CALL TO WORSHIP
- Opening choruses
- Opening prayer
OPENING COMMENTS
- Today is the fifth Sunday of Easter Preparation (Lent) – for those who follow the Christian Worship Calendar. The theme for this week is being made right with God.
- The selected passages are Psalm 51:1-12 • Jeremiah 31:31-34 • Hebrews 5:5-10 • John 12:20-33
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- In our call to worship Psalm, David asks for a right heart and spirit within him.
- In Jeremiah, the prophet gives a prophetic word regarding the time when God will write his laws on our hearts and forgive us for all wickedness.
- In Hebrews, Jesus is presented to us as the great high priest and the source of our salvation.
- And in John 12:32 — part of our keynote passage for today’s sermon — Jesus declares that he will draw all people to himself.
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OPENING SONGS
FIRST READING
The theme for this week is being made right with God.
Psalm 51:1-12
Have mercy upon me, O God, according to Your lovingkindness. According to the multitude of Your tender mercies, blot out my transgressions.
2 Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin.
3 For I acknowledge my transgressions, and my sin is always before me.
4 Against You, You only, have I sinned, and done this evil in Your sight — that You may be found just when You speak, and blameless when You judge.
5 Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, and in sin my mother conceived me.
6 Behold, You desire truth in the inward parts, and in the hidden part You will make me to know wisdom.
7 Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean; Wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.
8 Make me hear joy and gladness, that the bones You have broken may rejoice.
9 Hide Your face from my sins, and blot out all my iniquities.
10 Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me.
11 Do not cast me away from Your presence, and do not take Your Holy Spirit from me.
12 Restore to me the joy of Your salvation, and uphold me by Your generous Spirit.
SERMONETTE
See the Manager … byJeff Broadnax
From the PROGRAM TRANSCRIPT …
Have you ever had a sour experience in a restaurant or retail store that prompted you to say, “I want to see the manager”? Maybe you felt the server was out of line or perhaps you had a disagreement at the return desk. When we say, “I want to see the manager,” we are appealing to a higher authority to settle our problem. We have had enough, and we want to be satisfied.
Been there? Reflect with me for a moment on that experience. When we say, “I want to see the manager,” we don’t really mean that we want to see the manager. What we are really saying is “I want to see things go my way” or “I want to see my complaint settled in my favor.” We mean to be satisfied. We most likely have never met the manager or know anything about her.
Now, consider this. Do we treat Jesus like the manager of a store when our experience turns sour? Is our desire to “see Jesus” really a desire in our heart to get our own way? When we are honest with ourselves, I think we would have to admit there are many times our desire to “see Jesus” is really our desire to get our way, on our terms.
It’s OK to confess that. The Lord already knows, and he knows how to change our hearts. In fact, that’s one of the reasons Jesus was sent to us. He came so we could indeed “see” him by the power of the Holy Spirit, and in seeing him come to know him and his Father who sent him.
That’s why we can pray with boldness this prayer recorded by David who went from seeking his own way to desiring to see and be transformed by God: desired to see and be transformed by God:
“Create in me a clean heart, O God, and put a new and right spirit within me. Do not cast me away from your presence, and do not take your holy spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of your salvation, and sustain in me a willing spirit.”
Psalm 51:10-12 (NRSV)
When we really “see Jesus” and see his Father which he reveals by the Spirit, we find that the desires of our heart are satisfied or at least settled in him. We come to want to “see Jesus” because he, and the revelation of his Father, is beautiful to behold. This is when our desire grows to want to know him personally for who he is and not as a means to get our own way.
May our Father give you eyes to see how he is working even in your sour experiences and fill you with joy as you walk with Jesus.
I’m Jeff Broadnax, Speaking of Life.
The theme for this week is being made right with God.
John 12:20-33 Now among those who went up to worship at the festival were some Greeks. 21 They came to Philip, who was from Bethsaida in Galilee, and said to him, “Sir, we wish to see Jesus.” 22Philip went and told Andrew, then Andrew and Philip went and told Jesus.
23 Jesus answered them, “The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified. 24 Very truly, I tell you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains just a single grain, but if it diesit bears much fruit. 25 Those who love their life lose it, and those who hate their life in this world will keep it for eternal life. 26 Whoever serves me must follow me, and where I am, there will my servant be also. Whoever serves me, the Father will honor.27“Now my soul is troubled. And what should I say: ‘Father, save me from this hour’? No, it is for this reason that I have come to this hour. 28 Father, glorify your name.” Then a voice came from heaven, “I have glorified it, and I will glorify it again.”
29 The crowd standing there heard it and said that it was thunder. Others said, “An angel has spoken to him.”
30 Jesus answered, “This voice has come for your sake, not for mine. 31 Now is the judgment of this world; now the ruler of this world will be driven out. 32 And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself.” 33 He said this to indicate the kind of death he was to die.
