JOHN #10

Northside Church

The Gospel of John

Nov. 14th , 2021

John #10

Jamey Mills

Good morning, my name is Jamey. I am one of the pastors here at Northside Church…

I’m excited to spend some time with you all this morning…

Before we get going too far, I wanted to take just a minute now that small groups are up and running… I wanted to take just a moment to explain some things about our strategy in this season for Northside.

We believe that our Sunday morning gatherings are important… It's one of the ways we express unity as a church… in relationship with each other… in worship… and even in what we are teaching… there is a togetherness in that it is incredibly important…

We do our best to be centered on Jesus and on His Word… and to teach what it says in practical ways… and our hope is that we are here, investing in that as a church family as often as we can.

In your bulletin or even online… real soon I hope we are going to start sending it out via email or text too… but we put together about 5 minutes worth of passages and questions for you to go through everyday that goes along with what we talk about on Sunday… our hope is… that we all will take what it is we invest in together on Sunday… and begin to invest in it on our own… THIS IS HUGE… it changed my life and I want to encourage you to consider it.

It also shapes what it is we talk about in our small groups… our small group discussion. The goal is… that we hear it together, we invest in it on our own and then we get into groups to sort of talk it out and look at what it may mean to actually apply that to our lives.

I know that there are churches out there that have these crazy elaborate strategies on how to grow spiritually… I really believe that combining these things alongside serving others… and having a heart that is seeking Jesus… I really do think these are the big things.

So, learning together on Sunday, investing on our own, and talking about it in groups… I really want to encourage you in that…

We are on our 10th sermon in a series we are doing on the Gospel of John… and today marks a turning point of sorts.

The first 1/2 of John focuses on...

1. These signs (miracles) that Jesus did.

2.The way that people responded to them.

3. The things Jesus proclaimed about Himself within them.

The reaction that people had in that day, really isn’t all that different from what we see today…

There were many who believed and embraced the reality of who Jesus is.

There were some who were curious and had questions...

There were some who didn’t know what to think

And there were others who stood entrenched against Him and anything He stood for.

And with that as the backdrop… There is a bit of a shift… the next 1\2 of the book of John will focus on Jesus’ final moments, His last words to the disciples, followed by his arrest, trial, death and resurrection…

As Jesus was coming back to Jerusalem, it says the people were going nuts. They’d heard about what Jesus had done, including raising Lazarus from the dead…

The people came out to welcome in droves… and there was so much excitement that at the moment, the religious leaders decided no to just try and Kill Jesus, but Lazarus too. As long as he was alive, there’d be a walking and talking reminder of Jesus’ power in life and power over death.

In John 12:20-22

John 12:20–22 NLT

Some Greeks who had come to Jerusalem for the Passover celebration paid a visit to Philip, who was from Bethsaida in Galilee. They said, “Sir, we want to meet Jesus.” Philip told Andrew about it, and they went together to ask Jesus.

… it says that in the heat of it all…

20 Some Greeks who had come to Jerusalem for the Passover celebration 21 paid a visit to Philip, who was from Bethsaida in Galilee. They said, “Sir, we want to meet (see) Jesus.” 22 Philip told Andrew about it, and they went together to ask Jesus.

These foreigners… non-Jews were there. I’d guess that these people would be ones that had seen and heard enough to make the journey, but at the same time… had real questions too.

The Passover was huge… they’d spend weeks preparing for it. At Passover they celebrated the mind blowing… miraculous way that God delivered His people… brought freedom… from cruel captivity in egypt.

Their intent was to celebrate the passover… to worship at the temple but also… our translation says ”meet” but the actual word is “see”. They simply wanted to get a glimpse of Jesus.

For several reasons they approached Philip (is a Greek name/he is from the town that boarded the decapolis; ten cities with heavy Greek influence)… who then went and found Andrew and together they brought the request to Jesus.

We have no idea if the Greeks followed… but the way Jesus responds is HUGE. With the cross now just days away, Jesus became even more intentional… reminding those who were around Him, even those who were far from Him… as to the reality of who He is, what was coming, and even what it looked like to truly follow Him.

Jesus responded…

John 12:23–27 NLT

Jesus replied, “Now the time has come for the Son of Man to enter into his glory. I tell you the truth, unless a kernel of wheat is planted in the soil and dies, it remains alone. But its death will produce many new kernels—a plentiful harvest of new lives. Those who love their life in this world will lose it. Those who care nothing for their life in this world will keep it for eternity. Anyone who wants to serve me must follow me, because my servants must be where I am. And the Father will honor anyone who serves me. “Now my soul is deeply troubled. Should I pray, ‘Father, save me from this hour’? But this is the very reason I came!

