John 12:28-36 When He is lifted up

²⁸ Father, glorify your name!”
Then a voice came from heaven, “I have glorified it, and will glorify it again.” ²⁹ The crowd that was there and heard it said it had thundered; others said an angel had spoken to him.
³⁰ Jesus said, “This voice was for your benefit, not mine. ³¹ Now is the time for judgment on this world; now the prince of this world will be driven out. ³² And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself.” ³³ He said this to show the kind of death he was going to die.
³⁴ The crowd spoke up, “We have heard from the Law that the Messiah will remain forever, so how can you say, ‘The Son of Man must be lifted up’? Who is this ‘Son of Man’?”
³⁵ Then Jesus told them, “You are going to have the light just a little while longer. Walk while you have the light, before darkness overtakes you. Whoever walks in the dark does not know where they are going. ³⁶ Believe in the light while you have the light, so that you may become children of light.” When he had finished speaking, Jesus left and hid himself from them.


I know that we have read and studied a good portion of this chapter already, but some of the passages have had overlap, and this is one of them. I really wanted to focus on these verses again, so I hope you will bear with me.

One of our family is studying in eastern Europe, and has rekindled our interest in some of the countries there, and the history that they embody. You may recall (if you are as old as me) that in the 1980's the government of Polish Prime Minister Jaruzelski declared martial law in an attempt to crush the freedom seekers, the Solidarity Movement. Jaruzelski's government also ordered that crucifixes be removed from classroom walls, just the same as they'd been banned in factories, hospitals, and other public institutions. Catholic bishops attacked the ban that had stirred waves of resentment and anger across the country. The government relented, leaving the law on the books, but agreeing not to press for removal of the crosses -- especially in the school rooms.

Chuck Colson's book, Kingdoms in Conflict, relates the rest of the story:

               But one zealous Communist school administrator in Garwolin decided that the
               law was the law. So one evening he had seven large crucifixes removed from
               lecture halls where they had hung since the school’s founding in the twenties.
               Days later, a group of parents entered the school and hung more crosses. The
               administrator promptly had these taken down as well.
              The next day two-thirds of the school’s six hundred students staged a sit-in. When
              heavily armed riot police arrived, the students were forced into the streets. Then
              they marched, crucifixes held high, to a nearby church where they were joined by
              twenty-five hundred other students from nearby schools for a morning of prayer in
              support of the protest. Soldiers surrounded the church. But the pictures from inside
              of students holding crosses high above their heads flashed around the world. So did
              the words of the priest who delivered the message to the weeping congregation that
              morning. "There is no Poland without a cross."

Here in the US, we are following the same path as the government of Poland -- we have removed prayer from our schools and any public gathering; we have removed the ten commandments from our buildings; we have taken down crosses from public buildings.

The cross and Jesus being lifted up are the focus of our studies this week. Jesus' words, "if I be lifted up from the earth, I will draw all men unto me" are fulfilled in the hearts and lives of women and men everywhere.
Remember this verse in the third chapter of John?
        
             "As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of
              man be lifted up: that whosoever believeth may in him have eternal life."
              (John 3:14-15)

We discussed the Old Testament background, from the twenty-first chapter of Numbers. The people were speaking against God, and against Moses, "our soul loatheth this vile bread." Wow! Pretty strong words about the manna that was miraculously provided by God, and which was sustaining them in the wilderness.
In the same way, the Jews in Christ's day were speaking in much the same way about the Bread of heaven which God had sent to them . . . the most precious gift of His Son . . . and they seemed to be saying, "we hate this Man!" in much the same way that the children of Israel hated the manna.

Recall how God saw the spirit of the people in Numbers, and sent serpents among the people. Then Moses was instructed to raise a serpent on his staff, and the people could look to that and receive healing.  This serpent lifted up in the wilderness was the symbol of the judgment of God. The judgment and curse of God which rested upon the rebellious people were transferred to that serpent. It was transfixed to the cross, carrying the curse and the judgment of God upon itself for the people, and whosoever looked to the serpent was saved.

In using that bit of the Old Testament, the Lord Jesus was only saying: 'I am going to be made a curse for you. When I am lifted up I shall bear YOUR judgment upon Myself. I shall carry YOUR sins in My body on the tree.' There is deliverance in Christ crucified from the curse and from the judgment, and whosoever will look shall live.

