Seeing Jesus & Following Him
The Trial of the Christ • Sermon • Submitted
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· 8 viewsIt is easy to find Jesus, but it is costly to follow Him.
Notes
Transcript
New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update Chapter 12
Now there were some Greeks among those who were going up to worship at the feast;
21 these then came to Philip, who was from Bethsaida of Galilee, and began to ask him, saying, “Sir, we wish to see Jesus.”
22 Philip *came and *told Andrew; Andrew and Philip *came and *told Jesus.
23 And Jesus *answered them, saying, “The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified.
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.
25 “He who loves his life loses it, and he who hates his life in this world will keep it to life eternal.
26 “If anyone serves Me, he must follow Me; and where I am, there My servant will be also; if anyone serves Me, the Father will honor him.
There is a big difference between playing a sport and watching it. I have been a college football fan for as long as I remember. I’m a nail biting, yell at the t.v., cheer when we win, cry when we lose kind of fan. It runs deep in my blood. But as much as I love my team, I am not on it. Even those in the stadium, with the capacity to affect the game in some way, really aren’t on the team. Because there is a big difference between being on a team and watching one.
Thank you, you may be seated. There is a big difference between playing a sport and watching it. I have been a college football fan for as long as I remember. I’m a nail biting, yell at the t.v., cheer when we win, cry when we lose kind of fan. It runs deep in my blood. But as much as I love my team, I am not on it. Even those in the stadium, with the capacity to affect the game in some way, really aren’t on the team. Because there is a big difference between being on a team and watching one.
See, when I watch a game, I do so with nachos, boiled peanuts, and a mini-fridge full of sodas. My son Micah doesn’t really care for football, but he watches with me simply because he likes my snacks. I sit on my sofa and crank it up or turn it down depending on whose winning. I text with other fans that are friends and we comment, joke, celebrate, and cry together. But When it’s over, win or lose, I cut it off, clean up my mess and go on with my Saturday. But the team has an entirely different experience.
They stop eating several hours before the game. They go through a week of practice, film study, and prep. They condition year-round to play. Their life outside of classes revolves around that game. Whether they win or lose, they work their tales off, and when it’s over, it takes hours of prep to go home. They face scrutiny from fans, coaches, everyone. Their season is an emotional roller coaster, full of victories, heartache, pain, and joy, all for the hope that in the end, their will be the glory of winning together.
these then came to Philip, who was from Bethsaida of Galilee, and began to ask him, saying, “Sir, we wish to see Jesus.”
Philip came and told Andrew; Andrew and Philip came and told Jesus.
And Jesus answered them, saying, “The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified.
“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.
“He who loves his life loses it, and he who hates his life in this world will keep it to life eternal.
“If anyone serves Me, he must follow Me; and where I am, there My servant will be also; if anyone serves Me, the Father will honor him.
John 12:21-26
Now there were some Greeks among those who were going up to worship at the feast;
these then came to Philip, who was from Bethsaida of Galilee, and began to ask him, saying, “Sir, we wish to see Jesus.”
Philip came and told Andrew; Andrew and Philip came and told Jesus.
And Jesus answered them, saying, “The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified.
“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.
“He who loves his life loses it, and he who hates his life in this world will keep it to life eternal.
“If anyone serves Me, he must follow Me; and where I am, there My servant will be also; if anyone serves Me, the Father will honor him.
Pray:
Thank you, you may be seated. As our passage opens this morning, we are greeted with an interesting scene. Verse 20 reads.