John 12:23–24 NLT

Jesus replied, “Now the time has come for the Son of Man to enter into his glory. I tell you the truth, unless a kernel of wheat is planted in the soil and dies, it remains alone. But its death will produce many new kernels—a plentiful harvest of new lives.

23“Now the time has come for the Son of Man to enter into his glory. 24 I tell you the truth, unless a kernel of wheat is planted in the soil and dies, it remains alone. But its death will produce many new kernels—a plentiful harvest of new lives.

It’s an interesting way to answer the question… but that is exactly what He did.

One of the ways we see this shift in John is that over and over, Jesus had said His time had not yet come, but now… He says it’s here.

The time to enter His glory had come… and then he immediately started talking about death…

Vs. 27 reminds us that it was for THIS very reason that He came.

Jesus used that illustration to point to the power and the purpose of the cross…

If the kernel remains as it is… or if it’s merely “seen”, it doesn’t go anywhere. It will never accomplish what it was set apart to do… it is completely ineffective and fruitless.

The real power… and the real mystery that’s contained in a kernel of wheat is best seen it’s death. When it dies and plants inself in the ground, it produces many new lives… from its death… life… more life… comes to be.

This idea of death… bringing life is everywhere in scripture… it’s so important, that God left us reminders of it everywhere, it is ingrained in the natural order of creation…

The cross literally is the centerpiece of the entire Bible.

One other says it like this…

OT foreshadows, visualizes, predicts, and depicts it.

MT - JN (Gospels) presents it

And everything that follows points back to it.

Even in the gospels… the biographies of Jesus’ life,

Only four chapters talk about the first 30 years of His life…

85 deal with the last three years of it

29 talk about the final week of it

And 13 give great detail about the final 24 hours of Jesus’ life.

Everything in the Bible; in clear and powerful ways… points to the power, purpose and impact of the cross.

2 Corinthians 5:21 NLT

For God made Christ, who never sinned, to be the offering for our sin, so that we could be made right with God through Christ.

(NLT)

21 For God made Christ, who never sinned, to be the offering for our sin, so that we could be made right with God through Christ.

Jesus, who was without sin… took our sin to the cross so that we might be RIGHT with God… it’s only at the cross that we find forgiveness for OUR sin and the acceptance of a Holy God.

1 Peter 2:24 NLT

He personally carried our sins in his body on the cross so that we can be dead to sin and live for what is right. By his wounds you are healed.

(NLT) says “He personally carried our sins in his body on the cross so that we can be dead to sin and live for what is right. By his wounds you are healed.”

It is through the cross… that we can die to sin and in turn can live for what is truly right, and good, and lasting and find healing for our souls.

All the way back in Isaiah… 700+ before Jesus ever lived… We see God using Isaiah to point to the cross like this…

Isaiah 53:10–11 NLT

But it was the Lord’s good plan to crush him and cause him grief. Yet when his life is made an offering for sin, he will have many descendants. He will enjoy a long life, and the Lord’s good plan will prosper in his hands. When he sees all that is accomplished by his anguish, he will be satisfied. And because of his experience, my righteous servant will make it possible for many to be counted righteous, for he will bear all their sins.

(NLT)

10 But it was the LORD’s good plan to crush him

and cause him grief.

Yet when his life is made an offering for sin,

he will have many descendants.

He will enjoy a long life,

and the LORD’s good plan will prosper in his hands.

11 When he sees all that is accomplished by his anguish,

he will be satisfied.

And because of his experience,

my righteous servant will make it possible

for many to be counted righteous,

for he will bear all their sins.

The cross was always God’s plan and what it accomplished, God says was worth it.

It was worth it. The life (quality and quantity) that His death makes possible… is worth it… He is satisfied with what it accomplishes.

Jesus' death would be like sowing a seed into the ground… Although His death would feel like and sometimes still does… this great

Tragedy, it’s overcome and undone by the victory of God’s self-giving love that brings truly abundant life to many.

And then Jesus goes on to say…

John 12:25–27 NLT

Those who love their life in this world will lose it. Those who care nothing for their life in this world will keep it for eternity. Anyone who wants to serve me must follow me, because my servants must be where I am. And the Father will honor anyone who serves me. “Now my soul is deeply troubled. Should I pray, ‘Father, save me from this hour’? But this is the very reason I came!

25 Those who love their life in this world will lose it. Those who care nothing (hates) for their life in this world will keep it for eternity. 26 Anyone who wants to serve me must follow me, because my servants must be where I am . And the Father will honor anyone who serves me. 27 “Now my soul is deeply troubled. Should I pray, ‘Father, save me from this hour’? But this is the very reason I came!

Jesus immediately turns to them and says it if you want to be where I am, it means following me… Jesus is telling them that simply “seeing” Jesus is not where life is found… it’s not what God calls you to.

