John 12:12-50, Where Does It End?

John chapter 12 be reading from verse 12 to verse 50 hear the word of the Lord The next day that 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 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 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 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

Now is my soul troubled and what shall I say father save me from this hour

But for this purpose I have come to this hour father glorify your name Then a voice came from heaven.

I have glorified it and I will glorify it again The crowd that stood there and heard it said that it had thundered others said an angel has spoken to him

Jesus answered this voice has come for your sake not mine Now is the judgment of this world?

Now will the ruler of this world be cast out and I when I am lifted up from the earth will draw all people to myself

He said this to show about what kind of death he was going to die So the crowd answered him we have heard from the law that the

Christ remains forever How can you say that the Son of Man must be lifted up? Who is this

Son of Man? So Jesus said to them the light is among you for a little while longer walk while you have the light

Lest darkness overtake you the one who walks in the darkness does not know where he is going while you have the light

Believe in the light that you may become sons of light When Jesus had said these things he departed and hid himself from them

Though he had done so many signs before them They still did not believe in him so that the word spoken by the

Prophet Isaiah might be fulfilled Lord who has believed what he heard from us and to whom has the arm of the

Lord been revealed? Therefore they could not believe for again Isaiah said he has blinded their eyes and hardened their heart lest they see with their eyes and Understand what their heart in turn and I would heal them

Isaiah said these things because he saw his glory and spoke to of him Nevertheless many even in 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 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 the last day for I have not spoken on 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 his commandment is eternal life

What I say therefore I say is the father has told me May the

Lord had his blessings to the reading of his Holy Word Well as most of you know

I've taken up running not only as an exercise but more recently Over the last couple of years sort of as a hobby

I guess you'd call it that's meant that over the last year and a half or so I've been doing something that I really didn't do much before and that is going on these

Road races to these road races. I can only go nearby because Usually almost always on Saturday and that meant that I've been interacting

All that's meant though. I've been interacting with this this peculiar group of people the running community once a week

I even go for a group run which starting in downtown Danville So I've met a lot of new people this way but one thing that sets me apart because I interact with these people that sets me apart from the average

Roadrunner is I'm not of the mentality Like they are that Longer is better.

In fact two years in a row now. I have won the first 5k race of the season which called now called the sledge used to be called

Green legs and hamstrings something like that and I've won it twice now in a row not because I'm that good

But because that race has a 5k a 10k a half marathon in a marathon all at the same time

And all the good runners With their mentality that the longer is better all their good runners go for the longer races

So here I am I get to you know, I'm running against a weak competition and I win so that's nice for me

Now the average runner seems to think That the longer you run that the better it is that the goal is always to go further and further

That's why they almost always talking about the marathon 26 .2

miles and so I know runners Maybe better called joggers, but who can barely make it through three miles

There but they're aiming to do a marathon soon, which is crazy But of course once you get taken over by that idea and then even if you do the marathon

Who's to say 26 .2 miles is long enough? Now they have ultra marathons.

They call them maybe 50 kilometers, which is 31 miles maybe 50 miles Or even just last week up in Virginia a double marathon two marathons run back -to -back 52 .4

miles and I'm sure there's plenty further than that. Really. There's there's no end to it I mean and I I think though surely there has to be an end.

That's to be a goal a pinnacle Where does it end? Well, everything has to have an end a purpose sort of a peak

I You know did not just go on endlessly forever. Where does your job end?

When you die and your works over I don't I don't mean that what's the end of it?

What's this purpose is it just to support yourself and maybe your family. I'll keep that in mind

I mean if you sacrifice your family while trying to provide for them Some people do that doesn't make much sense.

Does that they forgot the end of their work? What is but then where does your family in is it really even the family is it really as many

Christians seem to suggest the ultimate goal family What's the purpose?

What's the end of? your education I Don't mean when you stop learning, you know, you stop going to school.

You just stop learning No, I hope none of you do that. They say when you stop learning you stop living I mean, where is the education supposed to take you?

What's the goal of it a lot of kids today don't seem to know what it is and they think it's made just to socialize have a good time, you know be one of the cool kids and Then they barely graduate and they have no idea what they want to do for a living and they have no skills to do it with a lot of people do things from running to jobs to school without any sense of Where it will end

What's the purpose of it they're just looking like one step Ahead, this is going on and on, you know thinking

I got bills to pay mom and dad makes me go to school I'm just living for the weekend and then that's over then this and that week next weekend.

