Your Best Life Later (12:24-26)

On January 23, 1999 John Osteen died suddenly of a heart attack. His son, Joel, who had only preached his first sermon the week before, filled his father’s role as pastor of Lakewood Church. Shortly following Joel’s succession to his father’s pastoral role, the church exploded in growth, becoming the largest church in America, boasting of 52,000 weekly attendees who meet in what was once the Compaq Center in Houston Texas. Only 5 years later, in October of 2004, Joel published his first book, titled Your Best Life Now: 7 Steps to Living at Your Full Potential.

Regardless the fact that Joel considers himself a pastor of a church, his 7 steps include nothing in line with the Gospel or even accurate biblical interpretation. However, his first step connects well to the purpose of our passage this morning, . Let me make that connection.

Osteen directs the reader to “enlarge their vision” as a first step in living out their full potential.

Osteen. Your own wrong thinking can keep you from God’s best. . . . To live your best life now, you must start looking at life through eyes of faith, seeing yourself rising to new levels. See your business taking off. See your marriage restored. See your family prospering. See your dreams coming to pass. You must conceive it and believe it is possible if you ever hope to experience it.[1]

Osteen continues throughout his first chapter to discuss how God desires to shower his incredible favor on us. The only thing keeping us back from our dream house, our dream job, our dream car, our dream marriage is our refusal to enlarge our vision.

Osteen. God has so much more in store for you, too. Start making room for it in your thinking. Conceive it on the inside. Start seeing yourself rising to a new level, doing something of significance, living in that home of your dreams. . . . I’m sure your parents were fine, hardworking people, but don’t fall into that trap of just sitting back and accepting the status quo. You need to make a decision that you are not going to live an average, mediocre life.[2]

In one sense, I would disagree with pretty much everything Joel Osteen proposes in his book. In another sense, I would argue that he is exactly right in that we need to “enlarge our vision” but would argue that Joel Osteen’s vision is far too little, temporal, and earthly. Joel Osteen proposes that we can have our best life now. “Today is the only day we have. We can’t do anything about the past, and we don’t know what the future holds. But we can live at our full potential right now!”[3]

In contrast, the apostle John proposes that if we are willing to sacrifice our best life now, we will have an immensely better life in eternity.

Purpose Statement. Be willing to make temporal sacrifices for eternal reward.

Sacrifice: I must die to self. I immediately jump to the applicatory statement, “I must die,” even though the context first and foremost refers to Christ. Shortly, we will address our connection to verse 24, but let’s first understand its’ primary intent in connection with Christ.

Referring to Jesus or disciples? In general, most commentators agree that verse 24 is primarily if not exclusively speaking of Jesus’ death,[4] however, some respected commentators conclude that the primary intent of the passage points to “anyone who would be [Christ’s] disciple.”[5] I would argue that, in verse 24, Jesus offers an illustration to further explain his statement in verse 23 about his hour coming. (1) Verse 24 further describes how Jesus will be glorified and to what “the hour has come” refers. (2) “Much fruit” encompasses the Greeks that come to Christ. (3) While the application of this statement extends beyond Jesus, he first and foremost is the referent. However, secondarily verse 25 further explains verse 24’s application to Jesus’ disciples.

To one who asked him the secret of his service, George Mueller said: “There was a day when I died, utterly died;” and, as he spoke, he bent lower and lower until he almost touched the floor—“died to George Muller, his opinions, preferences, tastes, and will—died to the world, its approval or censure—died to the approval or blame even of my brethren and friends—and since then I have studied only to show myself approved unto God.”[6]

Reward: I’ll gain eternal fruit. The imagery involving this grain of wheat offers a simple principle. A singular item dies and produces great fruit, an amount it could never have been alone. Christ’s death and resulting salvation of the world directly correlate to this imagery. Christ’s death resulted in a great harvest of people who would come to him in faith and obtain eternal life.

Now back to “I must die to self.” Christ fulfilled this imagery in a literal death, yet the secondary application to the believer involves death of another kind.

Carson. But if the principle modelled by the seed—that death is the necessary condition for the generation of life—is peculiarly applicable to Jesus, in a slightly different way it is properly applied to all of Jesus’ followers.[7]

Paul speaks of this individual sacrifice as he writes in Romans, “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” (). We must be willing to sacrifice ourselves, which is pleasing to God, and through our sacrifice produce benefit to many others. D.A. Carson describes this “dying to self” or “sacrifice of self” as choosing “not to pander to self-interest but at the deepest level of his being declines to make himself the focus of his interest and perception, thereby dying.”[8]

Verse 24 primarily spoke of Christ’s death with secondary application to the believer. In contrast, Jesus offers a specific application to his followers in verse 25. “Whoever loves his life loses it, and whoever hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life” ().

