No, among those who went up to worship at the feast were some
Greeks. So these came to Philip who was
from bethsaida in Galilee and asked him, sir.
We wish to see. Jesus Philip went and told
Andrew Andrew, and Philip went and told Jesus and Jesus
answered them. The hour has come for the son of
man to be glorified truly. Truly.
I say to you unless a grain of wheat.
It falls into the Earth and dies, it remains alone.
But if it dies it Bears, much fruit, whoever loves his life
loses it and whoever hates his life in this world will keep it
for eternal life. If anyone serves me, you must
follow me and where I am, there will my servant be also, if
anyone serves me, the father will honor him.
This is the word of the Lord. Thanks be to God.
Good morning church. It's great to be with you.
This morning. We have a met.
My name is Austin for the pastor's here at RC B.
And I get to continue our sermon series this morning that we're
calling seek first, where we're looking at the life of Jesus.
And the way that he engages with different people, engages people
in ways that that increases their hunger for God or people
who are spiritually, hungry, hungry for more.
And so we're in our passage this morning that Just heard read in
John 12 and just to set the scene a little bit more for you
to build a context here. John 12 is kind of this pivot
point in the Gospel of John. So there's been there's 21
chapters in Jan the first 12 or kind of Jesus public Ministry.
Some things happen in 12 that actually close the door on Jesus
public life. And from 13 on, it's more of a
private Ministry to the disciples to his Apostles and
the his A fiction and resurrection.
And so this is the end of his public life in chapter 12, and
what just happened in has kind of spurred that a little bit and
check her 11 heroes. Are he raised Lazarus from the
dead? Now, it's not something right
that, that happens every day. And so doing this raising
Lazarus from the dead creates. This, this stir amongst the
people in the area, like Lazarus was in Bethany, which is just
outside of Jerusalem. And so there's this big Stir and
people are coming and like bearing witness to what Jesus
did and wanting to learn more. And so there's this huge
palpable like expectation and anticipation of of what's going
to happen at the Passover. What's going to happen who this
Jesus fellow is? And there's also the Pharisees
who don't quite have the same anticipation, right?
They're not actually anticipating, man.
What could God possibly be doing here?
But instead they're more worried.
Got their own place, their own power, their own standing, and
it says in chapter 11 in John chapter 11 verse 48, the
Pharisees. They're talking about Jesus and
they say, if we let him go on like this, everyone will believe
in him and the Romans will come and take away our place and our
nation. Worried about holding on to
their place, and their nation. And so we see Jesus.
He continues into Jerusalem, chapter 12, begins with the
triumphal entry, kind of Palm Sunday idea where he comes in.
People are excited. Wondering what's going to happen
and we get down. There's a palpable Buzz, right?
Is this the Messiah as this one is going to free us from the
power of Rome. Is he the one who's going to
restore Israel to its former glory?
Three and the Pharisees. They continue to deepen, Their
Fear 12:19 right before our passages morning, which begins
in verse 20. The Pharisee say, look, the
world has gone after him the world.
It's kind of after it feels to them.
Like they just are losing their grip, losing their ability to
lead to have power in there. Seeing that Jesus has real
power. Even to raise the dead and that
people are flocking to him. And so they resolved to take
Swift action at this point. So it's kind of a big turning
point in the story. So as we come to to chapter 12
verses 20 through 26, this morning, this is what's going
on. This is kind of the the
circumstance that Jesus finds himself in the middle of and
then we have the scene of these non-jewish visitors.
You've come to Jerusalem for the Passover 3 verse 20 with me.
So is now among those who went up to worship at the feast were
some Greeks. Awesome.
I might seem to you like a passing detail because actually
really critical here. They come to the feast to
worship. So these Greeks they're not just
religious tourist, right? They're not just coming in.
They want to observe kind of some cultural religious
experience that that is in this kind of foreign and exotic
Place. Know they come to Jerusalem
during the Passover to worship if you come to worship during
the /, you're coming to worship. Yahweh.
Coming to worship the god of Israel coming to worship.
The one that Jesus calls father. And so they're here for the
feast, they're serious enough to make the trick.
So it shows they have this real spiritual hunger, right?
They have this real longing to know God.
They've certainly been a part of the Greco.
