Seek First | We Want to See Jesus

No, 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.

It 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, you 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.

Good morning church. It's great to be with you.

This morning. We have a met.

My name is Austin for the pastor's here at RC B.

And I get to continue our sermon series this morning that we're

calling seek first, where we're looking at the life of Jesus.

And the way that he engages with different people, engages people

in ways that that increases their hunger for God or people

who are spiritually, hungry, hungry for more.

And so we're in our passage this morning that Just heard read in

John 12 and just to set the scene a little bit more for you

to build a context here. John 12 is kind of this pivot

point in the Gospel of John. So there's been there's 21

chapters in Jan the first 12 or kind of Jesus public Ministry.

Some things happen in 12 that actually close the door on Jesus

public life. And from 13 on, it's more of a

private Ministry to the disciples to his Apostles and

the his A fiction and resurrection.

And so this is the end of his public life in chapter 12, and

what just happened in has kind of spurred that a little bit and

check her 11 heroes. Are he raised Lazarus from the

dead? Now, it's not something right

that, that happens every day. And so doing this raising

Lazarus from the dead creates. This, this stir amongst the

people in the area, like Lazarus was in Bethany, which is just

outside of Jerusalem. And so there's this big Stir and

people are coming and like bearing witness to what Jesus

did and wanting to learn more. And so there's this huge

palpable like expectation and anticipation of of what's going

to happen at the Passover. What's going to happen who this

Jesus fellow is? And there's also the Pharisees

who don't quite have the same anticipation, right?

They're not actually anticipating, man.

What could God possibly be doing here?

But instead they're more worried.

Got their own place, their own power, their own standing, and

it says in chapter 11 in John chapter 11 verse 48, the

John 11:48

Pharisees. They're talking about Jesus and

they say, if we let him go on like this, everyone will believe

in him and the Romans will come and take away our place and our

nation. Worried about holding on to

their place, and their nation. And so we see Jesus.

He continues into Jerusalem, chapter 12, begins with the

triumphal entry, kind of Palm Sunday idea where he comes in.

People are excited. Wondering what's going to happen

and we get down. There's a palpable Buzz, right?

Is this the Messiah as this one is going to free us from the

power of Rome. Is he the one who's going to

restore Israel to its former glory?

Three and the Pharisees. They continue to deepen, Their

Fear 12:19 right before our passages morning, which begins

in verse 20. The Pharisee say, look, the

world has gone after him the world.

It's kind of after it feels to them.

Like they just are losing their grip, losing their ability to

lead to have power in there. Seeing that Jesus has real

power. Even to raise the dead and that

people are flocking to him. And so they resolved to take

Swift action at this point. So it's kind of a big turning

point in the story. So as we come to to chapter 12

verses 20 through 26, this morning, this is what's going

on. This is kind of the the

circumstance that Jesus finds himself in the middle of and

then we have the scene of these non-jewish visitors.

You've come to Jerusalem for the Passover 3 verse 20 with me.

So is now among those who went up to worship at the feast were

some Greeks. Awesome.

I might seem to you like a passing detail because actually

really critical here. They come to the feast to

worship. So these Greeks they're not just

religious tourist, right? They're not just coming in.

They want to observe kind of some cultural religious

experience that that is in this kind of foreign and exotic

Place. Know they come to Jerusalem

during the Passover to worship if you come to worship during

the /, you're coming to worship. Yahweh.

Coming to worship the god of Israel coming to worship.

The one that Jesus calls father. And so they're here for the

feast, they're serious enough to make the trick.

So it shows they have this real spiritual hunger, right?

They have this real longing to know God.

They've certainly been a part of the Greco.

Roman Pantheon of gods. They've heard the stories, the

myths, the know, the deities of their time and they said, no,

no, this isn't enough. We're looking for more.

And so they come, they they're they're seeking after the things

of God. At least some actually to seek

Jesus. They want to know more about

this Jesus guy. See if this is what they're

longing for. So, it's important that is

Passover. This is kind of the Super Bowl

of Jewish holidays. It's kind of like the Easter

kind of users, Super Bowl of Christian holidays.

