Spiritual Truth the Lord Wants Us to See
The Gospel of John
John 12:34-47
Sermon by Rick Crandall
Grayson Baptist Church - June 14, 2017
(Revised December 16, 2019)
BACKGROUND:
*Please open your Bibles to John 12:20. In tonight's Scripture, the Lord was still in the Temple in Jerusalem. It was probably the day after the Lord's triumphal entry into the city on the first Palm Sunday. This happened during the annual Passover Feast.
*One source estimated that 3 million people were in Jerusalem for that Passover. And there in the Temple, a mixture of people was listening to the Lord. Some of the Lord's closest followers were there, so were some Jewish seekers, still wondering if Jesus was the Messiah. But some of the listeners already had stubbornly rejected Jesus. Their hatred for Christ had made them like a snarling pack of wild animals desperately trying to kill Jesus. (1)
*Tonight's Scripture is part of a conversation that began when Andrew and Phillip went to the Lord with a request from some Greeks. These gentiles wanted to meet with Jesus. But now so close to the cross, Jesus answered by pointing them to the only way people can be with the Lord forever. And that is by trusting in the cross of our Risen Savior, trusting in the Lamb of God who came to earth to die on the cross for our sins.
*Here is the background Scripture from John 12:20-33:
20. Now there were certain Greeks among those who came up to worship at the feast.
21. Then they came to Philip, who was from Bethsaida of Galilee, and asked him, saying, "Sir, we wish to see Jesus.''
22. Philip came and told Andrew, and in turn Andrew and Philip told Jesus.
23. But Jesus answered them, saying, "The hour has come that the Son of Man should be glorified.
24. Most assuredly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the ground and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it produces much grain.
25. He who loves his life will lose it, and he who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life.
26. If anyone serves Me, let him follow Me; and where I am, there My servant will be also. If anyone serves Me, him My Father will honor.
27. Now My soul is troubled, and what shall I say? 'Father, save Me from this hour'? But for this purpose I came to this hour.
28. Father, glorify Your name.'' Then a voice came from heaven, saying, "I have both glorified it and will glorify it again.''
29. Therefore the people who stood by and heard it said that it had thundered. Others said, "An angel has spoken to Him.''
30. Jesus answered and said, "This voice did not come because of Me, but for your sake.
31. Now is the judgment of this world; now the ruler of this world will be cast out.
32. And I, if I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all peoples to Myself.''
33. This He said, signifying by what death He would die.
*In these verses, Jesus told them about His suffering and death on the cross. He called us to follow Him closely in loving service. Jesus also prayed for His Father in Heaven to glorify His name. Then God the Father replied with a thunderous voice from Heaven. Why did our Heavenly Father do that? -- To help people believe that Jesus Christ is the only begotten Son of God, and the only Savior of the world.
*In tonight's Scripture, Jesus continued to speak to that mixed group of believers, seekers, and haters. And here God shows us spiritual truth that everybody needs to see. As we read vs. 34-47, think about the truth Jesus gives us here.
MESSAGE:
*The Christian hymn writer, Fanny Crosby, lost her sight as a very young child. But God blessed Fanny with 20/20 spiritual sight, and she grew up to become perhaps the most prolific hymn writer in history. Fanny Crosby wrote over 8,000 hymns! And she gave all the glory to God.
*Fanny once said this about her physical blindness, "It seemed intended by the blessed providence of God that I should be blind all my life, and I thank Him for the dispensation. If perfect earthly sight (was) offered me tomorrow I would not accept it. I might not have sung hymns to the praise of God if I had been distracted by the beautiful and interesting things (around) me."
*In Fanny's hymns, God's spiritual light shines brightly through her soul. One of our favorites is "Blessed Assurance." Listen to these words:
"Perfect submission, all is at rest.
I in my Savior am happy and blest,
Watching and waiting, looking above.
Filled with His goodness, lost in His love
This is my story; this is my song.
Praising my Savior, all the day long;
This is my story; this is my song.
Praising my Savior, all the day long." (2)
*Fannie Crosby was physically blind, but in the most important way, she had perfect vision! God wants all of us to have this 20/20 spiritual sight, and there are 3 crucial truths the Lord wants us to see tonight.