There's no end to it. They can see Where does church end? What's it all about?

What's its purpose? Some people just going through the motions is going because that's the way they were raised and that's what they've always done

There's no end, you know next Sunday I'll go again For some the end what they are investing time and offerings to get is to be recognized as the big man the big woman spiritual

To be seen as somebody that's the purpose of Bible study or what we're doing right now of a sermon

We do it every week Does have an end? You know, this was it when I've learned everything so I don't need to listen anymore then

I'll drop out hurt everything No, Paul talked about in Ephesians chapter 4 until we all were all reached unity the faith maturity

Where does that where does it all end and we see that here we see the end

Here in in John's gospel. It's the the end of Jesus's public

Earthly Ministry, what's it been about all this? Where's where's he been heading with this?

What he's been teaching in these miracles What what's it been? It's been the goal all along Well, we see it here.

See five Ends you want to speak of what where he's where he's been after of his ministry first Jesus is hailed as King Second Jesus is sought by the world third

Jesus is lifted up fourth Jesus is disbelieved and finally

Jesus is believed First the public ministry of Jesus ends with Jesus being hailed as King Jesus enters

Jerusalem and his pack full of pilgrims for the Passover, which is coming just in a few days These he talks about the large crowds that have already come there earlier to get cleansed to prepare themselves ahead of time

Many of them come from Galilee So they probably heard Jesus teaching and seen him ministering up there in Galilee and he's kind of their home got town guy

So they're disposed toward him Others are from Bethany which is nearby and they saw him raise

Lazarus from the dead and others have been told About how Jesus raised

Lazarus from the dead and they're just excited to see who could do this As Jesus comes into the city, they take palm branches and greeted him with shouting

Hosanna Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord and some say that the reason

You know today many people say the reason that God turned to the Gentiles with the gospel Was because the

Jews rejected the offer of the kingdom, but we see here clearly that's not true

I said this is the second time in the Gospel of John where? Where the Jews wanted Jesus to be their king once in chapter 6 up in Galilee Near the lake and now here in Jerusalem.

I said they're saying even the king of Israel here He is they want him to be the king Jesus was they they were saying by this

He was the Messiah. He was the anointed King when the rightful ruler on David's throne in Jerusalem Now almost 200 years earlier, you know a little something about the background of this

The people of Jerusalem had greeted another King man by the name of Simon Maccabee in the same way hailing him with palm branches making palm palm the palm branch became a symbol for Israel and Simon Maccabee had driven out that he had

Organized an army and driven out the pagan Syrian army from Jerusalem And then he came into Jerusalem hailed in the same way

Hosanna palm branches and came and he cleansed the temple he reestablished the nation and Simon was a

Conquering King at the head of an army Coming into Jerusalem on a horse now surely here the people are crying out for Jesus to do the same thing to lead them to independence to Establish a kingdom drive out the

Romans Do what Simon had done almost 200 years earlier just like the

Maccabees That was to be the end of Jesus's ministry they thought that's what they were saying here.

That's what we're after an earthly kingdom headquartered right here in Jerusalem but the difference

That's the statement they're making to Jesus Jesus makes a statement back in the way that he comes into Jerusalem He comes

Riding in on a donkey Simon had come in on a horse Now Jesus shows a donkey to send a message that he's not

Simon Maccabee, he's a king Definitely, that's why he's riding into the city hailed with Hosannas, but he's the kind of king foretold by Zechariah humble

So he's saying you people of Zion Fear not. He really is the king.

Yes. He is conquering your enemies Yes, but look behold look

This king is coming Sitting on a donkey's colt the prince of peace

Whose kingdom is not of this world? Now the disciples didn't understand it it says what they what the end of all this what it was all about on the one hand

He's hailed as a king is the Messiah that they've all been expecting on the other What's the thing with the donkey?

When Jesus is glorified on the cross and in the resurrection Then they would finally see

Where all this was heading Now the Pharisees thought they they knew where it would end.

All the Romans are gonna see a revolution That's about to erupt and there so they're gonna destroy everything unless we take action now, and so they exclaim in verse 19

This is the Pharisees you see that you They're probably talking to their their passive friends who saying let's not take just not be hasty Let's not take too much.

