Gospel of John, 12:26-50

Okay, we're in John chapter 12 and we had, I don't think I quite finished up, we got down to 24, right? When the Lord is, he's going to talk about his crucifixion and prophesy about it a little bit and he says in 23, but Jesus answered them saying, The hour has come that the Son of Man should be glorified.

Most assuredly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the ground and dies, it remains alone, but if it dies, it produces much, my version says, grain. So, what's he talking about here? He's talking about the need for him to die. The need for him to die, that he must die. If he doesn't die, what's the consequence? We'd still be on our sins. We'd still be separated from God. From his perspective, if he doesn't die, what happens? He remains alone. He remains alone, and what's the aloneness, how does that affect us? We can never be in him. That's right, he is life. And if he doesn't die, that life stays resident within him. Right? So if you go and read the first part of the Word of God that really begins to explain what he's talking about is Romans 6, 3, 4, 5, 6, like in there.

Now, if a grain of wheat falls in the ground and it doesn't die, it abides alone. But if it dies, It produces much more grain. What's that mean? The fact that if it does die, it'll produce much more grain. By the way, is that really how plants work? Yes, that's exactly how they work. Did you see that where they dug up some seeds out of some tomb over there in Egypt 2,000 years ago and planted it and it grew. So, the principle is life here. How does his dying produce more grain? Because it's the principle of horticulture. But who's the more grain?

Well, life produces after its own kind. Yeah, it does. It produces after its own kind. But it's death first, then life. Now what's interesting is that The world system is based on life first and then we die, right? But with the Lord, it's death first and then we live. See that?

So the principles of identification, typically like in John, are talked about as, or referred to, but never explained. For some reason the Lord left it up to the Apostle Paul to explain all this. But the Lord Jesus now is talking about his death and the beginnings of identification truths. Do you think anybody standing around understood what he meant? They probably did from an agricultural standpoint, but they didn't understand what he meant from a spiritual standpoint.

So then he says he who loses his life or he who loves his life will lose it and he who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life. What does it mean? How does one lose his life? Is that a complicated verse to you? If you love your life you're going to lose it. What does that mean? The old man must die. Well, okay, but what does it mean to love your life and if you do, you lose it? What life do you love? The earthly life. The old life.

So if you love it and you want to keep it, you lose what? You lose life itself, lose Christ, right? If you hate that life, and he who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life. Can you say, would it be proper to say, that as the Lord is drawing a believer to grow spiritually, to grow in the knowledge and grace of the Lord Jesus, that hating his life would be part of the equation? What do you think? Or is that a little bit too drastic over the top?

No, that Greek word there for hate is... It's used numerous times in there. And it doesn't mean just a casual dislike. No, it doesn't mean that. It means you really dislike it. You hate it. It's probably the same principle in Romans 7. That's exactly what it is.

So do you understand what he's saying here? And again, back to my question. Is part of the equation for spiritual growth coming to the point where you really hate your old life? What do you think? Only because I asked the question in such a way that you better say yes. So that's absolutely right and if you understand that principle you're going to get a lot of argument against that.

How can you hate your life? How can you hate the good things of Adam. Art, culture, the Broncos, flowers, mountains, scuba diving, philanthropy, I'm a great guy, I only sin on Wednesdays. The point is that when it comes to life, There's a difference between goodness and righteousness, goodness and holiness.

And as you grow, you're going to find that God, in his wisdom, through the work of the Spirit, actually makes the old life detestable to you. You don't want to go there. But that's not the entire motivation. The greater part of the motivation is a love and affection for the Lord Jesus Christ and his life. And you want to abide there, and you don't want to go back and live in Adam. It's interesting the language that Christ uses here to couch this information. It's not only identification, but it's how you're going to feel about it. Do you think they wondered about what are you talking about? Oh, they thought the guy has looney tunes. What is he talking about? Seriously. And not understanding at all what he means. What do you mean? I don't think.

So how does one come to hate the soul life that he now loves? Can you give me some scripture that defines this right off the top of your head? There's a really good one. What was the question? The question is how does one come to hate the soul life that he now loves? Or the Adamic life? The verses I'm referring to are 2 Corinthians 4, 8-12.

