A King who Saves
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If you have your bibles this morning or a copy of God’s word please open them up to John 12. I have titled this message this morning A King who Saves… If you would pray with me…
Last week I laid out for you this idea that Mary’s pure gift points to the saviors pure death. And if you remember she anointed Jesus with this fragrance that was highly valued a years worth of wages, and that gift she gave was pure, and so is Christ. Who as the pure one offers himself up for his children in order that they would be saved.
Now in today’s text we continue with the powerful reminder that Jesus himself saves, and as we will see from the title today. Jesus is A King who Saves. And in this text today Jesus is entering to Jerusalem to prepare for his final days.
And what I want you to see this morning as really our main Idea is that Jesus the King saves his people in the most unlikeliest of ways.
Listen to the words of scripture this morning as we see this amazing entrance unfold. Starting in verse 12 in Chapter 12.
12 The next day the large crowd that had come to the feast heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem. 13 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!” 14 And Jesus found a young donkey and sat on it, just as it is written,
15 “Fear not, daughter of Zion;
behold, your king is coming,
sitting on a donkey’s colt!”
16 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. 17 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. 18 The reason why the crowd went to meet him was that they heard he had done this sign. 19 So the Pharisees said to one another, “You see that you are gaining nothing. Look, the world has gone after him.”
Jesus entrance shows he is the king.
Jesus entrance shows he is the king.
So Jesus makes this grand entrance into Jerusalem. An Entrance only a king would make, and the followers he was getting after raising Lazarus were following him into town. And as he makes this grand entrance others begin to take branches of palm trees and went out to meet him.
Palm branches were longed tied to the feast of tabernacles, but it is also tied to Israel as a symbol of Jewish nationalism think of like our flag today. It had become a symbol of nationalism, during the Maccabean era, when Israel got back and dedicated the temple, many waved palm branches as their hero Simon drove the Syrian forces out. The Palm was even on their coins, so them waving the branches had some real meaning, and to top it off they say.. Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord. which is a direct quote from Psalm 118:25-26.
25 Save us, we pray, O Lord!
O Lord, we pray, give us success!
26 Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!
We bless you from the house of the Lord.
So the people of Israel are saying save us, rid us from those who are oppressing us be the rescuing hero we need and want you to be. Like Simon was to us. They thought in their minds that he was going to be the one to rid them of Rome but he was the one who was going to rid them of the curse of sin, the biggest problem they truly had.
And Jesus fulfills yet another prophecy as he enters into Jerusalem. In Zec 9:9-10 it says..
9 Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion!
Shout aloud, O daughter of Jerusalem!
Behold, your king is coming to you;
righteous and having salvation is he,
humble and mounted on a donkey,
on a colt, the foal of a donkey.
10 I will cut off the chariot from Ephraim
and the war horse from Jerusalem;
and the battle bow shall be cut off,
and he shall speak peace to the nations;
his rule shall be from sea to sea,
and from the River to the ends of the earth.
And what is notable about this is Jesus comes in not riding on a horse like a conquering king would do, but on a Donkey, and every other gospel has this story, and this donkey was not broken, and yet Jesus enters into Jerusalem riding on the donkey bring salvation and a way of peace for all nations in only a way he can.
Never the less Jesus had a true entrance for a king. And as he entered into the town people kept buzzing about him. Kept telling people around them this is Jesus, this is the one who did all those incredible things, this is the one who raised Lazarus from the dead. Lets go meet him, and this caused the Pharisees to see that they were in trouble, they thought based on this man’s entrance the whole world is going to follow him, and there is irony here because that is what happens people from all over the world come to Jesus, and they know there is options are shrinking. As Jesus popularity keeps increasing.
It reminds me of when I went to wrestle mania a few years ago one of the big thing’s about Wrestlemania is the entrance. The entrance matters in things like professional wrestling, ufc things like that, and one of the entrances are wrestlemania was so grand because this particular person who came out had the championship you knew he had to have this great entrance, and the entrance he made had the fireworks, the music, the crowd all saying this guy is the champ, and talked about all that he had done, and what he was going to do later in his match. But Jesus had the entrance saying this guy is the king. This guy is the King… Look at him there is no denying that very thing.
And he is going to show he is different kind of King by doing something no King of Israel has ever done.
Second thing I want you to take note of is this…
The Kings death brings life to the world.
The Kings death brings life to the world.
Verse 20
20 Now among those who went up to worship at the feast were some Greeks. 21 So these came to Philip, who was from Bethsaida in Galilee, and asked him, “Sir, we wish to see Jesus.” 22 Philip went and told Andrew; Andrew and Philip went and told Jesus. 23 And Jesus answered them, “The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified. 24 Truly, truly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit. 25 Whoever loves his life loses it, and whoever hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life. 26 If anyone serves me, he must follow me; and where I am, there will my servant be also. If anyone serves me, the Father will honor him.
Here we begin to see this idea that we have already seen in this gospel some, and this idea is presented in the New Testament. And that is this idea that Jesus death brings people from all over the world to him, and we are starting to see this now in the text. Notice it says.. Some Greeks are coming to see Jesus. These are not necessarily people from Greece, but Gentiles who most likely feared God. They were not fully proselytes which means they didn’t fully convert to Judaism, but they were people who often went to these festivals each and every time they had them, and those individuals were taking an interest in Jesus.
