Which Life Do You Love Most?

Well, while you're standing, please take your Bible.

We'll read the Word of God standing up here together,

and you can turn to the Gospel of John.

We're in John chapter 12 this week.

John 12 · chapter mention

While you're turning there, let me kind of give you an overview

of the structure of the book of John,

because in this chapter we have a shift.

So John chapter 1 is the prologue,

John 1 · chapter mention

and then the conclusion of the whole Gospel according to John

is John chapter 21.

John 21 · chapter mention

So you've got a prologue at the beginning, a conclusion at the end.

And in the middle, there are two books, you know, we could say.

So the first one is the book of the signs,

the book of the seven signs that are pointing to the final work of Christ,

and then the second book is called the book of His hour,

and it's the passion of Christ.

So you're going to see some language as we read this,

John chapter 12, that's indicating a shift into the second half of the book.

John 12 · chapter mention

And just so you know too, just mapping it out,

my plan is that at least this summer,

in my mind we could do this for 30 years,

every summer at least,

but at least this summer we're going to be going through one psalm,

you know, the great book of psalms.

These were the songbook of Jesus, it was His hymnal.

We're going to go through one psalm every Lord's Day.

So my plan is to get up until somewhere around John 13,

somewhere in there,

and then we'll pause and we'll go through psalms for about eight weeks or so,

and then we'll pick up in the Gospel of John in the fall,

and we'll probably finish the book of John around December.

So just so you know, that's where we're headed.

All right.

And while you've got it there now,

so John chapter 12,

John 12 · chapter mention

go ahead and look at verse 23.

So John chapter 12, verse 23,

John 12:23

see what Jesus says?

He says,

The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified.

So our Lord Jesus Himself is indicating a shift,

because up until this point He said,

it's not my time, it's not my hour.

Now in John 12, the hour is here.

One of our older kids asked me earlier this week,

where are we at?

What's the sermon about?

Like, what's the story?

And I said, well, you remember last week it was the raising of Lazarus.

This week is the effect that that had.

Like, how did that change everything?

And that's what we're going to see today.

It's the effect of Lazarus coming back to life.

And what I want you to listen to in these first 26 verses,

Lazarus' name still comes up four different times here.

All right.

So John chapter 12,

John 12 · chapter mention

beginning of verse 1 through verse 26.

And as you hear this, remember,

this is the inspired, inerrant, infallible,

clear and sufficient Word of God.

Six days before the Passover,

Jesus therefore came to Bethany,

where Lazarus was,

whom Jesus had raised from the dead.

So they gave a dinner for Him there.

Martha served,

and Lazarus was one of those reclining with Him at table.

Mary therefore took a pound of expensive ointment,

made from pure nard,

and anointed the feet of Jesus,

and wiped His feet with her hair.

The house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume.

Verse 4,

But Judas Iscariot, one of His disciples,

he who was about to betray Him, said,

Why was this ointment not sold for 300 denarii

and given to the poor?

He said this not because He cared about the poor,

but because He was a thief.

And having charge of the money bag,

He used to help Himself to what was put into it.

Jesus said,

Leave her alone,

so that she may keep it for the day of my burial.

For the poor you always have with you,

but you do not always have me.

When the large crowd of the Jews learned that Jesus was there,

they came, not only on account of Him,

but also to see Lazarus,

whom He had raised from the dead.

So the chief priests made plans

to put Lazarus to death as well,

because on account of Him,

many of the Jews were going away

and believing in Jesus.

Verse 12,

The next day,

the large crowd that had come to the feast

heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem.

So they took branches of palm trees

and went out to meet Him,

crying out,

Hosanna!

Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord,

even the King of Israel!

And Jesus found a young donkey

and sat on it,

just as it is written,

Fear not, daughter of Zion,

behold, your King is coming,

sitting on a donkey's colt.

His disciples did not understand these things at first,

but when Jesus was glorified,

then they remembered

that these things had been written about Him

and had been done to Him.

The crowd that had been with Him

when He called Lazarus out of the tomb

and raised Him from the dead

continued to bear witness.

The reason why the crowd went to meet Him

was that they had heard He had done this sign.

