John 12:41-50
Notes
Transcript
We are going to go through verse 50 this morning but I want to take it by sections.
I want us to focus on verses 41-43 first.
Isaiah said these things because he saw his glory and spoke of him. Nevertheless, many even of the authorities believed in him, but for fear of the Pharisees they did not confess it, so that they would not be put out of the synagogue; for they loved the glory that comes from man more than the glory that comes from God.
PRAYER:
We ended last week with verse 41 but I want to go over it again so we can see the contrast of what these few verses are telling us.
Look at verse 41:
Isaiah said these things because he saw his glory and spoke of him.
“these things” are referring to verse 38 and verse 40.
But what the point I want to stress this morning is the difference between Isaiah and these religious leaders who refused to confess their belief in Christ.
I want us to see the differences in their “beliefs”
Let’s go back to Isaiah 6 when Isaiah saw the preincarnate Christ, the Son of God sitting on His throne.
In the year that King Uzziah died I saw the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up; and the train of his robe filled the temple. Above him stood the seraphim. Each had six wings: with two he covered his face, and with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew. And one called to another and said:
“Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts;
the whole earth is full of his glory!”
And the foundations of the thresholds shook at the voice of him who called, and the house was filled with smoke. And I said: “Woe is me! For I am lost; for I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts!”
Then one of the seraphim flew to me, having in his hand a burning coal that he had taken with tongs from the altar. And he touched my mouth and said: “Behold, this has touched your lips; your guilt is taken away, and your sin atoned for.”
This is Isaiah in the presence of no one else but the Lord Jesus Christ.
This is why John, through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, says that when Isaiah said these things (in John 12:40) he was talking about Him…Jesus Christ, because He saw Him.
And remember, Isaiah was the most holy man in Israel at this time.
Holy - “Set apart” — SEE DEFINITION ON THE SCREEN
The most religious person…and when he sees the King of Kings what does he do?
He says:
And I said: “Woe is me! For I am lost; for I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts!”
and what happened when Isaiah confessed his sinfulness to God the Son?
Then one of the seraphim flew to me, having in his hand a burning coal that he had taken with tongs from the altar. And he touched my mouth and said: “Behold, this has touched your lips; your guilt is taken away, and your sin atoned for.”
When Isaiah confessed who he truly was in the presence of God...
Confessed in brokenness and trembling in fear before the JUST and HOLY GOD....
Knowing that he did not deserve to be in His presence…because God is Holy and he knew that he was not...
Then...
his guilt was taken away and is sin atoned for.
And that is the hardest thing that a “Religious Person” can do.
Why is that? Why is it so hard for a religious person to admit their sinfulness?
There are many reasons:
Ultimately , it is because we are sinful people and we are at war with God
I understand that a religious person wouldn’t admit that though
Me? At war with God? Not me!
But what makes it so hard for the Religious to truly BELIEVE in Christ is because they have been in a system of religion that has taught them that it depends on them and their efforts.
You get sucked into believing that you must do this, this, and this to be saved and when you do these things you have to keep doing them so that you will be saved in the end.
Your salvation depends on you and your hard work, your efforts.
And the longer you are in that system guess what...
If you have done really “good” then people start noticing you and then...
Then you earned yourself a TITLE…a position of authority.
And when you get to this level…man, is it hard to admit your sinfulness then!?!?!
Because now…at this point, if they find out just how bad you really are…you’ll lose your TITLE and your position...
And you worked too hard to get there...
This is WHO YOU ARE…this is YOUR IDENTITY!
It horrible…and this is why they say “Bad Theology Hurst People”
Lets look at verses 42-43:
Nevertheless, many even of the authorities believed in him, but for fear of the Pharisees they did not confess it, so that they would not be put out of the synagogue; for they loved the glory that comes from man more than the glory that comes from God.
There are two types of “Unbelievers”:
the hardened hearts who could care less about the things of God
And those who care about “some” things of God but they are not willing to submit everything to Christ.
Because if they did…it would cost them things that they love more than Christ
Many of these people....MANY… believed…
they heard Christ preach
they saw the signs and miracles
they believed in their head that it was true...
But that is as far as it went....
it never went down into their hearts.
Although they saw and believed…they feared man more than they feared God.
These people feared the Pharisees and cared more about their positions in their community more than anything else.
They knew that if they TRULY confessed Jesus as Lord…they would lose everything they had “worked” for...
They would lose their titles
They would lose their positions
They would lose the respect of those they looked up to and who they are trying so hard to impress
This is so sad. And it is all around us still today.
There are people who believe what the Scriptures say about Christ but for fear of their own religious leaders…their own friends and family…they WILL NOT confess it BECAUSE OF THEIR FEAR of being kicked out of their Synagogue…their community.
And because of that…they are still lost. A secret faith does not save.
Look at Proverbs 29:25
The fear of man lays a snare,
but whoever trusts in the Lord is safe.
People like this may believe some things about Christ…and may some things about Christ…But they do not know Christ
The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge;
fools despise wisdom and instruction.
When we do not fear God properly…and we do not approach him with with a feeling of profound respect (that is what it means to “fear the Lord” …we can not even BEGIN to have any TRUE knowledge of Him and who He is.
Do you see yourself the way Isaiah did before the Son of God?
Do you see what a wretched sinner you are?
Do you have such a profound respect for him that can only be described as “fear” when you here His Word?
When you see Him like that…you will then see yourself properly…as a sinner in need of a Savior.
When you truly believe in Him he will do to you like He did to Isaiah...
He will take away your guilt
And your sin will be atoned for by the precious blood of Christ.
And when you truly come to Christ, you will then realize (Col. 2:3)
in Christ “are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge”.
No lets look at these last few verses of Chapter 12.
Remember in verse 36 Jesus departed from them and hid himself from them.
Verses 37-50 (the rest of chapter 12) is John explaining why so many people did not believe in Christ.
This section is John, through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, giving a recap of the whole public ministry of Christ.
Once we enter chapter 13…all the way through Chapter 17 is the things that Christ told His apostles…not in His public ministry.
So lets see how John looks back on the Public Ministry of Christ and how he sums it up in the next 7 verses:
And Jesus cried out and said, “Whoever believes in me, believes not in me but in him who sent me. And whoever sees me sees him who sent me. I have come into the world as light, so that whoever believes in me may not remain in darkness. If anyone hears my words and does not keep them, I do not judge him; for I did not come to judge the world but to save the world. The one who rejects me and does not receive my words has a judge; the word that I have spoken will judge him on the last day. For I have not spoken on my own authority, but the Father who sent me has himself given me a commandment—what to say and what to speak. And I know that his commandment is eternal life. What I say, therefore, I say as the Father has told me.”
It starts out that “Jesus cried out and said...”
And this is our example…John looks back on all that Jesus taught and sums his public ministry up.
He doesn’t add his own words but these are all the things that Jesus had previously said.
Look at verse 44-45
And Jesus cried out and said, “Whoever believes in me, believes not in me but in him who sent me. And whoever sees me sees him who sent me.
when you believe in The Word of God…you believe in God the Father who Sent the Son...
Have you ever wondered was God was like?
Has anyone ever asked you, “what is God like?”
Look to Christ!
He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him. And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together. And he is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent. For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross.