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Chapter 12. John 12, our focus this morning 
will be verses 27 to 36, but I do want to pick up reading 
in John 12 at verse 20. Now there were certain Greeks 
among those who came up to worship at the feast. Then they came 
to Philip, who was from Bethsaida of Galilee, and asked him, saying, 
Sir, we wish to see Jesus. Philip came and told Andrew. 
And in turn, Andrew and Philip told Jesus. 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 grain. He who loves his life will lose 
it, and he who hates his life in this world will keep it for 
eternal life. 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. 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. 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 
to him. Jesus answered and said, this 
voice did not come because of me, but for your sake. Now is 
the judgment of this world. Now the ruler of this world will 
be cast out and die. If I am lifted up from the earth, 
will draw all peoples to myself. This he said, signifying by what 
death he would die. The people answered him, we've 
heard from the law that the Christ remains forever. And how can 
you say the son of man must be lifted up? Who is this son of 
man? Then Jesus said to them, a little 
while longer, the light is with you. Walk while you have the 
light, lest 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 light. These things Jesus 
spoke and departed and was hidden from them. Amen. Well, let us 
pray. Our God and Father, we thank 
you for your word. We thank you for this day and for the opportunity 
to gather in the house of the Lord God Most High. We pray that 
you would guide us now by the presence and the power of the 
Holy Spirit. We pray that we would see the glory of Jesus 
Christ as manifested in the Holy Scriptures. We know, God, that 
you sent your Son, your only Son, the only begotten Son, to 
live, to die, and to be raised again that third day for us men 
and for our salvation. We praise you for so great a 
gospel, We pray that this gospel would be proclaimed throughout 
the earth, and that that word would run swiftly and be glorified. 
And bless it here to the hearing of our souls. May you encourage 
us, and may you build us up, and may you strengthen us. And 
God, may you be pleased to call sinners out of darkness into 
marvelous light, confessing Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. Do 
forgive us now for all sin and transgression. Wash us in the 
precious blood of the Lamb, and we pray in Jesus' name, amen. Well, it's been some time since 
we've been in John's Gospel. Remember that as John takes pen 
to paper under the inspiration of the Spirit, he wants us to 
understand who Jesus is. And he begins in chapter 1, verses 
1 to 18, in what we call the prologue to John's Gospel. And 
that first statement, that first verse sets the stage for all 
that follows. He says, in the beginning was 
the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. And 
then moving down in the prologue in verse 14, he says, the Word 
became flesh and dwelt among us. And we beheld His glory, 
the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace 
and truth. So he sets forth who Christ is relative to the persons 
of the Trinity. God is one true and living God, 
but He exists eternally as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. The Bible 
teaches that. The Christian Church confesses 
that, and we embrace it delightedly so. Then John turns his attention 
to the work of the Lord Jesus Christ in about John 1.29. John 
the Baptist sees Jesus and says, behold the Lamb of God who takes 
away the sin of the world. And so as we move through John's 
gospel, we see this emphasis. Jesus is one person, but he is 
two natures, divine and human. He is in fact God from God, light 
from light, true God from true God, begotten not made, one in 
being with the Father through whom all things were created. 
And that one took on our humanity. with all the essential properties, 
all the common infirmities thereof, and yet without sin. And he did 
that for the very specific purpose so that he could live in obedience 
to the Father's law, because we had not. He did it so that 
he could go to the cross in our stead and receive the divine 
justice for not his sin, but for our sin. He satisfied God's 
wrath and fury on that cross for us, and then he was raised 
again the third day. Paul summarizes the gospel very 
beautifully in Romans 4.25. He tells us that Jesus was delivered 
up because of our offenses, and he was raised for our justification. 
That gets at what John is doing here through his gospel record. Now, as we get to chapter 12, 
we'll notice in the first place, the triumphal entry. We've already 
considered that. And then we, or I'm sorry, the 
anointing at Bethany in chapter 12, verses one to eight, and 
then the triumphal entry. And so Jesus is now in the city 
of Jerusalem. Jesus is engaged in the last 
act of his public ministry. Chapters 13 to 17, we'll find 
Jesus in the upper room, discourse with his disciples. And then 
the passion begins specifically in chapter 18. So last time we 
were in John's Gospel, we saw that the hour had arrived. Notice 
in verses 20 to 26, Jesus speaks concerning the hour. Verse 23, 
the hour has come that the Son of Man should be glorified. Now 
the hour is the hour of the cross. Now Christ came again to live, 
to die, and to be raised again. Very often you see the apostolic 
proclamation of the gospel focuses in on the cross. It was in fact 
the pinnacle, the sort of crowning event in terms of Christ's redemptive 
ministry on behalf of his people. So the hour had arrived and he 
announces that. Notice in verse 24, 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 
grain. He uses an analogy. He uses an agrarian theme. He understands well and conveys 
the significance of his death. Unless Jesus dies, there's not 
going to be much grain. Unless Jesus dies, there's not 
going to be many sinners saved. Unless Jesus dies, there's not 
going to be any sinners saved, and that's the emphasis there. 
And so now as we come specifically to verses 27 to 36, he explains 
that hour in more detail. He explains the significance 
of it in more detail. So I want to look this morning 
at the prayer to his father in verses 27 to 29. Secondly, the 
explanation to the people in verses 30 to 33. And then finally, 
the question concerning the Messiah in verses 34 to 36. Now, just 
a bit of a foreshadowing, the people aren't genuinely seeking 
out information. Well, who is this son of man 
that we can believe in him? They are repudiating him. They 
are rejecting him. They are holding him in disdain 
because he, the one who claims to be the son of God, is telling 
them that the Messiah of God must actually die. As far as 
these unbelieving Jews were concerned, this was a scandal. Paul speaks 
to that in 1 Corinthians 1, 21 to 23. The message of the cross 
is foolishness to those who are perishing. To the Jews, it is 
a stumbling block or a scandal, and to the Greeks, it is foolishness. But to those who are being saved, 
Christ is the wisdom and the power of God. And so that's why 
Jesus does what he does in terms of his response to their question. 