I you people who are not in this conspiracy with us against Jesus See, you're gaining nothing

Look, the world has gone after him Sounds a little hysterical, isn't it?

I mean the world really The Greek word cosmos the whole Inhabited world.

Really? This is just Jerusalem. We're all just Jews here Now they're going after him really

Well, yes, really. They're actually right I I think like Caiaphas in the previous chapter the

Pharisees here speak more truly than they know After all just after these Pharisees Hysterically, you're no screaming.

Look the world's gone after him sky is falling then immediately What happens next

Greeks from the world They're not Jews. They're not

Israelites. They're Gentiles They go after Jesus And notice how gingerly these

Gentiles Approach Jesus first through Philip, you know, they're not they don't dare come right to Jesus himself.

They They come to Philip who's from Posada, which is kind of up there near Gentile territory

They so they thought that he probably he knew Greek and they could approach him He knew their culture and then

Philip goes with Andrew and then they finally come to Jesus himself say, you know Jesus do you want to meet with these

Gentiles and So the Greeks aren't sure whether they'll be accepted but the other thing about this notice what's transpiring the

Greeks try to approach Jesus and What we don't ever learn about whether they had a meeting or not

Jesus talked to them or we don't know we're not told anything about whether he did or not it because That's not the end.

That's not the purpose of this story What's the end? Look carefully verses 22 and 23 the connection of ideas.

Jesus gets the news Greeks want to see you Jesus How does he respond to that the hour?

has come Now because of this because the Greeks seeking me the hour has come for the

Son of Man to be glorified this is the end Now three times before in this gospel in the

Gospel of John Jesus has said at various times when different things happened. My hour has not yet come then suddenly

With the coming of the Greeks It's like the trigger is pulled The corner is turned

This is it. This is something that hadn't happened yet before something to which he had been heading all this time

Jesus is sought by the world and so now Now we're at the end he says

Remember that Jesus has said in chapter 10 Just two chapters for that He was the Good Shepherd who lays down his life for the sheep and not just in this one sheep fold

Not just the Jewish sheep fold, but it lays down his sheep who are in all kinds of other folds Chinese folds

American folds Mexican folds Ethiopian folds all the sheep out there and and he says he must

He must gather them in the woods because it's his mission He must do it He must gather the sheep into one flock then in chapter 11 as we saw last week

The Holy Spirit speaks to Caiaphas to say that Jesus must die He must die

It means it's a purpose again. There's a mission. This is something it's a goal. It's heading toward to gather

Into one the children of God who were scattered throughout the world and all kinds of other nations like Greece Now here just as the

Pharisees are hysterically screaming that the world is coming after Jesus Greeks come knocking wanting to see

Jesus the world seeks Jesus and Jesus see says

This is the end This is the goal of My ministry that I've been about all this time.

What is coming to earth has been for it's always been about Drawing all kinds of people from all over the world and now it's now that it's begun

Now my hour has come Jesus is glorified

By being sought by the world, but this is just a handful of Greeks Yeah, but beyond these few

Greeks How is he going to be sought by the world? Maybe more miracles double down on them raise a few more people from the dead.

Maybe exchange the donkey for a warhorse I'll do it follow the lead of Simon Maccabee and conquer today.

That's Today, that's the way of Islam You know Muhammad came into Mecca on a horse with a sword and his religion was imposed by his armies at the point of a

Sword that gets you respect they think but here Jesus says in verse 24 Right when he's finally broken out of the small confines of Israel Finally people in the world got he's gotten their attention.

He says now Truly truly. In other words, this is for certain

Unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies It remains alone

But if it dies It bears much fruit Why die

Yeah, why not take the leap? Seems like he's right on the verge of taking this leap to from just being a local

Jewish celebrity to an international spiritual leader a guru a superstar

Why not go that way? Because unless he dies like a seed goes into the earth then he

Remains alone now, maybe with followers Maybe with fans Maybe with soldiers in his army, but alone and that no new life

No new light that he has in other people's hearts. No new children of God but if he dies, there's a great harvest from the world and That's the end.

That's what he's been about all along Well, what about us

How we just to follow him how you know now he has to die so we can have life but Where does our life end?

How do how do we follow up? How do we serve him? Not not when I said Where does our life end not when does it end?

But where in what? In verse 25. He says that we too must be like him

We we serve him by doing What he did and what did he do?

