was from Bethsaida of Galilee, and asked him, saying, "Sir, we wish to see Jesus." We’ve seen a lot of hints in the Gospel of John that Jesus came to offer salvation to the world and to save for himself a people from every nation. Remember John the Baptist proclaimed, “Behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!”(1:29). We read in the famous verse of John 3:16 that “God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son…” The Samaritans in John 4:42 called him the Savior of the world.” Twice so far, and again in this Chapter he’ll say, “I AM the Light of the world…” John is contrasting the mixed response of the Jews as “He came unto His own and His own received Him not…” with the openness of at least some gentiles to the Truth. This seems to be taken as a sign by Jesus that the hour was coming when the Son of Man would be lifted up and “draw all men unto himself.” The death of Jesus provided both the basis for our salvation and an example for a life of service (23-26). For 12 chapters Jesus has said that His hour was something still future, it wasn’t time yet. But now the “hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified.” V. 24 makes it clear that glory would come in an unexpected way: through His death. Vv.25-26 applies the truth that Jesus would be glorified through His passion, to those who would follow him. This is very parallel to the idea that Jesus expressed in Mark 8:34,35. After predicting his rejection, death and resurrection He said “If anyone wishes to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me. 35 "For whoever wishes to save his life shall lose it; but whoever loses his life for My sake and the gospel's shall save it.” There is no message of “easy believism” in the NT. We are to consider the cost of being a disciple. After all, the Glory of God was revealed in the Cross of Christ. It is God’s glorious plan to save a remnant from every nation. By grace YOU have a part in that mission.

II. The Message: The Cross and the Glory of God (12:27-36).

The willingness of Jesus to suffer brings glory to the Father (27-28a). We read, in John 12:27-28

27 "Now My soul has become troubled; and what shall I say, 'Father, save Me from this hour '? But for this purpose I came to this hour. 28 "Father, glorify Thy name."

I am convinced that Jesus is alluding to Psalm 6 at this moment. Psalm 6:3-4

3 And my soul is greatly dismayed; But Thou, O LORD-- how long? 4 Return, O LORD, rescue my soul; Save me because of Thy lovingkindness.”

The psalms predicted the suffering of the King, the Messiah and Son of God. David, as a human king was praying to God, expressing his distress and asking for deliverance. Jesus alludes to the Psalm, but he doesn’t pray the prayer that David prayed. He didn’t pray to be saved so that through His death we could be saved. The testimony of the Father affirms His glorious plan (28b-30). John 12:28-30

28 "Father, glorify Thy name." There came therefore a voice out of heaven: "I have both glorified it, and will glorify it again." 29 The multitude therefore, who stood by and heard it, were saying that it had thundered; others were saying, "An angel has spoken to Him." 30 Jesus answered and said, "This voice has not come for My sake, but for your sakes.”

The testimony of the Father… As He had at the baptism of Jesus, as He did on the Mount of transfiguration, now again the Father speaks, this time in response to the words of Jesus. These events, the sending of Jesus into the world, certainly the signs that He did all brought glory to God – the greatest revelation of His glory was just days away when the Son of Man would be lifted up – the Cross and then the resurrection would leave no doubt. Jesus knows the plan, he is in control after all. He knows what is about to happen and what his death will accomplish. We see that in the confident prediction of the Son (31-33). John 12:31-33 says

“Now judgment is upon this world; now the ruler of this world shall be cast out. 32 "And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men to Myself." 33 But He was saying this to indicate the kind of death by which He was to die.”

The enemy is about to be dealt a death blow, but it would come in a most unexpected way. The prediction had been made in the garden that the coming one would crush the serpent’s head and that would come through the “lifting up of the Son.” What a double meaning that phrase had! It spoke to the physical lifting up of Jesus on the cross (so He spoke, indicating what kind of death He would die) – it was there that he would bear our sins in His own body. It also speaks to his exaltation, as His death carries out the glorious and gracious plan of the Father, while at the same time fulfilling the scriptures and so proving that Jesus was who He claimed to be. It certainly is a reminder that God can work through the difficult situations that we experience to reveal his presence, and to work for our good, and His glory. You remember Paul’s experience with a “thorn in the flesh.” Whatever it was is not explicitly stated, but he prayed three times for God to remove it. Yet God said that through Paul's weakness He would be glorified. The confusion of the crowd is answered with the invitation of the Son (34-36). John 12:34-36

34 The multitude therefore answered Him, "We have heard out of the Law that the Christ is to remain forever; and how can You say, 'The Son of Man must be lifted up'? Who is this Son of Man?"