He's not going to supply them with more information. He's going 
to press them with the information they already have. In other words, 
the light is with you for just a little bit longer. You better 
make good on it. You better come to Jesus. You 
better believe in him that you may be sons of light. So there 
is a note of urgency in the way that Christ responds to these 
unbelieving Jews. But let's look first at the prayer 
to his father in verses 27 to 29. We know it's prayer because 
he speaks specifically to his father in verse 27 and 28, and 
then the father responds. But notice with reference to 
this prayer, he expresses the trouble of his soul. Jesus, again, 
is the word made flesh who dwelt among us. What is true of flesh? What is true of flesh or true 
of humanity is soul trouble at the prospect of something very 
difficult. Perhaps you have a day in court 
tomorrow. You're going to be a little bit 
anxious as you approach the courtroom. Perhaps you have some significant 
event this Wednesday and it's causing a bit of butterflies 
in the stomach. Well, Jesus understands what the hour is. Jesus understands 
the significance of the hour, and Jesus realizes that he's 
going to take our place and bear the wrath and fury of his Father 
on behalf of us. So, of course, we can understand 
why his soul is engaged in a bit of trouble. And he expresses 
that very vividly in verse 27. Now my soul is troubled. We have other passages that indicate 
the significance of this. Now this is the Passion Week. 
He's not come to Gethsemane yet, but later when he gets into the 
Garden of Gethsemane, we once again hear and see that he has 
this soul trouble. So again, it's not just one time 
in the Garden of Gethsemane, right on the heels of his arrest 
and his being brought before the Sanhedrin, but in the Passion 
Week itself. And he expresses this, now my 
soul is troubled. Notice back in Matthew's gospel, 
in Matthew chapter 26, specifically in the garden of Gethsemane. 
This is when he takes Peter and James and John into the garden, 
and he expresses to them this soul trouble. Notice in verse 
38 of Matthew 26, then he said to them, my soul is exceedingly 
sorrowful, even to death, stay here and watch with me. Again, 
brethren, if you understand the true humanity of Jesus Christ, 
this shouldn't give you any pause, any cause for concern. We would 
expect this from true humanity. We would expect this trouble 
of soul from a man who knew that he was gonna die a horrific death, 
who knew that he was going to be crucified. handed over by 
lawless hands to godless men that would give the kill order 
so that he would be executed on this Roman cross. But it's 
ultimately not the actions of men. It is the wrath and fury 
of God. His soul trouble comes as a result 
because of his work as a mediator, taking in himself the punishment 
that is due for our sins. But it's not just here. Turn 
to the book of Hebrews. Hebrews chapter 5, the apostle, 
I believe Paul wrote Hebrews, and in Hebrews chapter 5 he underscores 
the significance of this part or aspect of the ministry of 
our Lord Jesus. Hebrews chapter 5. specifically at verse 7, who 
in the days of his flesh, when he had offered up prayers and 
supplications with vehement cries and tears to him, who was able 
to save him from death and was heard because of his godly fear. Though he was a son, yet he learned 
obedience by the things which he suffered. And having been 
perfected, he became the author of eternal salvation to all who 
obey him. So the idea here is not that, 
you know, this is an expression of just kind of a conveyance 
that he's actually human. He's true man. He's an actual 
man. He takes on our humanity. Again, 
with all the essential properties that make us men, and all the 
common infirmities that make us men. He suffered. He died. He bled. He hungered. He thirsted. He was insulted by the peoples. He was deserted by his disciples. 
True humanity went in our stead to that particular cross. So 
he expresses this soul trouble. He expressed it at the grave 
site of Lazarus when his friend had died. He'll express it again 
in chapter 13 and verse 21. And again, when we ask the question, 
what's the problem? Why is he troubled? What's the 
difficulty in his heart? Well, it's the reality that the 
hour had come, the hour of his death, the hour of crucifixion, 
the hour that he'd be delivered up so that he could die in our 
place. And then notice back in our text 
in John 12, 27. Again, a legitimate question 
in light of the fact that he's going to the cross. We don't 
look at him in Gethsemane there when he's exceedingly sorrowful, 
even unto death, and question why he'd say, if it is possible, 
let this pass from me. Brethren, the cup that he's speaking 
of there isn't just some simple earthly physical cup with bad 
things to drink. You go back into the Old Testament 
revelation and the cup is God's wrath. God poured out the cup 
of his wrath on Babylon. God poured out the cup of his 
wrath on Egypt. God poured out the cup of his 
wrath on Israel in the Assyrian captivity, in the Babylonian 
captivity, and he would subsequent to this event in the time of 
the Roman Empire when they crushed the city of Jerusalem in AD 70. 
This cup of God's wrath he understood all too well, and it's that that 
evoked the soul trouble. It wasn't that he liked the fact 
that men were betraying him. It wasn't like he liked the fact 
that he was going to die at the hands of a godless government. 
But when it came time to cry out, it was the wrath of the 
Father. And so that hour is quickly approaching him, and notice what 
he says in terms of his prayer. My soul is troubled, and what 
shall I say? Father, save me from this hour. He does this in the garden. If 
it is possible, let this pass from me. But notice the response. The response is not, yeah, I 
don't wanna go through this. Yep, I'm gonna call in sick tomorrow. Yep, I'm gonna call in sick on 
Wednesday. This is not something that I'm 
prepared for, and this is not something that I am ready to 
deal with. No, he's got a commitment to 
his father's will. He's got a commitment to the 
divine will. He's got a commitment to his mission and to his cause. 