He did not love his life in this world He says we must hate our life in this world

No in this world means it means we don't hate it. Ultimately. We're not hating ourselves. He didn't say hate yourself

We're not nullifying our life as if we just live now We're supposed to discipline ourself and lash herself and make ourselves live for what's just dreadful to us and what's dreary

Oh that Bible stuff and just putting up with it. We got to do it. No Yes, we don't live as if our life doesn't matter at all no in the end we see that our best life is

Not now it's not in this world. It doesn't end here Again, this phrase in this world is its goal is not in anything that this world has to offer

And so we're willing to sacrifice things In this world, maybe some money now some expensive luxuries now some comforts some pleasures some relationships

Some ego boost now in this world Because we know that our best life is not now

It's not an in this world If we hate our life in this world

That is this current system then we will keep it he says for eternal life a best life later in another world in another age

Jesus sees then in the coming of the Greeks that now he has reached the the end of his earthly ministry

The goal has been to bring about a harvest of all kinds of people from all over the world

People who will serve him people who will follow him so be like him like him in dying to like him and that our end the purpose of our life is not just in this world about money and gadgets and houses and Stuff and sex and ego but about glorifying

God and enjoying him If we do that He says the father will glorify our honor us

Just as he did the son So the end of Jesus is in Jesus being sought by the world the end of ourselves in this world is in our making

Jesus Sought by the world the end of Jesus is in him being lifted up Jesus admits now at the end of his earthly ministry that his soul he says verse 27 is troubled and That's the same word he used in chapter 11 used about him in chapter 11 described him when he saw

Mary remember It's all Mary and the other mourners where they're weeping and when and and when he approached the tomb of Lazarus says his soul was

He first he first he was he was outraged and his soul was deeply troubled and that's when he wept

He was troubled and now he says that he has been that way again deeply troubled about reaching the end.

He knows what's coming He knows what's at the end the cross and so he's he kind of asked himself out loud

What what should I pray then? So I pray father save me from this hour

He's troubled by it Should he pray to be saved from it? In other words, should he ask not to die?

Certainly not to die so brutally so forsaken so shamefully

At least in the eyes of the world No, he says but for this

He's not gonna pray not to die because for this this cross that troubles him and there would horrify any of us

For this he's come to the end. This is what this was the end all along And so his prayer instead of instead was in verse 28 father glorify your name

Even if it means death the end of my life in this world

Father responds in the voice from heaven. I Have glorified it and I will glorify it again

The crowds amazed You know, that's just thundering booming voice

Some thinking it was an angel and Jesus said that the voice spoke for their sake Just like his prayer.

Remember his prayer at Lazarus's tomb. He said he prayed this prayer so that you may believe I prayed it for your sake here

The voice spoke not for my sake but for your your sake so you would believe and the voice speaks because this is that this

Is the decisive moment? Coming within days of Jesus being offered on the cross now he says at this point in verse 31 is the judgment of this world this is judgment day

Some people are always wondering we're When judgment is When will the world

Finally be judged. They're just waiting. He's got to come soon. So they look for signs. They set a date what

Jesus here says It's for us for our perspective. It's already been done saying here just on the

Threshold of the cross. He's saying it's now It's in this because in the cross

At Jesus's time when he said this the sins of his people of his sheep of the children of God who were scattered abroad

They will be judged on Christ on the cross. That's what happened at the cross now for the world outside of Christ This world and all those who pursue their life in it.

They're judged to They're judged because the cross shows What they will do it exposes who they really are what they're made of You know, despite all the talk of justice

Of all the religion their so -called civilization This is what the cross is what the world does to the

Son of Man It judges them. This is who they are The one who challenges their kingdom and brings in his own

What do they do? They crucify him They're exposed they're judged

Just like on a court right the judge hears the evidence Then comes the verdict you're guilty.

You said you're not but I we've seen through you here at the cross The Lord says look this is what you are.

This is what you do. You crucify the only innocent man who ever lived

So now with the end of Jesus's ministry on the cross in verse 31 Now will the ruler of this world be cast out

The ruler of this world Satan Got his power by accusing us of our sins

Say how he has power over us Look at this person. He's done this and that and that he deserves punishment and The God God the judge you're right

He had a lot to accuse us of didn't he? Okay, if you know yourself very well, man's a lot to accuse me of But through the death of Jesus that power it was destroyed.

