The Cross: The Ultimate Display of Divine Glory

• The Symbolism of Palm Sunday and Political Expectations [00:46:34 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor explains that the crowd waved palm branches expecting a political victory similar to the Maccabees, but Jesus subverts this by riding a donkey to fulfill Zechariah 9:9.
• The Identity of the 'Greeks' and the Expansion of the Gospel [00:50:22 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor clarifies that 'Greeks' refers to Gentile God-fearers, not necessarily ethnic Greeks, and notes their request to see Jesus signals a shift in the ministry's scope beyond Israel.
• The 'Hour' of Glorification [00:52:15 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor highlights Jesus' declaration that 'the hour has come' for glorification, defining this hour as the moment of his death for sinners, contrasting it with previous delays.
• The Glory of God at the Cross [00:52:41 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor argues that Jesus prioritized being 'glorified' over 'propitiation' at the cross, asserting that God's glory is the ultimate purpose of the atonement, countering the 'what's in it for me' mindset.
• The Son's Character [00:55:01 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor explains that the cross displays the Son's character through the analogy of the grain of wheat dying to bear fruit, highlighting Jesus' perfect life and sacrificial love as the basis for worship.
• Discipleship and Surrender [01:00:20 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor defines the second way the cross displays glory: as a model for followers. He contrasts the prosperity gospel with the call to 'hate' (value less) one's life, using the story of R.A. Torrey to illustrate that saving faith requires surrendering one's will to Christ's lordship.
• Imitation of Christ [01:05:27 ▶️ 📄]
  > Citing Spurgeon, the pastor argues that the highest service is imitation ('little Christs'), where believers reveal Christ's life to the world by following his pattern of service and suffering.
• The Father's Character [01:07:44 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor begins the third point, noting that the cross displays the Father's character, specifically referencing Jesus' troubled soul and his resolution to glorify the Father's name despite the impending hour.
• The Father's Character and Glory [01:07:44 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor explains that the cross displays the Father's character, specifically His love and righteousness, rather than just the Son's character or a model for human behavior.
• The Atonement and Justice [01:13:28 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor contrasts Islamic views of forgiveness with Christian theology, arguing that the cross satisfies God's justice by punishing sin in Christ, thereby allowing God to be both just and the justifier.
• Defeat of Satan [01:18:36 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor discusses how the cross casts out the 'ruler of this world,' disarming evil powers and removing the ground of Satan's accusations against believers.
• Universal Salvation [01:24:51 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor explains that the cross draws 'all people' to Christ, redeeming a people from every tribe, tongue, and nation, not just Jews.
• The Cross and Universal Redemption [01:24:51 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor explains that Jesus being 'lifted up' refers to the cross, where He redeems people from every tribe, tongue, and nation, not just Jews.
• Divine Sovereignty in Salvation [01:25:39 ▶️ 📄]
  > He connects the verb 'draw' to John 6:44, emphasizing that salvation is an active pulling by God, not wishful thinking, illustrated by a rope pulling a bucket.
• Urgency of the Gospel [01:28:54 ▶️ 📄]
  > Interpreting 'walk while you have the light,' the pastor argues for an urgent, active Christian life, rejecting a passive 'cruise control' approach to faith.

• Sermon Illustration [00:45:01 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor references the movie 'Interstellar' and the concept of 'Lazarus missions' to illustrate how Lazarus's name has become synonymous with resurrection and new life in popular culture.
• Sermon Illustration [00:47:01 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor cites historical figures like Alexander the Great and Napoleon, as well as the Texas Rangers from Larry McMurtry's 'Comanche Moon', to contrast the typical image of great leaders riding great horses with Jesus riding a donkey.
• Sermon Illustration [00:55:23 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor uses the agricultural analogy of a grain of wheat falling into the earth and dying to bear much fruit, explaining that Jesus must die (be 'planted') for the fruit of salvation to occur.
• Sermon Illustration [01:02:35 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor recounts the story of R.A. Torrey, a preacher who rejected the gospel because he was unwilling to surrender his will and future plans to the lordship of Jesus Christ, eventually leading to a crisis where he knelt and gave his life to God.
• Sermon Illustration [01:04:12 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor references the parables of the treasure hidden in a field and the pearl of great price, where the finder sells all he has to buy them, illustrating the willingness to give up one's old life for Christ.
• Sermon Illustration [01:25:53 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor uses the analogy of a rope pulling a bucket up in a well to explain the verb 'draw' in John 6:44 and John 12:32, emphasizing that salvation is an active pulling by God, not just a passive hope.
• Sermon Illustration [01:23:49 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor recounts a childhood memory at Pine Cove where he and others would chant Romans 16:19, jumping up and down at the phrase 'the God of peace will soon crush Satan underneath your feet.'
• Sermon Illustration [01:26:26 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor uses a humorous historical analogy of ancestors in Germany painting themselves blue and wearing kilts to worship Norse gods, illustrating the state of Gentile nations before the cross.
• Sermon Illustration [01:25:53 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor uses the analogy of a rope pulling a bucket up a well to explain the verb 'draw' in John 6:44, illustrating God's active role in salvation.
• Sermon Illustration [01:29:55 ▶️ 📄]
  > He references Jerry Bridges' comparison of Christians living on 'cruise control' (like a Tesla with hands off) versus living like race car drivers, urging active engagement for God's glory.
• Sermon Illustration [01:30:39 ▶️ 📄]
  > He shares a personal anecdote about growing up in North Dallas, seeing the clock on the steeple of Park Cities Baptist Church which read 'Night cometh,' using it as a reminder of the urgency to believe before darkness comes.

• Pastoral Charge [01:02:35 ▶️ 📄]
  > Surrender one's life to Christ rather than merely committing intellectually.
• Pastoral Charge [01:04:12 ▶️ 📄]
  > Come to the end of oneself and give one's life to God, moving beyond mental assent.
• Pastoral Charge [01:22:28 ▶️ 📄]
  > Write down Colossians 2:14-15 and meditate on it.
• Pastoral Charge [01:30:23 ▶️ 📄]
  > Believe the gospel and do work for Christ today rather than delaying.
• Pastoral Charge [01:33:11 ▶️ 📄]
  > Stand up and sing with their whole heart to give glory to God.