1. FIRST, WE MUST SEE THE DARKNESS OF DISBELIEF.
*The unbelieving people in vs. 34 were blinded by spiritual darkness. That's why they challenged the Lord with a question: "The people answered Him, 'We have heard from the law that the Christ remains forever; and how can You say, "The Son of Man must be lifted up"? Who is this Son of Man?'''
*These people were blinded by spiritual darkness, and God wants us to understand their darkness.
[1] SO NOTICE THAT THIS SPIRITUAL DARKNESS IS DANGEROUS.
*The Lord reminded them of the danger in vs. 35: "Then Jesus said to them, 'A little while longer the light is with you. Walk while you have the light, lest darkness overtake you; he who walks in darkness does not know where he is going.'"
*The people who walk in darkness don't know where they are going, and that is a dangerous situation. It's like riding down the interstate on a dark night at 70 mph, and your lights go out! But spiritual darkness is much, much worse, because most of those people don't even know that they're in the dark. And they aren't headed toward a tree. They are headed toward hell.
[2] THIS SPIRITUAL DARKNESS IS DANGEROUS. AND IT COMES FROM DISBELIEF.
*The worst kind of spiritual darkness comes from not believing in Jesus Christ. God's Word makes this truth clear in vs. 36-37:
36. (Jesus said,) "While you have the light, believe in the light, that you may become sons of light.'' These things Jesus spoke, and departed, and was hidden from them.
37. But although He had done so many signs before them, they did not believe in Him.
[3] SPIRITUAL DARKNESS COMES FROM DISBELIEF. -- AND UP TO A POINT, IT IS DELIBERATE.
*Verse 37 helps us see this truth. Again, John wrote, "But although He had done so many signs before them, they did not believe in Him."
*John Phillips explained that their "disbelief was no accident. . . Even though Jesus had done so many miracles before them, they refused to believe in Him. These Christ-rejecters deliberately and stubbornly tore up the Lord's credentials. Only 36 miracles of Jesus are recorded in the Gospels, but the Gospel writers also include summary statements showing that Jesus performed many more miracles than those specifically documented.
*Here in vs. 37, John mentions 'so many miracles.'" And in John 21:24-25, the Apostle closed his Gospel by writing, "This is the disciple who testifies of these things, and wrote these things; and we know that his testimony is true. And there are also many other things that Jesus did, which if they were written one by one, I suppose that even the world itself could not contain the books that would be written. Amen."
*John Phillips added that "The Lord's public ministry was extraordinary. He performed miracle after miracle, day after day. He demonstrated his deity in countless ways, showing his lordship over the processes and forces of nature, over all kinds of sickness and disability, over hordes of evil spirits, and over death itself. Unbelief, in the face of such proof, had to be deliberately fostered." (3)
*Paul talked about this kind of deliberate rejection of truth in Romans 1. But first in Romans 1:16-17, Paul said, "I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek. For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, 'The just shall live by faith.'''
*Then in vs. 18-22, Paul talked about people who are deliberately determined to reject the gospel. There Paul said:
18. For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who suppress the truth in unrighteousness,
19. because what may be known of God is manifest in them, for God has shown it to them.
20. For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse,
21. because, although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God, nor were thankful, but became futile in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts were darkened.
22. Professing to be wise, they became fools.
*What we see here in John 12 is deliberate, stubborn rejection of the Light of God. Jesus talked about this same kind of thing back in John 3: Deliberately choosing spiritual darkness over the light of Jesus Christ.
*In John 3:16-21, Jesus said:
16. "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.
17. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.
18. He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.
19. And this is the condemnation, that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.
20. For everyone practicing evil hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed.
21. But he who does the truth comes to the light, that his deeds may be clearly seen, that they have been done in God.''
*The great news of the gospel is that we can choose to live in spiritual light because Jesus Christ is the Light of the world! As He said in John 8:12, "I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life."
*We know that living in the light is far better than living in darkness, especially when we are talking about spiritual light. So, it's hard for us to understand, but sadly, many people choose not to live be in the light. They deliberately, stubbornly reject the Light of the Lord.
[4] UP TO A POINT, SPIRITUAL DARKNESS IS DELIBERATE, AND IT LEADS TO DISASTER.
*We can see this tragic truth in vs. 37-38, where John said:
37. But although He had done so many signs before them, they did not believe in Him,
38. that the word of Isaiah the prophet might be fulfilled, which he spoke: "Lord, who has believed our report? And to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?''
