Welcome to the Reign of Grace
radio broadcast. My name is Bill Parker. I'm the
pastor of the 13th Street Baptist Church in Ashland, Kentucky.
This program is sponsored by the members of Eager Avenue Grace
Church in Albany, Georgia, located at 1102 Eager Drive, Albany,
Georgia. I'll be bringing you a gospel
message of the sovereign grace and glory of God in the Lord
Jesus Christ from God's Holy Word. And now, the message. Welcome to our program. Today
I'll be preaching from the book of John, chapter 12, and the
title of the message is Christ Lifted Up. Now, I've taken that
title from verse 32 of this chapter where the Lord says, And I, if
I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto me. Now, he's speaking there of his
crucifixion. At this point in time, he says
his hour is come. That is the hour of all that
he would go through in his suffering unto death to save his people
from their sins. It was time. This was less than
a week before the crucifixion. And it says back here in verse
20 of John 12, there were certain Greeks among the people that
came up to worship at the feast, that is, the Passover. These
Greeks were Gentiles who had been converted to Judaism, and
they came to Jerusalem to partake of the Passover and to fellowship
in that and to participate in it. And it says in verse 21,
the same Gentiles, the same Greeks, therefore, they came to Philip,
which was a Bethsaida of Galilee, and desired him, saying, Sir,
we would see Jesus. They had apparently heard about
Jesus of Nazareth and the miracles that he had performed. Maybe
they had heard about the one of raising Lazarus from the dead,
which was just prior to this. Well, verse 23. Now listen to
this very carefully so that you can get the context of what I'm
going to talk about when we talk about Christ lifted up. It says,
And Jesus answered them, saying, The hour is come that the Son
of man should be glorified. Now what is He talking about
in His glorification? The Son of man. The God-man. The Messiah. This is who He is. And He says in verse 24, Verily,
verily, I say unto you, except a corn of wheat or a seed, wheat
seed, fall into the ground and die, it abideth alone." In other
words, you take a seed and you just put it on a solid surface
or on top of the ground, there's not going to be any growth there.
There's not going to be any fruit there. It's going to abide alone.
But he says, but if it die, that is, if it's put into the ground
and dies, that's pretty much scientifically what happens to
these seeds when they're planted in the ground. He said, but if
it die, it bringeth forth much fruit. So out of the death of
that seed being put into the ground and buried comes much
fruit. Now he says in verse 25, now
listen to this, he says, he that loveth his life shall lose it,
And he that hateth his life in this world shall keep it unto
eternal life. If any man serve me, let him
follow me. And where I am, there shall also
my servant be. If any man serve me, him will
my Father honour." Now, as you go along in this, he's going
to bring everything clear. He sets it up, he gives the illustration
of a seed falling into the ground and dying and bringing forth
much fruit. And then he says in verse 27,
Now is my soul troubled, and what shall I say? Father, save
me from this hour? For this cause, but for this
cause came I unto this hour." The Lord was beginning to experience
in his very soul the sorrows and the pain of suffering for
the sins of his sheep. But he realized, he knew this,
the book of Matthew records his suffering in the garden of Gethsemane. when he sweat great drops of
blood, and the sorrow of his soul. We can't explain that.
We know that all through the Lord's life, even unto his death,
he was sinless in himself. But we know this, that God laid
upon him the sins of his people, the sins of his sheep, and the
weight and the bearing of those sins under the punishment, the
suffering, the effects of it, under the law of God, He experienced
soul suffering like no man has ever suffered. And we can't explain
that. But he realized this. It was
for that very purpose he came into the world. He said, should
I pray, Father, save me from this hour, but for this cause.
What cause? The cause of the glory of his
Father. The cause of the salvation of
his sheep. the cause of his own exaltation
for this very hour. In verse 28 he says, Father,
he prayed to the Father, Father glorify thy name. Now then there
came a voice from heaven saying I have both glorified it and
I will glorify it again. Christ had already been glorified.
He as the Son of God, the second person of the Trinity, Alpha
and Omega, he already had glory in himself. He was glorified
when he was born. There was the star that appeared,
the wise men that came, the shepherds that came, the providence of
God in preserving him. He was glorified when Simeon
lifted him up and he said, behold, I've seen the Lord's salvation.
He was glorified at his baptism. when John baptized him, and the
Spirit of God descended upon his head like a dove, and the
Father spoke from heaven in an audible voice, saying, This is
my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. He was glorified
on the Mount of Transfiguration when he took his disciples and
showed them that glorious vision of the Son of God speaking with
Moses and Elijah, Moses representing the law. Elijah representing
the prophets, all speaking of his decease, as Luke records
it, which he should accomplish at Jerusalem. Everything leading
up to this point. And he was glorified in other
places. When he came into Jerusalem and they cried, Hosanna, even
though the general people did not know what they were saying.
