The Call the Draws Us All

The Call the Draws Us All

John 12:20-26

 

Illus. Defining the Call.

 

              As we turn again to John 12, we find ourselves in the middle of the chapter, and chronologically a day or two into Jesus final week leading up to His crucifixion. It is at this time that the people had many beliefs about Him. He had just come into the city of Jerusalem and the people were declaring their beliefs about Him, many shouting as He entered into the city that they believed He was their king.

              Their belief came with an expectation, that He would overthrow the political powers that be and take His seat at King. That He would make the call to end all the earthly trouble and save them all immediately. What begins to become clear as He enters the city, however, is that His way to glory, was going to be gone about differently. As soon as Jesus entered the city, He went into the city and after His disciples told Him about a group of Greeks who had arrived desiring to see Him, Jesus begins to reveal what would happen…

He responded, John 12:23, “The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified…” This would have only fueled the fire of those ready for Jesus to overthrow Rome immediately. We looked at the phrase Son of Man and how the Scriptures attach that phrase to the Messiah (Daniel 7:13-14). The people were hearing what He was saying and would have been ready to celebrate…The hour has come!! But His very next statement would begin to shift their expectations of Him, Vs. 24, “Truly, truly I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit.” In attaching this statement to His time to be glorified, Jesus was giving them His way to glory, the conditions of His conquest, and that was, by His death and resurrection.

Jesus was not going to establish His kingdom by making the call to overthrow Rome, but rather, by committing to the call to lay down His life by being lifted up on a Roman cross. And what we will see and study this morning is that Jesus’ commitment to the call to died on the cross, is the call that draws us all.

 

John 12:27-36

 

As mentioned, chronologically, we are into Jesus’ final week. Certainly, throughout Jesus’ life, the cross has been on the horizon. Acts 2:23, tells us that Jesus was delivered up according to the definite plan and foreknowledge of God, Revelation 13:8 calls Him the lamb slain from the foundation of the world, from Isaiah 53:4-6, we know that He would be pierced for our transgressions and crushed for our iniquities, on Him would be the punishment that brings us peace, and by His wounds, we are healed.  On three occasions Jesus told His disciples that He would suffer, be rejected, and killed, but would rise on the third day (Matthew 16:21, 17:22-23; 20:18-19). All that said, the cross was on the horizon for Him and He knew it. It was the call He was committed to and the call that draws us all.

With the cross in view, want to offer three truths that help us understand the call that draws us all…

 

1. Start With Jesus’ Decision of Purpose over Distress

 

John 12:27, “Now My soul has become troubled; and what am I to say? ‘Father, save Me from this hour’? But for this purpose I came to this hour.

 

• It was in verse 23 that Jesus had said “the hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified.” He followed that up by using the analogy of as seed. If the seed is not buried, if the seed does not die, it will not bear fruit.

 

• In other words, the hour had come for Him to be gloried through His death, which was His purpose.

 

• Jesus had said many times because that His hour had not yet come (2:4; 7:30; 8:20), but now He is saying that “the hour has come.” And “for this purpose I came to this hour.”

 

• The cross is on the horizon, just a few short days away, He understands His purpose, but here, He also expresses distress.

 

• What He says specifically is, “now my soul has become troubled…”

 

• This statement is unique to the book of John, but the fact that He had become “troubled” is not.

 

• Matthew, Mark, and Luke record how Jesus, the night before his crucifixion experienced anguish, sorrow, and was troubled…

 

Matthew 26:37(b)-39, …He began to be sorrowful and troubled.  Then he said to them, “My soul is very sorrowful, even to death; remain here, and watch with me.” And going a little farther he fell on his face and prayed, saying, “My Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as you will.”

 

Mark 14:34, My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death…

 

Luke 22:44, Being in agony, He was praying very fervently; and His sweat became like drops of blood, falling down upon the ground.

 

• Jesus was praying in the Garden of Gethsemane the night before His crucifixion in Matthew, Mark, and Luke. Here He is, days before His arrest and crucifixion and He reveals that His soul is troubled.

 

• The word “troubled” is a Greek word, tarassō. It means to agitate, shake, stir up, distress, or cause inward commotion.

 

• It was the same word used to describe physical water being stirred at the Pool of Bethesda.