So the Pharisees said to one another,

You see that you are gaining nothing.

Look, the world has gone after Him.

Verse 20,

Now some,

now those,

I'm sorry, excuse me,

now among those who went up

to worship at the feast

were some Greeks.

So these came to Philip,

who was from Bethsaida in Galilee,

and asked Him,

Sir, we wish to see Jesus.

Philip went and told Andrew,

Andrew and Philip went and told Jesus,

and Jesus answered them,

The hour has come

for the Son of Man to be glorified.

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.

Whoever loves his life

loses it,

and whoever hates his life

in this world

will keep it

for eternal life.

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.

This is the word of the Lord.

Thanks be to God.

You may be seated.

Would you pray with me?

Father, I ask that

by the power of your Holy Spirit,

you will cause us

in our minds

and in our hearts

to see Jesus,

to behold you,

Lord God,

in the flesh,

as the hour

of your great work

to be glorified

has arrived.

Please speak to us,

Lord.

Help us to not only understand,

but to receive your word.

And I pray, Lord,

that by the power of your Spirit,

you will change us.

You will make us

prepared for the gospel.

And that when you work

in our hearts,

the gospel,

it will change everything

in our lives.

For your glory we pray.

Amen.

Amen.

Well, beloved congregation

of our Lord Jesus Christ,

the question I invite you

to ponder today is this.

Which life

do you love most?

Which life do you love most?

See, at the end of our text,

we just read this.

Jesus says,

if you love your life

in this world,

it will perish.

But if you lay down

your life in this world

through union with Christ,

He will preserve your soul

for eternity.

There is this life

and there is the life

to come.

I think Lazarus

is one man,

one illustration

of this great truth.

There is a spiritual kingdom

to come.

And the soul of Lazarus,

he had died.

His soul had left his body.

The soul of Lazarus

was put back into his body.

He got new life

in this world.

If we ask Lazarus

that question,

I think his answer

would be pretty easy.

Do you prefer this life

in this fallen sinful world?

Or do you prefer

the life that your soul

will enjoy for eternity

in Christ,

the kingdom of heaven?

Now, we're going to walk

through verse by verse,

but I was even thinking

about this, you know,

for myself.

Think of all that we have

to do to take care

of our body.

And we should take care

of our body.

We brush our teeth,

we get our hair cut,

we trim our nails.

We do a lot.

We feed, we exercise,

you know.

But think about your soul.

And when you think

of who you are,

do you think first

of your body

when you stand in the mirror,

that's who I am?

Or do you think first

of your soul?

We have a body,

we have a soul.

That picture that we got

with Lazarus

getting a new life,

it's really to teach us

you have a new life.

When God breathes life

and gives,

regenerates your heart,

He breathes a new soul

into you.

That's how Paul explains it

in 2 Corinthians 5, 17.

If anyone is in Christ,

he is a new creation.

The old has passed away.

Behold, the new has come.

So if your soul

is united to Christ,

the new creation

has already begun

in you,

in your soul.

So chapter 11,

we saw how Lazarus

was raised from the dead.

Life conquered death.

Light conquered darkness.

The kingdom of heaven

is conquering

the domain

of the kingdom

of the earth.

It was the free gift

of God's grace,

life in Christ

that conquered

the wages

of Adam's sin,

which is death.

Well, in chapter 11,

it was about God

giving one man

new life.

And here in chapter 12,

I believe it's like

the ripple effects

of a new life.

So picture yourself

in one of those

beautiful lakes

here in Colorado

and you're down

almost on the level

of the water

and it's perfectly still,

no wind.

You could take

the tiniest little pebble

and drop it

and you'll see

a ripple effect,

won't you?

And that's how it is.

When God breathes life

into one soul,

just one person

who will believe in him,

it causes a ripple effect.

I believe that's what

we will see

in this chapter.

Jesus said,

whoever loves

his life

loses it.

Whoever hates

his life in this world

will keep it

for eternal life.

So the Bible teaches,

our Lord Jesus Christ

teaches that there

are two lives.

There's the life

of the flesh

and there's the life

of the spirit.

There's a life

that's enslaved

in darkness

and there's a life

that's received

the light

of the kingdom

of heaven.