Roman Pantheon of gods. They've heard the stories, the
myths, the know, the deities of their time and they said, no,
no, this isn't enough. We're looking for more.
And so they come, they they're they're seeking after the things
of God. At least some actually to seek
Jesus. They want to know more about
this Jesus guy. See if this is what they're
longing for. So, it's important that is
Passover. This is kind of the Super Bowl
of Jewish holidays. It's kind of like the Easter
kind of users, Super Bowl of Christian holidays.
The, the Passover is, is the big, the big one for the Jewish
faith. And so it marks this time.
I marks the story of God, rescuing his people out of
slavery in Egypt and there's this reenactment of the Passover
Lamb being. Slain in the blood, saving the
people of God from death and liberating them out of slavery
and bondage and so it's no accident that and this is, this
is another summer for another day, but it's no accident.
That Jesus is crucified during Passover because he is the Lamb
of God, whose blood saves the people of God and liberates them
from their slavery, from their bondage.
And so the story, right? Like this, This is this is no
accident, but that that's a story for another day.
But all this to say Passover, the Greeks were there.
They want to see Jesus so they come.
They come to the disciples and say, in verse 21.
They say we want to see Jesus. So they're making, they're
making the request know, right? That's always a good thing.
Let your requests be made known to God.
And so they come to the disciples.
They say, we want to see Jesus and it's interesting enough that
Get caught up in this kind of religious red tape, like the
come to Philip and Philip doesn't really know what to do.
So Phillip thing goes to Andrew Andrews, kind of Crisis
management guy, right? He's like, what do we do?
There's Greeks who want to see Jesus.
Andrew doesn't actually have an answer for him.
Surprisingly, and she was like, well, why don't we go?
Ask? Jesus?
I don't know what to do. And you might be thinking, like,
this seems kind of weird, right? Like, somebody wants to see
Jesus. They should just be able to see
Jesus, right? Like, it shouldn't be That big
of a deal. Because remember in the time and
the context, right? These are, these are Jewish men
and so they have no framework for Gentiles being brought into
like the inner ring of the things of God.
So even even at the Passover right when people are coming
into the temple to worship Gentiles, can't go but so far
there's a wall that separates them being will enter in deeper
into the presence of God. And so there's kind of this.
There's still this natural barrier, right?
Because they're Greek because they're not Jewish.
They're not part of Israel, right?
They're not a part. They're not have access to these
things and so disciples still don't get that.
Now. Jesus has been talking about
that. It's not that they shouldn't
understand it. Jesus has been talking about
this but we know not only did not get it here.
If you look in the book of Acts, like the first half of the book
is the apostles struggling with this question of like what do we
do with Gentiles who believed in the In Jesus, as the Messiah, we
see that over and over again. The first half of Acts, they're
still struggling and wrestling with what to do with Gentiles.
And so it's not shocking. I guess that they don't get a
here but, but Jesus has already talked about, he's made it
clear. If you look at John 10 verse 16.
Jesus is talking about the Gentiles.
He says, I have other sheep that are not of this fold, not of the
fold of Israel. I must bring them also, and they
will listen to my voice. So there will be one flock and
one Shepherd. The Gentiles are the sheep that
are not of this fold. Sheets are not of the full of
Israel. But Jesus is making it clear.
He's been making it clear that there's going to be one family,
one fold, once flock of God underneath his lordship and
place of to, they're going to become one.
And so there's no longer going to be jew and Gentile will be
one under his rule. I think the vision ethnic
division. To be done away with forever.
Ushering in the fullness of God's multi-ethnic vision.
The Apostle Paul is actually one of the first of Jesus's
followers to get this concept in like total Clarity of you.
Look at Ephesians 2, which I would submit to you is perhaps
the best explanation of the Gospel that there is he talks
about that. There's a vertical and
horizontal nature of what Jesus is accomplished on the cross.
The Salvation is both vertical and horizontal and verses 1
through 10. He talks about Jesus has Honest
to God by the cross and then in verses 11, through 20 to talks
about how Jesus has reconciled us to one another, by the cross.
There's no way to have vertical without horizontal.