So these people want to see Jesus. They ask Philipp who scholars think because of his greek name would be easier to ask then Jesus himself or the other disciples, because honestly they did not know what Jesus thought of gentiles yet, they didn’t know if they were apart of his plan. So Andrew and Philip go to Jesus, and Jesus doesn’t answer their question directly, but finally says something we have been waiting to hear.
The hour has come for the Son of man to be glorified. Up until now, Jesus spoke of this hour coming, but not yet. We saw that in Chapter 2, 4, 7, 8 but now its coming. The hour that was coming was the time he would die, be resurrected and exalted. Being glorified. Jesus ministry on earth was driving to this very point. To hour which previously he had said not yet.
What is notable is Jesus says this after the greeks are seeking him. The gospel message is not for the Jew alone, but the whole world. Jesus died for people from every tribe and tongue, and nation. Those who were far from him, both spiritually and physically now are receiving the grace of God because of the work of Jesus Christ. An the hour had come.
And so Jesus tells them a bit of parable explaining this to them. And starts by saying something he has said to them many times in the gospel Truly Truly. Which means I am telling you the truth in what I am about to say. Im not lying, this is what is going to happen.
24 Truly, truly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit.
Jesus brings out a saying that people in that society would understand, and maybe some of us would as well if we are familiar with farming at all. Something must die in order to bear fruit.
And its meaning is important. One man said, “Like the seed whose death is the germination (sprouting of a seed, spore, or other reproductive body, usually after a period of dormancy) of life for a great crop, so Jesus’ death generates a plentiful harvest. The seed is thereby vindicated; the Son is thereby glorified. The Evangelist has already pictured the same truth in other terms: Jesus is the bread that came down from heaven and gave his life for others , he is the one who dies so that the people may survive .”
Jesus death comes to produce this life to the world, and if this seed did not die there could not be life. Jesus death had to happen. Without the death and resurrection the King could not save his people. But because he died life comes to the world.
Paul himself says in 1 Cor 15:36-38
36 You foolish person! What you sow does not come to life unless it dies. 37 And what you sow is not the body that is to be, but a bare kernel, perhaps of wheat or of some other grain. 38 But God gives it a body as he has chosen, and to each kind of seed its own body.
There is a death that happens even in the believers life where death has to happen in order for new life to happen. Everyone must be brought from death to life. And its a reminder to us that the bad fruit must die in order for the good fruit to show up. Jesus though was the best seed and he bears a wonderful fruitful harvest.
Jesus goes on to add in verse 25 and 26 this… .
25 Whoever loves his life loses it, and whoever hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life. 26 If anyone serves me, he must follow me; and where I am, there will my servant be also. If anyone serves me, the Father will honor him.
Seems odd that hating your life is what qualifies you to have eternal life, but what Jesus is saying is that if you are a believer in Christ, your life isn’t going to be all about yourself, it must be about Christ. It does not mean you are going to be walking around saying I hate my life, rather I love Jesus more than life itself. My focus is not on me, but on him. My eyes are on Jesus, and I am going to use the life he has given me to serve him, because he died for me! He died for people all around the world, let me use my life to serve him, not myself. This is what expects of his crop to be healthy are useful for the kingdom of God.
Jesus is clear IF anyone serves me, he must follow me. and there is a promise here that Jesus will be with us as we serve him, and that God the Father will honor us as we serve him together.
And we serve and honor him because the kings life brought life to the world. ( why do we serve God because he served us his son ) Like I said last week he gave his best to his children, give your best to him.
Third thing I want you to take note of today is this…
The Kings death brings glory to God.
The Kings death brings glory to God.
verse 27
27 “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. 28 Father, glorify your name.” Then a voice came from heaven: “I have glorified it, and I will glorify it again.” 29 The crowd that stood there and heard it said that it had thundered. Others said, “An angel has spoken to him.” 30 Jesus answered, “This voice has come for your sake, not mine. 31 Now is the judgment of this world; now will the ruler of this world be cast out. 32 And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself.” 33 He said this to show by what kind of death he was going to die. 34 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?” 35 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. 36 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.
We see the full humanity and divinity here in this text. Because Jesus is about to partake in something he has never experienced. Jesus the eternal Son of God the second person of the Trinity is about to face the wrath of God of the Father, and face this death that he himself has never faced. But he himself knows that he came for this very hour. He came knowing the plan, he came knowing the outcome of his very day. But that does not mean the weight of it was not hard.
One man said it so well, “What can I say?” Then, directing His words to God, He said, “Father, save Me from this hour.” In other words, Jesus was undergoing a crisis moment such as He would undergo in Gethsemane. But He quickly reminded Himself, “For this purpose I came to this hour. I know My Father cannot take this cup away. This is My destiny. This is why I’m here. It’s horrible to Me now; I see it in all of its blackness, in all of its fullness as it awaits Me, and I wish I didn’t have to endure it. But I know it is My Father’s will for Me. This is why I’m here. This is why I came to this hour.”