You don't have to turn there, I'll read them. We are troubled on every side, yet not distressed. We are perplexed, but not in despair. Persecuted, but not forsaken. Cast down, but not destroyed. Always bearing about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that for a reason, purpose, that the life of the Lord Jesus might be made manifest in our body. for we who live are always delivered unto death for Jesus' sake, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our mortal flesh. So then death works in us, so there might be life in you. This is a principle of there are circumstances that are going to come in your life orchestrated by God that won't defeat you but will knock you down and teach you not to depend on the old life. And the purpose, if you look at what the purpose is in 2 Corinthians, is that we bear about in our body the dying of the Lord Jesus for what purpose?

So that we might be super powerful, wonderful Christians? No. So that we can be used of God for the manifestation of life in others. There's too many of us that think that ministry is just having a big ego, or being really smart, or getting a degree, or getting a job in a church.

What ministry really starts with is 2 Corinthians 4.8. Death works in us so there might be life in you. See that? Death works in us so there might be life in you.

Who reads The Hungry Hearts? You read the one this morning? It's exactly what I was talking about. It's a little bit intimidating to realize that I'm called and you're called to be a servant of the Lord. You've got to go through this prep school. which is death working in you, so that there might be life in others. And that's the way the body of Christ functions. And that's pretty well connected with what you've got on this next series of questions. Yeah, it's the same.

Two comments. One from William Kelly. The principle two becomes a primary one, thenceforth, not ease and honor and advancement for self, which is truly the greatest loss, But suffering and shame, and if need be, death, now in this world for Christ's sake. Darby says, if anyone by grace hated it, the life, separated himself in heart from this principle of alienation from God and devoted his life to him, God, he would have it in the new and eternal state.

You cannot, we cannot live in both environments at the same time. You can't live in Adam and comfortable in the world and walk in the Lord at the same time. It's impossible to do. Because you'll serve one and hate the other, or hate the one and serve the other. You can't do it. You can't walk with one foot in the world and one foot in Christ.

And this principle is the principle that the Holy Spirit applies to believers, every believer, and especially those who try to do that. I hope I'm not scaring you. But if I am, so what? Lesson 22, verses 26-50. In verse 26 he says, If anyone serves me, let him follow me. And where I am, there my servant will be also. If anyone serves me, him my Father will honor. My first question was, how does one follow the Lord Jesus Christ? How do you do that?

Staying in his word. Staying in the word, okay. By fellowship. By fellowship. Where are you following him to? Based on the previous verses. Where he is. And how did you get there? What's the process? Dying. There you go. There you go. You have to follow him through that cross. You have to understand that you were baptized into his death and burial and resurrection. If you want to be a servant of Christ, the only way to do it is to go through the cross. It's the only way. You can go to seminary until you're 65 and then decide on your ministry at 66. But if you haven't followed him through the cross, you will be of no benefit to him at all. None. Zero. See that?

So he says, if you would be my servant, if you want to serve me, follow me. And where will he end up? Where I am, there my servant will be also. Where is he? He's been through the cross, he's been resurrected, seated in the heaven, he's been glorified. Where are you? That's where you are. And that's where the ministry comes from. Does that make sense? So when will the Father honor the one who follows the Lord? When do you get to be honored? I mean, he says, hey, now my father will honor, and if anyone serves me, my father will honor. What is the event in which those who serve Christ get rewarded?

What's it called? The beam of judgment. Anybody know about the beam of judgment? Do you know what it is? It's a place of reward. Bema means a raised platform. And the Lord Jesus says, when we leave this planet at the rapture, or we're already gone and we meet the Lord in the air, the very next event is the Bema judgment. And it's a place of reward. It's not a place of severe judgment.

You understand that? And if you look at Corinthians, it says every man will be rewarded. Every single one. Every believer gets rewarded there. That's the purpose of it. Now granted, the works of the flesh get burned up, and oh by the way, that's a blessing.

And you won't ever remember your sins, or your lack of whatever, because you'll be too busy beholding the glory of the Lord unobstructed. You won't ever even want to think about yourself. I mean, imagine life without self. I can't. It just dogs me all the time.

But we will be rewarded and we will be glorified because of being a servant of the Lord. And being a servant of the Lord means that the reward is because He did the works through us and it wasn't because our flesh got really holy. Verse 27, And now my soul is troubled, and what shall I say? Father, save me from this hour, But for this purpose I came to this hour.

