WE WANT TO SEE JESUS!

March 18, 2018

Pastor Mark Bartels

Old Testament Lesson; Jeremiah 31:31-34

Epistle Lesson; Hebrews 5:7-9

Sermon Text; John 12:20-33

The text we are going to look at today, is taken from John, chapter 20, verses 20 through 33. This is a pretty deep text. So, we are going to dive, maybe, a little deeper than we normally do. I want to tell you that context is important. So it is important to know that this particular even we are going to read about happened two days before Jesus was arrested. It happened in the temple in Jerusalem. This is in Jesus' name.

Now there were some Greeks among those who went up to worship at the Festival. They came to Philip, who was from

Bethsaida in Galilee, and asked him, “Sir, we want to see Jesus.” Philip went to tell Andrew. Andrew came with Philip and told Jesus. Jesus answered them, “The time has come for the Son of Man to be glorified. Amen, Amen, I tell you: Unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it continues to be one kernel. But if it dies, it produces much grain. Anyone who loves his life destroys it. And the one who hates his life in this world will hold on to 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, the Father will honor him.

“Now my soul is troubled. And what shall I say? 'Father, save me from this hour'? No, this is the reason I came to this hour. Father, glorify you name!” A voice came from Heaven: “I have glorified my name, and I will glorify it again.” The crowd standing there heard it and said it thundered. Others said an angel talked to Him. Jesus answered, “This voice was not for my sake but for yours.

“Now is the judgment of this world. Now the ruler of this world will be thrown out. And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself.” He said this to indicate what kind of death He was going to die.

These are your words, Heavenly Father. Lead us in the way of truth. Your Word is truth.

Amen

If someone came up to you, and they said, “How do you know The Bible isn't just a bunch of made up stories, made up by a bunch of guys? And, how do you know you can trust The Bible anymore than you can trust any other religious book in the world?”, what would you answer? How would you reply to that? That is a tough question. Now, we all, of course, would say in our own hearts, “The Holy Spirit has convinced me Jesus is my Savior, and I am a sinner. I understand we can't prove to someone that The Bible is true.” However, there is lots of evidence, factual evidence, out there that lends great credence, and what we call 'veracity' to The Bible. While we can't prove to anyone The Bible is absolutely true, I would say what you could do is imagine somebody was sitting on a three legged stool, when they say, “I just believe The Bible is a bunch of made up stories.” You may not be able to prove to them it is true, but I think you could 'kick out one of the legs of that stool' so all of a sudden they would start to 'lose their balance', and say, “Wait a second. Maybe I should not be sitting on this 'stool' thinking The Bible is not true. Maybe there really is some truth to The Bible.”

I am going to give you one of the bits of factual evidence that really causes people to pause, and say, “Maybe there is some truth to The Bible.” One of those bits of factual evidence is what we call 'Fulfilled Prophesies of The Old Testament'. For a couple thousand years, before Jesus came, there were more than 300 prophesies made regarding Christ. When Jesus came to this earth every single one of them was fulfilled. Maybe you have heard the statistics on the chances of something like that happening. There once was a scholar who understood what is called 'Probability'. He asked, “What if we just had eight of those Old Testament prophesies? What are the chances that someone would come, and fulfill all eight of those Old Testament prophesies?”

Probability wise, the chances are “one times ten to the seventeenth power” that someone would fulfill all eight Old Testament prophesies. To put it graphically, he went on, and explained, “That would be like

-taking the state of Texas, and

-filling it two feet high with silver dollars, and

-spray painting one of those silver dollars.

-Then, stirring all of those silver dollars up.

-Blind folding someone, and

-sending them out into that state of Texas, filled with silver dollars two feet high, and

-asking them to pick up just one.

The chances of them picking up the one that was spray painted is:

1 times 10, to the seventeenth power.

It is probably not going to happen. That is the chance of someone fulfilling 8, 8 Old Testament prophesies.

Jesus fulfilled 300 of them!

300!

It would certainly cause a reasonable person to pause and say, “It certainly appears the author behind The Old Testament, the Ultimate Author was all knowing. He knew what was going to happen. He could control the future. It certainly appears the Author of The Old Testament was God, Himself.”

Now, to make it even deeper, when Jesus came to this earth, (who is the fulfillment of those Old Testament prophesies), Jesus, Himself, began to make prophesies. He began to make prophesies about Himself. He began to prophesy He was going to die, and that He was going to rise from the dead in three days. Jesus made those prophesies many times, and from many different angles. What we discover is that all of the prophesies that Jesus made about Himself, actually and factually came true. That would cause someone to pause, and say, “How could Jesus know what was going to happen to its utmost detail, unless He is all-knowing, unless He has the ability to control events, and future events?” It would certainly cause someone to pause, and say, “Could it be that Jesus really is who He claimed to be, because He claimed to God?”

So, here is what I want to do today. I want to talk about the different forms of prophesy Jesus used to predict, or prophesy that He was going to die, and three days later, He was going to rise from the dead. Jesus did this multiple times, and in multiple ways.

