Very man: “Now my soul is troubled”

Richard Barcellos · 2024-04-28 · John 12:27–28 · 8,079 words · 57 min

Summary

Expository

Because the Son of God assumed true humanity and sinlessly experienced real grief and soul-trouble in contemplation of the divine wrath he would bear as substitute, he has procured both forgiveness of guilt and positive righteousness for his people in every circumstance of life.

John 12:27–28 records the Son of God incarnate declaring 'Now my soul is troubled' — words that are simultaneously a window into his true humanity and a display of his sinless obedience at the threshold of Calvary. This sermon works through the four clauses of those verses, arguing that Christ's soul-trouble was real and holy, arising not from cowardice before mere bodily suffering but from his contemplation of the divine wrath he would bear as the substitute for sinners. Drawing on Cyril of Alexandria's principle that 'what is not assumed is not healed,' the sermon shows that Christ's sinless experience of grief, agitation, and soul-anguish recapitulates every stage of fallen human experience so that he might procure both the forgiveness of guilt and the positive righteousness his people need in every circumstance of life. The congregation is called to rest its entire confidence — prayer life, grief, daily obedience — in the blood and righteousness of the one who said 'For this purpose I came to this hour.'

Key quotes

His trouble was in the very nature of it, not only pure and clean, but also sanitative and healing.

He assumed our nature so that he could assume our duties and so he could assume our liabilities so that he could bring us safely into the presence of God.

He conquered him. He was not just an example. He was our hero. He was the victor.

Applications

Rest your entire confidence on Christ's blood and righteousness, not on any accumulation of your own obedience or religious performance.
When you face impending trials and find your soul troubled, bring that very trouble to Christ, who has gone through it without sinning and can sympathize and sustain you.
Do not merely confess the sin you commit in difficult circumstances; look to the righteousness Christ procured in those same circumstances as your standing before God.
Prize a faithful local church and its ministry of the word; the fruit of consistent expository preaching across years is a culture of grace that cannot easily be rebuilt once lost.

Questions this sermon answers

Why was Jesus troubled in John 12:27 if he is the Son of God?

His soul-trouble arose according to his human nature as he contemplated the divine wrath he would bear as a substitute for sinners — not mere fear of bodily death, but the anticipated stroke of divine justice.

Did Jesus sin when his soul was troubled?

No; just as Christ hungered, wept, and thirsted without sinning, so his soul-trouble was a natural human response to an impending horror that was holy in character — pure and clean, not fraught with distrust or despair.

What does 'what is not assumed is not healed' mean?

It means that in order to free human nature from any corrupted experience — including grief, fear, and trouble — Christ had to pass through that very experience sinlessly, thereby healing it for his people.

Why did the Son of God need to be incarnate in a womb rather than appearing as an adult?

Because the last Adam needed to recapitulate and sinlessly pass through every stage of human experience, from the womb onward, since that is where his people began to sin and incur guilt.

What does Christ's prayer life have to do with our salvation?

Because Christ prayed sinlessly as man at every stage of his humiliation, his righteous prayer life is part of the positive obedience imputed to his people, covering even their defective and sin-tainted prayers.

After the service, I'd like you to introduce me to that man you just described. I'm only five years older than Pastor Butler. I've never looked at myself as his father. I know where you get those metaphors from.

It's just a joy to be here with the royal priests, the pastors. You know, I travel five to seven times a year, normally in Second London Confession circles. There's nothing like this that I've seen. I've seen the fruit of this, you know, established associations, healthy churches, good relationships, not only between the pastors, but with the saints, members in the churches.

And then if you're like our association, we're 30, almost 40 years old. There's marriages, there's grandchildren, and pretty soon there's gonna be great-grandchildren cross-pollinated between the churches. So somehow get the churches together and you'll have great-in-laws and kids and grandkids. To the church, Steve and Leslie aren't here, but the first time I came, it was probably 1994, 95.

I stayed with them, and it's really developed since then. But to the church, I want to say thank you for your support of our church plant. It still feels like we're still planting 12 years in, but your church has supported us from the beginning, and except for our deacon having a problem cashing the check. We are very thankful for that.

And then I should say something to Jim, but I said it all the other night, and we got all emotional and all that stuff. I can say this, though. Jim is one of my heroes. I don't know of any man in the ministry that works as hard as him.

I'm sure there is somebody. He's probably dead. And he's going to die, too, probably in the pulpit. I don't wanna, I need to tell you that I'm not gonna do that, because I am five years older than him and I don't wanna put my neck out during the sermon.

Who gives themselves during sermons like Jim? I mean, he's, you remember that time you were preaching in the evening? Just going, he had glasses on, boom. Second rows, glasses fly out there.

Guess what he did? Just kept going. God has blessed his labors here. And you know what?

