Christ is the Shadow of Judgement

Christ Witnesses the Plan

What I hope you realize today is that Christ changed historical reality, his life and his death altered the reality of history.

Thats the first point.

The second point is that not only did he change it, but he will restore it once again.

Now, how did he do so.

How did he change reality and how will he restore it again.

Thats what we consider when we come to John 12:27-50.

To really understand what is going on, we have to reverse engineer this passage. We have to start with the end in mind, and work backwards, it makes a lot more sense as to what Christ is talking about if we do so.

So whats happening here?

First, his public ministry in John is coming to a close. I know its been a little odd to jump around in the book, we have not had a timeline to reference. Thats been on purpose. We wanted to give you pictures and paintings of Christ, that are not bound by timelines, and chronological teaching. But, chapter 12 of John is the closing of his public teaching, traveling, etc. Right after this, Jesus spends his time focusing on his disciples, he washes their feet, he teaches them about the holy spirit, he warns of what will happen after he dies. Then, the passion happens. He ends his time out in the public, goes to private teaching, then he gets arrested.

Second, he is ending his public teaching and as he looks out he sees what is called “some Greeks”, now this is not a minor point. It seems minor but its not.

What is happening here, John is stating an interesting point. He is showing the demographics of Jesus’s followers.

Quick background, Jesus’ earliest adopters were Jews first both religiously and ethnically. Then those who were Jewish but Greek in ethnicity. So it started with Dutch speaking reformed people, then Reformed people who are not Dutch. Then all of a sudden, Christ looks out and see “certain Greeks”. Its different than other times Christ looked out and saw Greek speakers.

He looks out and sees the church congregating, and its non religious, Greeks.

Most commentators agree, this is a sign that the Christ’s teaching is coming full circle.

Christ is about to finish teaching publically, and he sees…not religious people, not those who may naturally be inclined to religion, but those who are new to a thought of God as monotheistic, as all powerful, as their whole life.

He looks out and sees a chance to teach on something.

He teaches this, Christ death changed reality, and will restore it to come.

So, how did he do this?

He changed reality and will restore it by encouraging, evidencing, emobying, and exhorting his followers.

Christ encourages by his death

Christ teaches that he must go die.

He must pay for the debt of the world for the decision we made to say to God, no thanks dad, we want our own way, not you. You are ok I suppose, but give me something else. I want something more.

One of my favorite children’s books of all times, its not just a children’s book, it should be required reading. Is the Giving Tree. You’ve read this I hope.

The giving tree chronicles a child who sits under the shade of a tree. Its a wonderful tree. It gives him shade, he climbs it, he loves this tree.

Then he wants to live his life. He eats the apples and the tree happily gives him the apples, and he takes them all and sells them. But its not enough. He wants to find a wife and have kids, so he asks the tree to give him the lumber and she does, he builds his dream home and leaves her. Then he comes back, he wants to see the world, so she gives him her trunk to build a boat and navigate the world. He leaves and comes back. Now an old man, he returns to the tree, at this point an old stump…and the boy needs a place to sit as he is old and everyone has left him. The tree readily gives it to him.

The tree gave herself to the child, over and over again, at the cost of herself, and he uses her, only to return at the end, the same as the beginning. Sitting under her care.

Christ encourages his people.

If you like my gospel, its because you see that my death, is glory, its beautiful, because in order to make life, something must become less. A tree to give shade, food, lumber, must become less. Must die, in order for someone else to have life.

Thats incredible. If you have life in Christ, its because he died. Its because, in verse 32 he says....”when I am lifted up...” what is this?

He is saying, the glory, the beauty, the amazing nature of Christ. Is that he was lifted up, on a cross, and this should be a sign to you and I. It should encourage you and I. This is how we get life, all good life, all good stories, they all end the same way. Someone else giving up themselves so that someone else can live.

All of them.

I was listening to a podcast the week and it was on music, and how 5th and 8th notes are crucial to music. You dont really need to know the science, other than to say, all the great songs you love and sing well, they have 5th and 8th notes. Take me out to the ball game for baseball, its easy to sing and great to the ear because it has 5th and 8th notes.

Christ’s death is the 5th and 8th notes to the world, when you hear it, its beautiful, how is it…because its like a seed of a tree, I become less, so that you can gain life.

Christ evidences the changed reality in his death

Christ’s death should encourage you reality is change , because it took action, he literally had to die.

And it should evidence the changed reality.

Now, to be encouraged is easy. You can get a motivational speech, you can get a card, or whatnot, you can get a promise of giving to encourage you, but it needs to be evidenced, it needs to be true. It cannot simply be motivational, it has to be actual.

Christ says in verse 50, I know that his command leads to eternal life. So whatever I say, is just what the Father has told me to say.

When you think about someone giving their life for you, someone becoming less so you can gain, it seems like well…maybe they did that for selfish gain. Maybe they are just doing this so that others like them.

Like when a billioniare gives a little money to a non profit, and we think…hmmm…maybe its a PR move.

So maybe, this Christ is a crazy guy, who wanted the throw the world powers out of balance. He was a narcissist who thought he was God. No one gives their life like this. No one gives up their life. Whats your agenda here?

Christ wants to make sure, my death and the time I will come again…two main things. 1. Its not novel, its not new. 2. Its hard

Its not novel, its not new:

Christ says, I was sent, to speak on behalf of my father, and whatever I say is what my father has said. Now…this is an interesting concept that I want to highlight.

The reason that the bible is so important to us, the reason that the ancient text is life is this…the bible never contradicts.

The whole corpus, the whole bible, is the same. It never changes.