[00:09:36] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_05]
[00:09:36] as we gather together this Palm Sunday to worship our Savior. Would you take a moment to bow your heads in prayer as you prepare your heart to come before the throne of God. Charles Spurgeon prayed this prayer. He said, Let thy kingdom come, good Lord. Let thy kingdom come and let thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. And our hearts shall sing with the angel choir and be glad with all the ransomed before the throne.
[00:10:30] because God is glorified. This is our soul's grandest object, that Jesus' name be lifted high and his throne be set up among the people to the praise of the glory of his grace.
[00:10:54] Father, we echo those words this morning, that your kingdom would come, that we would know Jesus returning that we would long for his rule his reign his judgment and for your will to be done
[00:11:11] guide our thoughts guide our hearts guide our emotions this morning as we bring them in subjection to the lordship of our savior we ask that you would be glorified in his name we pray amen if you'll take your bulletin we're going to stand together and sing the hymn
[00:11:33] praise my soul the king of heaven would you stand this is a different melody than what we usually sing but we're going to sing verses one two verse three the women only and then verse five

[00:11:46] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_02]
[00:11:46] praise my soul the king of heaven praise my soul the king of heaven going together in the scripture

[00:14:46] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_05]
[00:14:46] from psalm 118 22 through 29 the children will say the first four verses and then you will join

[00:14:56] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_03]
[00:14:56] them reading at verse 26 blessed is the one together blessed is the one who comes in the

[00:15:35] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_05]
[00:15:35] name of Yahweh we have blessed you from the house of Yahweh Yahweh is God and he has given us life bind the festival sacrifice with cords to the horns of the altar you are my God and I give
[00:15:53] thanks to you you are my God I exalt you give thanks to Yahweh for he is good for his loving

[00:16:04] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_04]
[00:16:04] kindness endures forever you may be seated thank you children's choir that was wonderful and

[00:19:23] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_00]
[00:19:23] we are here to praise the Lord. Good morning and welcome to the King's Chapel.
[00:19:29] My name is Kim Fawcett. I'm one of the associate pastors here and it is my pleasure to welcome you on this special day as we come together and celebrate Palm Sunday. If you are a guest with
[00:19:40] us or if it's been a while since you've been here, we want a special welcome to you and there is a connect card in the pew in front of you. If you wouldn't mind, just take that out, fill that out
[00:19:52] for us and place that card in the offering plate when it comes by in just a few moments let us know a little bit about yourself and on the back side of that card is an opportunity for
[00:20:02] you to list any prayer requests or possibly any questions that you might have about the church we'd love to answer those for you and we'd love to be able to pray for you and pray how we can
[00:20:13] serve you better in this place and we are just thrilled that you are here with us this morning You honor us with your presence and we just thank you for being here When you walked in you received a worship bulletin
[00:20:25] And I want to bring your attention to a few announcements in that bulletin this morning We are having a lot of things going on in the church And I just am so glad to be able to announce that this coming Friday evening
[00:20:41] Which is Good Friday We will have a Good Friday evening service beginning at 7 o'clock and we want to invite you to be back for that that special service on Thursday on Friday evening and then of course next Sunday morning is our celebration of Easter and so please make it a
[00:21:00] point to come back and visit with us again be with us and worship with us here on Easter Sunday morning a couple of things will be happening next week we will have a flowering of the cross
[00:21:10] we'll have a cross just outside the gathering hall doors near the covered carport there so you can bring your flowers from your yard.
[00:21:21] The azaleas are blooming.
[00:21:22] Break off a few twigs for that.
[00:21:24] Bring those.
[00:21:25] Stick them on the cross there, and we will flower the cross in honor of Resurrection Sunday.
[00:21:31] It's a great place for you to have family pictures made next Sunday morning as well, so participate with us on that.
[00:21:37] Speaking of pictures, if you're a member here at the King's Chapel, we are trying to get a good picture of you for our updated directory, So you can see in your bulletin this morning where you can make an appointment to go have that done right here at the church on Sunday mornings through the month of April.
[00:21:56] So if you will take time to make sure you make an appointment, we'd love to have you featured in the new member church directory.
[00:22:04] And also just want to remind you that we are currently accepting recommendations for new deacons and new elders.
[00:22:12] There are forms online.
[00:22:13] You should get that in your weekly update.
[00:22:15] There are also some paper forms out in the gathering hall by the connections desk if you'd like to fill one out there and drop it in the box.
[00:22:23] It's a very important thing that we're doing.
[00:22:25] We want you to be praying about that.
[00:22:27] And we want you to consider the men that would serve our church as deacons and elders this morning.
[00:22:35] You know, Palm Sunday is a special day.
[00:22:38] It's the beginning of Holy Week.
[00:22:40] And it's the start of the journey towards the power of the cross.
[00:22:44] the victory of the resurrection and the rich truth that Jesus Christ truly is our king of kings and so we're glad that you're here with us the children have already told you about Psalm 118
[00:22:58] I'll repeat it again just so you get it it says give thanks to the Lord for he is good his steadfast love endures forever Hosanna to God Hosanna in the highest as our ushers come
[00:23:14] forward to receive our offering. Would you pray with me this morning as we go to the Lord? Our dear Heavenly Father, as we come together this morning on this blessed Palm Sunday, we remember the day that your Son, our Savior Jesus Christ, entered Jerusalem, not with the might of armies,
[00:23:35] not as a conquering king, but as a humble servant, knowing the the cost that awaited him. And we thank you that this day is a living reminder of your eternal victory. The road from Jerusalem to
[00:23:47] the cross was marked with pain, yet it led to victory over sin and death. It led to the empty tomb, and it led to the triumph of resurrection, paving the way for our salvation. Today we stand
[00:24:00] in that victory, declaring that no darkness can overcome your light, that no restraint can withhold your power and that no heart is beyond the reach of your redeeming love. Father God, we praise you for your word is true and you are faithful. You promised salvation through the Messiah and today
[00:24:19] we remember that Jesus fulfilled the Old Testament prophecies as promised redeemer. Lord, we acknowledge our need for salvation from our sins and we rejoice that Jesus is our deliverer and we celebrate him today as king. And just as the crowds shouted Hosanna and laid palm branches before him
[00:24:40] proclaiming his kingship, we join that chorus today celebrating the victory that he brings through love, mercy, and sacrifice. Father, let our lives be living testimonies of his grace.
[00:24:53] May our words and our actions and our hearts proclaim blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord. Lord Jesus, we celebrate you. We honor you. We triumph in you now and forevermore.
[00:25:09] And we ask these things in the precious and holy name of Jesus Christ. Amen.

