Good morning to our both NRHBC and Cross Church family who are joining us online. A special welcome to those of you who are guests joining us as well. Please also know you can call one of our pastors for prayer at the numbers you see. Many of you are watching us on Facebook and we invite you interact with the message in the comments section as the message goes along.
Isolated because of the Coronavirus, we are meeting for worship online again. A distraught husband asked to me to pray this week with these words: “We are 15 days into self-isolation and it is really upsetting me to witness [my wife] standing at the living room window gazing aimlessly into space with tears running down her cheeks. It breaks my heart to see her like this. I have thought very hard about how I can cheer her up. I have even considered letting her in - but rules are rules.”
More seriously, there is no substitute for gathering together in person. How I look forward to seeing everyone face to face! Even though a virus can keep us out of our buildings for a while, there is no virus that can stop the church from being the church! Amen? Today, I want to speak to you about this subject, “What Does Jesus Say about Death.”
Palm Sunday
Today is Palm Sunday when Jesus entered into Jerusalem to the fanfare of many worshipping Him. I invite you to find John 12 with me. You’ll find the story of Palm Sunday beginning in John 12:12, but our focus this morning is what likely happens the following day on Monday. You’ll see in a moment that our Scripture today is speaking of a feast. The feast is Passover that our Jewish friends will celebrate on Wednesday (April 8) of this week. Keep in mind that our story takes place just four days before Jesus is crucified.
Today’s Scripture
“Now among those who went up to worship at the feast were some Greeks. 21 So these came to Philip, who was from Bethsaida in Galilee, and asked him, ‘Sir, we wish to see Jesus.’ 22 Philip went and told Andrew; Andrew and Philip went and told Jesus. 23 And Jesus answered them, ‘The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified. 24 Truly, truly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit. 25 Whoever loves his life loses it, and whoever hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life. 26 If anyone serves me, he must follow me; and where I am, there will my servant be also. If anyone serves me, the Father will honor him’” (John 12:20-26).
During this pandemic, all of us are do everything possible to save lives – social distancing, etc. We have so many devices to save lives: life preservers, life boats, lifelines, lifeguards, and even life insurance. Many of you have taken courses on life saving and some of you are even in the medical field where all you do is for the purpose of saving lives. So it sounds really strange to hear Jesus talk about “hating life” in a time when all we want to know is how to live.
When thinking about your mortality, listen as Jesus first gives us a truth about Himself and then a truth about you.
1. The Truth about Jesus
1.1 Greeks
Our story begins with some Greeks wanting to know about Jesus. So the Greeks approach Philip and he turns to Andrew who turns finally, to Jesus Himself. You’d think Jesus would say something to the effect, “Sure, bring these guys in. I’d be glad to see them.” But Jesus doesn’t do that at all. Jesus seemingly looks at invisible watch on His wrist to announce to all, “My hour has NOW come.” Somehow these Greeks trigger Jesus to kick off the momentous events of the last week of His life. Now, the Greeks disappear from the story and we are left with Jesus speaking. It’s as if Jesus is on a stage where everything else turns black but a spotlight is on Him.
1.2 The Hour
Now with the arrival of these Greek men, Jesus bursts forth with an announcement, “The hour has come” (John 12:23b). How did Jesus know that the decisive moment had arrived? We really have no idea. Now, Jesus stands at the threshold of a door, a seminal moment in time that will advance the world clock in ways only God knows. You can just feel the pace pick up in our story.
1.3 Amen, Amen
Then Jesus says, “Amen,” in verse 24. In fact, Jesus gives the double amen here again. Now, when Jesus uses “amen,” He’s calling on you to come to a full stop (pause for effect). For when Jesus says, “amen,” the next words out of His mouth are crucial words for you to digest “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit” (John 12:24).
Jesus speaks of Himself here. Jesus’ death is the grain of wheat that had to die. Jesus is the grain of wheat that had to be multiplied. Jesus’ death generates a huge harvest. The path to glory is HIS death; again, the roadway to Jesus’ glory is His death. Jesus had to die if He is go to produce a great deal of fruit. Jesus uses farming analogy because just about everyone was involve farming. Today, there are thousands of different kinds of wheat grasses. Wheat produces your breads, crackers, pasta, cereal, and bagels. Wheat produces a seed which is commonly called a kernel. He uses the image of a seed dying to produce fruit. Jesus did this for a good reason because one good kernel can produces millions of similar offspring.
1.4 The Moment of Glory
“Truly, truly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit” (John 12:24). Jesus’ death is necessary to generate life. Jesus’ death is not in vain. A thousand times no!
Jesus is the grain of wheat that falls in the ground to die. Jesus was buried in the ground and would burst forth at harvest as a resurrection plant. It’s only when He dies that He produces more success that you thought was imaginable. Unless a kernel of wheat disappears, goes into the ground, buried, dead, it remains alone. Jesus is saying, “That kernel of wheat is Me. If I had not died, I would have stayed alone. I’d be the only child of God in the world. I’d be the only one who knew the Father intimately. I’d be the only one who basked in His presence. Because I died, there are multitudes who can know him and do know him.”
It’s Monday when Jesus says, “I am the grain of wheat that dies” but Thursday is just around the corner. Thursday, He will enter into Gethsemane. He knew when He entered in the Garden, it was only a matter of hours before He would experience thorns in His scalp and there was going to be a spear in His side. He knew when He entered in the Garden, it was only a matter of hours before there was going to be the slow death of suffocation awaiting Him on the cross. And He knew in the Garden, what He was presently experiencing was nothing more than a mosquito bite compared to the pain and torment of the rejection of the Father.
