Observing Nature Series

20Now there were certain Greeks among those who came up to worship at the feast.

* These are believed to be Jews living in Greece, visiting Jerusalem for the Passover Feast.

* Philip is a Greek name. He probably spoke fluent Greek.

21 Then they came to Philip, who was from Bethsaida of Galilee, and asked him, saying, "Sir, we wish to see Jesus."

22 Philip came and told Andrew, and in turn Andrew and Philip told Jesus.

* These Greeks had heard the rumors of a Messiah and wanted to see this Jesus.

* Philip, apparently shy at this point in his life, recruited Andrew to approach Christ with him.

23 But Jesus answered them, saying, "The hour has come that the Son of Man should be glorified. 24 "Most assuredly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the ground and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it produces much grain. 25 "He who loves his life will lose it, and he who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life. 26 "If anyone serves Me, let him follow Me; and where I am, there My servant will be also. If anyone serves Me, him My Father will honor.

* We apparently are not told the entire conversation.

* We do not see the question the Greeks asked.

* We only see the answer Jesus gave.

I. The Nature of the Savior

II. The Nature of Suffering

III. The Nature of the Servant

I. The Nature of the Savior (23)

* First, Jesus said the time has come for Him to be glorified.

* In a since, His mind was already there. He uses the term, Son of Man.

* I remind you that from earth, we look at Jesus and are amazed that He is the Son of God.

* From Heaven, the angels must look at the Eternal God and are amazed that He became the Son of Man.

* He refers to himself from the Heavenly view.

* Now it is close to the time Jesus would be glorified.

* We find out in other passages that this is actually a re-glorification.

* John 17:5, ""And now, O Father, glorify Me together with Yourself, with the glory which I had with You before the world was."

* Also note Philippians 2:5-11.

* I am not certain that we understand the brilliance of the Glory of Christ.

* The temperature of the surface of the sun is estimated at 10,000 degrees Fahrenheit.

* The middle of the sun is about 27 millionø Fahrenheit.

* The sun is 109 times wider than the earth and is estimated to be 333,000 times heavier.

* Yet some stars are 400 times larger than our Sun, which is almost a million miles in diameter.

* If you do the math, and I did, you would have to go around the world 126 times to travel the same distance it would take to go around some stars.

* If you traveled at 100 miles an hour for 12 hours a day, you can travel the surface of some of those suns on only 7 years.

* Stars burn constantly 7/24, 60 minutes every hour, 60 seconds every minute.

* How many stars do we know about? We keep finding more.

* With stronger telescopes and technology, we have discovered more than we would have guessed.

* In 2003, the known star count exceeded 70 sextillion.

* That’s a seven, followed by 22 zeros. Or it is 70 thousand million, million, million.

* We can’t even get our minds around that. Let’s try.

* How many grains of sand are on the earth’s beaches and deserts?

* Estimates are that there is 1/10 the number of grains of sand on the earth as discovered stars in our universe. (CNN.com)

* I would hate to be the guy commissioned to do that counting.

* How much power do stars and the sun generate each and every day, since the beginning of creation?

* Again, that is beyond our grasp. Where did all that power come from?

* That, I can explain. From the Words of Jesus Christ in His Glory.

* Jesus created all that power with simple words. Oh, His glorious power!

* Some always say, "Bro. Tim, you are getting God the Father and God the Son mixed up."

* Let me show you something.

* Colossians 1:15-20, "He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. 16 For by Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers. All things were created through Him and for Him. 17 And He is before all things, and in Him all things consist. 18 And He is the head of the body, the church, who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in all things He may have the preeminence. 19For it pleased the Father that in Him all the fullness should dwell, 20 and by Him to reconcile all things to Himself, by Him, whether things on earth or things in heaven, having made peace through the blood of His cross."