Jesus Glorified-Part 5

JESUS GLORIFIED-V—John 12:34-36(:20-36)

Attention:

Superman...Really?

Muhammad Ali(the famed ‘braggart’ boxer) was on a plane that began to encounter some mild turbulence, so all the passengers were asked to fasten their seatbelts.

Ali was specifically asked by the stewardess to put his seatbelt on because he didn’t fasten it when instructed.

Ali arrogantly replied, “Superman don’t need no seatbelt.”

To which the stewardess replied, “Superman don’t need no airplane!”—From: Ravi Zacharias

•Muhammad Ali’s personal ‘glory’ was much less than he supposed!

*Whereas, Christ Jesus’ ‘glory’ is that He alone, & uniquely, has provided, that anyone who has faith in His atoning sacrifice, will receive God’s forgiveness for their personal sin—past, present, & future! And He has also made it so that anyone who truly trusts Jesus as their Savior & Lord, not only has eternal life in heaven, but also ‘can’ have a full & meaningful life here on earth.

*Jesus’ ‘GLORY’ is His perfectly faithful & uniquely perfect sacrifice for the sin of mankind!...That Frees believers FROM hell, so that instead, they can live eternally in the heavenly home God has prepared for them!

Excerpted from The New Oxford American English Dictionary:

•GLORY(Noun) = ‘High renown or honor won by notable achievements’ OR: ‘Magnificence or great beauty.’

•To GLORIFY(Verb) = ‘To cause the dignity & worth of some person or thing to become manifest & acknowledged.’ OR: ‘To render/esteem/consider as glorious.’

•GLORIOUS(Adjective) = ‘Having a striking beauty or splendor that evokes feelings of delighted admiration.’

Need:

All people are in a pressing, desperate need of individually accepting the reality that Jesus life, death, resurrection, & ascension are of eternal consequence to them.

The apostle John recorded some of the events surrounding the imminence of Jesus’ glorification.

Jesus’ being glorified is of profound significance!

?How &/or Why is Jesus glorified? ?How or Why is Jesus’ glorification significant?

Today we’ll examine the last, of 6 significant aspects of Jesus’ glorification.

Previously we have found that...

Jesus’ glorification necessitates His/a submission to GOD’s...

1. PRIORITY(:20-23)

2. FRUITFULNESS / Productivity(:24-26)

3. PURPOSE(:27-28)

4. JUDGMENT(:29-31)

5. METHOD(:32-33)

Today we’ll find that...

6—Jesus’ glorification necessitates a submission to...

GOD’s RESULT(:34-36)

Explanation:(:34-36) Personal Repentance/Response/Priority

:34—“The people answered Him, “We have heard from the law that the Christ remains forever; & how can You say, ‘The Son of Man must be lifted up’? Who is this Son of Man?””

:35—“Then Jesus said to them, “A little while longer the light is with you. Walk while you have the light, lest darkness overtake you; he who walks in darkness does not know where he is going.”

:36—““While you have the light, believe in the light, that you may become sons of light.” These things Jesus spoke, & departed, & was hidden from them.”

:34—“The people answered Him, “We have heard from the law that the Christ remains forever; & how can You say, ‘The Son of Man must be lifted up’? Who is this Son of Man?””

“The people” of Jesus’ audience are aware of the Jewish “law.” Not “the law” itself, but the current ‘interpretation’ of “the law” had been ‘perverted’ to some degree—adding to, & taking away from “the law” itself. It was then dispersed/shared among the populace of Israel. Thus, “the people” questioned Jesus based on what they had ‘heard & received as factual’, although those ‘interpretations’ fell far short.

“The people” are aware “that the Christ remains forever”, which is true—He is uncreated eternal God. And they rightly understood Jesus to say that He would be crucified.

•But they were unwilling to accept that the Christ Who would “remain forever”, “must” also “be lifted up.” And particularly so, thru crucifixion, because crucifixion was a known & fatal mark of ‘criminality’ in their society.

•“They could not reconcile Jesus’ prediction of His death”...“with their belief that the Messiah was to be a triumphant conquerer...”—MNTC

•“They failed to grasp that the Son of Man’s being ‘lifted up’ would be the decisive inauguration of Messiah’s endless reign.”—F.F. Bruce in ‘The Gospel Of John’

Jesus was & is both “The Son of” God as well as “The Son of Man.” This fact was unfathomable for many, & caused many to not take Jesus seriously. That’s why they asked Jesus “Who is this Son of Man?”

•A similar circumstance of questioning Jesus’ intentions/motives occurred when Jesus depicted a person’s commitment to Him as: ‘feeding upon Him’, & as the actions of ‘eating His flesh & drinking His blood’(Cf.-Jn. 6:47-66)...The ‘false interpretation’ of which, led many to ASSUME that Jesus was proposing Cannibalism as a means of serving God!

•And their answer to that misinterpretation...

Jn. 6:66—“From that time many of His disciples”[beyond the 12] “went back & walked with Him no more.”

The fact is, that Jesus had divulged thru His life on earth exactly “who the Son Of Man” “is”! He is ‘the Light” of God, sent to save people!(:35)