Embracing Christ's Invitations: A Call to Transformation
Summary
In today's gathering, we explored the profound invitations Jesus extends to us as His followers, as illustrated in John chapter 12. As we prepare for the Easter season, we are reminded of the depth of Christ's sacrifice and the call to live a life that mirrors His. Jesus invites us to come and die to ourselves, to love the right things, to follow and serve, and to abide in His presence. These invitations are not just calls to action but calls to transformation and deeper relationship with Him.
The first invitation is to come and die. This is not a literal death but a call to die to our own desires, plans, and ways, and to embrace the life Jesus offers. Just as a seed must fall to the ground and die to produce a harvest, we too must lay down our lives to experience the fullness of life in Christ. This is a call to surrender our will to God's will, trusting that His plans for us are greater than our own.
Secondly, Jesus invites us to love the right things. This means keeping a loose grip on the temporary things of this world and a tight grip on what is eternal. We are prone to disordered loves, often placing more value on material possessions, success, or approval than on our relationship with God. Jesus calls us to reorient our loves, placing Him at the center of our lives and allowing His love to guide our actions and decisions.
The third invitation is to follow and serve. To be a Christian is to be a follower of Jesus, embodying His teachings and serving others in His name. This means stepping out of our comfort zones to serve those around us, even when it is inconvenient. Jesus modeled servant leadership, and we are called to do the same, using our gifts and resources for the glory of God and the betterment of others.
Finally, Jesus invites us to abide in Him. This is a call to remain in His presence, to dwell in His love, and to find our true purpose and joy in Him. Abiding in Jesus means making space in our daily lives to be with Him, to listen to His voice, and to be transformed by His love. It is in this abiding that we find the strength and guidance to live out the other invitations He extends to us.
Key Takeaways:
- Come and Die: Jesus invites us to die to our own desires and plans, embracing the life He offers. This surrender is not a loss but a gain, as it leads to a deeper, more fulfilling life in Christ. [36:50]
- Love the Right Things: We are called to reorient our loves, placing God at the center of our lives. By valuing eternal things over temporary ones, we find true satisfaction and purpose. [45:17]
- Follow and Serve: To follow Jesus is to serve others, embodying His teachings and love. This requires stepping out of our comfort zones and using our gifts for God's glory and the good of others. [54:59]
- Abide in Him: Abiding in Jesus means dwelling in His presence and love, finding our true purpose and joy in Him. This requires making space in our daily lives to be with Him and be transformed by His love. [59:06]
- Surrender and Trust: Jesus calls us to surrender our will to His, trusting that His plans are greater than our own. This surrender leads to a deeper relationship with Him and a more fulfilling life. [01:05:11]
Youtube Chapters:
- [00:00] - Welcome
- [07:59] - Opening Prayer and Worship
- [15:22] - Communion Reflection
- [30:08] - Introduction to the Sermon
- [33:59] - Invitation to Live Like Jesus
- [36:50] - Come and Die
- [38:41] - The Seed Must Fall
- [41:38] - Laying Down Our Lives
- [45:17] - Love the Right Things
- [47:44] - Disordered Loves
- [51:37] - Quenching Our Thirst
- [54:59] - Follow and Serve
- [59:06] - Abide in Him
- [01:02:41] - Reflective Questions
- [01:05:11] - Closing Prayer and Blessing
Study Guide
Bible Study Discussion Guide
Bible Reading:
- John 12:20-26
Observation Questions:
