Such a joy to worship and sing with you guys.
For those of you who don't know me, my name is Sean.
I'm one of the pastors of Trinity Cambridge Church,
and it's my joy and privilege to preach God's Word to you this morning.
If you have a Bible, please turn with me to John chapter 12.
We have been in a series in the book of Exodus,
but for Palm Sunday and Good Friday and Easter,
we're going to be in the book of John.
If you don't have a Bible, just feel free to raise your hand,
and we'll bring a Bible along to you that you can use while you're here.
John is in the New Testament after the book of Luke
and before the book of Acts.
And let me pray for the reading and preaching of God's Word.
Father, we humble ourselves before you,
submit ourselves to your Word, to your authority.
We ask that in the preaching of your Word this morning
and in the hearing of your Word,
that Jesus Christ, your Son, our King, would be exalted.
That He would be made known,
made more real in our hearts,
magnified in our minds,
so that we might follow Him
in His footsteps
toward the glory of the cross.
In Jesus' name we pray.
Amen.
If you are able, please stand with me
for the reading of God's Word
from John 12, verses 12 to 33.
The next day,
the large crowd that had come to the feast
heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem.
So they took branches of palm trees
and went out to meet Him,
crying out,
Hosanna!
Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord,
even the King of Israel.
And Jesus found a young donkey
and sat on it,
just as it is written,
Fear not, daughter of Zion.
Behold, your King is coming,
sitting on a donkey's colt.
His disciples did not understand
these things at first.
But when Jesus was glorified,
then they remembered that these things
had been written about Him
and had been done to Him.
The crowd that had been with Him
when He called Lazarus out of the tomb
and raised Him from the dead
continued to bear witness.
The reason why the crowd went to meet Him
was that they heard He had done the sign.
So the Pharisees said to one another,
You see that you are gaining nothing.
Look!
The world has gone after Him.
Now among those who went up to worship at the feast
were some Greeks.
So these came to Philip,
who was from Bethsaida in Galilee,
and asked him,
Sir, we wish to see Jesus.
Philip went and told Andrew.
Andrew and Philip went and told Jesus.
And Jesus answered them,
The hour has come
for the Son of Man to be glorified.
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.
Whoever loves his life loses it,
and whoever hates his life in this world
will keep it for eternal life.
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.
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.
Father, glorify your name.
Then a voice came from heaven.
I have glorified it,
and I will glorify it again.
The crowd that stood there and heard it said
that it had thundered.
Others said,
An angel has spoken to him.
Jesus answered,
This voice has come for your sake,
not mine.
Now is the judgment of this world.
Now will the ruler of this world be cast out,
and I,
when I am lifted up from the earth,
will draw all people to myself.
He said this to show by what kind of death
he was going to die.
This is God's holy and authoritative word.
You may be seated.
Nowadays,
it's not uncommon for people to have virtual friends,
whether it's a friend you made on Reddit,
or while playing a game online,
or someone you met on a dating app.
So it's likely that
some of you have also had the experience
of meeting someone,
a virtual friend,
in person
for the first time,
only to find out
that this friend of yours
that you thought you knew
is nothing at all
like the person you had imagined.
Maybe the profile picture
was a little bit outdated.
Maybe you imagined him
to have a deep,
baritone voice,
but instead,
he has a high,
squeaky voice.
Maybe you imagined him,
maybe you imagined her
to have,
you know,
a social,
you know,
be social and talkative,
but in real life,
she's very withdrawn,
and maybe timid,
tends to isolate herself.
It can be a jarring experience
when your expectations
are not met.
It's upended.
And often for us,
the reality is worse
than our fantasies.
For hundreds of years,
the Jews had also been
waiting for something,
expecting someone.
They'd been waiting
for the Messiah,
the King,
the Savior,
to come and redeem them
and rescue them.
