The Cross of Christ: If I be Lifted up..John 12:27-32 Pastor C.A. Rogers

John 12:27-36 brings the crowd face to face with the true meaning of Christ’s coming. The cross stands as an offense to the world because the cross points people to the only person who paid the redemption for souls. Christianity is not first a philosophy or an ethic, but Christ, and Christ himself cannot be made sense of without the cross. The world may accept a Jesus who gives things, fixes life, and acts like a genie, but the world despises the Jesus who dies under wrath for sin.

The cross first brought agony to Christ. Jesus says, “Now my soul has become troubled,” and that trouble was not pretend, not shallow, not symbolic. Christ knew exactly what was coming. The scourging, the mocking, the crown of thorns, the spitting, the beating, the nails, the suffocation, and beyond all of that, the holy wrath of God laid upon him. The Lord did not stumble into the hour. Christ says, “For this purpose I came to this hour.” The Son came to die, and he willingly laid down his life.

The cross also brought glory to the Father. Jesus does not pray, “Father, glorify my name,” but, “Father, glorify your name.” The Father’s love, patience, mercy, kindness, forgiveness, and compassion shine at the cross. God created life for his glory, and sinners turned that life into self, lust, and rebellion. Yet God sent his only begotten Son, not because sinners were worthy, but because the Father is gracious and slow to anger. The Father’s voice from heaven confirms that his name had been glorified and would be glorified again through the death, resurrection, and exaltation of Christ.

The cross brought judgment to the world. Jesus says, “Now judgment is upon this world.” The death of Christ becomes the line by which mankind is judged, because no one can ignore the Son and remain safe. The Father crushed the Son for sin, and that means unrepentant sinners should not think God will do nothing. Unless sinners repent, they will all likewise perish.

The cross brought the casting out of the ruler of this world. Satan’s grip was broken by the very death he meant for destruction. The devil still tempts, deceives, and attacks, but his kingdom met its doom at the cross. Christ was lifted up, and Christ draws all men to himself. The crucified Savior draws heavy, dead sinners with power, mercy, forgiveness, and grace. For the saved, the cross is the sweet aroma of deliverance, and the cry remains, “Jesus, keep me near the cross.”

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Key Takeaways

• 1. The cross was real agony [17:58] Christ’s suffering was not an abstract doctrine or a religious symbol. His soul was troubled because he knew the physical cruelty, the public shame, and the wrath of God that stood before him. The cross shows that redemption was not cheap, and that sin is more terrible than human hearts often admit. [17:58]
• 2. The Father glorified His name [28:45] The Father’s glory is not hidden from suffering, but revealed through the Son’s obedience unto death. The cross displays God’s mercy, patience, justice, and love without making sin small. The Father is glorified because sinners who deserved judgment are brought near through the blood of Christ. [28:45]
• 3. Unbelief already stands judged [35:16] John’s Gospel does not leave unbelief in a neutral place. The one who does not believe in the only begotten Son “has been judged already,” because rejection of Christ is rejection of God’s only rescue. The cross leaves no safe middle ground between repentance and judgment. [35:16]
• 4. Satan’s kingdom met its doom [45:06] Satan meant the cross as the destruction of Christ, but God made it the defeat of Satan’s rule. The devil still rages, tempts, and deceives, but his dominion over God’s redeemed people has been broken. The crucifixion became the place where the strong ruler was cast out and the captives began to be freed. [45:06]
• 5. Christ draws dead sinners [49:54] Christ does not merely invite people who are already able and willing. He draws heavy, dead sinners with divine power, like a burden that must be pulled by grace. The lifted-up Savior becomes the merciful center where forgiveness, cleansing, and true satisfaction are found.
  