The pastor's labors are blessed because he has dear saints that serve. And this is a culture created not just by the preaching, but by the preaching going through you and then going out from you and showing your love to all the saints. That conference was sweet. I want to bottle it up, and this morning, I want to bottle it up and take it home and spread it on to my people.

But it's been a joy to be here, and

Introduction

I'm going to be preaching from the Gospel of John, not to correct anything Pastor Butler has preached, but to support what he's already said. And it will be something he's preached, the text will, in the last few months. John chapter 12, I doubt Pastor Butler concentrated on Like eight words, I preach sermons on one word, a series of sermons on two words, okay? I wanna concentrate on, the title of my sermon, by the way, is Very Man, colon space, Now My Soul Is Troubled.

That comes in John 12, 27, I'll be looking at John 12, 27, and 28, and I'll set it in context and all that. to support, I am sure, what was proclaimed from this pulpit a few months ago on this text, not to divert from it, not to try to undercut Pastor Butler, but I listened to most of the lectures on Of Christ the Mediator, Pastor Butler gave some of those, and then the aging Cam Porter. gave the others, and those were wonderful. I mean, I'm going, these are really good. These people are spoiled. It's really good stuff, not a typical Sunday school stuff.

And so I'm sure that in light of that, I'm going to say nothing new. But what I want to concentrate on is the fact that our confession of faith says, very God, on the one hand, very man, the person of the son, who was God and is God assumes a human nature. So there's yet one Christ, but two natures united in the one person, the Godhood, the manhood. Here we have a glimpse of the manhood.

Now my soul is troubled. Whatever that is, it doesn't sound like divinity does this. So, since he is very man, this must refer to his humanity. The son, according to his human nature, while on the earth, was troubled.

At first that sounds odd, especially in singing some of the psalms we sing about not only the sufferings, but the glory of the mediator. and his victory over sin, and death, and resurrection, and ascension, his current session, and the gospel going out to the nations. But when he was in a state of humiliation, that's between the womb and the tomb, he said things like this, now my soul is troubled. I want to set this at least briefly in the context there.

Context: Greeks and the Hour

Notice up in verses 20 and 21, Greeks want to see Jesus. I know what commentaries your pastor reads. I'm sure he said, made connections between Greeks and son of man. By the way, Jim, did you?

Greeks are present and Jesus is using the title son of man again, which he did quite often more than anybody else. And if you trace it back, it's probably most likely, which means it is. The son of man in Daniel seven, I saw one, he had this vision of the future, one like a son of man ascending up to the ancient of days and glory was given to him and power and a kingdom and servants, nations would serve him. So it's talking about that.

I think there's no accident that Greeks are here because something's going on that's gonna not only be to the Jew, but to the Greeks as well. So 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. I can hear Pastor Butler going off on that statement right there, but I won't say anything.

Now watch what happens. Philip tells Andrew and they tell Jesus. Philip came and told Andrew and in turn, Andrew and Philip told Jesus. Then our Lord responds, verses 23 and 24.

But Jesus answered them saying, now it's almost like he's not oblivious, but he just kind of files it away. Okay, Greeks are here. I got something else more important than really engaging with these Greeks, but I think this is connected to it. But Jesus answered them saying, the hour has come, and here's the connection, that the son of man, he whom Daniel foresaw in the future is now here on the earth, that the son of man should be glorified.

Most assuredly, I say to you, now this is odd, unless a grain of wheat falls into the ground and dies, it remains alone, but if it dies, it produces much fruit. What do you think he's talking about? Jesus, death, burial, resurrection, and the bearing of fruit, by virtue of his sufferings and glory, by virtue of his death, burial, and resurrection, he's going to come out of the ground, and other things are ultimately going to come out of the ground, being his fruit, us at the resurrection harvest at the end. Then Jesus says three perplexing words in verses 25 and these perplexing words in verses 25 and 26.

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, basically what I think he's doing there is he's calling true believers to live for him and not themselves. to give up living for creature comforts only and to serve him and not ourselves.

And then comes these strange words that I wanna focus on. 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. So those are the words I wanna focus on, verse 27 and the first part of verse 28, and I'm gonna make some contextual observations before I share my outline with you. By the way, my outline is point one, point two, point three, and then point four. I have a PhD. 27A, 27B, 27C, 28A, if you want to follow along.

But we got to put this in a, let me just kind of contextualize what's going on here. So our Lord just said, the hour has come. Readers of John know he has said, my hour has not come. But now he says, my hour has come.

At least, you know, he's in the 11th hour. He's in the last hour of his ministry on the earth, the apex of his Incarnate work is right before him. Sufferings and then burial and resurrection and ascension. The time for his sufferings unto death and the time for his resurrection is soon to come about.

