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John 12:12-50 - Part C

Connect with Skip Heitzig / Skip Heitzig
The Truth Network Radio
January 7, 2025 5:00 am

John 12:12-50 - Part C

Connect with Skip Heitzig / Skip Heitzig

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January 7, 2025 5:00 am

Pastor Skip shows you that the cross freed you from the sting of death and the power of sin.

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Welcome to Connect with Skip Heitzig. We're glad you've joined us for today's program. Connect with Skip Heitzig exists to connect you to God's never-changing truth in ever-changing times through verse-by-verse teaching of His Word. That's why we make messages like this one today available to you and others on air and online. Before we kick off today's teaching, we want to let you know that you can stay in the know about what's happening at Connect with Skip Heitzig when you sign up for email updates. When you do, you'll receive Skip's weekly devotional email to inspire you with God's Word each week. So sign up today at connectwithskip.com.

That's connectwithskip.com. Now let's get into today's teaching from Pastor Skip Heitzig. Okay. John, the author John, is the only gospel author who mentions this little event of some Greeks. We don't even know what they were, who they were, why they were there, just as certain Greeks.

John is the only one who brings it up. But there's a couple of things I want you to notice about this, because it's noteworthy. It wouldn't be in your Bibles, were it not. First of all, these certain Greeks who came to the feast, they said, sir, we want to see Jesus.

It's a great request. The old King James said, sir, we would see Jesus. In pulpits that I have been in, especially like old world, old school, you'll see Jesus. Old school, like European pulpits. They will often have a plaque when you get into the pulpit and the plaque is this verse. Sir, we would see Jesus. It's a reminder to the preacher, don't preach your opinion, don't preach politics, don't preach you, preach Christ. Sir, the people want to see Jesus. That's the idea.

So I love that. Sir, we want to see Jesus. Now who are these Greeks?

Well, we don't know. They could be secular Greeks. They could be there because they were interested. They're traveling through and they're interested in the wisdom that they have heard Jesus is filled with. They heard there is a man from Galilee who has wise thoughts. He does amazing things, but he says amazing things.

You ought to hear them. And if you know anything about the Greeks, they they love wisdom, right? They love philosophy. They are philosophers, philosophy, they love wisdom. You may also recall in the book of Acts chapter 17 when Paul goes to Athens, he goes to a place called Areopagus, the Hill of Aries, Mars Hill, where the philosophers gathered.

And it says those who were there came only to listen and to hear some new thing. They would just tell each other stories. Interesting.

Wow. They just loved new ideas. Sounds like a college campus. They're there just to hear and discuss something new. So it could be that they were just there to learn, or it could be that they were religious Jews. Now that's what I think they were. I don't think they were just loving wisdom. I think that they were there probably because they were seekers of God. And you ought to know that there was a group that the Jews referred to as God-fearers.

And God-fearers were also known as proselytes of the gate. That is, they believed in the Jewish God. They prayed to the Jewish God. They worshiped the Jewish God, everything short of circumcision for obvious reasons.

Short of circumcision and keeping the Mosaic dietary laws. So they were allowed to have some sort of relationship with Judaism as God-fearers. And they knew that Jesus was not from Jerusalem. He's from Galilee.

And Galilee was called the Galilee of the Gentiles. And it's interesting that they came up to Philip. Why Philip? Well, Philip, that's a Greek name.

The name Philip was the name of Alexander the Great's father, Philip of Macedon. And he was from Bethsaida, which was a very Gentile area in the Decapolis, a Gentile region for Rome and for Greece. So probably because of the area, because of his name, they approached him. And they're interested in this Jesus. And the reason John includes this is because John wants you to know that God didn't just love the Jewish people. God loved the world. He came to be the savior of the world. And right here, when the door is closing to Judaism, Jews are rejecting Jesus, a door is opening in the Gentile world, which will be carried out by Peter, but then especially by Paul as the gospel will go out. So that's probably why John included it in his letter. Sir, we want to see Jesus.