So what's troubling his soul? Did I give you the Matthew verses? He says in Matthew 26, 38, Then says he to them, My soul is exceedingly sorrowful, even unto death. Stay here and watch with me. And he went a little farther and fell on his face and prayed, saying, O Father, O my Father, Is it be possible that this cup pass from me nevertheless not as I will but as you will? Why is he sorrowful? Let me set it up. He is very close to fulfilling his end of the eternal covenant. And what was his end? What's the eternal covenant? Go to the cross and die. Go to the cross and die. What's a covenant by the way?

It's an agreement. It's a transaction. In real estate, it's a deal. This party says, I'm going to do this, and this party says, I'm going to do this, and they both agree. The father said, I'm going to do this, and the Lord Jesus said, OK, I'll do what you asked me to do. And the father said, if you do that, then I will raise you up and I will glorify you. So he says, OK, I'm going to do it.

So here he is, and he's within probably 48 hours now of being crucified. Why is he so troubled? He's about to fulfill his end of the bargain. Yeah, but he's God, big deal. Yeah, but when he takes those sins on him, then the Father turns away from him. And I think that's what's bothering him more than anything is the fact that he knows It's not the pain and the anguish or any of the rest of it. He knows that at some point he's going to be separated from his father.

And he knows it as a man. A man. So yeah. I mean imagine being a man and being God. You are a man though and you know what's coming. You know, you read that account of Gethsemane where the angels came and ministered to him. A guy told me one time that God had to keep him alive to get him to the cross. The stress of knowing what was coming caused him to sweat blood. He knew what was coming. So he's starting to reflect on, oh boy, I came to this hour to do this, but oh man.

Father, glorify your name. Then a voice came from heaven saying, I have both glorified it and will glorify it again. Therefore, the people who stood by and heard it said that it had thundered. Others said an angel has spoken. And Jesus said, this voice did come because of me, not because of me, but for your sakes.

Now is the judgment of this world. Now the ruler of this world will be cast out. And if I am to be lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself. My question four was, what's a greater desire of Jesus than the fear of suffering the judgment of man's sin? The Lord Jesus has a one overriding desire in his heart, even above the fear. What is it?

Glorify the Father. Well, maybe a little different than that. What did they say? Glorify the Father. They're saying to glorify the Father. It did, but it's simpler than that. his father. He wanted to fulfill his father's will no matter what it was. You see that? And by doing that, it does glorify the father.

How do I say this? When you have a relationship with another human being, and you love them and they love you, and they ask you to do something, you don't think, well, I'm going to glorify the person. You can't wait to obey or to reply or respond to what they ask you to do.

And so the most important thing, we've seen this in a lot of places, we saw it in Lazarus when he didn't go up to Bethany, and other places where the most important thing to the Lord Jesus is to do the Father's will. Oh, would that be our desire? Wouldn't that be something? That the most important thing in our minds and our hearts would be to do the Father's will no matter what, without hesitation?

Cool. So, when had the Father glorified his name? And when will he do it again? At his baptism. I'm sorry? At his baptism. Does it here? At the transfiguration. Does it at the transfiguration? And he did it here? He did it at the resurrection of Lazarus? And when is he going to do it again?

When the Father. When is the Father going to glorify the Son? When he's raised from the dead, he tells Mary not to touch him. How come? He gives the reason. The reason is that I haven't been to my father yet. Now, and we're going to cover this, I think, when we get to it, I don't know, it's at 21 where this is or someplace. It's interesting that he does not want Mary to associate herself with him before he's glorified. That make sense? So he says, don't attach yourself to me now.

Wait until I've been to the Father and been glorified. So when the real glory of the Lord Jesus shines on men's heart is at Pentecost. He has to go to the Father in order to be glorified as a man. You understand what I'm saying? He has to leave the earth. Resurrection demonstrates the glory of God, but he personally as a man is not glorified until he goes to be with the Father. Now here's how come there's a difference.

When he goes and he's gone for I forget how many days, but then Pentecost happens and the disciples are filled with him and filled with the Spirit and baptized into him. They have a glimpse of the glory, but who's the guy who sees the glory full on first?