The two go hand-in-hand and so well, let's read Ephesians 2:13
through 16. But now in Christ Jesus, you who
wants were far off have been brought near by the blood of
Christ for he himself is our peace.
Who has made us both one and has broken down in his flesh.
The dividing wall of hostility by abolishing the law of
Commandments expressed in ordinances that he might create
in himself one new man in place of the two.
So making peace. Am I reconcile us both to God in
one body through the cross there by killing the hostility.
The gospel of Christ. It brings reconciliation between
God and humanity and Humanity, within itself.
The visions and hostilities between ethnic groups are done
away with at the cross. They're brought into one new
body in place of 2. And this is why if you read the
New Testament, you see that the churches that are being planted
are all multi-ethnic. They don't make the decision to
Kind of the idea of the homogeneous unit principle of,
we're going to plant a Jewish church or your plant agreed
church, right? They plant all the entrance of
this messiness, right? The messiness of mixing
ethnicities mixing races and they plant churches that reflect
the work of the Cross. They can has reconciled into one
body all people. Pastor Brian the Ritz he in his
book insider-outsider. He describes it like this.
So, as with conversions happening rapidly among both
groups, Paul does not go to the pragmatic route, starting to
churches for the two, distinct ethnicities.
This would have been the easy thing to do of course, but Paul
would have none of it. So Paul the vertical
reconciliation required, nothing less than horizontal
reconciliation. And the theater in which this
was to be enacted was the local church.
This is what Philip and Andrew. This is what the apostles in the
beginning of axes, but they've yet to comprehend that God has
reconciled all people to himself through the cross.
That Jesus has torn down the dividing wall of hostility
between Jew and Gentile. So, these Greeks who show up at
Passover? They couldn't get past the wall
because there was like a literal wall in the temple that the
Gentiles couldn't go beyond and Jesus actually is going to tear
down that wall. There's no I'm going to be
insiders and Outsiders to the things of God.
So now we're going to be Haves and Have Nots but everyone wants
access to God equally through the blood of Christ.
He rips the veil and when he tears down the wall.
The presence of God is now mediated and made available to
all. There's no distinctions.
They're no longer this JV experience that the Gentiles are
allowed. The Gentiles have full access.
And and this is my new mental Ray.
You can't understate. This point, this moment that
that there is no more Jew and no more Gentile, the taller one.
It's the subsequent creation of one flock, one body, One Church,
one family, and the place over there.
Have been two Pastor Tony Evans. He explains it like this.
Speaking of Jesus. He says, he has reconciled.
Racially divided groups into one new man, uniting them into a new
body so that the church can function in unity.
The church is the place where racial gender and class
distinctions are no longer to be divisive because of our unity in
Christ. This is not negate differences
that remain intact one. This simply means that those
differences are embraced joining our unique strengths together.
We have strength, the strength, With making a more complete and
balanced whole based on our mutual relationship with and
commitment to Christ. The arrival of these Greeks
seeking Jesus. It marks the dawn of a new era
in the people of God, for the people of God, and Jesus.
He recognizes the moment as such when the news comes to him with
Philip and Andrew. Bring him the news.
He responds, there's this cattle.
It responds, the trigger something deep within them and
he says that the hour has come with me verse 23.
Jesus says the hour has come for the son of man to be glorified.
Alas, this hour has come all throughout the Gospel of John.
You're going to see Jesus saying the hour is not yet.
Come it is not yet my our it's not my our both the arrival of
these Greeks Suddenly It's the hour.
The hour has arrived. What are you talking about?
What is this? What is this hour?
And why are these? Why do these couple of Greeks
looking for a meeting? Why is that such a big deal?
Well, the hour of his glorification, Here is is
actually our of his death. As through his death right that
that the walls torn down at the veil is open and sees Greeks
it's more than just these couple of guys come in to see Jesus.
This is the arrival of the nations of the earth seeking the
salvation of God, the arrival of the nation's looking for the
Salvation of God is the sheep from the other full, right
coming and wanting to be a part of God's family, so it's time.
Time to bring the two folds into one to bring the two families
into one. And we learned that this can't
happen without the cross. As you keep reading here in to
verse 24, you might initially think like, us doesn't really
seem like he's answering the question.