Now there were some Greeks among those who were going up to worship at the feast;
Now, this group of Greeks has a lot to teach us, but if you are taking notes this morning, I want you to write this down as we start off together this morning. I want you to see that
1) Those who seek Jesus will find Him
1) Those who seek Jesus will find Him
a. These Greeks were gentiles. They weren’t Jews, they weren’t a part of God’s people. They feared the one true God, but had not gone through circumcision to become Jews. These folks couldn’t go into the Temple. The closest they got was the court of the Gentiles. It was inside the outer most wall, but was blocked off from where sacrifices and such took place. These gentiles could worship God, but they couldn’t come to where His presence was. The temple was a physical barrier that represented a spiritual one. They worshipped a God they couldn’t know because they weren’t His covenant people.
b. But Jesus came to change that. Jesus came to break down the walls so that anyone who sought God could find Him. And that’s exactly what we find here. These Greeks found Jesus in the crowd. In the midst of this giant sea of people, they sought Him out and found Him. Jesus is easy to find for those that are looking for Him.
c. This shouldn’t surprise us, really, should it? says
8 “For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened.
9 “Or what man is there among you who, when his son asks for a loaf, will give him a stone?
“Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.
“For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened.
“Or what man is there among you who, when his son asks for a loaf, will give him a stone?
New American Standard Bible: 1995 update. (1995). (). La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation. are really looking for Him ().
c. This shouldn’t surprise us, really, should it? says “
D. All around us, there are people that are looking for Jesus. We may not realize it, but there are people looking for Jesus. Some of them are in this very room this morning. They’ve been waiting their whole lives. They’ve felt cut off from God, isolated, just like those Greeks, and they want to find Jesus. And the good news for us is that they will find Him.
b. They ask His followers for them take them to Jesus ()
8 “For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened.
9 “Or what man is there among you who, when his son asks for a loaf, will give him a stone?
22 Philip *came and *told Andrew; Andrew and Philip *came and *told Jesus.
23 And Jesus *answered them, saying, “The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified.
New American Standard Bible: 1995 update. (1995). (). La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation.
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.
25 “He who loves his life loses it, and he who hates his life in this world will keep it to life eternal.
26 “If anyone serves Me, he must follow Me; and where I am, there My servant will be also; if anyone serves Me, the Father will honor him.
New American Standard Bible: 1995 update. (1995). (). La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation.u
8 “For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened.
8 “For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened.
8 “For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened.
b. This shouldn’t surprise us, really, should it?
looking for Him ()
9 “Or what man is there among you who, when his son asks for a loaf, will give him a stone?
Jesus has promised us that if we seek Him, we will find Him. Ask God to reveal Himself to you, and He will. Seek after Him, and you will find Him. And those of us that know Christ, you and I get to have a big part in that happening.
. This shouldn’t surprise us, really, should it?
b. They ask His followers for them take them to Jesus ()
E. How do these Greeks get to see Jesus? How do those that don’t know Jesus get to find Him? They ask His followers for them take them to Jesus ()
New American Standard Bible: 1995 update. (1995). (). La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation.
b. They ask His followers for them take them to Jesus ()
these then came to Philip, who was from Bethsaida of Galilee, and began to ask him, saying, “Sir, we wish to see Jesus.”
2) A disciple’s job is to lead others to Jesus
2) A disciple’s job is to lead others to Jesus
a. “Sir, we wish to see Jesus.” We wish to see Jesus. Won’t you take us to Jesus? Wont you show us the way to Jesus. Who did the Greeks go to so that they could find Jesus? They went to His disciples. And when there are people around us, looking for Jesus, seeking for Jesus, where do you think they will turn?
a. The disciples seem unsure of themselves () We need to be ready to share ()
They will go to His disciples. They will turn to His followers. And I’m not talking about here in this building, this temple. I’m talking about in our everyday lives, even as we’re going along, even as these Greeks encountered Philip here. And poor Philip. He didn’t know quite what to make of it. Philip seemed unsure of what he should do.
Philip came and told Andrew; Andrew and Philip came and told Jesus.
but sanctify Christ as Lord in your hearts, always being ready to make a defense to everyone who asks you to give an account for the hope that is in you, yet with gentleness and reverence;
b. You can almost see them, can’t you. Philip gets this request, and he seems at first to not know exactly what to do. He’s like, what do I do? What should I do. And so he goes to Andrew. Andrew, these guys want to meet Jesus. And Andrew knew, didn’t He. What does it say? “ANDREW AND PHILIP CAME AND TOLD JESUS.
