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You may turn in your Bibles to 
John chapter 12 for our meditation this evening before the Lord's 
Supper. John chapter 12, our focus will 
be on verses 27 to 36, specifically the lifting up of the Son of 
Man, language that our Lord Jesus employs in this particular gospel 
to indicate his crucifixion. He refers to the lifting up of 
the Son of Man in John chapter 3 at verse 14, again in John 
chapter 8 at verse 28. and here in our particular text. But I do want to read to set 
the larger context beginning in verse 12 of John's Gospel, 
chapter 12. The next day a great multitude 
that had come to the feast, when they heard that Jesus was coming 
to Jerusalem, took branches of palm trees and went out to meet 
him, and cried out, Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the 
name of the Lord, the King of Israel! Then Jesus, when he had 
found a young donkey, sat on it, as it is written, Fear not, 
daughter of Zion, behold, your king is coming, sitting on a 
donkey's colt. His disciples did not understand 
these things at first, but when Jesus was glorified, then they 
remembered that these things were written about him and that 
they had done these things to him. Therefore, the people who 
were with him when he called Lazarus out of his tomb and raised 
him from the dead bore witness. For this reason, the people also 
met him because they heard that he had done this sign. The Pharisees 
therefore said among themselves, you see that you are accomplishing 
nothing. Look, the world has gone after 
him. 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 I, 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 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 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. But although 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 he 
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, lest they should see with their eyes lest 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. Amen. Well, let us pray. Our Father, we thank you again 
for the written word and we pray for the ministry of your Holy 
Spirit. We pray that as we focus tonight on the death of our Lord 
Jesus Christ, you would strengthen our faith, you would confirm 
us, you would cause us to reflect upon the Gospel, and may these 
things truly grant us great joy, and great comfort, and great 
hope. And may you be glorified in this meeting together, and 
may you be worshipped and exalted. And we pray in the name of our 
Lord Jesus Christ. Amen. Well, there are some similarities 
to this particular passage and to what we find in the Garden 
of Gethsemane in the synoptic Gospels in Matthew, Mark, and 
Luke. Jesus undergoes trouble. Soul trouble is what He endures 
here. As I said, this is not John's 
version of Gethsemane. While there are similarities, 
are we not to suppose that on various occasions, as Jesus is 
getting closer to the cross, that this soul trouble would 
affect Him? Certainly. He was true humanity. He was, in fact, a man. As we 
get closer and closer to various trials and difficulties and issues, 
that trouble begins to infect our soul. And that is precisely 
what is going on in this particular passage of Scripture. There are 
two primary elements I want to focus on this evening by way 
of meditation. It is, first of all, the soul 
trouble of the Son of Man, verses 27 to 30. And then secondly, 
the lifting up of the Son of Man in verses 31 to 33. And if 
we have some time, we'll sort of look at the response of the 
people in that context there. But first of all, notice his 
trouble. He speaks of this in verse 27. 
Now my soul is troubled, and what shall I say?" The word is 
a strong one, and it means agitation, or it means horror, or it means 
convulsion. There is a shock of spirit. It is also used in the Gethsemane 
accounts, in Matthew 26, in Mark 14, and in Luke 22. as well we see a parallel thought 
in Hebrews chapter 5. The Lord Jesus Christ, as He 
got closer to the cross, understood, not in the first place, the shame 
of enduring crucifixion at the hands of men, but it is the wrath 
and the fury of God Most High that He is going to be facing. 
When He is in Gethsemane, As true man, he prays, if it is 
possible, let this cut pass. That is truly indicative of his 
manhood. Any man, in his mind, knowing 
that he is going to suffer the wrath of God, would pray thus. So the idea here is that his 
soul is in straits. Psalm 6 verses 3 and 4 is probably 
background, where the psalmist says, My soul also is greatly 
troubled, but you, O Lord, how long? Return, O Lord, deliver 
me, O save me for your mercy's sake. It's the same expression 
of trouble that he reveals at Lazarus' tomb when he's agonizing 
over the fact that his good brother and his good friend has died. 
The Lord will be troubled in soul as he speaks of the betrayer 
in the upper room in John 13 at verse 21. Here He is facing 
the prospect of the cross. Here He understands that His 
time is coming for Him to be lifted up in terms of crucifixion. And this is precisely what He 
says, Now my soul is troubled. What triggered this is verse 
23. Jesus answered them saying, The hour has come that the Son 
of Man should be glorified. And then He gives that illustration 
of the death of the grain and the life that sprouts as a result 
of this. Calvin comments with reference 
to the trouble that our Lord underwent, says, Let us therefore 
know that death was not a sport and amusement to Christ. Death 
was not a sport and an amusement to Christ, but that he endured 
the severest torments on our account. A lot of weight in that 
statement and I wonder at times if we truly ponder what is written 
in the prophet Isaiah in chapter 53 or if we enter into what we 
find revealed in these gospel narratives concerning the soul 
suffering and the trial and travail and the difficulty that the man 
of sorrows who was acquainted with grief underwent, not because 
of his sin, not because of his crimes, not because of His insurrection, 
not because of His rebellion, but because of ours. God made 
Him, who knew no sin, to be sin for us, that we might become 
the righteousness of God in Him. So He speaks of His trouble, 
verse 27, and then He indicates His resolve. Verse 27, He continues, 
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." Jesus Christ is resolved. Jesus Christ is resolute. In the prophet it says that he 
sets his face like a flint. In the book of Luke, when Jesus 
makes his trek to Jerusalem, He is steadfast. He sets his 
face like a flint. He will not be deterred from 
this particular task. It is the mission. It is the 
objective. It is the reason for which God 
has sent him into this world. So he is troubled. What shall 
I say? Father, save me from this hour. 
No, he resolves. No, he determines. No, he states 
the very specific purpose. For this purpose, I came to this 
hour. Remember that the apostle Paul 
in first Corinthians one. He says, the Jews, they seek 
after a sign. And the Greeks, they seek after 
wisdom. But we preach Christ and Him 
crucified. He is not simply a new teacher 
of religious truth. He's not simply a philosophy 
teacher. He's not simply trying to garner 
men to follow Him. But the resolute purpose of the 
Lord Jesus Christ in coming into this world in His first advent 
is to die. It is to offer Himself as a spotless 
sacrifice to His Father, to bring glory and honor to His Father, 
and to bring redemption and reconciliation to the miserable, wrath-deserving 
sinners that God the Father had given unto Him. He is resolute. He is resolved. He is determined. He is going to go to the cross. 
Thirdly, notice His desire. He says, Father, glorify Your 
name. Verse 28. This is the supreme 
desire of the Savior's heart. Just look back in the context 
at 11.4 and at 11.40. 11.4 it says, 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. And then in verse 40. Jesus said to her, did I not 
say to you that if you would believe, you would see the glory 
of God? Several other places in John's 
Gospel, John 2 at verse 17, John 4 at verse 32, John 4 at verse 
34, and 638, 718, and 829, the chief desire of the Savior is to bring glory 
to the Father. You see, that's not our chief 
desire. That's not what animates or motivates 
us. That is not what moves the sons 
of man. Therefore, the Son of Man had 
to come and execute this perfectly in obedience to the Father and 
then die as a sacrifice and rise again to save us from our sins. Praise the Lord God Almighty 
that His Son His champion, His Redeemer had this resolution 
and had as His chief desire the glory of God Most High. One man says, the obedience is, 
or this obedience is the glorification of the Father's name and constitutes 
the foundation of the Christian religion. So he desires this. Father, glorify your name. And then an answer comes from 
heaven in 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 a voice came from heaven from the Father 
to the Son at his baptism. When Jesus comes up, out of the 
water, the spirit descends upon him in the form of a dove, and 
then the father says, this is my beloved son in whom I am well 
pleased. That marks his public ministry. He is fit, he is equipped, he 
is ready, he is spirit-filled, and now he goes about preaching 
and teaching and doing those things we're studying in Matthew's 
Gospel. The second occasion is at the 
Mount of Transfiguration. there Moses and Elijah appear, 
and the Lord God again says, this is my beloved son, hear 
him. He's not saying resist Moses, 
he's not saying don't listen to Elijah, but he is saying that 
Moses and Elijah prophesied and pointed forward to this one, 
the Lord of glory, my beloved son. You need to hear him, you 
need to listen to him. And again, this voice comes as 
the Lord Jesus Christ is troubled in his soul, He is getting close 
to the cross and he says to the father, glorify your name. And the father with that probation 
says, I have both glorified it and will glorify it again. And then they misunderstand or 
the people there don't get it. So Jesus explains in verse 30, 
this voice did not come because of me, but for your sake. So 
that's the soul trouble of our blessed Savior. That is the soul 
distress, the agitation, the horror, the convulsion, the shock 
of spirit. Remember, he knew what lied on 
the side of Calvary. He knew what was awaiting him 
in terms of the wrath of the Father. He knew God's holy revulsion 
against sin. He knew it like you and I do 
not know it. We just don't understand. I mean, 
we read these glimpses in the scripture. We read of the wrath 
and the fury of God. We read statements like Matthew 
11, 20 to 24. It'd be more tolerable for Sodom 
on the day of judgment than it will be for Capernaum. And we 
understand that what is in view there is something very severe, 
something very incredible, something full of wrath and fury. But we 
can't fully enter in. Let me face it, we don't understand 
the full weight of God's wrath. I suppose that if we did, we'd 
be far more evangelistic than what we are. Remember the Apostle 
says, knowing therefore the terror of the Lord, we persuade men. 
If we really understood what the wrath of God and the fury 
of his majesty was all about, we would probably run down the 
streets with a bullhorn, calling on people to repent, for the 
kingdom of God is at hand. Christ knew, Christ understood, 
Christ realized what awaited Him. And certainly understanding 
that promoted this soul trouble in the suffering of the Son of 
Man. Now notice secondly, He speaks 
of His death in verses 31 to 30. He says in verse 31, now 
is the judgment of this world. Now the ruler of this world will 
be cast out. And I, if I am lifted up from 
the earth, will draw all peoples to myself. This, he said, signifying 
by what death he would die. So the hour had come. He's already 
referred to this in verse 23. Verse 32, he refers to this hour, 
or this idea, this concept of being lifted up. And we see in 
verse 33, this he said signifying by what death he would die. He 
is speaking about the crucifixion. He is telling the people that 
he's going to die. He is rehearsing that redemptive 
fact and now he draws out from that statement various benefits 
accrued as a result. And this is where I want to spend 
the rest of our time tonight. The results of his death As we 
come to the table, as we come to the supper, as we consider 
the bread, as we consider the cup, as we consider Him in His 
sufferings on our behalf, it is good to associate that with 
what He has accomplished. Because it helps us to return 
praise and glory and honor and worship unto Him. And as well, 
it helps us to value and to prize The Apostle says, as often as 
you eat this bread and you drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord's 
death until He comes. We need to understand just what 
it is we're proclaiming. We need to understand just what 
it is we're remembering. We're not just remembering some 
moral tale of a good man who died a martyr's death. We are 
remembering a transaction that occurred. between heaven and 
earth, wherein the Father laid upon the Son the justice due 
us. And the Son spent it, He took 
it, He exhausted it, He drank the cup of God's wrath. on behalf 
of his people. Certainly, his people can spend 
a bit of time meditating upon, searching the scriptures, and 
understanding the implications of that blessed, redemptive death 
on our behalf. He indicates four blessed results 
of his death. The first, and this is not in 
order per se, the first is the judgment of the world. Notice in verse 31a, He says, 
now is the judgment of this world. He refers to this in John 3 at 
verses 17 to 21 and in John 5 at verses 22 to 23. This was God's 
means, this was God's plan, this was God's way of dealing with 
the sin issue. D.A. Carson says it this way, 
the world thought it was passing judgment on Jesus, not only as 
it perpetually debated who he was. I mean, just read John's 
gospel up to this section. In fact, when they ask, in our 
own context, who is this son of man? Essentially, they're 
saying is, what kind of Son of Man are you talking about? Jesus 
answers rather enigmatically, in sort of a puzzle way. He doesn't 
just say, I'm the Son of Man, consistent with the Old Testament 
prophecies. He talks about life, and walking 
in the light. He talks about being in the light. The essence of the argument is 
this, I have told you, several times who I am. I have pronounced 
several times that I am the fulfillment of the written word. I have told 
you and I have confirmed before you that I am the Messiah sent 
by God to Israel for the salvation of sinners. The time for explanation 
is over. You need to follow, you need 
to get in the light, you need to hold on to the light, and 
you need to believe. That's why He answers the way 
that He does. Carson says, in reality, the 
cross was passing judgment on them. Since Jesus was sent as 
His Father's representative, His agent in the supreme divine 
revelation, rejection of the Son is rejection of God Himself. Now is the judgment of this world. Secondly, one of the blessed 
results that our Savior accomplishes in His redemptive death at Calvary 
when He's lifted up in the crucifixion is the casting out of Satan. Notice in verse 31, now is the 
judgment of this world, now the ruler of this world will be cast 
out. The devil is a defeated foe. There are battles, there are 
skirmishes. He roams about as a roaring lion, 
seeking whom he may devour, according to Peter, in 1 Peter chapter 
5. But the war has been won. It 
was prophesied in the garden. Remember that statement of God 
to the serpent that he would send his son. I mean, he doesn't 
say it quite that clearly, but he speaks of the seed of the 
woman who would crush the head of the serpent. He would crush 
the head of the serpent. And in that transaction, the 
serpent would bruise his heel. It's an issue of comparison. In the death of Christ, comparatively 
speaking, he sustained an injury to his heel. In the death of 
Christ, comparatively speaking, with reference to the devil, 
he crushed his head. So when we come to the passages 
that describe benefits concerning Christ's redemptive death, the 
casting out of Satan is certainly one we ought to stand amazed 
in. The devil is referred to as ruler 
in John 14.30 and John 16.11. 2 Corinthians 4, Ephesians 2, and 
Ephesians 6. If not ruler, that idea is present. The earthly ministry of Christ 
was the beginning of Satan's overthrow. Remember, Jesus spoke 
of this. The binding of the strong man. The fact that he would deal this 
death blow to the devil himself. And then the death of Christ 
sealed his doom. Not only do we have this statement 
in John 12, but we have Paul in Colossians 2. I just want 
to read some of these passages because I think at times we almost 
deify the devil. We need to be aware of his prowess, 
we need to be aware of 1 Peter 5, we need to be cognizant of 
the fact that he is a real foe, he is a real adversary, he roams 
about seeking whom he may devour. But you know there are conferences 
and there are books and there are almost you know, magical 
approaches to how do we deal with the devil. Do you know what 
the admonition of the believer is to deal with the devil in 
James and in Peter? It's not to throw salt behind 
your shoulder. It's not to engage in holy incantation. It's not to hang holy horseshoes 
up in your office or in your kitchen. It's not to throw inkwells 
at the wall. Remember, Martin Luther did that 
one, right? That famous inkwell in the castle. Do you know what James and Peter 
says when the devil comes a-knocking? Really? Do you know? I remember 
going to a conference once where it was about an eight-hour in-depth 
session on what to do when the devil comes a-knocking. We could 
have saved eight hours by just reading James and just reading 
Peter, and it wouldn't even have taken eight seconds. You know 
what James and Peter say? Resist him. Resist him. When you say, oh, I couldn't 
help it. Yeah, you could. The devil didn't make you do 
it. You wanted to do it. Your sinful 
or your remaining sin urged you on. Resist him. That's it. No holy incantations, 
no spells, no charms, no DVDs. No conferences, no posters, no 
1-800-CASTOUTADEVIL, no castoutadevil.com. This is the kind of stuff that's 
out there. It is laughable, but it's unfortunate because people 
subscribe to this. I've got to learn ten ways to 
deal with my demons. Well, if you're a Christian, 
you don't have demons because greater is He that is in you 
than He that is in the world. The Spirit of God will not allow 
a demon to inhabit his holy temple. But when we come to this whole 
idea of Christ's redemptive death, we do see the crushing of the 
devil's head. Colossians 2, verse 15, having 
disarmed principalities and powers, he made a public spectacle of 
them, triumphing over them in it. The point, brethren, is that 
you need to be aware and alert to the reality of your adversary. 