He is Hosanna. He is Christ the King, the Savior
King. So he says, the Father says,
I have glorified it and I'll glorify it again. He's going
to be glorified on the cross. He's going to be glorified in
his suffering. When he says it's finished and
the Father is going to glorify him by tearing that veil in the
temple in two from top to bottom. Many of his people were going
to be raised from the dead just like Lazarus in Jerusalem there
upon his death and walk the streets of Jerusalem. He's going to be
resurrected from the dead. Oh, what a glorification that
was. The Son of God incarnate who died on the cross and satisfied
God's law and justice, who made an end of sin, who finished the
transgression and brought in righteousness, raised from the
dead. He'd been in the tomb three days
and then he was raised from the dead. He's going to be glorified
when he ascends unto the Father, taken up into the clouds and
seated at the right hand of the Father, to dwell forever as the
sovereign Savior, making intercession for his people. And my friend,
he's going to be glorified again when he comes the second time
to gather his people unto himself and judge this world. But I'll
tell you another way he's glorified even before then. He's glorified
in the hearts of his people when they're born again, and they
see the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. So the Father
spoke, and it says in verse 29, the people therefore that stood
by and heard it, heard this voice, and they said it thundered. Others
said an angel spoke to him. But Jesus answered and said,
this voice came not because of me, but for your sake. The voice
was not for him. He and the Father are one. Same
will, same mind. Equal in every attribute of deity. But now look at verse 31. I don't
want you to notice these verses. They're very instructive concerning
the issues and the purpose of the death of Christ. He starts
out in verse 31. He says, Now is the judgment
of this world. Now shall the prince of this
world be cast out. Now this world that stands in
opposition to Christ, this world, fallen humanity, and that includes
all of us, you see, even us, we weren't there, but we were
represented there. And even God's people, the church,
it was our sins that were laid upon Him, that put Him on that
cross. The Father put Him there, it
pleased the Father to bruise Him, but it was because of our
sins that were laid upon Him. And when he died on that cross,
this world was judged. Now, the unbelieving world, those
who would never come to faith in him, were judged to be damned.
But his sheep, whom he laid his life down for, his church, whom
he redeemed with his precious blood, they were judged in him. And therefore, God's people All
who come to faith in Christ, when we come to judgment, it
will not be to be judged. It will be to be declared righteous
in Christ. Our sins were laid upon Him.
Somebody said, well, God's going to judge you for your sins. Now
listen, if you're in Christ, that's not so. You've already
been judged for your sins in Him. Your sins were laid upon
Him. Your sins were charged to Him.
You see, he was lifted up on the cross, not for himself, but
for his people. That's what he said. Again, back
in John 10, he said, I lay down my life for the sheep. And so
this world being judged, but it also says, now shall the prince
of this world be cast out. This is the defeat of Satan.
My friend, Christ being lifted up on the cross to do the work
that his Father sent him to do. to remove the ground of condemnation
that Satan brought in in the garden, and to establish the
justification of his people based on his righteousness charged
to them, all of that was the defeat of Satan in time. Satan was cast out, flung to
the earth. The book of Revelation speaks of that. How Satan was
flung to the earth by the death of the substitute, the death
of the Son of God incarnate. Now you see, you understand what
he was doing there on the cross. Christ was dying for the sins
of his people. Christ was removing their condemnation
in Adam brought about by Satan, and Christ was establishing their
justification before God by his righteousness. Therefore Satan,
who's called the accuser of the brethren, has no valid accusation
against his people. You know why? Because when Satan
accuses, The accusations cannot stick. Who shall lay anything
to the charge of God's elect? It's God that justifies. Who
can condemn us? It's Christ that died, yea rather,
is risen again and is seated at the right hand of the Father,
making intercession for us. So the prince of this world is
cast out. Then he says in verse 32, and
I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto
me. The crucifixion of Christ is
being lifted up from the earth. It says in verse 33, this he
said, signifying what death he should die. Now he's referring
specifically to his death on the cross, his being lifted up
on the cross. That was a death of a substitute. It was the death of a sin bearer. the death of a sin offering,
a sacrifice, the person of Christ doing His work, offering unto
God Himself. That's what the Scripture says,
making all of the sins of His sheep abound and abide upon Him. For He was made sin, the Scripture
says. That means He was legally constituted
to be sin. All of the sins of God's elect
from the Old Testament and all in the New Testament, even those
who had not yet been born, were laid upon the person of Christ. They were legally charged to
his account. They were imputed to him. They
were reckoned to be his. And he took them for his own.
