Savoring God's Glory

What God can do, what God delights to do in life.

Total transformation, total change, total change, total change, total change, total change,

!

True understanding of, as Rick and Lynn shared, true understanding of the weight of sin.

A true recognition and true appreciation for who God was.

And I show this for a second reason.

The second reason is because we're moving through difficult waters in the passage in

John chapter 12.

John 12 · chapter mention

I want to encourage you not only in understanding what God can do for you, what God delights

to do in salvation, but to give you a taste.

To give you a taste of what God wants to accomplish in your life.

What God wants to accomplish through your life in this world.

I see these videos and it just captures my heart and I am reminded of the power of God

in accomplishing the impossible task of leading us to salvation.

And I say to myself, I want a taste.

I want a taste of that power of God working through me, channeling through me, and working

in the heart and life of another individual to lead them to this kind of transformation.

I want to see God's power show up in my life in a tangible and vivid way.

God is in the business of doing extraordinary things.

And I find myself getting caught up in the ordinary.

I find myself becoming complacent and lethargic and okay with the mundane in life.

With just skating by.

With just getting through.

With just making it to the weekend.

Living for a Friday perhaps.

Or just living for retirement.

Living for that vacation.

Living for that next time where you're going to really have fun.

Where you're going to really live life.

And God says, I want to show up today in your life.

I want there to be power in your life today.

I want there to be change in your life today.

I want you to experience my presence today.

I want you to have me today.

And I find myself saying, I'm just okay.

I'm okay with how things are.

It's a little too uncomfortable to be moving into deeper fellowship with you.

Because sometimes I understand that deeper fellowship with you means letting go.

Some of the things that I really enjoy in life.

And that's why this morning I ask you this question.

And the question really comes from the text.

We've been talking about the glory of Christ.

And the question for us this morning is, do you savor?

Do you savor God's glory?

Do you savor the glory of Christ that was made manifest in the cross?

Is it something that you treasure?

Is it something that you cherish?

Is it something that you value?

And if it is something that you value, then it's going to shape the way you live.

It's going to show up in the kind of people that we are.

It's going to make a difference.

Like it did for Lynn.

Like it did for Rick.

I appreciate how they summarized that.

They believed in God, but it had no impact on their life.

We're going to look at a group of individuals this morning from our passage in John chapter 12

John 12 · chapter mention

that are exactly the same.

It uses the term, they believed in God.

But it goes on to say, they loved the glory of man more than the glory of Christ.

And the difficult question for us this morning,

the question I'm going to try to help us answer is,

were they legitimate and authentic believers in Christ?

Were they genuinely saved?

Now I told you that John chapter 12 is a difficult passage.

John 12 · chapter mention

It's a hard chapter.

It confronts us with the glory of Christ.

And in confronting us with the glory of Christ,

it challenges us with,

is God supreme?

Is he Lord?

Is he sovereign?

Will we allow Jesus to be Lord?

Will we let him be God?

And in being God, will we let him be in control?

And this is, if it was hard last week,

it is especially difficult this morning.

Because it forces us to take a hard look at our life.

And if you're anything like me,

I don't want to take a hard look at my life.

The Apostle Paul to the church of Corinth says,

he says, examine yourself.

Test yourself to see if you're in the faith.

Is it right for us to test ourselves?

Is it right for us to ask these hard questions?

I'll tell you what,

I don't want to ask these questions.

Even this morning as the pastor,

in looking at this scripture,

it would be far more comfortable for me

to move to chapter 13.

We can begin to talk about the Last Supper.

After all, that's what we're doing this morning.

It'd be far easier for us to deal with that subject

than this one this morning.

But it is here.

These are the very last public words of Jesus Christ.

These are the last words that he wanted

the people in Jerusalem to understand.

So these are significant.

These are weighty words.

These are hard words.

And these words begin to summarize

all of Jesus' public ministry.

They come front and center

as Jesus screams from we don't even know where,

shouts to whoever will listen,

this message that we're going to look at this morning.

And it bears down on us today

as we consider the cross.

As we consider these words of Christ

and we are forced to ask ourselves the question,

do we savor God's glory?

Will we allow God to be God?

So we're in John chapter 12.

John 12 · chapter mention

Turn with me if you would.