And our Lord knew it. It's not that he's ignorant of it. He knew it. He read the Old Testament.

He knew his identity and vocation, who he was and what he was to do, at least according to his human nature, partially due to the data contained in the Old Testament. The Son of Man will be glorified. He knew this because he knew Daniel 7 and other portions of the Old Testament. He will bear fruit due to his death and resurrection.

He knew this He will have some who serve him. He knew that. And he just called them to live a life of self-sacrificial service, promising that those who serve him will be with him and honored by his father. Now, listen to this commentary from the 19th century.

He had just now warned them against loving inordinately life, ease, and convenience, and had exhorted them to disregard it for his sake. And now he gives expression to his own self-sacrifice and shows how entirely he yields up his own life for men. So on the one hand, quit living for yourself, live for me, my father will honor you. On the other hand, watch me do the very thing I'm calling you to do, give myself up for others.

But a perplexing thing happens. You don't have that victorious chant from our Lord right now. You got a, now my soul is troubled. I mean, if we're there watching, knowing what we know, actually not knowing all that we know, we might go, what?

You just told your people to live a self-sacrificial life, and now you're wimping out right before the best part of your ministry on the earth? Now your soul is troubled? This is potentially troubling, right? He's the rock and foundation of our salvation.

I got this thought from Augustine. And I'm supposed to lay my head on him, and he's trembling right before the greatest work, the apex of his work in one sense, so far, the assumption of our debts. So it just seems like a twist in the story that we've got to untangle it. So

Four Points of Exposition

here are my four points. One, verse 27a, We are told of the inner state of our Lord's human soul. Very man, remember? I think this is a display of manhood.

By the way, our confession, very God, very man. Do you think they made those terms up? No. Where'd they get them?

Probably from creeds earlier. Where'd the creeds get them? Bible. Does the Bible teach Jesus is very God?

Yes. Where? In a lot of places. So when you have two words, very God, it's summarizing massive swaths of scriptural Teaching, right?

That's what confessions and creeds do, if they're any good. Same with very man. Does the Bible teach the very manhood of the Lord Jesus Christ? Where?

All over the place. And in our case, verse 27a,

The Inner State of Our Lord's Soul

now my soul is troubled. So our Lord gives us, through the writing of John, a glimpse into his soul. It's troubled. At first sight, this is troubling. or I want to make it troubling in your mind.

It's troubled? Haven't you read the Old Testament? You're going to suffer and then enter into glory. Matter of fact, you taught us you can reduce the Old Testament to a twofold motif, sufferings and glory.

Glory. Glory is before you. Glory is awaiting you. you're gonna earn a status of existence for human nature and bestowed upon us that's better than created status and certainly better than the fallen status and you're right on the edge of doing that and you're troubled. This is troubling, at least I'm trying to make it troubling in your mind.

The hour has come And he's troubled. At the other times, the hour has not come. My hour has not come. He left them.

He went out the back door to not to die prematurely. Now he knows the hour has come, this apex of his sufferings, which is going to affect, affect, change, alter all of his sheep throughout all the ages. At least it's the basis for it. And he's troubled.

Here's Augustine. Now is my soul troubled. What does it mean? You like it when he does that.

Pray tell, what does it mean? How biddest thou my soul follow thee if I behold thee thine own troubled? Remember, don't live for yourself, 23 and 24 or whatever the verses are. And then his soul's troubled.

And Augustine's going, this doesn't, you're telling me to live in a way that you're not gonna live. Your soul's troubled. What is the kind of foundation I can seek if the rock is giving way. In other words, you just called your people to radical self-sacrifice, and now, facing self-sacrifice, your soul is troubled, your soul is trembling, your soul is agitated.

That his human soul was troubled is clear. The text says it. But I have a question. Why is it troubled?

You know, we gotta dig in a little deeper here. Instead of just saying, he was troubled, I'm gonna ask some questions. We're gonna do some contemplation. We're going to do theology.

What a novel idea. Why is this soul troubled? It must be due to the contemplation of what he was about to suffer, right? He's contemplating something in the really near future, and it's affecting him according to his human nature.

He's contemplating circumstances outside of himself, that when they come, he knows are going to be a big challenge. And it's agitating his soul at the moment. Now, is our Lord simply scared to die? Have you ever thought of that?

He's just scared to die. Now, if that's the case, He seems to be showing less courage than some who would suffer martyrdom for his cause in the future. We've read the stories. You're reading that book.

I forgot what it's called, but you've read the stories of saints dying under horrible circumstances, singing hymns. So now it looks like if Jesus is just afraid of dying, that he doesn't even have the courage that his people have. So I don't think that's the answer. Many of us have read about those stories and concluded, God came to their aid in the hour of their greatest need and gave them grace to die well.