But you mustn't be paralyzed. You mustn't be submissive. You 
mustn't say that he is on par. We've got the good God and we've 
got the bad God. That's almost how people treat 
the devil. He is not deity. He is a created 
being. As Luther said, he is on a chain. He is like your dog chained up 
in the yard. He can go so far and not any 
further. The Lord God just jerks that 
chain right back to keep him from destroying his people. Hebrews 
chapter 2, another passage that highlights this particular truth. It is repetitive in the New Testament 
documents, probably because God wants us to understand, yes, 
be cautious, yes, be aware, yes, understand that there is an adversary 
who roams about like a lion seeking whom he may be devoured, but 
don't be paralyzed, don't be crippled. Don't be with a trepidation 
not even willing to leave your own house because of the fear 
of the devil. Hebrews 2.14, "...inasmuch then 
as the children have partaken of flesh and blood, he himself 
likewise shared in the same, that through death he might destroy 
him who had the power of death. That is the devil." Notice, these 
two passages connect the crushing of the head of the devil with 
the first coming of our Lord Jesus. It is through his crucifixion, 
it is through his death that he deals this death blow. There 
is this concept, this idea out there that it's not until the 
second coming when he comes as King of Kings and Lord of Lords 
in all of that glory and majesty and then he will crush the head 
of the serpent. No, it's done. He has crushed 
the head of the serpent. I'm sorry, 1 John chapter 3 and 
verse 8. 1 John chapter 3 and verse 8. Little children, verse 7, let 
no one deceive you. He who practices righteousness 
is righteous, just as he is righteous. He who sins is of the devil, 
for the devil is sin from the beginning. For this purpose the 
Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of 
the devil. He was manifested when? At his 
first coming, at his first advent to destroy the works of the devil. In Revelation chapter 12, Pastor 
Cam referred to that in Sunday school this morning. You remember, 
in Revelation chapter 12, the devil first seeks to destroy 
Christ. and he loses. He tries to destroy 
the church, and he loses. He is a beaten enemy. Again, he's still around in terms 
of mop-up and battle. Be aware, be on guard, be cautious, 
but do not fear the way you fear God. And then Carson again, I 
think, comments well before we move from this point. He says, 
although the cross might seem like Satan's triumph, You see, 
probably if you were standing there at the foot of Gethsemane 
on that day, you wouldn't think winter, right? You saw the son of God in all 
of his gore, bloodied, beaten, crown of thorns pressed into 
his head, blood pouring down his face, being treated like 
a common criminal. No, not a common criminal. You 
see, the empire didn't use crucifixion for the common criminal. A Roman 
citizen could not be crucified apart from a special act of permission 
from the emperor. Crucifixion was so severe and 
so brutal that they reserved it for the worst sorts of criminals. So when you were standing at 
the foot of Gethsemane, you were looking up, I'm sorry, at the 
foot of Calvary, and you were looking up at the Christ on the 
cross, you probably weren't thinking victory. You probably weren't 
thinking triumph. You probably weren't thinking 
Genesis 3.15. I mean, we're just not that sharp, 
brethren. We're not tracking that quickly 
in some things. Carson says, although the cross 
might seem like Satan's triumph, it is in fact his defeat. In 