So he tells God the Father glory your name. And God the Father does not stay quiet. He says I have glorified it, and I will glorify it again.
Jesus whole life was about the glory of God. This is the third time the Father had intervened audibly in Jesus ministry. The first was at the baptism of Jesus when he himself said This is my beloved Son, in you I am well pleased. Jesus gave that pleasing aroma we talked about last week, because he does things for the glory of God. Secondly was Jesus Transfiguration. Where God says This is my Son Hear him.
One man said, “The Father spoke to let the people there know that He would be glorified through the Son.”
So there was this commotion that came following this apparent loud noice, some saying this was angel others saying this was a loud thunder. But Jesus clarifies it saying the voice has came for your sake not mine.
The Signs, the I Am statements all that was done for the sake of those who believe him, and the Glory of God. And in his glory judgement is shown. You might ask well why is this the case? Because the Cross is a sign that God cares about sin, and atonement for it. And Jesus himself says When I am lifted up from earth, I will draw all people to myself. He is pointing towards his death. Now the cross was a terrible way to die. It was a long drawn out painful death, and one would die ultimately because they would be suffocated, purely exhausted. But the cross for Jesus was not some waste it meant many would be saved. This is why we preach the man on the cross here.
Paul himself says in 1 Corinthians
18 For the word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. 19 For it is written,
“I will destroy the wisdom of the wise,
and the discernment of the discerning I will thwart.”
20 Where is the one who is wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the debater of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world? 21 For since, in the wisdom of God, the world did not know God through wisdom, it pleased God through the folly of what we preach to save those who believe. 22 For Jews demand signs and Greeks seek wisdom, 23 but we preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and folly to Gentiles, 24 but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. 25 For the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men.
26 For consider your calling, brothers: not many of you were wise according to worldly standards, not many were powerful, not many were of noble birth. 27 But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong; 28 God chose what is low and despised in the world, even things that are not, to bring to nothing things that are, 29 so that no human being might boast in the presence of God. 30 And because of him you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, righteousness and sanctification and redemption, 31 so that, as it is written, “Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord.”
1 And I, when I came to you, brothers, did not come proclaiming to you the testimony of God with lofty speech or wisdom. 2 For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified. 3 And I was with you in weakness and in fear and much trembling, 4 and my speech and my message were not in plausible words of wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, 5 so that your faith might not rest in the wisdom of men but in the power of God.
God used something as unlikely as the cross to save his people from their sins. Not just the jews, but also the greeks, us in this room, those down the street, people from all over the world. Yet Jesus saying these things came with objection, no surprise if you have been with us or studying the gospel of John. Because they said if your going die this way, how can you be with us forever? Isn’t the Christ going to be with us forever? and they say Who is the Son of Man? if you are not going to stay with us forever. And they weren’t wrong scholars think they were quoting the Psalms, Ezekiel, Isaiah, even some of there own books like 1 Enoch, or Psalms of Soloman, or 4th Ezra, and we know Jesus does remain forever, and that He is the Son of man. And we learn that very thing on the cross, and in his resurrection, and accession.
But Jesus does not answer them in that way here, and he doesn’t need to, because the evidence is already there for them, that Jesus is the Son of man, and that he is before Abraham, he is definition of forever, and so instead of playing game after game with them. He says Look the light, which you have seen is Christ isn’t going to be around forever, in fact its just a little while longer, So why don’t you just walk in the light that I have given you, so that the darkness around you won’t over take you. Because if you don’t walk in this light which I have given you. You will be in this darkness and your not going to know where to go. He is saying effectively you need repent you need to believe in me as the Son of Man, and as your king, because I can save you from more than just Roman captivity, or more than Simon did. I can save you from your sin. Sure you might have a Roman problem, and that is the least of your worries, the biggest problem is that you are trapped in the darkness even though light in right in front of you. Think about that reality.
So Jesus offers a simple response to them. While you have the light, BELIEVE in the light, that you may become sons of the light. Sons of God. The evidence is there and your about to clearly see it for yourselves but believe now so you can be a son of God.
This applies to us so much. Because the light has been given through the word to each and every person that has heard this message, and the evidence of the cross is undeniable, so do you believe that Jesus went to the cross to take away the sin’s of yourself. Jesus the King saves his people in the most unlikeliest of ways. I have said this before and I will continue to say it again and again, Jesus is not the King who came to Israel that they wanted, but he was the king they needed. And as the one true King, the bible would imply king of kings he is the rescuing king we need indeed.
Last week I asked do you see him as this valuable gift, this week I will ask do you see him as your king, the king who came and saved you.
The window for believing in Christ, if you have not shrinks everyday, but the gospel reaches out everyday as well. If you don’t know the king today know his he died because of yours and I’s sin on the cross he was truly lifted up, in order that all of his children would have life in him.
I pray that 1 Corinthians 2:5 be present in your lives today which says.. so that your faith might not rest in the wisdom of men but in the power of God. God showed his power through the cross, and through the raising of his son. Believe that today… Let us pray.