Things more important than life. John 12:20-26 Many people in this world are outwardly religious, but inwardly, they are unsure of their relationship with God and seek answers to their fears in all the wrong places. The Greeks took pride in their philosophical approach to questions like "Who am I?"; "Why am I here?"; "Is there life after death?"; "Is there a God?" Today, people ask these same questions, and even when answers are provided from the scriptures, they often reject them, considering themselves their own gods, and viewing the God of the Bible as a god of imagination. However, when faced with the evidence of who Jesus is, some pause to consider whether their opinions are correct.
The Greeks who came to see Jesus had been searching in Judaism for what was missing in their philosophical journey. When faced with evidence of One who performed miracles, even raising Lazarus from the dead, and witnessing the people's response to Jesus, they wanted to see Jesus for themselves. Today, the evidence of changed lives often sparks interest in those who were previously disinterested. A drunk man who becomes sober; an immoral woman whose life is transformed so she lives with respect and modesty; a person filled with malice and anger who turns into a loving and caring individual - these are signs of the reality of faith in Christ. Proofs of the Gospel message have a powerful impact on onlookers when an enduring, inward change occurs.
With anticipation, those Greeks came to Philip, who had a Greek name. Sometimes, those who serve the Lord behind the scenes are the ones that inquirers find more approachable. Both Philip and Andrew were not men who operated openly at the forefront of the disciples' activities. Among us, brothers and sisters who are more reserved often connect with people like themselves rather than those whose personalities draw them into the middle of things. We do not need to imitate each other, nor should we envy those who are more gifted than we are. God has placed us in the body to be what He wants, and where He wants us. It is important that we serve God without prejudice and with dignity, honor, and respect.
Those Greeks looked with anticipation to see Jesus. For us, we observe the willing condescension of the Lord Jesus Christ when He was temporarily made lower than the angels for the suffering of death, now crowned with glory and honor. The day is coming when "we shall see Him and be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is." That day of revelation will fulfill all our hopes and dreams that motivate us to serve Him with honor today.
"The Word that I have Spoken". John 12:27-50 How can I honor God? What does it mean to honor Him? How is it possible to add even more honor to the already immense honor He has? Some questions can be answered and acted upon at the same time. These questions relate to ongoing actions I can take to continually honor God.
Haggai 1:7-8. “Thus, saith the Lord of hosts; “Consider your ways. Go up to the mountain, and bring wood, and build the house, and I will take pleasure in it, and I will be glorified, saith the Lord.” I can honor God by going where He wants me to go and doing what He wants me to do.
1Chr.29:17. “I know also, my God, that Thou triest the heart, and hast pleasure in uprightness. As for me, in the uprightness of mine heart, I have willingly offered these things: and now I have seen with joy Thy people, which are present here, to offer willingly unto Thee.” I can honor God by being upright.
Jn. 15:8. “Herein is My Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit; so shall ye be My disciples.” I can honor God by bearing fruit for Him in my life.
That last public incident in the ministry of the Lord Jesus revealed the hour He had been speaking about arriving. That hour would be when the Lord would be glorified in His death as the Lamb of God, as John the Baptist had prophesied, to take away the sin of the world. Most people prefer a comfortable life and try to avoid anything that causes pain and suffering. The Greeks shared this outlook on life philosophically. Now that the hour had come for the Lord Jesus Christ to be glorified through His death, burial, and resurrection, He explained how this would unfold.
A grain of wheat remains a single grain until it is planted in the ground, where its life source is nourished by water and heat that open the seed to produce many more seeds of the same kind. The water of the Word of God and the warmth of the Spirit of God work together to bring the life hidden in the seed of the Word of God to life. The Lord Jesus Christ, through His death on the cross, has brought millions of believing people to experience new life in Him.
This eternal life we receive as a gift does not come from our efforts but from the life principle that only the Seed produces. Remarkably, the seeds that come from that One resemble the Original Seed in appearance, character, and purpose. "I am crucified with Christ, nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the Son of God, who loved me, and gave Himself for me."
The same principle applies to us. If we hold back our lives from dying to sin and let the fruitfulness it can produce be lost because we love the world, or at least the things it offers, we will miss out on all that is worthwhile in our years on earth. However, if we are willing to lose our lives for the Lord's sake and the Gospel, we will save them. Not only will our years be preserved for an eternal purpose, but the Father will also honor us. I can honor God by going where He wants me to go and doing what He wants me to do.
There may be times of reproach and suffering in life, but when we follow Christ wherever He leads us to serve Him by doing whatever His will for us is, the Father will honor His servants. More importantly, the Lord Jesus Christ will be honored and glorified through the faithful service of those who follow Him.