They took them to Jesus. says this.
but sanctify Christ as Lord in your hearts, always being ready to make a defense to everyone who asks you to give an account for the hope that is in you, yet with gentleness and reverence;
c. Our job as Christ followers is to lead people to Jesus. Those that are seeking Jesus should be able to find Him by talking to us, by watching us, by following us. The disciples took them right to Jesus, and so should we. We don’t get to flavor the Gospel with the way that we want it to be. We don’t need fluff, we don’t need to add anything to it. We just need to lead people to Jesus. That’s our whole job.
d. Sometimes, we think that we’re not smart enough to tell people about Jesus, or that we don’t know enough to tell people about Him. But can I ask you something? Do you know Him? If you know Jesus, if you have a relationship with Him, you have everything that you need to lead somebody else to Him. Don’t be afraid. Don’t let fear give you excuses to use.
e. There are two things we need to assume about every person we ever meet. 1) is that they don’t know Jesus, and 2) is that they would like to. And you need to assume these things because it is your job to lead them to Jesus. That’s the reason you are on this earth. That’s what it looks like to be a disciple of Jesus Christ- to know Him and to make Him known. In this life, on this earth, that is all that matters.
f. Knowing Jesus and making Him known is the only thing that matters for us on this planet. Now, most of us would say doesn’t my job matter?
Doesn’t my family matter? Don’t my kids matter? My friends? My rest? The things I enjoy? My retirement? Don’t any of these things matter? And I would tell you sure they matter-in as much as they help you to know Jesus and make Him known.
But Jesus said in
“If anyone comes to Me, and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be My disciple.
He said in
“For whoever is ashamed of Me and My words, the Son of Man will be ashamed of him when He comes in His glory, and the glory of the Father and of the holy angels.
These Greeks came to see Jesus. They came to see Him, and there is a great level of promise in that, because it means they were looking for Him. And they found Him. They found Jesus, but what they heard when they got there probably wasn’t what they were expecting, because what Jesus told them is this:
3) There is a difference between seeing Jesus and following Him-
3) There is a difference between seeing Jesus and following Him-
a. Some of us have come to see Jesus. We have come to see Jesus, but that’s all we want to do. We come here to see Him every Sunday morning, and then we’re good. We come here on Sundays to see something shiny, to feel good about ourselves, and to be with people that we like being around, and all those things are great in as much as they help us to know Jesus and make Him known. But for some of us, that is all that we are here for, and Jesus tells us in this passage that isn’t enough. Let me show you what I mean. Let’s look at Jesus’ response when He meets these Greeks:
And Jesus answered them, saying, “The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified.
b. What is Jesus saying here? Jesus has this group of Greeks who have come to see Him. They have come to see them, and Jesus calls them to more. Jesus is saying that He isn’t here to play church. Jesus is saying that He came to be glorified and that glory was to come at a specific point in a specific way. See, Christ’s glory is tied directly to His death as a sacrifice for us.
“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.
a. Christ’s glory is tied directly to His crucifixion as a sacrifice for us ()
a. Christ’s glory is tied directly to His crucifixion as a sacrifice for us ()
b. How is Jesus’ glory magnified? It’s magnified in the death of this grain of wheat. This word, grain, in Greek is kokkos. It is most of the time translated as seed. When a seed falls from the plant, it is no longer living. It dies. And a seed is no longer valuable unless it becomes something else. Jesus is willing to suffer for the cause God has set before Him, and here Jesus suggests His life would be substantially less valuable if He is unwilling to follow through on God’s will.
It draws us back to the promise of God in . As God cursed the serpent for tempting eve to sin, He promised us the hope of Jesus. says
And I will put enmity
Between you and the woman,
And between your seed and her seed;
He shall bruise you on the head,
And you shall bruise him on the heel.”