Paul. Paul the Apostle on the road to Damascus. So Paul the Apostle, it's very interesting, Paul the Apostle's first introduction to the Lord Jesus Christ is as the glorified man. Think that made an impression on him? Where the other twelve knew him mostly as the Messiah on the earth, not glorified man. So that's why Paul's ministry is so distinctly different, because it starts differently. Do you say that Paul didn't know Jesus before then? That he physically hadn't met him? Oh, he might have seen him. Obviously, everybody in Jerusalem knows who he is, knows about the crucifixion. Whether he met him or not, he wouldn't have been one of the scholars. Well, not at all. Well, no, because he probably not as a willing participant.

Right here. What do you have to say? Yeah. Because, you know, we're studying the Book of Acts. It's. three or four years after Pentecost when Paul hears this argument that Stephen has before the Sanhedrin and they stone him to death and Paul holds the coat. That's the first time you see him. Well that's maybe as much as four or five years after the resurrection. And then from then on he goes on this crusade to put as many Christians in jail or kill as many as he possibly could because he viewed them as heretics to Judaism.

And on the way to Damascus is when he meets the glorified Lord and the very first thing he says to him is what? Lord, Lord, Lord, Lord, Lord, Lord, Lord, Lord, Lord, Lord, Lord, Lord, Lord, Lord, Lord, Lord, Lord, Lord, Lord, Lord, Lord, Lord, Lord, Lord, Lord, Lord, Lord, Lord, Lord, Lord, Lord, Lord, Lord, Lord, Lord, Lord, Lord, Lord, Lord, Lord, Lord, Lord, Lord, Lord, Lord, Lord, Lord, Lord, Lord, Lord, Lord, Lord, Lord, Lord, Lord, Lord, Lord, Lord, Lord, Lord, Lord, Lord, Lord, Lord, Lord, Lord, Lord, Lord, Lord, Lord, Lord, Lord, Lord, Lord, Lord, Lord, Lord, Lord, Lord, Lord, Lord, Lord, Lord, Lord, Lord, Lord, Lord, Lord, Lord, Lord, Lord, Lord, Lord, Lord, Lord, Lord, Lord, Lord, Lord, Lord, Lord, Lord, Lord, Lord, Lord, Lord, Lord, Lord, Lord, Lord, Lord, Lord, The natural life of this world in us has no part with God. And I say that to people and they look at me like, oh come on, I'm one of God's children. No, the natural life has no part with God.

The next thing is Jesus must be followed. We would thus be with him and that would be our service. And we should be honored by the Father. Christ looks death in the face and feels its impact. Nevertheless, he gives himself for the glory of the Father. And the Father answers him by saying he's glorifying his name.

So in verse 30, when Jesus said, this voice did not come because of me, but for your sake. What did he mean by that? God didn't do this for my sake. He did it for your sake, for all of you who are standing around here. all those who think it might have been thunder. The natural man is so unwilling to accept the spiritual phenomenon for what it is. They always have another reason. Why was it for their sakes?

Encouragement? What's that? Encouragement? That they might believe? That they might believe, that's right. That they what? That they might believe that He is the Messiah, the Son of God. That's why it was done. Well, He was just saying, I am your salvation. Yeah, that they might believe that He is their salvation, that's right. And what it is, is it really is the grace of God moving towards them. That's really what it is.

The Lord Jesus said, no, this grace is for you. So in verse 31 he says, now is the judgment of this world, now the ruler of this world is to be cast out. My question is, what does verse 31, now the judgment of this world, now the ruler of this world will be cast out refer to? What's it refer to? I'll give you some verses. Did I give you some verses?

Did I give you Acts 26.18?

To open their eyes and to turn them from darkness to light and from the power of Satan unto God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and inheritance among them which are sanctified by faith that is in me. In 2 Corinthians 4, for in whom the God of this world has blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine into them. To be honest with you, this verse has always intrigued me this way. It appears as though Jesus is saying that right now, at the cross, is going to be the judgment of Satan.

Yet, from all intents and purposes looking around, what's changed? Is he still the Prince of the Air? So what's the deal here? Do you think he's been judged at the cross? Sure he is. But why don't we see some greater effects from that? Because his days are numbered. His days are numbered. The judgment's been rendered, but it hasn't been carried out yet.

That's the same way with the world. No. Why do we as believers hang our hat on something like this. How do we enter in to the fact that Satan has been judged, the world has been judged, so that we can live it from a position where it is judged? How do we do that? Reckon it so. Yeah, we believe it. The great thing about functioning by faith is that when you see these facts and you believe them, you do function in this context, you can function separated from a world that's already been judged.

