The Saturation of Jesus' Priceless Worth, Part 3

Outline

Big Idea: Jesus invites us to saturate ourselves in His priceless worth.

We saturate ourselves in His priceless worth through thoughtful worship - John 12:1-8.

We saturate ourselves in His priceless worth through our invitation for others to come - John 12:9-11.

We saturate ourselves in His priceless worth through our acknowledgment of His person - John 12:12-19.

We saturate ourselves in His priceless worth through what we are wiling to give - John 12:20-26.

We saturate ourselves in His priceless worth through our coming - John 12:27-36a.

We saturate ourselves in His priceless worth through public confession - John 12:36b-43.

We saturate ourselves in His priceless worth through walking in the light - John 12:44-50.

Introduction

Video - Filled (Igniter Media)

It should be said…sometimes the reason we fail to drip Jesus, to be saturated with him is because are not filled with him.

Sometimes, we are so full of other things, that our desire to even be saturated with his priceless worth is absent for us.

And yet, Jesus is inviting us to come and be saturated with His priceless worth.

Question is, how are you responding to his invitation?

Review:

Big Idea: Jesus invites us to saturate ourselves in His priceless worth.

We saturate ourselves in His priceless worth through thoughtful worship - John 12:1-8.

We saturate ourselves in His priceless worth through our invitation for others to come - John 12:9-11.

We saturate ourselves in His priceless worth through our acknowledgment of His person - John 12:12-19.

We saturate ourselves in His priceless worth through what we are wiling to give - John 12:20-26.

Sermon Body

Big Idea: Jesus invites us to saturate ourselves in His priceless worth.

We saturate ourselves in His priceless worth through our coming - John 12:27-36a.

John 12:27–36 ESV

27 “Now is my soul troubled. And what shall I say? ‘Father, save me from this hour’? But for this purpose I have come to this hour. 28 Father, glorify your name.” Then a voice came from heaven: “I have glorified it, and I will glorify it again.” 29 The crowd that stood there and heard it said that it had thundered. Others said, “An angel has spoken to him.” 30 Jesus answered, “This voice has come for your sake, not mine. 31 Now is the judgment of this world; now will the ruler of this world be cast out. 32 And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself.” 33 He said this to show by what kind of death he was going to die. 34 So the crowd answered him, “We have heard from the Law that the Christ remains forever. How can you say that the Son of Man must be lifted up? Who is this Son of Man?” 35 So Jesus said to them, “The light is among you for a little while longer. Walk while you have the light, lest darkness overtake you. The one who walks in the darkness does not know where he is going. 36 While you have the light, believe in the light, that you may become sons of light.” When Jesus had said these things, he departed and hid himself from them.

Greatly troubled - Same as in John 11:33.

To cause movement by shaking or stirring

To cause inward turmoil, disturb, unsettle, throw into confusion

Why was he troubled?

He contrasted the Gentiles believing with Israel’s disbelief. He knows the future of what is to come for Israel because of their unbelief.

He just got done telling them of his impending death.

Save me from this hour…BUT FOR THIS PURPOSE I HAVE COME.

John 12:23. The same reference to “the hour has come.”

Jesus is already feeling the affects of that coming ordeal.

Speaking of it, knowing the time has come…is leaving Jesus with a deep sense of disquietude.

The perfect tense of this word suggest it was an ongoing struggle for him as he looked forward to having to bear the sins and judgment for sins.

Certainly we saw it powerfully in the Garden the night he was betrayed.

The problem we so often experience when we read scripture is that we fail to emotionally connect with the text.

IF WE DON’T, I contend we are not really connecting…it is just head knowledge.

JESUS WAS a man.

Jesus IS a man.

As he looked forward to the the cross, he struggled.

We need to understand how deeply emotionally traumatic the cross was for him.

Why? Because it makes his next request all the more profound.

John 12:28 ESV

28 Father, glorify your name.” Then a voice came from heaven: “I have glorified it, and I will glorify it again.”

Notice his concern though...