We don't want to conclude. God did not come to the aid of the Son of God incarnate and heaven did not help him die well. He died terribly with sin in his heart. He trembled at the cross and the wrath to come. and he didn't do well with this.

This was actually a device of the devil that tempted him to be derailed, and he derailed the Son of God. We're not going that way, right? This can't be sin. And then if we... back up a little and say, he became man for us and for our salvation.

Can we ask the question, is this trembling, whatever it is, and for whatever reason it is, is it somehow for us and for our salvation? That is, is Jesus not doing something here that benefits us and doing something else that benefits us? You know what I'm gonna say? Yes, and I'll try to show you that in a moment.

It was not a shrinking from mere bodily sufferings, quoting somebody, for he had exhorted his disciples to boldness and endurance in the face of every torture. So it can't be that he's violating the mandates he gave his own people in the verses right before it. It can't be that. Be courageous, but I'm not going to be courageous.

If that's true, you can have that kind of a Jesus. That's not our Savior. Here's another question. Why is his soul troubled if not for his soon coming bodily sufferings?

So I'm saying, it looks to me like his soul is troubled, whatever that means, in light of bodily sufferings. Now, one man says it was an inward overcoming sense of the divine wrath which he had to endure as a substitute for sinners. See what he just did? He says, it's not merely the bodily sufferings.

He realized there was an anguish of soul that was coming upon him that was, and the deepest stroke that pierced him was the stroke that justice gave, and I think it might be capitalized, Divine justice, you know, executed upon the Son of God on the cross. That's the contemplation. That's the agony. He well knew Isaiah 53.6, for example.

The Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all. And Isaiah 53.10. Yet it pleased the Lord to crush him. He was He has put him to grief when you made his soul an offering for sin.

He has put him to grief. That's Isaiah 53. Servant Oracle fulfilled in our Lord Jesus. Surely he knew Isaiah 53.

Surely he knew that grief, that sense of soul, that something's wrong with circumstances in my life, something's averse to my security and tranquility. I think this is what troubled him. In fact, I think I already quoted this. stricken, smitten, and afflicted. Many hands were raised to wound him.

None would interpose to save. But the deepest stroke that pierced him was the stroke that justice gave." It is capitalized, by the way. So our Lord was at this moment contemplating the stroke that justice would give him. He was contemplating becoming a curse for the cursed.

He was musing upon his damnation, exhausting death. And this is what troubled his soul. Right. So far, so good.

All right. Here's another question. Since his soul was troubled, did he sin? Because I can see myself in a similar situation where I know death's going to come upon me and my soul's going to be troubled.

But you know what I would do with that infliction upon me, with that troubled soul? I would probably sin a lot. You know, not a little. Is that how you do it?

Sin a lot. Like a lot, a lot. Like we sin way more than we realize. We're way worse than we realize and God is way, way better than we'll ever know.

So did he sin? We know the answer theologically, no. But let's work through this. Is it a sin to contemplate a horrible future event and be agitated by it, be troubled by it?

Some of you ladies have been pregnant. The first time, you've never been there. Second time, you're going, oh my. So do you ever get agitated before you give birth, contemplating six months of sweating more, twice as much as you usually sweat?

You probably do. I'm already agitated about a doctor's appointment I have to go to in June. But in light of this last week, and staying up too late, and eating way too much, I think I'm going to call and say, move it to August so I can lose some weight. We foresee events coming upon us and we don't always do well with them, right?

It is natural to human nature to be affected by such thoughts. It's not an unnatural thing. You know, our Lord assumed very manhood, this side of the fall into sin, with all the infirmities of living in a sinful world, yet without sin. Right?

So we know he can't be sinning. Listen to Cyril of Alexandria. He said this long ago. You've probably never heard of him.

He probably quotes him every week, right, in the John series. The Lord is troubled by what he thinks and anticipates. He is not yet on the cross, but he experiences mental anguish ahead of time as he looks ahead to what is going to happen and endures by his rational faculty the thought of future events. Yeah, but we're asking the question, is it a sin for our Lord, according to his human nature, to be troubled about the impending curse he's going to become for the cursed.

True or false? Did our Lord hunger? True. Yes, excuse me.

True or false? Our Lord hungered. True. True or false?

Therefore, our Lord sinned. False. Did he weep? True.

Did he sin? No. Did he thirst? Yes.

Did he sin? No. Was he sorrowful of soul? Yes.

Did he sin? No. But we're still trying to figure out what is all this stuff? He did all that other stuff and didn't sin.

Here our Lord's soul was troubled, but did not sin. Just think if he sinned. Give me another savior. I need a third Adam, right?

