John12: 20 Some Greeks who had come to Jerusalem for the Passover celebration 21 paid a visit to Philip, who was from Bethsaida in Galilee. They said, “Sir, we want to meet Jesus.” 22 Philip told Andrew about it, and they went together to ask Jesus. 23 Jesus replied, “Now the time has come for the Son of Man to enter into his glory. 24 I tell you the truth, unless a kernel of wheat is planted in the soil and dies, it remains alone. But its death will produce many new kernels—a plentiful harvest of new lives. 25 Those who love their life in this world will lose it. Those who care nothing for their life in this world will keep it for eternity. 26 Anyone who wants to serve me must follow me, because my servants must be where I am. And the Father will honor anyone who serves me. 27 “Now my soul is deeply troubled. Should I pray, ‘Father, save me from this hour’? But this is the very reason I came! 28 Father, bring glory to your name.” Then a voice spoke from heaven, saying, “I have already brought glory to my name, and I will do so again.” 29 When the crowd heard the voice, some thought it was thunder, while others declared an angel had spoken to him.
30 Then Jesus told them, “The voice was for your benefit, not mine. 31 The time for judging this world has come, when Satan, the ruler of this world, will be cast out.32 And when I am lifted up from the earth, I will draw everyone to myself.” 33 He said this to indicate how he was going to die.
In some form of bravado, we might give our lives for someone else, but it would be rare. Soldiers are committed to giving their lives for their country, and they are to be honored. Policemen and Firemen offer up the chance to lose their lives every day, depending on the intensity of the situation, and of course, we honor them. To give our lives and stop our existence is a finality above all others. The commitment of Jesus to go to the cross pales all in comparison, but with a huge difference. He would not remain dead. There was no finality in his giving His life because He is the author of life. Peter preached a message of hope and power in the temple not much after Jesus had ascended to the Father, and in Acts 3:14-15 said these words 14 You rejected this holy, righteous one and instead demanded the release of a murderer. 15 You killed the author of life, but God raised him from the dead. And we are witnesses of this fact! Author (def) - an originator or creator of something.
That "something" is life itself. The author of life itself dies to give all the opportunity to have that life eternally in heaven. In verse 24 of the above verses in John, Jesus explains the process of what it means for Him to die. 24 I tell you the truth, unless a kernel of wheat is planted in the soil and dies, it remains alone. But its death will produce many new kernels—a plentiful harvest of new lives. Jesus explains what must happen and that He must die, even though He is the author of life. Through His resurrection and power over death, we also have a resurrection, and that is offered to all who come to Him and believe. The important linchpin is this: "Jesus must die!" And die He did, but a brutal death for the Son of God. We can never know what Jesus thought as He turned His head toward the death that was ahead of Him. While Jesus was explaining all of this, He said, 28 Father, bring glory to your name.”
Jesus did the ultimate death to glorify the name of the Father. The Father's response to Jesus speaking those words is the following: Then a voice spoke from heaven, saying, “I have already brought glory to my name, and I will do so again.” 29 When the crowd heard the voice, some thought it was thunder, while others declared an angel had spoken to him. Of course, it was God, and God speaking about this selfless act of love shows that it was time for Jesus to complete the walk to the cross. It is hard to process all that was happening on that day, but one thing was for sure. Jesus was going to finish the race. Paul wrote to the point of finishing to the church at Corinth and here are those words 1 Corinthians 9:24 Don’t you realize that in a race everyone runs, but only one person gets the prize? So run to win! 25 All athletes are disciplined in their training. They do it to win a prize that will fade away, but we do it for an eternal prize. 26 So I run with purpose in every step. I am not just shadowboxing. 27 I discipline my body like an athlete, training it to do what it should. Otherwise, I fear that after preaching to others I myself might be disqualified.
Jesus finished His race, and we are compelled to finish our race strong. We do that by holding onto the faith and following the call of Jesus. Paul's final words echo the heart of Jesus as He write 1 Timothy 4:6 As for me, my life has already been poured out as an offering to God. The time of my death is near. 7 I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, and I have remained faithful. 8 And now the prize awaits me—the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give me on the day of his return. And the prize is not just for me but for all who eagerly look forward to his appearing.
There is no other who offers us life eternal but Jesus. There is no other we should be serving but Jesus. He gave His life for us, and we, in turn, give our lives in service to Him.
Today's Message,
David Warren
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