[00:25:14] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_04]
[00:25:14] If you would, let's stand together and let's sing Christ, our hope in life and death. Everyone

[00:29:11] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_02]
[00:29:11] standing. Life and death, that we are not our own, but belong body and soul to our Lord and Savior,

[00:33:12] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_01]
[00:33:12] Jesus Christ. Amen, amen. We are going to continue worshiping the Lord by reading his word.
[00:33:19] So I invite you to open your Bibles to John chapter 12. I'm going to begin reading in verse 20 all the way to 36. Now among those who went up to worship at the feast were some Greeks.
[00:33:33] So these came to Philip, who was from Bethsaida in Galilee, and asked him, sir we wish to see Jesus Philip went and told Andrew Andrew and Philip went and told Jesus and Jesus answered them the hour has come for the son of man to be glorified truly truly I say to
[00:33:56] you unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies it remains alone but if it dies it bears much fruit. Whoever loves his life loses it, and whoever hates his life in this world will keep it
[00:34:12] for eternal life. If anyone serves me, he must follow me, and where I am, there will my servant be also. If anyone serves me, the Father will honor him. Now is my soul troubled, and what shall I say?
[00:34:27] Father, save me from this hour. But for this purpose, I have come to this hour. Father, glorify your name. Then a voice came from heaven. I have glorified it, and I will glorify it again.
[00:34:43] The crowd that stood there and heard it said that it had thundered. Others said an angel has spoken to him. Jesus answered, this voice has come for your sake, not mine. Now is the judgment of this
[00:34:57] world. Now will the ruler of this world be cast out. And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself. He said this to show by what kind of death he was going to die.
[00:35:12] So the crowd answered him, we have heard from the law that the Christ remains forever.
[00:35:16] How can you say that the Son of Man must be lifted up? Who is this Son of Man?
[00:35:22] So Jesus said to them, the light is among you for a little while longer.
[00:35:26] walk while you have the light lest darkness overtake you the one who walks in the darkness does not know where he is going while you have the light believe in the light that you may become
[00:35:41] sons of light this is God's holy and inspired and inerrant word you may be seated and let's go to the throne of grace in prayer heavenly father we come to you this morning anchored in
[00:35:58] your firm promises you are the God who cannot lie and so all of your promises are sure and all of your promises are yes and amen in Christ so all those who have called upon the name of the Lord
[00:36:12] can trust in every sure promise of God and we know that all things all things work together for good to those who love you and are called according to your purpose. So, Lord, whatever trial or difficulty we might be facing, we pray, Lord, for your strength. We pray, Lord, as you
[00:36:37] promised that you would work it for our good. And in the midst of the trial, Lord, we trust in your word. The word of God is sure. The word of God is a lamp unto our feet and a light unto our path.
[00:36:50] we cling to your testimonies. They're sweeter than honey in our mouth. We love your word.
[00:36:58] We're so thankful, Lord, for divine revelation that we can know the mind of God as it's revealed to us in your scriptures. So, Lord, in the midst of our trial, it is to your word that we cling
[00:37:11] and to your promises that we hope. We thank you, Lord, for what we are celebrating this week, the cross of Christ and the glorious resurrection. It is in this historical event, which is a theological event in which we put all of our hope in this world. We know, Lord, that we are sinners.
[00:37:35] Each of us have gone our own way. Each of us has gone astray. Each of us by nature is a enemy of God. And yet, Lord, in your mercy, in your grace, in your kindness, and in the power of your Holy
[00:37:50] Spirit. You sought us. You drew us to yourself. You opened our eyes to the truth of the gospel, whether it was a friend or family member or a Bible that we found in a hotel room.
[00:38:02] We heard or read the word of God. Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ, and in hearing we believed. Lord, I pray those who are in our midst this morning who have never
[00:38:14] believed, opened their eyes to the truth that Jesus Christ is who he said he is, that he is the God-man, the eternal Son of God, who took on our flesh, lived a righteous life, and died to save
[00:38:36] sinners, and because of his perfection, raised from the dead three days later, it is in these events we put our hope, because it is only at the cross that we find the forgiveness of sins.
[00:38:50] Lord, wake us up to the gospel. Wake us up to the glory of our Redeemer. Lord, may we glory in your character this week. May your work fill up the meditations of our heart. And Lord, may
[00:39:12] our worship this morning be honorable and pleasing in your sight as we glory in our great redeemer

[00:39:20] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_05]
[00:39:20] for christ's sake amen if you would take your hymnal and turn to number 302 number 302 rejoice the lord is king let's stand together as we sing

[00:39:38] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_02]
[00:39:38] one more time heavenly father open our hearts and minds to your word would the word do