You're not waiting for it to be judged, it already is from your perspective. You're not waiting for Satan to be stripped of his power. From your perspective, because you've been through the cross, it already is true. Now, non-believers still are under the dominion of the power of Satan, the prince of the power of the air, but believers aren't.

If they walk by faith, even though you're in the middle of it, you're separated from it. Isn't that interesting? What an important role faith plays in terms of our functioning on a daily basis separated from the things that aren't of the Lord Jesus. towards unbelievers.

Yes. Gives them a chance. A window. Yeah. The window's been open for 2,000 years so far. Yeah. I think that's great. He's withholding it for our benefit and also for unbelievers' benefit. Yeah, that's really right. And I think it's the forbearance of God. Yeah, forbearance is the right word. Is based on the fact that God completes the work but holds holds things in bay, his execution of his judgment until grace can work on all of the souls that he has called to be sons. It's a cool thing that he does that. Really cool thing. He wouldn't have waited for me. Does this mean that we should always, oh let me read on.

And if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself." This he said, signifying by what death he should die. Now, does this mean that we should always lift up Christ in our teaching and preaching? Is that what this verse means? Because you hear that a lot, don't you?

I'm going to go out and lift up Christ and it's going to draw men to him. Well, there's this guy down at Coors Field that does that at every game and I don't see the crowds stopping. Don't you hear that from a lot of people that they're out there lifting up Christ so that they can draw all men? No? Isn't it the Holy Spirit? Say that? Isn't He talking about His ascension? No, He's talking about His crucifixion. That's what He's talking about. Isn't it the Holy Spirit that does the drawing?

That's true, but how about all men? It's not by man's power. Just you and me and forget them other guys? Are we the all men? No, he means every man lifted up. So the question got me going on a couple of things. One viewpoint is that he's to be lifted up. Let me put it this way. He's to be lifted up off of the earth between the earth and God. He's to go between. So he's lifted up on that cross and he dies, but he personally isn't on the earth. He's on that cross between God and man. And he's bearing the punishment due to sin.

Christ becomes the point of attraction for all men living, that through him they might draw near to God. That's one viewpoint. The other viewpoint that I spent some time looking at, where when he starts talking about lifting us up here is not referring to preaching, that lifting up is a reference to Calvary.

It's the same thing as that which was brought before Nicodemus when Jesus says, as Moses was lifted up, lifted up the servant in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up that whosoever believe in him should not perish but have eternal life, John 3.14. And you know that story, when the people of Israel were bitten by the snakes, if they looked up at the serpent, they didn't die. So, the serpent of brass is a picture of myself, the Lord Jesus. If I be lifted up from the earth, I will draw all men unto me.

Some say, someday, the one who was lifted up on the cross will sit on the throne of judgment. Someday, the one who took our place in grace on the tree will be the occupant of the great white throne and then all men will be drawn to him. The word translated drawn suggests compelling power. In other words, it can mean you were dragged there.

The word translated drawn suggests, it's exactly the same word as used in the last chapter of this gospel where it speaks of the net enclosing 153 great fishes and they came and they were being dragged in the net. all men unto me, but I do not want to come to him. I don't want to face him. I don't want to give an account to him. But you will not be asked if you want to do it or not. You will have to face him and stand in the presence of him who says, if I be lifted up I will drag all men unto myself.

What do you think about that idea? That comes from our friend Harry Ironside. I think this. I think that lifting up of Christ on the cross is the event by which God judges everything. And either men are going to be drawn to him now, lifted up, or then. One or the other, they're going to be there. Whether now because they desire it, or then because they're dragged before him for judgment. All men will stand before Christ because of the cross. OK. Want to argue with me?

Did you have to look up the word for lifted up? No, I didn't. I'm just I don't know if there's difference in the word for lift up. Oh yeah. There's there's a difference between a physical lifting up or a face. I think it's him being lifted up. And I think in context, you're saying lifting up. from the earth onto the cross. In the context that makes sense. The brethren are the ones that talk about this idea that being lifted up on the cross puts him in a position of the conduit between God and man and man and God. that he's not on the earth, he's above it, and he is the vessel through which the grace of God comes to man, and through which the sins of man are atoned for before God. Lifted up above the earth.