By now we shouldn’t be surprised by the confusion on the part of the people. Repeatedly Jesus has spoken only the truth. He has told them what they needed to hear. But even the disciples, for the most part, didn’t understand until after the fact. “Who is this Son of Man?” What they are asking was, is this person the same as the Messiah that we are expecting? One is going to be “lifted up” and the other is supposed to “remain forever”? There is no way the same person can fulfill both destinies, or is there? I think it’s similar to the question John the Baptist had when he we was arrested: “Are you the One or do we wait for another?” John the Baptist certainly knew who Jesus was, but some Jews in the 1st century could reconcile the ideas of Messiah/King/Son with the picture of a Suffering Servant. How could both be true? One of the favorite metaphors we see in John is Light and Darkness—the primary application is spiritual. In the first chapter we read that John 1:4-5

In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. 5 And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it.”

A few chapters into the Gospel we read… John 3:19-21

19 "And this is the judgment, that the light is come into the world, and men loved the darkness rather than the light; for their deeds were evil. 20 "For everyone who does evil hates the light, and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed. 21 "But he who practices the truth comes to the light, that his deeds may be manifested as having been wrought in God."

Then we saw that powerful “I AM” statement at the feast in John 8:12…

“Again therefore Jesus spoke to them, saying, "I am the light of the world; he who follows Me shall not walk in the darkness, but shall have the light of life."

Here we read, in 12:35ff, “Jesus therefore said to them,

"For a little while longer the light is among you. Walk while you have the light, that darkness may not overtake you; he who walks in the darkness does not know where he goes. 36 "While you have the light, believe in the light, in order that you may become sons of light." These things Jesus spoke, and He departed and hid Himself from them.”

The lifting up of the Son, the revelation of the glory of God, was at hand.

What is God saying to me in this passage?

The Glory of God was revealed in the Cross of Christ. It is God’s glorious plan to save a remnant from every nation. By grace YOU have a part in that mission!

What would God have me to do in response to this passage?

Our response to Him is submission and worship. We see that in the context from Mary at Jesus’ feet in Bethany, to the people hailing Him as he entered the city. ALL HAIL KING JESUS! ALL HAIL EMMANUEL. His love for us should evoke a response of love and worship. But He has us here, in this world, not just for worship, but also for mission. God has chosen to use us to bring the message of grace to the world—as far as we know we are His only plan! Are you willing to allow Him to use you?

Extravagant Worship: John 12:1-11

Extravagant Worship: Loving Jesus from a Pure Heart John 12:1-11

Introduction: Jesus is the subject of John’s Gospel. We know He is the divinding point of human history as is evidenced by the very fact that we count the years from the time of His birth (A.D. = “the year of our Lord”). He is also the great dividing point of the human race in terms of our response to Him. John 3:36 says it plainly: “He who believes in the Son has everlasting life; and he who does not obey the Son shall not see life but the wrath of God abides on him.” Jesus expressed the same truth in 8:24b, “…if you do not believe that I AM [he], you will die in your sins.” He uses that phrase “I AM” in that verse. It means not only believing that He is a prophet, or from God, or even the anointed descendent of David, but believing that He is God, God the Son, the Incarnate Word. And if we believe that we need to respond to Him. We need to worship Him. Is that why you are here today? Remember the story of the little boy who kneeled by his bed to pray on Sunday evening. He prayed, “Dear God, we had a good time in church today, but I wish you had been there!” Have you come here this morning to meet with the King of the universe, the great I AM, that God who willingly became a man and came to die so that you could live? There is a warning implicit in this passage as well. After all, Judas walked with Jesus for three and half years. He heard Him teach and saw him do miraculous signs. His body was there, he was physically present with the others, but in his heart and his mind he still didn’t recognize and respond to Emanuel, God Incarnate. Your body is here, has your head and your heart come along?

The Big Idea: We should worship Jesus with our whole heart; after all He is God, and He gave His all for us.

The Setting (12:1): We’ve reached a transitional point in the Gospel of John. The signs in the first 11 chapters revealed God’s Glory, incarnate in Jesus. Some responded with a growing recognition of who He is. Others continued in darkness and refused to believe. Here, back in Bethany, as Passover approached, reclined at the table with friends. The cross loomed before Him, but Jesus cared about His sheep, so there He was, fellowshipping with them, enjoying their presence.