The actual wording in this passage is hard… in fact, it's caused people to walk away… either because…

They didn’t understand what it's actually saying…

Or, they did…

Jesus says that those who love their life… will lose it. What?

And those who hate their life, will keep it for eternity. What?

Hate is actually the word here… the NLT has softened it some…

But Jesus is saying that this… this is what it looks like to follow HIM.

This idea of hating your life… doesn't just start here. It’s found all over in the Bible.

To me, the hardest one is in Luke 14 talks about how if anyone wants to truly follow jesus...they must hate everyone else by comparison… Mother, father, sister, brother, wife, kids…

Let's get real, do you think God is really calling you to hate them?

It's an easy answer, NO… God is not calling you to hate yourself or your family.

He's calling you to become Kingdom minded and to know and invest in the difference between the EARTHLY and the ETERNAL!

Jesus is talking about valuing the right things the right way… about placing the right weight on the right things…

Learning to see the difference in the here and now… but also in regards to where they lead in life… and the legacy they leave in life.

It’s about valuing and investing in the heavenly and eternal over the earthly and the temporary.

It has to do with giving Jesus the highest priority in our life.

Yes, commit to loving those people that God puts in my life well, but understand that

your greatest loyalty, highest devotion, first and foremost remaining planted in, and your love for them will be informed by and centered on the reality of Jesus and on Him alone.

It is at the very heart of what John the Baptist said, when he said Jesus must increase and I must decrease (

John 3:30 NLT

He must become greater and greater, and I must become less and less.

It isn’t driven by my own happiness or even the desires of my heart… It doesn’t give in to the opinions or those who oppose it or even those who are completely ambivalent towards it.

I came across an article from the Gospel coalition called “Self-worship; the fastest growing religion in America”. It references a survey that was unveiled in the book “Good faith; being a Christian when society thinks you’re irrelevant and extreme”.

their study suggests that

84% of Americans believe that enjoying yourself is the highest goal in life.

86% believe that to enjoy yourself you must pursue the things that you desire most.

And 91% believe that in order to truly find yourself you have to look within yourself.

That stuff flies in the face of what the scripture actually teaches.

That is the way of the world… and it's nothing new. This is not a new ideology.

It’s exactly what led James (4:4) to write this… DON'T YOU KNOW that friendship with the world makes you out to be an enemy of God.

James 4:4 NLT

You adulterers! Don’t you realize that friendship with the world makes you an enemy of God? I say it again: If you want to be a friend of the world, you make yourself an enemy of God.

When you allow yourself or make yourself the center of the universe or look for fulfillment, completeness, and joy within yourself… not only is there no depth to it, we actually come to this place of fighting God… His purposes… in you and around you.

Two of the scholars I regularly read while preparing said nearly the same thing…

And in total honesty, I have mixed feelings about it.

They suggested that this widely held cultural montra about being our own best friend, and how the key to real happiness and meaning in life is looking within yourself…

Is narcissistic and found nowhere in scripture. That both of those ideas lead to spiritual, emotional, and moral bankruptcy in you and in our culture.

Jeremiah 17:9 NLT

“The human heart is the most deceitful of all things, and desperately wicked. Who really knows how bad it is?

reminds us that the human heart is deceitful above all else… the human heart is not a wise place to find our direction and motivation from…

This idea of

Hating your life does not involve becoming this sort of self loathing, self deprecating… person.

It means living for and investing first and foremost what is eternal is Jesus vs. what is earthly and temporary in us.

Learning to see that living for “self”... Living a self-centered life is not your greatest good… You are designed for more…

The reason God opposes it so much in scripture… is He knows what it leads to in you… and for you…

In

Luke 9:23–25 (NIV)

“Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me. For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will save it. What good is it for someone to gain the whole world, and yet lose or forfeit their very self?

Simply “seeing” would never be enough… for HIS glory and for YOUR sake… thank God there is more to it than that!

It requires something more, something greater and just like the tragedy of the cross that was turned into glorious victory for you, we realize that following His lead in dying to self… leads us to this place of abundant life… of fullness and freedom that God has desired all along…

Bringing us to this place where we dare to believe… that there IS something more important, more valuable, more fulfilling, more impactful… than chasing the world and everything that it has to offer.

Those who desire to truly follow Jesus,

Life is truly found in denying self… and in following Jesus.

And… It’s hard.

Timothy Keller said

“Unless you have an authoritative view of the Bible, you have a god that you created”.

The way we handle God’s truth… the way we allow it to have authority in our lives… even beyond our feelings or desires… is huge.

Life possible in Jesus through what happened on the cross…

Just like that tragedy gave unexpected life… that’s what we find too…

That in dying to ourselves, we figure out what it really means to live.

I remember when I came to the end of myself… and realized the fruitfulness of a life or even a church that’s built on what I want…

Pray