And you see that here at the end of verse 27. He says, but 
for this purpose, I came to this hour. He does the same thing 
in Gethsemane. Nevertheless, not my will, but 
thine be done. So when it comes to this soul 
trouble of our Lord Jesus Christ, it is true. It is real. It is 
a facet of true humanity to shrink back under the pressure of great 
suffering and great trial and great hardship. We see the response 
of this soul trouble or the response of our Lord Jesus to this soul 
trouble is not to shrink back. It's not to abandon the cause, 
but rather it is to double down. Rather, it is to set his face 
like a flint. Rather, it is to be steadfast 
for us men and for our salvation. Brethren, we ought to be very 
thankful for the resolve of our blessed Savior. We ought to be 
very thankful for His commitment to our cause. We ought to be 
very thankful that in the Scriptures, we find a Savior who's not just 
partially invested in the good of His people, but in whole-souled 
commitment, we see the mission of Jesus Christ as paramount 
in His mind. We see that as His marching orders. We see that as what He intends 
to do. So in this brief section, we'll 
look at the next statement, Father, glorify Your name, but let's 
appreciate for a moment the true humanity of our Lord. He is truly 
man. He didn't just appear to be a 
man. Some in the early church taught that, or those plaguing 
the early church taught that. He just appeared to be a man. 
He was sort of like a phantom. He was sort of like an apparatus. 
No, he bled like a man. He suffered like a man. He had 
soul trouble like a man, and he ultimately died like a man. 
Remember, the word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld 
his glory. Cyril of Alexandria made this 
observation, he had to, and then he says it again, had to show 
himself through these to be a man born of a woman, not an appearance 
in fantasy, but naturally and truly experiencing the full human 
condition except for sin. See what our Savior did for us? He says elsewhere, the Word of 
God then united to Himself the entire nature of a human being 
in order to save the whole person. For what is not assumed is not 
healed. If He doesn't assume our humanity, 
He certainly doesn't redeem it. He certainly doesn't cure it. 
He certainly doesn't bring us remedy. It was absolutely imperative 
that the Son of God take on our flesh to live for us, to die 
for us, and to be raised again for us. And essentially, that's 
the gospel. The gospel is not my warm response 
to a message. The gospel isn't the change that 
has come over me because I got religion. Those are effects of 
the gospel, hopefully positive ones, but the gospel is the message 
of Christ and Him living, dying, and being raised again the third 
day. That's the gospel. Again, not our religious experience, 
not our attempt to get to God, not our religiosity, not our 
ritual, not our sacrifice, not our pattern of life, not our 
warm feelings, not any of that. The gospel is a revealed message 
concerning the person and the work of the Lord Jesus Christ. 
That's why we say gospel preaching is absolutely crucial in this 
present evil age. It's not our experience that's 
going to win men over. It's not our virtue that's going 
to win men over. It's not our pattern of life 
that's going to win men over. It is the power of God's gospel, 
the reality that Christ lived in obedience to the Father's 
law, that He died as a sacrifice and a substitute, that He was 
raised again the third day, and that all who believe on Him will 
have everlasting life. In fact, look at his language 
to these Jews at the end of this discourse. Notice in verse 36, 
while you have the light, believe in the light that you may become 
sons of light. When you hear that message of 
Christ's life and death and resurrection, what's the means by which we 
appropriate it? In other words, how does it benefit 
me? We're a very practically oriented 
people. What comes of this for me? What 
is there in this for me? Well, it's not an example because 
you will never live like the holy, harmless, and undefiled 
one did. You will never be able to follow Jesus' footsteps perfectly, 
exactly, entirely, and perpetually. The message of the gospel, the 
way of reception, is to believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and 
you shall be saved. That's it? Yeah. Yeah, that's 
it. That's everything. When you abandon 
any thought that you, in yourself, can earn your way to heaven. 
Sometimes you can't even get your way out of bed. You think 
you're going to earn your reception by a holy God? The God whose 
eye is too pure to approve of any evil? And when we consider 
ourselves before that Holy God, all we like sheep have gone astray. 
There is none righteous, no, not one. There is none who seeks 
after God. There is no fear of God before 
our eyes. If there is remedy, if there 
is redemption, it must come from God. It's not us offering up. It's not us coming to the bartering 
table and saying, well, I've got this virtue. I've got this 
good thing. And if you just meet me halfway, 
then you can accept me and take me to heaven. No, it's about 
the life and death and resurrection of Jesus. The way that we receive 
that is by God's grace through faith. Faith is the empty hand 
that receives the blessings secured by Jesus Christ. The hymn writer 
said it this way, nothing in my hand I bring, simply to thy 
cross I cling. He says elsewhere, foul I to 
the fountain fly. Look at that language or listen 
to that language. Foul I to the fountain fly. Not, I gotta go 
fix myself. I've got to stop these particular 
sins. I've got to get my act together. 
I've got to buy a suit. I've got to go to the right church. 
I've got to get the right Bible. I've got to do the right things. 
Those might be consequences of you being saved by God's grace, 
but they're not the condition. Foul I to the fountain fly, wash 
me, Savior, or I die. Is that just the literary mind 
of the hymn writer? Is he just taking, you know, 
literary sort of license to express the glory of the gospel? Read 
the prophet Jeremiah sometime, chapters two and three. Chapter 
two is the bad news. You see, we can't have the good 
news of remedy in Christ without first having the bad news of 
our wretchedness and our rebellion. Paul does this in Romans 1.18 
to Romans 3.20. He sets forth the reality that 
all men everywhere, whether Gentile or Jew, are liable to God's just 
judgment on the Day of Judgment. It is on that point, or at that 
point, that he then says, but now the righteousness of God 
is revealed. Well, Jeremiah 2 and 3 is sort 
of like that as well. Jeremiah 2 tells us how wicked 
the people of Judah had become. In fact, God says, has a nation 
changed its gods? Have the Ammonites given up Molech? 
