We would like to see Jesus

Bible Reading

Before we head into the Book of John let me remind you of some themes that run throughout the book..

Stated purpose of this book found in John 20:31 “31 But these are written, that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye might have life through his name.”

Four threads that run throughout the book found in John 1:14 “14 And (1) the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and (2) we beheld (3) his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.”

The Word.

The Word that was in the beginning will be revealed to us. John 1:1 “1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.”

Echoes Genesis 1:1.

Parallel passage in Hebrews 1:1–2 “.. Hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son”

The Word became Flesh

The flesh, that is someone you can see.

Dwelt among us, for some 33 years.

One thing to hear of someone, another to see someone, and another to have them living among you.

Beholding (seeing) leads to believing. “and we beheld his glory”

John the Baptist said “behold the Lamb of God”

This passage will reference the light we have been given.

Glory of God. John 1:14 “..the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.”

Seeing leads to believing and believing leads to the glory of God.

The kind of glory, that only one of the exact same nature of the Father, could share.

This description echoes what we learn of God in Exodus 34:5–6 “..The LORD, The LORD God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abundant in goodness and truth,”

A certain hour / not seen in John 1:14

Arrived at Palm Sunday, arrived at the hour.

You will hear this in vs. 23

John 12:20–37 (KJV)

20 And there were certain Greeks among them that came up to worship at the feast:

21 The same came therefore to Philip, which was of Bethsaida of Galilee, and desired him, saying, Sir, we would see Jesus.

22 Philip cometh and telleth Andrew: and again Andrew and Philip tell Jesus.

23 And Jesus answered them, saying, The hour is come, that the Son of man should be glorified.

24 Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abideth alone: but if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit.

25 He that loveth his life shall lose it; and he that hateth his life in this world shall keep it unto life eternal.

26 If any man serve me, let him follow me; and where I am, there shall also my servant be: if any man serve me, him will my Father honour.

27 Now is my soul troubled; and what shall I say? Father, save me from this hour: but for this cause came I unto this hour.

28 Father, glorify thy name. Then came there a voice from heaven, saying, I have both glorified it, and will glorify it again.

29 The people therefore, that stood by, and heard it, said that it thundered: others said, An angel spake to him.

30 Jesus answered and said, This voice came not because of me, but for your sakes.

31 Now is the judgment of this world: now shall the prince of this world be cast out.

32 And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto me.

33 This he said, signifying what death he should die.

34 The people answered him, We have heard out of the law that Christ abideth for ever: and how sayest thou, The Son of man must be lifted up? who is this Son of man?

35 Then Jesus said unto them, Yet a little while is the light with you. Walk while ye have the light, lest darkness come upon you: for he that walketh in darkness knoweth not whither he goeth.

36 While ye have light, believe in the light, that ye may be the children of light. These things spake Jesus, and departed, and did hide himself from them.

37 But though he had done so many miracles before them, yet they believed not on him:

We would like to see Jesus

We must go to the cross, to truly see Jesus

We must recognize that He is the King, to truly see Jesus

We must recognize the tomb is empty, to truly see Jesus.

Sermon Introduction

Jesus answer to these Greeks must have been surprising. “Now is the time.”

We must go to the cross, to truly see Jesus

God has controlled the time table and circumstances of His death

John 12:23 “23 And Jesus answered them, saying, The hour is come, that the Son of man should be glorified.”

Remember Jesus’s mother wanting Him to help out at a wedding. John 2. Mine hour is not yet come.

When the Pharisees sought to kill Him. John 7. My time is not yet come.

The hour was clearly connected to Jesus leaving this world. John 8:20 “20 These words spake Jesus in the treasury, as he taught in the temple: and no man laid hands on him; for his hour was not yet come.”

In the “tell no man” passages we see that Jesus had an appointed time to His death.

Jesus willing laid down His life at the appointed hour. John 10:18 “18 No man taketh it from me, but I lay it down of myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again. This commandment have I received of my Father.”

The cross will provide the best view of His glory

John 12:23 “23 And Jesus answered them, saying, The hour is come, that the Son of man should be glorified.”

Glory is difficult to define for two reasons.

19 of 166 references to Doxa (glory) in NT are in the book of John

If someone asked you, “What is glory?” what would you say?

It is similar to the word beauty.

Its broad uses in the Bible. It appears in the Scriptures as a noun, a verb, an adjective, an adverb, and the object of prepositions.

Revelation 4:11 “11 Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created.”

Exodus 33:18 “18 And he said, I beseech thee, shew me thy glory.”

1 Corinthians 10:31 “31 Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God.”

Titus 2:13 “13 Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ;”

Psalm 57:8 “8 Awake up, my glory; awake, psaltery and harp: I myself will awake early.”

So glory is something that God has? Maybe something God is? And it’s something that we give to God? Like praise or something? And it’s a place that I’m going to go one day?