Many people want to say, well..you cant trust the Old Testament. I am a New testament Christian. If you are a Christian, you are an Old Testament lover.

Here is why.

Numbers 21 has this account. Through disobedience God’s people, Israel, got attacked by serpents. These serpents had an eruption of attacks. The people needed saved, so Moses took the image of the serpent, put it at the end of a pole, and lifted it up. Once you looked at its glory, you would be healed.

See whats happening here?

God says in Numbers 21, anyone who is bitten and looks at this will live…God lifted up the serpent to save his people, and then lifted up his son to save his people.

This is not a random happening. Christ says in John 12, he references Isaiah 53, he references Isaiah 6, he uses the Old testament to say…everything that was spoken before, all the bible, it all points to me.

Its not a random rule book, its not a compilation of good books…its a methodical, purposeful authorship of the entire book to say…it all points to my son.

Christ is the better serpent that saves you from the bite of sin. Its true, because its fulfillment of a long standing promise. Not a new thing, but an ancient thing.

2. Christ evidences because its hard

He says in 12:27 “my soul is troubled”.

He says, don’t think that my death, the cross, is something I love, something I enjoy, no no no…my soul is troubled.

If you give your friend hates jazz music, but you give them tickets to a concert to go with you, you are gifting them something you enjoy. Its not a gift, its a veiled personal grab.

But, if you give them something that costs you, you willingly go to their pop concert, thats love.

Christ says, don't think that this is easy for me, I am troubled, vexed, I am sweating this.

That should bring you confidence.

His death was not flippant, its not an easy pill to swallow. Its not like deciding what charity to give a quarter to.

Its deciding who gets your entire wealth, you should sweat that. You should agonize over that.

He did.

Embodied Light

His death changed reality because Christ embodied the gospel, didn't just teach it, he became it.

What do I mean.

He says, in verse 35, you will have the light a little longer.

This should be my shortest point.

Christ did not come to point to a teaching, point to a book, give you a thought to consider…he is the light.

He says, you will have me, the light a little longer…and without me…darkness will consume you.

The Gospel is not a movement, not an idea, not an administration, not fad, no no no…its not a market cycle....its not marketing date...

The Gospel is the light, he is the light, without him, you will be consumed by the light.

Do you have light, that is him. Not fads, not current thoughts, not opinions…but a person, not an idea, a person.

Lastly, his death exhorts us

Verse 31 says, now is the time for judgement on the world...

But later he says in verse 47…I did not come to judge the world...

Whats happening here?

We must understand that he changes reality in his death, but he restores it in the future to come.

He goes on to say in verse 48…the very words I have spoken will condemn them at the last day.

Now....lets try to understand this.

When Christ came, it was not a separating of the good and the evil.

He was the light, showing what darkness is to come.

His death was a shadow of what will happen.

Him being lifted showed what had been promised.

And it is the most compelling evidence of our sinfulness that you could ever see.

If you need the most compelling proof of just how bent we are.

Look at the cost. Look at the cost of the cross.

It was an incredible cost. It took the prince of peace, the son of God, to come and be emptied. To come and die. To come and be abused and torn.

In the princes bride, one of the characters loses his father, and the man responsible for taking his life is in a show down with him.

The son is beating this man soundly, and so the man tries to barter with him. He says, what do you want. Promise me riches. Promise me glory. Promise me status. And the man does. All the gold. All the titles. All of them.

Then the man says, you killed my father prepare to die.

No gold could satisfy the cost of losing his father.

No status could satisfy the cost of dad’s death

No worldly thing could accommodate him loss.

How do I know the deep and unbelievable pain that man felt, look at what he did to avenge it. He become a killer. How do I know the deep deep hurt, look at the cost.

How do I know the extent of my bentness? Look at the cost.

It meant God becoming man, to become weak, in order to pay the debt.

Christ does not need to pass judgement, the judgement is on display.

On his face, in his side, on his hands. Look at them.

The holes, the piercing, the anguish…if you can look at God willingly and knowingly enduring that pain, that hurt, that turmoil, and you ask why?

You dont have to ask why? You actually are speechless.

So that when judgement comes at the end, when reality is restored.

When God asks you, do you have anything to say in your defense?

You sit in silence. Knowing, look at Christ up high, and saying, what can I defend. I cannot.

Thats how bad it was, and how willingly you were.

Christ doesnt have to judge, because now is still the time of looking up and seeing the cost.

There will come a day when we will look up and instead of seeing the cost, we will see the glory. Christ coming again to make all things right.

And if we didn't want him when we saw our cost, when we looked and we saw the bloodied Christ, when we look up and see the glorified Christ…all shiny and restored.

We will have wanted the tree for what it could give us, not for the tree itself.

We will have wanted the benefits of Christ, without the cost. A cheap grace.

The cross is the most evidence to exhort us. To show us. To say, this is what your decisions have cost you.

Its like the Christmas Carol.

When scrodge was taken back and forward, to show him, this is the cost of your decisions.

Do you notice, that during the story of scrodge, there is not a hammering of the head of, now here is a 10 step process of how to become a better human.

He sees the cost of his life, his decisions.

There is one place that he sees people coming to his bedside as he is dead, and they argue over who gets his curtains. The man is just passed, and all people can talk about is who gets his drapery.

What conviction. By looking at a vision of what was, and is, and is to come, that shook him, that changed him.

What was, God’s people have always been bent, look at the serpents

What is, look at the cost of our sin, Christ on a cross.

What will be, him coming back restoring all that was broken.

Let that shake you today, let that move you today.

let that encourage you, evidence to you, embody for you, and exhort you…see Christ as better than all others.

Lets pray.