But here's what I love. Greeks were known for wisdom. They show up at the end of Jesus' life before the cross. There was another group of wise men who showed up at Jesus' birth. When Jesus was born, wise men from the east showed up seeking Jesus. Where is he who has been born King of the Jews? Wise men from the east. At Jesus' death, wise men from the west came. It's as if his life and ministry were bookended by people seeking him, non-Jewish people seeking him for some reason. And that is one of the messages that John is trying to get across, that he is the savior for all and he's the savior of the world. Now, they didn't expect this answer, but Jesus answered them saying, The hour has come that the Son of Man should be glorified.

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 will produce much grain. He who loves his own life will lose it. He who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life. 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. Why does Jesus give an answer about kernels of wheat being put in the ground? Why doesn't he quote the Old Testament? Why doesn't he say, let me show you who I am from the prophecies? Because he's dealing with Greeks. It's an answer that can go from the disciples back to the Greeks, so he talks about unless a kernel of wheat falls into the ground and dies, it abides alone. So they're seeking Jesus, but Jesus is on his way to the cross to fulfill the hour, the exact time of him coming into Jerusalem so that he might die on a cross.

So if you're seeking him, that's where he is going, and you might be seeking Jesus, but by doing this, Jesus is seeking the whole world. You see, if you take a kernel of wheat in your hand and you look at it, it looks pretty insignificant. It looks small, and it looks powerless. It looks dead.

It's lifeless. But then you take that little kernel of wheat and you bury it in the ground. You entomb it. And you give it a little bit of time and a little bit of nourishment, and it will break forth from its encasement and sprout out into new life.

It's a picture of death, burial, and resurrection. And if you do that with a number of kernels of wheat, you'll have a whole field of it. And then if you take what they produce and sow more of it, you'll have more fields of it.

And I guess theoretically, if you kept doing it, you could fill the whole world. The principle is that life comes from death. Resurrected life comes from death. And this group is seeking Jesus, but Jesus, by His death, burial, and resurrection, can spread the seed of truth around the world. That's why He has come. He who loves his life will lose it.

He who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life. If anyone serves me, let him follow me. And where I am, there my servant will be also. If anyone serves me, let him or him my Father will honor. 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. One of the peculiar features of John is he does not include Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane wrestling before the crucifixion.

He eliminates that scene, but he does give us the emotional composition of Jesus, what He's going through inside. He's troubled. My soul, He says, is troubled, agitated, stirred up.

I'm restless inside. And shall I say, Father, save me from this hour? In the Garden of Gethsemane, He said, if it's possible, let this cup pass from me.

Nevertheless, not my will, but years be done. And then He resigned Himself to the will of the Father. Here, Jesus said, no, for this purpose, I have come to this hour. What was troubling Jesus? What was troubling Him at this time? Why would His soul be troubled?

That's an easy answer. He knows what He's going to face physically. He knows what's going to be put through His hands and His feet and His side. He knows what's going to go on His head.

He knows the lashes that are going to eviscerate His back. He knows that. He knows that is coming, the physical torture and pain of the cross. He knows it.

He's predicted it. He also is feeling the weight spiritually as the sins of the world are being laid upon Him. Second Corinthians 521, God made him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him. He is feeling the weight more and more of sin, the sin of humanity, my sin, yours being placed upon Jesus.

You're listening to Connect with Skip Heitzig. Before we return to Skip's teaching, start 2025 off right, exploring the richness of God's word with Pastor Skip's book, The Bible from 30,000 Feet and accompanying workbook. These resources offer an aerial view of scripture covering all 66 books of the Bible with a unique flight plan, facts, landmarks, itinerary, gospel, history and travel tips.

They're a perfect tool to help you enrich your Bible study and apply its teachings to your daily life. You'll explore every book of the Bible with Pastor Skip's insightful flight plan, while the workbook provides exercises and questions to guide your reflection. We'll send you The Bible from 30,000 Feet book and workbook as our thanks for your gift of $50 or more to reach more people with God's love through Connect with Skip Heitzig.