[00:44:15] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_01]
[00:44:15] its work in our lives, and may we glory in Christ. In Christ's name, amen. We'll open your Bibles to the text that we just read, John chapter 12. We're going to look at this encounter in Jerusalem
[00:44:34] on Palm Sunday to understand what's going on. You have to understand the context.
[00:44:39] if you remember Jesus had done the most amazing miracle he'd raised this man Lazarus from the dead Lazarus's name in history has become synonymous with resurrection new life I was watching interstellar the other day and the the missions that they sent out to find the new
[00:45:01] planets remember they were called the Lazarus missions Lazarus that name has gone down in history as symbolic of new life. And of course, the Pharisees are hearing all this. Everybody's talking about Lazarus. And the Pharisees, they can't stand Jesus, and they are intimidated by
[00:45:23] what's going on. And so they even concoct a plan to kill Lazarus. They want to kill him. So everybody's talking about Lazarus. Jesus approaches Jerusalem. He comes to Bethany. He's coming to the Mount of Olives, and there's thousands in Jerusalem for the Passover, and they begin to come out with
[00:45:46] palm branches, palm branches. And the symbolism of this is that about 150 years later, Judas and Simon Maccabeus, they called Judas the Hebrew hammer, they had delivered the Jews from their Greek invaders, and they had gone out of Jerusalem. They had defeated the Greeks,
[00:46:13] and when they had come back into Jerusalem, the Jews went out and welcomed Judas and Simon Maccabeus with palm branches. It was a symbol of victory, and that's where they begin celebrating the Feast of Lights, Hanukkah. So what's the symbolism of the palm branches? What are they
[00:46:34] expecting as Jesus comes into Jerusalem? They're expecting a political victory. They're expecting Jesus to overthrow their oppressors. Now, Jesus, what's His plan? Does He come riding on a great horse? You know, great leaders throughout history have ridden great horses, haven't they?
[00:47:01] Even the Texas Rangers, I was reading Larry McMurdy's Comanche Moon, the great Texas Rangers rode great horses. Alexander the Great rode a great horse. Napoleon rode a horse from Egypt, an Arabian steed. Great leaders ride great horses. What does Jesus do? In fulfillment of the prophecy
[00:47:24] of Zechariah 9.9. He gets a donkey and he comes lowly and meek into Jerusalem. How's he coming the second time, by the way? At the second coming, is he riding a donkey? No, he's riding a white
[00:47:42] horse in judgment. But this time, he is coming to redeem his people. Now, many of the people understood that he was the Messiah. Many of the people are worshiping him for genuine reasons.
[00:47:56] I believe. I don't believe everybody in the crowd simply believes he's a political ruler, but many do. And they begin shouting. They quote Psalm 118. Now, when the Jews would come to the festival of tabernacles and to the Passover, as they would go to Jerusalem for
[00:48:16] these feasts, they would recite Psalm 113 to Psalm 118. All of those psalms, they were called the Psalms of Hillel, and they would recite these psalms throughout the feast. So it's not surprising that they're thinking about this. The Hebrew word that we call Hosanna means
[00:48:39] save us. It's a cry for God's redemption. And throughout Israel's history, it became a cry of declaration that Yahweh saves. And so as Jesus is coming, He's riding on this donkey, they're shouting out, Hosanna! Save us! Hosanna! Save us! Hosanna! Save us! Quoting Psalm 118,
[00:49:11] verse 25. How was He going to save them? Well, if they would have read just four verses earlier, Psalm 118.22 says this, the stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone.
[00:49:30] This is the Lord's doing. It is marvelous in our eyes. He was going to save by being rejected.
[00:49:40] And so he comes into Jerusalem. There is a frenzy, a roar. If you look at verse 17, the crowd that had been with him when he called Lazarus out of the tomb and raised him from the
[00:49:55] dead continued to bear witness. They're saying, this is the one. This is the one we were telling you about. This is the one who raised Lazarus from the dead. Here he is. Here he is in the city.
[00:50:08] So there's this huge uproar, and there are some Gentile God-fearers in Jerusalem. In this passage, they're simply called Greeks. But what that means, they're not necessarily of Greek descent.
[00:50:22] This word is used to describe anybody who is not a Jew. And so, there's some Greeks in Jerusalem, they become interested in who this Jesus is. Look at verse 20. Now, among those who went up
[00:50:38] to worship at the feast were some Greeks. So, these came to Philip, who was from Bethsaida in Galilee. Is Philip a Hebrew name or a Greek name? It's a Greek name, right? Many suspect that
[00:50:52] that's the reason why they came to Philip. So they come to Philip, who was from Bethsaida in Galilee, and ask him, wonderful, wonderful request, sir, we wish to see Jesus. Philip really doesn't know what to do with this because he knows that Jesus came to seek the lost sheep of Israel. Over and
[00:51:15] over again, he's emphasized this, that he's come first to the Jew. What do we do with this? Philip doesn't know. What do you do when you don't know? You ask your buddy, right? He asked Andrew. Verse
[00:51:27] 22, Philip went and told Andrew. Andrew is sometimes known as the evangelist to the Gentiles, right? So Andrew, he goes to Jesus. Andrew and Philip went and told Jesus. Now, I don't think that Jesus ever actually went and talked to these Gentiles. All we're told is a response that he
[00:51:56] makes to Andrew and Philip, and I think the rest of the disciples are listening in. Look what he says. It's absolutely amazing. Verse 23, and Jesus answered them, the hour has come for the Son of
[00:52:15] man to be glorified all throughout his ministry. You remember at Cana when they ran out of wine and his mother came to him and said, can you do something? He said, woman, my hour has not yet
[00:52:26] come. He said again and again that his hour is in the future, his hour being this moment in history where he will die for sinners. That's what the hour refers to. But now, look what he says. He
[00:52:41] says the hour has come the hour has come and then look for the son of man to be glorified isn't that interesting that out of all the language that he could have chosen because so much is happening at the cross isn't it when we think about the cross we think about
[00:53:07] our redemption we think about the forgiveness of sins and he could have he could have said that He could have said, now the hour has come for the Son of Man to make propitiation for sin.
[00:53:18] He could have talked about that.
[00:53:20] But what does he say?
[00:53:22] What's foremost on his mind?
[00:53:25] He says, now the hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified.
[00:53:35] that in his mind the ultimate reason for the cross is the glory of God now there's a lot of other reasons for the cross that are at the foot of the cross that come before the cross