If you're a guest with us this morning,

it's on page 899.

I want to read the text

and then we'll start to deal with the issues

that are here in the text together.

John chapter 12.

John 12 · chapter mention

And I'm going to begin.

I'm going to back up to verse 41

and then read to the end of the chapter.

It says,

It says,

And Jesus cried out and said,

Whoever believes in me,

believes not in me,

but in him who sent me.

And whoever sees me,

sees him who sent me.

I have come into the world as light,

so that whoever believes in me

may not remain in darkness.

If anyone hears my words

and does not keep them,

I do not judge him.

For I did not come to judge the world,

but to save the world.

The one who rejects me

and does not receive my words

has a judge.

The word that I have spoken

will judge him on that day.

For I have not spoken of my own accord,

my own authority.

But the Father who sent me

has himself given me a commandment.

What to say and what to speak.

And I know that this commandment

is eternal life.

What I say, therefore,

I say as the Father

has told me to say.

Without savoring Christ,

without treasuring Christ,

we need to ask ourselves the question,

can there be authentic faith

within us?

What does it mean to savor him?

What does that look like?

How does it show up?

And we'll see three ways

this morning in our passage

that savoring Christ

will show up

throughout this discourse.

First, we see in verse 41

through verse 43

that those who savor Christ

will speak of him.

Those who savor him

will speak of him.

First, we see the positive example

of Isaiah.

Here in Isaiah,

excuse me,

in verse 41.

It says,

Isaiah said these things

because he saw the glory,

his glory,

and spoke of him.

Isaiah said these things

because he saw the glory of Christ,

the glory of God.

And it goes back to Isaiah chapter 6.

Isaiah 6 · chapter mention

And it goes back

to what we see in verse 40.

What did Isaiah say?

What did he talk about?

And how did he express

this understanding,

this confidence

in the glory of Christ?

As we've seen through

the book of John

and specifically in this chapter,

John chapter 12,

John 12 · chapter mention

we've seen the glory of Christ

come into view

consistently throughout

this chapter.

More than any other chapter

up to this point,

John chapter 12

John 12 · chapter mention

deals with the glory

of Christ.

And here now,

concentrated in these

last few verses,

the glory of Christ

is coming into full view.

We find that

John is emphatic

about the glory of Christ.

He speaks about it

at the beginning

of Jesus' ministry

and now here

at the end

of his public ministry,

he is dealing

with it again.

It should be no surprise

that the gospel of John

in speaking about

the glory of Christ

also concentrates

on believing

in Christ.

We know John

John 20 · chapter mention

chapter 20, 31.

These things

have been written

so that you may believe

that Jesus is the Christ,

the Son of God.

It should be no surprise

that in order

for us to come

to true,

saving faith,

there needs to be

a treasuring.

There needs to be

a beholding.

There needs to be

a savoring.

There needs to be

an understanding

and a, you know,

wondering

at the glory of Christ.

Christ.

And now,

in these final moments,

John gives a,

a kind of a commentary,

a synopsis,

an analysis

of Jesus' life.

He does that

in verses

40,

or 37

to 42

or 41.

He helps us

understand

how can it be

possible

when Jesus

shows up

and demonstrates

his glory,

how can it be

possible

that so many

people

have rejected

his glory

and have turned

their back

on him?

What is

your final analysis,

John?

How can these

things be true?

Why do

so many

still do not

believe?

Well,

verse 40,

he gives us

the answer.

The answer

that comes

from the mouth

of Isaiah

who saw

the glory

of Christ

Christ

and recognizes

the sovereignty

of God,

his lordship,

his control,

and he says,

he has blinded

their eyes

and hardened

their heart

lest they see

with their eyes

and understand

with their heart

and turn

and I would

heal them.

The beginning

of Christ's

ministry,

it says,

he came to his

own and his

own received

him not.

And here at

the end,

we find the

same synopsis

to be true,

the same

analysis

to be true.

Jesus coming

to his own,

spending himself

for his people

and what do

they do?

They reject

him.

How is

this possible?

The answer,

this is the

way God

intended it.

That is

almost

breathtaking

for us

to see

and to

believe.

God

intended

that?

How could

God

intend

this

to happen?

And what

does that

do for us

in terms

of believing

in the

will of man

to be able

to choose

God?