And then you look at the next verse, as he said, signifying what death he should die. Death he should die. So in the context, yeah, I think that makes sense. And for all eternity, when you behold even the glory of the Lord Jesus, what are you going to see physically? You're going to see the marks of his death. Because that's the big event.

So is the answer yes or no? Well, does this mean that we should always lift Christ up in our teaching and preaching? I say no. Because that's not the purpose. What's the purpose of teaching and preaching? What's the purpose of it? Do I come here every Sunday morning to lift Christ up? It's already been done. So what's our job in teaching and preaching and edifying each other? What is our job?

The purpose behind it is for growth. The teaching to unbelievers, the purposes that they might believe. They might believe, that's right. To be an ambassador. Yeah, an ambassador. Anybody who's a teacher knows, or any kind of a minister knows, that his or her primary job is to say, there he is. It's him.

It bothers me that this is such a minority view of Christianity. Well, George, even a minority is a cool thing. I agree, but it's lonely at the top. It is, isn't it? It was lonely for his, too. And you know, if you want to get technical about it, if you're coming here every Sunday to lift him up, you're putting him on the cross again. Yeah, well, yeah. I mean, by lifting him up, if you want to, you know. Sure. Well, we do the Lord's Table around here once a month.

And what do we celebrate? What's it a remembrance of? The death of Christ. I think they mean probably pretty close to the same thing we would mean by it, that we're trying to get people to focus on Him, but not necessarily focus on His death, which is what this verse says. Without the sacrifice, there's no remission of sins. And what you hear today, a lot, is something other than the sacrifice. There's a school of thought now that says this, and this is kind of a trick question.

If you believe in Jesus, he will save you. Is that the gospel? Why not? Because it doesn't say anything about his death, burial, resurrection, when he died. Well, Jesus is the Savior, so if I believe in him, he'll save me. No. What are they believing? That's right. They believe in the man that's going to save me. You see, it's so subtle. We would initially hear that and say, oh yeah, that's right, not a problem.

But that's not the gospel message. The gospel message is that Jesus died on the cross for your sins according to the scriptures. He was buried and resurrected according to the scriptures. Am I lifting Jesus up by saying that? Yeah. But your salvation isn't dependent on He's just going to save you. It's believing in the work too. Do you lift them up? Yeah. But when people talk about lifting them up, you ought to listen to what they're saying. It's important what they're saying.

I'm listening to, who was it the other day? Probably shouldn't put this on the tape, but what the heck. Franklin Graham. He's one of those little sort of 60 second things on Christian radio about salvation. That you need to receive Jesus into your heart. And I'm screaming at the radio. Really? What is that? First Californians chapter 2? Where is that?

To receive Jesus into your heart is just a subtle slide. That's not salvation. But you hear it everywhere. Receiving Jesus into your heart is not salvation. Believing on the person and work of Christ is. By the way, how would you receive Jesus into your heart? I have no idea. I don't either.

I spent most of my life as a kid trying to figure that out, trying to square that statement with what Jesus says in John 3.16. Yeah. How do you do that? Come on in. I don't know. Why would you invite him into such a black thing? That's an interesting thought.

Okay, verse 34, the people answered him, we have heard from the law that the Christ remains forever, and how can you say the Son of Man must be lifted up? Who is the Son of Man? My question was, by this question in 34, they understood that Jesus was saying he would be crucified. What does this question on their part betray of their condition?

What does it show? It's very subtle here. It shows that they don't believe him. They don't, you know, they think, how long has it been since Pentecost, or since the Palm Deal, the parade? 24 hours, right? So here they are talking to him, and he's telling them he's going to die, and that he must die. And they're looking at him saying, wait a minute, that's not the Messiah that we understand about. And he's saying, now wait a minute, yeah, I'm the Messiah, I'm the Son of God, and I'm the Son of Man, and I'm going to die.

And because it didn't fit their matrix, they don't believe him. And that's what this question shows, that they didn't believe him. The way that I, and I had a whole bunch of verses, the way that I wrote it down is that the cross is utterly an offense. The fullest grace of God is refused because it's incompatible with the self-righteousness of man.

Isn't that something? So Jesus gives him an answer in 35. He says, Then Jesus said to them, A little while longer, the light is with you. Walk while you have the light, lest the darkness overtake you. He who walks in darkness does not know where he is going. While you have the light, believe in the light, that you may become sons of the light. These things spoke Jesus and departed and it was hidden from them.