The last Adam failed, so give me another Adam. because we don't need an Adam that sins. We need somebody who does not sin. Why do we need somebody representing us who does not sin? Because we need somebody to obey the law as a covenant of works for us personally, perpetually, and perfectly on our behalf.

Do you think maybe Jesus is actually obeying the law of God here, he's not sinning, and he's procuring through his obedience a righteous standing in relation to it, that he's gonna confer on others? If he is, that's pretty good news, because I've found myself in situations where I'm foreseeing an event that I know is coming my way, unless divine providence points it in a different direction, and I don't do well with it. I don't pray like I should, and even when I pray, I don't pray, and then I pray and don't pray like I should, and then I have to confess my sins of praying with a distracted heart about this event that's coming upon me, and then I should probably read the Bible more and call a brother or sister and say, hey, I got this thing that's coming, could you help me? Could you bear a burden?

I don't do that either. If you haven't figured it out, we're a lot alike. We sin with events in our lives that overcome us, and we transgress the law of God. So here's what I'm saying.

Tempted in all points as we are, We can, there's solidarity with our Lord there, but there's not solidarity with the next statement. Yet without sin. We need a yet without sin last Adam. And that's what I believe we have here in our Lord.

Now the preachers are going, he just got off the notes. He has no idea where he is. Yes. Okay, he hungered, he thirsted, all those without sin.

Here he's anguished of soul without sin. Here's Matthew Poole. Christ was capable of no sinful trouble. He was capable of and experienced a troubled soul, but he was not capable of sinful trouble, sinful agitation.

Sinful concern. Our troubles are upon reflections for our own sin and the wrath of God due to us. Our troubles are because we have personally sinned against God. His was because those give it to him had sinned against God.

Our troubles have mixtures of despair, distrust, sinful horrors. There was no such thing in his trouble. His trouble was in the very nature of it, not only pure and clean. Have you ever read these words?

The next two words are wonderful. Not only pure and clean, but also sanitative and healing. What in the world does pool mean by that? Okay, his sorrows, we have them.

Ours are fraught with distrust and, you know, sometimes atheistic thoughts. We don't do well with trials. His were pure and holy, but not only were they pure and holy because he's a spotless lamb, but they're also sanitative and healing. What does that mean?

You've heard it, your pastor and Kim has said it. What is not assumed is not healed. I think that's what Mr. Poole's getting at, but I'm raining on my own parade, so let's keep going.

Surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows. A man of sorrows acquainted with grief. Here's Isaiah 53 terminating on our Lord right here.

Question and Answer in the Soul

Second point, I'll go faster on the other ones. 27b, we have a question and its answer in the form of a question. And what shall I say? Father, save me from this hour. Forgive me, I didn't read it right the first time.

It should be read that way, right? Like, should I say this? And if I read it this way, and what should I say? Father, save me from this hour.

Or better read this way. And what shall I say? Father, save me from this hour. So he's saying, no, I shouldn't say that.

So here's actually a glimmer of hope for us. He's troubled, and yet this comes out of his mouth. What shall I say? Save me from this hour?

Of course not. He doesn't get derailed. You think there is a temptation to be derailed from his messianic mission here? I think so.

Though our Lord was troubled, acquainted with grief, he was not derailed. He composed his troubled, grieving soul at this crucible of, I think, temptation. He conquered the temptation to be derailed from the will of God that the thought of the horror of his impending wrath bearing death presented to him. We do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are yet without sin.

It is as if our Lord were saying, shall I request of my father to help me abandon my mission? He checks his soul quickly yet without sinning. I think that's what's happening there. Have you ever checked your soul and yet kept on sinning?

Yeah. you know, an impending dark cloud that you know is coming your way, or a difficulty in life's coming your way, we don't always handle those situations rightly. We're tempted to really send it up, and sometimes we give in to those temptations, and we violate the law of God, and therefore are guilty. We incur His guilt, which is, by the way, the just liability unto punishment. God owes us punishment for all of our transgressions, but not only that, when we get in those situations and don't handle it well in sin, like those terrible moments when somebody pulls in front of you on a freeway.

And you know that 85-year-old woman was waiting on the sidelines when you came out. She did it perfectly, personally against you on purpose, and you honked the horn and maybe do other gestures and things like that and say foul things. She's 85. She didn't see you.

We don't handle some situations very well, right? A lot of pressure there, an 85-year-old woman pulling in front of you. Don't you know who I am? It's a silly illustration, but that the shoe fits, wear it, and it probably does for some of us, especially people in the front row.

So I don't, I think this is a, we learn from the Lord Jesus. I told him I was going to get him. He's on the front row. By the way, I reserve the right to get any row, so don't laugh.

I could come after you. This is our Lord being holy, not simply because he's the incarnate son of God. He's being holy in accordance with the law of God. This side of the fall into sin, he's being attacked by the devil.