The, the Passover is, is the big, the big one for the Jewish

faith. And so it marks this time.

I marks the story of God, rescuing his people out of

slavery in Egypt and there's this reenactment of the Passover

Lamb being. Slain in the blood, saving the

people of God from death and liberating them out of slavery

and bondage and so it's no accident that and this is, this

is another summer for another day, but it's no accident.

That Jesus is crucified during Passover because he is the Lamb

of God, whose blood saves the people of God and liberates them

from their slavery, from their bondage.

And so the story, right? Like this, This is this is no

accident, but that that's a story for another day.

But all this to say Passover, the Greeks were there.

They want to see Jesus so they come.

They come to the disciples and say, in verse 21.

They say we want to see Jesus. So they're making, they're

making the request know, right? That's always a good thing.

Let your requests be made known to God.

And so they come to the disciples.

They say, we want to see Jesus and it's interesting enough that

Get caught up in this kind of religious red tape, like the

come to Philip and Philip doesn't really know what to do.

So Phillip thing goes to Andrew Andrews, kind of Crisis

management guy, right? He's like, what do we do?

There's Greeks who want to see Jesus.

Andrew doesn't actually have an answer for him.

Surprisingly, and she was like, well, why don't we go?

Ask? Jesus?

I don't know what to do. And you might be thinking, like,

this seems kind of weird, right? Like, somebody wants to see

Jesus. They should just be able to see

Jesus, right? Like, it shouldn't be That big

of a deal. Because remember in the time and

the context, right? These are, these are Jewish men

and so they have no framework for Gentiles being brought into

like the inner ring of the things of God.

So even even at the Passover right when people are coming

into the temple to worship Gentiles, can't go but so far

there's a wall that separates them being will enter in deeper

into the presence of God. And so there's kind of this.

There's still this natural barrier, right?

Because they're Greek because they're not Jewish.

They're not part of Israel, right?

They're not a part. They're not have access to these

things and so disciples still don't get that.

Now. Jesus has been talking about

that. It's not that they shouldn't

understand it. Jesus has been talking about

this but we know not only did not get it here.

If you look in the book of Acts, like the first half of the book

is the apostles struggling with this question of like what do we

do with Gentiles who believed in the In Jesus, as the Messiah, we

see that over and over again. The first half of Acts, they're

still struggling and wrestling with what to do with Gentiles.

And so it's not shocking. I guess that they don't get a

here but, but Jesus has already talked about, he's made it

clear. If you look at John 10 verse 16.

John 10:16

Jesus is talking about the Gentiles.

He says, I have other sheep that are not of this fold, not of the

fold of Israel. I must bring them also, and they

will listen to my voice. So there will be one flock and

one Shepherd. The Gentiles are the sheep that

are not of this fold. Sheets are not of the full of

Israel. But Jesus is making it clear.

He's been making it clear that there's going to be one family,

one fold, once flock of God underneath his lordship and

place of to, they're going to become one.

And so there's no longer going to be jew and Gentile will be

one under his rule. I think the vision ethnic

division. To be done away with forever.

Ushering in the fullness of God's multi-ethnic vision.

The Apostle Paul is actually one of the first of Jesus's

followers to get this concept in like total Clarity of you.

Look at Ephesians 2, which I would submit to you is perhaps

the best explanation of the Gospel that there is he talks

about that. There's a vertical and

horizontal nature of what Jesus is accomplished on the cross.

The Salvation is both vertical and horizontal and verses 1

through 10. He talks about Jesus has Honest

to God by the cross and then in verses 11, through 20 to talks

about how Jesus has reconciled us to one another, by the cross.

There's no way to have vertical without horizontal.

The two go hand-in-hand and so well, let's read Ephesians 2:13

Ephesians 2:13–16

through 16. But now in Christ Jesus, you who

wants were far off have been brought near by the blood of

Christ for he himself is our peace.

Who has made us both one and has broken down in his flesh.

The dividing wall of hostility by abolishing the law of

Commandments expressed in ordinances that he might create

in himself one new man in place of the two.

So making peace. Am I reconcile us both to God in

one body through the cross there by killing the hostility.

