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

Devotional

Day 1: The Burning Coal and the Unstoppable "Here Am I"

When fire touches lips cleansed by grace, hesitation dies. Isaiah’s vision of God’s holiness didn’t just inspire awe—it ignited urgency. The same glory that exposes our inadequacy also fuels our courage to speak. Those who truly see God’s majesty cannot stay silent, not because they’re skilled, but because His worth demands declaration. What once terrified becomes the very spark that compels feet to move and mouths to testify. [01:44]

“And I heard the voice of the Lord saying, ‘Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?’ Then I said, ‘Here I am! Send me.’” (Isaiah 6:8, ESV)

Reflection: Where has fear of man quieted your witness? What practical step could you take this week to seek a fresh glimpse of God’s holiness?

Day 2: A Seed’s Death and the Harvest of Eternal Life

Buried grain seems like loss, but underground miracles prepare a feast. Jesus’ metaphor of the seed reveals a divine paradox: life multiplies only through surrender. The cross wasn’t Plan B—it was the deliberate opening act of God’s global redemption. Every act of dying to self-worship, comfort, or control plants eternity into temporal soil. Resurrection always follows surrender. [15:02]

“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.” (John 12:24, ESV)

Reflection: What “alone but safe” areas of your life is Christ asking you to bury today? How might obedience plant hope in someone’s barrenness?

Day 3: Lifted Up to Gather the Scattered

A crucified king’s arms stretch wider than any throne. The cross became a gravitational center, pulling rebels from every tribe into forgiven unity. Jesus’ elevation wasn’t about position but proximity—He drew near to the broken to make them family. His scars still magnetize those weary of performing for lesser glories. [39:36]

“And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself.” (John 12:32, ESV)

Reflection: Who in your circle feels “too far” to be reached? How can you reflect Christ’s drawing love rather than relying on convincing arguments?

Day 4: The Unshakable Throne Built on Righteousness

Wobbly human courts crumble, but God’s bench rests on granite justice. Psalm 89’s declaration isn’t a cold fact—it’s the bedrock of hope. Every unresolved hurt, every unpunished evil, finds its answer here. What looks like delay is divine patience, not indifference. The Judge who demands perfection also paid the penalty. [23:27]

“Righteousness and justice are the foundation of your throne; steadfast love and faithfulness go before you.” (Psalm 89:14, ESV)

Reflection: Where do you struggle to trust God’s justice? How does Christ’s cross assure you that no evil—yours or others’—escapes His gaze?

Day 5: Drawn by Blood, Sent by Love

Purchased people become proclaiming pilgrims. The Lamb’s ransom guarantees a multiethnic choir, but empty seats remain. Missions aren’t recruitment—they’re retrieval. Every gospel conversation is a rescue operation for Christ’s already-bought possessions. Our task isn’t to convince but to announce: “Your King paid your price. Come home.” [56:34]

“Worthy are you… for you were slain, and by your blood you ransomed people for God from every tribe and language and people and nation.” (Revelation 5:9, ESV)

Reflection: What excuses keep you from sharing Christ’s global mission? How could you tangibly join His work this month—through prayer, giving, or going?

Sermon Summary

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

Bible Study Guide

Bible Reading
John 12:20-36 (ESV)
20 Now among those who went up to worship at the feast were some Greeks. 21 So these came to Philip, who was from Bethsaida in Galilee, and asked him, “Sir, we wish to see Jesus.” 22 Philip went and told Andrew; Andrew and Philip went and told Jesus. 23 And Jesus answered them, “The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified. 24 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. 25 Whoever loves his life loses it, and whoever hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life. 26 If anyone serves me, he must follow me; and where I am, there will my servant be also. If anyone serves me, the Father will honor him. 27 Now is my soul troubled. And what shall I say? ‘Father, save me from this hour’? But for this purpose 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 that stood there and heard it said that it had thundered. Others said, “An angel has spoken to him.” 30 Jesus answered, “This voice has come for your sake, not mine. 31 Now is the judgment of this world; now will the ruler of this world be cast out. 32 And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself.” 33 He said this to show by what kind of death he was going to die. 34 So the crowd answered him, “We have heard from the Law that the Christ remains forever. How can you say that the Son of Man must be lifted up? Who is this Son of Man?” 35 So Jesus said to them, “The light is among you for a little while longer. Walk while you have the light, lest darkness overtake you. The one who walks in the darkness does not know where he is going. 36 While you have the light, believe in the light, that you may become sons of light.”

Observation Questions

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

Interpretation Questions

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?
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?
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?

Application Questions

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?
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?
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?
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?
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?

Sermon Clips

44s

“Human justice is like trying to treat cancer with Tylenol. It might soften some of the pain some of the time, but it cannot touch the nature of the disease. The glory of God's justice, here's the point, the glory of God's justice is that it and it alone is able to satisfy the full requirements of every offense. God's justice accounts for every facet of every wrong, from the thoughts to the desires to the motives to the words to the actions to the impact.”

31s

“The glory of the everlasting kingdom would come, but it required the glory of the cross to fill that kingdom with people who would delight in serving their king forever. We come then to the third signpost, the path to glory verses 24 to 26. Using the simple illustration of a seed, Jesus teaches that death is not the end. In the kingdom of God, death is the path to glory.”

38s

“As he lived on this earth, Jesus didn't hover above the ground. He was not inoculated by from feeling pain. No. His nervous system was fully functional, and his body's will to live communicated to his soul that this impending suffering should be avoided. But his soul was determined. Christ was committed to his own glory and to the father's glory. And when you're committed to one, you're committed to the other. The glory of Christ is the glory of God.”

37s

“And make no mistake, beloved, every crime, every evil, every wrong, no matter how small, is a crime against the lord of the universe. Think about it this way, every wrong we experience, every wrong we do, every wrong we see is not the problem. It is a symptom of the problem. The real problem that gives rise to the endless evil and wickedness in the world is humanity's rebellion against God.”

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