Having been conquered
by nation after nation,
Assyrians,
Babylonians,
Persians,
and Greeks,
and then finally
under the Romans,
the Jews had been longing
desperately for the Messiah
finally to come.
Their expectations
were high,
and their anticipation
was at a fever pitch
by the time of this event.
But when Jesus,
the Messianic King,
finally came,
he was not
what the Jews
expected him to be.
He came in humility.
He came in mercy.
He came to die.
And to follow Jesus,
that means,
for us,
is to follow his path
to glory through death.
That's the main point
of this passage.
To follow King Jesus,
is to follow him,
his path,
to glory through death.
And we're going to explore
three ways in which
Jesus defied
the people's expectations.
First,
the King's agenda.
Second,
the King's audience.
And the third,
the King's ascendance.
The setting for this scene
is the Passover feast,
which is the greatest
and most widely observed feast
of all the Jewish feasts.
Verse 12 notes
that there was a large crowd
that had come to feast.
And that's not an understatement.
Or that's not an overstatement,
rather.
Jerusalem's normal population
around this time
is estimated to be
about 30,000 people.
But during Passover,
historians estimate
that the number of people
in Jerusalem
swelled to around 200,000.
And so obviously,
that city can't fit
200,000 people,
so people would pitch tents
all around the city,
and the whole city
would be bustling
with the influx of pilgrims,
tens of thousands of them.
And a large crowd
in a section of the city
hears that Jesus
is approaching the city,
says in verse 12.
And the teacher,
this teacher that is famous
for his authoritative teaching,
this healer
who's healed cripples
and the man born blind,
this miracle worker
who not long ago
raised Lazarus
from the dead,
is coming.
So notice that Jesus
is already famous
among the people.
He says in verses 17 to 18,
the crowd that had been with him
when he called Lazarus
out of the tomb
and raised him from the dead
continued to bear witness.
The reason why the crowd
went to meet him
was that they heard
he had done these things.
So Jesus is a celebrity.
Here, people are flocking
to just get a glimpse
of this man
who raised someone
from the dead
when they hear
that he is approaching.
So everywhere,
you're hearing murmurs
of people,
hey, there, Jesus.
Jesus is coming.
I think that's Jesus over there.
Some people are shouting,
hey, Jesus.
Jesus is coming.
Make way.
The men of God
who raised a man
from the dead.
And what this large crowd
expects from Jesus
is clearly seen
in the following verses.
It says in verse 13,
the Jews took branches
of palm trees
and went out to meet him,
crying out,
Hosanna!
Blessed is he who comes
in the name of the Lord.
Even the king of Israel.
This is a quotation
from Psalm 118,
which says,
Save us, we pray, O Lord.
O Lord, we pray,
give us success.
Blessed is he who comes
in the name of the Lord.
Hosanna!
is a Greek translation
of the Hebrew phrase
that means save us.
So this psalm
was sung
during many
of the Jewish feasts,
such as the Feast of Tabernacles
and the Feast of Passover.
So observant Jews
would have been
intimately familiar with it.
They probably knew it by heart.
But this psalm
was originally used
to pronounce blessing
on those who were coming
to worship the Lord,
coming in the name of the Lord
to worship him.
But the Jewish commentary
on this psalm
also reveals
that the Jews
understood this line
messianically.
The one who comes
in the name of the Lord
that they were expecting
to see
is the Messiah himself.
And the messianic interpretation
is confirmed
by what the crowd
says afterward.
Blessed is he
who comes
in the name of the Lord,
even the King
of Israel.
The crowd
surrounding Jesus
is proclaiming
Jesus
to be the King,
the promised Messiah.
Remember that
at this time
the Jews are under
Roman occupation.
Imagine that you
were the Roman governor
at this time,
over Jerusalem
at this time.
You're already
on high alert
because there's
an unusually
large gathering
of Jews
in the city
and with just
the right spark
crowds can quickly
flame into mobs,
dangerous mobs.