He took all that the guilt for our sins It's on him. So there's nothing left for us his people to be accused of Jesus took that all away

So Satan can't accuse us anymore He doesn't have any power of us anymore.

All the evidence has been taken away So Satan has been driven out of office and so can't rule us anymore

Jesus does that by being lifted up on a cross and in verse 32

I when I am lifted up notice the repetition of I I When I am lifted up from the earth will draw all people to myself

That's the end. That's the goal of Jesus's ministry to be lifted up on a cross now sometimes

Today Christians particularly we Protestants think that the cross Kind of think of it as just uh, there's a way to the goal

It was a yes. It's a dreadful thing. You had to go through in order to get there You know, like maybe if you're gonna be a soldier you got to go through boot camp.

It's a hard thing But you got to do it. It's something the cross would kind of think this is a dreadful thing

You had to go through To get where he's going Resurrection and glorification

We think the cross was shame and death, but we can put that behind us now Because we have now we have life and glory

I remember when the passion of the Christ, you know, the movie came out about 15 years ago We had a Sunday school teacher who liked the idea

Of it because when he heard all the publicity it brought to Jesus But then when he saw the actual movie, he didn't like it too much on the cross

He thought Why do you think we're one of the few non liturgical churches in this area that has a Good Friday service

It's like modern evangelicalism wants to put the cross behind us You know, it's great

Jesus experience it for us now. We're free and clear hail Jesus is King He saw by the world.

He's the winner up on the victor's stand He's on his throne Everything's now

Great sweetness and light But here Jesus little play on words I When I am lifted up has a double meaning

It's precisely him being lifted up on a cross That he's lifted up. He's glorified

He's being lifted up not in spite of the cross not after the cross just in the resurrection

It is in the cross itself that he has lifted up We have a king who is enthroned on a cross

Now sure the resurrection is also a lifting up victory victory over death, but they're tied together

They're never separate anymore. The cross isn't just a step to glory It's not just a way to being lifted up.

It is it We never grow past it and the crowds are confused

Lift it up. It sounds like crucifixion Messiah can't possibly be Suffering and crucified to make any sense.

We've heard the Messiah lasts forever Psalm 89 verse 36 the offspring of David the anointed one shall endure forever his throne as long as the

Sun before me it says Then they asked then who could possibly can this son of man be this

Messiah is gonna die. I Don't know how they could miss it. I think you know, you know

Who could it be? Yeah, Jesus said I when I am lifted up Jesus emphasizes the I He alone is the one who has lifted up to draw people to himself.

Sure. We take up our cross We're to hate our life. Just like Just like in this world. Don't forget that part hate our life in this world.

Just like he did but we don't help him pay the price Only Jesus does that I when

I am lifted up now the people miss that when people's vision of scriptures clouded with wrong ideas

Sometimes they can't see the most obvious thing. So Jesus tells them the light is among you for a little while longer

Just a few more days now Walk, in other words get where you're going

Get to your end While you have the light. Well, I'm here Jesus says to show you the right way

Last if you don't do that, in other words darkness will overtake you you'll be lost in the dark The one who walks in the darkness does not know where he is going

You'll be led astray. You'll be stumbling while you have the light Jesus himself believe in the light that you may become

Sons of light in other words believe in me now while I'm still with you even if I contradict What you've been told about the

Messiah because maybe you're wrong once I've gone You'll have no more light unless You believe in me

Then my light Will be in you. You'll be a son of light. You'll be a little light.

You'll have me light in yourselves So he makes one last

Invitation to them one last appeal To believe in him and then he goes away and hides

Showing that they didn't believe in him Now why? Why Wouldn't they believe in him?

After he's healed paralytics a man born blind Raising one from the dead after all the signs and all the light

Why won't they believe The answer oddly enough completely contrary to what we might expect is that the end of Jesus's ministry of a goal is

That some will not believe Jesus came to be disbelieved

Look look at verses 37 to 43 Look what it says there. Jesus has done so many signs, but they still wouldn't believe in verse 38

Okay, he's done the signs. They don't believe and they don't believe So that you know what so that means means in order that means this is the purpose

There was a goal there was an end in their disbelieving it was there was something that it was about It wasn't just there left up to their free.

Well, there's no rhyme or reason to it. Nothing no theme to it No, it was so that for a purpose the goal so that what's the goal?