There is a life

that's perishing

but there is a life

for your soul

that is imperishable.

There is the earthly life

and there is the heavenly life.

Which life

do you love most?

Now look at verse 1.

We read that

Jesus

six days

before the Passover.

Now this is the first time

that the Apostle John

in this gospel

does not call this

the feast of the Jews.

So he's already

indicating a shift.

He's anticipating.

This is about,

this feast of the Passover

is about to be transformed.

He came to Bethany

where Lazarus was

which had been raised

from the dead

whom he raised

from the dead.

Now

Lazarus got a new life

and it changed everything.

There was a Puritan pastor

named Richard Sibbes

and it was said of him

that he was a wicked man.

He was a sinner.

But when they looked

at his life

as an old man,

as a man who had been

just loving the Lord,

serving him within the church

for many, many years,

they looked at Richard Sibbes,

this old pastor,

and they said,

heaven was in him

before he was in heaven.

That's probably a great way

to describe Lazarus.

The new life he got

four times mentioned

in this passage.

You could say

heaven was in Christ

before Christ's bodily,

glorified body

was back in heaven.

And the same might have been

true of Lazarus.

We don't get much focus

on Lazarus.

The focus is on Christ.

Brian Voss helped me

to see next

in verses two and three

a great contrast here.

We're going to see

a contrast between

Lazarus and his two sisters

versus Judas.

And that's the focus

of John,

how he tells this story.

So what I want you

to observe is this,

that we're told

that Martha

and Lazarus

and Mary,

they're each

are doing something

but they don't say anything.

Their actions

say it all.

There's no dialogue

with them.

But the life of heaven

abounds in grateful service

in communion with Christ.

See, they see this new life

in their brother

and look at the result.

In verse two,

they made a dinner for him.

Now, in one week from now,

Jesus would be the one

preparing a dinner

for his disciples.

Bethany had been a place

of escape for him

in the past.

Now, the hour has arrived.

It's like the king

mounting for war,

for coming in for battle,

the last victory.

In chapter two,

Martha served

and Lazarus was one of them

who sat and reclined

at the table.

So with Martha and Lazarus,

we have a picture

of serving the Lord

out of gratitude

and relaxing

and reclining

and enjoying communion

with the Lord.

And then with the other sister,

we get one more

response of gratitude.

Look at verse three.

Then Mary took

a pound of ointment.

This is nard,

or some translations

render it spike nard.

And we're told

it was very costly.

What Judas says

gives us a price tag

to put on it.

And it was equivalent

to one year's wages.

So before bank accounts

and stuff like that,

you had to store up

all your reserves,

all your money

in something physical.

This was her one year's wages

set aside as a savings.

Most likely this nard

was imported from India.

Remember Jerusalem?

It's a crisscross

for all these major highways

connecting all the continents.

It was a place of trade

and it would be a way

to acquire this rare

and expensive ointment.

We're told that she anointed

the feet of Jesus

and wiped his feet

with her hair.

Paul explains to the Corinthians

how a woman's hair

and their culture

was a sign of her honor.

So here she is

at the feet

of this man,

Jesus Christ.

He is everything to her.

Her sister is serving,

her brother is reclining

and eating

and enjoying communion

with him.

And her way of expressing

her gratitude

is to lavish

everything she has

as a way of saying

he is all to me.

I laid down

my life savings.

I laid down

my honor.

Father,

Jesus Christ,

God,

Lord of all,

he is everything

to me.

You see the ripple effect

of a new life?

It results in

grateful service

and communion.

Mary

worshiped him,

the creator,

in humbleness.

We sing,

let all things

their creator bless

and do just that.

Worship him

in humbleness.

If all the creation

saw the Lord

for who he was,

this would be

the only natural

response.

In verse 3,

we're told that

the whole house

was filled

with the fragrance

of this ointment.

When was the last time

in this story

that we were reminded

of a smell?

It was the stench

of death,

wasn't it?

You see how now

a new life

has replaced

the stench of death

with a fragrance

that fills

the whole house.

Christ's own death

does the exact

same thing.

The stench

of the curse

of sin

of death

is replaced

with the wonderful

aroma

of new life.