Yes.

Three aspects of glory.

It means “honor, dignity, splendor, or abundance.”Essentially means “weight,” the heaviness or the weight.

Glory is in a multitude of places and things, and exists in varying degrees.

Combine the two thoughts and it would seem that all things exist with some degree of weight, value, or importance.

More accurately, it follows to say that all things, or actions, possess glory to the degree that they are a reflection of the glory of God.

Andrew your post church Chipotle burrito may be weighty but it isn’t glorious.

The goodness of something is an important aspect of glory.

Moses asks to see God’s glory. Exodus 33:18 “18 And he said, I beseech thee, shew me thy glory.”

God’s response: Exodus 33:19 “19 And he said, I will make all my goodness pass before thee, and I will proclaim the name of the LORD before thee; and will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will shew mercy on whom I will shew mercy.”

Jonathan Edwards said, “Glory is the outshining of internal excellence.”

Glory. The weight of intrinsic goodness.

Goodness of God seen through the Cross

John refers to the death of Christ, not at the crucifixion until ch. 19, he calls it “being lifted up.”

In v.33 we see that that statement “signifying what death He should die”

Jesus will be lifted up on the Cross now that the time has came

In v. 16 “when Jesus is glorified” is used synonymously with Him going to the cross.

The cross is the cause for which Christ came

John 12:27 “27 Now is my soul troubled; and what shall I say? Father, save me from this hour: but for this cause came I unto this hour.”

First word f Jesus are important: “I will be about my Father’s business.”

There was not place for Him when He was born, He will say the foxes have holes and his has no place to lay His head, but a cross was prepared for Him.

The Cross was necessary. John 12:24 “24 Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abideth alone: but if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit.”

The cross is the place that Jesus is lifted up. It is the place the Son if glorified.

They could seen how patient Jesus is as He welcomed little children to Him

We could see how merciful and kind Jesus is when He sat by the woman at the well whose life was a mess

We could see His holiness and hatred for the mistreatment of people by the religious crowd when He turned over the tables

We could see His power over all creation when He calms the storm.

It is at the cross where we "See from his head, his hands, his feet, Sorrow and love flow mingled down; Did e'er such love and sorrow meet, Or thorns compose so rich a crown?"

Luke 22:63–71 “63 And the men that held Jesus mocked him, and smote him. 64 And when they had blindfolded him, they struck him on the face, and asked him, saying, Prophesy, who is it that smote thee? 65 And many other things blasphemously spake they against him. 66 And as soon as it was day, the elders of the people and the chief priests and the scribes came together, and led him into their council, saying, 67 Art thou the Christ? tell us. And he said unto them, If I tell you, ye will not believe: 68 And if I also ask you, ye will not answer me, nor let me go. 69 Hereafter shall the Son of man sit on the right hand of the power of God. 70 Then said they all, Art thou then the Son of God? And he said unto them, Ye say that I am. 71 And they said, What need we any further witness? for we ourselves have heard of his own mouth.”

Transitional Statement: They could not see His glory as Jesus heads to the cross. I hope the Greeks saw His glory. I pray that you.

We must recognize that He is the King, to truly see Jesus

John 12:13 “13 Took branches of palm trees, and went forth to meet him, and cried, Hosanna: Blessed is the King of Israel that cometh in the name of the Lord.”

John 19:15 “15 But they cried out, Away with him, away with him, crucify him. Pilate saith unto them, Shall I crucify your King? The chief priests answered, We have no king but Caesar.”

John 19:19 “19 And Pilate wrote a title, and put it on the cross. And the writing was, JESUS OF NAZARETH THE KING OF THE JEWS.”

Who would call other to follow them while they are headed to a cross? Only a one who knew He would wear a victors crown

Jesus is the King of Israel but He is also the King of me

Who's the king of the jungle? Who who Who's the king of the sea? Bubba bubba bubba Who's the king of the universe, and who's the king of me? I'll tell you: J-E-S-U-S is, he's the king for me;

Jesus makes it evidently clear He is the King of the Universe

Jesus declares His Kingship by Riding on a Donkey. Zechariah 9:9 “9 Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion; shout, O daughter of Jerusalem: behold, thy King cometh unto thee: he is just, and having salvation; lowly, and riding upon an ass, and upon a colt the foal of an ass.”

Jesus Declares His Kingship by Cleansing the Temple (Isa. 56:7)

Jesus Declares His Kingship by Healing (Isa. 35:4-6)

Jesus Declares His Kingship by His Response to Children (Psa. 8)

Following Kings Jesus liberates us from our condemning love for self and this world

The death of Jesus saves me from my self. Romans 6:6 “6 Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin.”

To those who would follow Him He says John 12:25 “25 He that loveth his life shall lose it; and he that hateth his life in this world shall keep it unto life eternal.”