And he was nailed to that tree as a cursed one. One who's cursed
of God. Cursed not for his own sins,
but for the sins of his people. And in suffering unto death,
shedding his precious blood as of a lamb without spot and without
blemish, he was cut off from the Father, legally cut off,
the scripture says, in Daniel chapter 9, not for himself, but
for his people. And he was separated from the
Father. He said, my God, my God, why
hast thou forsaken me? He wasn't asking a question there
for information. He is God. But he was making
this point, that based upon the sins of his sheep imputed or
charged to him, the Father was legally separated from him and
he was damned for our sins. That's what the Scripture teaches.
He was made sin. Christ who knew no sin. And in
that transaction, his people were made righteous in the sight
of God. Just as their sins, our sins,
were imputed to Him, His righteousness, the obedience and death of Christ,
His fulfillment of all the requirements and conditions of salvation were
legally charged to His people. They were justified at the cross
in Christ. So He says, if I be lifted up
will draw all men unto Me. Now who are the all men there?
Well, back over here in John chapter 6, he's already explained
that. It's not all without exception.
It couldn't be. Because the death of Christ does
not draw all without exception to him. You see, he's not trying
to do anything here. He's not making an attempt at
something. He's establishing something as a certainty, as
a surety, and based upon his work on the cross, based upon
his establishment of righteousness, based upon the redemption that
he accomplished in paying the debt of the sins of his people,
drinking damnation dry and paying their debts satisfying law and
justice, all for whom he died shall come to him." He'll draw
them by his Spirit through the Word. He says that over here
in John chapter 6 and verse 37. He says, all that the Father
giveth me shall come to me. Now who's he talking about there?
He's talking about God's elect. He's talking about his sheep.
He's talking about his church, the called out ones. He says,
all that the Father giveth me shall come to me, and him that
cometh to me I will in no wise cast out. Now somebody says,
well where does that leave me? I'll tell you exactly where it
leaves you, where it leaves me, where it leaves every sinner.
It leaves us with absolutely no hope of salvation but in Christ
and Him crucified. That's where it leaves you. You
say, well, what hope do I have? Christ and Him crucified. You
come to Him. You believe in Him. You come
to Him like that old publican who beat on his breast and said,
God be merciful to me, the sinner. You say, well, what if I'm not
one of those whom He'll draw? My friend, if you come to Him,
He's drawing you. And that's the way you're to
look at it. The secret things belong to God. The revealed things
belong to you and me. He commands you to come to Christ. He, listen to me, the gospel
is a promise of salvation to every sinner, any sinner, who
comes to God seeking salvation through Christ. God will save
you for Christ's sake alone. And for you to get out here and
argue with people about what God has decreed and God has determined
and get bogged down in the responsibility of man is just silly. It just
takes your mind off of the issue of why Christ died. Listen to
more of the Scripture in John chapter 6. All that the Father,
verse 37, giveth to me shall come to me, And him that cometh
to me I will in no wise cast out." He says in verse 38, "...for
I came down from heaven, not to do mine own will, but the
will of him that sent me." That speaks of his submission to the
Father for the purpose of redemption in office. You see, he was not
lesser than the Father in nature, because he is God. But in his
office as Redeemer, he became submissive to the Father for
the purpose of redeeming sinners, his people. And it says in verse
39, And this is the Father's will which hath sent me, that
of all which he hath given me I should lose nothing, but should
raise it up again at the last day. He's not going to lose any
of his sheep. My friend, there's not going
to be any vacancies in heaven, there's not going to be any empty
seats, there's not going to be anyone missing. He said, and
I, in verse 32 of John 12, if I be lifted up from the earth
will draw all unto me, all of his people, all of God's elect,
all of his sheep. He said, I laid down my life
for the sheep. He said, my sheep hear my voice
and they follow me. That's how he draws his people
unto him. Back over here in John chapter
6, in verse 44, he says this, he says, No man can come to me,
except the Father which hath sent me draw him, and I will
raise him up at the last day. Now, how does the Father draw
Christ's sheep? He says in verse 45, It is written
in the prophets, and they shall be all taught of God. God teaches them. How does he
teach them? We'll read on. Every man therefore
that hath heard. The Bible says faith comes by
hearing and hearing by the word of God. Let me say this. Faith
is not a decision you make. Now did you hear what I'm saying?