The gospel of Christ. It brings reconciliation between

God and humanity and Humanity, within itself.

The visions and hostilities between ethnic groups are done

away with at the cross. They're brought into one new

body in place of 2. And this is why if you read the

New Testament, you see that the churches that are being planted

are all multi-ethnic. They don't make the decision to

Kind of the idea of the homogeneous unit principle of,

we're going to plant a Jewish church or your plant agreed

church, right? They plant all the entrance of

this messiness, right? The messiness of mixing

ethnicities mixing races and they plant churches that reflect

the work of the Cross. They can has reconciled into one

body all people. Pastor Brian the Ritz he in his

book insider-outsider. He describes it like this.

So, as with conversions happening rapidly among both

groups, Paul does not go to the pragmatic route, starting to

churches for the two, distinct ethnicities.

This would have been the easy thing to do of course, but Paul

would have none of it. So Paul the vertical

reconciliation required, nothing less than horizontal

reconciliation. And the theater in which this

was to be enacted was the local church.

This is what Philip and Andrew. This is what the apostles in the

beginning of axes, but they've yet to comprehend that God has

reconciled all people to himself through the cross.

That Jesus has torn down the dividing wall of hostility

between Jew and Gentile. So, these Greeks who show up at

Passover? They couldn't get past the wall

because there was like a literal wall in the temple that the

Gentiles couldn't go beyond and Jesus actually is going to tear

down that wall. There's no I'm going to be

insiders and Outsiders to the things of God.

So now we're going to be Haves and Have Nots but everyone wants

access to God equally through the blood of Christ.

He rips the veil and when he tears down the wall.

The presence of God is now mediated and made available to

all. There's no distinctions.

They're no longer this JV experience that the Gentiles are

allowed. The Gentiles have full access.

And and this is my new mental Ray.

You can't understate. This point, this moment that

that there is no more Jew and no more Gentile, the taller one.

It's the subsequent creation of one flock, one body, One Church,

one family, and the place over there.

Have been two Pastor Tony Evans. He explains it like this.

Speaking of Jesus. He says, he has reconciled.

Racially divided groups into one new man, uniting them into a new

body so that the church can function in unity.

The church is the place where racial gender and class

distinctions are no longer to be divisive because of our unity in

Christ. This is not negate differences

that remain intact one. This simply means that those

differences are embraced joining our unique strengths together.

We have strength, the strength, With making a more complete and

balanced whole based on our mutual relationship with and

commitment to Christ. The arrival of these Greeks

seeking Jesus. It marks the dawn of a new era

in the people of God, for the people of God, and Jesus.

He recognizes the moment as such when the news comes to him with

Philip and Andrew. Bring him the news.

He responds, there's this cattle.

It responds, the trigger something deep within them and

he says that the hour has come with me verse 23.

Jesus says the hour has come for the son of man to be glorified.

Alas, this hour has come all throughout the Gospel of John.

You're going to see Jesus saying the hour is not yet.

Come it is not yet my our it's not my our both the arrival of

these Greeks Suddenly It's the hour.

The hour has arrived. What are you talking about?

What is this? What is this hour?

And why are these? Why do these couple of Greeks

looking for a meeting? Why is that such a big deal?

Well, the hour of his glorification, Here is is

actually our of his death. As through his death right that

that the walls torn down at the veil is open and sees Greeks

it's more than just these couple of guys come in to see Jesus.

This is the arrival of the nations of the earth seeking the

salvation of God, the arrival of the nation's looking for the

Salvation of God is the sheep from the other full, right

coming and wanting to be a part of God's family, so it's time.

Time to bring the two folds into one to bring the two families

into one. And we learned that this can't

happen without the cross. As you keep reading here in to

verse 24, you might initially think like, us doesn't really

seem like he's answering the question.

It kind of seems like he's just talking about something else all

of a sudden, but if you look at it, closely will see that he's

responding not necessarily to those particular Greeks

themselves, but to what they represent, he's speaking to the

world to the nations of the earth that they represent read

verse twenty. Fourth me.

He says Jesus says, unless a grain of wheat.