Father, glorify YOUR name.

The purpose for which I have come. May it be so.

Even in his own troubled heart over the ordeal that is yet to come, Jesus keeps GOD’s glory at the focus of his attention.

Application: Do we keep the glory of God at the focus of ALL we do? Does that focus compel us to embrace His will even when that will involves suffering and hardship? Is HIS GLORY more important to us than our comfort and pleasure?

The path of obedience to God is a path of pain and hardship. Though it is right and good, though it will be blessed and result in blessing, the immediate response of our obedience is not always pleasant, it is.

SO, what keeps you making the choice to obey when it is sometimes confronted with pain?

HAVING A HIGHER GOAL, A HIGHER PURPOSE, A HIGHER passion.

The glory of God.

NO OTHER purpose, no other goal, no other desire will keep us steadfast and immovable in the tough moments of life, than the glory of God.

When obedience is hard, devastating even, only the glory of God is motive enough to stand fast.

So many of us FAIL to keep the glory of God at the center.

And at a certain point, when obedience hurts, when it gets hard, if we have inferior motives, they will fail.

After he prays this…a voice from heaven comes....

I have glorified it, and I will glorify it again.

How had God glorified His name?

How WILL he glorify it again?

I have....throughout your life on earth.

Jesus LIVED the person of God. God was on display through Jesus EVERY moment of his existence on earth.

God is glorified with his attributes are revealed and exposed.

HE WILL glorify it again....on the cross, when he deals justly but mercifully with the sins of mankind so that all men could be drawn to Himself.

The sad thing is, God’s own people have missed it. They WILL miss it.

Can anyone name the first time that crowds of people had heard a voice from heaven?

Jesus baptism.

Is it any “coincidence” that it is happening now, on the eve of his death? Of course not.

Can anyone name another time that God’s voice was heard from heaven?

The transfiguration, which all three of the other gospels record.

Why would God speak in such a fashion? Why would he then and now produce an audible voice from heaven? Why would he do so on the mount with his disciples?

2 Peter 1:16-21.

2 Peter 1:16–21 ESV

16 For we did not follow cleverly devised myths when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we were eyewitnesses of his majesty. 17 For when he received honor and glory from God the Father, and the voice was borne to him by the Majestic Glory, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased,” 18 we ourselves heard this very voice borne from heaven, for we were with him on the holy mountain. 19 And we have the prophetic word more fully confirmed, to which you will do well to pay attention as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts, 20 knowing this first of all, that no prophecy of Scripture comes from someone’s own interpretation. 21 For no prophecy was ever produced by the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.

Peter was DEEPLY affected by that transfiguration moment. He not only SAW Jesus’ glory (or a glimpse of it) but he HEARD the voice of God.

This passage is testament to how deeply affected he was by it.

I have said it before, but I will say it again, How do you know that John was deeply affected by this moment?

Look at his writings and the emphasis on LIGHT throughout his writing.

He includes here in this gospel that these words boomed out of heaven...

Almost as if....I could not speak about what I saw at the transfiguration…but I can talk about this now! :)

Maybe not, but I like to imagine...

Point is, the revealing of Jesus’ glory, the voice from heaven booming forth…they are moments that you do not forget, that emphasize the enormity of the moment. It deeply embeds the moment in their hearts and minds.

THIS REVEALING OF HIS GLORY was so momentous and monumental that the disciples CHOSE HIS GLORY over their earthly comfort…giving their lives unto the death for His sake.

And all who heard it, become EYE witnesses to the glory of what is happening. That word will spread. That testimony will contribute to the glory of the gospel and the events that are to come.

Application: God offers evidence of His person and glory so that we might see and believe. Are you beholding his person and glory? Are you seeing it? Or are you blind like the Pharisees and missing it?

In case that was not clear, Jesus makes clear WHY the voice came....

John 12:30-31.