[00:53:53] but the ultimate reason for the cross is the glory of the name of the son the name of the father and even the name of the spirit that's so counterintuitive isn't it and we're naturally
[00:54:10] so focused so inclined to focus on ourselves but here jesus is saying that the cross is ultimately about his glory i find that so countercultural everybody's asking what's in it for me right every what's in it for me what does christianity do for me and christianity says that the real
[00:54:38] point of all of this is his glory. So in the rest of these 17 verses, 15 verses, he's going to give us five ways that the cross demonstrates God's glory, and I just want to give them very briefly
[00:55:01] to you. The first way is in verse 24, that the cross displays the Son's character. Look at verse 24. This is the explanation. Truly, truly, amen, amen. I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls
[00:55:23] into the earth and dies, it remains alone. But if it dies, it bears much fruit. It's an agricultural analogy. Every farmer understands it, that in order to reap a harvest, you have to plant the seed into
[00:55:40] the ground, and that seed has to break, to germinate, and to be fertilized, be watered, and then ultimately it bears fruit. But in order for that to happen, the seed has to be planted. What is the fruit
[00:55:55] of Jesus's atonement? It's us. The fruit is the salvation of sinners. So Jesus is saying, but for that to happen, I have to be planted. I have to die. Now, when we reflect on Jesus's
[00:56:15] character, when we look at the Gospels, if you were to cut off in the Gospels the passion of the Christ, the atonement and the resurrection, we would still glory in Christ, wouldn't we?
[00:56:32] because he is the most amazing person who has ever lived. He is the God-man. He's amazing.
[00:56:42] He spoke like no one had ever heard someone speak. You read the Sermon on the Mount.
[00:56:48] It's the greatest discourse that we've ever read. When they try to arrest Jesus in the temple, the temple guards go to arrest him. They can't arrest him. They go back to the temple authorities.
[00:56:59] they say, no one has ever spoken like this man. He worked miracles. He healed leprous men. He raised the dead. He turned water into wine. He calms the storms. He possesses authority.
[00:57:18] He can call demons out of a man and cast them into a herd of swine. The demons knew that he was in authority over them. People said he doesn't speak like the scribes. He speaks as one having
[00:57:32] authority. He lived a perfect life. Even Pilate said, I find no fault with this man.
[00:57:43] Jesus testified. He said, I honor the Father. He displayed perfect compassion for people.
[00:57:51] So you take the man Jesus Christ, and you take all of that, and you ask yourself, is that God man worthy of worship? And we would all say, yes, he is. But why do we love Christ so
[00:58:10] much? Why do we love him so much? It's because he gave up his life. He is the greatest man, yes, but the greatest man gave up his own life to save sinners. Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away
[00:58:33] the sin of the world. I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.
[00:58:44] Jesus marched to the cross to show his love for us, to show his love for you. He gave up his life.
[00:58:57] The excruciating pain of crucifixion, oh, it was awful. But then to incur the wrath of God, the perfect one taking on our sin penalty on our behalf isn't that why we love him so isn't that why we glory in Christ yes he's the greatest man but he's our redeemer and it's in
[00:59:28] his redemption that we see his character so wonderfully revealed isn't it one thing I love to see up here when you're singing at the end after the message one of the y'all see that I
[00:59:47] stand up here almost every Sunday Phil's normally leading and so many of you I just see the tears rolling down your faces and that's because you know his grace you know his love and so you've
[01:00:04] seen the greatest man but you've also seen his sacrifice and you glory in it so that's the first way that the cross demonstrates his glory. The second is that the cross becomes the path of
[01:00:20] his followers. You see, it's not just that Jesus lived this sacrificial life and then that we have wealth, friends, and influence. That's the prosperity gospel, right? What does he say? He says, no, whoever loves his life loses it, and whoever hates his life in this world will keep
[01:00:43] it for eternal life. This is a Jewish idiom. Notice that word hate? It means to love something less. It does not mean to literally hate your life and commit suicide or something like that.
[01:00:58] It means that you value something else more to such a degree that it could be said that you hate something. And Jesus is saying that you must value Christ in his kingdom more than anything
[01:01:12] else. So in this way, the sacrifice of Christ becomes the model and the archetype for how the Christian is to live, being willing to suffer for him. It's a cross-centered life. Jesus said in Luke 9 23, if anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and
[01:01:39] follow me. Forever would save his life, will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will save it. For what does it profit a man to gain the whole world and forfeit his soul? Saving faith
[01:01:53] is not just intellectual belief in who Jesus is and what he's done, is it? It's to trust in Jesus Christ, to trust alone in Jesus Christ. It's to put all of your hope in him and to release all
[01:02:14] of your hope in everything else that you're leaning on in this world. My great uncle, he was a preacher, Cajun preacher in Louisiana, always used to say, Grant, you don't commit yourself to Christ, you surrender yourself to Christ. That is the essence of saving faith. I was reading this
[01:02:35] week about an old preacher named R.A. Torrey. Has anybody ever heard that name, R.A. Torrey? He was the pastor at Moody Church in Chicago about a hundred years ago. And Torrey, raised in a Christian home, really he heard the gospel and rejected it. And the reason why he rejected it
[01:02:59] is because he did not want to submit his life to Christ. So this is what his biographer said about Torrey. He believed everything a broad-minded citizen of the 19th century needed to believe about Christian doctrine, with only a handful of skeptical reservation about some of the harder
[01:03:18] doctrines. He was willing to identify himself publicly with the church, but as he read the church membership requirements closely, he recognized that to be a Christian meant to surrender your will and your future plans to the lordship of Jesus Christ. That was something he
[01:03:40] was not willing to do. After all, he wanted to be a lawyer, but Christ might want him to do something else. And he continued down that path, and his conscience kept convicting him to the
[01:03:56] point where he almost committed suicide. He looked for a razor, he couldn't find it, and he knelt down in his room and said, Lord, I give my life to you. That's trusting in Jesus Christ. It's not
