Presentation Of Freedom
The Endless Journey - John • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
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Reading:
46 and said to them, “Thus it is written, that the Christ should suffer and on the third day rise from the dead,
47 and that repentance for the forgiveness of sins should be proclaimed in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem.
Introduction:
The wheels are in motion, per the recommendation of the High Priest of that year.
49 But one of them, Caiaphas, who was high priest that year, said to them, “You know nothing at all.
50 Nor do you understand that it is better for you that one man should die for the people, not that the whole nation should perish.”
What a statement to be made.
I don’t think he realized the weight in importance of what he said and what would be done.
Those who plan evil God can use for good.
Think of it like this:
Jesus has been plan A since before the foundations of the world, how was he to get himself to be a sacrifice for the sins of the people?
It wasn’t like there was an application process for that position.
Remember that Exodus pointed forward to our need for a permanent sacrifice?
Each year the blood from the sacrifice covered the sins of the people, until it was time to do it again.
Hebrews does a great job of explaining this to us.
11 But when Christ appeared as a high priest of the good things that have come, then through the greater and more perfect tent (not made with hands, that is, not of this creation)
12 He entered once for all into the holy places, not by means of the blood of goats and calves but by means of His own blood, thus securing an eternal redemption.
13 For if the blood of goats and bulls, and the sprinkling of defiled persons with the ashes of a heifer, sanctify for the purification of the flesh,
14 how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without blemish to God, purify our conscience from dead works to serve the living God.
Jesus is the permanent fulfilment of the sacrificial lamb.
To us looking back we have the full picture; but to those who were alive at the same time Jesus was fulfilling this work, it wasn’t always clear.
They missed the point that Jesus’ arrival was the presentation of freedom that came to man!
Even though John expressed this very plainly and selflessly.
29 The next day he saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!
30 This is He of whom I said, ‘After me comes a man who ranks before me, because He was before me.’
"John 12 shows us that Jesus is God's prepared sacrifice who brings true freedom, and every person must decide how they will respond to Him."
Transition:
The fourth of July is our nation’s freedom from Great Britain.
John 12 commemorates freedom that came into the world and is still available.
Freedom from the affects of sin and that our relationship with our creator can be restored.
There is a natural process in John 12 that we might not see but in the chapter we can find:
Freedom is prepared
The purpose is accomplished
And that Freedom can be Received (Or Rejected)
It all started six days before the passover!
Freedom Prepared (1-11)
Freedom Prepared (1-11)
1 Six days before the Passover, Jesus therefore came to Bethany, where Lazarus was, whom Jesus had raised from the dead.
2 So they gave a dinner for him there. Martha served, and Lazarus was one of those reclining with him at table.
3 Mary therefore took a pound of expensive ointment made from pure nard, and anointed the feet of Jesus and wiped His feet with her hair. The house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume.
Illustration:
In high school I was in choir and there was a group that was much smaller that you had to try out for.
The group was made up of 16: 8 boys, 8 girls.
We sang at group competitions together.
Early on I realized that eating before the competitions was good and bad.
If you didn’t eat your stomach would make loud noises as your trying to sing and be still and quiet.
If you did eat your body breaking it down could provide interruptions to singing.
Being hungry I think we all understand and have felt but probably not like Lazarus.
He was sick then died and his body laid there for 4 days.
There was a meal, possibly a celebration and food for Lazarus.
The meal is noteworthy enough to put in scripture and so is the timing.
Six days before the passover.
(?) Why is this significant?
A Jewish tradition (not found in the bible) is thought to tell the process of preparing the sacrificial lamb in advance.
It was typically done four to six days before passover.
The lamb was to be examined for blemishes and in certain traditions it was to be anointed on the feet and head before the sacrifice.
The anointing was to symbolize that the lamb was inspected and was ready for the slaughter.
3 Mary therefore took a pound of expensive ointment made from pure nard, and anointed the feet of Jesus and wiped His feet with her hair. The house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume.
The lamb is inspected, anointed, and ready.