Falls into the Earth and dies, it remains alone.

But if it dies it Bears much fruit.

Jesus talking about himself. He says if you want to see me if

you want to understand who I really am.

I am the one who will die. So the fruit of the of life will

Sprout for all nations. I must die so that life can

Sprout for you. For you know, you particular

Greeks or asking this question before, the nation's, the

people's the Gentiles which you represent to see me.

I must die. I must endure the cross.

And I'm willing to do it. I'm going to do it.

The hour has arrived, and I'm not going to escape it.

I'm going to be obedient to this hour of death.

And Jesus confirms this later on in chapter 12, down to verse 32,

where he says, and I, when I am lifted up from the earth will

draw all people to myself. When Jesus is lifted up from the

earth, when he's lifted up upon that cross later, that week, the

cross will become the magnet to which the nations of the Earth

are drawn. The magnet that the peoples of

the Earth are drawn to his death will multiply life for the

world. And this shouldn't come as a

surprise, right? We looked at John 10 where he

talks about bringing sheep from other fold, but if you look

through the whole story of the Bible where I got has been

hinting not so subtly like he's been hinting very clearly at

this the whole time. I think about Genesis 12, God

tells Abraham like through your Offspring.

All the nations of the Earth are going to be the last Jump to

some of mica for where he says that that many nations are going

to come to the mountain of the Lord Desiring to be taught God's

ways. These Greeks are coming to the

mouth of the Lord Jerusalem. The find a mountain, right?

The Temple Mount. These Greeks are coming.

The nations are coming to the mountain of the Lord, to be

taught the ways of God. It's all through the book of

Isaiah. One example for chapter. 49.

God says, it's too small of a thing to bring back for his

Messiah to restore just the house of Israel.

But that his Messiah will be a light to the nation's.

So the his salvation will reach the ends of the Earth.

And if you want to look ahead, you know, we got Revelations 7,

where we see this Future Vision of the kingdom of God, and its

fullness. And you see this, this

innumerable multitude of people from every tribe and nation, and

language Gathering Before the Throne of God and worshiping.

This is what guys been about. He's been at working to bring

all peoples, All Nations people from any everywhere.

Into his family. Belonging at this table.

It's part of the one flock worshipping him.

This has been the plan all along to have this Rich multi-ethnic

Global Harvest of people as a part of his family.

And Jesus is the grain of wheat, which has to fall to the Earth

and die in order that the fruit of those seeds would bear life

for the Nations. But those who did not and do not

know, God would have the ability to know him.

We have the access to his presence.

One commentator. He puts it like this.

He says, just as the fruit cannot come into existence

without the death of the seed. So also must be unique, son died

for the children of God to come into existence.

The Cross of Christ is the foundational element of the

Gospel, is through the cross, through the blood of Jesus.

That all people are brought into his family that the wall is torn

down. The veil is torn net.

We all have access to the presence of God, to the things

of God, that we all can see and know like the Greeks wanted.

We can all see Jesus for who he really is.

And this is a glorious thing that God has done.

He has ransomed from all tribes and peoples from the ends of the

Earth people to worship Him people to belong at his table.

And for those of us who do know him text goes on to tell us that

we have a crucial part in advancing that mission and

continuing that work of Christ. Although Jesus is referring to

himself here as the grain of wheat.

He, its application isn't just to him.

It applies to his followers as well.

As in the way of following Jesus is through death.

That life comes to life is Multiplied.

It's not just an agricultural concept, but it's the way of

discipleship for his followers. And he continues to call his

followers to count the cost of discipleship, the count, the

cost of following him and 25 and 26.

He says whoever loves his life loses it and whoever hates his

life in the world will keep it for eternal life.

If anyone serves me, you must follow me and where I am, there

were my servant be also. If anyone serves me, the father

will honor him. Jesus and saying that we earn

our Salvation this way. But he's saying that this is the

necessary outworking of those who follow him with those for

whom he is died. Is it called?

We must take on, call it the self-denial called a certified?

