2024-03-17 Sermon – The Hour To Be Glorified
3-17-24 Fifth Sunday in Lent
The Hour to be glorified
A wealthy man hosted a party, inviting people to his lavish home. He gathered his neighbors at the swimming pool. In front of everyone, he released several large alligators into the pool. Then he spoke, “Anyone who swims from one end of this pool to the other and survives will receive half of my wealth and my beloved daughter.” Everyone was intrigued by the rich man’s daring offer, but no one dared to accept the challenge. They would likely die as soon as they entered the pool. Suddenly, an elderly gentleman courageously jumped into the pool. The alligators followed him immediately. In order to escape from the alligators, he swam with all his might to reach the end of the pool. Watching his bravery, everyone applauded and cheered. However, in response to the cheers, the angry old man shouted, “Who pushed me into the pool?”
Both humans and animals have a strong instinct for survival. In extreme situations, they instinctively act to survive. Sometimes, lizards appear in the parsonage. One time there was a very small lizard that couldn’t even move on the floor. Feeling pity, I carefully picked it up to release it outside. As I tried to touch it, its tail suddenly snapped off, and it quickly ran away. It’s an instinct to survive even if it means severing part of its own body.
The instinct to survive is so strong. However, one of the main concerns of Christians is not just living but dying. This is because Jesus did so, and Christians are those who follow the way of Jesus Christ that is that of the cross.
In this morning’s lesson, a few Greeks came to Jerusalem to celebrate the Jewish festival, Passover. They went to Philip and expressed their desire to see Jesus. Andrew and Philip went to Jesus and told him that some Greeks wanted to see him. Jesus immediately responded, “The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified.” Jesus felt God’s time through the Greek seekers who came to see him. Jesus declared that the time had come for him to be glorified.
Do you know what glory is associated with? It’s death. Let us read verse 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.”
Jesus’ words refer to his imminent death on the cross. When Jesus dies, he says he can save many people. The Jews thought they were the chosen people of God, but now, seeing the Greeks, they have to realize that Jesus came to save the world, not the chosen. Jesus realized that the time had come for him to die to save the world.
The glory that Jesus will receive is becoming a grain of wheat and bearing much fruit even through death. Those who follow Jesus want to become like a grain of wheat, dying to bear much fruit. Although we are like a grain of wheat, can you imagine how we can live as glorified beings together?
1. We must realize that we all have the potential to be like a grain of wheat
In the parable of the sower, God, the farmer, sows the seed of the word in the field of our hearts. When the seed is sown, rooted, and grown, it bears thirtyfold, sixtyfold, or a hundredfold. The seed of the word, the word given by God, contains not only the ability to save oneself but also the life force to save many people.
For the sown seed to bear fruit, it must go through a process. It must fall to the ground and die to bear fruit. If it does not die, it cannot bear fruit. But this is not easy. While wanting to live is a natural instinct, wanting to die is even more difficult because it means denying to oneself. Therefore, more determination and strength are needed to die than to live.
However, the Bible does not call becoming like a grain of wheat and dying death. Instead, it calls it the way to eternal life. Let us read verse 25. “Whoever loves his life loses it, and whoever hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life.”
It is difficult to bear fruit if you are entangled in the problem of living and dying. When faced with the word of God, if we deny ourselves and obey, living with God’s word, we can bear much fruit.
When God gives us the word of life, it is not just for us to keep it as it is. That word contains the infinite life force to save ourselves and many people. And it is achieved by dying to God’s word and surrendering oneself only to God’s will. I confess that I want to live a life that bears much fruit for God by dying and denying myself before God’s word.
However, even Jesus also found this difficult. Although God sent Jesus to this earth as a grain of wheat, he was fearful of death. Jesus knew well that he would not only save many people by dying but also that it was his glorious mission given by God. That’s why he walked the path of death.
The eternal life force we have is to be reborn through death and become abundant.
2. Seeds have their time to die. We must not miss that time.
Jesus was sensitive to the timing of His life. We find in chapter 2 of the gospel of John, the story of Jesus’ turning water into wine at the wedding in Cana. It was the first sign of miracle that He performed. But at that time, Jesus said to his mother Mary, “My hour has not yet come.” Do you know what his “hour” is? I wonder whether his hour is the same time in this morning’s lesson? I think that his hour is the time to be glorified and to die.
Jesus says, “The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified.” The Son of Man to be lifted up. Jesus knew that the time had come for Him to die on the cross and to be glorified, and He did not miss that time.
However, Jesus says in verse 27. “Now my soul is troubled. And what shall I say? ‘Father, save me from this hour’? No, it was for this very reason I came to this hour.”
Jesus knew well that the time had come for Him to gain glory through death, but His soul was troubled. His troubled soul shows how severe the conflict and pain of Jesus was when he faced the death.
Then, what should be said when the soul is troubled like this? Jesus asks, “Father, save me from this hour.” He asks God to avoid death and seek salvation. Jesus says, “No, it was for this very reason I came to this hour.” He is not asking for salvation for Himself, but asking God to lead Him according to God’s will for this moment. He wants to be completely denied so that only God’s will is fulfilled. He confesses that He has lived for this moment.
There are times in our faith journey that we regret. It is when we miss the time to die in God’s word and instead do wrong things while trying to live. Trying to save our pride, trying to save our position, trying to save ourselves, then we end up not following God’s word and killing others rather than ourselves.
However, like Jesus, there are times when we do not miss the time to die or deny ourselves, and die, revealing God’s life in our family, church, and relationships, and bearing fruit while living. How can we do that? Let us read Luke 9:23.
Jesus said to the crowd, “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me.”
3. Jesus asked his disciples to die not once but daily.
What is there to be thankful for? Those who hate their lives will preserve them for eternal life. When I asked God to kill me, God rewarded me with eternal life. It is to show glory with more fruit. True glory is being able to die before God and before others in order to fulfill God’s word. That is how the Christian life should be.
When a seed falls to the ground and dies, it usually bears fruit after about four months, usually producing 100-125 seeds. And after sowing and harvesting the harvested seeds for about five years, it will produce 100-125 billion seeds, an enormous amount of food that 200 people can eat for 34 years.
There is a tremendous life force in one seed that can save many people. However, that life force is useless unless that one seed dies. Jesus knew well how one seed could gain glory from God and give glory to God. It is to become one seed, die, and bear much fruit.
God has revealed to us the secret of an amazing life. When I die, I can live eternal life, and I can use the life force to save others. The more I deny myself and follow Jesus, the more I can enjoy eternal life and experience the life force of God within me.
I earnestly desire and hope that, like Jesus, I do not miss the time to die and experience God’s life force through death. I want to know when it is time for me to die well and experience God’s life force through death. I fervently hope that there will be a miraculous history of grace when many people are revived, and we all glorify God with much fruit.