1. What are the four invitations Jesus extends to His followers in John 12:20-26?
2. How does Jesus use the metaphor of a seed to explain the concept of "come and die"? [36:50]
3. What does Jesus say about those who love their life in this world versus those who hate it? [45:17]
4. According to the sermon, what does it mean to abide in Jesus? [59:06]
Interpretation Questions:
1. How does the metaphor of a seed dying to produce a harvest relate to the Christian life and the concept of surrender? [38:41]
2. In what ways might "disordered loves" manifest in a believer's life, and how can they be reoriented towards God? [47:44]
3. What does it mean to follow and serve Jesus, and how does this challenge cultural norms of success and self-promotion? [54:59]
4. How does abiding in Jesus provide strength and guidance for living out the other invitations He extends? [59:06]
Application Questions:
1. Reflect on your own life: What desires or plans might Jesus be calling you to surrender in order to fully embrace the life He offers? [41:38]
2. Identify one area in your life where you might have a "disordered love." What steps can you take to place God at the center of that area? [45:17]
3. Consider a situation where stepping out of your comfort zone to serve others might be challenging. How can you prepare yourself to follow Jesus' example of servant leadership? [54:59]
4. What practical steps can you take to make space in your daily routine to abide in Jesus and dwell in His presence? [59:06]
5. Think of a specific relationship or situation where you need to trust God's plans over your own. How can you actively practice surrender and trust in that area this week? [01:05:11]
6. Reflect on a time when you prioritized temporary things over eternal ones. How can you shift your focus to value what is eternal in your daily decisions? [47:44]
7. How can you embody the presence of God in your current circumstances, whether at home, work, or in your community? [59:06]
Devotional
Day 1: Embrace the Call to Surrender
Jesus invites us to die to our own desires and plans, embracing the life He offers. This surrender is not a loss but a gain, as it leads to a deeper, more fulfilling life in Christ. Just as a seed must fall to the ground and die to produce a harvest, we too must lay down our lives to experience the fullness of life in Christ. This is a call to surrender our will to God's will, trusting that His plans for us are greater than our own. In this act of surrender, we find true freedom and purpose, as we align our lives with His divine purpose. [36:50]
John 12:24-25 (ESV): "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit. Whoever loves his life loses it, and whoever hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life."
Reflection: What is one area of your life where you find yourself holding back from surrendering to Jesus? What would surrendering this area to Him actually look like in terms of daily habits?
Day 2: Reorient Your Loves
We are called to reorient our loves, placing God at the center of our lives. By valuing eternal things over temporary ones, we find true satisfaction and purpose. Our hearts are often drawn to disordered loves, where we place more value on material possessions, success, or approval than on our relationship with God. Jesus calls us to love the right things, to keep a loose grip on the temporary and a tight grip on the eternal. By doing so, we allow His love to guide our actions and decisions, leading us to a life of true fulfillment and joy. [45:17]
1 John 2:15-17 (ESV): "Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world—the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride of life—is not from the Father but is from the world. And the world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever."
Reflection: Identify one thing in your life that you have been valuing more than your relationship with God. How can you begin to shift your focus towards what is eternal today?
Day 3: Step Out to Serve
To follow Jesus is to serve others, embodying His teachings and love. This requires stepping out of our comfort zones and using our gifts for God's glory and the good of others. Jesus modeled servant leadership, and we are called to do the same. Serving others in His name means being willing to be inconvenienced, to put others' needs before our own, and to use our resources to bless those around us. In serving, we reflect the heart of Christ and become His hands and feet in the world. [54:59]
Mark 10:43-45 (ESV): "But it shall not be so among you. But whoever would be great among you must be your servant, and whoever would be first among you must be slave of all. For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many."
Reflection: Think of one person in your life who could use your help or encouragement. How can you step out of your comfort zone to serve them this week?
Day 4: Dwell in His Presence
Abiding in Jesus means dwelling in His presence and love, finding our true purpose and joy in Him. This requires making space in our daily lives to be with Him and be transformed by His love. In abiding, we remain connected to the source of life, drawing strength and guidance from Him. It is in this intimate relationship that we find the power to live out the other invitations He extends to us. By prioritizing time with Jesus, we allow His love to shape our hearts and minds, leading us to a life of peace and fulfillment. [59:06]
John 15:4-5 (ESV): "Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me. I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing."
Reflection: What is one practical way you can create space in your daily routine to spend time with Jesus and abide in His presence?
Day 5: Trust in His Greater Plan
Jesus calls us to surrender our will to His, trusting that His plans are greater than our own. This surrender leads to a deeper relationship with Him and a more fulfilling life. Trusting in God's plan requires faith, especially when His ways are not immediately clear to us. Yet, as we let go of our own agendas and embrace His, we discover the beauty of His purpose for our lives. In this trust, we find peace and assurance, knowing that He is working all things for our good and His glory. [01:05:11]
Proverbs 3:5-6 (ESV): "Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths."
Reflection: Reflect on a situation in your life where you are struggling to trust God's plan. How can you begin to surrender this situation to Him and trust in His greater purpose?