Have the Egyptians given up, you know, their calf idols? Have 
the various Hittites or the various Tihites around Israel, have they 
sacrificed or given up their gods? No, but my people have 
exchanged me for that which does not satisfy. They were wicked. They were horrible. Chapter 2 
of Jeremiah tells us how evil they were. But you know what 
happens in Jeremiah 3? Five times, God says through 
the prophet, yet return to me, says the Lord. Yet return to 
me, says the Lord. I'm going to do this five times. 
Yet return to me, says the Lord. Yet return to me, says the Lord. 
Yet return to me, says the Lord. And in one of them, he says, 
return to me, ye backsliding sinners, and I will heal your 
backsliding. See, there's this idea that gets 
connected with Christianity sometimes. I gotta clean up my act. I gotta 
get prepared. I gotta get ready. I gotta fix 
my issues. Christianity is the divine response 
to the fact that you can't fix your issues. You can't just comply 
your way out of the mess that you're in. You can't just decide 
right now, from here on out, I'm only ever going to obey. 
Let's just suppose for a moment you could do that. What happens 
to all the sin in your past? See, we need the doing and the 
dying and the rising of our Lord Jesus Christ. so that when by 
grace we believe in him, we're justified freely by his grace. And what does justification mean? 
It means that I'm forgiven of my sins, and it means I receive 
the righteousness of Jesus Christ. It's imputed to us and received 
by faith alone. So the Lord Christ had to assume 
our humanity in order to save us from our sins. Matthew Henry 
comments on the act of prayer. He says, though as God, he was 
prayed to, as man, he prayed. That's what we call in theology 
the hypostatic union. There's not going to be a quiz 
on this later, but there is a technical term for what happens in the 
one person of Christ that has two natures. It's the hypostatic 
union. It's the union of the divine 
and the human natures in the one person. fitting him as the 
God-man to carry out the task that was handed to him by the 
Father to save us from our sins. The way he does that is by living 
and dying and being raised again. When he lives that life of perfect 
righteousness, it's not in the first place as an example. That's 
the problem of liberal theology in the 20th century or early 
part of the 20th century. We just need to follow Jesus' 
example. We're too wicked to follow Jesus' 
example. Sorry, you may not have bargained 
for that message this morning. Boy, I came to feel good about 
myself and the guy's telling me I'm wicked. Yeah, because 
the Bible tells you you're wicked. The heart is deceitful above 
all things and desperately wicked, Jeremiah 17.9. The apostles have already revealed 
or reviewed Romans 3. None righteous, no, not one. 
There's none who seeks after God. There's no fear of God before 
the eyes of man. It's not an example that we need. It is redemption through his 
blood, the forgiveness of sins according to the riches of his 
grace. It's not a little help from on high to get you there. 
It is God reaching down to sin or the pits of sin and misery 
and picking you up. The apostle Peter uses the language 
of calling them out of darkness into marvelous light. And so 
Jesus went through this for us. So back to the text, notice. 
Verse 27, now my soul is trouble, and what shall I say? Father, 
save me from this hour. I don't want to pass over this 
next phrase. But for this purpose, I came 
to this hour. But for this purpose, the soul, 
trouble. that is predicated on the suffering 
and the death. It is for this hour that he came. You've ever asked the question, 
well, why did Jesus come into this world? Well, he tells you. 
He tells you that he came for this hour. He tells you that 
he came to go through this so that he could save us from our 
sins. But for this purpose, I have come. This seems to indicate 
that there's something behind the scene in terms of the words 
that he uses here. I suggest there is three things. First, the mission of Christ 
is prophesied in the Old Testament. Notice again what he says in 
verse 27, but for this purpose I came to this hour. In the 1960s, 
somebody wrote a musical, or maybe the guy wrote the musical 
before the 1960s, but they put it into a musical form, and it 
was called Jesus Christ Superstar. And I'll go to my grave as having 
never seen that, and I hope to keep it that way. But from what 
I understand, you had a Jesus, kind of a hippie-type Jesus. 
Remember, this was the 60s. Everybody's, you know, breaking 
out into song and, you know, flowers and the whole spiel, 
probably drinking chamomile tea and whatever it is that they 
would have done at that particular time. But from what I understand, 
apparently, Jesus really didn't understand his mission. He's 
kind of confused and perplexed. He just sort of found himself 
as this man. You know, he'd come from Nazareth and he's living 
in Israel. He's a first century Jew. He's 
not kind of really sure what... That could not be further from 
the truth. Jesus always knew his purpose. Jesus always knew 
his mission. You know, one of the ways that 
Jesus always knew his purpose and his mission was because according 
to his humanity, he studied scripture. And when he studied scripture, 
guess who he saw there? He saw himself. So in the promise 
of Genesis chapter three at verse 15, the seed of the woman that 
would crush the serpent was prophesied. Genesis 3.15, the first gospel 
announcement, the seed of the woman is gonna crush the head 
of the serpent. Well, who's that seed of the woman? Well, it's 
Jesus. Genesis chapter 22, when Abraham is told to take Isaac 
up to Mount Moriah and sacrifice. Sacrifice your only begotten 
son, the one whom you love. So Abraham dutifully responds 
to that. Abraham's about to drop the knife 
into his son Isaac. The angel of the Lord stops him 
in the act. Well, Abraham had given his son 
Isaac a good theology lesson. He had said the Lord will provide 
for himself a sacrifice. Well, after the angel of the 
Lord stops him, they look and there's a ram caught in the thicket. 