So the life

of heaven,

it abounds

in grateful service

and communion

to Christ.

That's one of the

effects

of a new life.

Which life

do you love

most?

Christ.

Are you like

these siblings

here?

Mary, Martha

and Lazarus?

They loved

this life

of the spirit

that they got

to enjoy

being with Christ,

serving him,

lavishing

everything they

have at his feet.

They loved

the light

that he brought

to their darkest

point of their lives

in their world.

They loved

the newness

that they were

enjoying.

They didn't want

anything to do

with the old.

They loved

the imperishable,

the value

of their souls

being united

to the king

of kings

rather than

holding on

to that which

is perishable

like this nard.

Jesus calls us

to bury

our earthly life

with Christ.

Keep

him

as your all.

See,

what Mary

was also doing

is that she

was anointing

Jesus.

She was anointing

him as king

for his triumphal

entry as he's

going to go

into Jerusalem

as the king.

But she was also

preparing his body

for burial.

And our response

is that by laying

it all down

and saying,

Christ,

you are the

anointed one

of heaven.

I trust my soul

to you alone.

You will keep

my soul.

You will guard it.

You will protect it.

You're the one

who will sanctify

and prepare

my soul

for heaven

with you.

There's no better

place for your

soul to be.

Well,

a second

contrast here

though is that

new life,

it doesn't change

everyone.

For those who

see the new life,

who enjoy and

experience new life

in Christ,

it changes everything.

But Christ's new

life does not

change everyone.

And the contrast

between these

siblings is with

Judas.

He's their foil.

See,

they said

nothing,

but their

actions spoke

volumes.

Now,

Judas,

he doesn't do

anything to show

his value of

Christ,

but he does

talk.

His words say

it all.

Look at verse

four.

Then Judas Iscariot,

we're told in

others,

text that

it was Simon's

son.

He was one of

the disciples.

So being really

precise,

this is who I'm

talking about.

And this is the

one who would

betray Jesus.

So he's letting

us know right

away.

This was a

wolf in

sheep's

clothing.

He said in

verse five,

why was this

ointment not

sold for 300

denarii or

300 pence in

the money given

to the poor?

Now,

we're not

absolutely certain,

but it's possible

when we read,

you know,

one piece of

silver that

equals one

denarii.

It was a

common,

you know,

currency.

So however

much money an

average person

would make in

one day would

be one denarii

or one piece

of silver.

And we

know that

Judas in

Matthew 26

is going to

leave from

here and go

sell the

Lord Jesus

to those who

want to kill

him for 30

pieces of

silver.

We know from

the Old

Testament that

that price,

you know,

30 days wages,

that's the

price that you

would buy a

slave.

Or if your

ox killed

another man's

slave, you

would pay

him that

price, 30

pieces of

silver.

to Mary,

Jesus was

worth all.

To Judas,

Jesus was a

common servant

or slave.

Jesus was

anointed by

Mary.

One week

later, Jesus

would be the

one taking the

posture of a

servant and

washing the

feet of his

disciples,

including

Judas.

In verse

6, Judas

said this not

because he

cared about the

poor.

Remember what

Jesus said in

John chapter 10,

John 10 · chapter mention

the hirelings,

they don't really

care, but

because he was

a thief.

Well, that's

exactly how the

wolves are

described.

They are thieves.

They came to

destroy him.

Because Judas

was the keeper of

the money bag and

he would carry

away what was

put into it.

Now, Jesus, he

knew all of this,

didn't he?

So the shepherd,

he delays his

judgment, he

delays his

judgment.

He knew all of

this with Judas

right there.

But the shepherd

king also defends

his lambs.

So what Judas is

doing to Christ,

he allows.

But when he went

as a wolf and his

fangs come out

against Mary, look

at what Jesus says

in verse 7,

leave her alone.

She has kept

this for the day

of my burial.

So Jesus knows

where this is all

heading.

It's foreshadowing

that his body

before it's put

into the grave

will be anointed

and perfumed.

In verse 8,

Jesus says,

the poor,

this is important,

the poor you

always have

with you.

When he's giving

them a picture

of the church,

it's a church

with poor in it.

The poor,

yes, you are

to care for them

and you will do

that as my church.