These all came true!

They were all fulfilled!

So, first of all He made just what are called,

-'Plain Old, Clear Statements' telling people, “I am going to die. I am going to be crucified.”

Then, He used what are called,

-'Metaphors'. A 'metaphor' is when you 'say something is like something'. We will look at some of those,

Then, He used something called,

-'Parables'. A 'parable' is 'an earthly story, with a heavenly meaning'. He used those to prophesy His death.

Then, He used

-'Types'. 'Types' are 'things that happened in The Old Testament that were pictures of Him dying, and rising from the dead'. He used them to prophesy His death, and resurrection.

He used what are called,

-'Euphemisms'. A 'euphemism' is 'a gentle way of saying something very difficult'. We will look at few of those.

Then, He used something called,

-'Axioms'. An 'axiom' is just 'a principle, or a statement of principle'.

Now, given all of that, I want to walk you into today's scripture reading. I am going to go back to an Old Testament prophesy from 1 Kings, chapter eight, verses 41 through 43. Solomon had just built the temple. He was praying to God in the temple he had just built in Jerusalem. It is the very temple Jesus is now standing in, during today's text. Here is what it said.

“As for the foreigner who does not belong to your people Israel, but has come from a distant land, because of your name for they will hear of your great name, and your mighty hand, and your outstretched arm, when they come and pray toward this temple, then hear them from Heaven, your dwelling place.”

That was a prophesy that foreigners would hear about the mighty power, the mighty hand of God, and they would come to the temple. What happens in today's text?

“Now there were some Greeks

among those who went up to worship at the Festival.”

Those were foreigners who had now come to the temple.

Why had they come? It says,

“They came to Philip, who was from Bethesaida in Galilee,

and asked him,

'Sir, we want to see Jesus.'”

This is fulfillment of Old Testament prophesy. The Old Testament had said foreigners would come from distant lands, and they would want to call on the name of the Lord. They had heard about the mighty power of Jesus. They had heard about Jesus, and now they wanted to see Him.

I want you to see how Jesus, now responds to this. Jesus responds by prophesying His death, and His resurrection from the dead. This prophesy is being fulfilled as we speak. One of the forms of prophesy Jesus used about His death were simply clear statements in scripture. Here is an example, taken from Mark, chapter eight, verse 31.

“He began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things, and be rejected by the elders, and the chief priests, and the scribes, and be killed. After three days, rise again.”

Let me ask you something. Did all of those things happen? They did!

How did Jesus know they were going to happen? Could it be He is who He claimed to be, that He is God, and He knows the future, and can control the future?

One of the forms of prophesy Jesus used to prophesy His death are what we call 'Metaphors'. A 'metaphor' is 'using something as a reference, or a picture, or it is like something'. So, here are some metaphors Jesus used to predict His death.

He used the metaphor of The Good Shepherd. A shepherd has a job of protecting, and watching over his sheep. Here is what Jesus said.

“I am the Good Shepherd”,

implying we are His sheep, and He is there to protect us.

Then, He said,

“The Good Shepherd lays down His life for the sheep”,

predicting His death. Did Jesus lay down His life for the sheep?

Let's look at the next one. He used the metaphor of the temple. One day, He was standing in the temple, and said,

“Destroy this temple,

and in three days I will raise it up again.”

The Bible says He was not referring to that temple of stone, but He was referring to His body, which is the very temple of God. He is God in the flesh. He was saying, “Destroy this temple...” Did they do that? They did. In three days He rose, again.

Another metaphor is of the seed, and the metaphor of the hour. In today's text, Jesus uses these two metaphors to prophesy His death, and resurrection. Look at this. It is from today's scripture reading.

Jesus answered them,

“The time has come for the Son of Man to be glorified.

Amen, Amen.

I tell you: Unless

(unless what? Here comes a prophesy of His death. He is using a picture, a metaphor. He says),

“Unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies,

it continues to be one kernel.

But if it dies, it produces much grain.”

There Jesus is foretelling that He is going to die. He is going to be buried. He is going to rise. And, He is going to produce many 'kernels', many followers.

Did that happen? You are proof of it. You are proof of the many, many, many followers Jesus prophesied would follow Him. Did you know Christianity is the biggest religion in the entire world? That is proof, when Jesus said, “I am going to die. I am going to rise. I am going to produce many, many, many followers who come after me.”

Let's look at the next one. In this same text Jesus used the metaphor of the hour. The word 'hour', means 'this time is coming, this moment is coming, and it is this massive, huge, gigantic moment'.

Prior to Holy Week, the Bible always said, “Jesus' hour had not yet come.” “The hour had not yet come.” What hour? Well, now it is two days before Jesus is arrested, and dies. Jesus says,

“Now my soul is troubled. And what shall I say? 'Father, save me from this hour'? No, this is the reason I came to this hour.”

So now, Jesus is saying the moment has come. The moment has come, and this is why I came to this earth.

Did that happen? Yes, in just two days, in just two days He was arrested, and He was put to death on the cross, just as He had prophesied, and as He had predicted.