Guess what the ram does? It takes the place of Isaac, 
his son. You've got the Psalms, the book of Psalms, it's all 
about Christ. Yes, find your misery, find your 
woes, find your troubles. The church has always gone to 
the Psalter and sang back those praises to God in the midst of 
distress, in the midst of triumph, in the midst of all of those 
things. But you know what the focus of the Psalter is? It's on Jesus. 
Psalm 22, the first half of the psalm is the psalm of the cross. 
What does Jesus quote when he's on the cross? He doesn't quote 
the modern praise and worship choruses. He quotes the psalms 
of David. My God, my God, why hast thou 
forsaken me? The psalms are about him. The 
prophet Isaiah, you could effectively call him the apostle Isaiah when 
you get to 53. It's all about substitutionary 
atonement. It's all about the Lamb going 
for us and for our salvation. So when Jesus makes this statement 
in verse 27, "...but for this purpose I came to this hour," 
this was prophesied concerning Him. And that's just a sample. 
That's just a few passages. What does the New Testament do? 
The New Testament affords for us the facts of His life, death, 
and resurrection in Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. Now, Matthew, 
Mark, Luke, and John do a lot of theology themselves. They 
relate the significance of the various things that He accomplished. 
The New Testament apostles in the epistles give us even more 
interpretation of that data. But consider Matthew 1.21, the 
announcement of the coming of Jesus. What does the angel say 
to Joseph? It is He who will save His people 
from their sins. I suggest that's a good thought 
to remember when you work your way through Matthew's Gospel. 
If you've never read the Gospels, if you've never read Matthew, 
it's good to keep that in mind. especially when you get to chapters, 
oh, from 26 to 27, when he's being rejected, when he's being, 
you know, fastened upon a cross, when he's being spat upon, when 
he's being abused. Well, you ask the question, why 
is he going through this? He only ever did what was right, 
because he came to save his people from their sins. Jesus announces 
his own mission to his disciples in Matthew 20, verse 28. The 
disciples are jockeying for position. Lord, promise that when you come 
in your kingdom, we get to sit on your right and your left. 
Typical of us, right? He had just announced that he's 
got to go to Jerusalem. He's got to be tried. He's got 
to be arrested. He's got to be tried. He's got 
to be crucified. They just heard that. So what's uppermost in 
their minds? Can we sit on your right hand 
and on your left hand? So he rebukes them. He chides them. 
You don't know what you're talking about. You don't know the baptism 
I have to be baptized with. And there he doesn't mean water 
baptism. He means overwhelmed with the wrath and fury of God. 
He says, you don't understand the cup that I have to drink. 
Again, not a physical cup, but the cup of God's wrath. And then 
he makes this statement to his disciples. He says, the son of 
man came not to serve or rather be served, but to serve and to 
give his life a ransom for many. He never shrunk back from that 
focus. He never shrunk back from that mission. And we see him 
here, according to his humanity, resolute to do the will of the 
Father. But for this purpose, I came 
to this hour. Consider again, John 1.29. of 
God who does what? He takes away the sin of the 
world. John 3.16, God so loved the world that he gave his only 
begotten son. John 3.14, just as Moses lifted up the serpent, 
so must the Son of Man also be lifted up. We're going to see 
that language explained for us in verse 33 in this particular 
passage. He spoke signifying his death. He would be raised 
up. He would be crucified on that 
cross of shame. He would do that again for us 
men and for our salvation. You've got the commentary of 
the Apostle Paul, Galatians 4.4, rather. He says, God sent forth 
his son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those 
under the law. 2 Corinthians 5.21, God made him Christ who 
knew no sin to be sin for us that we might become the righteousness 
of God in him. So we've got the Old Testament 
prophecy. We've got the New Testament fulfillment, but as well, something 
we've seen all throughout John's gospel is the mission as obedience 
to the Father. Christ, as our mediator, always 
did what pleased the Father. Remember, He can't just eke out 
a little bit of obedience and clear us. It has to be perfect. The demand of God's law, again, 
I want to speak very simply here. If you have ever thought, you 
know, I'm not that bad. I'm probably going to end up 
in heaven. I've never murdered anyone. I've never committed 
adultery. I've not engaged in those benchmark sins. I understand 
the God of the Bible is supposed to be love and kindness and all 
that sort of thing. So I hope to just sort of weasel 
my way in because I haven't done these really bad things. There's 
a famous sort of teaching tool in our tradition. It's called 
the Westminster Shorter Catechism. And ask the question, what does 
every sin deserve? It's a good question. What does 
every sin deserve? Well, you may not like the answer, 
but here goes. Every sin deserves God's wrath 
and curse, both in this life and that which is to come. In 
other words, God demands perfection. In your schooling, depending 
on your age, it used to be you actually had to do the work and 
get an A or an F. Now, as long as you show up and 
you can breathe, you're going to pass because you're a delicate 
snowflake. And we don't want to make you 
feel bad. God does not grade that way. God does not look at 
you and say, well, you weren't as bad as your neighbors. You 
weren't as bad as your father. You weren't as bad as your mother. 
He doesn't grade that way. Our obedience to the law must 
be exact. It must be entire. It must be 
perpetual. In other words, God demands perfection. If you're following even a little 
bit, you'll have to conclude, that's bad news. Well, that's 
the context for the good news of Christ, who always did what 
was pleasing to his Father, who never had a lustful thought, 
who never looked lustfully upon a woman, who never hated people 
without cause in his heart, who never engaged in theft, who never 
engaged in insubordination, who never engaged in idolatry. He 
always did what was pleasing to the Father. Why? Because we 
need that righteousness. We don't need ours. Ours is what 
got us into the trouble that we're in. We need a perfect righteousness. We need to be cleansed by His 
blood and clothed in His righteousness. And that, in essence, is the 
teaching of God's Holy Word. So Christ has the Old Testament 
backdrop and understands that for this purpose I came to this 
hour. The rest of the New Testament comments that that's precisely 
what had happened, but in John's gospel we see this commitment 
on the part of the Son of God to obey the Father. Look at John 
4, specifically at verse 34. Jesus said to them, just back 
up a little bit, verse 31, in the meantime, his disciples urged 
him saying, Rabbi, eat. But he said to them, I have food 
to eat of which you do not know. How true he is, right? We don't 
know what it's like to have our food being the will of the father. 