They are with you.

That's my vision

for my church.

But you do not

always have me.

This is so important

because our Lord Jesus,

he wants to clarify

that if you are

showing care

for the poor,

it needs to come out

of the overflow

of worship to him.

You worship the Lord

Jesus like Mary

and Martha

and Lazarus

and out of that overflow,

that love for Christ,

the poor are with you.

You're bringing them

along into it.

You're not rejecting them.

But,

care for the poor

must never

replace worship.

Have you ever seen

that happen

in a church?

So this is so important.

The poor must be

with the church.

You must draw them in

and serve them

by serving me.

Take care of the

weakest members.

But this is never

replacement for

worshiping Christ.

We're doing this together.

They are with the church.

But it is never

becoming a social gospel.

Where that's

our ultimate purpose.

Now,

I don't want you

to just think

this is a story

that happened

a long ago.

It has nothing

to do with you

as you sit here.

Judas

had to decide,

is it this life?

This life right now

with this money?

One year's wages?

And I can dip

into some of it?

Or,

is there a life

for the soul?

A life in the age

to come?

And you and I

are like Judas.

We were born

enslaved

to this world.

And on top of that,

we added on

our own sins.

We are bound

under the chains

of sin

when we are born

into this world.

And our soul,

it's being hunted down.

Martin Luther

felt this

so intensely.

Martin Luther said

to one person

who was trying

to make an argument

that by your own

free will,

you can save yourself.

Martin Luther's point

is no,

your will

is bound

under the curse

of sin and death.

That's what your will

is biblically.

And Martin Luther

simply said to him,

your thoughts

concerning God

are too human.

We could say

the same to Judas here.

Judas,

you don't value Christ.

Your thoughts

concerning Jesus Christ,

the God-man,

your thoughts

about Christ

are too human.

And that's the temptation

we all can fall into.

Our thoughts about God

are too human.

Our will is bound.

Our spirit is dead.

Our hearts are of stone,

the Bible says,

until the Holy Spirit

by His power

regenerates you.

That's when you believe.

And when you believe

you behold Christ

for who He is,

you worship Him.

You're at His feet.

Maybe,

maybe you've been deceived

and maybe you're sitting here

without having given

much thought

to the life

of the age to come.

And you're enslaved

to that old life,

the life of the flesh,

of darkness,

that's perishing,

that's bound up

in this earth.

Is that really the life

that you love

like Judas?

Jesus calls you

to bury your life

with Christ

and He promises

that He will keep,

guard, protect,

and sanctify your soul

for eternal life

with Him.

New life changes everything.

The third thing

I want to draw

your attention to

is how one person's

new life

leads others

to worship Christ

as King.

So, let's focus next

on the crowd,

this crowd.

Look at verse 9.

When a large crowd

of the Jews learned

that Jesus was there,

they came not for

Jesus' sake only,

but that they also

might see Lazarus,

also whom He had

raised from the dead.

Now, look at verse 17.

Those people

that had been with Him

when He called Lazarus

out of the tomb

and raised Him

from the dead,

they gave witness.

Verse 8 said,

Therefore the crowd

also met Him

because they had heard

of the sign

that He had done.

So, let's remember,

okay?

Lazarus died.

These people from Jerusalem

came to mourn

with this family

seven days

of mourning,

and on the fourth day,

right in the middle

of this week of mourning,

the Lord Jesus

raised Lazarus

from the dead.

And all those

who were barefoot

and sackcloth

with ashes on their head,

they had been fasting,

singing these really sad

Hebrew dirges,

they're now

bearing witness.

This really happened.

And they're spreading

the word.

They're telling everyone,

Jesus Christ gave new life

to a dead man.

They're bearing witness.

And a crowd

that had come to Jerusalem

for the Passover,

they are now hearing

about this.

Whoa, hold on.

What is going on?

One person's new life

leads others

to worship Jesus

as king.

Now, picture this crowd.

What was on their mind?

They had come

to Jerusalem

for the Passover.

You know what the Passover

was for the Jews?

It was Independence Day.

They're remembering

how the Lord

brought them out of Egypt.

They're remembering

how they had been enslaved

to another nation,

and now they got

their freedom.

