Prophecy and God's Purpose for the Peoples

John 12:12-50

3 weeks in this passage:

The purpose of God

The call of God

The grace of God

The triumphal entry and prophecy

They were there because of the sign

The people who witnessed Jesus raising Lazarus kept telling everyone

The crowd went to Jesus and blessed Him as He came into the city

He found a young donkey to ride to fulfill the Prophecy of Zechariah

Zechariah 9:9- Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion! Shout aloud, O daughter of Jerusalem! Behold, your king is coming to you; righteous and having salvation is he, humble and mounted on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey.

Why a Donkey?

Jesus is a gentle and humble

He is a king unlike any the world had ever seen

Not riding on a war horse to conquer, but on a donkey to die

This was for the sake of His disciples

They did not realize what was happening as it unfolded

But after Jesus was glorified

For this purpose, I have come to this hour

Jesus is troubled because He knows what is about to happen

This is just over the halfway point in this book, and John already moves us into the final week of Jesus’ life

Everthing has been building toward this single week

This is why dedicates 8 ½ chapters to this tiny portion of Jesus’ life and ministry

Jesus knows the weight of the coming days, and he asks a question

“What shall I say?”

Should He ask the Father to save Him from what is about to happen?

No, He has come to earth primarily for this hour

He came to glorify God

(v. 23) He says that the hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified

This is going to happen in a way that noone is expecting

(v. 28) Jesus prays for the Father’s name to be glorified

God the Father speaks audibly for all to hear

He says that He has glorified it and that He will again

Jesus says that this voice was for those who heard it

He has done so many things over the past two chapters to bear witness to Himself and this is yet another display

The ruler of this world is cast down

Now is the judgment of this world

He came to them as the Father’s representative, God in the flesh

And what did they do?

They rejected and killed Him

This is the beginning of the judgment and will be fulfilled at the final judgment

Now is the ruler of this world cast down

Revelation 20:1-3- Then I saw an angel coming down from heaven, holding in his hand the key to the bottomless pit[a] and a great chain. And he seized the dragon, that ancient serpent, who is the devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years, and threw him into the pit, and shut it and sealed it over him, so that he might not deceive the nations any longer, until the thousand years were ended. After that he must be released for a little while.

Colossians 2:15- He disarmed the rulers and authorities and put them to open shame, by triumphing over them in him.

Hebrews 2:14- Since therefore the children share in flesh and blood, he himself likewise partook of the same things, that through death he might destroy the one who has the power of death, that is, the devil,

This is for a purpose

Everything that Jesus does is with a specific intention in mind, and we should always pay attention to any clues as to what the specific intention is

Here we are told by Jesus Himself

He will draw all people to Himself

When I am lifted up from the earth

What does this mean?

All people

Who is all people?

Every person on earth?

All who hear about the truth of Jesus?

All peoples, without distinction

Matthew 28:19- Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,

Zechariah 9:10- I will cut off the chariot from Ephraim and the war horse from Jerusalem; and the battle bow shall be cut off, and he shall speak peace to the nations; his rule shall be from sea to sea, and from the River to the ends of the earth.

This is the yield of fruit from verse 24

Jesus is the grain of wheat which dies

Through His death comes an unimaginably great harvest

Live as if you believe this

Statan has been defeated

The promised serpent crusher has delivered the fatal blow

Do not fear, but rejoice

The gospel is going to the nations

Each of us are beneficiaries of this truth

Will you be a part of that work?

Will you tell others of the Good News that Jesus has made a way for them to be saved?

So often one of the main reasons that churches don’t grow is becasue they don’t evangelize

May you go and make disciples this week

A practical step

Take time today to write down the names of 5 people you know who are unbelievers

Commit to praying every day that they might receive Christ in faith

If you already pray for at least 5, add 5 more

Pray for God to give you grace and help to talk to them about Jesus

He will be sufficient, even if you think you are inadequate

He will be glorified, even if you stumble over your words or don’t know everything you ought to say

He will be faithful, even if it doesn’t seem like the conversation did any good