We'll study more about when He is lifted up, next time.

Friday slowdown

How deep the Father's love for us,
How vast beyond all measure
That He should give His only Son
To make a wretch His treasure

How great the pain of searing loss,
The Father turns His face away
As wounds which mar the chosen One,
Bring many sons to glory

Behold the Man upon a cross,
My sin upon His shoulders
Ashamed I hear my mocking voice,
Call out among the scoffers

It was my sin that left Him there
Until it was accomplished
His dying breath has brought me life
I know that it is finished

I will not boast in anything
No gifts, no power, no wisdom
But I will boast in Jesus Christ
His death and resurrection

Why should I gain from His reward?
I cannot give an answer
But this I know with all my heart
His wounds have paid my ransom

Three invitations, Conclusion

The third invitation that we find in this passage is this: Jesus invites us to share His resurrection.

The death that Jesus died led to His resurrection, and the death that He asks us to die -- a death to both sin and selfishness -- also leads to resurrection.  We will have gone from death to life.
Hey, it's not a negative thing, it's a positive thing! It doesn't end up in darkness; it shows us the way to light.
And we don't lose anything -- we gain everything. Paul gave up everything to follow Christ -- he was hugely powerful and respected, a religious leader with oodles of authority. He lost that career, and most of his friends. But when he looked back, he said:
           
           But whatever was to my profit I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. What is more,
           I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ
           Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish, that I
           may gain Christ. (Philippians 3:7-8)

And Paul also explained it to the Romans:

                I’m using this freedom language because it’s easy to picture. You can readily
                recall, can’t you, how at one time the more you did just what you felt like
               doing — not caring about others, not caring about God — the worse your life
               became and the less freedom you had? And how much different is it now as
               you live in God’s freedom?  (Romans 6:19, The Message)

I hope that you will not think I'm irreverent, but Jesus is not a party-pooper. He is not the spoiler of good times. He did not come to give us boredom, but to give us life.
It wears me out sometimes that some Christians want to be solemn and somber and oh-so-righteous all the time. It's like they think they simply cannot have fun -- that would be bad!  I just don't think that is the case! Jesus is the Creator of joy, and of pleasant times and merriment. If He created joyfulness, then it can't be bad to celebrate or to have a sense of humor!

Yes, He came to give us life. He offers us His resurrection. And we cannot achieve the Christian life by our own efforts at being "good." That will never, ever work. It's not something that we can accomplish -- it is a life that must come from God. As we hear people say, "It's a God thing." It happens when His Holy Spirit enters our lives and begins His transforming work.

Sounds wonderful, right? But to many human beings who are self-confirmed "control freaks" it can also be frightening. They wonder what God will do to them, or with them. How can they give up control? Will people think they are strange, or even fanatical? How will they know how to act?

Max Lucado is a prolific writer, and in Six Hours One Friday he tells this story:

A missionary in Brazil had discovered a tribe of Indians in a remote part of the jungle near a large river. The tribe needed medical attention. A contagious disease was ravaging the population and they were desperately in need of medication. Many of them needed to be hospitalized. People were dying every day. There was a hospital not very far away, but in order to get there you had to cross the river. The people of the tribe would not cross it, because they believed that evil spirits lived in the river. They were certain that to enter the water would mean certain death — or worse. The missionary explained that he had crossed the river and nothing evil happened to him, but they were not convinced. The missionary took them to the bank and placed his hand in the water. Still they wouldn’t go in. He decided to walk into the water up to his waist; he even splashed water on his face. It made no difference. They were still afraid to enter the river. Finally, he dove into the river, swam beneath the surface until he emerged on the other side. Once there, he smiled and raised a triumphant hand into the air. He had entered the river and lived. It was then that the people of the tribe broke into a cheer and followed him across.

What will it take to convince us to dive in? The only thing that we will lose is our sickness (sin) and the only thing we will gain is wholeness and life! The fabulous news of the gospel is that someone has gone before us to the other side, and He has lifted His hand in victory. He assures us that we will not only survive, but we will have life -- better than we've ever known before!

Why would we pass this up? Why would we miss the life that God wants to give us, to keep the life that is causing us so many problems and is so ultimately unsatisfying?

Christ offers life in all its fullness:
          
          The thief comes only to steal and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and
          have it to the full.  (John 10:10)

Grab hold of that abundant life today!