*That is a prophecy about the rejection of Jesus Christ recorded in Isaiah 53:1, and it was written 700 years before Jesus was born. Then in vs. 39-40, John continued by saying:
39. Therefore they could not believe, because Isaiah said again:
40. "He has blinded their eyes and hardened their heart, lest they should see with their eyes and understand with their heart, lest they should turn, so that I should heal them.''
*These verses are a quote from Isaiah 6:9-10, and they are a fulfillment of the prophecy God gave to Isaiah when he saw the Lord high and lifted up in glory.
*These prophecies might lead you to conclude that these Christ-rejecters never had the possibility of trusting in the Lord. But we must remember that God is bigger than time. The Lord God has always seen the end from the beginning. So, in Isaiah 46:9-10 He could say, "Remember the former things of old, for I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like Me, declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times things that are not yet done, saying, 'My counsel shall stand, and I will do all My pleasure.'"
*God sees the end from the beginning, and from that point of view, these Christ-rejecters "could not believe." But as they moved through life, at least for a while, God's "whosoever" was still available for them, for in John 3:16, "God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that WHOSOEVER believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life."
*At the same time though, hard hearts tend to get more hardened. John Phillips called this "God's judicial hardening." And Phillips explained that unbridled unbelief breeds on itself. He gave the Old Testament example of Pharaoh "who continued to harden his heart until there came a time when God hardened it for him. The Jews in John 12 were now guilty of similar behavior. And a time comes in the lives of those who will not repent when at last they cannot repent." (4)
*What a terrible disaster! Rejecting Jesus Christ leads to an empty life without hope. One of the most famous trials in American history was the Scopes Monkey trial in 1925. A teacher in Tennessee was on trial for the crime of teaching evolution. And the trial drew national attention, in part because the teacher was defended by famous attorney, Clarence Darrow.
*Years later Dr. John Herman met the famous lawyer. Both men were in their later years as they talked together. And during their conversation, Dr. Herman asked Clarence Darrow this question: "Now that you've come this far in life and you're not doing much lecturing or writing any more. How would you sum up your life?"
*Clarence Darrow immediately picked up a Bible. This surprised Dr. Herman, because Mr. Darrow spent most of his life publicly ridiculing the Word of God. The lawyer opened the Bible to Luke 5. It was the place where Jesus preached from Peter's boat, then told Peter to "launch out into the deep and let down your nets for a catch."
*Simon Peter answered the Lord in Luke 5:5 by saying, "Master, we have toiled all night and caught nothing; nevertheless at Your word I will let down the net." That was the verse Clarence Darrow had found, and he said, "This verse in the Bible describes my life: 'I have toiled all the night and have caught nothing.'"
*Clarence Darrow put the Bible back, and sadly said, "I have lived a life without purpose, without meaning, without direction. I don't know where I came from. And I don't know what I'm doing here. And worst of all, I don't know what's going to happen to me when I punch out of here." (5)
*What a disaster to get to the end of your life and find yourself in that shape! And what a difference it makes when we know Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior!
2. JESUS WANTS US TO SEE THE DARKNESS OF DISBELIEF. HE ALSO WANTS US TO SEE THE INFINITE GOODNESS OF PRAISE FROM GOD.
*God's Word reminds us of this truth in vs. 42-43. Here John wrote, "Nevertheless even among the rulers many believed in Him, but because of the Pharisees they did not confess Him, lest they should be put out of the synagogue; for they loved the praise of men more than the praise of God."
*How foolish it is to love the praise of men more than the praise of God! Fame in this world is very fleeting. And I really like what Walt Disney once said about fame. Of course, Walt was about as famous as you can be, but he said:
"As far as I can remember, being a celebrity has never helped me make a good picture, or command the obedience of my daughter, or impress my wife. It doesn't even seem to help keep fleas off our dog. And if being a celebrity won't give one an advantage over a couple fleas, then I guess there can't be that much in being a celebrity after all." (6)
*Church: There is no good reason to love the praise of men. But also remember that these Jewish believers were facing severe persecution, and we must not be too quick to judge them. Even with all of the problems in our country today, most of the world can only dream of the freedom we have.
*Countless Christians around the world are facing terrible persecution today. But they are putting their lives on the line, because they understand the infinite goodness of praise from God.