When the Lord Jesus Christ announced that "The hour had come that the Son of Man should be glorified," His soul was distressed. Our humanity consists of three parts—body, soul, and spirit—and in each of these areas, Jesus experienced distress. He was truly a man, and as He looked ahead, He knew what would happen when He was lifted up on the cross. Emotions, senses, and every aspect of human personality would be affected as He became "sin for us, He who knew no sin, that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him." There was a price to be paid through the suffering of the Lord Jesus' soul.
We get a glimpse of what that means in Psalm 22, Psalm 69, and other scripture passages that speak of Christ's inner sufferings. He was also troubled in His spirit when He was betrayed by Judas. The future of a lost soul separated from God forever affected the Lord as He looked at the outcome of someone who deliberately rejected Him. He was troubled in His body when He endured the physical pains of every wound inflicted upon Him. Yet, in His grace, He told His own disciples, "Let not your heart be troubled..."
Jesus asked for nothing to save Him from that hour of suffering, because that was His purpose in coming. "God commendeth His love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us." He came to die in our place and, in doing so, would glorify the name of the Father. The voice from heaven was that of the Father as He spoke again, declaring His satisfaction with the ministry of the Lord Jesus Christ and His assurance of an even greater glory as a result of the death, burial, resurrection, and ascension of Christ.
We may not always understand why God acts in our lives, but when we are in fellowship with Him, we recognize that He has reasons, perhaps to bless others through what happens to us. It is a wonderful privilege when someone can glorify God through us. It is important that we remain patient and wait for God's purposes to be fulfilled.
As the final hour of the Lord Jesus' earthly ministry was unfolding, He explained how He would die and why. Condemnation would fall upon the world because of its rejection of the Savior. The world condemned itself, and Satan was defeated and will be cast into eternal perdition in hell and the lake of fire because of the victory over sin that Jesus' great cross-work would accomplish. When He was lifted up on the cross, the way was opened for all cultures, nations, and people of the earth to come to Him by faith. Not everyone will come, but everyone can come to Christ because of what He has done on behalf of all.
Today, as in the past, people resist coming to the Lord Jesus because they believe His sacrifice on the cross is not how they think forgiveness of sins should happen. Many believe they can enhance the value of His sacrificial death through their works, penance, or personal ideas. Such beliefs follow the arrogant way of the prince of this world, Satan, and the self-centered opinions of individuals. Those who choose to walk in darkness instead of light will never understand the value and effects of grace. As a result, they stumble in unbelief and ignorance because they reject The Light. Unbelief is a choice people make despite all the evidence The Light has shown. In Jesus' time, unmistakable miracles and teachings proved who He was. Today, evidence is seen in the many ways God speaks without words, along with what the Bible teaches us.
We must accept the consequences of our choices today. Those people would not believe the report they had heard and seen. When people refuse to repent and accept Christ, the arm of the Lord is not revealed to them. Even though there was an intellectual acceptance of the facts that were right before their eyes, some of the chief rulers would not truly trust Jesus as their Savior—their Messiah. The evidence was clear, and they believed the evidence regarding the Lord Jesus, but the praise and acceptance of men mattered more to them. Protecting their positions was their priority and came first. God does not take second place to men. "The fear of man bringeth a snare." Not accepting Jesus as Lord is to reject Him. To reject Him is to reject God because He is God. Seeing Jesus is seeing God, and there is no other way to see the Father.
The first coming of the Lord Jesus Christ into the world was to save people who were in darkness from the eternal consequences of sin. He came as The Light that illuminates every person. To reject the light of truth as presented in the Gospel is to reject the Lord Jesus Christ Himself. When His words were ignored and His teaching rejected, that becomes the basis for future condemnation forever. People will remember the words of truth they heard and refused. They will have no excuse of any kind because what He said was understood.
The level of understanding each person has can vary based on the light they have received. The words of truth are found in the Bible, but they are also written on each person's conscience. Evidence is all around us in creation, in the good things that happen to us, and in the lives of those who have trusted the Lord Jesus Christ as their personal Savior.
As John, the writer of this Gospel, concludes his account of Jesus' ministry as proof of His deity, he uses the words Jesus spoke as a testimony to the unity of the Father and the Son. The teachings Jesus gave testified to His deity. The seven signs John records confirm His deity. Joy comes to us through the power of the Son of God. Spiritual healing comes from the power of the Son of God. Strength for living comes through the power of the Son of God. Food for the soul comes by the power of the Son of God. Freedom from fear and danger comes through the power of the Son of God. Spiritual understanding comes from the power of the Son of God. Spiritual life, even when dead in trespasses and sins, comes to us through the power of the Son of God. These seven signs of the Lord Jesus Christ’s deity assure us of who He is—whom our entire lives are hidden and accepted by God. Our Savior is real, personal, and always active on our behalf.