 

• Here, Jesus uses the word to describe how He is feeling spiritually, and emotionally.

 

• I’m troubled, distressed, agitated, stirred up…Why? Because of His call to go to the cross.

 

• Going to the cross had implications for Him both physically, and spiritually.

 

• He was going to be mocked, beaten, whipped, bloodied, consigned to carry a Roman cross that He would be nailed to and crucified on. A crown of thorn would be placed on His head, He will die on the cross.

 

• But His turmoil was not just physical, it was spiritual. Jesus was the sinless Savior, but He was going to bear the sins of the world.

 

1 Peter 2:24, He himself bore our sins” in his body on the cross, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; “by his wounds you have been healed.

 

2 Corinthians 5:21, God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.

 

• He took on the sin of humanity and the guilt of that sin.

 

Galatians 3:13, Christ redeemed us from the curse of the Law, having become a curse for us.

 

Isaiah 53:5, But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on him.

 

• Jesus prayed in the Garden, “If it’s possible let this cup pass from me.” The next day he would bare the sins of the world. He would take upon himself the wrath of God for sin on His own body. All of the punishment for sin, He would take.

 

• That’s the cup, the cup of judgment, the cup of the wrath against sin. Jesus paid the penalty for our sin.

 

• And it would be at that moment that Jesus would experience separation from the Father.

 

Matthew 27:46, Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, “Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani?” that is, “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?”

 

• In that moment He felt the fellowship with his Father and He felt utterly alone and abandoned as the Father turned as it were, his face from the Son because God can’t have fellowship with the sin that He judges.

 

• Jesus was forsaken. He was cut off for that time that you may never ever be abandoned or cut off.

 

• So Jesus’ prays, “If it’s possible.” Is there any other way this mission can be accomplished? If possible, let this cup pass, but not my will Lord, your will be done.

 

• Jesus knew that the hour was necessary. Though His soul is troubled, He asked if there was another way, but knowing there wasn’t, He did not ask for the hour to be taken away.

 

• 27, “What am I to say? ‘Father, save Me from this hour’? But for this purpose I came to this hour.”

 

• That question, was a rhetorical one, “what am I to say, save me from this hour? Then “but for this purpose I came to this hour…

 

John 12:28-30, Father, glorify Your name.” Then a voice came out of heaven: “I have both glorified it, and will glorify it again.” So the crowd who stood by and heard it were saying that it had thundered; others were saying, “An angel has spoken to Him!” Jesus responded and said, “This voice has not come for My sake, but for yours.

 

• Jesus wanted God to get the glory, that was His concern, that the name of the Father would be glorified through His perfect life, death, sacrifice and purpose to make the way for humanity to be forgiven of sin and have eternal life.

 

• Then the voice of God the Father gave assurance, “I have both glorified it and will glorify it again…”

 

• There are three times the voice of the Father comes from heave during Jesus’ ministry.

 

• The first is at Jesus’ baptism. He said, “This is my beloved son and whom I am well pleased.” 

 

• The second was at Jesus’ transfiguration, Matthew, Peter, James and John went up to a high mountain, Jesus was gloriously transfigured before them. The voice of God the Father spoke from heaven, “This is my beloved son, listen to him.” 

 

• The third time is here.

 

Illus. Make it clear!

 

• because some people will say, “And I just wish God would just like speak from heaven and say Jesus is the one, got to follow Him.” Well that’s what he did.  At his baptism, he made it unmistakable and the disciples were wondering, “Hmm, could this be the one?”  ” ,” the voice from heaven, to make it unmistakable that that was the one God was sending.  And here at his death, an audible voice.

 

• It is also important to note what Jesus said, “This voice has not come for my sake, but for yours.”

 

• Jesus wanted all to see God’s glory, wanted all to understand the call He had to go to the cross, and He decided on purpose over distress.

 

Hebrews 12:2, Looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.

 

1. Is Displayed through His Death on the Cross for Us

 

John 12:31-34, Now judgment is upon this world; now the ruler of this world will be cast out. And I, if I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to Myself.” Now He was saying this to indicate what kind of death He was going to die. The crowd then answered Him, “We have heard from the Law that the Christ is to remain forever; and how is it that You say, ‘The Son of Man must be lifted up’?