And I mean,

you picture Americans

on Independence Day,

you got,

I just picture

large pickup trucks,

fireworks,

flags, you know.

And this is

a patriotic moment.

This crowd is now here.

We've got someone

in the village next door

who brought new life

to a man.

And it's Independence time.

Let's go gather around.

So here comes

this big crowd.

And what were they singing

as they were traveling

to Jerusalem

for Independence Day,

for Passover?

They were singing

from their songbook,

the Psalms.

They were singing

the Psalms of Ascent.

And these Psalms of Ascent

are putting their minds

on a great day

when the priestly office

and the kingly office

will be joined in Jerusalem,

and He will reign over

all the earth.

Like Psalm 118,

these travelers come weary

singing these songs,

and they sing,

Out of my distress,

I called on the Lord,

and the Lord answered me

and set me free.

It's Independence Day.

So that's how the crowd was.

But we're told that Jesus,

in Matthew 23,

Jesus,

as He was looking out

over Jerusalem

about to enter,

knowing what the crowd

was thinking,

how they're cheering,

how it's a patriotic moment,

Jesus weeps.

He weeps over Jerusalem.

And He says,

How I have longed

to gather you

under my wings.

It's the same language

that Boaz

sang over Ruth.

You could say that

of Boaz,

couldn't you?

Heaven was in Boaz

before Boaz

was in heaven.

Well, now look back

at verse 13.

This crowd took

branches of palms.

They took branches

of palms,

and I don't think

it's wrong

if churches want to do that,

but listen to what

this would actually mean.

The palm branches

were never ordained

by Scripture

as part of the ceremonial law,

so we shouldn't read

symbolism into that.

It became a tradition

of the patriots,

the national Jews,

during the Maccabean revolt

that we mentioned

a little bit ago

with the Feast of Dedication.

So then,

when they took back

the power,

they started

printing coins,

minting coins

with palm branches

on it

as a symbol

of independence

and patriotism.

And Jesus

sees all this happening,

but His Spirit

is longing

to gather them

under His wings.

Verse 13 says,

They went out

to meet Him,

crying,

Hosanna!

Blessed is He

coming in the name

of the Lord,

even the King of Israel.

Now,

even though

their expectations

of Christ

were at least mixed,

we could say that,

they didn't quite

have the right picture

of how His kingdom

was coming.

Their words

were right.

Jesus is most blessed.

And He is coming

in the name of the Lord.

He says,

I am.

That's who's coming.

It's Jesus,

God Himself.

And He's coming

as King

not only over Israel,

not only over Jerusalem.

The phrase

Daughters of Zion

is another name

for Jerusalem,

but He's coming

as King over all.

Now,

think about

how one person's

life has led

to many others

worshiping Jesus

as King.

Lazarus,

his life,

his one life

in this world

was buried

like a seed

in that cave.

And now,

many are bearing

witness of a man

who was dead,

who got new life

from the King of Kings.

Because of him,

large crowds

of a harvest

are now gathering

around Jesus Christ.

may this be true

of us

in your life,

in my life,

and in our congregation,

that if there is

genuine new life,

it won't just be that one.

It will multiply.

Here's a soul

that got drawn

into the life

of the kingdom

of heaven

because this life

is buried with Christ

in this world,

and the harvest

follows,

even if we don't see it.

It might take generations.

So which life

do you love most?

There's the life

of the flesh

and the life

of the Spirit,

of darkness

or of light,

the old

or the new,

the perishing

or the imperishable,

heavenly

or earthly.

Jesus says,

bury your earthly life

with Christ

and He will keep

and guard

and protect

and sanctify

your soul

for eternal life

in Him.

Well,

the fourth thing

I want to draw

your attention to

is that only

the Holy Spirit

can show disciples

the glory

of Christ's new kingdom.

Look at verse 14.

Jesus,

then Jesus,

finding a donkey colt,

He sat upon it

even as it had been written.

Verse 15,

Do not fear,

daughter of Zion.

Behold,

your king comes

sitting on the full

of a donkey.

This is a scripture

was written,

we're told.

Where was this written?

It was Zechariah

Zechariah 9:9

chapter 9,

verse 9,

which is a prophecy.