And not only that,
there are Jews,
these are Jews
that are gathering
to celebrate
the Passover
which is when
the Lord delivered
the nation of Israel
from another oppressor,
from another
occupying nation,
the Egyptians.
Egyptians.
It's the Jewish
equivalent of
American Independence Day
as I've said before.
So Jewish religious
fervor and national
patriotism is
peaking right
at this season.
So it's code red
if you're the administrator,
if you're the governor
of this city.
And this brazen
Jewish crowd,
instead of
minding their
overlords,
starts proclaiming,
here is the
King of Israel,
save us.
save them from what?
From the Romans,
of course.
In the Roman Empire,
there's only one king,
Caesar.
This is a treasonous
statement.
And the palm branches
provide yet another
clue to what the
crowd is expecting.
These are not palm trees
you find in California
and Florida.
These are date palm trees
which are a lot shorter
and very numerous
in this region.
And the Old Testament
doesn't prescribe
anywhere that people
should worship God
with palm trees
during the Passover
feast.
But this had become
a national symbol
by this time
for a number of reasons.
Just two centuries
earlier,
when the Syrian
ruler Antiochus
Epiphanes
overran Jerusalem
and desecrated
the Jewish temple
by setting up
a pagan altar
inside it,
the Jews,
under the leadership
of the Maccabee brothers,
Judas,
Jonathan,
and Simon,
staged a successful
military campaign
to recapture
and re-consecrate
the Jewish temple.
And it's written
in the first book
of Maccabee,
chapter 13,
verse 51,
that on the 23rd day
of the second month
in the 171st year,
the Jews entered it,
the temple,
with praise
and palm branches
and with harps
and cymbals
and stringed instruments
and with hymns
and songs
because a great enemy
had been crushed
and removed
from Israel.
Simon Maccabee
and his men
triumphantly entered
the temple
that they had retaken
and rededicated
in carrying palm branches.
And so by greeting
Jesus with palm branches,
these Jews
are betraying
their true expectations.
They want Jesus
to be another
Simon Maccabee.
They want Jesus
to lead them
into military victory
and political liberation
from the Roman
occupiers.
But Jesus defies
their expectations
in verses 14 to 15.
It says,
Jesus found
a young donkey
and sat on it.
Just as it is written,
Fear not,
daughter of Zion,
behold,
your king is coming,
sitting on a donkey's colt.
This is a reference
to Isaiah 49
and Zechariah 99.
Zechariah 99
we read during the
call to worship
which speaks of
how the Messianic king
will come riding
on a donkey,
humble and mounted
on a donkey.
By procuring a donkey
and sitting on it,
Jesus is consciously
fulfilling this
Messianic prophecy
of Zechariah.
So in doing so,
he is confirming
the crowd's expectation
on one hand,
that he is
the Messianic king.
So there's a,
and I say this
every Palm Sunday,
but there's a widespread
misunderstanding
that riding on a donkey
is a lowly,
humble thing,
something reserved
for the common village folk.
But that's not true.
Common village folk
don't ride donkeys,
they walk.
In fact,
riding a donkey
is a sign of royalty.
To give you some examples,
Judges 10
says that
Jair of Gilead,
a judge of Israel
for 22 years,
had 30 sons
who rode 30 donkeys.
They ride donkeys
because they're the rulers.
1 Kings 1, 32-35,
when King David
commands Zadok the priest
and Nathan the prophet
to have Solomon his son
ride on his own mule
when he wants to declare
that he is his choice
for his successor
to reign as king.
Riding on David's mule
showed David's stamp
of approval
that Solomon
is the royal heir.
Finally,
there's a letter
that archaeologists
found from Mari,
which was an ancient
Sumerian city
around 1760 BC.
It says this,
Verily,
you are the king
of the Heneans,
but secondly,
you are the king
of the Akkadians.
My lord should not
ride a horse.
Let my lord ride
in a chariot
or on a mule,
and he will thereby
honor his royal head.