[01:04:12] just mental assent. It's coming to the end of yourself. This is why Jesus compared the kingdom of God to a man who finds a treasure hidden in a field. And what does he do? He sells all that he
[01:04:25] owns to buy that field. It's like a man who finds a pearl of great price. What does he do? He sells all that he has to buy that pearl. So it's this willingness to give up your old life and say,
[01:04:39] Lord, my life is yours. I have been crucified with Christ, right? It's no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me, the Son of God who gave himself for me. It's Christ's life.
[01:04:57] Verse 26, he says, if anyone serves me, he must follow me. Akaluthio, it means to pattern your life after Christ's life, to look at the God-man and say, I am going to follow him. How do you
[01:05:11] serve Jesus in this world? Does he ask you to do grandiose things? Does he ask you to do things that will be talked about in the newspaper? No, he just asks you to follow, to follow him.
[01:05:27] Spurgeon said quote the highest service is imitation if I would be Christ's servant I must be his follower to do as Jesus did is the surest way to bring honor to his name let me keep this
[01:05:43] in mind every day how does this bring glory to Christ how does this bring glory to God Think about this. It's that your life reveals Christ's life. When people look at you, what should they see? They should see Christ. Do you remember in Antioch, they were first called
[01:06:11] Christians? Christian means little Christ. And everywhere running around, you have little people imitating Christ's life. And so wherever people see Christians, what are they to see?
[01:06:25] his body they are to see christ because is it because we're so great it's because we're so grand what does he say you serve me and you follow me and in this way you reveal christ's life
[01:06:43] to the world little christ writer of hebrews says hebrews 13 13 therefore let us go to him outside the camp and bear the reproach he endured. For here we have no lasting city, but we seek the
[01:06:58] city that is to come. So the Christian life is the cross before the crown. It is service to Christ now and then the honor and the glory of the world to come. This is how we are to live,
[01:07:16] following Christ. And in so doing, it displays his glory. Third way the cross displays the glory of God. It displays the Father's character. Not just the Son's character, not just a way for us to follow. It displays the Father's character. Look at verse 27.
[01:07:44] he says now is my soul troubled the word for soul is psuche it's where we get our word psychology it speaks to the inner man speaks to the heart speaks to who you are on the inside and Jesus
[01:08:02] uses this word it's the Greek word terrasso it's the same word that Jesus used to describe himself when he came to Lazarus's tomb, the death of Lazarus. He was troubled. It means for your insides
[01:08:19] to be turned on end. Have you ever received news that just shook you, shook you to the core where you were just going along in your life and then all of a sudden your soul is depressed
[01:08:35] and you don't know what to do or how to handle it? That's how Jesus feels. All of a sudden he's here. He knows he's here for the cross. And he says, my soul, and even thinking about all of this,
[01:08:51] is troubled. And notice what he does. He reminds himself why he's here. He reminds himself why he's here in this moment. It's marvelous. He says, what shall I say? Father, save me from this hour?
[01:09:12] that's one option should I pray that father save me from this hour no but for this purpose I have come to this hour who this is high theology look what he says father glorify your name notice this resolution this resolution of purpose that the father's name would be glorified
[01:09:44] in this hour. What does it mean for something to be glorified? It means for its character qualities to be displayed and then rejoiced in. So what he's saying is, he says, Father, I've come to this hour
[01:10:02] that the character qualities of the Father would be seen, and in so seeing they would be praised and rejoiced in. That's why I'm here in this hour. The glory of your name. Psalm 115 says,
[01:10:24] not to us, O Lord, not to us, but to your name give glory for the sake of your steadfast love and your faithfulness. That's Jesus's heartbeat, is the glory of the Father. Is that our heartbeat?
[01:10:37] Even in our sanctification, if we're honest, how often when we stumble and fall, we're like, dang it, I did it again. It's about the fact that we fell. But how often do we think about the fact
[01:10:51] that we've dishonored him? Jesus, his mind is wired to the honor and glory of God. How does the cross reveal the Father's glory? Obviously, the heavens declare the glory of God. You see the Hubble,
[01:11:10] the pictures of the Hubble telescope. It's the glory of God, right? You go outside, and if you can see through the pollen. Everywhere you look, you see the glory of God. The other day, walking
[01:11:25] on our street, we saw a bald eagle. You're like, amazing. It declares, even the creatures declare the handiwork of his hands, right? We see his glory even when you taste good ice cream.
[01:11:42] everything points to his character but Jesus says the cross this is this is amazing most reveals this glory of God how so how so because it is at the cross first and foremost that the love of God
[01:12:07] is displayed I had a friend one time he said how do I know how do I know God loves me how can I really know he loves me? Answer, but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners,
[01:12:24] Christ died for us. You see, God wasn't reluctantly giving the son. God loved us and he sent his son to die for us. So if you ever wonder, does God really love me? You look back in history,
[01:12:45] You say, yes, he does. He's shown me that he loves me. You see, the cross is just this amazing demonstration of the love of God that he gave his own son, that he came, he sacrificed himself.
[01:13:06] What other proof do you need of the love of God? And then the righteousness of God, right? The righteousness of God. You know, in Islam, they believe that Allah just forgives people, that Allah will just forgive. You just ask for forgiveness, He forgives. The problem with that
[01:13:28] is there's no justice. You see, God is just. God cannot excuse evil. Evil must pay. Your blood screams for justice when you see somebody take an innocent life of a child or assault a woman
[01:13:47] you want justice and friends God is just and Paul says that in the gospel the righteousness of God is revealed the justice of God because when Jesus was dying on the cross God was not excusing sin
[01:14:07] was he? He was pouring out on the son what would take you forever in hell to pay. He was pouring the just penalty for sin out on the son. It's just amazing what Paul says. Jot this verse down,
[01:14:26] Romans 3 25. He says, talking about Christ, he says, God put forwards as a propitiation by his blood to be received by faith, and this was to show God's righteousness because in his forbearance he had passed over former sins. Talking about in the Old Testament, God had forgiven people like