Jesus’ death is the seed that bears the fruit of life. Our redemption is born when His death brings us life. Now, that sounds nice, doesn’t it? Jesus dies and we get life. He pays the penalty that we owe for our sin, and We get new life. This is sounding like a winning solution.
-Harkens to the promise of , that the seed of the woman would crush Satan’s head
c. And I’m glad that you can see that Jesus is worth seeking. I’m glad that we understand that Jesus death is the doorway of our salvation, but I need you to understand that Jesus is calling you to something beyond just knowing that. It is good to come and to see and to know that, but if you never go deeper than that, you are not really His disciple. You say, pastor, what are you talking about? Are you saying that we aren’t saved by faith alone? No! Of course I’m not saying that. That is ,
For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God;
not as a result of works, so that no one may boast.
You are saved by faith. But friend, what is faith? Faith is belief in action. See, it is one thing for you to say you believe. It is another thing to act on it.
You might tell me you have faith that a pew will hold your weight without breaking. But until you sit down on it, putting faith in that belief, those are merely words. You could say that you believe a plane can fly, but until you have the faith to get on it and sit down, your words mean nothing. So, you see that your faith is demonstrated by a change that occurs in the way you live your life.
See, Jesus just told our Greek friends here that He was going to die so that they could live and that this was God’s will, and what brings Him glory, and then He says something even more profound:
“He who loves his life loses it, and he who hates his life in this world will keep it to life eternal.
a. The call to Jesus is a call to die.
a. The call to Jesus is a call to die.
a. He who loves his life loses it, and he who hates his life in this world will keep it to life eternal. Jesus just told them that He, the seed, is going to lay down His own life so that they can live, and here He gives them the other half of that thought: Seeing Jesus is one thing, but following Him is something else entirely. If you want to follow Jesus, you have to die. If you want to live, first you have to die.
What Jesus calls us to in this is profound change. Your life must look completely different than it did before, because you are no longer in charge. Those outside of Christ, they make their own decisions based on the things that they want. They chase after their own desires, and they cling to the things of this world because that is their hope. But to follow Jesus, you have to let go of that control. It is no longer sufficient to live for yourself-your life now revolves around the service of a different master.
C. H. Spurgeon, the great preacher and theologian put it like this:
The Metropolitan Tabernacle Pulpit Sermons, Vol. XLII The Rule and Reward of Serving Christ (No. 2,449)
If you take Christ, you must take him in all his characters, not only as Friend, but also as Master; and if you are to become his disciple, you must also become his servant. I hope that no one here kicks against that truth. Surely it is one of our highest delights on earth to serve our Lord, and this is to be our blessed employment even in heaven itself: “His servants shall serve him: and they shall see his face.”
b. It is one thing to say that you see Jesus, that you believe in Jesus. It is another thing entirely to follow Him completely. To give yourself over to the task. The call of Christ is to forfeit your life, no longer doing anything for yourself, but only that which is in service of Christ. Is this extreme? It is, because dying is about as extreme a measure as a man can take, and that’s what Jesus did for you. You, being called to Jesus are being called to die. You are being called to let go of living for your own purposes, to let your life echo with the profound and utter theme of loving Jesus as the only thing that matters to you. The only way for us to live is to die with Jesus. We must die ourselves, and find that living in Jesus is the only life we have. Clinging to anything but Jesus is simply clinging to death.
b. It is one thing to say that you see Jesus, that you believe in Jesus. It is another thing entirely to follow Him completely. To give yourself over to the task. Is this extreme? It is, because dying is about as extreme a measure as a man can take, and that’s what Jesus did for you. You, being called to Jesus are being called to die. You are being called to let go of living for your own purposes, to let your life echo with the profound and utter theme of loving Jesus as the only thing that matters to you. The only way for us to live is to die with Jesus. We must die ourselves, and find that living in Jesus is the only life we have. Clinging to anything but Jesus is simply clinging to death.
c. You see, Jesus goes on to say in verse 26 that:
Spurgeon, C. H. (1896). The Rule and Reward of Serving Christ. In The Metropolitan Tabernacle Pulpit Sermons (Vol. 42, p. 37). London: Passmore & Alabaster.