Quotes
Jesus invites us to come and die. Now hold up preacher. I come to church to sing some songs. And get some scrumptious cookies out in the lobby. And to enjoy three or four cups of coffee. And a little bit of fellowship. And maybe, just maybe, a half decent, half baked sermon. Sometimes that's true. What do you mean he says come and die? It might be an invitation you might choose to not RSVP to, right? [00:36:50] (48 seconds)
Jesus tells these people who understand farming that unless a seed falls to the ground, it's buried in what one might perceive as death, that it will produce nothing. Jesus here is teaching that what might appear as death, a seed that falls to the ground, that it can produce something far greater. The grain falls to the ground, placed in the right conditions with soil, water, and sun, will produce a crop, will produce a harvest, will produce fruit, or will produce beautiful flowers. [00:38:41] (38 seconds)
Jesus here is giving a preview of what is to come, that he himself, like a grain, would fall, and appear that all is lost. But Jesus' death, what was to come, would break wide open the gates of heaven. The necessary falling would produce a great opportunity, salvation, and redemption through Jesus. Pastor and theologian David Guzik brings some clarification to Jesus' words here. He says that just as a seed will never become a plant unless it dies and is buried, so too the death and the burial of Jesus was necessary for his glorification. [00:41:38] (50 seconds)
So in an attempt to apply this, of Jesus' words to our life, we must understand that following Jesus, we are called to come to him and to die to ourselves. German pastor and theologian Dietrich Bonhoeffer once said, the first call which every Christian experiences is the call to abandon the attachments of the world. When Christ calls a man, Dietrich says, he bids him come and die. To die to ourselves, to die to our ways, to die to our desires. [00:45:17] (47 seconds)
Following Jesus is accepting the invitation to actively and regularly lay down our desires for the desires of God. Following Jesus is accepting the invitation to actively and to regularly lay down our lives, to lay down our success for the way of Christ. to not be building our little kingdom, to not be building our little kingdom, to not be building what Justin wants all the time, but instead to take up the way of Jesus and to lay down myself at his feet. [00:47:44] (51 seconds)
Jesus invites us to love the right things. Jesus says those who love their life will lose it, and those who hate their life in this world will keep it for eternal life. Now, the invitation here is not to hate our lives. It isn't to disregard it, to despise it, to dispose of it, or to degrade our lives. That's not what God is asking. Rather, Jesus' invitation here is to love this life properly, in proper order. [00:51:37] (34 seconds)
We humans have the capacity to love that which is good and given and to take what is good and what is given and to turn it into a lesser God, to turn it into an idol. We see this in our world and in our culture. We're living this. So, a couple of examples for us. We see things like money. A good gift of God. A resource that is given to us. But it can be taken. It can be used. It can be invested in wrong ways that can cause harm to individuals and to families. [00:54:59] (45 seconds)
We too easily love the wrong things in the wrong ways, and Jesus tells us that if we love this life, the materials of this world, the value we find in temporary things, resources, and money, and accolades, and pleasures, and comforts more than Him, Jesus says that it leads not to life, but it leads to ways that destroy our souls, that which He has come to save, to rescue, and to redeem. [00:59:06] (36 seconds)
Jesus invites us to love the right things the right way. Meaning, if you love your job and you love making money, great. Be the best at your job. Be the best at what you do for the glory of God. When you deposit that check in the bank, use that money for the glory of God and the betterment of other people. Moms and dads, as you're parenting your children, parent the best you can. Be the best mom and dad your kids could ever ask for. [01:02:41] (44 seconds)
To be a Christian is to be a follower of Jesus and to become a servant of Christ. In one of my college classes called Leadership Formation, my friend Dr. Sanders taught that to lead, that we must first model the way. You have to embody the direction that you are going, that you want people to follow in. And what we see in John chapter 12 and in all of the Gospels is Jesus embodying this invitation to follow the way of the Father and to serve and to love the people around. [01:05:11] (43 seconds)
Jesus said he came to seek and to save the lost. Jesus said he came for the sick, not for the healthy. Jesus told some bickering disciples who wanted a great seat in heaven that to become great in the kingdom of God is to take the position of a slave and a servant above all else. Jesus is and was combating this cultural voice of greatness, this cultural voice of success, this cultural voice of be who you want to be and do what you want to do, this cultural voice of trying to build up oneself and taking care of number one. [01:09:19] (39 seconds)
Jesus invites us to be followers, to embody his way of life, and in doing so, we become people who are given the keys of the kingdom of God, and we are sent out with kingdom authority. and we are sent out with kingdom of God, and we are sent out with kingdom of God, and we are sent out with kingdom of God, and we are sent out with kingdom of God, and we are sent out with kingdom of God, and we are sent out with kingdom of God, and we are sent out with kingdom of God, we act as the tangible presence, hands and feet of Christ in the world today. [01:14:07] (23 seconds)
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