A military general
seeking to conquer
a city
would ride in
galloping on a stallion,
but a king
who owns the city
will come in peace,
and he would trot
in on a mule.
Jesus knew this
full well,
and that's precisely
why he chose
to ride on a young donkey
into Jerusalem.
Jesus is not being demure
about his kingship.
He's putting the whole city
on notice,
saying,
I am the king.
I am the Messiah,
and here I come.
And Jesus is riding
on a donkey,
and I love imagining
this scene
from Mount of Olives.
We know from the other gospels,
Jerusalem is filled
with the pilgrims
all on their foot.
According to the Mishnah,
which is the Jewish
oral commentary
on the Torah,
Jews were specifically
expected to arrive
in Jerusalem
for their pilgrimage
on foot.
So tens of thousands
of pilgrims,
perhaps hundreds
of thousands of pilgrims,
all on foot.
And Jesus and his disciples
are always on foot.
This is the only time
in the gospels
that he is riding
any kind of animal.
And yet,
in a sea of people
on foot,
there is one man
rising above
the whole crowd,
and he is sitting
on a mule,
and he's riding in
as the glorious king.
Heads are turning.
People are making way.
It's a glorious scene.
It's the king's arrival.
But on the other hand,
Jesus is also correcting
the crowd's
messianic expectations.
Remember the palm branches.
The Jews are hoping
and expecting Jesus
to be another Simon Maccabee,
a rebel,
an insurrectionist,
a revolutionary,
a conquering king,
galloping in on a stallion
to rally his troops
and wage war against
the cruel oppressors.
But instead,
Jesus trots in gently,
meekly,
on a donkey's colt.
I mentioned to you earlier
that verse 15
is a quotation
of Zechariah 9.9,
but if you turn
to Zechariah 9.9
and read the verse
that follows immediately
after that,
verse 10,
it says this,
I will cut off
the chariot from Ephraim
and the war horse
from Jerusalem
and the battle bow
shall be cut off
and he shall speak
peace to the nations.
His rule shall be
from sea to sea
and from the river
to the ends
of the earth.
Jesus speaks
peace to the nations.
He cuts off
the battle bow
and the war horse.
But the Israelites
did not want Jesus
to speak peace
to the nations.
They wanted him
to speak vengeance
to the nations.
Do you think
that there weren't
any Jewish women
who were raped
by Roman soldiers
during this time?
Do you think
there weren't
any Jewish men
who were unjustly
tried and arrested
and maybe even killed?
Do you think
that there weren't
any Jewish discrimination
and bigotry
toward the Jewish people
in the Roman Empire
at this time?
The Romans
were a sinful bunch
like the rest of us.
I can assure you
that all of those
things happened.
The Israelites
were a conquered
and oppressed people
under Roman rule
and yet
Jesus came riding in
on a donkey
and spoke peace
to the nations.
Wait a minute,
Jesus.
You're supposed
to crush
our enemies
not save them.
Something's wrong
with the picture here,
Jesus.
Where's the war horse?
Where's the battle bone?
Do you know
what these people
have done to us?
1 Peter 2, 19-25
tell us that
Jesus was reviled
but did not revile
in return.
He suffered unjustly
yet he did not threaten.
Instead,
he entrusted himself
to God
who judges justly.
And it says
that Christ
suffered
in this manner
for us.
Quote,
leaving us
an example
so that we
might follow
in his steps.
Do you know
that the Bible
commands us
to suffer unjustly?
As Christians,
we say that
we love
Jesus' humility
and his meekness
that he is
a suffering servant.
But when I look around
at how many Christians
behave,
it makes me wonder
whether that's
really true.
Some Christians
prefer to carry
pitchforks
rather than
to carry the cross.
I think many
Christians nowadays
want Jesus
to look more like
Che Guevara
than a king
riding on a donkey.
a revolutionary
to overthrow
the establishment.