I. A Dinner to Honor the King (2-3): Fellowship with Jesus is something we can experience (see Rev 3:20).

Revelation 3:20 is often used as we invite people to trust in Christ, but actually it is written to believers, to a church. The letter to the church at Laodicea is written to a church, albeit, a lukewarm one. His chastening in Rev 3:19 is designed to induce repentance. In Revelation 3:20 we see Jesus, standing, knocking, wanting to have a meal with us, a time of intimate fellowship. We recognize the theological truth about the omnipresence of God. Yet there is a sense in which God’s presence is experienced in a special way when we gather together in His name to worship Him. This was a meal to “honor” Jesus. We see three key characters responding well to Jesus. First there is Martha, who served Jesus from the heart. In a parallel scene in Matthew and Mark she is mildly rebuked for complaining about Mary who was at the feet of Jesus while she was doing all the work. It seems that here John is emphasizing that she is serving from the heart, as an act of worship. Serving the Master is a good thing, if it is an act of devotion toward Him, and our heart is right. Secondly, we see Lazarus reclined at the table with Him – living evidence of the power of the King. Lazarus had experienced the power of Jesus, and his life now was a powerful testimony that Jesus was no mere man. Here he was enjoying a meal with his Master. I think the Jews in the first century were a bit like Baptists today – food and fellowship went together. Fellowship, eating food, but also feeding on the Bread of Life. Remember John 6:35, “I AM the Bread of Life. He who comes to me shall never hunger—he who believes in me shall never thirst.” Lazarus is sharing a meal with Jesus, but there is no doubt he is also feasting spiritually as he experiences His presence in intimate fellowship. Finally, we see Mary, whose act of “Extravagant Worship” is really emphasized in the context. It’s clear that the action reflected Mary’s heart: N.B. that we can’t judge the actions of others since we don’t know their hearts! Her actions were frowned upon by some, most notably Judas. Wasn’t it wasteful? A jar of precious perfume – worth a year’s wages for a laborer, broken open and poured on Jesus – the account in Mark and Matthew indicates his head, as well as his feet. And then wiping his feet with her hair. Normally the lowest servant in a home would wash the feet of guests. This is no mere act of kindness and hospitality. It reveals complete humiliation, absolute surrender. The word “worship” connotes lying prostrate before the One who is the object of worship. This was not an act of kindness done for a friend. It can only be viewed as an act of worship. Clearly she recognized what the raising of her brother from the dead proved about Jesus. Only God could have the power of life and death. Did she understand what Jesus still must do? Some of what Jesus says might be a clue that Mary had an idea about where things were going. There was nothing wrong or immoral about Mary’s act, was it extravagant? Yes, but for Mary, Jesus deserved the very best, he deserved her all. Notice 3b,

“…the whole house was filled with the fragrance of the oil…”

Her act of extravagant worship filled the house with its fragrance, touching those around her with its aroma. Authentic worship will touch others around us. Its not about a show, or impressing others, or putting on a performance. Its about celebrating Jesus, recognizing who He is, rejoicing in what He has done. *** We should worship Jesus with our whole heart; after all He gave His all for us.

II. The Danger of Religious Hypocrisy (12:4-8)

. Judas’ pious rebuke was motivated by his own self-interest, not concern for the poor! Judas’ question in v.5 is almost the kind of thing you might see coming up at a church business meeting. It’s a reasonable question—instead of such an extravagant “waste” of resources, wouldn’t it have been better to sell this treasure and use the money to help the poor? Concern for the poor, loving our neighbors is something the Bible often talks about, and if we didn’t have John’s commentary on Judas’ motives, we might have thought, “well that’s a good question!” We don’t know hearts, but God does. Judas apparently completely fooled his colleagues and as far as they knew he was one of them. It may well be that he was even fooling himself. He was probably only skimming a little from the money box – not enough to be noticed – not enough to hurt anyone. He walked with Jesus, didn’t he? But his heart was corrupt, anything but pure. He wasn’t worried about the poor, but what a lost opportunity to miss out on handling that much cash! Jesus knew the heart of Judas as He knows the heart of all men, but his rebuke was focused on affirming Martha’s action, not uncovering Judas’ attitude. - “Let her alone…” It seems Jesus is saying: Don’t question her motives, don’t deny her the opportunity to give her best. “She has kept this for the day of my burial…” That hour approached. -He says “the poor you have with you always…” He is not denying the validity and importance of ministry to those in need. The Bible has much to say about that. He is rather affirmed the truth that ministry to poor is something that will continue throughout the church age – there is no denying or doubting that there will always be needs and always opportunity to show kindness and act mercifully in the name of Jesus. He is saying that the time of His departure was fast approaching . He wouldn’t be physically present with them much longer. - What Mary was doing was something appropriate only at this exact moment in human history. The March toward Jerusalem, toward Passover, toward the cross, was on. Jesus came to fulfill a mission and He was “in process” toward doing exactly that. “This is how God showed His love among us: He sent His one and only Son into the world that we might live through Him” (I John 1:9). ***We should worship Jesus with our whole heart; after all He gave His all for us.