[01:14:47] David and Moses and Abraham and Noah and Seth. God had forgiven all these people, but God is just.
[01:14:58] And so Paul says, verse 26 of Romans 3, the cross was to show his righteousness at the present time so that he might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.
[01:15:17] For this reason, Martin Luther said that you have to have a theology of the cross.
[01:15:22] in other words we understand God through the lens of the atonement yes we glory in all of his attributes but where else do you see his love and his righteousness displayed than here so we come
[01:15:48] to the cross we glory in it we glory in the the father's character and and notice the heartbeat to the Father. A voice came from heaven. I have glorified it, and I will glorify it again. So this
[01:16:06] is the Father's objective, that his name would be glorified at Christ's redemption, that there would be a manifestation of his character, and that we would rejoice in it. Verse 29, and the crowd that stood there and heard it said that it had thundered. Others said an angel
[01:16:34] has spoken to him. So it was an audible noise, a massive noise. Some thought it was thunder.
[01:16:40] You know, if you mistake something for thunder, it must be very loud. Or an angel. Angels must have loud voices. Verse 30. This is so intuitive. Jesus answered, this voice has come for your sake,
[01:16:57] not mine later on Jesus's disciples would remember the voice they would be encouraged by it that this is a validation of whom they had believed interestingly enough there's three times in Jesus's ministry when an audible voice is heard at his baptism remember when the Holy Spirit comes
[01:17:23] down in the form of a dove there's a voice this is my beloved son in whom I am well pleased that's when he inaugurated his prophetic ministry at his transfiguration before he goes to jerusalem
[01:17:36] a voice is heard with peter and and john on the mountain that's when he inaugurated his priestly ministry and then here at his triumphal entry when he is inaugurating inaugurating his kingly ministry, this voice is heard. But don't miss the message of the voice, that the Father will be
[01:18:02] glorified. That's the third way that the Father is glorified in the atonement. Fourth, the cross brings the judgment of Satan. Verse 31, now is the judgment of this world, now will the ruler of this world be cast out. In John 8, 44, Satan's called a liar and the father of lies.
[01:18:36] In John 14, 30, Jesus calls Satan the ruler of this world. Paul calls Satan in 2 Corinthians 4, 6 the God of this world. That word world is the Greek word cosmos, and the lexical meaning of
[01:18:53] that word, even in John's gospel, is extremely variant, meaning that there's lots of different meanings for this word cosmos. So you really have to use context to understand what is specifically being talked about. And sometimes the way that John uses the word world, he uses it to describe
[01:19:16] the evil systems that are under the control of Satan. For example, 1 John 3.15, do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not
[01:19:33] in him. For all that is in the world, the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and the pride of life is not from the Father, but is from the world. So Satan is the God of this world. He
[01:19:49] is the ruler of this world. And Jesus is saying that at the cross, this ruler of the world will be cast out. Isn't that interesting language? Thrown out. It's like you're thrown out of a bar.
[01:20:07] you know just imagine somebody being thrown out onto the street what's he saying he's saying something is going to happen at the cross that will throw satan out it will be a fulfillment of the prophecy all the way made all the way back in genesis 3 15 remember that a seed of the woman
[01:20:34] would crush the head of the serpent, but he would bruise his heel. So that prophecy was made and the cross will be a fulfillment of it. And it's interesting, there's all sorts of prophecies made about the atonement. I think about Isaiah 53, what we just read earlier,
[01:20:54] Psalm 1822. There's all sorts of allusions to the atonement in the Old Testament, but Satan misses them. The reason I know he missed them is because he helps orchestrate the crucifixion.
[01:21:09] You remember the Last Supper? He possesses Judas and brings Judas to betray Jesus on the Mount of Olives, and Jesus is betrayed. Satan thinks that in the crucifixion, he's winning. How confused is he because what happened at the crucifixion is Jesus takes away the guilt and shame of his people
[01:21:37] so what Satan would do remember the book of Job is Satan would waltz into heaven he would waltz into heaven and what he does in heaven with the father is he makes accusations have you considered
[01:21:56] what she's done. Don't you know when she was 18 what she did? Did you see what he did when no one was looking? And Satan comes, and he makes accusations before God over and over and over
[01:22:10] again against these people that have been forgiven. So what does Christ do at the atonement?
[01:22:17] He takes away the ground of the accusation so that when Satan comes, God says, get out.
[01:22:28] don't you know it's paid in full it's paid in full there is no ground of accusation jot down this verse meditate on it it's important Colossians 2 14 and 15 he says by canceling the
[01:22:44] record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands this he set aside nailing it to the cross, listen to verse 15, he disarmed the rulers and authorities, these are evil powers, and put them to open shame by triumphing over them in him. Isn't that amazing? So in a real sense,
[01:23:13] at the crucifixion, at the cross, Satan was defeated. Jesus said in Luke 10, 18, he said, I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven. So he knows his time is short. Now he knows that the
[01:23:31] accusation, his only weapon against you, the accusation of guilt and shame has been taken away. Isn't that awesome? Praise be to God. When I was at Pine Cove as a kid, we used to do this
[01:23:49] chant it was Romans 16 19 and and it went like this I still remember it Romans 16 19 says Romans 16 19 says be excellent at what is good and be innocent of evil and then it says and the God of
[01:24:13] peace will shoot, will soon crush Satan underneath your feet. Yeah. We all jump up and down right then. The God of peace will soon crush Satan underneath your feet. Christian, that is true.
[01:24:30] And it happened at the cross. Okay, fifth and finally, there's one other way that the cross will bring glory to God. The cross draws all men to him. Verse 32, he says, and I, when I am lifted
[01:24:51] up from the earth, what's he talking about there when he says I'm lifted up from the earth? The cross, right? Just as Moses lifted up the bronze serpent in the wilderness, he says, when I am
[01:25:01] lifted up, and that's explained in verse 33. He said this to show by what kind of death he was going to die. He says, but when I am lifted up from the earth, I will draw all people to myself.
