John 12 opens near the end of Jesus’ physical ministry on the earth, right after Lazarus has been raised from the dead. Jesus still has a ministry on the earth, because the hands and feet of believers are the hands and feet through which Jesus lives. Lazarus had been dead four days, bound hand and foot in grave clothes, but Jesus cried, “Lazarus, come forth,” and the grave could not hold him.
The miracle shook the religious world. The chief priests wanted to kill Jesus, and they wanted to kill Lazarus too, because “by reason of him many Jews went away and believed on Jesus.” Religion was losing its grip. Tradition was losing its crowd. Fear was losing control. The Pharisees looked at the people running after Jesus and said, “The whole world is gone after him.”
The Greeks came to Philip with the real goal of Christianity: “Sir, we would see Jesus.” The goal is seeing Jesus, knowing Jesus, and making Jesus known. Jesus answered by pointing to the cross. The Son of Man would be glorified, but glory would come through death. The corn of wheat must fall into the ground and die, or it abides alone. If it dies, it brings forth much fruit.
Resurrection requires death. No cross means no grave, and no grave means no throne. The victory way is not just victory on the inside, but the Christ life showing up in the flesh. First John says the one born of God overcomes the world, and the victory is faith. The believer is “born again to win,” but victory must be walked out God’s way.
Paul shows the first death in Romans 6: death to sin. Grace is not permission to keep living in bondage. The believer has been translated from darkness into the kingdom of the Son, born into righteousness and authority. Death to sin brings confidence before God, because a heart that does not condemn has bold faith.
Paul shows the second death in Galatians 2: death to the law. The law was never given so man could save himself by performance. The law revealed sin and exposed the need for Jesus. Christ did what humanity could not do. Righteousness comes by faith, not works, because if righteousness came by the law, Christ died in vain.
Jesus shows the third death in John 12: death to self. A disciple denies himself, takes up his cross, and follows. The life that clings to itself becomes a small package. The life surrendered to Christ bears much fruit.
##
Key Takeaways
- 1. Born again means born to win. First John does not treat victory as a religious bonus for a few strong saints. The new birth carries overcoming life inside the believer, because faith in Jesus is already the victory that overcomes the world. The tragedy is not that Christ failed to win, but that many believers carry inward victory without learning to walk it out in the flesh. [00:16]
- 2. Religion fears resurrection evidence. Lazarus became a living problem for dead religion. The chief priests could not deny the miracle, so their answer was to kill the witness along with Jesus. A life raised by Christ makes control systems nervous, because resurrection cannot be managed by tradition, reputation, or fear. [03:13]
- 3. Seeing Jesus is the goal. The Greeks’ request, “Sir, we would see Jesus,” names the center of real Christianity. Religious activity, church growth, and spiritual excitement all lose their meaning if Jesus is not being seen, known, and made known. The goal is not a crowd for its own sake, but a people through whom Christ becomes visible. [05:23]
- 4. Resurrection always follows death. Jesus’ grain of wheat image makes fruitfulness impossible without surrender. The seed that refuses to die remains alone, but the seed that falls into the ground multiplies life. The cross is not a detour around glory, but the road by which glory comes. [08:15]
- 5. Grace dies to performance. Galatians declares that no flesh is justified by the works of the law. The law exposes the impossibility of self-salvation, but Christ accomplishes what human strength never could. Grace is frustrated whenever the believer rebuilds performance as the basis of acceptance before God.
## [16:19]
Youtube Chapters