III. The Depths of Human Depravity (12:9-11).

There is a shift in scene from the intimate moment at dinner, to the response of the people and of the leaders. The people were curious, they wanted to see more. The opposite of worship may be rebellion, hatred as we see here. The leaders were fighting against God! Wed. nite we looked at Psalm 2 which pictures the futile resistance of humans to God. The disciples evoke that very Scripture in their prayer in Acts 4 after the cross and resurrection as they prayed… In Acts 4:24b-28 we read,

"…Lord, You are God, who made heaven and earth and the sea, and all that is in them, 25 "who by the mouth of Your servant David have said: 'Why did the nations rage, And the people plot vain things? 26 The kings of the earth took their stand, And the rulers were gathered together Against the LORD and against His Christ.' 27 "For truly against Your holy Servant Jesus, whom You anointed, both Herod and Pontius Pilate, with the Gentiles and the people of Israel, were gathered together 28 "to do whatever Your hand and Your purpose determined before to be done.

They saw the resistance of the leadership prophesied in the words of the Psalm. It was observed by the NT scholar Leon Morris in his commentary on John…

It is interesting that “Caiaphas had said ‘…it is better for you that one man die…’ (11:50). But now, one was not enough to satisfy them. Now it had to be two. Thus does evil grow” (Morris, John, p. 517).

They started conspiring to kill the One. It expands now to include Lazarus. This guy was a problem. He was walking evidence – it was too much trouble tor try to explain him away. If they could only be rid of him too that would surely solve the Jesus problem, right? We know how the history of persecution against Christians mushrooms in the first centuries of the church. Jesus will warn, in John 15:18

"If the world hates you, you know that it hated Me before it hated you.”

He said earlier in His ministry, “If anyone would be my disciple let him deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me…” Paul said “I urge you therefore brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as living sacrifices…” (Rom 12:1).

What is God saying to me in this passage?

We should worship Jesus with our whole heart; after all He gave His all for us.

What would God have me to do in response to this passage?

Have you come here this morning out of habit, out of duty, or out of the expectation that together with your church family, we are in the presence of His Majesty: God- Father, Son, and Spirit? Worship Him. Amen.

The One who would die for His people

[Just a reminder that these entries are “fleshed out” from my sermon outline on Monday morning, but are not a direct transcript of the message, which would take a lot more time to prepare. In many cases it will be what I planned to say, or wish I had said, or should have said! , S.N.]

The One who would die for His people John 11:45-57

Introduction: What just happened must have stunned the crowd. Put yourself in their shoes. Mourning at the graveside, seeing Jesus, arriving there late, four days after the burial, then joining in the weeping, empathizing with his grieving friends, missing a beloved brother and friend. And then His strange, shocking, almost offensive request—remove the stone from the grave—an enigmatic prayer, thanking His Father for hearing Him, a confident call, “Lazarus, come forth!” And he did! After four days dead in the tomb, he was alive! Very little detail is given of the reactions of the people. Was there stunned silence? Did they cheer? Did they fall to their knees in worship, awed by this demonstration of power? It states it so simply, “many believed in Him.” This has to mean in this context that they recognized more fully who He was. Perhaps even that they finally realized, “This must be God, only God could do this!” Even so, a part of the story still was a mystery to them. That is, they needed to learn what He came to do.

The Big Idea: God overruled the greatest possible evil, the rejection and murder of his Son, to bring about the greatest imaginable good, the salvation of a people for Himself. We can be assured that He will accomplish His good purpose in the life of everyone who trusts in Him.

The Context: 11:45-47, it’s clear that no matter how convincing the evidence is, many continue to resist the truth. Some of the eyewitneses believe (in fact “many believe in Him). But not all! The contrast is intentional: many believe, but others go and report these things to the Pharisees. A meeting of the Sanhedrin is called to deal with the “Jesus Problem.”

I. First of all we see that there can be Wrong Priorities for Leadership: These leaders were intent on preserving the status quo no matter what the cost. Here they acknowledge the signs and ignore the implications (47-48).

Rather than recognizing Jesus and leading others to Him, they plan to destroy Him. John 11:47 says

“Then the chief priests and the Pharisees gathered a council and said, ‘What shall we do? For this Man works many signs.’”

