John 12:27-
The Gospel of John • Sermon • Submitted
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Recap:
Recap:
The triumphal entry of Jesus is a remarkable moment. The people were treating Jesus as a king. Looking to Jesus as a political and national savior, but not so much as a spiritual savior.
The pharisees and the other religious rules were frustrated by the popularity of Jesus. What they didn’t realize was the popularity that Jesus was experiencing was a passing thing. There were actually very few people willing to worship Jesus.
We ended our study being introduced to these Greeks. Perhaps converts to Judaism, or had great respect for Judaism, or was just curiosity they wanted to see Jesus.
Regardless of weather or not Jesus spoke with these people, John means for us to understand that this contact with the Greeks ushered in the climax.
This is evidence that His mission has reached its height and and that he is now to die for the world, Greeks included.
The big takeaway from last week was the principle of dying to self.
If Jesus did not die, He would abide along. He would enjoy the glories of heaven alone; there would be no saved sinners to share His glory. But if He died, He would provide a way of salvation by which many might be saved.
We too need to die. Killing our selfish ambitions, our greed, pride, and other iniquitous behavior.
vv 27-28a) His resolve
vv 27-28a) His resolve
What does it mean my soul is troubled?
Jesus’ thoughts were upon the events that lay before Him. It troubled Him because He knew what the agonies of the cross would involved.
John’s gospel doesn’t tell us about the prayer in Jesus in Gethsemane, but the idea behind the prayer of Jesus here expresses the same sentiment.
He was thinking of the cross, and contemplating the time when He would become the Sin Bearer, and endure the wrath of God against our sins.
How should He pray in such a moment? Should He ask the Father to save Him from the hour?
He could not pray for this because the purpose of His coming into the world was to go to the cross. He was born to die. To realize that the object of His incarnation, the very reason He came into the world and to live a perfect life was leading to the hour of His suffering.
What blows me away is, as Jesus thought of the cross just a few days away; His main concern was to glorify the name and character of God the Father.
vv 28b- 30) The Father testifies
vv 28b- 30) The Father testifies
This was the third audible Divine testimony to Jesus’ status as the Son of God, after the Divine voice heard at His baptism and His transfiguration.
Jesus not interested in being saved from the cross, Jesus prayed that the name of God might be glorified. He was more interested that honor should come to God than His own comfort or safety.
God now spoke from heaven, saying that He had glorified His Name and would glorify it again. The Name of God was glorified during the earthly ministry of Jesus.
The thirty silent years in Nazareth, the three years of public ministry, the wonderful words and works of the Savior- all these greatly glorified the Name of the Father. but still a greater glory would be brought to God through the death, burial, resurrection, and Ascension of Christ.
[29] It is clear that not everyone understood or could discern what was being said. Some of those standing by mistook the voice of God for thunder.
These people are always trying to put a natural explanation on spiritual things. People who are unwilling to accept the fact of miracles try to explain the miracles away by some natural law.
Others know it was not thunder, and yet they didn’t recognize it as the voice of God. Realizing it must have been superhuman, they could only conclude that it was the voice of an angel.
God’s voice can only be heard and understood by those who are helped by the Holy Spirit. People can listen to the gospel over and over, and yet it might be ever so meaningless to them unless the Holy Spirit speaks to them through it.
[30] Jesus explained to the listeners that this voice did not need to be audible in order for Him to hear it. Rather, it was made audible for the sake of those who were standing by.
There is a similar story:
The men who were traveling with him stood speechless, hearing the voice but seeing no one.
Now those who were with me saw the light but did not understand the voice of the one who was speaking to me.
Saul’s companions heard the physical reverberations, but not so as to understand the Voice, because it was not meant for them.
vv 31-33) Proclamation of death
vv 31-33) Proclamation of death
What do you think verse 31 is talking about?
The spirit of this world was judged by the way it treated Jesus at the cross. The cross not only judged the world it also defeated Jesus at the cross. The cross not only judged the world it also defeated Satan.
We could define “this world” in the sense Jesus spoke of as culture in opposition to Jesus. This culture has a leader, Satan, the great adversary to God.
I will no longer talk much with you, for the ruler of this world is coming. He has no claim on me,
concerning judgment, because the ruler of this world is judged.