Are these

two truths

in conflict?

Is the

will of man

and the

sovereignty

of God

in conflict?

And the

Bible answer

to that,

the simple

answer to

that is no.

They are

not in

conflict.

conflict.

And we

wonder how

can that

be true?

We get

a bit

of that,

of the

answer in

Romans chapter

one,

where it

talks about

the mutual

responsibility.

It talks

about how

God gave

people up

to uncleanness

because

they exchanged

the truth

of God

for a lie.

They chose

rebellion,

they chose

wickedness,

they chose

to oppose,

they chose

to be enemies

of him,

and God

refused to

shine his

light to them

so they

could not

believe.

Why?

Why?

We saw

this last

week as

well.

God

allowed

a hardening

to take

place for

them because

he needed

to send

Jesus to

the cross.

God

intended to

save

sinners.

God

intended

for the

gospel to

be made

known to

us as

Gentiles,

to be open

so that we

could enjoy

the benefits

of salvation

that could

not have

happened had

Jesus not

gone to

the cross.

Paul says

this in

Romans 11

25,

he says,

I don't

want you

to be

unaware of

this mystery

brothers,

a partial

hardening

has come

upon Israel

until the

fullness of

the Gentiles

has come

in.

And Isaiah

saw,

in Isaiah

Isaiah 6 · chapter mention

chapter 6,

a glimmer

of the glory

of Christ,

and what

did it

cause him

to do?

In verse

41 here

of chapter

12,

he saw

these

things

and he

spoke

of him.

He saw

the glory

of Christ.

He beheld

it,

he wondered

at it,

and it

caused him

to speak.

He says,

woe is me,

I am lost,

I am a man

of unclean

lips,

I dwell

in the midst

of a people

of unclean

lips,

for my eyes

have seen

the King,

the Lord

of hosts.

The only

fitting response

for us

when we

see the glory

of Christ

is to

proclaim

worship

and praise

and wonder

and to speak

of him

to the world

around us.

that's the

positive

example.

And now

we transition

to the

negative

example.

This example

that now

that we

see showing

up in

verses 42

and 43,

this negative

example of

the Jewish

leaders.

Here again

it says,

many even

of the

authorities

believed in

him,

but for

fear of

the Pharisees

they did

not confess

it,

so that

they would

not be put

out of the

synagogue.

For they

loved the

glory that

comes from

man more

than the

glory that

comes from

God.

When we

read these

words,

it almost

makes us

feel a sense

of delight.

Many

believed in

him,

even of the

Jews.

Certainly

that is a

good thing,

that's a

positive

thing,

especially

in light

of all

the opposition

that Jesus

faced through

the retaliation

and the

opposition of

the Jews

throughout his

ministry.

Certainly

this is a

positive twist

in the

story,

right?

They've

communicated

scathing

accusations

through

Jesus'

ministry.

They have

schemed

and are

planning his

death,

but there

are some

who have

separated

themselves

from that

bunch,

at least,

and they're

not openly

attacking

Christ,

but they're

also not

openly

confessing

Christ.

When it

says that

they believed,

it uses the

same word

that's used

throughout the

gospel of

John to

describe

belief,

describe

saving

faith.

Same word

is used

throughout the

gospel to

help us

come to

terms with

the crowds

that did

believe in

Jesus.

But it

also helps

to identify

throughout the

gospel of

John several

groups of

individuals that

although they

believed there

was something

defective,

there was

something deficient

about their

faith.

Early on in

Christ's

ministry, I

would encourage

you just to

turn to the

beginning of

John.

Let's take a

mini tour.

John chapter

John 2:23

2 verse

23.

It says,

Now, when

he was in

Jerusalem at

the Passover

feast, many

believed,

underline that,

in his name,

when they saw

the signs that

he was doing.

But Jesus,

on his part,

did not entrust

himself to

them because

he knew all

people and

needed no one

to bear witness

about him for

he himself knew

what was in

men.

They believed,

but Jesus knew

their heart.

In chapter

3, this

one Nicodemus

comes to

Jesus.

We see there

in the first

part of the

chapter, it

says, a ruler

of the Jews.

This man came

to Jesus by

night and

said to him,

Rabbi, we

know that you

are a teacher

come from God,

for no one

can do the

signs that you

do unless

God is with

him.