Three invitations, Part II

The second of the three invitations in this passage is an invitation to life. Let's dive in to John 12:23-28 again!

If you were to compare all of the great religions of this world, they all have something to say about death, and the "hereafter." Muslims believe in Paradise; Hindus believe in multiple heavenly levels, Buddhism teaches there is a state called Nirvana, where there is no suffering, but only because there is no desire or sense of self. There is nothing.

The death that Jesus invites us to, that we studied on Monday, results in life.

            We were therefore buried with Him through baptism into death in order that, just
            as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may
            live a new life. (Romans 6:4)

I remember when our kids were learning about the first law of Thermodynamics; do you recall that principle? It says that mass or energy are never destroyed -- they just change form. As an example, if a piece of oak firewood is burned, its basic elements are not destroyed. Heat releases the gases in the wood and they are turned into energy, warming us as we stand in front of the hearth. Carbon, in the form of the ashes, is left -- but the energy and mass of the wood are not gone; they've merely changed form.
When water evaporates, it is not gone. It's not destroyed. It changes form until it returns to the earth again as rain or sleet or hail.
When we die to ourselves, we don't cease to exist, or go into a great Nothingness. We are changed.
We are transformed.

            He who believes in me will live, even though he dies; and whoever lives and
            believes in me will never die. (John 11:26)

Here is another way that we can understand it:

           For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. When Christ, who is
           your life, appears, then you will also appear with Him in glory. Put to death, therefore,
           whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil
           desires and greed, which is idolatry. Because of these, the wrath of God is coming.
           You used to walk in these ways, in the life you once lived. ⁸ But now you must also
           rid  yourselves of all such things as these: anger, rage, malice, slander, and filthy
           language from your lips. ⁹ Do not lie to each other, since you have taken off your old
           self with its practices ¹⁰ and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in
           knowledge in the image of its Creator. (Colossians 3:3-10)

Jesus truly invites us to Life -- and what a life it is!

           Therefore if anyone be in Christ, he (or she) is a new creature: old things are
           passed away; behold, all things are become new.  (II Corinthians 5:17)
         

 

Prayer requests

 

 

We've spoken before about how to pray when our needs are desperate, or when we are broken-hearted. Prayer is also a privilege when we are thankful!

 

Life in this world is definitely a roller coaster, isn't it?

 

Life has its miraculous moments, its times of sheer joy. Our Bible contains many situations where people are expressing their gratitude to God, and many different forms of thanks will please Him.

 

Remember when God saved the fleeing Israelites from Pharaoh, by parting the Red Sea and then letting the waters roll over Pharaoh and his armies?

 

              Then Miriam the prophetess, Aaron's sister, took a tambourine in her hand,

              and all the women followed her, with tambourines and dancing.  (Exodus 15:20)

 

And don't forget that David danced with joy because of God's goodness and intervention in his life.

 

After Jesus ascended into heaven, his disciples were thankful:

 

                (they) worshiped him and returned to Jerusalem with great joy. And they stayed

                continually at the temple, praising God. (Luke 24:52-53)

 

God desires our praise.

He certainly deserves our praise.

We can play instruments, sing, dance, shout, laugh, and even cry with tears of joy. Sometimes our most eloquent prayers will have no words at all, but God will understand perfectly!

 

What would you like to thank Him for today?

 



John 12:23-28 Three invitations

This week we will find three invitations from Jesus in these verses.
Let's dive in!

Many people are attracted to Jesus on different levels. They are amazed at His ability to heal. They are thunderstruck by His wisdom. They find (as many humans do) the idea of His power very attractive. They even think that they might be like Him . . . until they begin to realize what He did, and the sacrifices that He made. They might like to live His life, but they would not like to die His death. But as we will learn in this passage, there is a sense in which He is inviting us to do exactly that.
              Jesus replied, “The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified. ²⁴ Very
             truly I tell you, unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains
             only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds. ²⁵ Anyone who loves their
            life will lose it, while anyone who hates their life in this world will keep it for eternal
            life. ²⁶ Whoever serves me must follow me; and where I am, my servant also will be.
           My Father will honor the one who serves me. ²⁷ “Now my soul is troubled, and what
           shall I say? ‘Father, save me from this hour’? No, it was for this very reason I came
           to this hour. ²⁸ Father, glorify your name!” Then a voice came from heaven, “I have
           glorified it, and will glorify it again.”