In their case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.
in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience—
For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.
“Now will the ruler of this world be cast out” what does that mean?
In some sense, what Jesus accomplished on the cross has cast Satan out. Satan was cast out of any rightful authority over God’s people.
by canceling the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands. This he set aside, nailing it to the cross. He disarmed the rulers and authorities and put them to open shame, by triumphing over them in him.
This passage vividly described the defeat of Satan at the cross.
there is an important thing to note, that in a very real sense, Satan was utterly defeated at Calvary. The sentence has not yet been carried out on the devil, but his doom is sealed. He is still going though the world carrying out his evil business, but it is just a matter of time before he will be cast into the lake of fire.
[32] The first part of verse 32 refers to Christ’s death on the cross. The verb used for lifted has a deliberate double meaning.
It means both a literal elevation (as in being raised up on a cross) and exaltation (being raised in rank or honor).
Jesus promised that when He was lifted (elevated, exalted) on the cross He would draw all people to Himself.
There are several explanations of what this means.
Some think that Christ draws all people either to salvation or to judgement.
Others think that if Christ is lifted up in the preaching of the gospel, then there will be a greater power in the message, and souls will be drawn to Him.
I believe the correct explanation is that, in light of the context, the crucifixion of Jesus will resulted in all kinds of people being drawn to Him. It doesn’t mean all people without exception, but people from every nation, tribe, and language.
The cool thing about this is you can hold to any of these views or all of them.
[33] Jesus did not only know that He would die, but also that He would die on a cross, lifted up from the earth. Jesus knew the painful and humiliating manner of His death, but still obeyed God’s will.
vv 34-36) Will the Christ live forever?
vv 34-36) Will the Christ live forever?
The people are confused. They had been taught only the passages from the OT which spoke of the triumph of the Messiah.
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.
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.
And to him was given dominion
and glory and a kingdom,
that all peoples, nations, and languages
should serve him;
his dominion is an everlasting dominion,
which shall not pass away,
and his kingdom one
that shall not be destroyed.
They were mostly unaware of the passages that spoke of His suffering, like Psalm 22 and Isaiah 53.
They began to question if Jesus was really the Messiah, the Son of man.
The crowd that enthusiastically greeted a political conqueror didn’t want to consider His sacrificial death. It didn’t fit in with their idea of what the Messiah should be.
[35-36] Jesus assured them that He would be with them only a short time longer. The light of His earthly ministry was about to go out.
We must believe on Jesus while the light is there, because it won’t last forever. God’s Spirit will not always strive with man.
Then the Lord said, “My Spirit shall not abide in man forever, for he is flesh: his days shall be 120 years.”
We must answer His call while it rings to us.
After speaking these words, the Lord departed from the people and remained in obscurity for a while.
vv 37-41) John explains
vv 37-41) John explains
Throughout his Gospel, John told us of many signs that Jesus performed that should cause us to believe in Him.
This, the first of his signs, Jesus did at Cana in Galilee, and manifested his glory. And his disciples believed in him.
This was now the second sign that Jesus did when he had come from Judea to Galilee.
When the people saw the sign that he had done, they said, “This is indeed the Prophet who is to come into the world!”
But here is the thing, many didn’t believe in Him. Using two quotations from Isaiah 53:1 and Isaiah 6:9-10.
John explained that this was prophesied.
After centuries of Christian history, during which the church has been almost exclusively Gentile, we have come to accept that it is quite normal that there should be very few Jesus in it. But for the NT people that wasn’t the case. And John is showing them that it was prophesied.
In quoting Isiah 53:1 John emphasized that if someone believes, it is because God has revealed Himself and His truth to them. Jesus had revealed Himself to them through the many signs and through His teaching.
In quoting Isaiah 6:9-10 John’s emphasis is that unbelief was because God acted in judgement upon those who refused to see His truth and turn to Him.
God would strengthen them in their decision, either for Jesus or against Him. In light of this principle, they could not believe.
What is cool here is as the prophecy is recorded in Isaiah 6, the Prophet Isaiah saw the Lord, Yahweh. John properly understood that Isaiah saw the glory of Jesus before His incarnation and that Jesus is Yahweh.
The Lord bless you and keep you;
the Lord make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you;