Perfectly accurate. I have food to eat of which you 
do not know. We think people that are really 
religious or, you know, really committed to the cause or they're 
weird. It's odd. It's strange. It's 
an enigma. It's a puzzle to us that anybody 
would, you know, actually subject themselves not to just one sermon, 
but two on a Sunday. Well, that's going above and 
beyond. He says, I have food to eat of which you do not know. 
Therefore, the disciples said to one another, has anyone brought 
him anything to eat? Jesus said to them, my food is 
to do the will of him who sent me and to finish his work. When 
the soul trouble comes on him in John 12, when the soul trouble 
comes on him in the Gethsemane in Matthew 26, guess what he 
doesn't do? He doesn't shrink back. According 
to his humanity, he sees it. According to his humanity, he 
is troubled by it. The prospect of judgment, the 
prospect of wrath, the prospect of suffering, and all that goes 
with that. evokes from him as a man the, 
you know, if it is possible, let this cup pass from me. Nevertheless, 
praise God for nevertheless is in the Bible. Praise God for 
nevertheless is in the Bible. Nevertheless, not my will, but 
thine be done. He is committed to the cause. 
He is committed to the mission. And here he likens it to eating 
food itself. Notice in John 5 at verse 30, 
John 5, verse 30, I can of myself do nothing, as I hear I judge, 
and my judgment is righteous, because I do not seek my own 
will, but the will of the Father who sent me. This is typical 
of Christ's life of obedience. It is typical of his response 
to difficulty. It is typical of his life of 
obedience for us men and for our salvation. Look at 6, 38 
to 40. 638 to 40, for I have come down from 
heaven, not to do my own will, but the will of Him who sent 
me. This is the will of the Father who sent me, that of all He has 
given me, I should lose nothing, but should raise it up at the 
last day. And this is the will of Him who sent me, that everyone 
who sees the Son and believes in Him may have everlasting life, 
and I will raise Him up at the last day. You see how wonderful 
it is that He's resolved to do the Father's will? If He's not 
resolved to do the Father's will, then we don't benefit. The fact 
that He's resolved to do the Father's will means blessing 
and redemption and benefit for us. This is a perfectly wonderful 
Savior that God has furnished to very needy sinners. And then 
notice in 10.18. 10.18. Verse 17, therefore my father 
loves me because I lay down my life that I may take it again. 
No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of myself. I have 
power to lay it down and I have power to take it again. This 
command I have received from my father. So by the time we 
get to the soul trouble here in the Passion Week, connected 
to the cross, connected to the arrival of the hour, we understand 
why he's troubled, but we also understand that he is committed 
to undergo the trouble. to undergo the affliction, to 
undergo the shame of the cross, so that you and I might have 
everlasting life. So back to chapter 12. Notice 
verse 28 and 9. He then offers up this petition 
to the Father in verse 28. He says, Father, glorify your 
name. Then a voice came from heaven 
saying, I have both glorified it and will glorify it again. 
This is what animated the Son of God. Because again, this is 
not what animates the sons of men. Before you're a Christian, 
is the glory of God a concern to you? Well, I really shouldn't 
do this because God will not be honored in it. Be honest with 
yourself. I mean, it's tough as a Christian 
to think that way. It's tough with the Spirit, as 
blood-bought children of God. Every decision, every day, for 
the believer, that's our question. Does this glorify God? If so, 
brother or sister, lead us in Bible study, because you've got 
it. But it's tough in terms of remaining corruption for the 
people of God to always be animated by a desire for the glory of 
God. For the unregenerate or the non-believer, 
do you ever think about it? When Paul says, there is no fear 
of God before their eyes, I think that kind of encompasses this 
as well. There's no fear of God before 
your eyes. Certainly the glory of God is not uppermost in your 
thoughts relative to who he is. And yet with Jesus, our mediator, 
our prophet, priest, and king, this is his desire. This is his 
design. This is what makes him continue 
on. Again, according to his humanity, 
he says, Father, glorify your name. Go back to John 2. And 
for those of you who've glanced at your wrist, we're gonna stop 
after this head. The prayer to his father is all 
we're gonna consider this morning, and God willing, we'll take up 
the next section of this discourse in the weeks to follow. Just 
thought it was important to kind of remind us again about John's 
gospel, about the larger and broader context to see not only 
the theology of John 1, 1 to 18, but the economy of redemption 
in John 1, 29, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the 
world. So it's good by way of reminder to see that Jesus was 
about the glory of God. Notice in John 2 at verse 13, 
now the Passover of the Jews was at hand and Jesus went up 
to Jerusalem and he found in the temple those who sold oxen 
and sheep and doves and the money changers doing business. When 
he had made a whip of cords, he drove them out of the temple 
and the sheep and the oxen and poured out the changers money 
and overturned the tables. That's not sin. I mentioned that 
Jesus did everything he did in his earthly ministry. Everything 
he does according to his humanity. Everything he does in that life 
of obedience is not sin. It's obedience. So you see that 
there is a righteous anger. God is angry with the wicked 
every day according to Psalm 711. I'm sure God, in terms of 
casting fire and brimstone upon Sodom and Gomorrah and the cities 
of the plain, I speak as a man, but I doubt he had a great big 
smile on his face, is an expression of his righteousness. It is an 
expression of his justice. And with reference to our Lord 
Jesus, he goes into the temple, which is to be the dwelling of 
God with men, and he sees it prostituted. He sees it whored 
out. He sees it, and it's an offense 
to him. So what does he do? He takes 
matters into his own hands to correct the abuse. He drives 
the money changers out. He turns the tables over. I don't 
think Jesus would be as welcomed in churches and society today 
as we might be led to believe. Jesus would stand up and he does 
so in Matthew 23 to the religious leaders of his day and he says, 
woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites. You're like a bag 
of snakes. Jesus says to his contemporaries, 
the religious leaders in his day, look at you men. You strain 
out the gnat with your fastidious detailed attention to what you 
perceive as God's law. And all the while you swallow 
the camel. And then he says to others to 
take the speck out of your own eye before you judge the plank 
that's in your brother's eye. Oh, Jesus, He's so gentle, sweet, 
and mild. Most of us would probably run 
out of the church when He preached and told us how things really 
are. Oh, we don't want to hear that. We don't like that. We 
like happy, peppy messages. We like a cheerleader leading 
us in the way that we should go about our lives. Now, notice 
the rationale behind this. Verse 16, he said to those who 
sold doves, take these things away. Do not make my father's 
house a house of merchandise. Then his disciples remembered 
that it was written, zeal for your house has eaten me up. It's 
the glory of God that animates the son of God. It's the glory 
of God that moves the son of God. And that's the emphasis. 