And...some opposed.
4 But Judas Iscariot, one of His disciples (he who was about to betray Him), said,
5 “Why was this ointment not sold for three hundred denarii and given to the poor?”
How could Judas oppose the act of Mary?
There was in his heart a motivation that wasn’t understood by any except Jesus.
On the one hand Mary’s ambition was to give sacrificially for Jesus.
The other is Judas’ ambition for wealth and self.
There were 2 different focus’ one was Jesus the other was self.
6 He said this, not because he cared about the poor, but because he was a thief, and having charge of the moneybag he used to help himself to what was put into it.
Judas’ motivation was made known to us.
Connection:
How often do we recognize other peoples motivation for things, or even evaluate our own motivation for something?
Our motivations often guide choices we make.
Whether Holy
Or Un-holy
Ask yourself a question: why do I want it so bad, is it something Jesus approves of or do I care what His perspective is?
Point:
Even when our motives are wrong, Jesus graciously calls us to repentance
The Holy spirit will do what Jesus did to Judas, rebuke.
7 Jesus said, “Leave her alone, so that she may keep it for the day of my burial.
8 For the poor you always have with you, but you do not always have Me.”
His rebuke offers a perspective and a choice.
The purpose of her anointing Him, will you accept it or stay in your pride?
Choose what you will believe.
The religious had already chosen what they would believe and because of their misplaced belief they choose to remove the evidence or hide it.
9 When the large crowd of the Jews learned that Jesus was there, they came, not only on account of him but also to see Lazarus, whom he had raised from the dead.
10 So the chief priests made plans to put Lazarus to death as well,
11 because on account of him many of the Jews were going away and believing in Jesus.
Lazarus was living proof that Jesus is God and is worthy of their faith!
Connection:
This isn’t any different than you and I.
When we are a living testimony for the Lord Satan will pursue the removal of the evidence too.
8 Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.
When we are a threat to Satan’s power and authority he attacks.
The opposite: when we aren’t threatening he doesn’t need to do anything and leaves us alone.
Point:
Are you on the most wanted list of Hell?
Are you a threat to Satan’s agenda?
Does your existence point people to faith in Jesus?
Romans 12:1-2 explains how we can model this and point others to Jesus.
1 I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.
2 Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.
The people, and us, need to constantly “reset” our minds by the truth of the word to be able to live by faith.
When we live as a testimony, evil will come against us; but our strength is letting Jesus deal with it and choosing to trust His word and to have control over the situation.
Transition:
This kind of confidence is only possible because Jesus came to die for us and Mary was key in presenting the fact that freedom had arrived and His name is Jesus!
We've seen how God prepared the Lamb but the text provided more:
Purpose Accomplished (12-36)
Purpose Accomplished (12-36)
12 The next day the large crowd that had come to the feast heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem.
13 So they took branches of palm trees and went out to meet him, crying out, “Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord, even the King of Israel!”
Word spread of Jesus raising Lazarus from the dead and many were joyous at the idea that Jesus seemed to be the long awaited Messiah.
When He came into Jerusalem for Passover they celebrated His arrival!
Their words were a call to save them!
Hosanna - Save us!
The messiah had come into Jerusalem as the Prophets said:
15 “Fear not, daughter of Zion; behold, your king is coming, sitting on a donkey’s colt!”
There He is coming into the city as a king bringing peace, not war!
Not all believed and some offered their political ridicule.
19 So the Pharisees said to one another, “You see that you are gaining nothing. Look, the world has gone after Him.”
Politics area nasty business!
With the “right thing to do” there will be many who oppose it and are willing to exchange it for wrong.
Yet as we noted in other sermons, the point of Jesus coming was misunderstood.
The people’s hope wasn’t for the eternal; It was for the political!
They wanted a king to overthrow the Roman rule and re-instate the Jewish rule.
If we admitted it, the politicking of our hearts is similar to this.
We hope for the physical., and miss or dismissing the eternal!
The people missed the eternal grace coming on a donkey, offering peace between God and man.