There is

faith.

But as you

turn through

the rest of

this narrative,

you'll see

in verse

12 in

particular,

Jesus

confronts

Nicodemus and

says, if I

have told you

earthly things

and you do

not believe,

how can you

believe if I

tell you

heavenly things?

There was a

measure of

intellectual

affirmation in

the things that

Jesus was doing,

but there was

not the kind

of faith that

led him to

salvation.

Turning to

chapter 6,

we see many

of the same

things.

in verse 2,

it says,

a great

multitude

followed him

because they

saw the

signs which

he performed.

Dropping

down to

verse 14,

it says,

then those

men, when

they had seen

the signs that

Jesus did,

said, truly,

this is the

prophet who

has come into

the world.

But then,

Jesus'

analysis of

their hearts

comes in

verse 64.

for Jesus

knew from

the beginning

who they

were who

did not

believe and

who would

betray him.

But perhaps

it comes into

best focus in

chapter 8,

John chapter

John 8 · chapter mention

8.

We see in

verse 30,

in Jesus'

dialogue with

the Jewish

leaders,

it says,

and he was

saying these

things,

many believed

in him.

So, in

verse 31,

Jesus said

to the Jews

who had

believed in

him,

if you

abide in

my word,

you are

truly my

disciples,

and you

will know

the truth,

and the

truth will

set you

free.

Speaking to

the same

audience,

the same

group of

individuals,

who now

get into

a debate

with Jesus,

dropping down

to verse

44,

Jesus

summarizes

what is

truly in

their hearts,

and says,

you are of

your father

the devil,

and your

will is to

do your

father's

desires,

he was a

murderer from

the beginning,

and has

nothing to

do with

the truth,

because there

is no

truth in

him.

There is

the potential

for faith,

for believing

that is not

adequate,

that is not

complete,

that is not

authentic,

that it

affirms the

things that it

believes to be

true,

without it

changing anything

about who

they are.

And that

is what

John is

now talking

about here

in the

latter part

of chapter

12.

There was

no change,

they were

unmoved

to the

point of

worship,

they were

not savoring

God's glory,

there was

this fascination

with who

Jesus was,

there was

this passing

interest,

there was

this enjoyment

of him,

and some

of the

fringe

benefits

of coming

and being

healed,

and being

taught,

being encouraged,

and being

part of this

great movement

that Jesus

was leading.

But there

was no

treasuring

of Christ.

Why do I

say that?

I can say

that because

of now what

we see at

the end

of verse

42 and

43.

But for

fear of

the Pharisees

they did

not

confess it.

So they

would not

be put out

of the

synagogue,

for they

loved the

glory that

comes from

man more

than the

glory that

comes from

God.

Now this

word fear,

if you have

an ESV,

this word

fear is not

actually in

this text

here,

but it

points to

another verse

of what we

can see in

John chapter

John 17 · chapter mention

17.

It was

for fear

of the

Jews there.

But maybe

particularly

and better

would be the

example in

John chapter

John 9 · chapter mention

9.

Just turn a

page back

to look at

this account.

In John

John 9 · chapter mention

chapter 9,

if you remember,

this was the

blind man that

was healed

by Christ.

And there's

this conversation,

this debate

taking place

of whether

or not he

was really

born blind

and who

was the

person who

healed him.

And coming

into focus,

these questions

are now being

asked to his

parents.

Beginning in

verse 20,

his parents

answered,

we know that

this is our

son and

that he was

born blind,

but how he

sees we do

not know,

nor do we

know who

opened his

eyes.

Ask him.

He is of

age.

He will

speak for

himself.

His parents

said these

things because

they feared

the Jews.

the Jews

had already

agreed that

if anyone

should confess

Jesus to

be Christ,

he was to

be put out

of the

synagogue.

Everything

Jewish,

everything

related to

the social

structure,

anything

related to

business,

anything

related to

family,

anything

related to

community,

anything

that related

to future

legacy,

was anchored

in this

relationship

that would

have been

true in the

synagogue.

synagogue.

There was

much at

stake.

And for

these Jews

who were

part of the

leadership in

Jerusalem,

it was too

much to

ask.

It was too

big of a

confession to

make.