It's a word of hope

to the people in exile

and it says,

Rejoice greatly,

O daughter of Zion.

Shout aloud,

O daughter of Jerusalem.

Behold,

your king is coming to you

righteous

and having salvation

is He.

What type of king

should they be expecting?

The next words

in Zechariah 9,

He will be humble

and mounted on a donkey,

on a colt,

the full of a donkey.

See,

when the Romans

led a procession

through these major

capital cities

like Jerusalem,

they got to do that

every time they had

gone to battle

and killed

500 of the enemy.

they would come

on a great war horse

and it would be gruesome

and it would be fleshly

and to the human eye,

that's what they saw

as true honor

and true glory.

Now look at verse 16,

when His disciples

did not know

these things at first,

but when Jesus

was glorified,

then they remembered

that these things

were written of Him

and that He had done

and that they had done

these things unto Him.

See,

even they

with their human eye,

they did not see

the full glory of God

in the moment.

Christ had to finish

His work,

rise to the right hand

of God

and the Spirit

descend on them.

Then the Spirit

showed them back

through the Bible

how all of this

pointed to Christ.

It has to be

the Holy Spirit

showing disciples

the glory of Christ

through all of Scripture.

Only God Himself

by the Holy Spirit

can open your eyes

to behold the glory

of this humble,

otherworldly King.

So how was it

that these people

came to believe

that He was the true King?

The Spirit

had to make them

know that.

Don't you have

a loved one

that you wish

they would be able

to see and understand

Christ

and His glory?

Pray for the Spirit

to show them

and He'll do that

by His Word.

I love this line

in the hymn we sang

that He speaks

and listening to His voice,

that's how,

new life the dead receive,

the mournful,

broken hearts rejoice,

the humble,

poor believe.

Have you experienced this?

Have you heard something

about Christ

from the Bible,

about the Gospel,

and no matter

how many years

you've been hearing

the Bible

and the Gospel,

it just comes alive

inside of you

in a way you can't explain?

If you've experienced that,

praise the Lord,

that means it's

His Holy Spirit

teaching you

and showing you

what only He can teach you.

This is what the disciples

experienced and bore witness to

in Luke chapter 24,

Luke 24:32

verse 32.

They said,

listen,

our hearts burn

within us.

How?

While He talked to us

on the road,

while He opened

to us

the Scriptures.

That's what our Lord Jesus

and His glorified buddy

loves to do.

He loves to minister

to you

by His Word

and make your heart

burn within you

because He's given you

that new life.

Ask God

to make you

know Him.

What a glorious truth.

You get to know God.

If someone asks you

how you're doing,

do you think about

your life in this world

and all those things?

Or do you think about

that simple truth?

How are you doing?

I get to know God.

My soul

gets to know God.

That's the life

of the Spirit.

That's the light

of life

and light.

It's new.

It's imperishable.

It's heavenly.

And you only experience it

when your life

in this world

has been buried

with Christ

and you're trusting Him.

He will

keep your soul

and guard it

and protect it

and sanctify it.

He will prepare

your soul

for eternal life

in His heavenly kingdom.

But Jesus says

count the cost

and that's what

I want you to see

even with Lazarus'

own life.

It's that new life

in Christ

makes you a target

for Christ's enemies.

Remember,

He's the shepherd king

and where is He

marching to?

He's marching

the road

of the cross.

So I want to focus

next on how

Satan used

the chief priests

and Pharisees.

And I just want

to be really clear.

The Romans

were part

representing all

the rest of the world

and the Pharisees,

the teachers of the law.

They were part of it too.

But it's Satan

working through

these people

and God saved

Jews and Greeks

and Romans

as well following this.

There were churches

planted among all of them.

So this is what

we are all like.

But look at verse 10.

So the chief priests

made plans

to put Lazarus

to death as well.

You see,

new life,

it makes you a target

for Christ's enemies.

Satan distorts

the reality

and he tries to draw

people in

to be part of that.

They said,

okay,

everybody here,

everybody,

these crowds all know

Lazarus was the dead man.

He had been dead

four days.

Everybody knows that.

So what do we need

to do?

We need to distort reality.