Look at 718, chapter seven, specifically at verse 18. He who speaks from 
himself seeks his own glory, but he who seeks the glory of 
the one who sent him is true, and no unrighteousness is in 
him. You see, that's what he wants. Notice in John 11, specifically 
verses four, and then again at 40. Verse four, when Jesus heard 
that, he said, this sickness is not unto death, but for the 
glory of God, that the son of God may be glorified through 
it. Notice the reciprocity there. The glory of the Father is the 
glory of the Son. The glory of the Son is the glory 
of the Father. See, the doctrine of the Trinity 
was not foisted upon the Scripture. The doctrine of the Trinity comes 
from the Scripture. God tells us that He is one true 
and living God. God tells us that He exists eternally 
as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. He tells us in John 1.1, in the 
beginning was the Word. The Word was with God, distinctness 
from the Father. And the Word was God, the same 
essence as the Father. He is consubstantial, one in 
substance with the Father. So the Father's glory is the 
Son's glory. The Son's glory is the Father's 
glory. And that's the emphasis in this passage in John 12. He 
says, Father, glorify your name. Now notice the Father's response, 
verse 28. Then a voice came from heaven 
saying, I have both glorified it and will glorify it again. 
This is the third time that we know of in the gospel, well, 
the third time in the gospel records that the father speaks 
approbation to the son in his earthly ministry. It happens 
at the baptism. This is my beloved son in whom 
I am well pleased at the baptism of Jesus. Remember the dove comes 
and it falls upon Jesus. We've got the father, son, and 
spirit. Old creation, the triune God is involved. New creation, 
the triune God is involved. The father, the son, and the 
spirit there at the River Jordan. In fact, Turretin says, the ancients 
used to say, if you want to learn or see the doctrine of the Trinity, 
go to the River Jordan, because that's where you will see him. 
And then as well, at the Mount of Transfiguration, what happens? 
Jesus is transfigured before them. He is blazing glory to 
his disciples there. And the Father again, this is 
my beloved Son, hear him. The hear him brings us back to 
Deuteronomy 18 and the promise of God to Moses, to Israel, that 
the Lord would raise up a prophet and you were to hear him. And 
so at the baptism, at the transfiguration, and here at the soul trouble 
of our Lord Jesus Christ, a voice came from heaven saying, I have 
both glorified it and will glorify it again. What does he mean? 
The Father is glorified in the Son. His public ministry up until 
this point, His doctrine, His miracles, His life of obedience, 
all of that glorifies the Father. It will be glorified again at 
the cross. The sole trouble of our Lord 
Jesus connected to this hour, which is the cross of the Lord 
Jesus, is the grand demonstration of the glory of God Most High. That, my brothers and sisters, 
ought to be the primary focus of God's people. We considered 
that in the morning hour in the chapter of Divine Providence, 
chapter 5 in the Confession. What is the purpose for all things? 
Well, I think, again, that Westminster Catechism starts there. What 
is the chief end of man? Man's chief end is a car, it's 
a dime, it's a lake house, it's all this. That's not man's chief 
end. Man's chief end is to glorify 
God and to enjoy Him forever. See, when you look at the Bible, 
it's very typical for us to see us first. I'm not saying we're 
not in there. We're in there, just not in the 
places we'd like. All we like sheep have gone astray, 
no fear of God before our eyes. The Bible is God-centered. The Bible is theocentric. The Bible is about God most high, 
Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Well summarized in Romans 11, 
36, for of him and through him and to him are all things, to 
whom be glory forever, amen. So the Lord Jesus Christ, with 
reference to His resolve, His commitment to His mission, has 
one driving motivation, and that is the glory of His Father. The 
Father expresses the glory that He has in and through the Son. The sole trouble of our blessed 
Savior is terminated here on the reality that Father and Son 
will be glorified through the mission of the Son. Again, we'll 
visit the rest of this discourse probably in two weeks time as 
we have the baptism next time, but I just want to leave us with 
this thought. Two thoughts, actually. First, we need to appreciate 
the person of the Lord Jesus Christ. He's unique. He's not 
like anyone else. You're not like Jesus. As much 
as you want to be, as much as you try to be, this is why exemplary 
preaching always falls short. Just try harder and be like Jesus. That's not the message of the 
gospel. The message of the gospel is you try as hard as you can, 
or probably not at all, and you'll never be like Jesus, but God 
sent Jesus to live for you, to die for you, and to rise again, 
to rescue you from the sin and the depravity that you know. 
