SIR, WE WOULD SEE JESUS
John 12:21
INTRO: If we had been in Jerusalem on a certain day, we would have seen a great crowd making its way down toward the Temple. If we had not known the particular significance of that day, if we had not known why all the people were there, we would have said to some passerby, “Why are all the people gathered here, and what is going on down at the Temple?” And he would have answered, “Why didn’t you know this is the day of the Passover Feast, and our people have gathered from far and near to observe this solemn and important occasion?”
But on that particular day there was One there who appreciated the real meaning of the Passover. Jesus was there. He knew He was the Lamb without spot or blemish. He know He was the Lamb who would be slain.
But there were others present also. Certain Greeks were among them who came to worship at the Feast. They came not to worship, but to see the One whose fame had spread everywhere. They came to see Jesus. So they approached Philip and said to him, “Sir, we would see Jesus.” So far as we can determine the Greeks did have an interview with Jesus. I know they were blessed by it, and I hope they put their trust in Him for time and eternity.
“We would see Jesus.” That is the agelong cry of all humanity. “Show us the Father,” they said, “and that will be sufficient.” And in due time Jesus came and showed men the Father in His own Person. The cry of men today is just the same as it was in that faraway day. “Just show us the Father and it is sufficient.” Let us look at some occasions today when we want to see Jesus.
I. WE WANT TO SEE JESUS WHEN WE ARE BURDENED WITH SIN.
Look at David’s great confession in Psalm 51. It is the cry of a sin-sick soul trying to get back into fellowship with God.
Can you imagine the man “after God’s own heart” humbling himself that way before God? He was just a sin-sick soul saying, “I would see Jesus.”
ILLUS: I once witnessed to a young man who was guilty of every sin in the book. But God convicted him of his sin, and he was gloriously saved. Afterwards, he gave his testimony. He said, “When I walked down that church aisle to give my heart to Jesus, it seemed that the weight of the whole world was pressing down upon me. But when I came to Christ and He saved me, the load was lifted and became as light as a feather.”
Why? Because he had see Jesus, and his sins had been washed away.
We, too, carry the burden of sin. There is only one way to get rid of that burden. We must bring it to Jesus. He is our great Sin Bearer. Saved people carry sins, and lost people carry sins. Bring them all to Jesus. He will take them away.
II. WE WANT TO SEE JESUS WHEN WE ARE ENGAGED IN HOLY WORSHIP.
This was a time of religious chaos and confusion in Jerusalem. Men could come to the Temple and go through all of their religious ceremonies, but the sin and guilt would still be there. There would be no peace in their hearts.
A person may go to church today, go through all the forms of religious worship, and yet not truly see Jesus and have his sins washed away.
We want to see Jesus in the songs we sing. There ought to be a real Christian message in every song used in our churches. And may the Lord deliver us from those songs where we hear only the voices of the singers, but can’t understand one word of the song. The really great songs, the ones that move and bless our hearts, are those written out of the deep heart experiences of men.
We want to see Jesus in the sermons that are preached. We fail miserably in our preaching if we don’t present Jesus to the people.
ILLUS: A young preacher went to a new church as pastor. He thought the people wanted to hear intellectual preaching, so he filed his sermons with these things. His church’s attendance began to fall off. The young people left the church. Then one day, when he came to his pulpit, he found a card with the words, “We would see Jesus,” written on it. He was angry at first but soon began to realize he had been giving his people the wrong messages. He promised the Lord that from that time on, he would preach “Christ and Him crucified.” As he did this, his congregation began to grow, and the young people returned to the church.
III. WE WANT TO SEE JESUS IN THE DETAILS OF DAILY LIFE.
A young man, who worked in a machine shop, was saved. He told me a few days later that his job seemed easier, the hours shorter, and the boss more agreeable. The circumstances were the same, but now he had Jesus for a daily companion.
IV. WE WANT TO SEE JESUS IN OUR SORROWS AND SHADOWS.
In the midnight hours we want to see the Light of the World. When the sisters in Bethany lost their brother, they immediately sent for Jesus. He’s the One we want to see when sorrow comes. He’s the only One who understands and can comfort us.
Some people are beaten into the dust when sorrow comes. They don’t know which way to turn. Other’s have the peace of God written upon their faces, for they have looked through their tears and have seen the Great Comforter.
V. WE WANT TO SEE JESUS IN THE HOUR OF DEATH.
When we go down into the dark valley, we want to find Him there. And He’ll be there, for He has promised to go with us through the dark valley of the shadow.
ILLUS: Years ago, a wounded soldier kept saying over and over, “Where is He? Where is He?” They brought in his captain, but that wasn’t whom he wanted to see.
Finally, when he was in an understandable moment the nurse said to him, “All day long you’ve been asking for someone. Whom did you want to see?”
And the soldier said, “Why, don’t you know, nurse? My mother taught me that Jesus would be with me when I came to the end of the way. Now, where is He?”
The nurse didn’t know what to say and turned away. Soon the soldier called her back to the bedside and said, “There He is, nurse. He’s with me now, and I am going home with Him.” And in a few minutes he was gone.
VI. WE WANT TO SEE JESUS IN GLORY.
Yes, we want to see Him, to feel His arms around us, to have Him wipe away all of our tears and give us perfect happiness.
CONC: Just after W. W. II, the man who was then Prince of Wales was visiting the various rehabilitation camps. He went from bed to bed speaking to the wounded soldiers who were still there. He shook hands with those who still had hands and thanked them for their sacrifices for their country.
He came out of one ward and said to the commanding officer, “How many men do you have here?” And the officer replied, “Thirty-six.” “I counted only twenty-seven in there. Where are the other nine?” “They’re in another room, Your Majesty,” he replied. “But you cannot see them. They are so badly wounded that we don’t want you to see them.” “I must see them,” said the prince. “They fought my battles, and they were wounded in my behalf.”
So the prince was escorted into a room on the back side of the camp. He greeted the men who were there, thanked them for their service, shook a hand where he could fine one. One man was so badly wounded that he was almost unrecognizable.
The prince did not know what to say or do. There was no hand he could grasp. Then, in a moment of tense emotion, he leaned over and kissed every scar that he could see on the neck and chest of the wounded soldier.
Friends, Jesus did more than that for us. We were lost and full of sin, but he took us in his arms and in His death he bore all of our sins and gave us eternal life.