The question is reasonable—the signs were there, the blind man who had been healed—they investigated thoroughly and it could not be denied, now this, even more astounding—a dead man raised to life! NB. That they recognize these miracles as “signs.” They ask the right question, “What shall we do?”, but where they go with it makes it clear their hearts were completely closed to the truth. Rather than considering what this evidence means, what it reveals about who Jesus is, they are only concerned with what the fallout might be, what is might cost them: In John 11:48 we read,

48 "If we let Him alone like this, everyone will believe in Him, and the Romans will come and take away both our place and nation."

The people will believe—and we have too much to lose! The pronoun here is emphatic and comes before the nouns: The romans will take away what is OURS, both [our] place and [our] nation… Their motives were so self centered, so focused on preserving their power and influence that they did not recognize their own messiah. Peter would later speak of Jesus saying He was “…a man attested to you by God through miracles, wonders, and signs which God did through Him in your midst, just as you yourselves also know…” Still, they were focused on preserving the status quo, and decide “better Him than us!” By the way crucifying Jesus didn’t get rid of the problem… his tomb was empty three days later and before long his pesky disciples were praying that He had risen from the dead (see Acts 2,3,4,5 etc.). At least one of them, Gamaliel, offers some good council in Acts 5:35 ff…

Acts 5:35-42 35 And he said to them: "Men of Israel, take heed to yourselves what you intend to do regarding these men. 36 "For some time ago Theudas rose up, claiming to be somebody. A number of men, about four hundred, joined him. He was slain, and all who obeyed him were scattered and came to nothing. 37 "After this man, Judas of Galilee rose up in the days of the census, and drew away many people after him. He also perished, and all who obeyed him were dispersed. 38 "And now I say to you, keep away from these men and let them alone; for if this plan or this work is of men, it will come to nothing; 39 "but if it is of God, you cannot overthrow it -- lest you even be found to fight against God." 40 And they agreed with him, and when they had called for the apostles and beaten them, they commanded that they should not speak in the name of Jesus, and let them go. 41 So they departed from the presence of the council, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer shame for His name. 42 And daily in the temple, and in every house, they did not cease teaching and preaching Jesus as the Christ.

Good counsel at that time. But not here, not now. It seems the leaders don’t even consider that they might be fighting against God. Even so, God overruled the greatest possible evil, the rejection and murder of his Son, to bring about the greatest imaginable good, the salvation of a people for Himself. We can be assured that He will accomplish His good purpose in the life of everyone who trusts in Him.

II. The evil intentions of men and God’s overruling grace: Christ would indeed be our substitute (49-53).

Caiaphas, the High Priest, chimed in, making it clear that they should get rid of the Problem: it would be better for this one man to die instead of the whole nation (49-50). Caiaphas was focused on self preservation, and on maintaining his position of power and influence, and at least toleration by the Romans. Rather than allowing this “Jesus problem” to escalate, from his perspective it made sense that He be sacrificed, that He die, instead of the nation enduring the wrath of Rome, or the . A scapegoat. A substitute. We’ve seen several examples in this Gospel where Jesus said something, and the full meaning of what He said was missed by his hearers. “Destroy this Temple, and in three days I will raise it up… You must be born again… Drink of the water I give and you’ll never thirst… Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood will never hunger or thirst… But here Caiaphas speaks, and says more than he himself understood. Caiaphas was closer to truth than he realized. Jesus came to be the scapegoat. He came to be the sacrificial lamb. He came as our substitute. Consider the words of Isaiah written 700 years earlier:

Isaiah 53:3-8 “He is despised and rejected by men, A Man of sorrows and acquainted with grief. And we hid, as it were, our faces from Him; He was despised, and we did not esteem Him. 4 Surely He has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; Yet we esteemed Him stricken, Smitten by God, and afflicted. 5 But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; The chastisement for our peace was upon Him, And by His stripes we are healed. 6 All we like sheep have gone astray; We have turned, every one, to his own way; And the LORD has laid on Him the iniquity of us all. 7 He was oppressed and He was afflicted, Yet He opened not His mouth; He was led as a lamb to the slaughter, And as a sheep before its shearers is silent, So He opened not His mouth. 8 He was taken from prison and from judgment, And who will declare His generation? For He was cut off from the land of the living; For the transgressions of My people He was stricken…”

This is a phenomenal illustration of the relationship between human will and divine sovereignty. Caiaphas from his perspective was saying, “Let’s get rid of this guy, better Him than us!” Yet God over-ruled, and his words conveyed a prophetic truth, God’s Son would not be spared, He would be delivered up for the nation, and a remnant from every nation. John fleshes out the fuller implications of the words of Caiaphas: John 11:51-52

“ Now this he did not say on his own authority; but being high priest that year he prophesied that Jesus would die for the nation, 52 and not for that nation only, but also that He would gather together in one the children of God who were scattered abroad.”

