Sermon 030198

Jn. 12:27-36                              Jesus Calls Sinners to Himself-II                                    3/1/98

                                                                                                                            ABCC

I.     Introduction                                                                                                                      613

q      Jesus has preached & taught for 3 years; worked many mighty miracles & trained the apostles to carry on…we now come to the last week of His life on earth in flesh & blood

q      In addition to the Jews, now Greeks (non-Jews) were seeking Jesus (v. 20-22)

q      Jesus discerned that “the hour” of His death was no longer in the future (v. 23-26)

II.    The Trouble in Jesus’ Soul (v. 27a)

A.     Brought about by “the hour” of His death (v. 27b)

B.      Involved the kind of or nature of death He was to die (v. 33)

This trouble is not that Jesus was fearful or hesitating or having 2nd thoughts – there was no fear, no doubts, no unbelief in Him (Heb. 4:15).  This is a strong verb that means horror, agitation or revulsion – no human being can relate to this kind of horror because no human has ever died this kind of death.  He was The Sacrificial Lamb – “His appearance was marred more than any man…Surely or griefs (sicknesses) He Himself bore, And our sorrows He carried; Yet we ourselves esteemed Him stricken, Smitten of God, and afflicted.  But He was pierced through for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities; The chastening for our well-being fell upon Him…But the Lord was pleased to crush Him, putting His to grief” (Is. 53)

III.   The Predetermined Plan & Purposeful Death of Christ (v. 27c) – Ac. 2:23

Christ never lost sight of His redemptive goal; He was always pressing toward it  – He was not distracted by the comforts & temptations of this life.  His life had definite purpose & He faced it with great resolve!  Oh, that we could be that way.

IV.  People Have Difficulty Comprehending His Suffering

·        Multitude (v. 34) & Apostles (Mt. 16:21-23; Mk. 9:31-32)

Jesus Calls Sinners to Himself-II, pg. 2

V.   Jesus Reveals His Suffering as the Son of Man (v. 23)

A.     Without the comforts of life (Lk. 9:58)

B.      Destined for death by men (Mk. 9:31; 10:32-34)

C.      His death was a substitutionary atonement for the elect (Mk. 10:45)

D.     His death & resurrection is a mighty miracle calling sinners to repentance (Lk. 11:29-30)

E.      He willingly gave his life (Jn. 12:23-26)

VI.  The Death of Christ Draws or Drives People (v. 31-32)

A.     The world & the ruler of the world (Satan) prove their hatred for Christ (Jn. 15:18; 11:53)

B.      Rejecting Jesus while loving your sin is judgment (Jn 3:18-20; 9:39

Judgment begins with the first coming of Christ & ends with His 2nd coming.  Those who love their sin & are in rebellion against God cannot see that God was giving the highest gift, the most precious gift, the most wonderful sacrifice that has ever been made.  And because they have rejected this sacrifice, they have been judged already!

C.      For those drawn to Christ, our sins & not our souls were judged on the cross (Col. 2:13-15; 1Pe. 2:24)  - What glory, what wonder , suffering, deliverance, grace, mercy…What a Savior!

How does the death of Christ affect you as you sit here today?  You cannot remain neutral; even to procrastinate or hesitate is a response of unbelief & rejection.  To be almost convinced or almost persuaded is worse than an outright rebel (Heb. 10:26-31).  To be almost a Christian is to be no Christian at all!  What are you going to do?  You must either be drawn to Him or driven from Him.  My brother or sister who is already in Christ, aren’t you amazed by God’s love for you? …in awe at the sacrifice made to secure your redemption?  Aren’t you thankful?  “Man of sorrows!  What a name for the Son of God who cam, ruined sinners to reclaim!  Hallelujah, what a savior!..