That the word spoken by the Prophet Isaiah might be fulfilled Lord who has believed what he heard from us and to whom has the arm of the

Lord been revealed? They didn't believe So that scripture would be fulfilled then in verse 39

Therefore since that scripture must be fulfilled Notice those words there

If you've ever had any doubt about what's called the doctrine of depravity here it is they could not believe

In verse 39 they could not believe that's the that's a literal translation of the

Greek they could not Believe they didn't have the ability to believe they lacked the power to have faith true believing

Is it just a matter of agreeing to some facts? It's trusting here These people do not have the capacity to trust

Jesus, even though they've seen his miracles. They've heard him in person They are incapable of trusting him

It's not just they did they don't want to they have their own so -called free will choose not to know is that they can't

And they are that way John says again quoting Isaiah because This is why they can't they don't have the ability to believe because he

God Has blinded their eyes and hardened their heart Lest God has done that in other words to prevent them from Seeing with her eyes and Understand with her heart in turn and I would heal them

Isaiah said that About these people he said that 700 years earlier because in verse 41 he

Isaiah himself the Prophet saw The glory of Jesus Isaiah was speaking about Jesus even before Jesus was born and Isaiah believed

That's how he saved he believed in Jesus, but many around Jesus saw the glory. They witnessed the signs.

They couldn't deny them But they wouldn't believe they wouldn't believe

Because they couldn't believe and many others

There are secret believers in Columbia verse 42, especially those with a lot to lose in this world some of the

Pharisees the leaders With reputations and positions probably incomes that depended on them being connected with the in crowd with the powers that be

They believed Sort of But they didn't confess him they wouldn't admit

That they believed that Jesus was the Messiah they kind of kept it to themselves They want to be thrown out of the synagogues

They didn't want to be associated with Jesus's band of lowly losers. And so they kept their faith to themselves now ultimately then that makes them part of this world

They love the glory. They love the approval the acceptance from people more than the glory of God and so therein they thought

Was in this world That's what they That they they went after they ultimately decided this was more important even though they knew

Jesus was right oddly enough Jesus came To be disbelieved

You can think that don't make any sense That's every country to everything. I've taught been taught and these other verses here.

Do you think contradict that? This is what this passage says you can speculate why that is

I'm not gonna do that now, but Jesus came To be disbelieved at least by some people

Created division through the world between those who trust him and will confess him even if they have a to pay a high price

Create a division from them and those who won't believe or those who aren't willing to pay the price

But would rather be you know be among the cool kids He came to be disbelieved so that those who trust him would stand out all the more that's the end finally

Jesus's ministry ends in our believing Jesus cried out in verse 44

About those who truly truly believe in him. You seem some who can't leave seem some have a secret faith

There's others who really believe if you really do you believe? If you believe in Jesus you believe in in him who sent

Jesus in the Father The Father and the Son are inseparable, you know, so it's not good enough just kind of ambiguously believe in God the

Creator you must believe in Jesus particularly in Jesus you see the

Father God is like look at Jesus. He came as a light so that in verse 46 Notice that this is the end of his coming into the world verse 46 so that all those who believe in him may not

Stay in darkness So there's some others that he came to so they could not believe and then there's these others

He came so that they would not stay in darkness so that they would leave in Jesus then

We're led out of our darkness But notice here as Mark Devers said and we're led out through hearing his word leaving it keeping it

But notice here Mark Devers says that the hardening effect of the word be careful if you've heard the word

Maybe over and over again in church wherever but you don't believe it you you you don't accept it real faith

Is tied to the word you keep turning it aside keep refusing to believe it you say it's not worth confessing you harden your heart now in an age when people trust feelings or leaders

To tell them what to believe Still real faith is here in his word. He was given his the words

He said he was given to him by the father the father commanded him to speak what he said

We have that in Scripture real faith is in his word Englishman named

William Hunter Lived in the 16th century about the year 1555 when

English translations of the Bible were banned But he managed to get a hold of an English Bible and cherished it because in it

He found God's revelation. He found light He heard the words of Jesus through the Bible But the authorities were determined to keep the word from people and at first first they didn't want to be harsh

They offered him money To give up his faith. They tried to bribe him He wouldn't sell it

He tried to coax him Then to threaten him He wanted to hear and keep the

Word of God Okay, that doesn't sound good. Somebody needs to look after that Eventually, they burned him alive though this

William Hunter in the year 1555. They burned him alive for clinging to the word There's now a plaque in the place

Where his life ended in this world Says the plaque Christian reader Learn from his example to value the privilege of an open

Bible and be careful to maintain it He loved Jesus the word

More than life itself life in this world Are you clinging to the word?