John 12:30–31 ESV

30 Jesus answered, “This voice has come for your sake, not mine. 31 Now is the judgment of this world; now will the ruler of this world be cast out.

They were bewildered, amazed, awed.

Some thought it was just thunder, inaudible noise.

Some thought an angel spoke to Jesus, but again, it seems they failed to discern any words.

Their blindness kept some from truly grasping the enormity of it.

FOR THOSE WHO DID, the experience had to be profound, like that of Moses at the burning busy, or the disciples at the transfiguration, or even those present at Jesus’ baptism.

Jesus says, this is for YOUR SAKE.

For BOTH those who understood and those who didn’t....

It was an affirmation of God’s approval and validation upon Jesus at this moment leading to His death.

This voice, Jesus own father bore witness to Jesus.

They may not understand it fully now, but after Jesus death and resurrection, these pieces will fall back into place and they will see and know.

The voice of God, that they personally witnesses will solidify for some the reality of who Jesus is and they will begin to understand his teaching, the purpose of his coming, and the significance of his death and resurrection.

And then the text says....

John 12:31-33.

John 12:31–33 ESV

31 Now is the judgment of this world; now will the ruler of this world be cast out. 32 And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself.” 33 He said this to show by what kind of death he was going to die.

Now is the judgment of the world, now will the ruler of this world be cast out....

Though Jesus did not come to judge but to save....by his very actions, he is signing the death warrant for all who would reject Him.

His work on the cross would defeat sin and death.

For those who chose their sin, they would be condemning themselves for by His actions, Jesus is making another way.

What’s more....THE RULER of this world would be condemned...

He will lose his authority and his influence. The world had been his domain since we handed it over to him in the garden through our sin and rebellion.

Through our actions in the garden, we abdicated our rightful place as rulers of the earth, as God had intended, and gave it over to Satan.

Jesus will take it back through his actions on the cross.

Make no mistake, he is still powerful and dangerous, and still has been granted authority, to a degree, but he loses his right to it as Christ takes it back through is perfect obedience and sinless sacrifice.

When I am lifted up, I will draw all men to myself.

He said this to show what kind of death he was going to die.

Does not mean ALL will be saved…we know some will reject him. It means that all peoples, not just Israel, will come.

Remember, Gentiles are now seeking him out.

We saturate ourselves with his priceless worth…and we reveal his priceless worth…WHEN we come to him and surrender all for him.

The people however, remain unconvinced...

We have heard....THEY say....

That the Christ remains forever..

Isaiah 9:7.

Isaiah 9:7 ESV

7 Of the increase of his government and of peace there will be no end, on the throne of David and over his kingdom, to establish it and to uphold it with justice and with righteousness from this time forth and forevermore. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will do this.

Ezekiel 37:25.

Ezekiel 37:25 ESV

25 They shall dwell in the land that I gave to my servant Jacob, where your fathers lived. They and their children and their children’s children shall dwell there forever, and David my servant shall be their prince forever.

Daniel 7:13.

Daniel 7:13 ESV

13 “I saw in the night visions, and behold, with the clouds of heaven there came one like a son of man, and he came to the Ancient of Days and was presented before him.

These passages speak of the coming of the Son of Man who will defeat all enemies and who will establish an everlasting kingdom....which he will do....at his second coming....

That is not yet what Christ has come to do.

They missed the prophecies and scriptures that spoke to his first advent, his first coming that had a totally different purpose and outcome.

So they mockingly ask...

Why are you saying he must be lifted up? (They understood his reference to crucifixion but they did not understand it in reference to the Son of Man, the Messiah)

Who is the Son of Man? (Help us understand. Their blindness has kept them from seeing and believing)

Application: They still failed to see. They did not come. They did not believe. He would have to leave again and hide himself from them for they sought his harm and did not believe him.

OUR COMING TO HIM is evidence of our faith and trust honors and glorifies Him and as we do so continually, daily, moment my moment, we become saturated with Jesus so that we drip Jesus to others.