 

• Here Jesus turns the attention directly to His call not only to death, but to the cross specifically, and the victories or outcomes it would bring.

 

• First, He speaks of judgement upon the world.

 

• When Jesus spoke of judgement upon the world, the world is referenced in the sense of the world, or culture of this world in opposition to Jesus.

 

• In other words, it is a reference to the world system against God, and not the earth or creation.

 

• The world would be judged by the way it treated Jesus on the cross. In other words, they believed they were making a judgement on Jesus, but they themselves were being judged.

 

John 3:16-19, “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only Son, so that everyone who believes in Him will not perish, but have eternal life. For God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world, but so that the world might be saved through Him. The one who believes in Him is not judged; the one who does not believe has been judged already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God. And this is the judgment, that the Light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the Light; for their deeds were evil.

 

John 3:19, This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but people loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. (NIV)

 

• This is the judgement, this is the verdict…It is a word that means decision, or turning point.

 

• This is the decision, this is the turning point, this is what it all hinges on.

 

• The Greek word for judgement Jesus spoke in John 3 is the same word used here in John 12, the word is KRISIS (Cree-sis), tt is where we get our English word crisis.

 

• Jesus said, this is the the krisis…Light has come into the world, but the people loved darkness instead of light.

 

• They didn’t want new life, they wanted to keep there’s. They didn’t want His way, they wanted to keep theirs.

 

• Jesus was headed to the cross, it was His call, His purpose for that hour. But the people wanted a different way, they wanted the crown, not the cross.

 

• The fact that the Son of God came to earth to die as a sacrifice for sin is central to God’s redemptive plan.

 

• From Revelation 13:8 we know that Jesus is “the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world”; His death “was foreordained before the foundation of the world” (1 Peter 1:20).

 

• The Bible points us toward the importance of Christ’s sacrifice, atoning for the sins of all who would believe (Isa. 53:4–6;2 Cor. 5:21; 1 Peter 2:24).

 

• Jesus points to another victory of the cross, that ruler of this world would be cast out, which is a reference to satan.

 

• The Bible refers to satan as the ruler of the world on many occasions and in different ways (John 14:30; John 16:1), he is called the god of this who blinds the minds of the unbelieving in 2 Corinthians 4:4, and the prince of power of the air who is working the in the sons of disobedience in Ephesians 2:2.

 

• These are references not to the world in totality, but the world system that has set itself against God.

 

• Jesus’ death on the cross made the way for satan to be defeated and rendered eternally and ultimately powerless in the lives of those who choose Christ.

 

1 Corinthians 15:54(b) – 57, “Death has been swallowed up in victory. Where, O Death, is your victory? Where, O Death, is your sting?” The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the Law; but thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

 

Illus. The sting.

 

• In verse 32 Jesus continued, “And I, if I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to Myself.” Now He was saying this to indicate what kind of death He was going to die.
• Here Jesus is referring to His call to die on the cross. “If I am lifted up from the earth, I will draw all people to myself.”

 

• It is notable that when Jesus said “if I am lifted up,” it is a verb that means both a physical elevation (being raised up on a cross) and also, to be elevated or exalted.

 

• Certainly both aspects are true. When Jesus is lifted up and exalted, people are drawn to Him, the Bible, in the book of revelation depicts people from every nation, tribe and tongue standing before the throne in Revelation 5 and 7.

 

• Certainly there is a spiritual reality to the draw of all people in all placed when He is exalted.

 

• But specifically, Jesus is speaking of His death here (32).

 

John 12:34, The crowd then answered Him, “We have heard from the Law that the Christ is to remain forever; and how is it that You say, ‘The Son of Man must be lifted up’? Who is this Son of Man?

 

•  From Daniel 7, we know that two things about the phrase “Son of Man,” first, that is was a title for the Messiah, and second, that the Son of Man would bring about victory…

 

• Daniel 7:13-14 depicted the Messiah as the the Son of man who would be given authority, glory, power, all nations and people of every language would worship Him, His dominion would be everlasting and would not pass away, His kingdom would never be destroyed.

 

• They were thinking of Daniel 7, but they were missing some things.

 

• They weren’t thinking of Scriptures like Isaiah 53, That tell us He would be wounded for our transgressions, crushed for our inequities. Or Psalm 22 which gives a depiction of His crucifixion hundreds of years before crucifixion was even a thing. Or Daniel 9:26 that says the Messiah will be “cut off.” These among others mention suffering that would come upon Him.