They'd rather
punish their enemies
than suffer
unjustly
in their hands.
They'd rather
cancel their enemies
than forgive
their enemies.
They'd rather
slap back
than turn
the other cheek.
But that is
not the pattern
that Jesus
set for us.
We serve
King Jesus,
the Prince
of Peace.
I'm not saying
that we shouldn't
seek institutional
justice for the
sake of others.
That is a
faithful application
of the command
to love our
neighbor as
ourselves.
But when it
comes to you,
personally,
do you seek
justice for
yourself?
Or are you
willing to take
the path of
humility and
meekness and
suffer unjustly?
When your
boss belittles
you,
when your
neighbors
mock you,
when your
friends offend
you,
are you willing
to suffer like
a lamb that
is silent before
its shearers?
Or is your
response,
how dare you
do this to
me?
I'll show
you.
I'm going to
blast you on
social media and
make you sorry
for what you
did.
If someone's
committing a
crime against
you,
that's one
thing.
Report it to
the proper
authority,
sure.
But when
someone sins
against you,
and it's a
choice between
leaving justice
in God's hands
and taking it
into your own
hands,
which would
you choose?
When we
refuse to
take justice
into our
own hands
and entrust
ourselves to
God's ultimate
justice,
in doing that,
we're honoring
God.
That's our
vote of
confidence.
God,
I trust you.
God,
I know that
you are just.
God,
I know that
I might suffer
now,
but that day
is coming when
you will come
with perfect
justice.
And when we
suffer in that
way,
we're imitating
Jesus,
our suffering
Savior.
And in doing
that,
we're pointing
people to
the good
news of
Jesus Christ,
to the
gospel.
Look at
my life.
Look at
my unjust
suffering.
Who does
that remind
you of?
That's my
Savior.
If Jesus
had come
merely to
execute justice
in his
first coming,
he would
have crushed
the Romans,
yes,
but he would
have also
crushed every
single one
of the
Israelites.
Because they
had all
fallen short
of his
glory.
Because they
had all
rebelled
against him.
I think we
missed this
point for
similar reasons
in our own
lives.
I think we're
sometimes too
eager to pick
up the
pitchforks for
this very
reason.
It's because
we're not
carrying the
cross.
We don't see
ourselves as
sinners at the
foot of the
cross.
Instead,
we're
self-righteous.
We think
we have
everything
figured out
and can
discern and
judge the
sins of
others with
perfect clarity.
We think
that sin is
more their
issue than
my issue.
But if we
followed in
the footsteps
of Jesus and
carried our
own cross,
then we'd be
more humble.
I think we'd
be quicker to
hear and slower
to speak.
I think we
would take the
logs out of
our own eyes
before we try
to remove the
specks from
our brothers and
sisters'
eyes.
Jesus came to
satisfy God's
justice on
the cross so
that he might
show us mercy,
so that he
might offer us
forgiveness.
To follow
King Jesus
is to follow
his path to
glory through
death.
And after
seeing the
crowd's reaction
to Jesus,
the Pharisees
are envious,
and they say
to one another
in verse 19,
you see that
you are gaining
nothing.
Look, the
world has
gone after
him.
And that
brings us to
the second
way that
Jesus appended
people's
expectations,
the king's
audience.
Jesus did
not come
only for
the Jews.
He came
for the
whole world.
The whole
world has
gone after
him.
The Pharisee
statement that
the world
has gone
after him
is even
truer than
they realize
in the
book of
John,
the word
world is
a key
word that
occurs again
and again.
It occurs
more frequently
in the
gospel of
John than
any other
book in
the New
Testament.
In fact,
it occurs
78 times
in the
gospel of
John alone,
which is
more than
a third
of all the
occurrences
in the
New
Testament.
In fact,
it occurs
several times
in this
passage.
It says
again in
verses 31
and 32,
now is
the judgment
of this
world.
Now will
the ruler
of this
world be
cast out.