It was too

big of a

sacrifice to

make.

So they

could not

confess it

because,

as John

says,

in pinpointing

and zeroing in

on the true

motive of

their heart,

they loved

the praise

of man

more than

the praise

of God.

They did

not savor

Christ.

Now to

make this

intensely

personal,

where do

you fit in

this picture?

There is

the positive

example of

Isaiah,

there is the

negative example

of the Jews,

and then there

is an example

that you

bring to

the table.

I'm letting

you fill in

the blank.

Where do

you fit in

this story?

Positively

or negatively?

What dominates

your conversation

from day to

day?

What do you

find to be

the easiest

subject matter

to address?

What is the

most comfortable

to discuss?

In your

business

conversations,

in your

family

conversations,

what you

speak about

is what

you savor.

What you

speak about

is what

you savor.

So that the

Apostle Paul

says,

I'm not

ashamed of

the gospel

of Christ.

It is

what motivates

me.

It is

what moves

me.

It is

what encourages

my soul.

I can't

help, he

says in

1 Corinthians

1 Corinthians 2 · chapter mention

chapter 2,

I'm determined

to know nothing

among you

except Jesus

Christ and

him crucified.

There is no

greater subject

matter I'd

rather address

than the subject

matter of

Jesus Christ.

In our

conversations,

is Jesus

worth speaking

about?

Is Jesus

worth taking

risks over?

Does he

motivate your

mouth and

as an

expression of

what's coming

out of your

mouth, as

Jesus says,

it is a fruit

of what is

actually in

the heart.

Does our

heart reveal

an affection

and a

savoring of

Jesus Christ

so that it

comes forth

in how we

speak?

It shows

up in

how we

speak with

individuals.

Next, as we

move to

verses 44

and 46,

in John

John 12 · chapter mention

chapter 12,

Jesus now

emerges from

the shadows.

We see his

last words in

the temple

in verse

36,

speaking about

light and

speaking about

his ministry

and speaking

about what he

is going to

do on the

cross.

And then it

says at the

end of verse

36, when

Jesus had

said these

things, he

departed and

hid himself

from them.

Jesus moves

out of the

temple square,

Jesus moves

into the

shadows, and

now he

emerges for

one last

declaration,

one last

statement to

summarize his

ministry.

In verses

44 to

50, and

it begins

with a

vision of

him.

Do you

see him?

And when

you savor

him, you

will see

him.

You will

believe in

him.

That's what

Jesus says in

verse 44.

Whoever

believes in

me, believes

not in

him who,

excuse me,

whoever

believes in

me, believes

not in

me, but

in him

who sent

me.

And whoever

sees me,

sees him

who sent

me.

I have come

into this

world as

light, so

that whoever

believes in

me may not

remain in

darkness.

Jesus was

sent from

the Father.

Do you

see him?

Do you

savor him?

True vision

leads to

true faith.

When Jesus

shows up and

we begin to

believe who

Jesus is,

what his

true identity

is, it will

shape the

way that we

live.

Jesus

repeatedly

talks about

him proceeding

from the

Father, him

coming from

the Father, his

fellowship with

the Father, him

representing the

Father.

It shows up

tremendously

throughout the

Gospel of

John.

I have this

little graphic

up here just

to give you

an idea of

how much

John is

interested in

Jesus'

relationship

with the

Father.

Believing

in me

depends on

your view

of who

God is.

And if

your view

of God

is proper,

if it is

correct, then

you will see

me not as

some good

prophet, not

as some good

teacher, not

as just a

miracle worker,

you will see me

as God in the

flesh.

You will see me

as one who

is sent from

him, showing

up to convey

the words of

God to you.

you think

this was

significant in

the ministry

of Christ?

Especially

here in the

Gospel of

John, you

better believe

it.

Jesus is

emphatic about

this point.

You cannot

have God

without having

me.

I'm not an

optional part

of this

conversation

in relationship

to your

view of who

God is.

you must

see me as

having proceeded

from him,

having been

sent from

him.

The man

who believes,

the man

who believes

in God

must believe

in me.

But he

also comes

to shine

the light

into the

world.

He was

sent from

the Father,

we see that

here twice

in these

two verses,

we also see

that he

shines his

light into

the world.