We need to kill Lazarus

because he can't

go on like this.

They already had plans

to kill Jesus.

Now they have plans

to kill his church.

See,

the new life of Christ

made Christ a target,

obviously,

but it also makes

a target of anyone

who belongs to the

kingdom of light.

Now verse 11 says,

because on account of him,

this dead man,

Lazarus,

who got new life,

many of the Jews

departed and believed

in Jesus.

See,

their religion,

it was not about truth.

It was about numbers.

I feel like I need

to repeat that

one more time.

The enemies of Christ,

their religion

was not about

the truth

of the reality.

Distort the reality

because their religion

was about numbers.

enemies,

those are enemies

of Christ.

They're coming after

Christ's people.

In 1 Kings chapter 1,

1 Kings 1 · chapter mention

we're told

all these wonderful,

glorious promises

about David

and the son of David,

the one who would come

from the line of David.

When David is time

to hand over the crown

and the throne

to the next,

this is where Israel

gets shredded apart.

But something happens

before that.

We read that David

gave his royal mule

to Solomon

and paraded Solomon

into Jerusalem.

And Solomon was anointed

and he was enthroned

in public

with triumphal celebration.

So who would be

the one who would

sit on that throne

in Jerusalem

and rule over

all the people?

Not ultimately Solomon.

It was pointing

to Christ.

Of course he's going

to be a target

to God's enemies.

They want the power

and the money

and the numbers.

Look at verse 19.

The Pharisees

therefore said

to themselves,

see how you profit

nothing.

In other words,

you guys are losing.

Behold,

the world,

the cosmos

has gone after him.

What they saw

as their great problem

that the whole world

is going after Christ,

it was also a prophecy.

Their problem

was a prophecy.

The world is going

after this man

as though he's the king.

Yes,

and wait till you see him

in his glory.

The world

goes after him.

Zechariah 9.10

describes Christ

that he will speak

peace to who?

To the nations

and his rule

shall be from sea

to sea

and from the river

to the ends

of the earth.

Everywhere

that his word

by the power

of the spirit

flows,

everywhere,

it wins.

It prevails.

So picture that

like a Tucson desert

in the middle of Arizona,

dry as can be.

And then here comes

the monsoon river

just forms out of nothing.

Nothing can stop it.

And you can picture

a big boulder,

you know,

or like turns in the desert

and stuff like that.

Nothing can stop it.

It's going to flow

and it's going to cover

that entire desert

like an ocean.

That's what the word

by the power

of the spirit of God

does.

Well,

Martin Luther

was also targeted

by the enemies of God

and he wrote this hymn

in a moment

of great torment

and it became

the battle hymn

of the Reformation.

Luther,

notice how weak

he makes himself

compared to the might

of God.

Luther wrote,

did we

in our own strength

confide

our striving

would be losing.

For though this world

with devils filled

should threaten

to undo us,

we will not fear

for God

has willed

his truth

to triumph

through us.

So if you are

in the kingdom

of heaven

and he's given you

new life for the soul,

you do not need

to fear those enemies.

Know that you will

have a target

on your back

but do not fear them.

They belong

to the kingdom

of the flesh.

You are joined

to Christ

in the spiritual kingdom.

The darkness

wants to oppose

the light

but you belong

to the light.

The old

resists

the new kingdom,

the new life.

The old

will perish away.

The kingdom

of Christ

will endure

forever.

Which life

do you love

most?

Why would you

not bury

your earthly life?

Why would you

not trust

your soul

to the maker

of heaven

and earth

knowing that

he will keep

it and guard

it and protect

you and sanctify

your soul

for eternity

with him?

Well the last

observation

is that new

life

new life

is reformed

by Christ's

teaching.

When Christ

gives you new

life,

he doesn't just

leave you there

like a little

baby.

He teaches

you,

he feeds

you,

he grows

you,

he changes

you,

matures

you.

We're to

establish

and equip.

You know,

the church

is not just

to be planted

with shallow

roots,

we're to be

rooted and

grounded and

rising up

and bearing

fruit,

equipped like

an army

taking charge

with Christ

now,

going out.

And how

does he do

that?

How does he

establish and

equip us and

reform us?