 

Mark 10:45, the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life as a ransom for many.

 

Quote: Henry C. Thiessen (Lectures in Systematic Theology),  “Christ did not come primarily to set us an example, or to teach us doctrine, but to die for us. His death was not an afterthought or an accident, but the accomplishment of a definite purpose in connection with the incarnation. The incarnation is not an end in itself; it is but a means to an end, and that end is the redemption of the lost through the Lord’s death on the Cross.”

 

• The call that draws us starts with Jesus decision of purpose over distress, it is displayed through His death on the cross for us, and lastly…

 

III.   It is Calling You to Declare He Is the Way Out of Darkness

 

John 12:35, So Jesus said to them, “For a little while longer the Light is among you. Walk while you have the Light, so that darkness will not overtake you; also, the one who walks in the darkness does not know where he is going. While you have the Light, believe in the Light, so that you may become sons of Light.”

 

• Jesus here says that those who serve Him follow Him, and those who follow Him will be with Him.

 

John 1:4, In Him was life, and the life was the Light of mankind. And the Light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not grasp it.

 

John 1:9, This was the true Light that, coming into the world, enlightens every person.

 

• When Jesus born and went to the temple on the 8^th day, there was a man filled with the Holy Spirit there name Simeon who called Jesus “a light of revelation for the Gentiles and the glory of Your people Israel” (Luke 2:32)

 

• As Jesus’ ministry began in Galilee Matthew quotes Isaiah and announces Jesus arrival as light dawning upon those sitting in a dark land…. “The people who were sitting in darkness saw a Great Light, and those who were sitting in the land and shadow of death, upon them a Light dawned” (Matthew 4:16).

 

• All this said, we are not surprised to read Jesus’ words here, that He is the light of the world, but for this in His midst, this is their first time hearing this.

 

• And to their understanding, they knew that when Jesus claimed to be the “Light of the world,” He was making no small claim.

 

• His claim to be “the Light” was a claim to His deity, they would have understood that He was telling them that He is the “Light of Life…” He is the God.

 

John 8:12, Then Jesus again spoke to them, saying, “I am the Light of the world; the one who follows Me will not walk in the darkness, but will have the Light of life.”

 

• We looked at this word life in John 8 and it is life eternal, zoē.

 

John 12:35, Jesus said to them, “For a little while longer the Light is among you. Walk while you have the Light, so that darkness will not overtake you; also, the one who walks in the darkness does not know where he is going. While you have the Light, believe in the Light, so that you may become sons of Light.”

 

• Since his light is eternal life, the opposite would be the darkness of eternal death.

 

• Here Jesus points to a decision that must be made, and it is a limited time opportunity.

 

To those in the days of Noah who had turned on and turned off the light in their life…

 

Genesis 6:3, the Lord said, “My Spirit will not remain with man forever, because he is also flesh; nevertheless his days shall be 120 years.”

 

2 Corinthians 6:2, For He says, “In the time of my favor I heard you, and in the day of salvation I helped you.” I tell you, now is the time of God’s favor, now is the day of salvation.

 

Illus. Light I.D.

John 12:27-36

27 “Now My soul has become troubled; and what am I to say? ‘Father, save Me from this hour’? But for this purpose I came to this hour. 28Father, glorify Your name.” Then a voice came out of heaven: “I have both glorified it, and will glorify it again.” 29So the crowd who stood by and heard it were saying that it had thundered; others were saying, “An angel has spoken to Him!” 30Jesus responded and said, “This voice has not come for My sake, but for yours. 31Now judgment is upon this world; now the ruler of this world will be cast out. 32And I, if I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to Myself.” 33Now He was saying this to indicate what kind of death He was going to die. 34The crowd then answered Him, “We have heard from the Law that the Christ is to remain forever; and how is it that You say, ‘The Son of Man must be lifted up’? Who is this Son of Man?” 35So Jesus said to them, “For a little while longer the Light is among you. Walk while you have the Light, so that darkness will not overtake you; also, the one who walks in the darkness does not know where he is going. 36While you have the Light, believe in the Light, so that you may become sons of Light.”