Introduction: Behind the pulpit in many churches across the country is a small brass plate inscribed with a quote from today’s text. It reads ‘Sir, we would see Jesus.’ The idea is that every sermon preached behind that pulpit should enable the people in the congregation to see Jesus more clearly. I pray that each Sunday morning before I step behind this pulpit. Because, in the end, that’s all that truly matters. That you would see Jesus more clearly today than you did yesterday.

That’s my renewed desire.
•    Revival happens in the life of the person who is passionate about seeing Jesus…everyday.
•    Revival happens in the life of the church when many people are passionate about seeing Jesus…everyday.

Transition: Open your Bibles to John 12:20 (pg. 822 in the church Bibles under the chair in front of you) and together, let’s see Jesus.

John 12:20-22    The Greeks Request
Read: John 12:20-22

The Greeks asking to see Jesus during the Passover celebration is very significant. They were God fearers who were allowed to enter the Court of the Gentiles and pray in the Temple…but were usually crowed out by the merchandisers (you remember the dramatic even of Jesus cleansing the temple?)

It seems these had heard about Jesus while attending the Feast of the Passover in Jerusalem. They were curious and wanted to know more about Jesus.  And if I can add a personal insight, I don’t think they were tourists looking for a photo op. They didn’t just want to learn more about Jesus,
•    they wanted to see him,
•    get close to him,
•    touch him perhaps,
•    they wanted to get to know Jesus.

So they ask Phillip for permission to see Jesus. Why Phillip? We aren’t told but perhaps it’s because he had a Greek name and it made them more comfortable thinking he might be Greek too. What we do know is that Jesus was pretty popular at this time. So many people would have wanted to see him. The disciples perhaps would screen his calls..so to speak.  Anyway, Philip takes the request to Andrew and they both take it to Jesus.

Transition: With all that is going on, does Jesus let the Greeks see him?

  John 12:23        The Hour Has Come       
Read: John 12:23

Oddly, there is no record that Jesus actually met with the Greeks. But I believe they did see him. Perhaps not in a face to face discussion, but Jesus reveals himself to them by what he says. It seems likely that the Greeks were in hearing range of Jesus’ words.

What then, does Jesus say that reveals himself to them? He says that the hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified. This is a rather surprising thing to say especially when you consider  for the last 3 ½ years Jesus has been saying his hour has not come..
•    Jn 2:4 in response to his mothers request to do something at the wedding at Cana, he said ‘my hour has not yet come’.
•    Jn 7:30 and 8:30 we saw that the temple guards could not arrest Jesus because his hour had not yet come.

Suddenly, the arrival of a group of God fearing Greeks, make this a defining moment in Jesus’ life, in his mission. Can you feel the urgency of the moment…the importance of what is happening? The hour has come…
•    Jesus will soon be facing a false trial
•    Jesus will soon be beaten beyond recognition
•    Jesus will soon be experiencing his painful death on a  cross.
•    Yet, Jesus uses this as an opportunity to give these Greeks and all those around him, another glimpse of who he is and what he has come to do.

Transition: What does he means when Jesus says ‘the hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified.’ And how does this reveal who Jesus is?

John 12:24        Jesus’ Death
Read: John 12:24

When Jesus says ‘I tell you the truth’ he is saying, you had better listen, this is of utmost importance. Jesus’ teaching here in vs 24 is the answer to what he said in vs 23. But rather than speak openly, he uses a parable, a story.

For most people death is defeat, the end of all things. But for Jesus, it was how he would be glorified. How could his death be so great as to bring him glory?  By it, many will live…forever.

Jesus is the kernel of wheat in this parable. He was saying that his death was necessary.
•    To fulfill the Father’s purpose for him
•    To bring salvation to the Jews
•    To bring salvation to the Greeks/Gentiles, that’s you and I
•    To be obedient to the Father.

Jesus could have played it safe and stayed that single kernel of wheat. Instead of dying he could have mysteriously gone back to heaven content that he set a good example, helped people and gave a few good sermons. But his mission would not have been fulfilled, completed. The kernel of wheat had to be put into the ground…Jesus had to die.