People say believe, believe, believe. Well, the Bible says
that. Christ told his disciples to go into all the world and
preach the gospel and say this. He that believeth and is baptized
shall be saved. He that believeth not shall be
damned. Now, he's not talking about how baptism saves you,
because if you preach the gospel, you know, if you've heard the
gospel, you'll know that baptism doesn't save you. You see, the
gospel teaches you that only Christ saves, and you confess
that in believer's baptism. That's what he's talking about
there. But my friend, faith is essential in salvation. Believing
is essential. No sinner is going to be saved
who does not believe. But it's not believing that saves
you, it's Christ who saves, and we believe in Him. So believing
and faith is not a decision that you make. Believing and faith
is a persuasion that God gives you. It's the gift of God. God
persuades, and that's what He's talking about here. Every man
therefore that hath heard, Heard the gospel. Heard how God can
be just and justify the ungodly. Heard of Christ, who He is, what
He did, why He did it, where He is now. And hath learned of
the Father, it says there in John 6.45, all who have heard
and have learned of the Father cometh unto me. My friend, if
you've heard the gospel with a hearing ear, now many people
hear it with a physical ear and reject it. And man by nature
will always reject it. If the Lord leads you to yourself,
to your own will, you will walk away from Him. You will run away
from Him. You will reject Him. But if you've heard it with the
ear of God-given faith, if you've been persuaded by the teaching
of the Father through the Spirit in the Word, in the preaching
of the Gospel, you will learn of the Father and you will come
unto Him. Now that's what he's teaching
over here in John 12, 32. And I, if I be lifted up from the
earth, will draw all men unto me. One old preacher had this
outline on this message, and it's a good outline. Now remember,
Christ is speaking specifically of his death on the cross. But
think about this. How must Christ be lifted up?
Well, he must be lifted up on the cross. He must satisfy law
and justice. He must redeem his people from
their sins. He must justify by his righteousness. All of that, the whole history
of redemption revolves around Christ on the cross finishing
his work. So he must be lifted up on the
cross. He must also be lifted up in the resurrection. Christ
cannot stay dead. The Bible teaches that very plainly.
Sin demands death. Christ died under the sins of
his people imputed to him, but he made an end of sin. He finished
the transgression. He put away sin, and he established
righteousness, and righteousness demands life. The grave could
not hold him. The Bible teaches that. O death,
where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory?
You see, Christ took care of that matter. He conquered sin.
He conquered death. He conquered the grave. And He
arose from the dead. He must be lifted up. He must
be lifted up as He ascends unto the Father. He must be seated
at the right hand of the Father, and He sat down, the Scripture
says, at His right hand, because He finished the work. He ever
lives to make intercession for us. But listen to me. He must
also be lifted up in the preaching of the gospel. Any message that
does not lift Christ up in His person as God-man, in His accomplished,
finished work on Calvary, any message that does not give Him
the preeminence in all things and lead sinners to no one but
Christ and Him crucified, any message that doesn't do that
is a false message. He must be lifted up in the preaching
of the Gospel. But next, He must be lifted up
by the Spirit in the heart of a sinner. You see, without the
work of the Holy Spirit in you in the new birth, you will not
see the glory and the power and the majesty of Christ on the
cross. And that's what he means here.
Now this he says signifying what death he should die. Look here,
it says this in verse 34, the people answered him, we have
heard out of the law that Christ abideth forever. And how sayest
thou the Son of Man must be lifted up? Who is this Son of Man? You
see, they're revealing their ignorance here of the Scriptures.
They're saying, well, now you're talking about you must die. We've read out of the Scriptures
how the Messiah, the Son of Man, lives forever. So who is this
Son of Man? See, they totally rejected any
notion of a suffering, dying Savior. They didn't realize that
the Messiah had to die for the sins of his people. And he says
in verse 35, Then Jesus said unto them, Yet a little while
is the light with you. Walk while you have the light,
lest darkness come upon you. For he that walketh in darkness
knoweth not whether he goeth. He's showing them you're walking
in darkness and the light is standing right in front of you.
He is the light. And he says, while you have the
light, believe in the light, that you may be the children
of light. And these things faked Jesus,
and departed, and did hide himself from them. It's almost like he's
saying the same thing here that he said in Matthew chapter 11,
when he said, Come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden,
and I'll give you rest. These people, these poor people
who've been taught so wrongly by the Pharisees, were doing
their best trying to work their way into God's favor. They thought
they had light. They thought they were children
of light, but they were children of darkness. And Christ is showing
them that he is the light. Knowing Christ, who he is, and
knowing Christ crucified, what he accomplished on Calvary, to
save His people from their sin. Those who look to Him and see
His glory, those who rest in Him and His blood and righteousness
is their whole salvation. Those who follow Him are those
who walk in the light. All others are in darkness. Christ
must be lifted up. I hope that's been helpful to
your understanding of the Scripture. If you'd like to get a copy of
this message, listen to the announcer. He'll give you the details. The
title of this message today is Lift it up. I hope you'll join
us next week for another message from God's Word. We're glad you could join us
for today's message. If you would like to receive
a copy of this message, or if you would like more information
about Eager Avenue Grace Church, remember we are located at 1102
Eager Drive in Albany, Georgia. You can call us at 229-432-6969. or visit our Reign of Grace website
at www.rofgrace.com. Thank you, and may the Lord be
with you.