2. His Passion
Illustrated: The Necessity of the Cross (v24-26)
Read verses. Each little grain of wheat has a hard, glossy
husk, within which its life is contained. But if it falls into the ground then
its husk softens and rots and breaks open.
From inside the seed the power of its life begins to push
outwards. The pattern of its life begins to unfold. Roots go down into the soil.
A shoot comes up into the light where it grows stronger and taller and produces
a single ear of corn. By harvest time there will be forty seeds where before
there was only one. Next year if those forty seeds all fall on good soil they
will produce sixteen hundred seeds. In the third year sixty-four thousand. In
the fourth year over two and a half million. But only if that first seed falls
to the ground and dies. So it is that Jesus offers bread to the whole world.
He offers himself, his life, to come alive in hundreds, then thousands, then
millions of others. But first he must die.
And if we his followers wish to pass on his life then we too must learn the
pattern of life. We will bear fruit only when we die to self. God has given
each one of us a passion. A unique combination of personality, experience and
spiritual gifting. Therefore our place of service in the church is unique and
irreplaceable.
That is why I want you to write out the three Tuesdays in May and June and make
it a priority to come on the Network Seminar. There is nothing more important
for you to do than attend, find your place in the Body of Christ. Then give
your life to serve Him who gave his life for you. But not every passion is edifying
or godly.
Some people's passion seems to be to criticise the passion of others. For example.
Someone thought it right to phone a lady at Christ Church this week, anonymously,
and criticise her for promoting her charity venture here in Church. A couple
of weeks earlier another man thought it right to tell a young lad off for wearing
a baseball hat in church. Listen, if the Bishop can wear a hat in Church so
can you if you want to. Our mission statement as a church is to help people
to become fully devoted followers of Jesus Christ. Making them conform to our
religious traditions is not part of that mission. Lets
make sure our passion is shaped by Jesus own priorities. Lets get passionate
about one another's God given passion.
His Passion Announced: The Timing of the Cross (12:23)
His Passion Illustrated: The Necessity of the Cross
(12:24-26)
3. His Passion Explained: The Purpose of the Cross (v27-33)
Read 12:27-32. Martin Luther said once, "No one ever
feared death as much as this man." The Son was troubled and Heaven
answered. God in heaven could not keep silence; Heaven answered the Son's prayer
with an articulate voice. It was agony for Jesus to do the will of his Father.
It was agony for Jesus to bring glory to his Father. It was agony for Jesus
to drive out the prince of this world. It was agony for Jesus to draw all men
to himself. But there was no other way. No other way. When you come face to
face with a person in difficulty remind yourself of this picture. Read 12:32.
If it were possible to get right with God on any other terms, then the cross
of Jesus was unnecessary. If you can help someone with a little amiable religiosity.
With a smile and a sympathetic pat on the back then
you are turning your back on Jesus. Point people to the cross, lift it high
so that they see Jesus, and only Jesus. Asking God to glorify himself in us
is a risky prayer. How do we respond when that glory is spelt agony. "Save
me from this hour?" We should not ask to be saved from agony, but that
we glorify God through it.
Christians are not protected from pain. We have no
insurance policy against agony. Sorrow can burn up a great deal of shallowness
or it can lead to bitterness. It all depends on our perspective, it all depends
on our motive. Jesus was not saved from the hour. He was saved for
it. And so are we. One of my favourite books in the Old Testament is Esther.
It might be subtitled, "For such a time as this." It comes from the
scene where Esther's life is at stake. She must plead for the life of her people
before her husband the king. But for anyone including her to enter his presence
unannounced could mean instant execution. Just as she was wavering, Mordecia
reminds her,
"If you remain silent at this time, relief
and deliverance for the Jews will arise from another place, but you and your
father's family will perish. And who knows but that you have come to royal position
for such a time as this?" (Esther 4:14)
For such a time as this. This was Jesus hour. Read 12:32. The Greek
word for judgment means crisis or discrimination. Now was the moment of crisis.
Decision day. The world today prefers to be inoffensively
neutral. It does not like having to decide. Dorothy L. Sayers observed,
"In the world it is called tolerance, but in hell it is called despair...
the sin that believes in nothing, cares for nothing, seeks to know nothing,
interferes with nothing, enjoys nothing, hates nothing, finds purpose in nothing,
lives for nothing, and remains alive because there is nothing for which it will
die."
How different with Jesus. It was judgement time. The Judge was about to take
their just deserts upon Himself. Jesus was going to do three things simultaneously
by his death.
3.1 Glorify the Father 12:27 - make
him known
3.2 Judge the World 12:31 - pay the
price for sin
3.3 Rescue People 12:32-33 - save
those who turn to him
Jesus was making a decision that changed the course of history
for the entire universe. The hour of his destiny and
of his death would be like a flash of lightening suddenly illuminating the whole
kosmos with God's love. As we shall see next week Jesus entry into Jerusalem
was not in anticipation of being crowned, but crucified. It was the example
of supreme courage, knowing He was going, willingly, voluntarily, sacrificially
to his death on our behalf, as our ransom, as our substitute.
Read 12:31-32. The phrase "lifted up" means two things. It
means to be crucified, but it also carries with it the idea of glorification.
The Son of God was glorified by being crucified.
His Passion Announced: The Timing of the Cross
His Passion Illustrated: The Necessity of the Cross
His Passion Explained: The Purpose of the Cross
When Joan of Arc knew that she had been betrayed and was to be burnt at the
stake by the leaders of her own people, as George Bernard Shaw has it in his
play, she turns to them and says,
"I will go out to the common people, and let the love in their eyes
comfort me for the hate in yours. You will be glad to see me burnt; but if I
go through the fire I shall go through it to their hearts for ever and ever."
What was the passion of Jesus? You are the passion of Jesus. Even if you were
the only person in the whole world he would still have died for you. He would
rather go to hell for you than to heaven without you. Such love, such passion.
Let us pray.