He would die for the benefit of the nation, and as a substitute for a remnant from every nation. The whole world is God’s world, and world evangelization is God’s work. We get much more ethnically diversified here in summer, and that is a good thing-it gives us more of a picture of what Heaven will be like! Jesus would give His life for his sheep, scattered around this planet in every nation, from every race, every people group. But, notice what John says: “…He will gather together in one the children of God…” The church is a unity, one body, one family. There are so many things that we can allow to divide us—because we are still influenced by our fallen nature… but love covers a multitude of sins and love is what sets us apart-we love because he first loved us-by our love for one another men will know that we are His disciples. After all, remember what God did for us. He overruled the greatest possible evil, the rejection and murder of his Son, to bring about the greatest imaginable good, the salvation of a people for Himself. We can be assured that He will accomplish His good purpose in the life of everyone who trusts in Him.

III. God’s plan will be carried out in God’s way at God’s time: The hour approaches for the lifting up of the Son (54-57).

In 11:54 we see that Jesus was cognizant of the evil intentions of the leaders and avoided them for a time. He “…no longer walked openly among the Jews, but went from there into the country near the wilderness, to a city called Ephraim, and there remained with His disciples.” John repeatedly emphasizes that Jesus knew what was in the heart of men. He certainly knew the plans of the leaders to kill him, but it wasn’t his time. Temporarily He withdrew, staying under their radar, out of their reach, until the time set by the Father. But V.55 reminds us that the time is approaching.

“And the Passover of the Jews was near, and many went from the country up to Jerusalem before the Passover, to purify themselves. 56 Then they sought Jesus, and spoke among themselves as they stood in the temple, "What do you think -- that He will not come to the feast?" 57 Now both the chief priests and the Pharisees had given a command, that if anyone knew where He was, he should report it, that they might seize Him."

Passover was one of the pilgrim feast of Israel. It was a time that Jews would be expect to travel to the Holy City if at all possible, to celebrate and remember what God had done in bringing them out of Egyptian bondage. As a part of that feast, a lamb would be slain, a reminder of that first Passover, the blood spilt and put on the door post of every Hebrew home. Now the hour approached when Christ, our Passover, would be sacrificed for us.

What is God saying to me in this passage?

God overruled the greatest possible evil, the rejection and murder of his Son, to bring about the greatest imaginable good, the salvation of a people for Himself. We can be assured that He will accomplish His good purpose in the life of everyone who trusts in Him.

What would God have me to do in response to this passage?

As we celebrate the Lord’s Table, we have a God ordained opportunity to deliberately pause and reflect on the Sacrifice of Christ. 2000 years ago Jesus was preparing his disciples for what was about to happen, sharing in a Passover meal, giving them a means of remembering and reflecting on what was about to happen… In the Lord’s table, as we participate in the Bread and the Cup, we look back and remember that God spared not His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all. That is truly amazing grace! Amen.

He is the Resurrection and the Life!

He is the Resurrection and the Life!

John 11:38-46

Introduction: The miracle in today’s Scripture, the raising of Lazarus, was the apex of the “signs” done by Jesus in the first half of John, only to be eclipsed by Jesus’ own death and resurrection. There was no room for doubt. Only God could do this! This sign would be compelling, uncontestable evidence of the presence and power of God in Christ. It would also reveal historically the truth that Jesus spoke of in the parable of the Rich Man and (another!) Lazarus, Luke 16:19-31,,,

" There was a certain rich man who was clothed in purple and fine linen and fared sumptuously every day. 20 "But there was a certain beggar named Lazarus, full of sores, who was laid at his gate, 21 "desiring to be fed with the crumbs which fell from the rich man's table. Moreover the dogs came and licked his sores. 22 "So it was that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels to Abraham's bosom. The rich man also died and was buried. 23 "And being in torments in Hades, he lifted up his eyes and saw Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom. 24 "Then he cried and said, 'Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus that he may dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame.' 25 "But Abraham said, 'Son, remember that in your lifetime you received your good things, and likewise Lazarus evil things; but now he is comforted and you are tormented. 26 'And besides all this, between us and you there is a great gulf fixed, so that those who want to pass from here to you cannot, nor can those from there pass to us.' 27 "Then he said, 'I beg you therefore, father, that you would send him to my father's house, 28 'for I have five brothers, that he may testify to them, lest they also come to this place of torment.' 29 "Abraham said to him, 'They have Moses and the prophets; let them hear them.' 30 "And he said, 'No, father Abraham; but if one goes to them from the dead, they will repent.' 31 "But he said to him, 'If they do not hear Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded though one rise from the dead.' "