He's having temptations come his way and he stands against them and obeys and procures righteousness for us. He became man for us and for our salvation.

Rebuttal: For This Purpose I Came

Third point in 27C, we have a rebuttal of the question and its answer. But for this purpose, I came to this hour. Okay, so he's going, I'm not gonna do that. Ask the Father to help me, you know, get derailed off my mission.

The Holy One here is committed to his holy mission after all. So see what just happened? He could be troubled and not sin and still fulfill his mission. I came to this hour for the very purpose of suffering for my sheep.

I came to this hour for their very purpose to suffer in their place, to stand condemned for them, to bear their guilt. And on the way, I need to take their duties and live according to the divine law for them as well. My sheep must and will be set free from their guilt. I've appeared to destroy the works of the devil, and that is what I will do." I think this is a triumphant statement by our Lord.

I'm not gonna ask that. For this very purpose is the incarnation, to go suffer for them and to earn eternal life for them. And

Prayer: Father, Glorify Your Name

the last point of the sermon is, It's 1228A. We have a prayer request. Father, glorify your name. This is good news, actually.

Have you ever prayed and then afterwards realized, nah, that was selfish, that my prayer was tainted with sin? Micah does all the time. He's the first one that responded to that. Of course we've done that, right?

Do you think Jesus prayed sometimes and afterwards going, Peter comes up to him, Lord, I was tainted with sin. And Jesus says, oh yeah, you're right. Yet without sin, even the prayer is holy. By the way, did you think the Lord, according to human nature, prayed merely because he was a man or because he was a man on a mission for us and for our salvation?

And as he passed through all the phases of human experience, he is being righteous, according to the law, because we've passed through all the phases of human experience and we were unrighteous in all of them, including our prayer life. Is his prayer life righteousness for us? The answer is, yes! We need his righteousness to cover our prayer lives.

You guys are pretty pathetic if that's the way you are. We're all pretty, we're more pathetic than we'll ever realize. And God is way better. So here we have these words, Father glorify your name.

In other words, use me to make thy name glorious over all the earth. Psalms, you know. Make much of your name through me. Daniel saw in a prophetic vision the future service of the Son of Man.

I am that Son of Man. That which was future to Daniel is present in me. I am here to gain a kingdom. with people of all nations to serve me. Glorify your name.

I'm going to die. I'm going to be buried. I'm going to be raised from the dead. And because of that death, burial, resurrection motif and the power of the work of Christ, it's going to affect others.

Others will someday come out of the ground and be my fruit. But in the meantime, I'm going to rule and reign. And I have a people of not only Jews, but also those Greeks that were present there. And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw Jews and Gentiles from all over the time periods of the world to myself and all over the geographic areas of the world.

Okay, so now we have the, the Puritans would say now time for uses or application. I abominate the word application. So I use the word contemplation. Now we're gonna, I did the exegesis, now we're gonna do theology, okay?

That wasn't theology, that was just exegesis. Now we're gonna contemplate, we're gonna think about this.

Application: Contemplation

Very man is what I wanna kinda extract from this text. So first of all, by the way, sometimes people go, that sermons, the pastor doesn't preach practical sermons. A lot of times what they mean is, he doesn't tell me what to do every Sunday. Like, buy Fords instead of Chevys, or whatever.

In other words, I don't have a guru who mingles into my personal affairs and crosses the line of Christian liberty. And some people like that. Pastor Butler's not that way, I know. So, one of the ways I steer away from that, you know, you want to have a good marriage, take your wife out once a week, buy her flowers twice a month and all that stuff.

Where's that in the Bible? I can give that counsel on the phone. Mormons can give that counsel too, right? It's not like distinctly Christian.

So let's do a distinctly Christian thing and think so as to worship, contemplate, muse, throw the things we've learned so far around and try to put them in a little different order to draw something from us that doesn't necessarily make you want to go out and do stuff this way, and what makes you want to do stuff this way? By the way, the more we do stuff this way, we get the vertical, the more the love of neighbor comes out of us. So the first contemplation is

True Humanity of Our Lord

we have here a clear indication of the true or real humanity of our Lord. Now my soul is troubled. No brainer. As man, our Lord had a soul, an immaterial part of his humanity.

He was body and soul. He was very Man, our confession in 8.2 says, two whole, perfect, and distinct natures were inseparably joined together in one person without conversion, composition, or confusion. Which person is very God and very man, yet one Christ, the only mediator between, excuse me, God and man? Then in 8-7, our confession says, says Christ in the work of mediation, acteth according to both natures by each nature, doing that which is proper to itself.

It is proper for the son, according to his human nature, the soul to be troubled while contemplating what our Lord contemplating. It is not proper for the son, according to his divine nature, to pray, for instance. Is that right, Cam? Yeah, that's right.