[01:25:15] So I think this is in the context of the Greeks, the Gentiles coming. This is in his mind.
[01:25:23] And what he's saying here is that at the cross, I will redeem for myself not just Jews, but a people from every tribe, tongue, and nation, all the nations, all the peoples.
[01:25:39] no one too far off. And this verb he uses, I will draw, it's the same verb that's used in John 6, 44, no one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him. It speaks of, we talked about
[01:25:53] last week, a rope pulling a bucket up in a well. So Jesus is saying, when I am lifted up, I will draw, certainly. This will happen. This is not wishful thinking. This is not like, I hope I will
[01:26:05] draw. I hope this will happen. He's saying, no, if I'm lifted up, I will draw all people to myself. Before the cross, where were all the Gentile nations? Just use your world history.
[01:26:26] What were your ancestors doing? They were running around in Germany, painting themselves with blue paint and wearing kilts, right? I mean, just pagans worshiping Norse gods and sun gods and just all sorts of pagan idolatry. That was our ancestors. That's our history. What happened?
[01:26:52] What's happened the past 2,000 years? What's happening? The great missionary enterprise, right and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem Judea Samaria and to the uttermost parts of the earth the gospel goes forth and Jesus is drawing all people to himself praise be to God praise be
[01:27:19] to God so in a sense you look out this is this is the glory of God is you see people from every tribe, tongue, and nation giving praise to his name in Christ Jesus. Hallelujah. It's the church.
[01:27:38] It's amazing to see what Christ has accomplished. A church history book I like to read is written by a guy named Nick Needham. It's five volumes, but the title of all of the volumes, the title
[01:27:54] of the series is 2,000 years of Christ's power. 2,000 years of Christ's power, Christianity going forth, and pagans, the vandals, and the Visigoths, and the Saxons, and the Chinese, and the samurais in Japan, all these people being converted to Christ. It's amazing.
[01:28:20] so what's the response to all this well here's the response in some ways the crowd doesn't understand verse 34 so the crowd answered him we have heard from the law that the Christ remains forever in other words like are you going to set up the kingdom now a political kingdom now
[01:28:38] how can you say that the son of man must be lifted up this confuses us Jesus responds look at verse 35, the light is among you for a little while longer. Walk while you have the light, lest
[01:28:54] darkness overtake you. Now, who's the light there? Jesus is the light, right? I am the light of the world, John 7. He's saying, you believe in me while you have the light. What does darkness represent?
[01:29:08] evil and rejection of Christ. So he says, don't fall into darkness. Believe while you have the light. The one who walks in the darkness does not know where he is going. Verse 36, while you have the light, believe in the light that you may become sons of light.
[01:29:32] What he's saying is that there's an urgency. There's an urgency with our lives. We don't live the Christian life half-heartedly. I was reading Jerry Bridges, and he says a lot of Christians, they live their life like they're on cruise control. You know, just like set the speed
[01:29:55] and just, you know, if you're in a Tesla, just take the hands off, you know, and just sit there.
[01:29:59] Just let it drive you. He says, no, we're to live our lives like we're driving in a race.
[01:30:06] or race we need to be race car drivers we need to do as much good for the glory of God while we can you need to believe the gospel while you can today is the day of salvation
[01:30:23] don't put off to tomorrow what you can do today for Christ that's what Jesus is saying he's saying believe in me now because night is coming i told the ladies in the bible study this week
[01:30:39] when i was growing up in in north dallas there's a church we used to always drive by park city's baptist church and big church you can see the steeple from downtown dallas if you're in
[01:30:53] petroleum club in downtown dallas you can look north you can see see park cities and on the steeple, there's a clock on four sides. So when you're driving down the road, you look up and
[01:31:06] you see the clock. And on the clock, the words are written, night cometh. The day of darkness is coming when it's too late. Believe today. Live for the glory today. Glory in him. And friends,
[01:31:29] Listen, I am praying that there will be an awakening here to the glory of Christ.
[01:31:35] This isn't just theoretical or philosophical.
[01:31:41] Jesus came into the world and he demonstrated the glory of his name and he demonstrated the glory of God.
[01:31:50] And it's time for us to be gripped by this and for it to compel everything in our lives.
[01:31:59] Lord, may this be so.
[01:32:01] or we want this to be so we are glorying in these realities of what you have accomplished at the cross the love of God and the righteousness of God displayed our redeemer wasn't just content
[01:32:25] to demonstrate his perfections but he lowered himself by becoming obedient even obedience to the point of death on a cross. Lord, we believe in our hearts that you are the Son of God. You believe that you died for our sins. We believe that you rose again for our justification. We
[01:32:45] believe that you have ascended to the right hand of the Father where you rule and reign, and that one day you are returning again for your saints, and we will receive resurrection bodies, and we
[01:32:55] will always be with you in a new heavens and a new earth. We believe these things, but Lord, help us now to follow you and to live for what's most important for your honor and your glory in Christ's
[01:33:11] name amen now let's sing we need to we need to sing and give glory to our king so let's stand and let's sing and I want you to sing with your whole heart and give him the praise of which he
[01:33:27] is due.

[01:33:28] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_05]
[01:33:28] Christ my

[01:33:47] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_02]
[01:33:47] may the mind of Christ my Savior come day to day by his love and loss of my thought voices may I may speak face the looking Jesus as I am.

[01:36:07] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_05]
[01:36:07] We need to learn that hymn.
[01:36:10] Let's join together.
[01:36:12] Lift your hands as we sing the doxology.

[01:36:14] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_02]
[01:36:14] Praise God.
[01:36:24] So Jesus said to them, the light is among you for a little while longer. Walk while you have

[01:37:13] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_01]
[01:37:13] the light, lest darkness overtake you. The one who walks in the darkness does not know where he is going. While you have the light, believe in the light that you may become sons of light.
[01:37:30] Go in the peace of the Lord Jesus Christ.