The Time for Glory Has Come, Part 6 (LIVE)

John presents Greeks asking to see Jesus, and Jesus answers with a public declaration: the hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified. The text insists that glory will come not by enthronement but by crucifixion. The cross, not a quick restoration of Israel’s fortunes, is the hinge of history because without redemption the King would have no citizens. The grain-of-wheat image sets the path to glory: death produces fruit. Christ walks that path first, and his disciples follow by dying to self-made agendas so as to live within his purposes and promises.

Christ’s soul is troubled, yet his resolve is fixed. He prays, Father, glorify your name, and the Father answers from heaven. The crowd hears the sound but cannot hear the words. Their deafness exposes judgment at work. Judicial hardening seals what their own unbelief has chosen, so that the saving plan moves forward through the rejection of the prophets’ Lord.

Jesus then ties his glorification to judgment. Now is the judgment of this world; now will the ruler of this world be cast out. Divine justice is not a dark corner of God’s character but part of his splendor. Righteousness and justice are the foundation of his throne, which is why his kingdom endures when human systems crack. Human justice cannot even map the cancer it attempts to treat. Sin is always first against God, the fountainhead from which every horizontal wrong flows, and only God’s justice can reckon with motives, words, deeds, and tears. He counts every tossing and stores every tear, and his final judgment will satisfy heaven’s conscience.

Then Jesus opens the heart of salvation: And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all to myself. John clarifies that “lifted up” means crucifixion. Salvation is not made possible but accomplished. It is finished. The verb draw in John’s usage is effectual, like drawing a sword or hauling a net. God does for the sinner what the sinner cannot do for himself. The all, then, is all without distinction, not all without exception. By his blood he ransoms from every tribe and language and people and nation. This finished work sends the church to the ends of the earth, not to make the cross effective, but to herald it so that those whom the Father draws through the crucified Son will hear, believe, and become worshipers.

Key Takeaways

• 1. God’s glory fuels gospel boldness The vision of God’s worth steadies a trembling heart and shrinks the cost of obedience. When the soul is captured by who God is, fear of exposure loses leverage and witness becomes overflow. Zeal for missions is not manufactured by pressure but ignited by glory. [02:03]
• 2. The cross is the path to glory The seed must fall and die for fruit to appear, and Christ makes that pattern the road of discipleship. Dying to self is not ascetic theater but the doorway into the life Christ secured. Calvary does not just save; it scripts the believer’s way of life. [15:02]
• 3. Divine justice is beautiful and necessary Righteousness and justice are not rivals to love but its guardians, the foundation of a throne that never cracks. Human courts cannot touch the root disease because every sin is finally against God. God’s judgment alone can weigh motives, wounds, and tears and bring creation to peace. [23:27]
• 4. The lifted-up Christ effectually draws At the cross salvation is finished, not floated as a possibility. Draw names God’s decisive act, doing for the helpless what they cannot do, and all names the breadth of his design across peoples and places. The result is a redeemed mosaic, not a narrow enclave. [41:51]
• 5. Mission flows from purchased people Christ sends heralds because he already has a people in the city. Preaching does not gamble; it gathers, as the Father draws through the crucified Son by the Spirit’s power. Confidence for witness rests not in methods but in the Lamb’s accomplished ransom. [56:07]

Youtube Chapters

• [00:00] - Welcome
• [00:18] - Turn to John 12
• [00:42] - Glory as motivator for mission
• [03:53] - Prayer for sight of glory
• [06:08] - John 12:20-36 read
• [12:20] - The hour to be glorified
• [15:02] - Seed path: death to fruit
• [16:59] - Father, glorify your name
• [17:56] - Heaven’s voice and deaf crowds
• [19:59] - Judgment and the ruler cast out
• [23:27] - Justice as the throne’s foundation
• [29:54] - Why human justice cannot heal
• [39:36] - Lifted up to draw all
• [45:07] - What draw means in Scripture
• [56:07] - Many people in this city

1. What request did the Greeks make to Philip, and how did Jesus respond to their indirect inquiry (vv. 20-23)?
2. What metaphor does Jesus use to explain the necessity of His death, and what outcome does He associate with it (v. 24)?
3. How does Jesus describe the relationship between His crucifixion (“lifted up”) and His mission to “draw all people” to Himself (vv. 32-33)?

1. Why might Jesus have chosen the image of a grain of wheat dying to explain His glorification (v. 24)? How does this contrast with the crowd’s expectations of a Messiah?
2. Jesus says His crucifixion brings both judgment on the world and the defeat of its ruler (v. 31). How do these two outcomes work together to display God’s glory?
3. The crowd struggles to reconcile Jesus’ prediction of being “lifted up” with their understanding of the Messiah “remaining forever” (v. 34). What does this reveal about their view of God’s promises versus His actual plan?

1. Jesus calls His followers to “hate their life in this world” to gain eternal life (v. 25). What self-made agendas, comforts, or fears do you need to “die to” in order to live fully for His purposes?
2. The sermon emphasizes that divine justice is the foundation of God’s throne (Psalm 89:14). How might trusting God’s justice—even when human systems fail—change how you respond to personal or societal brokenness?
3. Jesus’ crucifixion “draws” people effectually to Himself (v. 32). How does this truth shape your confidence in sharing the gospel with others, especially those who seem resistant?
4. The sermon notes that Christ’s death secures a redeemed “mosaic” from every tribe and nation (Revelation 5:9). What practical step could you take this week to participate in God’s mission to reach all peoples?
5. How does the reality that “salvation is accomplished, not just made possible” at the cross (v. 32) [41:51] affect your daily assurance of forgiveness and purpose?