So we need to understand the person of the Lord Jesus Christ, 
those two natures in the one person. It is for us men and 
for our salvation. John 1.1 and John 1.14 are absolutely 
crucial for the salvation of sinners. If it isn't the word 
who became flesh for us, there's no salvation. If it isn't a perfect 
righteousness, if it isn't a blood shed that is substitutionary 
in nature, if it isn't the satisfaction of divine justice at the cross, 
there's no forgiveness. So we ought to be, as God's people, 
very happy and very appreciative that the Lord undertook, at our 
particular level, that He sent His Son to do what the Son does 
for the glory of the Father, the Son, and the Spirit, so that 
we might have everlasting life. So Christian, I hope you go home 
today rejoicing in the fact that your blessed Savior is divine, 
but rejoicing as well that your blessed Savior is human, that 
He indeed took on our humanity, that He indeed lived for us, 
died and rose for us. And for unbelievers, listen to 
Jesus' words. I may not get a kick at the can 
again. You may not show up next time. Look at what He says in 
verse 36. And these are people, again, they're not asking questions. 
You know, when they say, when you read, look at verse 34, the 
people answered him, this isn't a search for information. They're 
not really wanting a Bible study at this point. Their minds are 
made up. This is bringing the public ministry of Jesus and 
the gospel of John to an end. This is it. John 12, that's it. 
Public ministry is over. John 13, one, the book of the 
passion. So notice what they said. The 
people answering, we have heard from the law that the Christ 
remains forever. That's not a bad reading of the law. Law here 
means the Old Testament. Does the law say that the Lord 
Jesus will live, or that the Messiah will live forever? Sure 
it does. The Lord said to my Lord, sit at my right hand until 
I make your enemies your footstool. We sang that at the outset of 
worship. Verse four, you are a priest according to the order 
of Melchizedek. What? Forever. What does Isaiah 
the Prophet announce concerning the identification of the King, 
the Messiah, in Isaiah 9.6? He's Everlasting Father. They 
didn't misread the law at that point, but they did misread it 
at the point of suffering. Does the Old Testament teach 
the suffering of the Messiah? Isaiah 53. He was a man of sorrows and acquainted 
with grief. We hid, as it were, our faces 
from Him. Daniel 9, that one that's cut 
off in Daniel 9, that's not the Antichrist, that's Jesus Christ 
cut off. We have Old Testament revelation 
that tells us that the Messiah would achieve victory through 
suffering and death. Genesis 3.15, again, you shall 
bruise his heel, but he shall crush your head. What's the bruising 
of the heel of the son or seed promised in Genesis 3? It's the 
cross. So they missed that point. So 
they're not, again, inviting him to a Bible study. They didn't 
get the coffee out now and say, okay, Jesus, we wanna learn from 
you. No. We have heard from the law that 
the Christ remains forever. And how can you say the Son of 
Man must be lifted up? They were looking for an earthly 
Messiah to bring back geopolitical prestige, to subjugate the Roman 
armies, and to make sure they had a good life in the temporal 
sphere. So how can you say that the Christ, that the Messiah, 
that the Son of Man must die? And then notice, who is this 
son of man? Again, it's with derision. They're 
not basking in the glory of the son of man present with them. 
They're challenging him. They're laying down the gauntlet. 
They are saying, we don't want any truck with you. We don't 
want anything to do with you. You're kind of out of your mind 
as far as we're concerned. And that's why Jesus doesn't 
sit there with a coffee and engage in Bible study. He presses them. 
And perhaps some of you need to be pressed. Perhaps you've 
heard the gospel before. Life, death, resurrection. The 
way of salvation isn't your good works. The way of salvation isn't 
you trying harder. The way of salvation is to look 
and live, to believe on the Lord Jesus Christ. He presses them. 
A little while longer, the light is with you. Walk while you have 
the light, lest 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 light. Jesus is the light 
and he is pressing them to believe on him so that they may become 
sons of light. Again, John 1 is in the background. He came to his own. His own did 
not receive him. But as many as received him, 
to them he gave the right to become children of God. They 
weren't born by the will of man. They weren't born of the flesh. 
They were born by the power of a gracious God. So if you're 
an unbeliever, may I encourage you, hopefully lovingly and yet 
firmly, believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you shall be saved. 
Well, let us pray. Our Father in heaven, we thank 
you for your word. We thank you for the clarity of our Lord's 
teaching. We thank you for the resolve in his life, the fact 
that he didn't shrink back, the fact that he drank the cup of 
God's wrath, the fact that he underwent that baptism, that 
overwhelming wrath and fury of God. We know he does this or 
he did this for our salvation, and we rejoice in that. Again, 
bless the preaching of the gospel. Open hearts to receive these 
things. And we pray this through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen. 
Well, you can turn with me in your hymn books to 568. 568, we'll stand as we sing the 
doxology in praise to our great God. ♪ Peace on earth, all blessings 
flow ♪ ♪ Praise Him all creatures here below ♪ ♪ Praise Him above 
the heavenly host ♪ ♪ Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost ♪ ♪ Amen 
♪ Grace of the Lord Jesus Christ 
and the love of God and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you 
all. Amen. Father, thank you that you are 
glorious and wondrous that you sent the Son on this mission 
of salvation. We rejoice in the power of the 
Holy Spirit who has shown us these things and granted us the 
graces of faith and repentance. Go with us now, help us to call 
this day a delight, and may you bless and encourage and strengthen 
each of your people and we pray through Jesus Christ our Lord. 
Amen. Well, please be seated for a 
brief time of meditation.