Prayer is a creaturely thing. Prayer is not God, but the Son is God according to his divine nature. So this praying here must be according to his human nature. Our Lord was very man.

That's my first contemplation. Second,

Real and True Trouble or Grief

we have here a clear indication that our Lord experienced true and real trouble or grief. How do we know? It's in red letters. He said it.

Now my soul is troubled. This agitation of soul experienced by our Lord was real. It existed. He experienced that.

By the way, does the Lord Jesus, according to his divine nature, experience things that alter his divine mind? No. Does the Lord Jesus, did the Lord Jesus, during his state of humiliation, experience things that altered him according to his human nature? Yes.

This agitation of soul experienced by our Lord was real. Mention has been made already of Isaiah 53.3, a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief, very man. Our confession says, the Son of God did, when the fullness of time was come, take unto him man's nature with all the essential properties and common infirmities thereof, yet without sin. So he took to himself creaturely liabilities, this side of the fall into sin, yet without sin.

And then third and finally, it's always good to preach shorter sermons than longer ones on the road, in case they're bad. Having said that, it'll probably take me a half hour to land the plane. Let's think of this.

Grief Without Sin

We have here a clear indication that our Lord handled true and real trouble or grief yet without sin. The very man really grieved, and he didn't sin with it. I already quoted, I think, Hebrews 4.15. We do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are yet without sin.

He was acquainted with grief yet without sin. Here's Cyril.

What Is Not Assumed Is Not Healed

The word of God united to himself the entire nature of man in order to save the whole of man. For what is not assumed is not healed. That's probably been quoted here dozens of times. For us and for our salvation, our Lord assumes body and soul.

In terms of his soul, he experienced trouble or grief. In terms of his body, he experienced death. Here's Cyril again. Just as death was destroyed in no other way than the Savior died, so it is with each of the passions of the flesh.

If he had not been troubled, our nature would not have been freed from fear. See what he's saying? He's saying, look, he's gotta go through all this stuff that we messed up in and not mess up. By the way, have you ever thought about this?

You got a first Adam and a last Adam. Our confession says Adam and Eve were made perfect. And it's an old English word meaning mature or adults. The last Adam, begins his life on the earth, not as a mature adult, maybe he starts his ministry as a mature adult, but he comes in a womb.

Why didn't the last Adam, in correspondence with the first Adam in the typology there, start as an adult? Why didn't he just pop out on the earth as a 30-year-old man, or however old he was? By the way, we're gonna be 30 in the eternal state, body and soul, just so you know, it's good news for some of us. Theory.

How perfect or mature was Adam? Probably around, you know, Puritans would say 30 years and two months and six hours. Have you ever thought, why does the Son of God need to become incarnate in a womb? Couldn't he just have appeared incarnate adult?

Here's what I think. I'm not the only one who thinks this. Cyril's getting at this. And some of you have heard of a man named Irenaeus, or Irenaeus.

He has this theory of, it's called recapitulation, heading up again, doing things. The last Adam recapitulates, not only the first Adam's steps and doesn't sin, but all the other Adamites that he came to save who started in the womb. Where did we start sinning? Where do we need a representative to not sin for us in the, to not sin for us the first place?

In a mother's womb, right? That's why I think the Lord Jesus, this last Adam comes as in the womb first, because where did, when did we start lying? We came out of the womb lying, you know, is it Psalm 53, 55, Psalm someplace. In sin my mother conceived me.

We needed somebody to go through all the stages of life where we have failed and sinned and procure righteousness and under the very circumstances where we procured guilt and just condemnation. We needed Jesus to experience all the various stages of life, because some of you were rotten teenagers towards your parents, weren't you? Who are two of the sweetest, kindest people I know. They didn't deserve what I gave them.

We needed Jesus not to sin as a teenager or a preteen or a six-year-old or a two-year-old. I'm looking at somebody behind you. Or a five-year-old or a 40-year-old or a, now somebody's gonna say, well, what about a 90-year-old? I don't, I haven't worked all that stuff out yet.

But I do know this, he recapitulates the human experience in order to sanctify, to heal. What were those two words? Sanitive and healing. Sanitive and healing.

Wow, those are good words, I like them. So just as death was destroyed in no other way than the Savior died, so it is with each of the passions of the flesh. If he had not been troubled, our nature would not have been freed from fear. If he had not grieved, there could never have been any deliverance from grief, because our grief is always sinful.

He had holy grief. Therefore, he can deliver us from our grief. If he had not been troubled and alarmed, there would have been no escape from these conditions. For every human experience, you will find the same corresponding experience in Christ.

