Sermon Tone Analysis

*Good Friday Service – **3~/25~/05** – **Macomb** Baptist *

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*Joh** **12:24*  Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abideth alone: but if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit.

*Joh** **12:25*  He that loveth his life shall lose it; and he that hateth his life in this world shall keep it unto life eternal.

*Joh** **12:26*  If any man serve me, let him follow me; and where I am, there shall also my servant be: if any man serve me, him will /my/ Father honour.

*Joh** **12:27*  Now is my soul troubled; and what shall I say?

Father, save me from this hour: but for this cause came I unto this hour.

*Joh** **12:28*  Father, glorify thy name.

v.24 - The grain of wheat may remain in the granary for a thousand years and be preserved, but it is useless there.

It neither reproduces, nor is food.

Here Christ proclaims that life springs forth out of death.

Grains of wheat have been found in Egyptian tombs three or four thousand years old, but they are now dead.

They bore no fruit because they did not go into the ground.

Grain, among other things, would be buried with the pharaoh when they died.

But that grain does no good for anyone.

It is when it falls into the ground and undergoes dissolution, that it brings forth fruit.

It is fruitful by /giving itself up/.

That is what Christ had to do, give Himself up to be fruitful.

v.25 – Here he announces a principle that underlies all exaltation.

He gave his life and found eternal exaltation; the grain gives its life and lives a hundred-fold; those who consecrate their lives, give them up for others, dedicate them to their holy work, will live eternally.

Luke puts it this way:

*Luk** 9:23*  And he said to /them/ all, If any /man/ will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me.

*Luk** **9:24*  For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: but whosoever will lose his life for my sake, the same shall save it.

*Luk** **9:25*  For what is a man advantaged, if he gain the whole world, and lose himself, or be cast away?

With Christ as our ultimate example He proclaims to us that we must then do the same in our lives if we are to be useful and fruitful – give up ourselves as he did.

v.26 – Here Christ announces the true principle of a servant.

A true servant will follow Christ.

In other words, a true servant will be obedient to the ways of Christ.

We cannot be a true servant of Christ if we are not obedient to Him and His word.

And if we are a true servant of His there will be eternal reward for us.

v.27 – These words are spoken in the shadow of the cross and the tomb.

The best comment on this verse is to compare it with the account of Christ’s agony in the garden.

Here he exclaims: *Father, save me from this hour*.

There, "If it be possible, let this cup pass from me."

Here, he adds: *But for this cause came I unto this hour*.

There, "Nevertheless, not my will but thine be done."

Here the perfect resignation that follows the struggle in his soul is in the prayer, "Father, glorify thy name."

What a window into the heart of Christ that we have here.

He proclaims that His heart is torn in two, He is struggling with the pain of giving His life up in death and yet at the same time realizing that that is what He came to this earth to do.

He then asks a question, seeming to Himself.

It seems somewhat rhetorical.

“What shall I say?

Father, save me from this hour” He, as a human being, desires that His Heavenly Father save Him from this travail, but He knows that He must give up His life for it is the very reason He came into this hour.

v.28

– The reason that He came to give His life up was to glorify the name of G0d.

As we know, Christ gave Himself up on the cruel cross so that His Father’s name could be glorified.

With Christ as our ultimate example, what less can we do than give up ourselves to Him as a daily living sacrifice so that we can be fruitful and glorify the name of our God, just as Christ did when He went to the cross for you and for me.

Prayer