John 12:20-33
20 Now among those who went up to worship at the festival were some Greeks. 21 They came to Philip, who was from Bethsaida in Galilee, and said to him, “Sir, we wish to see Jesus.” 22Philip went and told Andrew, then Andrew and Philip went and told Jesus.
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- Why do you think the Greeks wanted to see Jesus?
- Who received the initial request to see Jesus?
- Why do you think they went to Philip?
- Who delivered the request to Jesus?
- Why did Philip tell Andrew? Why didn’t he go straight to Jesus?
- Why do you think John (the author) felt a need to mention the Greeks? See John 12:12-18,19
- Note John 12:19 again
23 Jesus answered them, “The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified. 24 Very truly, I tell you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains just a single grain, but if it diesit bears much fruit.
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- Which “hour” had come?
- John notes, in other passages, that His “hour” had not yet come (John 2:4, 7:20, 8:30) … so what do you think may have caused Jesus to say the “hour” had come?
- How do you think Jesus was to be glorified?
- What are the two options for the grain?
- What must happen for it to bear much fruit?
- What do you think the seed represents?
- What do you think the embryo within the seed represents?
- Note Hebrews 2:10 For it was fitting for Him, for whom are all things and by whom are all things, in bringing many sons to glory, to make the captain of their salvation perfect through sufferings.
- According to A. Gray (on biblehub.com) … But there was a special necessity for it. “Except a corn of wheat,” etc. Had He not died He had been a head without a body, a shepherd without a flock, a king without a kingdom, etc.
25 Those who love their life lose it, and those who hate their life in this world will keep it for eternal life. 26 Whoever serves me must follow me, and where I am, there will my servant be also. Whoever serves me, the Father will honor.
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- Which life is Jesus speaking of?
- What are the two options for those who have life?
- What do you think it means for someone to “hate” his life in this world?
- What, based on the passage, is hating life linked to (associated with)?
- What does serving Jesus involve?
- What will happen to those who serve Jesus?
- How do you think the Father will honour those who serve Jesus?
- Based on Jesus response, why do you think the Greeks wanted to see Jesus?
27“Now my soul is troubled. And what should I say: ‘Father, save me from this hour’? No, it is for this reason that I have come to this hour.
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- Why was Jesus troubled?
- What “hour” might Jesus have been saved from? See John 13:1
- Why wouldn’t Jesus ask His Father to save Him?
28 Father, glorify your name.” Then a voice came from heaven, “I have glorified it, and I will glorify it again.” 29 The crowd standing there heard it and said that it was thunder. Others said, “An angel has spoken to him.”
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- Whose name did Jesus want glorified?
- How had it been glorified in the past?
- How would it be glorified in the future?
30 Jesus answered, “This voice has come for your sake, not for mine. 31 Now is the judgment of this world; now the ruler of this world will be driven out. 32 And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people[a] to myself.” 33 He said this to indicate the kind of death he was to die.
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- In what way was the “voice” for the sake of the people?
- In what way do you think the world would have been judged at that time?
- Has the ruler of the world been driven out, as Jesus said he would be?
- If so, how was he? If not yet, then when?
- How do you understand “lifted up”?
- When was Christ lifted up?
- What did Jesus say would happen when He was lifted up?
- How do you understand that?
Choosing Death so that Others Might Live
John 12:20-33Now among those who went up to worship at the festival were some Greeks. 21 They came to Philip, who was from Bethsaida in Galilee, and said to him, “Sir, we wish to see Jesus.” 22Philip went and told Andrew, then Andrew and Philip went and told Jesus.
23 Jesus answered them, “The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified. 24 Very truly, I tell you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains just a single grain, but if it diesit bears much fruit. 25 Those who love their life lose it, and those who hate their life in this world will keep it for eternal life. 26 Whoever serves me must follow me, and where I am, there will my servant be also. Whoever serves me, the Father will honor.
27“Now my soul is troubled. And what should I say: ‘Father, save me from this hour’? No, it is for this reason that I have come to this hour. 28 Father, glorify your name.” Then a voice came from heaven, “I have glorified it, and I will glorify it again.”
29 The crowd standing there heard it and said that it was thunder. Others said, “An angel has spoken to him.”
30 Jesus answered, “This voice has come for your sake, not for mine. 31 Now is the judgment of this world; now the ruler of this world will be driven out. 32 And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself.”33 He said this to indicate the kind of death he was to die.
- Luke 9:51 Now it came to pass, when the time had come for Him to be received up, that He steadfastly set His face to go to Jerusalem,
Jesus knew how He was going to die … and He went anyway.
Christ said we must follow Him
We will not all have to be martyrs (to give up our lives) … but we must all be willing to give up something …
- Romans 12:1-2 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. 2 And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.
Jesus chose death so that we might live.
We, too, must be willing to present our bodies as living sacrifices (to hate life, as Jesus said in John 12:25 above) … figuratively or literally … so that others can begin to participate in “eternal” life.
SONG OF RESPONSE
CLOSING PRAYER
BENEDICTION