What is meant by loving your life? John 12:43 “43 For they loved the praise of men more than the praise of God.”

The rich young ruler couldn’t follow Jesus because He couldn’t keep his eyes on him Luke 18:23 “23 And when he heard this, he was very sorrowful: for he was very rich.”

The blind man following Jesus who is headed to Jerusalem Luke 18:43 “43 And immediately he received his sight, and followed him, glorifying God: and all the people, when they saw it, gave praise unto God.”

Transitional Statement: Many were confused not truly knowing if Jesus is King. I hope the Greeks knew He is King. I pray that you do.

We must recognize the tomb is empty, to truly see Jesus.

Matthew 28:6 “6 He is not here: for he is risen, as he said. Come, see the place where the Lord lay.”

If you acknowledge Jesus lived and died, possibly did miracles, taught good moral truth, but you do not believe He arose from the grave you have never seen Jesus as He is.

The earliest Christians believed in the resurrection not because they couldn’t find a dead body but because they found a living Christ.

I may not be certain on which day Jesus was crucified “but ask me how I know He lives, He lives within my heart!”

There is no one in my life that there is more evidence of their life than Jesus. How do I say that. I have seen by faith what I will one day see by sight.

The world tries to hide the evidence

If Jesus has power over death He is God.

Story of Lazarus John 12:10–11 “10 But the chief priests consulted that they might put Lazarus also to death; 11 Because that by reason of him many of the Jews went away, and believed on Jesus.”

With the same evidence some believed and others wanted to Kill Jesus.

Jesus promised them the sign of Noah

Matthew 12:38–40 “38 Then certain of the scribes and of the Pharisees answered, saying, Master, we would see a sign from thee. 39 But he answered and said unto them, An evil and adulterous generation seeketh after a sign; and there shall no sign be given to it, but the sign of the prophet Jonas: 40 For as Jonas was three days and three nights in the whale’s belly; so shall the Son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.”

The death and resurrection of Jesus has changed the world

John 12:19 “19 The Pharisees therefore said among themselves, Perceive ye how ye prevail nothing? behold, the world is gone after him.”

Jesus had promised much fruit would come and certainly has.

John 12:24 “24 Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abideth alone: but if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit.”

When Christ died for us, we died with Him

Romans 7:4 “4 Wherefore, my brethren, ye also are become dead to the law by the body of Christ; that ye should be married to another, even to him who is raised from the dead, that we should bring forth fruit unto God.”

Sin was not the only reality that killed Jesus and us. So did the law of God.

When we break the law by sinning, the law sentences us to death.

There was no escape from the curse of the law. It was just; we were guilty.

There was only one way to be free: Someone must pay the penalty.

That’s why Jesus came: Galatians 3:13 “13 Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us: for it is written, Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree:”

We have died to law-keeping so that we might live to fruit-bearing.

Transitional Statement: 2,000 years ago the Son of God was lifted high on the Cross, He was buried, and arose on the third day..... and today as I look around this room I see their is much fruit. This afternoon my inbox will begin to fill up with pictures from around the world with those who gathered to celebrate the resurrection.

Today if you came here asking to see Jesus.

I point you to a cross to see His glory.

I point you to a throne where Jesus deserves to sit as the King

I point you to an empty grave that proves He is who He said He was.

Conclusion

Respond to the light that is given to you.

John 12:36 “36 While ye have light, believe in the light, that ye may be the children of light. These things spake Jesus, and departed, and did hide himself from them.”

Reasons why faith is compared to sight

How quickly our eyes respond to what we see

How much our eyes are able to take in and process

How reliable we consider sight to be

Its power to affect the mind and change our hearts. Lamentations 3:51 “51 Mine eye affecteth mine heart because of all the daughters of my city.”

Three closing thoughts for those who came today who say “we desire to see Jesus”

1. Miracles are not enough for those blinded by unbelief.

John 12:37 “37 But though he had done so many miracles before them, yet they believed not on him:”

The problem of unbelief is not mainly a lack of evidence, but a deep heart resistance to God and his will.

2. This recorded is provided for your sake.

John 12:28–30 “28 Father, glorify thy name. Then came there a voice from heaven, saying, I have both glorified it, and will glorify it again. 29 The people therefore, that stood by, and heard it, said that it thundered: others said, An angel spake to him. 30 Jesus answered and said, This voice came not because of me, but for your sakes.”

3. You can join us in the celebration of the fact that God has revealed Himself to us in the person of Christ Jesus

“We were not with the faithful few Who stood thy bitter cross around; Nor heard thy prayer for those who slew, Nor felt that earthquake rock the ground; We saw no spear-wound pierce thy side: Yet we can feel that thou hast died.”

Let us end today reading this verse together.

Hebrews 2:9 “9 But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels for the suffering of death, crowned with glory and honour; that he by the grace of God should taste death for every man.”