By this, Jesus was saying to the Greeks and to everyone listening ‘Do you want to see me, truly see me? Then see me die..for you. To see me is to believe that I died and was raised from the dead…for you.’
•    Here it is. Until you see Jesus in that way, you will never believe there is power to die to yourself as he will ask all his followers to do.

Transition: Jesus submitted to God and he was obedient to God…even to death. And we will see that was the example Jesus also set for his followers…all his followers.

John 12:25-26    The Discipleship of Jesus’ Followers
Read: John 12:25-26

How do you feel when you read and hear this? Aren’t we a bit shocked, confused and offended in a way. Am I right? Jesus demands seem unreasonable, over the top, excessive.

But, we become good at domesticating God’s truth by putting limits on what Jesus is actually saying. In this case, we put limits on our level of commitment to Christ. Because Jesus really doesn’t expect that kind of commitment today…And that’s why the church is in trouble.

What Jesus says here is the reason many churches
•    Are failing to win souls for Christ because they would rather have a beautiful, state of the art church building than bring the beauty of Christ’s love and forgiveness to those outside the church building who are ugly with sin.

What Jesus says here is the reason many churches
•    Are failing to win souls for Christ because they are just afraid of what others might think of them.

What Jesus says here is the reason many churches
•    Are failing to produce men who are godly leaders in the church and home.

What Jesus says here is the reason many churches
•    Are failing to raise children who have godly values and demonstrate them in the way they live.

What Jesus says here is the reason many churches
•    Are failing to foster a true sense of family, God’s family in the local church setting.

What Jesus says here is the reason many churches
•    Are failing to offer real hospitality because they are too busy with their own stuff.
What Jesus says here is the reason many churches
•    Are failing to give financially because they want more and better stuff for themselves.

What Jesus says here is the reason many churches
•    Are failing because people are unwilling to take what God says in his Word…seriously.

What Jesus says here is the reason many churches
•    Are failing because people are unwilling to die.

Too many things / people have become more important than Jesus and what he says. Of course no one would actually admit that…but it is evident in how they live their lives and run the church. And the sad news is that the “they”…is “we” too.

What Jesus is asking us to do is unsettling, it hits us right in the stomach. What Jesus is asking of his followers is not easy. But then neither was his horrible beating and death on the cross for sin he didn’t commit.

He did it because he loved us and was being obedient to the Father. Those are good enough reasons for us to die to self as well. But if they are not good enough…there’s more. Jesus promises ‘My Father will honor the one who serves me.’
I have decided that’s what I want. I want to experience the honor that comes from God.

So, I must die to self, live for Christ
•    because I want to be obedient to him,
•    because I love him and
•    because God promises to honor me.

Conclusion
Greeks come and make a request to see Jesus. Jesus says, to see me is to know me. He begins by telling them something about himself: the hour has come for him to be obedient to the Father and die.

Then he makes the truth about himself a truth about all those who follow him.
•    Will we hate our lives in this world? Will the concerns of Jesus mean more to us than the concerns of this world?
•    Will we follow Jesus on the path to Calvary? Will we die daily to ourselves out of love and obedience to Jesus?
•    Will we serve Jesus rather than our own worldly desires?
•    Will others see Jesus in us because we so desire to see him in every area of our lives?

Think about it. Unless Jesus died, no one could be forgiven, no one could be saved, no one could have eternal life in heaven.

And, our families, friends, neighbors and co-workers will not be won to Christ unless we die to self. They will not be won to Jesus with us living a life of ease loving the things of this world and not taking seriously the commands of God in Scripture.

I honestly believe that to make a difference in our families, schools, neighborhoods and workplaces it’s going to take a lot of dying to self, a getting out of our comfort zones, a sacrifice on our part.

Brothers and sisters in Christ…it’s hard. I know it’s hard and I am struggling right along with you. But we have the opportunity and responsibility to build the kingdom of God right here in Monmouth County. We can do it if we are willing to give our lives to Jesus.

ILL: The great statesman Winston Churchill once said ‘We make a living by what we get. We make a life by what we give.’

Let me end with this.

Ask yourself ‘What in me must die? What must die for my life and service to God to bear more fruit?’
As a church we need to ask ‘What in our fellowship must die so that God’s ministry here can bear more fruit?’
Do you want to see Jesus more clearly in your life? Then you must die to self and live for Jesus.