Certainly, that causes credibility to everything Jesus says about Himself.

One of the other forms of prophesy Jesus used to foretell His death was what we call 'parables'. One of those parables was The Parable of the Wicked Tenants. Jesus said the Kingdom of Heaven is like a man who rented out his land to some tenants. The landowner went to a far distant country, and sent his servants to collect the rent. When the servants came to collect the rent, the tenants drove them out, and they killed some of them.

So, the landowner said, “I will send my son. Certainly, they will respect, and honor my son.”

When the tenants saw the son coming, they conspired among themselves, and said, “Let's kill his son. Then, the land will all be ours.”

Jesus used that to predict the leaders of Israel would conspire against Him, and they would put Him to death.

Did that happen? That is exactly what happened. Certainly, lending credence to Jesus being who He claimed to be – God in the flesh.

Another type of prophesy Jesus used was what we call 'pictures from The Old Testament'. Jesus said this about Himself.

“Just as Jonah was in the belly of the fish for three days, and three nights, so the Son of Man (talking about Himself) will be in the belly of the earth for three days and three nights.”

There again, He prophesied His death, and His resurrection. That happened.

Last week, Pastor Tweit talked about the Bronze Serpent, (whenever anybody was bitten by a snake, a poisonous snake, if they looked up at that bronze serpent, they would live.)Jesus said,

“Just as the serpent was lifted up in the desert, so the Son of Man must be lifted up. So whoever looks to Him will live.” There Jesus again, prophesied the type of death, and the crucifixion He would die on the cross.

He also used what are 'euphemisms' to foretell His death. A euphemism is a nice way of saying something hard. For example, instead of saying somebody died, you say they passed away. It is a nice way of saying it. One time Jesus said,

“The Son of Man will go just as it is written about Him.”

In The Old Testament it was prophesied He would suffer and die, and so He is saying in a nice way, “I am going to suffer and die”.

In today's text He uses a euphemism, a nice way of saying what is going to happen to Him. He said,

“And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself.” He said this to indicate what kind of death He was going to die.

Jesus said, “...when I am lifted from the earth”, that is to indicate the type of death He was going to die. He was prophesying He would be lifted up on a cross, and He would die.

Did that happen? Yes, it did.

Again, all of this adds veracity to what scripture says, and certainly causes you to pause, and say, “Mustn't that be the Word of God? Mustn't Jesus be who He claimed to be, that all of these prophesies came true?”

Look at what He said,

“When I am lifted from the earth, I will draw all people to myself.”

There is His prophesy that people all over the world would be drawn to Him, because of His being lifted up on the cross. That is a powerful prophesy. You have been drawn to Jesus. He prophesied, He prophesied that all people would be drawn to Him. The Greek word there for “drawn” is actually the Greek word for “dragged”. It is like this dead body that has to be dragged. The Holy Spirit has dragged us to the cross, where we as sinners say, “Jesus, I have sinned. I need the forgiveness of sins. I need you to wash me clean.” He has brought us to look to Jesus as the One who has forgiven all of our sins, by His death on the cross. A prophesy fulfilled.

The last one, (as I have gone through all of these forms of prophesies - clear statements, metaphors, parables, types, euphemisms), and last type of prophesy Jesus uses is something called an 'axiom'. It is a 'statement of principle'. For example He said,

“Greater love has none than this

that He lays down His life for His friends.”

What was Jesus saying? He was predicting He was going to lay down His life for you. He said, “There is no greater love than to lay down your life for your friend.” Jesus prophesied He would lay down His life for you, and then Jesus did it. He laid down His life on the cross to wash away all of your sins, to make you right with God, to see to it you are justified, and declared not guilty in God's eyes. Then, Jesus goes on, and says this axiom which is also in today's scripture reading. This one is about you. He said,

“Anyone who loves his life,

destroys it.

And the one who hates his life in this world

will hold on to it for eternal life.

If anyone serves me,

let him follow me.

Where I am,

there my servant will be also.

If anyone serves me,

the Father will honor him.”

The axiom is, if you love your life, you will lose your life. What did Jesus mean by that? He meant, if you cling to the things of this world, if you hold tight onto the things of this world, and you are not willing to let them go, if they are more important than Jesus, then Jesus said, “In the end, if you cling to those things in this life, you are going to lose your life in the end.”

On the other hand, He said, “The one who hates his life in this world will hold on to it for eternal life.” There, Jesus is not saying we should hate life, but He is saying, “If you are willing to let go of whatever you may be asked to let go of, and you are willing to say nothing is more important to me than Jesus, if you are willing to cling to your faith in Christ, as the most important thing in the world, then what does Jesus say? You will hold on to your life for eternal life. You will be saved for eternity.”

That is an axiom Jesus gives to us.

May God give us, (because Jesus loved us, and He laid down His life for us), willing hearts to follow Him, serve Him, and give up everything for Him, if need be, because He is our greatest treasure. And, when somebody comes to us, like they did to Philip, and says, “Sir, we would like to see Jesus”, let's show them Jesus.

Amen