Sacrifice: I must hate my life. Likely, in a culture which instills from birth the need to love one’s self, we will struggle to convince anyone that they must hate their life.

Life. Within this single verse, we see the English term life three times. However, the Greek offers two different words which are translated as life. The life, which we are directed to hate, refers to psuche, and denotes “the essence of life in terms of thinking, willing, and feeling—‘inner self, mind, thoughts, feelings, heart, being.’”[9]

Hatred. Often, for rhetorical reasons, scripture authors utilize the extremes, love and hatred, in order to make a point. Sometimes these extremes are intended to be understood literally, while at other times they should be understood as hyperbole.[10] While Friberg offers “hostility of people, hate, and detest” as primary meanings for miseo (hate), the secondary meaning most likely applies in this instance. “Hebraistically, requiring single-minded loyalty in discipleship prefer less, love less ().”[11]

Common theme throughout the gospels. On multiple occasions throughout the New Testament and in slightly various ways Jesus teaches this principle. In Matthew, Jesus sends out his disciples and provides them with many varied directions. One of his directions comes in .

Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me, and whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. And whoever does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me. Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it. ().

On a different occasion, in , Jesus describes the intense cost of discipleship. On this occasion, Jesus doesn’t say that you must love him more than father and mother, but instead that his disciples must “hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life.”

Now great crowds accompanied him, and he turned and said to them, “If anyone comes to me and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be my disciple. Whoever does not bear his own cross and come after me cannot be my disciple. ().

Following Jesus’ cleansing of ten lepers, Jesus teaches his disciples about the coming of the kingdom. In this teaching, Jesus says, “Whoever seeks to preserve his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life will keep it” ().

Steven Cole, in his message on this text,[12] explains a couple ways in which we love our lives in this world. (1) Loving your life in this world means living with this life only in view. Hardly would one conclude that Jesus enjoyed his best life now. He lived a short life that consisted primarily of hostility, poverty, exhaustion, rejection, and an early death. Hardly would one conclude that Paul enjoyed his best life now. He describes his life in 2 Corinthians as “beatings, imprisonments, a stoning, shipwrecks, and frequent dangers for the sake of the gospel” (). Hardly would one conclude that the millions of martyrs for their faith enjoyed their best life now as their heads were cut off and their bodies burned at the stake. Yet, we do realize that all of them had a vision of something much better and the temporal sacrifices of this earth were a necessary part of that future glory. They hated their lives in this world, and in so doing, they gained so much more in eternity. (2) Loving your life in this world means living for the same things people in the world live for. John writes in his first epistle about world loves and lives for. The world revolves around passionate desires, “the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes and the boastful pride of life” (). Remember that life refers to our inner being, our passions, our desires. When we love our lives in this world, we are driven by our inner passions, preferences, desires, etc.

Chrysostom. Sweet is the present life, and full of much pleasure, yet not to all, but to those who are riveted to it. Since, if any one look to heaven and see the beauteous things there, he will soon despise this life, and make no account of it. Just as the beauty of an object is admired while none more beautiful is seen, but when a better appears, the former is despised. If then we would choose to look to that beauty, and observe the splendor of the kingdom there, we should soon free ourselves from our present chains; for a kind of chain it is, this sympathy with present things.[13]

Reward: I’ll gain eternal life. I would like to offer two clarifications. (1) The life we gain is different than the life we sacrificed and/or hated. The first two instances of life in verse 25 refer to the inner being, affections, thinking, and will. If we are willing to sacrifice that life in this world, Jesus acknowledges that we will gain eternal life (zoe).[14] (2) Jesus acknowledges two varying results or benefits in verses 24 and 25. The sacrifice of one’s life in verse 24 results in making life possible for many others. Whereas, the sacrifice of one’s life in verse 25 results in eternal life to the one who sacrificed his life.