It kind of seems like he's just talking about something else all
of a sudden, but if you look at it, closely will see that he's
responding not necessarily to those particular Greeks
themselves, but to what they represent, he's speaking to the
world to the nations of the earth that they represent read
verse twenty. Fourth me.
He says Jesus says, unless a grain of wheat.
Falls into the Earth and dies, it remains alone.
But if it dies it Bears much fruit.
Jesus talking about himself. He says if you want to see me if
you want to understand who I really am.
I am the one who will die. So the fruit of the of life will
Sprout for all nations. I must die so that life can
Sprout for you. For you know, you particular
Greeks or asking this question before, the nation's, the
people's the Gentiles which you represent to see me.
I must die. I must endure the cross.
And I'm willing to do it. I'm going to do it.
The hour has arrived, and I'm not going to escape it.
I'm going to be obedient to this hour of death.
And Jesus confirms this later on in chapter 12, down to verse 32,
where he says, and I, when I am lifted up from the earth will
draw all people to myself. When Jesus is lifted up from the
earth, when he's lifted up upon that cross later, that week, the
cross will become the magnet to which the nations of the Earth
are drawn. The magnet that the peoples of
the Earth are drawn to his death will multiply life for the
world. And this shouldn't come as a
surprise, right? We looked at John 10 where he
talks about bringing sheep from other fold, but if you look
through the whole story of the Bible where I got has been
hinting not so subtly like he's been hinting very clearly at
this the whole time. I think about Genesis 12, God
tells Abraham like through your Offspring.
All the nations of the Earth are going to be the last Jump to
some of mica for where he says that that many nations are going
to come to the mountain of the Lord Desiring to be taught God's
ways. These Greeks are coming to the
mouth of the Lord Jerusalem. The find a mountain, right?
The Temple Mount. These Greeks are coming.
The nations are coming to the mountain of the Lord, to be
taught the ways of God. It's all through the book of
Isaiah. One example for chapter. 49.
God says, it's too small of a thing to bring back for his
Messiah to restore just the house of Israel.
But that his Messiah will be a light to the nation's.
So the his salvation will reach the ends of the Earth.
And if you want to look ahead, you know, we got Revelations 7,
where we see this Future Vision of the kingdom of God, and its
fullness. And you see this, this
innumerable multitude of people from every tribe and nation, and
language Gathering Before the Throne of God and worshiping.
This is what guys been about. He's been at working to bring
all peoples, All Nations people from any everywhere.
Into his family. Belonging at this table.
It's part of the one flock worshipping him.
This has been the plan all along to have this Rich multi-ethnic
Global Harvest of people as a part of his family.
And Jesus is the grain of wheat, which has to fall to the Earth
and die in order that the fruit of those seeds would bear life
for the Nations. But those who did not and do not
know, God would have the ability to know him.
We have the access to his presence.
One commentator. He puts it like this.
He says, just as the fruit cannot come into existence
without the death of the seed. So also must be unique, son died
for the children of God to come into existence.
The Cross of Christ is the foundational element of the
Gospel, is through the cross, through the blood of Jesus.
That all people are brought into his family that the wall is torn
down. The veil is torn net.
We all have access to the presence of God, to the things
of God, that we all can see and know like the Greeks wanted.
We can all see Jesus for who he really is.
And this is a glorious thing that God has done.
He has ransomed from all tribes and peoples from the ends of the
Earth people to worship Him people to belong at his table.
And for those of us who do know him text goes on to tell us that
we have a crucial part in advancing that mission and
continuing that work of Christ. Although Jesus is referring to
himself here as the grain of wheat.
He, its application isn't just to him.
It applies to his followers as well.
As in the way of following Jesus is through death.
That life comes to life is Multiplied.
It's not just an agricultural concept, but it's the way of
discipleship for his followers. And he continues to call his
followers to count the cost of discipleship, the count, the
cost of following him and 25 and 26.
He says whoever loves his life loses it and whoever hates his
life in the world will keep it for eternal life.
If anyone serves me, you must follow me and where I am, there
were my servant be also. If anyone serves me, the father
will honor him. Jesus and saying that we earn
our Salvation this way. But he's saying that this is the
necessary outworking of those who follow him with those for
whom he is died. Is it called?
We must take on, call it the self-denial called a certified?