You'll probably not have anyone threaten you to give it up, but you can give it up maybe for traditions for fantasies for fads for fortunes

If you don't want to hear the truth in the Word of God when it comes to you Hardening yourself.

You're learning a perilous habit a dangerous one Real belief accepts

Jesus accepts his word and keeps it Notice that it moves from darkness to light as we begin to understand how to walk

We understand how to live what our what our end in life is Why we work why we have a family

What what it's all about we understand From Jesus real belief brings light in life

But if we don't keep it now, even if you say sure you say you agree with it But here you don't keep it

You won't obey it You have a belief But you won't listen

You're a little bleep that may give you'll just listen to the words, but you won't do them. That's not real faith Real believing isn't just a mental agreement agreement

If we really believe we keep it if we don't keep it then in verse 47 That's because we don't believe it

Understand just saying you believe but not keeping it. No, you don't really believe just fooling yourself

Faith without as James says faith without works is dead. Just like a dead body isn't a real person. It's left over from a person

It's not real. The person's not there anymore dead Faith is not real faith. He didn't come the first time he says to judge people who won't believe he came

And here's the purpose again his end For the second time said in this gospel

He came to save the world To find the lost sheep those who hear the word and believe it

Lost sheep from all nations to gather the scattered children of God. He came to speak the

Word of God so that you would believe Now is the judgment on the world

He says he says there is a last day Now in Jesus time is the judgment of the world.

There is a last day When the judgments made at the cross Would be openly declared

Kind of like a court judge can come to the verdict bang the gavel And then there may be some time before the sheriff goes out and it implements

What's been ordered we live in between the time the world is judged and the last day when the judgment is fully enforced

We live right there and for those who reject him and won't accept his words on that last day when the sheriff comes and poses it

Then the words of Jesus will judge them His words will judge those who don't believe whether they whether the kind of just out and out scoff and mock and argue

Or they're the kind that nod their heads Say sure But then they go away and they don't do

His word will judge because in verse 49 he has not spoken of his own authority The father who sent him they gave him all his words

The father commanded him to say all that he said and so if we ignore it We destroyed our shoulders at it.

We stop our ears. We've rejected God himself Jesus says in that last verse

I know that his commandment the words that he's given him to say the gospel is

Eternal life you get life that lasts beyond this world through really believing

Him hearing it keeping it What that's the end of your life in that the purpose of it was given so that you would have

Eternal life your best life forever May not be your best life now

It may make your life a little harder for now But forever is definitely your best life

So, where does your life end Not when none of us know that But where in what what what's the purpose of it?

You might think I have a lot of purposes Yeah, I got a lot of responsibilities I got burdens I got bills to pay at a job to go to I got family to Look after I got property to take care of I got an exercise.

I got friends. I got businesses Business, whatever. I got too much. There's no end to it.

Oh But I mean, what's that one? chief end that one purpose

Organizes all the others that give them meaning the end for which you for you make money

Why do you do it? So you pay the bills so you can take care of the family What's what's the end for which you look after your health?

Why you gonna die? Anyway, sure. Do you know that? What's the end for which you go to church? What's it all about?

Is it for family you say? What the church to teach your kids good manners? What's the purpose of?

You know Working's to support your kids. Why do you do that for children? the next generation

Why? so they can have children and Their children can have even more children.

Does it just go on and on like a marathon? It just never seems to stop Here Jesus says that his end

More important than even life in this world His end is to glorify

God He was tempted he says here himself There's a temptation of Jesus himself was was to pray that his life be spared

When he reached this end of his ministry to pray that Not the cross, but he knew better and he prayed that That God be glorified

Now if that's the end of his life in this world Then that's the end that's the meaning the purpose of your work of your family

Of every step you walk or run Every minute you spend at work or play

Even I'm going to church Not that you're caused to hate your life

Absolutely forever pursuing, you know, just what's dreaded injury one endless exercise and what you really don't like No, if you believe you see that your life comes and ends your your joy your pleasure your light your

Pinnacle your end comes not in this world but in the

Lord your chief end is to glorify God and Enjoy him forever if you believe