Again,

this is a

principal theme

throughout the

gospel of

John.

As one

who comes

to shine,

Jesus brings

the truth.

Jesus cuts

through the

fog of

tradition.

Jesus helps

to demonstrate

the inadequacy

of the

perceptions

that the

religious leaders

had brought

to bear

in the lives

of the Jews

at the time.

He sets

the record

straight about

God's

expectations.

He shows

God's character

that shocked

the multitudes.

in the way

that Jesus

handled the

Old Testament,

in his

treatment of

the Sabbath,

in his

defining of

the law,

his forgiveness

of sins,

his compassion

for the weak,

his mercy

to the outcast,

his posture

towards the rich,

his distance

from the

mainstream,

his rebuke

to the religious

leaders.

Everything

that Jesus

did confronted

and exposed

the people.

it shined

the light

into their

desire

to be

self-sufficient.

It pointed

supremely

to worship

of God.

It steered

them away

from everything

that they

had anchored

their life

in,

the synagogue

and the temple

and even

the law

and helped

them understand

that everything

is supremely

encompassed

in the person

of Christ.

He exposed

their heart

of idolatry

and uncovered

the nakedness

of their hearts.

He shined

the light

into their life

and let them

deal with the truth.

And in doing

that,

He also

confronted them

in a way

that would help

lead them

out of darkness

and lead them

into light.

He separates

true believers

from the darkness.

We see that here

in verse 46.

whoever believes

in me

will not

remain

in darkness.

He separates

us from

the darkness.

John continues

this theme

in his epistle

in 1 John.

He says,

love not the world

neither the things

that are in the world

because if you

love the world

the love

of the Father

is not

in you.

you cannot

have

the darkness

and be called

sons of light.

I came

to help

lead you

to life

in light.

Not simply

coming to church.

Not simply

reading your Bible.

Not simply

knowing all

the good answers.

Not simply

going to small group

or singing in the choir

or serving

in children's ministry.

Having a good

work ethic.

work ethic.

Being kind

to your neighbors.

Giving all your money.

All of those

things are good.

But Jesus

wants to draw

our attention

to savoring

him

and living

in the light.

It will

shape you.

It will

mark you

as an individual.

It will lead you

to this final

aspect of

savoring

Christ

that we find

in these last

few verses.

He says

in verse

47

if anyone

hears my words

and does

not keep

them

I don't

judge him

for I did

not come

to judge

the world

but to

save

the world.

You will

if you are

a son

or a daughter

of light

you will

submit

to him.

You will

recognize

that your

ultimate

accountability

is to the

words

and the

standard

that he

set.

and you

with the

power of

the Holy

Spirit

will walk

in the

words

that Christ

has given

to us.

His words

cannot be

optional.

They're not

secondary.

They're primary.

They're foundational.

They're vital

for spiritual

life.

They lead

to life

and wisdom

and fellowship

with God

and peace

and satisfaction

and joy

and productivity

and confidence

and everything

good can be

found in

conforming our

lives to the

word of God.

For all

that God's

word brings

the greatest

struggle

that it

demands

is a struggle

of death.

Death

to self

so that

God can reign

as king

over your life.

Do

we love

God

supremely?

Is this

command

our standard?

Do we

recognize

that we

will be

one day

accountable

to the

words

that he

has

shared?

And

finally,

you will

recognize

the authority

of his

words in

verses

49 and

50.

I have

not spoken

on my

own

authority

but the

father

who sent

me

has

himself

given

me a

command

what to

say

and what

to speak.

These

words are

coming

from God

almighty.

does

God

have

authority

over you?

Does

he have

authority

over me?

Do

I live

my life

underneath

his

governance,

underneath

his

control,

underneath

his

sovereignty

and lordship

and authority?

Does

God

have a

right

to speak

into

my

life,

into

your

life?

does

he have

a

right

to

boss

you

around

as

it

were?

To

help

you

understand

what

his

requirements

and

desires

are?

And do

those

words

help

to

determine

and to

guide

us

in

our

hobbies,

in

our

leisure,

in

our

downtime,

in

our

family

time,

in

our

business

engagements,

wherever

we are,

do

God's

words

provide

direction

and help

to steer

us in

the way

that he

wants us

to go?

Or

do we

find

ourselves

just