I called to emulate. Jesus by dying to self and

living for the things of God. It's important to recognize that

it is the it's also that second part of living to the things of

God. It's not just denial and

emptying yourself for the sake of just emptying yourself, but

it's dying so that you might live to the ways of God.

It's called to a rightly ordered life that is driven first and

foremost by the love of God. Just put another way in Luke

Luke 9:23

9:23 where he says whoever wants to be my disciple must deny

themselves. Take up their cross daily and

follow me. The call to emptying and filling

called to denial and except that's a call to death and life

death to the ways of the world deaths of the desires of the

flesh by the life, for the sake of the Kingdom Life.

So that others might know and see Jesus for who he truly is.

Following Jesus is the greatest thing that you can ever do.

But the same time, it's going to be the hardest thing that you

can do. It's comes with a cost.

But it also comes with a great reward.

If you notice in this text every call to decrease is paired with

an increase, a promised increase, the death and decrease

of the seed, brings a promise increase of fruits, the decrease

of hitting life in this world, not loving life and were then we

love God is paired with the promise of life eternal.

The the decrease of service and following it brings a promise of

God being with Christ where I am, you will be also and of

Honor from God, from worldly Americanized standards.

This this equation doesn't make sense.

This isn't an equation for you. Which shoes?

It's an odd strategy. But the more we decrease, the

more downward displacement. We allow the greater the

increase of Life, the greater the abundance and multiplication

of fruit for the kingdom of God. Laying down.

Our lives is being on mission for Christ.

It's a call to Mission. It advances, the mission of God

for people who don't know him to know him.

It helps bring those who don't know him and says, one big

family. So the question a question for

you this morning to reflect on, is how can you live in the way

of Jesus for the sake of those who don't know, God?

And what might Jesus want to rearrange in your life so that

others can see and know him through you.

What might you want to rearrange and Jesus didn't withhold his

own life? So that we who did not know, God

might be able to see him and be a part of his one family and he

invites us into the same Mission along with him.

He wants us to live our lives for the sake of others, knowing

him finding belonging at his table.

How far are we willing to go to see the fruit of the Cross

multiplied? Is there anything?

Is there any limits to your obedience?

The Greeks of the Passover, they wanted to see Jesus and Jesus

show some incidentally more than they could have imagined.

She doesn't that anyone from anywhere can be a part of God's

family. There's no more insiders and

Outsiders. And for those of us who've

experienced this belonging, our calls to live cruciform lives to

live cross-shaped. Lives the show, everyone, the

glory of Jesus and the reconciling work that he has

done through the cross. We've been given a place that

God. It's one big table by the

sacrifice of Christ by the cross.

And for calling man, is I prayers that we would be a

people. We would be a people who live in

to Jesus example, by laying down our lives.

So that others might come to find that they belong in his

family as well. Amen.

Amen. Let's pray.

Larry, thank you. Thank you for your cross.

We thank you that when you're our came, or did you didn't, you

didn't run or, but she willingly Submitted yourself to the will

of the father that you willingly laid down your life.

So that we might live. Thank you that you have torn

down the Dividing Walls. That divide the things that

divide the things that provoke hostility learned that you have,

put those to rest at your cross. And are we pray that you would

Empower us to live in this in this way?

On mission for you laying down our lives, for your sake.

And for the sake of others, we pray this in Jesus name.

Amen. Amen.

So encourage you, as we do each and every week to participate in

communion and, and whatever way, that's possible for you.

And so, we remember the work of Jesus thinks that he is, he's

done his death on the cross that he has reconciled us into one

family, the receded around one table, that there's one body of

Christ. And communion, is this time

where we think about what will happen in the new creation that

there's going to be this? This Kingdom Feast this great

Wedding, Banquet of Christ. We're going to Feast with one

another and fullness. And so, we celebrate that and

anticipate that now, when we, when we partake in the Lord's

supper together, and we remember that his, that the bread is his

body broken for us, and that the wine is his blood shed for us.

So as your sent out on mission for Christ this week, I hear

these words as a benediction sending you out into the world.

May the god of Hope fill you with all joy and peace as you

trust in him. So that you may overflow with

hope by the power of the holy spirit.

Amen. Go in.

Peace.