Sermon Tone Analysis

That you may Believe and have Life #34

John 12:20-35

 

Well, I hope you are having a good day celebrating the Resurrection of Jesus Christ

It has been a great day already being able to celebrate Resurrection through Worship and Baptism already this morning

We have been studying the Gospel of John now for 33 weeks and as we continue this study, we are today, NOT at the story of the crucifixion or resurrection, per se, but in Chapter 12 where Jesus speaks of his coming sacrifice and victory.

Remember with me, what we have recently studied, Lazarus, a friend of Jesus, became sick and died.

He was buried.

Jesus came and resurrected him from the dead.

He was not caught off guard by his death.

The Death of Lazarus served a purpose of Glorifying Jesus and drawing people to the power of Jesus to transform their lives.

Then Jesus comes to Jerusalem as the Passover draws near.

People wave palm branches

People lay their coats down in a sign of respect and worship

 

And so we continue working our way through the book of John today …

 

READ 12:20-35

 

So … Looking at the words of Jesus … Jesus … “The HOUR HAS COME” …

 

What hour?

For a Kernel of Wheat to die

 

1.

A Kernel of Wheat must Die to Feed the World

 

The irony of the crucifixion of Christ is that …

 

  A.

In Death Life Came

    1.

unless a kernel falls to the ground … aren’t you glad that Jesus came to this ground

      a.

we sing “he came from Heaven to earth”

      b.

John 1:1; 14 – the WORD BECAME FLESH and DWELT AMONG us

      c. he became as we are … that we might have life

      d.

he emptied himself of Heaven, so that we might have an opportunity to achieve Heaven

    2.

it had to go INTO the ground – unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and DIES …

      a.

oh the things that our Lord submitted himself to because he loved us … have you ever thought about it?

b.

a limitless God, who measures the universe with the span of his hand limited himself to

      c. the one who created the oceans with a word, became himself 125 pounds of water surrounded by 40 pounds of tissue and hair

      d.

Jesus Christ became a carpenter by trade, and Tom, he got splinters, and I wonder if he thought /“how dare you, I made you”/

     e.

but Jesus Christ, God the Son, the Author of life, became subject to death.

JESUS, died … THINK ABOUT THAT … Jesus DIED …

      f.

Now, contrary to the opinion of sum, God is NOT dead, but God the Son, DID die!

      g.

Paul taught us that it was through one man, Adam  death entered … Because of Adam’s death, Jesus came and the giver of life became subject to death … death on the cross …

that through one man, Jesus we might have life … that he might be the firstborn of the dead …

 

How many seeds are in this apple?

<cut apple open and count>

How many apples are in this seed?

<is there really any limit?>

If you can tell me how many apples there are in this seed then I might be able to tell you how many can come to the life of God because of the death of Jesus Christ.

<<pick two things from this table>>

 

The only thing on this table that will sustain life is the bread and the seeds

 

Jesus said he who loves his life will lose it while the man who hates his life will keep it

 

He said a similar thing when he said “what does it profit a man if he gains the whole world and loses his soul

 

  B.

Gain Lose … Lose Gain

    1.

what good is it if you get all you want

    2.

what good is it if you have control but lose in the end?

When I look at the cross of Christ … I realize that …

 

2.

Jesus was Unafraid to Die

 

Jesus was not afraid of Pilate, he was not afraid of the High Priest, of Herod, of the People shouting “crucify him”!

 

Why?

 

  A.

His Death was His Purpose

V27 –

    1.

it was not what his humanness wanted … Father if this cup can pass from me …

    2.

now my heart is troubled …

    3.

what Christ did for us was not EASY, it was NOT simple, it was NOT painless, it was even TROUBLING … but Jesus said “what shall I say?” …

    4.

Can the President say … “I don’t want to make decisions”?

Should the soldier say “I don’t want to fight”?

Can the Firefighter say “I don’t like heat?” … No … we would say “it’s your job”

    5.

Jesus said NO … it is FOR this REASON that I CAME to this HOUR … Does the Football players stop on the one yard line and say … “that was hard work, good game, but I’m not taking it into the endzone?”

    6.

His Death was his Purpose – 1 John 3:16 – Jesus showed us the Father and the scripture says God is Love and that this is how we know what Love is, Jesus laid down his life for us …

    7.

“Father glorify your name” – what brings glory to the Father?

Saved, Glorified, Forgiven, Saints!

Bless the Lord – His Death was his Purpose

 

  B.

His Death Defeated Satan

1 john 3:8,9

/… the reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the devil’s work.

9 No one who is born of God will continue to sin, because God’s seed remains in him; he cannot go on sinning, because he has been born of God./

 

Ro 16:20 /the God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet.

The grace of our Lord Jesus be with you/

 

  C.

His Death Defeated Hunger

Ps. 107:9 /… he satisfies the thirsty and fills the hungry with good things/

John 6:33-35 “/for the bread of God is he who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world” 34 “sir” they said “from now on give us this bread” 35 then Jesus declared “I am the bread of life.

He who comes to me will never go hungry, and he who believes in me will never be thirsty/

 

Oh Jesus’ death defeated hunger … Hunger has no power when we have food that satisfies

 

Bread has been provided … but you know the proverb

 

You can Lead a Horse to Water … but you can’t make him drink …

 

3.

Some Refuse to Eat

 

Jesus has died …

The seed has gone into the ground

Great wheat has been provided

  A.

Bread Provided … Some Refuse to Eat

    1.

The Bread of Life has been offered … but you have to choose to eat

    2.

In the desert God provided daily manna to feed his people, but they still had to collect it