The passions of the flesh are stirred up, however, not to overcome him as they do us, but so that once they are stirred up, they may be destroyed, transforming our nature to a better condition. Somebody help me. Amen. If that doesn't happen, there's massive gaps in our doctrine of salvation.

We don't need a Savior that just deals with our guilt and suffers punishment for us. We need a Savior that deals with our lack of positive righteousness. in all the various experiences of life, the categories of life. Starting from the womb, going all the way to death. My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?

Is that a complaint? A sinful complaint? Whatever it is, it's not that. We never sinned.

We need Him to go through everything we go through and not mess it up. Not violate the law of God. not incur guilt to just liability to punishment. We need somebody born of a woman, somebody who assumes our nature, born under the law, who assumes our duties, in order that he might redeem us from the law, who assumes our liabilities. That's what we need.

And you know what we have? That. He assumed our nature so that he could assume our duties and so he could assume our liabilities so that he could bring us safely into the presence of God. He's gonna bring many sons to glory, Hebrews 2.10, against all odds, against all enemies.

And you know what? And against all our resistance. You know where Paul says, nothing. can separate us from the love of God. You read that list of things that can't separate us from the love of God, and you say, well, yeah, but it didn't say me in there, and I know me.

I'm an idiot sometimes. I can separate myself from the love of God. Or any other created thing. Are you a created thing?

Some people might deny whether you are, but we're all created things. We can't separate us from the love of God. He's got a plan of redemption and he's got enemies and he destroys them along the way. No judgment is of this world.

Now the ruler of this world shall be cast out. And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, I will draw all men to myself. He said this signifying by what death he would die. So this is Cyril, I think it's wonderful stuff.

Blood and Righteousness Applied

This is why we sing hymns like this. Jesus, thy blood and righteousness. You see what the hymn writer did? Blood shed for the remission of all our sins.

The blood of Jesus Christ cleanses us from most of our sins. You didn't come here to hear that. All of our sins. Blood and righteousness.

There's a connection there. His obedience was unto death, so his death itself is obedience to the law and justice of God, but his life unto that point is also righteousness. He was a law abider, and he did all this for us and for our salvation. My beauty are my glorious dress, both blood and righteousness.

Midst flaming worlds and these arrayed with joy, shall I lift up my head. Bold shall I stand in thy great day. For who ought to my charge shall lay fully absolved through these I am from sin and fear, from guilt and shame. You see that?

That's a good line there. Judgment day. What are we going to do? Well, Jesus took care of most of it.

But boy, I did some good things for Jesus. Add those onto the pile of what constitutes the earning of eternal life, please. Is that the Butler move? No, don't do that.

We're not neo-Nomians, Baxterians. Yeah, amen there. When from the dust of death I rise to claim my mansion in the skies, even then shall be all my plea. This shall be all my plea.

Jesus hath lived, hath died for me. Righteousness and blood in different words there. So here's what I'm saying, he's living for us by contemplating the death and sufferings, not just a body, this divine wrath coming his way, he's contemplating that, and he's experiencing natural human tendency, grief, agitation, and right when you might think he's gonna give up, He basically says, I'm going all the way. Father, glorify your name.

I came for this purpose. Right when we just give in, give up, have hard thoughts against heaven and earth, at that crucible, Our Lord obeys for us. When from the dust of death I rise to claim my man, I already read that one. Jesus be endless praise to thee whose boundless mercy hath for me a full atonement made and everlasting ransom paid.

Oh, let the dead now hear thy voice. Now bid thy banished ones rejoice. Their beauty this, their glorious dress, Jesus, thy blood and righteousness. Wonderful lyrics.

Hopefully, my sermon has supported, I think it has, the ministry here. You're a blessed congregation. Be very thankful for Pastor Jim Gill. It's easy to preach here, and I know why.

He cultivates you every week, and that's a good thing. And don't ever lose sight of that. When you have a good church, You have a good church. Just die here.

Let him bury you and then you can bury him. It's hard to build a church up and to maintain it. And when you have it, prize it. OK, let's pray.

Closing Prayer

Thank you, Lord, for your word. Not only, but certainly inclusive of the written word of God. But the written word of God we have to reveal to us the incarnate Word of God, the Son of God, the second person of the Trinity who assumes our nature to repair it and bring it to glory. This is the divine plan of redemption.

This is rooted in the decree of God. This is for us and for our salvation. This shows your overabounding goodness toward not just creatures, but sinful creatures like us. Grace has been lavished upon us, heaped upon us in the beloved one.

Your goodness is infinite. There's no bottom to that bucket. We just get and get, receive and receive and receive. Thank you for your goodness toward us in the incarnate one.

Thank you that he's both very God and very man. Thank you that he didn't flinch. He didn't sin under excruciating temptation to do so. Thank you that he destroyed the devil in more than one way.