I called to emulate. Jesus by dying to self and
living for the things of God. It's important to recognize that
it is the it's also that second part of living to the things of
God. It's not just denial and
emptying yourself for the sake of just emptying yourself, but
it's dying so that you might live to the ways of God.
It's called to a rightly ordered life that is driven first and
foremost by the love of God. Just put another way in Luke
9:23 where he says whoever wants to be my disciple must deny
themselves. Take up their cross daily and
follow me. The call to emptying and filling
called to denial and except that's a call to death and life
death to the ways of the world deaths of the desires of the
flesh by the life, for the sake of the Kingdom Life.
So that others might know and see Jesus for who he truly is.
Following Jesus is the greatest thing that you can ever do.
But the same time, it's going to be the hardest thing that you
can do. It's comes with a cost.
But it also comes with a great reward.
If you notice in this text every call to decrease is paired with
an increase, a promised increase, the death and decrease
of the seed, brings a promise increase of fruits, the decrease
of hitting life in this world, not loving life and were then we
love God is paired with the promise of life eternal.
The the decrease of service and following it brings a promise of
God being with Christ where I am, you will be also and of
Honor from God, from worldly Americanized standards.
This this equation doesn't make sense.
This isn't an equation for you. Which shoes?
It's an odd strategy. But the more we decrease, the
more downward displacement. We allow the greater the
increase of Life, the greater the abundance and multiplication
of fruit for the kingdom of God. Laying down.
Our lives is being on mission for Christ.
It's a call to Mission. It advances, the mission of God
for people who don't know him to know him.
It helps bring those who don't know him and says, one big
family. So the question a question for
you this morning to reflect on, is how can you live in the way
of Jesus for the sake of those who don't know, God?
And what might Jesus want to rearrange in your life so that
others can see and know him through you.
What might you want to rearrange and Jesus didn't withhold his
own life? So that we who did not know, God
might be able to see him and be a part of his one family and he
invites us into the same Mission along with him.
He wants us to live our lives for the sake of others, knowing
him finding belonging at his table.
How far are we willing to go to see the fruit of the Cross
multiplied? Is there anything?
Is there any limits to your obedience?
The Greeks of the Passover, they wanted to see Jesus and Jesus
show some incidentally more than they could have imagined.
She doesn't that anyone from anywhere can be a part of God's
family. There's no more insiders and
Outsiders. And for those of us who've
experienced this belonging, our calls to live cruciform lives to
live cross-shaped. Lives the show, everyone, the
glory of Jesus and the reconciling work that he has
done through the cross. We've been given a place that
God. It's one big table by the
sacrifice of Christ by the cross.
And for calling man, is I prayers that we would be a
people. We would be a people who live in
to Jesus example, by laying down our lives.
So that others might come to find that they belong in his
family as well. Amen.
Let's pray.
Larry, thank you. Thank you for your cross.
We thank you that when you're our came, or did you didn't, you
didn't run or, but she willingly Submitted yourself to the will
of the father that you willingly laid down your life.
So that we might live. Thank you that you have torn
down the Dividing Walls. That divide the things that
divide the things that provoke hostility learned that you have,
put those to rest at your cross. And are we pray that you would
Empower us to live in this in this way?
On mission for you laying down our lives, for your sake.
And for the sake of others, we pray this in Jesus name.
Amen. Amen.
So encourage you, as we do each and every week to participate in
communion and, and whatever way, that's possible for you.
And so, we remember the work of Jesus thinks that he is, he's
done his death on the cross that he has reconciled us into one
family, the receded around one table, that there's one body of
Christ. And communion, is this time
where we think about what will happen in the new creation that
there's going to be this? This Kingdom Feast this great
Wedding, Banquet of Christ. We're going to Feast with one
another and fullness. And so, we celebrate that and
anticipate that now, when we, when we partake in the Lord's
supper together, and we remember that his, that the bread is his
body broken for us, and that the wine is his blood shed for us.
So as your sent out on mission for Christ this week, I hear
these words as a benediction sending you out into the world.
May the god of Hope fill you with all joy and peace as you
trust in him. So that you may overflow with
hope by the power of the holy spirit.
Amen. Go in.
Peace.