We see that very truth lived our here in this passage in John. The evidence in incontrovertible – a man rose from the dead – still the leaders refuse to consider the implications of the sign. The Big Idea: Jesus is working in our lives for our good, seeking to help us see more of His glory. The Context: The Perplexity extends to the onlookers in 11:37. It’s clear that Jesus loved Lazarus, He wept at his graveside! Could not this miracle worker have intervened for his friend? They were perplexed, it didn’t make sense. And the request Jesus was about to make didn’t make sense to Martha.

I. But Jesus wants us to trust Him even when life doesn’t make sense (11:38-39).

“Then Jesus, again groaning in Himself, came to the tomb. It was a cave, and a stone lay against it. 39 Jesus said, "Take away the stone." Martha, the sister of him who was dead, said to Him, "Lord, by this time there is a stench, for he has been dead four days." Martha seems to want to “inform” Jesus of the reality of the situation, almost as though he didn’t have all the facts! Martha has just made a tremendous declaration of faith “I believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, who is to come into the world.” She seemed to say she believed anything was possible, perhaps even hinting, though hesitant to ask, that Jesus could raise Lazarus when she says in v.22 “But even now I know whatever you ask of God, God will give you…” And yet, as Jesus gives instruction to roll back the stone she feels compelled to explain the situation to Him. Proverbs 3:5,6 was one of the first passages of Scripture I memorized as a new Christian (I almost said “learned,” but in reality I still learning to live it out!). “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on you own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him and He will direct your paths.” Martha said she believed Jesus, yet now as He told her to do something that was impossible, she hesitated, doubted, was unsure if Jesus had taken into account all the variables—after all it was four days! Martha said, “I believe!” But when Jesus said “Roll back the stone,” she hesitated. Did Jesus understand what He was asking? Did he take into account the reality of the situation? I have a cross stitch frame in my office that Mary Ann made for me, that is a reflection on the benediction in Ephesians 3:20,21, where it says,

“Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us, 21 to Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen.”

The cross stitch references those verses and says, “If you knew that you couldn’t fail, what would you do for the glory of God?” If it is done for His glory we can’t fail, not in terms of eternity. First of all, God can do anything. The messenger told Sarah that truth when she laughed at the idea of having a child in her old age… The angel spoke to Mary who didn’t understand how she, an unmarried virgin, could give birth to the Messiah. And Jesus will reveal that truth to Martha and Mary and all those who will witness the raising of Lazarus. It’s easy to trust Jesus when things develop according to our plans and expectations. But what about when life seems to lead us on an unexpected course? Are you going through a season where things are happening that don’t make sense, are you willing to trust Him? Is He leading you to do something that seems beyond your capacity? Will you trust Him with all your heart, and lean not on your own understands? *** Jesus is working in our lives for our good, seeking to help us see more of His glory.

II. Jesus wants us to believe Him so we can perceive the glory of God (11:40).

In John 11:40 Jesus said to her, "Did I not say to you that if you would believe you would see the glory of God?" As he wrote this gospel, some decades after the events described, John, by then an old man, could look back and say “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.” (John 1:14). For [Jesus] the “glory of God” was the most important thing. This means that the real meaning of who He was and what He would do would be accessible only by faith. All who were there, believers or not, would see the miracle, but seeing is not necessarily believing. Jesus is promising Martha a sight of the glory. The crowd would see the miracle, but only believers would perceive its real significance, the glory. What a privilege! Moses had asked to see God’s glory (Ex 33) but would only be allowed a “glance” of it as God put him in the cleft of a rock and put his hand over him as He passed by. As great as he was Moses wasn’t allowed to see the glory of God. Jesus’ disciples on the other hand got to see His glory in the signs. It all started in Cana, in Galilee, at a Wedding when the wine ran out too soon. Jesus turned water into wine, John 2:11 “…This beginning of signs Jesus did in Cana of Galilee, and manifested His glory; and His disciples believed in Him.” They didn’t understand a lot at that point, but the Light was shining in the darkness, and they were beginning to see the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in face of Christ Jesus… (2 Cor 4:6b). ***Jesus is working in our lives for our good, seeking to help us see more of His glory.