And I,
when I
am lifted
up from
the earth,
will draw
all people
to myself.
Similarly,
it said in
John 1
29,
Jesus is
the Lamb
of God
who takes
away the
sin of
the world.
And most
famously in
John 3
16,
God so
loved the
world that
he gave
his only
son that
whoever
believes in
him should
not perish
but have
eternal life.
It doesn't
mean that
God saves
the whole
world without
exception.
only those
who repent
and believe
in Jesus
will be
saved.
But it
does mean
that God
saves the
whole world
without
distinction.
Jesus is
the messianic
king,
not only
over the
Jews,
but over
all peoples,
over the
whole world.
He did
not come
to announce
judgment
of mere
Israel or
even of
the Roman
Empire only,
but the
judgment
of this
world.
He did
not come
to overthrow
a small
fry like
Caesar.
He came
to overthrow,
cast out the
ruler of
this entire
sinful world.
The title
ruler of
this world
occurs again
in John 14
30 and
1611 and
similar titles
are used
throughout the
New Testament
to refer to
Satan.
the true
king has
come and
Jesus'
glorification,
his enthronement
means Satan's
dethronement,
his overthrow.
Jesus'
coming into
his kingdom
means the
expulsion of
the ruler of
this world.
Don't ever
forget that
Jesus is
seated on
his throne
even right
now,
reigning at
the right
hand of
the Father.
We can get
worked up
and so
worried about
presidential
elections
and
geopolitics,
but the
ruler of
this world
has already
been cast
out.
And the
true king
is already
seated on
his throne.
Whether the
U.S.
or China
wins the
contest for
global
supremacy,
whether
Biden or
Trump
wins the
next
election,
Jesus is
still
king.
God has
not promised
to send
another
Messiah.
Jesus is
it.
He's the
one.
And no
matter who
your favorite
political
candidate is
or who
your
fantasy
Messiah
might be,
that person
is not
going to
save you.
Only
Jesus can
save you.
So be
watchful,
but not
fearful.
Be informed
and be
involved in
politics,
whatever degree
your vocation
calls for.
But don't
be consumed
by world
politics.
Jesus is
still
king.
And remember
also that
there is no
aspect of
your life
that's beyond
the reach
of Jesus'
rule.
If Jesus
rules over
the whole
world,
then you
cannot
confine or
compartmentalize
the scope
of his
authority.
His
sovereignty
is universal
and total.
19th century
Dutch
theologian
and prime
minister,
Abraham
Kuyper,
once famously
said this,
there's not
a square
inch in
the whole
domain of
our human
existence
over which
Christ,
who is
sovereign
over all,
does not
cry,
mine.
Is
Jesus
king over
every domain
in your
life?
Not only
on Easter
and Christmas,
but over
365 days
of your
life.
Not only
during
two hours
on Sunday
morning,
but 24
hours a
day of
your life.
Is
Jesus
Lord,
is
Jesus
king
in your
life?
In
every
square
inch
of your
finances,
every
square
inch
of your
speech,
every
square
inch
of how
you
work,
how
you
behave
when
no
one
is
looking,
is
Jesus
king
there?
Is
he
ruling
in
your
life?
The
reality
of
Jesus'
universal
rule
and
appeal
is
confirmed
immediately
by
verse
20.
It says,
now among
those who
went up
to worship
at the
feast
were some
Greeks.
The Greeks
are not
people
necessarily
from
Greece,
but as
elsewhere
in the
New
Testament,
this is
the way
they refer
to
Gentiles,
all
non-Jews
who come
from
different
parts
of their
Greek
speaking
world.
So the
nations,
indeed,
the world
has begun
to come
to Jesus.
And they
reach out
to
Philip,
maybe because
he's from
the area
near the
Decapolis
where the
Gentiles
lived,
Bethsaida
in Galilee.
They
approach
Philip,
and then
Philip
approaches
Andrew,
and together
they tell
Jesus
about it.