This is Jesus’ hour of great glory! On Friday, Jesus’ body descends into the ground, but on Sunday, His body emerges from the grave so He could give life!
1. The Truth about Jesus’ Death
2. The Truth about Your Death
In verse 25, Jesus takes a truth about Him and makes it a truth about you: “Whoever loves his life loses it, and whoever hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life” (John 12:25).
If you want to benefit from Jesus’ death, you have to experience death before you actually die. Jesus says in effect, “If you want to see Me, be prepared to become like Me. Prepare to follow Me on the road I am going.” Peter understood the connection much later when he said: “For to this you have been called, because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, so that you might follow in his steps” (1 Peter 2:21).
And where is Jesus going? He’s going to Gethsemane where He experienced the wrath of God for your sins.
And where is Jesus going? He’s going to Calvary where He died for your sins.
And where is Jesus going? He’s going to His grave to produce millions of Christians.
If you want to really follow Christ, you will need to follow in Christ’s footsteps. “Whoever loves his life loses it, and whoever hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life. 26 If anyone serves me, he must follow me; and where I am, there will my servant be also. If anyone serves me, the Father will honor him” (John 12:25-26).
If you love this life, you’ll miss eternal life. But if you hate your life, you will choose to do something foolish in the eyes of so many people.If you hate your life, you will humble yourself.
Jesus told about two different men who walked into the temple on one occasion. Do you remember this story? One man told God how great he was and how different he was from everyone else. The other man approached God and said, “God, be merciful to me, a sinner!” (Luke 18:13)
Your pride is broken. Pride is broken when you tell God, “You owe me nothing but I owe you everything.” You admit to the real you, the sinful you. You trust Christ to save your life. How will this make a difference in your life?
Today, I want to pause to pray with you and for you in the middle of this message. Today, if you invite Christ to be your Lord and Savior, I want you to type the words “I trust Jesus Christ” into the chats on the feeds. Again, today, if you invite Christ to be your Lord and Savior, I want you to type the words “I trust Jesus Christ” into the chats on the feeds.
2.2 Epidemics
Both in 165 and in 251, devastating epidemics swept through the Roman Empire. Medical historians think the first epidemic, often called the Plague of Galen, was smallpox while the second one was measles. No matter the actual diseases, the effects were lethal. During the 15 year duration of the epidemic around 165, one-fourth to one-third of the empire’s population died as a result. The emperor Marcus Aurelius (who eventually died from the disease) wrote of caravans of carts & wagons that hauled out the dead. It was estimated that 5,000 people died daily in Rome at the height of the second plague.
What’s interesting is to compare & contrast the way the early Christians dealt with the sick versus their pagan neighbors. No one really knew how to treat the sick & many did not even attempt to show medical care. It was not unusual for pagan families to pick their own family members up who were sick & out of fear of contamination lay them outside to die on the street, just so they weren’t contaminated. Many pagans, who had the means, got out of the city. Prior to knowing germs spread, pagans were afraid to visit one another. It was normal when a member of your own family got sick to, even before he or she was dead, throw them in the street, but Christians did not leave.
2.3 The Christian Response
But when disasters struck, the Christians were better able to cope. Because of the unique impact of Christian mercy, there were higher rates of survival. Where Christians, of course, not only nursed their own sick during those epidemics, but other people’s sick. Christians picked up not only their own sick and stayed in the city and cared for them, but they picked up the pagan sick … touching them, lifting them up, their sores oozing onto their hands … knowing this probably meant they might die, but they stayed. Historians will show you Christians because they stayed, because they weren’t afraid, because they cared for the sick and the dying and the poor, not only their own, but also of pagans. This had an enormous impact on the people.
Here’s the question: Why did they stay and the pagans left? They believed in the resurrection. Christians on the other hand, believed that death wasn’t the end of life and this life was a time of testing.
2.4 Charity
A century after the epidemics, the emperor Julian wrote a letter in 362. In the letter to a pagan priest, Julian calls on the priest to upgrade the quality of compassion among Romans to that of the Christians. “… the impious Galileans support not only their own poor but ours as well, all men see that our people lack aid from us.” As a result, he called for pagan charities to equal the Christians even though he hated them.
In 251 (more than a century after the completion of the NT), we have a letter from a bishop of Rome to the bishop of Antioch where it stated that the Roman church was supporting 1,500 widows and people in need. The best Christians have loved people and showed tremendous care for others.
2.5 A Seed Vs. A Leaf
When the Bible compares life to a seed, it’s important to understand your life isn’t a leaf. “So is it with the resurrection of the dead. What is sown is perishable; what is raised is imperishable” (1 Corinthians 15:42-44). Imagine if Paul had said, “Life is like a leaf that falls to the ground & is transformed into beautiful colors as it decays.” Had the Bible compared your life to a leaf, then the best part of your life is now. All that would remain of you if you were a leaf is to decay with beautiful colors! But your next life isn’t where you rot away like a leaf. Instead, your life is like a seed that will flourish. Your life is like a seed that will be transformed with fresh green beauty. You will burst forth into beautiful colors in your next life with all the energy, focus, & verve that your imagination can muster. But if your life is like a seed then the best part of your life is what comes next – the sequel.
Closing Prayer
Lord’s Supper
Preview Next week’s message
Next Sunday is Easter Sunday and I cannot believe we will NOT be able to gather for worship. I am asking many of you to host a “Facebook Watch Party” with me next Sunday.