III. Jesus wants us to pray to the Father in Faith, knowing that He hears and answers in the way that is best for us.

Prayer is an indispensable resource as we navigate life in a fallen world (11:41-42).

“Then they took away the stone from the place where the dead man was lying. And Jesus lifted up His eyes and said, "Father, I thank You that You have heard Me. 42 "And I know that You always hear Me, but because of the people who are standing by I said this, that they may believe that You sent Me."

It is interesting to note that we frequently see Jesus praying in the Bible. In John 17 we are going to see a fairly extensive prayer of Jesus as he anticipates his departure and prays for his disciples and for “those who would believe through their testimony” (that’s us, and every other New Testament believer!). If Jesus, God the Son, felt prayer was important, how much more should we be devoted to prayer. A couple of observations: Jesus prayed to God his “Father” – Obviously John is making it very clear that Jesus has a unique relationship with the Father. That can encourage us since there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus. He prays for us, and you can know beyond question that the Father always hears and answers Him. Yet it is also true that “As many as received Him to them gave he the right (power) to become children of God…” We can go to Him, praying to Abba, Father, knowing that He knows us intimately, and He loves us, and is longing to hear from us. The prayer here is a prayer of thanksgiving, expressing full assurance that God has heard and answered his prayer, just as surely as He always did. As we pray according to the will of God we can have that same assurance. He hears. He will answer. Mary understood that the Father heard Jesus prayers. Remember John 11:22

"But even now I know that whatever You ask of God, God will give You."

But what about us? In the upper room Jesus will teach his disciples much about prayer. For example:

John 14:13-14 13 "And whatever you ask in My name, that I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. 14 "If you ask anything in My name, I will do it.

John 15:7-8 7 "If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you. 8 "By this My Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit; so you will be My disciples.

John 16:23-24 23 "And in that day you will ask Me nothing. Most assuredly, I say to you, whatever you ask the Father in My name He will give you. 24 "Until now you have asked nothing in My name. Ask, and you will receive, that your joy may be full.

***As we learn to pray and seek God in prayer we learn that…

IV. Jesus wants us to experience His glorious power which promises victory over sin and death (11:43-44).

“Now when He had said these things, He cried with a loud voice, "Lazarus, come forth!" 44 And he who had died came out bound hand and foot with graveclothes, and his face was wrapped with a cloth. Jesus said to them, "Loose him, and let him go."

It’s a pattern that is established soon after the fall, “…and then he died…” The Bible itself says “It is appointed unto man once to die, after this the judgment…” The good news is that whereas “In Adam all die” so also “in Christ all shall be made alive…” It’s in Jesus that we can have eternal life, the abundant, everlasting life of blessing He purchased for us. Martha and Mary understood that, but here Jesus does a miracle, a sign, raising Lazarus to life, because it served his purpose—He was graciously revealing something about himself, who he is, showing his power, his divine nature. A preliminary “glimpse” of the promise of life in Him. He did it because He loved them, for their good, and for ours… By the way, the same power that called Lazarus from the tomb is at work in you if you have trusted Jesus as your personal Lord and Savior. You were dead in your trespasses and sin. He made you alive, by grace, through faith, unto good works which God ordained beforehand (Eph 2:1-10). *** Jesus is working in our lives for our good, seeking to help us see more of His glory.

V. Signs, Faith, and Unbelief (11:45-46).

Here we read about the response to this sign: “Then many of the Jews who had come to Mary, and had seen the things Jesus did, believed in Him. 46 But some of them went away to the Pharisees and told them the things Jesus did.” Though the evidence is clear most people refuse to believe. This was the mountain top, the apex of the “signs” that Jesus did which were recorded in the first part of John’s Gospel. It would only be transcended by the death and resurrection of Jesus himself. And yes, many saw and believed. Some however, went away to the Pharisees and told them the things that Jesus did. There is an intentional contrast here, they weren’t trying to share the good news with the Pharisees. They were “reporting” the story, knowing they were watching Jesus. This is an example of what we read in John 3:18-19

18 "He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. 19 "And this is the condemnation, that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.”

What is God saying to me in this passage? Jesus is working in our lives for our good, seeking to help us see more of His glory. As you read this story, do you see the glory of God?

What would God have me to do in response to this passage?

Jesus proved that He is the resurrection and the life. The Light has shined in the darkness. Have you seen the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ Jesus? As surely as He raised Lazarus to life, He has done the same for you—you were dead, in Him you have life! Consider His work, see His glory, walk with Him in new life! Amen.