Go to connectwithskip.com slash offer or call 800-922-1888 and request your copy when you give. Now let's get back to Skip for more of today's teaching. More than that, he knows there will come a time when not just physically, not just spiritually, but even emotionally, he'll cry out for fellowship with his father, finding that it is lost for a period of time. My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? The worst of all is to have that feeling of alienation from the father as he performs the sacrifice.

So it's an easy answer. My soul is troubled, but I have come to this hour. Father, glorify your name. Then a voice came from heaven saying, I have both glorified it and I will glorify it again.

Therefore, the people who stood by and heard it said that it thundered. Others said, an angel has spoken to him. Jesus answered and said, this voice did not come because of me, but for your sake. Now is the judgment of this world. Now the ruler of this world will be cast out.

And I, if I am lifted up from the earth, I will draw all peoples to myself. A voice came out of heaven. Was there any other time when that happened? Actually twice. Three times altogether, God the Father spoke in the presence of Jesus so that other people knew that some event happened, either an angelic voice or thunder or God or what. One was his baptism. This is my beloved son whom I am well pleased. Second was the transfiguration. I was transfigured with Moses and Elijah. This is my beloved son.

Listen to him. And right before the cross, I have glorified it and I will glorify it again. Three times, interestingly, once at the beginning, once in the middle, and once at the end of his ministry, all three of them had to do with his death.

All three had to do with his death. Baptism is a symbol of death, being brought into the water, brought out of the water, Paul says. The transfiguration, Jesus was speaking with Moses and Elijah, the Bible says, about his decease, his departure. And now right before the cross, a voice comes out of heaven. People wondering what it is. Is it an angel?

Was it thunder? And the voice wasn't for Jesus. It was for them to give validity, to bolster the idea that the Father is part of, this is the Father's plan. Look at verse 31 and 32. Jesus here gives us three effects of his death on the cross.

He talked about being put into the ground and dying like a kernel of wheat and rising again. But look, look at the three effects of the cross. Verse 31, now is the judgment of this world. The world is judged by the cross. When the world put Jesus on a cross, it was signing its own death sentence.

You say, what do you mean? In rejecting God's Son, God's solution for them, it was their statement of rejection. What they didn't realize, though they were making a judgment against Jesus, they were being judged by Jesus. They would stand before Pontius Pilate, and Pontius Pilate would say, what shall I do with Jesus who is called the Christ?

Be careful, Pilate, how you answer your own question. Because you will stand before God and be held eternally accountable for how you answer what you will do with Jesus. The world is judged by the cross. Now the world, Jesus said in that verse, now is the judgment of this world.

That's the first effect. The second effect is found also in that verse. Now the ruler of this world will be cast out. The world ruler, Satan, will be cast out by the cross. Satan was cast out of heaven.

We know that. He was cast to the earth. He's been rampant on the earth ever since, but the cross provided the antidote to the sting of Satan and death so that sin doesn't have to have a grip anymore. You can be freed from that.

You don't have to live under the tyranny of that anymore. And so, yes, he walks around like a roaring lion seeking whom he may devour, but though he roars and though he might attack you and though he might bite you, he's toothless. He'll gum you to death, but the real sting and the real power has been removed by the cross. Now ultimately Satan is going to be cast even out of the earth like he was cast out of heaven. At the end of the tribulation period during the millennial kingdom, Revelation tells us he is incarcerated for a thousand years in the bottomless pit, after which he's tossed into the lake of fire forever and ever.

So this is like the first installment. And then the third effect of the cross is found in verse 32, that the world's people can be saved by it. If I am lifted up from the earth, I will draw all peoples to myself. When the Bible talks about lifting up Jesus, they don't mean let's lift him up in worship. They mean let's literally lift him up off the ground on a cross so he can die.

That's what it refers to. And just in case you are mistaken about that, verse 33 says, this he said signifying by what death he would die. So Jesus said the same thing in John chapter 3.

If I be, no, no, that's this. As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so the Son of Man must be lifted up. He's quoting Numbers 21, when Moses lifted up that snake in the wilderness and people had to admit they were sinners and look by faith at that object in the distance and they would be healed. In the same manner we look to the cross by faith, recognizing we're sinners and by that look of faith we are healed.