The Metropolitan Tabernacle Pulpit Sermons, Vol. XLII The Rule and Reward of Serving Christ (No. 2,449)
If you take Christ, you must take him in all his characters, not only as Friend, but also as Master; and if you are to become his disciple, you must also become his servant. I hope that no one here kicks against that truth. Surely it is one of our highest delights on earth to serve our Lord, and this is to be our blessed employment even in heaven itself: “His servants shall serve him: and they shall see his face.”
Spurgeon, C. H. (1896). The Rule and Reward of Serving Christ. In The Metropolitan Tabernacle Pulpit Sermons (Vol. 42, p. 37). London: Passmore & Alabaster.u
“If anyone serves Me, he must follow Me; and where I am, there My servant will be also; if anyone serves Me, the Father will honor him.
4) To serve Jesus, you must walk where He walks. You must follow Him
4) To serve Jesus, you must walk where He walks. You must follow Him
“If anyone serves Me, he must follow Me; and where I am, there My servant will be also; if anyone serves Me, the Father will honor him.
a. It is one thing to see Jesus, it is something else to follow Him. I didn’t come up with this. I tell you these things because I love you dearly, and because I love Jesus dearly, and I would not say to you anything of my own, but only what He compels me to say. I share it because these verses make me shake for the weight of them, for their importance in our church. We cannot take this too seriously. Charles Spurgeon, whom I quoted a moment ago, three times preached sermons on just verse 26. Allow me to share two quotes from one of them that illustrates well what we are facing here. The first is this:
The Metropolitan Tabernacle Pulpit Sermons, Vol. XLII The Rule and Reward of Serving Christ (No. 2,449)
Learn hence, then, all of you who would have Christ as your Saviour, that you must be willing to serve him. We are not saved by service, but we are saved to service. When we are once saved, thenceforward we live in the service of our Lord. If we refuse to be his servants, we are not saved, for we still remain evidently the servants of self, and the servants of Satan.
b. What should we say, then? That to follow Jesus means to serve Him. You are not saved to go about your own way. You are saved to His Kingdom. You are saved to His purposes. You are saved to serve Him, to glorify Him, and if you refuse to make your life about His service, you are not truly His. Is it a hard word? It is a hard word. But it is not my own. What did Jesus say in ?
“Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter.
So, you see, Jesus tells us, beloved, that many people will see Him, but few will follow. Serving Jesus means following where He leads. It means walking where He walks. This isn’t what saves you, but it is the fruit of being saved. If anyone is to be saved, he must know that he will be required to serve Christ. As it has been said, grace is free, but it isn’t cheap. TO truly follow Jesus will cost you everything. I promised you another quote from Spurgeon, here it is:
The Metropolitan Tabernacle Pulpit Sermons, Vol. XLII The Rule and Reward of Serving Christ (No. 2,449)
If you are to serve Christ, put your mind like a tablet of wax under his stylus, that he may write on you whatsoever he pleases. Be you Christ’s slate, that he may make his mark on you. Be his sheet of paper on which he may write his living letters of love. You can serve him in this way in the best possible manner.
c. To follow Christ is to write a blank check with your life. And we must see that while doing so is a weighty decision not to be taken lightly, it is also the greatest and most joyous decision that a Christian could ever make. We die willingly. Yes, we lay down our lives fully, entirely, and with full force at His feet, and we celebrate doing so. Those around you will balk at it. Those that only came to see Jesus will tell you that your taking things too far, that you are too extreme, that your life should be more than your life in the church, and you who are in Christ will simply smile and allow Him to direct you.