And it's
the arrival
of the
Gentiles
that prompts
Jesus to
say this
in verse
23,
the hour
has come
for the
Son of
Man to
be glorified.
Up to
this point
in the
Gospel of
John,
the hour
of his
glorification
has always
been future.
But now
the arrival
of Gentiles
has triggered
this hour
of Jesus'
glorification.
The appointed
hour,
the right
time,
has come.
Back then,
if you remember,
there was a
strict separation
between Jews
and Gentiles.
Gentiles could
not enter
into the
inner courtyard
of the
temple.
They had to
stay outside
in the
outer court.
If they
were to
transgress
that boundary,
they could
be killed.
It was on
pains of
death.
They were
threatened
to do
that.
But Jesus
came not
to save
the Jews
only,
but to
save all
nations,
to save
the whole
world,
in a sense.
That's why
it says
in verse
32,
when Jesus
says,
when I'm
lifted up
from the
earth,
I will
draw all
people
to
myself.
Salvation
is from
the Jews
because Jesus
is a
Jewish
Messiah,
but salvation
is not
merely for
the Jews.
That's why
the Great
Commission
does not
say,
make
disciples
of your
tribal
group or
your ethnic
group.
It says,
make disciples
of all
nations.
That's why
Jesus promises
his followers
before his
ascension to
heaven in
Acts 1-8,
you will
receive power
when the
Holy Spirit
has come
upon you
and you
will be
my witnesses
in Jerusalem
and in all
Judea and
Samaria and
to the end
of the
earth,
meaning not
only to
the Jews
in Jerusalem
but also
to the
Samaritans
in Samaria
and also
to the
Gentiles
in the
ends
of the
earth.
So you
cannot
reject
Jesus
with this
excuse,
saying to
yourself,
well,
I'm not
a Jew,
so I
can't believe
in the
God of
the Bible.
Well,
my parents
are atheists,
so this
can't be
for me.
Well,
my country
is Muslim,
so I
can't be
a Christian.
My culture
is Hindu,
so I
can't be
a Christian.
My family
is Buddhist,
so I
can't be
a Christian.
You
can't have
those excuses
because
Christianity
is not
a Western
religion.
It's not
an American
export.
Jesus
rules over
the whole
world.
Christianity
is the
only
major
religion
in the
world
whose
founding
document,
the New
Testament,
was written
in the
language that
is not
the native
language of
the founder,
Jesus.
Jesus spoke
Aramaic.
The New
Testament is
written in
Greek.
Why?
Because
Jesus is
the Savior
of the
whole world,
not only
of the Jews
but of the
Greeks,
the Gentiles.
The Atlas
of Global
Christianity,
it's a book,
it's essentially
a book of
maps and
statistics and
diagrams related
to global
Christianity.
It chronicles
the shifts
in the
gravitational
center of
Christianity
from 30
A.D.
to the
present day.
The center
of gravity
for Christianity
was at
first,
of course,
in Jerusalem
around 30
A.D.
and then
it gradually
shifted north
and west
so that its
gravitational
center was
in
Constantinople,
which is
modern-day
Istanbul
in Turkey.
That was
around
1000 A.D.
and then
by 1500
A.D.,
the gravitational
center
shifts
still further
north into
what is
Budapest,
Hungary,
and Vienna,
Austria.
By 1900 A.D.,
it shifted
further west
due in large
part to the
rise of the
United States
and the
gravitational
center was
Madrid,
Spain.
And then
since then,
the gravitational
center of
Christianity
has shifted
even more
southeast
rather than
northwest
so that it's
now in
Niger,
Africa,
and it's
expected to
continue its
shift southeast.
east.
That's
where the
center of
gravity for
Christians in
Christianity,
global Christianity
now is.
Let me ask you
some questions.
Do you know
where the
gravitational center
of Buddhism
is?
You probably
do.
It's
Southeast Asia.
It has
always been
Southeast Asia.