The first of the three invitations is that Jesus is inviting us to share in His death.  That is kinda shocking in today's world, so let's look at this closely. It is not a literal death on a cross, or any other kind of physical death, necessarily, but it is a death that can be drastic and painful.

Look again as He describes (His own) death and says, "I tell you the truth, unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds." Farmers know that a seed that doesn't die is not good for anything. It just lies on the ground and never germinates, never grows a plant, never fulfills its potential.
When the right kind of seed lies in the ground and comes into contact with moisture, it looks like it is rotting, but as it dies a beautiful green shoot begins to rise from it. It's being transformed! Death has transformed it to become something greater than it was. Because of the death of that one seed, a plant will live that will produce a great deal of fruit -- and many more seeds.

Jesus knew that like that seed, His death would lead to life for many. It would also lead to life for Himself. Just imagine what would have happened if Jesus had clung to His life and not been willing to die . . . there would have been no resurrection for Him, or for us. There would be no salvation from our sins, and there would be no Savior to whom we could go and ask forgiveness. There would be no grace, only the law.

You see, Jesus knew that His death was necessary in order to bring eternal life to those who believed in Him. Only by His dying, could they live. He quickly followed by saying, "The man who loves his life will lose it, while the man who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life. Whoever serves me must follow me; and where I am, my servant will also be." (John 12:25-26) If we are to follow Him, we must join Him in a death of sorts . . .

Here is what we mean: it is a death to self. It is dying to the life we want to live, in order to live the life that He wants us to live. If we cling tenaciously to OUR lives, OUR plans, and our sin, then we will die spiritually. If we lay down our lives, then we discover a life that we never would have known was possible.
If I die to what I was, to what I planned and desired, then I become something else; I become something far greater than my former self could ever have been.
We must die to those plans that are not a part of His plan for us. We must die to the desire to have total control of our lives. We must also die to pride, and to demanding our own ways. We have to put aside stubbornness, selfishness, and those sins that we would like to just overlook and say, "oh, that's not a big deal."
But look at the discovery we will make: when we die to those things, we come to life for the first time! We can say with Paul, "I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me." (Galatians 2:20)
You see, when we think we are "really living" or "living it up" we are fooling ourselves. There is no real contentment or fulfillment there. We are just existing. In order to live, we must die to anything that we are depending on for meaning, for purpose, and for happiness --- other than God. There's no other way. But if we lose our lives, we will find them. There are lots of people who can tell you that they have found life only by dying to their old lives.

And they will also tell you it was more than worth it.

Friday Slowdown

 Hosanna, loud hosanna, 
 the little children sang, 
 through pillared court and temple 
 the lovely anthem rang. 
 To Jesus, who had blessed them 
 close folded to his breast, 
 the children sang their praises, 
 the simplest and the best. 

 From Olivet they followed 
 mid an exultant crowd, 
 the victor palm branch waving, 
 and chanting clear and loud. 
 The Lord of earth and heaven 
 rode on in lowly state, 
 nor scorned that little children 
 should on his bidding wait. 

 "Hosanna in the highest!" 
 that ancient song we sing, 
 for Christ is our Redeemer, 
 the Lord of heaven our King. 
 O may we ever praise him 
 with heart and life and voice, 
 and in his blissful presence 
 eternally rejoice! 

_____________________________________________________________



Praise is rising, eyes are turning to You, we turn to You
Hope is stirring, hearts are yearning for You, we long for You
'Cause when we see You, we find strength to face the day
In Your Presence all our fears are washed away, washed away

CHORUS
Hosanna, hosanna
You are the God Who saves us, worthy of all our praises
Hosanna, hosanna
Come have Your way among us
We welcome You here, Lord Jesus

Hear the sound of hearts returning to You, we turn to You
In Your Kingdom broken lives are made new, You make us new
'Cause when we see You, we find strength to face the day
In Your Presence all our fears are washed away, washed away

 'Cause when we see You, we find strength to face the day
In Your Presence all our fears are washed away
'Cause when we see You, we find strength to face the day
In Your Presence all our fears are washed away, washed away

CHORUS
Hosanna, hosanna
You are the God Who saves us, worthy of all our praises
Hosanna, hosanna
Come have Your way among us
We welcome You here, Lord Jesus
(Repeat)
Hosanna, hosanna