3. AND THAT'S WHAT JESUS WANTS US TO SEE. BUT HE ALSO WANTS US TO SEE THE BLESSINGS OF BELIEVING IN JESUS.
[1] FIRST: WHEN WE BELIEVE IN JESUS, WE GET THE BLESSING OF SEEING THE SUPREME BEING:
*This is the Lord's message for us in 44-45, where "Jesus cried out and said, 'He who believes in Me, believes not in Me but in Him who sent Me. And he who sees Me sees Him who sent Me.'"
[2] BELIEVERS ALSO GET THE BLESSING OF LIVING IN THE LIGHT OF CHRIST.
*In vs. 46, Jesus said, "I have come as a light into the world, that whoever believes in Me should not abide in darkness." When we believe in Jesus Christ, we get to live in His light! That's why we can spiritually see God. We can see who He is and who we are. We can see where we should be going in this life, and where we are going. We can see when we are heading in the wrong direction, and the right way to turn. We can also see where we are going when we die!
[3] WE GET THE GREATEST BLESSINGS WHEN WE BELIEVE IN JESUS CHRIST! WE GET TO LIVE IN HIS LIGHT. AND WE GET SALVATION FROM OUR SINS!
*That's at the end of vs. 47, where Jesus said, "If anyone hears My words and does not believe, I do not judge him; for I did not come to judge the world but to save the world."
*Jesus Christ "did not come to judge the world but to save the world!" That's why He died on the cross. It was to save us, to pay the price for all of our sins. God is so good to us!
*Some of us have read columns from sports-writer Teddy Allen. Please listen to his testimony about how he discovered the Lord's loving compassion. Teddy wrote:
"I was driven toward salvation -- not by love, but by pain and fear. Pain from hurting people. Pain from hurting myself. Fear of losing everything. Fear of everything, period. And, I did lose everything. Anything down here worth having was gone.
To the wisely desperate, Christ is the first option. To me, He was the last house on the block. But, what a house. And, what a Savior. I crawled in; He lifted me up.
I told Him He didn't love me, and He never had; He showed me He had, and He did, and He always would. I came to Christ because of my pain and my fear. But I stay in Christ because of His goodness, His love, and His compassion. He is just so kind.
*How many days do we go without remembering that His heart had to break for ours to mend? That He had to go into the valley to lift us to the mountain? That He had to endure the ugliness of Golgotha to (wrap us up) in the beauty of His Father’s love?
*A clear picture of the cross, a clear picture of a love like that, it has to change you. Kindness like that, you can’t ignore. 'The God of my rock; in Him will I trust: He is my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my high tower, and my refuge, my Savior' (2 Samuel 22:3a - NIV). (7)
CONCLUSION:
*God is so good to us! Jesus Christ "did not come to judge the world but to save the world!" If you know that, if you know Him, if you have believed in Him, if you have received Jesus as your Lord and Savior, then you are saved! You have truly been delivered from darkness, and you are living in the Light of the Lord.
*Now God wants us to do everything we can to help other people see the Light. Please think about these things as we go back to God in prayer.
(1) http://www.bible-history.com/backd2/jerusalem.html
(2) http://www.cyberhymnal.org/bio/c/r/o/crosby_fj.htm
(3) Adapted from EXPLORING THE GOSPELS: JOHN by John Phillips, Kregal Publications, Grand Rapids - "Some Explanations of His Rejection" - John 12:37-50
(4) Sources:
-EXPLORING ROMANS by John Phillips, Kregal Publications, Grand Rapids - "He Cites History as an Example" - Romans 11:2-10
-Adapted from EXPLORING THE GOSPELS: JOHN by John Phillips, Kregal Publications, Grand Rapids - "Some Explanations of His Rejection" - John 12:37-50
(5) Adapted from "Following Christ" by Joseph M. Stowell - Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 1996, pp. 29-30 - Cited in "Great Stories in American History" by Rebecca Price Janney, Horizon Books, Camp Hill, PA, 1998
(6) Walt Disney, "Leadership," Vol. 8, no. 2 - Source: "Bible Illustrator for Windows" - Topic: Popularity - Subtopic: Sought by Men - Index: 2789 - Date: 4/1998.2276 - Title: "The Limitations of Celebrity"
(7) Teddy Allen - Louisiana Sports Writer of the Year Award -- 2019; Sports Announcer; Bible Teacher, Writer/Editor Specialist, University Communications -- Louisiana Tech University, Ruston, LA - http://www.fbcruston.org/e-thoughts/author/teddy-allen/