one sense, Satan was defeated by the out-breaking power of 
the Kingdom of God, even in the ministry of Jesus. Look at the 
context this morning. But in Luke chapter 10, when 
those 70 return, when they start to speak about what they have 
accomplished by the grace of God in the name of Christ, what 
does Jesus say? He says, Behold, I saw Satan 
fall from heaven like lightning. So the outbreaking of the kingdom 
of God inaugurated by Jesus Christ the Lord is the beginning of 
His overthrow. The finalization of His overthrow 
is at the death of Christ at the cross. He says, but the fundamental 
smashing of His reign of tyranny takes place in the death and 
the exaltation of Jesus Christ. So with reference to the redemptive 
benefit of our Lord Jesus Christ, the judgment of the world, the 
casting out of Satan, and thirdly, the drawing of all men. Notice in verse 32, and I, if 
I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all men to myself. Notice the implication of the 
text. If Christ is crucified, he will 
save his people from their sins. It is glorious, it is wondrous, 
it is most blessed. The verb draw means to draw by 
inward power. John 6, 44, no one can come to 
me unless the Father who sent me draws him. We call that the 
effectual calling. The psalmist refers to it as 
God making men willing in the day of His power. This verb is 
used to fish in 21.6 and in 21.11. They drew in this net, they impelled 
it to come through power. It is used in a compulsory sense 
in Acts 16 when they drew Paul and Silas to the prison because 
of their preaching of the gospel and after having cast out the 
demon from the slave girl. This is not speaking of the general 
call. This is speaking of the effectual 
call. This is not speaking of all men 
without exception. It is speaking of all men without 
distinction. It is consistent with our study 
in 1 Timothy 2, 4-6, last Sunday night. When he says, I will draw 
all men to myself, he doesn't mean every single human being. 
He is not a universalist. The Bible does not present universalism. The context is riddled with clues 
that that is not what he means. Notice the scribes, or rather 
the Pharisees, complain in chapter 12 at verse 19. The Pharisees 
therefore said among themselves, you see that you are accomplishing 
nothing. Look, the world has gone after 
him. Verse 20, now there were certain 
Greeks among those who came up to worship at the feast. This 
is, again, in John's Gospel and in the book of Revelation, this 
theology of a comprehensive Savior. He doesn't just save Jews. He 
hasn't just come for the lost tribes of Jacob. He has come 
to be a light unto the Gentiles. This is a recurring theme in 
this Gospel according to John. God so loved the world that he 
gave his only begotten son. That doesn't mean that every 
single human being in the world will be saved. It means that 
all kinds of men that inhabit the world will be saved. What's 
the lesson in that whole narrative where Jesus comes to that Samaritan 
woman. Notice in John chapter 4, you 
remember the scene. The Lord Jesus is thirsty, he 
asks the woman to give him a drink, and they start to dialogue. They 
start to discuss eternal truth. She starts to get a little bothered 
by his particular line of questioning, when he says, go and call your 
husband. She says, I have no husband. 
He says, you're right. You've had five, and the one 
you're currently with is not your husband. And then she says, 
Sir, I perceive that you're a prophet. And she changes the subject to 
talk about worship. The Lord Jesus goes with her 
and begins to talk about worship. He truly is an amazing Savior. 