It meansThose that do this will be with Jesus
d. Why would you use up all of your vacation time on missions, VBS, discipleship efforts, and mentoring work? Because service of our King is what we live for. On this side of eternity, giving everything seems extreme, until we consider the end result. We need to really count the costs in following Jesus, knowing that it is a call to die, a call to serve Him with all of your life. We need to count the cost, but we need to do so remembering that as much as we lose, we have more to gain. Let’s look together again at verse 26:
“If anyone serves Me, he must follow Me; and where I am, there My servant will be also; if anyone serves Me, the Father will honor him.
c. Jesus gives us two really great reasons in this verse to be assured that serving Him with everything is worth it. and the first is this:
A)Those who give Jesus everything will be with Him
A)Those who give Jesus everything will be with Him
c) Do you remember that as we started this morning, I told you that these Greeks wanted to see Jesus, but they got response from him that they weren’t expecting? Jesus really, truly, was telling them what they wanted to know; that to be with Jesus, you have to let go of everything else and cling only to Him. But when you do that, you will have Him. You will be with Him. This is why Paul wrote in that
For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain.
d) Our call to die is a call to life. And what we find is that when we lay our lives down, we are with Jesus forever. That when those that seek Jesus follow through to become those that follow Him, they get the desire of their hearts; they get to be with Jesus. We get to be with Jesus. Is there a greater reward? Is there a greater purpose that you could strive for? I would tell you there is not, and here Jesus promises it to us, if we will simply follow Him by giving all for Him. Secondly, Jesus says that
B)Those who give Jesus everything will be honored by God
B)Those who give Jesus everything will be honored by God
A. Could a more humbling thought exist in all of the universe. That the King of Glory Himself would honor a broken sinner like me because I gave my all to Him? Wouldn’t it be enough for me, simply to be with Jesus. Simply to be with Him, in His eternal presence. Simply to be in His Kingdom. And yet, here Christ promises us honor besides. Honor, that comes as an imperishable crown. says:
Do you not know that those who run in a race all run, but only one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may win.
Everyone who competes in the games exercises self-control in all things. They then do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable.
b. The crown of honor, given to the adopted son of the King, not because He earned it but because He died to Himself and found that the life that He lived was in service of Christ. I would hope this morning that I speak to those that are mostly going to be there on that day. And yet, I would ask each of you this morning to put your heart to the test. Are you here to see Jesus, or to follow Him, that where He is you will be also? Apply this simple test to your heart this morning: Take and fill your name into the sentence. “ If Matthew serves Me, Matthew must follow Me;” Fill in your name in the statement of our Savior.
c. And ask if it is true. Ask if there is truth in that in your life. And if there is not, I pray that today would be the day, you would stand and declare from the bottom of your heart, YES! I will serve Jesus! Yes, I will die to live. Yes, I will kill my will to take on His, that where Jesus is, there I may also be. Would you do more than just see Jesus? Today, would You come and be with Him. I’m going to be right down here. and if today, you hear Him calling, answer now. Come down that aisle and die so that you, too, can live.
“If anyone serves Me, he must follow Me; and where I am, there My servant will be also; if anyone serves Me, the Father will honor him.
Let’s pray together: Lord, Jesus, it is simply not enough for us to see You. We want to be among those that are With You. We want to be with You now, and in Your eternal Kingdom, and this morning we acknowledge that there are still parts of ourselves that we have not given over to You. There are parts of ourselves that we have held for our own pursuits and our own wills and our own purposes, and this morning we are here to count the costs. This morning, we are here to declare that these things are nothing in light of what we find in You, and so here, this morning, we are gathered here together to answer Your call to die. We wish to be those that lead others to You. We are here to surrender our lives to find that Yours is the only life worth living. We no longer want to serve ourselves or the master of this world, or to live as those that are perishing. Would You draw us to yourself this morning, that where You are we will be also. In Jesus’ Name we pray, Amen.