So my question was, did Jesus answer them directly? He didn't, did he? He didn't give them a direct answer. He simply presses upon them the opportunity that they had right now and that's what they needed to take advantage of. That's what he tells them.

Take advantage of the light while it's here. If you don't, it's going to get dark and then you're not going to know where you're going. Now, from 34 all the way down to 41, there's probably, I hate to do so much reading, but it makes sense for me to do it. I'll read to you.

But though he had done so many signs before them, they did not believe in him, that the word of Isaiah the prophet might be fulfilled, which spoke, Lord, who has believed our report? And to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed? Therefore, they could not believe, because Isaiah said again, He has blinded their eyes and hardened their hearts. Thus they should see with their eyes, and thus they should understand with their hearts, in turn, so that I should heal them. These things Isaiah said when he saw His glory and spoke of Him."

So what's he talking about here? It's interesting here, we could spend a lot of time setting these verses up as to what he's talking about. There's an event that's going to take place that's a totally spiritual event. And Christ is trying to explain to people who are not spiritual what it means. And they don't understand what's going on. Their eyes are blinded by the grace that has come towards them.

Now he refers, when he quotes Isaiah, and I have to tell you, any of you who have, and I'm sure everybody in this room at some point or another, has tried to explain the gospel to somebody you cared about, and they would not hear it. Right? They would not hear it. And boy, you were really good at explaining it too, right? or there's somebody at camp that you sat down with that you talked about and yet they're blinded and you can see that they're blinded. Have you had that experience? I bet everybody here has had that experience one time. Or you sit down with a fellow believer and you try to explain identification to them. Like you're going to give three of your friends those books. You almost have to tell somebody when you hand them the green letters or something like that It's okay if you don't get this.

Because the Spirit of God has to open up your understanding or you're not going to see it. You are not going to see it. So here's the Lord Jesus Christ standing with these people, these Jewish people, and he's been talking to them and he's winding down the spiritual understanding of what he's about to do. and it's almost impossible for them to see what's going on. Do you think the Twelve Apostles knew what he was talking about? Didn't have a clue. Nobody did. Why not? Why didn't anybody understand?

What does it take to have spiritual understanding? What does it take for you to have spiritual understanding? The Holy Spirit. But what else has got to happen? You've got to have the life. And the Spirit of God can come to a non-believer and open up their understanding, but I think you have to belong to Christ and have his life to understand what he's talking about here.

We can go back and Monday morning quarterback this because we're believers and we've studied Paul's epistles and we know what he's talking about. But if you put yourself in the place of these people sitting there listening to what he's saying, they can't get it. Corinthians says, the natural man perceives not the things of the Spirit of God, their foolishness unto him, he cannot know them. It doesn't say he doesn't want to know them, it says he can't know them.

Why? Because, simply as I can put it, spiritual things are broadcast on channel 9 and they're listening on 7. How do you get it? You don't have ears to hear, eyes to see, You cannot get it because you're functioning out of Adam and the Lord Jesus Christ, who is God himself, is speaking to you about spiritual truth. You can't get it unless the Spirit of God enters in and begins to open up your understanding. But even then, even as a non-believer, when the Lord was drawing me, I remember the information got solidified in my mind. I knew that what I was reading was right, but I didn't believe it. for salvation, you know?

And guys would say to me, well, do you understand? And I'd say, yeah, I understand perfectly. And I could feed it back to them. But I wasn't saved. Do you understand what I'm saying? I mean, it'd be an easy thing for Jesus to say, OK, I'm going to die. And they'd say, you said you're going to die. OK, you're going to die. Well, what does it mean? Big deal. We don't care if you die or not. We don't understand the significance of your dying. See? And I don't understand the significance of your dying as it relates to me, personally to me. That's what they don't understand. So that's why those verses are difficult. And it's interesting that Isaiah the prophet prophesies hundreds of years before this that that's exactly what's going to happen. Who has believed our report? You ever felt like that? I've felt like that a lot. You called me up three weeks ago and you taught a Bible study and you said, who has believed my report? It's exactly what you said.

Let's pause. Dear Father, how we thank you for your grace. How we thank you for the fact that you have placed us in your dear Son and that we might grow in the knowledge and grace of him, Father. We thank you and we pray in your Son's precious name. Amen.