We Would See Jesus
John 12:20-22
What a motto!
I trust that you didn't come to hear me today, but to hear from
Jesus, and to see Him in His Word!
Do you go to a Christian concert in order to 'see' that quartet,
or to see Jesus? You know
that person in the church you love so very much, and you overflow with
respect for them...it's because you see Jesus in them.
And you want to emulate them, because you want to be like that,
and for others to see those qualities in you.
Jesus: Is He in you?
Do you see Him today?
These in our text make
this request because they want to meet Jesus, face to face.
I think we should all be making this request, every day.
I pray that someone will meet Jesus today for the first time!
These guys were
Greeks. Gentiles, not Jews.
And yet they came to Jerusalem to the Jewish feast of Passover in
order to worship the Jewish God.
Why?
3
reasons they wanted to see Jesus:
1.
Dissatisfaction.
There was a group in
the 60s called the Rolling Stones [you haven't heard of them because
you've lived such a clean life!]
They did a song called 'Satisfaction.'
[I can't get no...]
In 2004 Rolling Stone magazine placed "Satisfaction" in the
second spot on its list of
The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time.
Seriously? How could
that be? It can't be because
of Mick Jaggar's voice. If
he were on one of these talent shows today he would be the one they make
fun of. Still today, he
comes on the TV and you wonder if you got the cat's tail with your
rocker. It's not because of
some genius guitar riff...it's 3 notes.
Why does that song resonate so?
Because it touches a major nerve...it's the heart cry of our
world that is unfulfilled and dissatisfied.
They try everything they can to fill the void, and nothing does.
Yes, there's a hole in
each of our hearts, and it is God-shaped, and nothing else will fit!
Pleasure won't do it, nor popularity, possessions, or pills.
And so, man gets to the end of his efforts and if he wises up he
says, I would see Jesus!
The Greeks were known
for their superior intellectualism and philosophical prowess.
Men like Plato and Aristotle and Socrates had already given their
full teachings. But
philosophy is just a blind man in a dark room looking for a black cat
that isn't really there. And
just because he has a beard to stroke doesn't mean I'm buying it!
They pride themselves
in answering questions that no one is asking.
Who cares if the falling tree in the forest makes a sound?
Let's answer real, practical questions, like, if a man gives his
opinion in the forest and his wife isn't there to hear it, is he still
wrong?
ill.--a world renowned
philosopher was earning $30k per speech.
He didn't like to fly so he hired a chauffeur to drive him all
over the country. He would
stand in the back of the room and had the speech memorized.
One day he was driving the philosopher and he had to speak up.
"It's just not right.
You'll earn 30 grand for this same talk and I could give it myself...but
I'm working for peanuts."
The philosopher said, "Oh yeah, you think so?
Let's trade clothes.
They've never seen me. You
give the speech and I'll stand in the back.
And if you get it right, word for word, I'll give you the money!"
"Deal." He gave the
speech perfectly. It was
almost over, and then a lady in the back raised her hand.
"Uh oh." She asked,
"Do you feel that an episcomological universe is still valid in the
existential world?" He
thought for a second and replied, "I'm shocked that you would ask such a
simple question. This one's
so easy, I'm gonna let my driver answer it!"
Philosophy can only
take you so far, and it will never satisfy.
Philosophy is designed to elevate man to be his own God.
There's no absolutes any longer.
All truth is relative, and man is the one who decides.
No wonder we're in such a
mess. God gave us absolutes
for our own benefit. We need
to know what is right and what is wrong.
Standards are like walls which protect us and give us security.
ill.--ever been at a
stop light and you look at the car next to you and you can tell, one of
you is moving. What's the
first thing you do? Step on
your brake. What if the
other car is moving? You are
a little disoriented, so you look for a fixed object.
A telephone pole or a building, perhaps.
You want to get your bearing so your world doesn't keep spinning.
Now, what if the buildings and poles were also moving?
You see, that's the problem today with philosophy and relativism
and no absolutes...it's no wonder no one can find security and
satisfaction! It's no wonder
we're only grateful one day a year and that is ruined at 5 AM the next
day!
1 Corinthians 1:20-25
20 Where is the wise?
where is the scribe? where is the disputer of this world?
hath not God made foolish the wisdom of this world?
21 For after that in the wisdom
of God the world by wisdom knew not God, it pleased God by the
foolishness of preaching to save them that believe.
22 For the Jews require a sign,
and the Greeks seek after wisdom:
23
But we preach Christ crucified, unto the Jews a
stumblingblock, and unto the Greeks foolishness;
24 But unto them which are
called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God, and the wisdom of
God.
25 Because the
foolishness of God is wiser than men; and the weakness of God is
stronger than men.
The wisdom of the
simple gospel message far supersedes any wisdom man could ever put
forth. So go ahead and give
some university fifty thousand dollars if you want.
Or, better yet, you could say, "I
would see Jesus!"
Today the world
reaches for the philosophy of materialism..."the one with the most toys
wins." The problem:
it leaves you as empty as the dead philosophers who never found
God. Because those toys
don't satisfy, and sometimes they kill, and even if not, just the
pursuit of them kills...and worse yet, deep in the heart of man is the
knowledge that you can't take it with you.
How about the
philosophy of pleasure. "You
only go around once, so go for the gusto."
And it only takes a few hours for that to wear off and they are
lower than when they started!
Celebrities are a sad
illustration, for they are so much in the public eye, so popular, so
wealthy, and most are just these slow motion train wrecks, moving from
one thing to another, because it's never enough, and then they look into
the mirror and see their image is fading, their power is waning, and up
and comers are taking over, and they grow all the more desperate!
So they need a cause to add meaning to their life, so now they
are trying to save forests or baby seals with those sad little faces or
worse yet, they think they should get involved in politics!
Only Jesus will
satisfy your soul! Only He
can fill your heart, and make you whole!
So, I believe these
Greeks have come to Jerusalem
seeking true satisfaction.
1.
Dissatisfaction.
2.
Disillusionment.
v. 20 'to worship'
They were probably
converts to the Jewish faith. [proselytes]
They are looking for truth and God and reality...but in the
Jewish religion, which was far off base.
They were like the Ethiopian Eunuch in Acts, who had studied the
OT and been confused, and even went to
Jerusalem
seeking, but went home disillusioned.
He was still empty and searching, and then the evangelist Philip
was used of God to show this man that only Jesus can satisfy.
And now God is going to use Philip to do the same thing with
these Greeks.
v. 21 What did they find when
they got there? Great crowds
of people. Maybe they
thought, "This many people can't be wrong."
They saw the beautifully ornate buildings, and were wowed by it
all. Then they see these
elaborate ceremonies and rituals going on.
But the effect of it all
wears off in just minutes, and they rub their eyes and look again at the
mirage of it all, and realize it's all as dry and dusty as the pyramids
of Egypt.
Ahhh, being religious
is not the same as knowing God!
Religion is as dead and empty as all other worldly philosophy!
It leaves you disillusioned.
It is man's attempt to reach God in a logical way we think
fitting. It's the opposite
of Biblical salvation, which isn't man reaching up to God, but God
reaching down to man!
Religion always involves human effort in order to be saved.
Religion says 'do.'
Salvation says 'done.'
Man feels better doing
something on his own, for it seems logical and appeals to his sense of
pride and self worth, as well as affecting how others think of him.
Meanwhile, God in heaven looks down in sadness, waiting for man
to look up and take Him up on his free offer of salvation...a hand up!
Man will die trying to
deserve heaven, and sadly, then he will get what he deserves.
I deserve hell, but Jesus
has given me what I don't deserve, and so, I would see Jesus!
Hebrews 4:9-10
9 There remaineth therefore a
rest to the people of God.
10
For he that is entered into his rest, he also hath ceased from his
own works, as God did from his.
The Lord only saves
those who quit trying to save themselves!
ill.--the lifeguard
can't save the person who tries to help get to shore.
It only works if they go limp...otherwise, they struggle against
their Savior.
Our world is caught up
in religion. Oh, they will
tell you they believe Jesus died on the cross, and they are glad for His
grand gesture, but they keep flapping their arms and kicking their feet,
trying to help God save them and do their part.
The Bible says we must just
throw ourselves on the mercy of the Lord.
"Nothing in my hands I bring, simply to thy cross I cling."
Maybe you've been
saved for real, but you are trying to 'stay saved.'
I serve notice that our Lord not only makes the down payment, He
keeps up the monthly payments, and the way you get it is the way you
keep it! Salvation is too
priceless for God to sell it to us.
1.
Dissatisfaction.
2.
Disillusionment.
3.
Desperation.
They've tried
everything from philosophy to religion, and yet their guilt remains as
well as the hole in their heart.
They heard about Christ.
His fame had spread abroad.
They heard about the miracles and the claims that He was the long
awaited Messiah. And so,
they said, sir, we would see Jesus!
We live today in a
very desperate world. People
are searching for answers to the real questions.
Where is real
fulfillment and satisfaction?
Who am I?
Why am I here? Where
did I come from? Where am I
going?
In the meanwhile, how
can my marriage and finances work?
How can I raise these kids to count and not to fail.
What should we really be living for?
How can I make a difference?
What about my addiction?
What can God do with these broken pieces called my life?
We have the answers!
2 Peter 1:3
According as his divine power
hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and
godliness...
Not in a creed or a
code or even in a church...the answers are in Christ...He ALONE is the
answer! We would see Jesus.