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Youtube Chapters

• [00:00] - Welcome
• [00:31] - The Mojave Desert Cross
• [03:14] - Christianity Is Christ and Cross
• [04:39] - The World Despises the Cross
• [06:37] - Jesus Reveals His Death
• [08:19] - The Cross Brought Agony
• [20:24] - The Cross Glorified the Father
• [30:34] - The Cross Brought Judgment
• [41:44] - The Ruler of This World Cast Out
• [46:34] - The Cross Brought Deliverance
• [49:54] - Christ Draws All Men
• [55:43] - The Theology of the Cross

Bible Reading

John 12:27-36
“Now My soul has become troubled; and what shall I say, ‘Father, save Me from this hour’? But for this purpose I came to this hour. Father, glorify Your name.” Then a voice came out of heaven: “I have both glorified it, and will glorify it again.” So the crowd of people who stood by and heard it were saying that it had thundered; others were saying, “An angel has spoken to Him.” Jesus answered and said, “This voice has not come for My sake, but for your sakes. Now judgment is upon this world; now the ruler of this world will be cast out. And I, if I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all men to Myself.” But He was saying this to indicate the kind of death by which He was to die. The crowd then answered Him, “We have heard out of the Law that the Christ is to remain forever; and how can You say, ‘The Son of Man must be lifted up’? Who is this Son of Man?” So Jesus said to them, “For a little while longer the Light is among you. Walk while you have the Light, so that darkness will not overtake you; he who walks in the darkness does not know where he goes. While you have the Light, believe in the Light, so that you may become sons of Light.” [00:14]

John 3:14-18
“As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up; so that whoever believes will in Him have eternal life. For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life. For God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world might be saved through Him. He who believes in Him is not judged; he who does not believe has been judged already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.” [35:16]

John 6:44
“No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him; and I will raise him up on the last day.” [50:36]

Philippians 2:8-11
“Being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. For this reason also, God highly exalted Him, and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee will bow, of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and that every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” [29:36]

Observation questions

1. In John 12:27-28, what two things does Jesus say about His coming hour, and what does He ask the Father to do? [19:52]
2. According to John 12:31-32, what four results of the cross are mentioned in these verses: judgment, Satan being cast out, Jesus being lifted up, and people being drawn to Him? [41:53]
3. In John 3:14-18, what contrast is made between the one who believes in the Son and the one who does not believe? [35:16]
4. What examples of Christ’s suffering were named to show that His agony was real and not symbolic or shallow? [17:58]

Interpretation questions

1. Jesus says, “For this purpose I came to this hour.” What does that show about His death? How does that shape the way a person should think about the cross—not as an accident, but as the very reason He came? [20:21]
2. Jesus prays, “Father, glorify Your name.” How does the cross reveal the Father’s mercy, justice, patience, and love all at once? [30:34]
3. Jesus says, “Now judgment is upon this world.” Why does the cross become the dividing line for all people? How does that challenge the idea that unbelief is a small or neutral matter? [32:08]
4. Jesus says He will “draw all men” to Himself, and John 6:44 says no one can come unless the Father draws him. What does that suggest about the spiritual condition of sinners and the power needed to bring them to Christ? [49:54]

Application questions

1. Many people are comfortable with a Jesus who gives help, comfort, or success, but not with a Jesus who dies under wrath for sin. Where is there a temptation to prefer a more convenient Jesus over the crucified Christ? [04:39]
2. Christ’s suffering shows how serious sin really is. When was the last time sin felt heavy and grievous rather than small and manageable? What helps keep the heart tender before the cross? [18:05]
3. The Father’s glory, not self-preservation, stood at the center of Christ’s prayer. In a present trial or pressure, what might it look like to seek God’s glory before personal ease? [21:00]
4. Unbelief is already under judgment, and repentance is urgent. Is there any area of delay, resistance, or hidden rebellion where repentance needs to stop being postponed? [38:02]
5. Satan’s dominion has been broken by the cross, even though he still tempts and deceives. Where is there a need to remember that sin is not a master anymore, and that Christ truly frees His people? [45:06]
6. Christ draws dead and heavy sinners to Himself with mercy and power. Looking back, how has His drawing hand shown up in one’s own life—in conviction, in sorrow for sin, in hunger for truth, or in a turning toward Him? [50:36]
7. Jesus says, “Walk while you have the Light” and “believe in the Light.” What would it look like this week to stay near the cross in a practical way—in prayer, confession, worship, or obedience? [57:02]