Sacrifice: I must follow Christ (to the cross). Jesus exhorts us to follow him. What ideas come to mind with the idea of follow? If you’re like me, you may think obedience. Probably, ideas of knowing God’s Word and following his commands come to mind. And while clearly these elements would be included in the concept of follow, the idea of follow in this passage extends further and darker than obedience. Verse 24 unfolds the need for Jesus’ singular death resulting in the salvation of the world. We are then told in verse 26 to follow him. Follow him to what? The context would indicate that we are to follow Christ to death and suffering. “He is discoursing here particularly of his own sufferings and death, and this passage has reference, therefore, to calamity and persecution.”[15] Follow Christ to betrayal and suffering. Follow Christ to rejection and death. Follow Christ to poverty and sacrifice. Follow Christ to service and exhaustion. Follow Christ to the cross.

Jesus more clearly delineates this following in other gospel accounts. In Matthew, Jesus says, “And whoever does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me” (). In Mark, Jesus calls out to the crowd and says, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake and the gospel’s will save it. For what does it profit a man to gain the whole world and forfeit his soul?” (). And again in Luke, Jesus says, “whoever seeks to preserve his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life will keep it” ().

Boice. The real issue, as I have shown, is the issue of the will. Are you willing to do whatever Christ calls you to do? To be poor in his service, if he so leads? To be despised? To be forgotten or nearly forgotten because you are working in some obscure corner of the world? To surrender your leisure time because there is work to be done that you cannot do during your normal workweek and because there is no one else to do it? To surrender a cherished hobby, sin, or pastime? I cannot tell what the details will be in your case. But God knows them, and you know them. Will you obey him? Will you serve Christ by following him in self-denial?[16]

Reward: I’ll always be with Christ. Oh, but gloriously, dear Christian brother and sister, your willingness to surrender your life and follow Christ to death, is accompanied by the greatest of rewards. Your reward for following Christ is that you are present with Christ.

Sacrifice: I must serve Christ. (1) The context defines what it means to serve. We primarily serve by following. This service, displayed through following, manifest itself in our willingness to suffer betrayal, loss, rejection, etc. (2) Yet, our service includes more tangible and more active elements as well. We can serve by serving others within the church ().[17] Additionally, a similar question was asked in a parable in .

I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me.’ Then the righteous will answer him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink? And when did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you? And when did we see you sick or in prison and visit you?’ And the King will answer them, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.’ ().

Reward: I’ll receive honor from the Father. Our service and following of Christ results in being in the presence of Christ, but our service as well results in one additional reward – the Father’s honor.

Four glorious rewards. (1) The seed must die but through its’ death much fruit is borne. Yes, Christ had to die, but the world was saved through his death. (2) We must hate our lives. We must disregard the passions and temporal goals of this life, but the reward in doing so is that we gain eternal life.[18] (3) Yes, we must follow Christ to the cross, to a life of sacrifice, betrayal, exhaustion, poverty, and rejection; but the reward is that we are present with Christ eternally. (4) Yes, we must serve Christ, but the reward for our service is that we will be honored by the Father.

Purpose Statement. Be willing to make temporal sacrifices for eternal reward. Would you rather be honored by God eternally or by man temporally?

Motivated by reward. Let me draw your attention to a potentially interesting if not liberating reality in this verse. As Christians, we can often struggle with performing any good deed motivated by self-gain. We understand that our goal in life is to bring glory and honor to the Father, so we don’t want our good deeds to be motivated by what we get out of it. That may appear selfish. Yet, notice two things, (1) Jesus directs us to die to self, hate our lives, serve, and follow and the motivation offered is not God’s glory. Jesus does not exhort us to hate our lives so that God is glorified. He does not tell us to serve and follow him because God will be glorified. Truly, God will be glorified, but that is not the motivation that is offered in these verses. (2) Instead, the motivation offered is that we will receive eternal rewards. If we “hate” our temporal lives, we will receive fruit and we will keep our lives for eternity. God uses our humanity (not necessarily our fallen humanity) to motivate us to follow him.

Work for eternal rewards. I do not mean that we must do works so that we receive eternal life, but that we work temporarily, in this world, for things of eternal value. We all understand this principle. We work hard and strive to prepare our lives for a comfortable retirement. We sacrifice things today so that we can have something better and enjoyable tomorrow or next week or next year. We understand this concept well. I would like to charge us to apply this on a bigger scale. We sacrifice in this life so that we can accomplish things of eternal value. Put off looking for “your best life now” so that you can bear eternal fruit, keep your life, be with Christ, and be honored by the Father.