We are saved by it. If I be lifted up, I will draw all peoples to myself. This he said signifying by what death he would die. The people answered him saying, we have heard from the law that Christ remains forever. How can you say the Son of Man must be lifted up?

They knew he was mentioning his death. Who is the Son of Man? 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.

While you have the light, believe in the light that you may become sons of the light. These things Jesus spoke and departed and was hidden from them. Now the last section of this chapter is the last paragraph of Jesus' public ministry. It's over. Chapter 13, it's private ministry with the disciples.

It's all not in public arenas or in the public square. It's all done now. This is a transitional section. It is summarizing now the first 12 chapters of John, summing them up. But although he had done so many signs before them, they did not believe in him. 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? Therefore, they could not believe because Isaiah said again, he has blinded their eyes and hardened their hearts, lest they should see with their eyes, lest they should understand with their hearts and turn so that I should heal them. These things Isaiah said when he saw his glory and spoke of him.

That's sixth chapter of Isaiah. Nevertheless, now notice what John does. John says even though there was incontrovertible evidence, people didn't believe in him.

This is the theme of John. There's a whole group that didn't believe in him. And that's because it says in verse 39, they could not believe in him. Does that puzzle you? They did not believe in him, therefore they could not believe in him. Compare verse 37 and 39.

That should puzzle you. Why couldn't they believe in him? Because they did not believe in him.

Hold that thought. 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. So yeah, people didn't believe in him, but there were people, even rulers of the people, even Jewish clerics who did believe in him.

They didn't come public. They didn't want to say, yep, I'm voting for Jesus. They wanted to kind of hold that back and not tell anybody because they didn't want to get put out of the synagogue like the guy in chapter nine did. For they loved the praise of men more than the praise of God. Then 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. I have come as a light into the world that whoever believes in me should not abide in darkness. 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. Please keep in mind, there are two comings.

He's speaking only of the first coming here. When he comes the second time, he will judge. But he did not come the first time to judge. He who rejects me and does not receive my words has that which judges him. The word which I have spoken will judge him in the last day, for I have not spoken of my own authority, but the father who sent me gave a command what I should say and what I should speak. And I know that his command is everlasting life. Therefore, whatever I speak, just as the father has told me, so I speak. Now, I wanted to finish out the chapter and leave you hanging.

Because I'm good at that, and I do that every week, pretty much. But I wanted you to, and I'll go back and tie a few thoughts before we get into this private ministry of Jesus with his disciples. What I wanted to leave you with is this. John wants you to know that there's people who believe and there's people who don't. Still today, there's people who believe and people who don't. So don't be surprised when there's unbelievers and we believers are the minority in a world of unbelievers. Some believe, some don't. But what I want you to think about is they didn't believe, therefore they couldn't believe. How do you go from I won't to I can't?

How do you go there? And what is the solution? What is the antidote to that? There is an answer for it, but I won't give it to you this week. Because we wouldn't have enough time. It'll take a little time and I want to get into it as we get into now the private ministry of Jesus.

Fair enough? We're glad you joined us today. Before you go, remember that when you give $50 or more to help reach more people with the gospel through Connect with Skip Heitzig, we'll send you Pastor Skip's book, The Bible from 30,000 Feet, and companion workbook to help you dive into scripture in the coming year. This sweeping aerial view of God's word will help you understand the big picture with greater clarity and gain a deeper appreciation for God's timeless truths. To request your copy, call 800-922-1888.

That's 800-922-1888. Or visit connectwithskip.com slash donate. For more from Skip, be sure to check out the many resources available at connectwithskip.com slash store. Come back next time for more verse-by-verse teaching of God's word here on Connect with Skip Heitzig. Make a connection Make a connection at the foot Of the cross and Cast your burdens on His word Make a connection Connection Connect with Skip Heitzig is a presentation of Connection Communications, connecting you to God's never-changing truth in ever-changing times.
Whisper: medium.en / 2025-01-07 05:18:46 / 2025-01-07 05:28:16 / 10

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