They couldn’t see past their present desire to remove the Roman authority over them.
The Pharisees ridiculed the situation entirely.
But Jesus’ came to fulfill His purpose and work.
23 And Jesus answered them, “The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified.
24 Truly, truly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit.
There is so much that Jesus is revealing here.
It comes through an parable, with purpose for those who have ears to hear and hearts to understand.
Jesus is telling them His hour has come to finish the work.
The home stretch!
He even tells them how He will be glorified...By dying.
The ones who thought that the sacrifice of one would save all, was correct.
50 Nor do you understand that it is better for you that one man should die for the people, not that the whole nation should perish.”
The part they hadn’t planned for was the fruit that would come from the seed of grace being planted.
The seeds of grace needed to be sown and all who would believe are grafted into the source of grace forever to be connected.
How are we to be grafted in?
His purpose has instructions to follow.
25 Whoever loves his life loses it, and whoever hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life.
26 If anyone serves Me, he must follow Me; and where I am, there will my servant be also. If anyone serves Me, the Father will honor him.
He instructs something that requires awareness.
The thought comes to our hearts and minds for evaluation:
If I decide that my life is more important than God’s will, then I will forfeit the abundant and fulfilling life that God wants for me.
The life of a relationship with Him right now that will last into eternity.
11 For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.
12 Then you will call upon Me and come and pray to Me, and I will hear you.
13 You will seek Me and find Me, when you seek Me with all your heart.
Humility is required.
To be humble enough to set aside our thoughts and desires to pick up and adopt what the Lord has for us!
Illustration:
When you look at every full-time ministry person, do you see the desires they had for their lives?
What they wanted to do before they submitted to the Lord’s will for their lives?
They gave up their worldly goals, in exchange for what the Lord has for them.
The fruit from those choices reach into eternity!
How many people know the Lord because someone wasn’t a firefighter; but became a pastor?
The purpose of Jesus also brought the opportunity to impact souls for eternity and gain the purposeful life that is fulfilling!
Jesus’ purpose is confirmed by the Father to all.
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.
The preparations are made for His sacrifice, the purpose for His sacrifice is necessary.
People have the option to believe or not.
Now John wants us to understand why the Lamb came.
Freedom Received (Or Rejected) (37-50)
Freedom Received (Or Rejected) (37-50)
John records the responses and the motivation of God towards all mankind.
The people had a heart of disbelief but some to belief.
37 Though He had done so many signs before them, they still did not believe in Him,
38 so that the word spoken by the prophet Isaiah might be fulfilled: “Lord, who has believed what he heard from us, and to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?”
39 Therefore they could not believe. For again Isaiah said,
40 “He has blinded their eyes and hardened their heart, lest they see with their eyes, and understand with their heart, and turn, and I would heal them.”
(?) How hard is the heart of people to dismiss all that Jesus was, and reveled of Himself to not believe that He is God?
Nothing could change the heart of the people because they fell into a trap.
A trap believing He wasn’t God, even though all evidence supported that He was.
Point:
Guess What, He is still God and all that evidence is still supporting His claims.
What does that mean to you and I?
It challenges us: Will we sit in our pride or will we humble ourselves and submit to Him?
This truth applies to salvation and to our everyday lives.
How many times do we not accept parts of God’s word, because we “know” a better way and dismiss the truth with: “That was written to a different culture”...or whatever our excuse is.
Don’t make excuses, or dismiss Jesus, accept the truth He offers.
He is God, He redeemed you (or at least wants to) and will provide for you and sustain you until you reach eternity.
What wonderous love He has for us!
Don’t be scared to testify of what Jesus has done, and is doing in your life.
We also read of another heart in this section, the heart of un-belief.
Conclusion:
The Lamb has been prepared.
The sacrifice has been offered.
Freedom has been purchased.
The only remaining question is:
How will you respond?
Every July we celebrate political freedom.
Today we've seen something infinitely greater—the freedom Christ purchased from sin and death.
-Pray!