[1] Joel Osteen, Your Best Life Now: 7 Steps to Living at Your Full Potential (New York City, NY: FaithWords, 2014), no page # digital copy.

[2] Joel Osteen, Your Best Life Now, no page # digital copy.

[3] Ibid.

[4] Kruse, John, 265; Gerald L. Borchert, , vol. 25B, The New American Commentary (Broadman & Holman Publishers, 2002), 51; Carson, The Gospel According to John, 438.

Kruse. The primary reference was to Jesus’ own death. Just as a kernel of wheat ‘dies’ when it is planted but then produces many seeds as it sprouts and the plant grows to maturity, so too Jesus would die, but the effects of his death would be a vast harvest of people who through faith in him would find eternal life.

Borchert. It was aptly related to the death of Jesus and the reality of their lives. . . . The implication for Jesus was obvious: he had no choice but to accept his coming glorification (death-resurrection) even though it would be traumatic.

Carson. The principled subordination of the Son to the Father . . . culminates in the spectacular obedience of self-sacrifice. Like the seed whose death is the germination of life for a great crop, so Jesus’ death generates a plentiful harvest.

[5] Michaels, The Gospel of John, 689. “The question remains whether “the grain of wheat” and its “death” in the ground represent simply the “glorification” of Jesus in the “hour” of his death, or whether the image has a wider application. As we have seen, the analogous “Amen, amen” pronouncements introducing “unless” clauses (3:3, 5; 6:53) had to do with disciples and discipleship, not with christology per se, and the same appears to be true here. If so, the “grain of wheat” does not represent Jesus, at least not Jesus uniquely, but anyone who would be his disciple. This is borne out by what immediately follows.”

[6] Paul Lee Tan, Encyclopedia of 7700 Illustrations: Signs of the Times (Garland, TX: Bible Communications, Inc., 1996), 1366.

[7] Carson, The Gospel According to John, 438.

[8] Carson, 439.

[9] Johannes P. Louw and Eugene Albert Nida, Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament Based on Semantic Domains (New York: United Bible Societies, 1996), 320.

[10] For instance, Matthew offers a number of extremes in chapter 6 including “No one can serve two masters, for he will either hate the one and love the other” (). Likely, Matthew is using hyperbole to make a point. Matthew’s point is that you can’t be devoted to two masters. Your devotion to one will appear as love and commitment which will make no additional room for devotion to another which will appear as hatred and despising. Hatred likely connotes “love less” in this context.

Similarly, Jesus says in that we must hate our mother and father. He is not commanding people to literally hate their parents (in fact we are commanded to love and honor our parents) but are commitment to our parents ought to pale in comparison to our passion and commitment to Christ. Our affection for our parents appears to be hatred when contrasted to our passionate love for our Savior.

[11] Friberg, Friberg, and Miller, Analytical Lexicon of the Greek New Testament, 264.

[12] Cole, Steven “Why You Should Hate Your Life” (Bible.org, September 21, 2014). Accessed January 17, 2020. https://bible.org/seriespage/lesson-67-why-you-should-hate-your-life-john-1224-26

[13] Saint Chrysostom: Homilies on the Gospel of St. John and Epistle to the Hebrews, 14:248.

[14] Friberg, Friberg, and Miller, Analytical Lexicon of the Greek New Testament, 187. “ζωή, ῆς, ἡ life; (1) physical life (), opposite θάνατος (death); (2) supernatural life, opposite τὸ θνητόν (what is subject to dying) and φθορά (destruction, death), received by believers as a gift from God (; ), experienced both now () and eternally ()”

[15] Barnes, Notes on the New Testament: Luke and John, 309.

[16] Boice, The Gospel of John: Those Who Received Him (), 3:942.

[17] As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God’s varied grace: whoever speaks, as one who speaks oracles of God; whoever serves, as one who serves by the strength that God supplies—in order that in everything God may be glorified through Jesus Christ. To him belong glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen. ().

[18] I feel like this may remain unsaid, but of course this passage is not commending works salvation – as if my willingness to sacrifice my life gains me eternal life. My salvation is rooted in the work of Christ and obtained through repentance and faith. The repentance is displayed through the rejection of my life and dependence on myself and my faith is exhibited through my willingness to sacrificially follow Christ.

Your Best Life Later (12:24-26)

Eternal Fruit (12:24)

Eternal Life (12:25)

Eternal Relationship (12:26a)

Eternal Honor (12:26b)

Conclusion