Our COMING to him signifies that the light has penetrated the darkness.

John 12:35-36.

John 12:35–36 ESV

35 So Jesus said to them, “The light is among you for a little while longer. Walk while you have the light, lest darkness overtake you. The one who walks in the darkness does not know where he is going. 36 While you have the light, believe in the light, that you may become sons of light.” When Jesus had said these things, he departed and hid himself from them.

Walk while you have the light, lest the darkness over take you....

In other words…Jesus is saying....COME TO THE LIGHT and walk in the light WHILE YOU MAY, for the night is coming when no one may walk in the light.

Consider....

1 Th 5:1-11.

1 Thessalonians 5:1–11 ESV

1 Now concerning the times and the seasons, brothers, you have no need to have anything written to you. 2 For you yourselves are fully aware that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night. 3 While people are saying, “There is peace and security,” then sudden destruction will come upon them as labor pains come upon a pregnant woman, and they will not escape. 4 But you are not in darkness, brothers, for that day to surprise you like a thief. 5 For you are all children of light, children of the day. We are not of the night or of the darkness. 6 So then let us not sleep, as others do, but let us keep awake and be sober. 7 For those who sleep, sleep at night, and those who get drunk, are drunk at night. 8 But since we belong to the day, let us be sober, having put on the breastplate of faith and love, and for a helmet the hope of salvation. 9 For God has not destined us for wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, 10 who died for us so that whether we are awake or asleep we might live with him. 11 Therefore encourage one another and build one another up, just as you are doing.

Jesus is extending an invitation to believe in him.

The LIGHT OF THE WORLD has come. He walks in their midst.

He has come to SHED light on the prophecies, on the Messiah foretold.

He has come to shed light on their spiritual darkness, their self-righteous blindness, their man made religion that leads to death and not life.

He has come to shed light on their need for repentance and faith.

That light, as least in the physical person of Jesus, is about to go out. When he departs, though the truth remains through His church and, over time, the light would remain through His word....His light is about to depart the world and they will be plunged into darkness again.

Jesus is inviting them to come and believe NOW while they may.

COME NOW, while you may, while it light, that you may find life and salvation.

This is the invitation.

Come now, becomes sons of the light. Find life. Believe.

WHEN WE COME TO THE LIGHT, when we surrender to Him, we saturate ourselves with his glorious presence and find everything our hearts ever ache for.

It is a a beautifully glorious invitation…One that will continue to be rejected by the people.

But to that, we will get next week.

Conclusion

Big Idea: Jesus invites us to saturate ourselves in His priceless worth.

We saturate ourselves in His priceless worth through thoughtful worship - John 12:1-8.

We saturate ourselves in His priceless worth through our invitation for others to come - John 12:9-11.

We saturate ourselves in His priceless worth through our acknowledgment of His person - John 12:12-19.

We saturate ourselves in His priceless worth through what we are wiling to give - John 12:20-26.

We saturate ourselves in His priceless worth through our coming - John 12:27-36a.

We saturate ourselves in His priceless worth through public confession - John 12:36b-43.

We saturate ourselves in His priceless worth through walking in the light - John 12:44-50.

Jesus is inviting us to come, to believe, to find life, to saturate ourselves in HIS priceless worth.

Will you come?

And will you, through being saturated in him, through dripping Jesus, will you be growing together to become more like Jesus for the glory of God?

Application

How were you saturated with Jesus this past week? (Share a God sighting, an insight or challenge from His word, a time of praise and worship, etc. Have several share a meaningful time of connection with God that they had throughout the week. Try to get people to focus a someway they felt truly connected with God throughout the week).

Stop and Pray. Prayers of thanksgiving and worship for those moments you had with Him.

What obstacles hindered your oneness with God this week? What prevented you from being saturated with Jesus this week? (As people share, follow up with…how we can encourage you this week to overcome those obstacles. Brainstorm ways to overcome that.

Stop and Pray. Ask God to grant each one meaningful, intimate time with God the following week.