But then this woman goes back to her village. And she testifies 
and she says, come and see a man who told me all things I ever 
did. It's as if he looked right into 
my heart. He knew me. He understood me. And he didn't throw me out. Rather 
he was gracious and kind and merciful. So he goes back, or 
she goes back and fetches her particular village. And then 
notice in verse 39, and many of the Samaritans of that city 
believed in him because of the word of the woman who testified, 
he told me all that I ever did. So when the Samaritans had come 
to him, now remember Samaritans, don't forget this. Samaritans 
were bad. Samaritans were mongrels. Samaritans 
were sort of a hybrid mixture of a bastardized people. The 
context, when a Jew would hear of a Samaritan, they didn't think, 
wow, that's one of our brethren. That's one of our friends. That's 
one of our close associates. No, rather, when they heard Samaritan, 
they got upset. They didn't like these particular 
people. The very thought that Jesus would 
sit at a well and speak to a woman, and a Samaritan woman no less, 
really shocked his disciples. Those were two things that a 
Jewish man prayed. Thank you, God, that I'm not 
a woman. Thank you, God, that I'm not 
a slave. Probably they thanked God they 
were not Samaritans, too. There was a lot of bigotry in 
this context, and here Jesus comes and deals graciously with 
this Samaritan woman. So back to the narrative. Verse 
40. So when the Samaritans had come to him, they urged him to 
stay with them, and he stayed there two days. And many more 
believed because of his own word. Then they said to the woman, 
now we believe, not because of what you said, for we ourselves 
have heard him, and we know that this is indeed the Christ, who 
is the lesson, the Savior of the world. Not just the Jews, 
but Jews, Gentiles, Samaritans. When Jesus says, I will draw 
all to myself, he means men from every tribe, every tongue, every 
people, and every nation. In John chapter 11 at verse 49, 
as they have plotted to kill Jesus, the high priest, verse 
49, Caiaphas said to them, you know nothing at all, nor do you 
consider that it is expedient for us that one man should die 
for the people and not that the whole nation should perish. Now this he did not say on his 
own authority, but being high priest that year, He prophesied 
that Jesus would die for the nation, and not for the nation 
only, but also that He would gather together in one the children 
of God who were scattered abroad. In other words, the Savior comes 
to cast His net on the world. The Savior comes not just to 
the Jew. The Savior comes to the Gentile. The Savior commissions 
His church, go first to Jerusalem, and then to Judea, Samaria, and 
then to the uttermost parts of the earth. That's what's beautiful 
about the book of Acts. The Lord Jesus outlines it for 
us right there in Acts chapter 1 at verse 8. What do you have 
after they tarry in Jerusalem? They stay there until about chapters 
7 and 8. They go into Judea and Samaria 
because of the persecution under Saul of Tarsus. They then are 
dispersed and they go to the uttermost parts of the earth. 
That was always the mission of the Messiah. It was announced 
in the Servant Song in Isaiah 42. It is too small for you. 
This is the Father talking to the Son. It is too small for 
you simply to redeem the tribes of Jacob. But I will give you 
as a light unto the Gentiles. The Savior is the Savior of the 
world. That's what he means when he 
says, and I, if I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all 
men to myself. Men inclusive, women, you're 
included there too. And then finally, in terms of 
a blessed result, and this probably should be first, but I wanted 
to end on this one, the glory of his father. You see those 
other three are basically manward in their focus, in their thrust, 
in their emphasis. It's the glory of God. You see, 
when you read John's Gospel, you cannot miss the fact that 
Christ is on a mission. You cannot miss the fact that 
Jesus is the obedient Son. You cannot miss that He is submissive 
to His Father. In fact, that context, or that 
scene in John chapter 4, they're hungry, the disciples want to 
eat. Jesus says, I have meat to eat which you know nothing 
of. It's a terrible indictment upon us, isn't it? We have no 
clue what the will of God even is. I have meat to eat. I have the will of my father 
to do, which you know nothing of. Christ was the obedient son 
every step of the way. When he says in verse 28 of John 
12, Father, glorify your name, then a voice came from heaven 
saying, I have both glorified it and will glorify it again. It is in the life and in the 
death and in the resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ that 
the Father is praised, that the Father is glorified, that the 
Father is honored. You see this fleshed out in Philippians 
2. Philippians 2, beginning in verse 
5. I just want to illustrate this 
from a Pauline passage. Philippians 2 at verse 5, let 
this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus, who being 
in the form of God, did not consider robbery to be equal with God, 
but made himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant 
and coming in the likeness of men, and being found in appearance 
as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to the point 
of death, even the death of the cross. Now notice, therefore 
God also has highly exalted him and given him the name which 
is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee 
should bow, of those in heaven and of those on earth and of 
those under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that 
Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father. Father, glorify 
your name. I have both glorified it and 
will glorify it in the life, the death, and the resurrection 
of his beloved son. The Father is well pleased in 
him. 1 Corinthians chapter 15. 1 Corinthians 
chapter 15, one of the clearest passages on biblical eschatology 
or on the end times. or what is the next great event 
in redemptive history. 1 Corinthians 15, 20, But now 
Christ is risen from the dead, and has become the firstfruits 
of those who have fallen asleep. For since by man came death, 
by man also came the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all 
die, even so in Christ all shall be made alive. But each one in 
his own order, Christ the firstfruits, afterward those who are Christ's 
at his coming. Notice, His coming. This is referring 
to the second coming, the second Advent, His return in glory. 
So what happens when Christ comes? Then comes the end. You have 
to insert a thousand years there, if you are a premillennialist. 
You have to bring it from another place in scripture and put it 
in this passage, because it's not there. Now, if you bring 
it and put it, you need to be able to justify it. But in terms 
of this clear passage, narrative passage, it says that the end 
follows the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. Then comes the 
end when, notice, he delivers the kingdom to God the Father, 
when or after he puts an end to all rule and all authority 
and power. For he must reign till he has 
put all enemies under his feet. The last enemy that will be destroyed 
is death, for he has put all things under his feet. But when 
he says all things are put under him, it is evident that he who 
put all things under him is accepted. Notice in verse 28, now when 
all things are made subject to Him, then the Son Himself will 
also be subject to Him, who put all things under Him, that God 
may be all in all. You see, the chief purpose, the 
chief focus, the chief objective in God's redemptive plan is the 
glory of God Himself. The Christian ought to rejoice 
in that, that we are not first on God's order of priority, but 
God is first on His order of priority. That ought to be the 
way we mirror ourselves, God's honor, God's glory, God's praise, 
God's exaltation. The shorter catechism says, what 
is the chief end of man? Man's chief end is to glorify 
God and to enjoy Him forever. I remember hearing Pastor Elliot 
preach this one time. What is the chief end of God? 
God's chief end is to glorify God and to enjoy him forever. Some would say, well, that sounds 
a bit egocentric. No, it is consistent. If God 
is the highest, loftiest, most excellent being, then for him 
to direct his attention to someone prior to himself would be idolatry, 
and it would be defection, and it would ungod god of his deity. Jesus was about the glory of 
his father. Well, brethren, in summary, we 
have seen in our passage the sole trouble of our Lord Jesus 
Christ. It demonstrates his true humanity. and it should demonstrate to 
us the great lengths that He went to on our behalf. He was indeed the mediator of 
the New Covenant, tasked with being the federal representative, 
representing those whom the Father had given Him. And as a result, 
it meant that He would go to the cross on their behalf. When 
we eat this bread, When we drink this cup, we need to remember 
the great lengths that our Lord of glory went to on our behalf. As well, we see in this passage 
Christ's desire to bring glory to His Father. It is in bringing 
glory to His Father there is benefit for His people. It is 
in bringing glory to His Father and satisfying the divine will 
and satisfying the divine plan that we find our blessing and 
that we find our hope. Well, brethren, let us pray to 
God and thank Him for this blessed, blessed event that took place 
on behalf of His people. Well, let us pray. Our Father 
in Heaven, we thank You for this, Your Word. We thank You for the 
living Word, the incarnate Word, the Lord Jesus Christ. How we 
thank You for His resolve, how we thank you for his life, his 
death, his resurrection, all of the benefits he secured on 
our behalf, all of the blessings you've given us. As Paul says, 
every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ has 
been conferred upon his people. In this, we greatly rejoice. 
In this, we want to praise and honor and glorify you. And God, 
help us now as we eat this bread, as we drink this cup, to do so 
in remembrance of the Lord of Glory who gave himself on our 
behalf. And we pray through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.