Do you know
where the
gravitational center
of Islam
is?
I bet you
do because
it's the
Middle East
Middle East.
Do you know
where the
gravitational center
of Hinduism
is?
Yes.
India.
And it
has always
been
India.
Christianity
is the
only world
religion
who has
truly one
adherence
from the
whole
world.
that has
shifted its
gravitational
center all
over the
world.
There is
no single
monolithic
Christian
civilization
or Christian
culture
because there
has already
been multiple
Christian
civilizations
and multiple
Christian
cultures.
Why?
Because King
Jesus is
king not
only over
Israel but
the whole
world.
Because he
came to
save the
world.
That's why
we cannot
say, oh,
we shouldn't
send
missionaries
out to
other
countries
and
cultures.
That's
so
colonial.
Or, oh,
I'm not
going to
share the
gospel with
my non-Christian
neighbors
because I
wouldn't want
to impose
my religion
on someone
else.
that is
politically
correct
nonsense.
It's
only
colonial
if the
territory
you
colonize
doesn't
already
belong to
your king.
But the
whole world
already
belongs to
Jesus.
He
already is
king over
the whole
world.
when the
rightful
king
takes
his
throne.
That's
not
colonialism.
That is
justice.
In
Matthew
28,
18 to
20,
Jesus
says,
all authority
in heaven
and on
earth has
been given
to me.
Go
therefore
and make
disciples of
all
nations.
Why do we
go to
all nations?
Because
Jesus has
all
authority
in heaven
and on
earth.
When
did
King
Jesus
ever
get
tame
and
become
an
exclusive
feature
of
your
local
religion
and
culture?
That's
like saying,
oh,
I can't
expect my
neighbors
around me
to keep
the same
laws that
I keep.
I mean,
that'd be
so dogmatic.
I wouldn't
want to
impose my
personal
preferences
on them.
No.
All your
neighbors are
expected to
keep the
same laws
that you
keep because
they're under
the same
laws.
They're under
the same
president,
under the
same
Congress,
under the
same
Supreme
Court.
The rule
of the
land is
not your
personal
preference
or opinion.
Likewise,
if you
live in
this world,
if you
live in
any world,
you are
part of
King
Jesus'
domain,
whether you
like it
or not.
And
Jesus is
not just
your
king.
He is
their
rightful
king.
He is
king over
the whole
world.
So you
better let
them know
or they'll
be in
grave
trouble
because
those who
reject
Christ the
king stand
condemned
already under
the judgment
of God.
king
king.
King
Jesus
surprised
people
both in
his
agenda
and
his
audience.
But perhaps
the most
shocking
and unexpected
of all
is his
ascendance.
So the
hour of
Jesus'
glorification
is here.
The king
will finally
ascend to
his throne.
But what
exactly will
that ascendancy
look like?
Jesus gives
a hint in
verse 24,
Jesus continues
in verse 27,
now is my
soul troubled.
What shall I
say,
Father,
save me from
this hour?
But for this
purpose I've
come to this
hour.
The hour of
his glorification
is here,
but Jesus is
troubled.
It's not saying
he's excited,
he's troubled,
he's in anguish.
He feels a
deep revulsion
and anxiety.
Jesus wants
to cry out
to the
Father,
save me
from this
hour,
and yet
he decides
not to.
He steals
himself in
his resolve
to obey
his Father
to the end
because this
is the very
purpose for
which Jesus
came to
our world.
For Jesus,
the hour of
his glorification
is not about
his own glory,
but the glory
of his Father.
So he prays,
Father,
glorify your
name.
In spite
of his
anguish
and troubled
soul,
Jesus will
not ask
his Father
to spare
him from
the hour,
but he
will keep
steadfast
purpose,
and he
will be
glorified
through his
obedience,
through his
submission,
and through
his death.
For Jesus,
the hour
of glorification
is about
his death.
God
this is made
even clearer
in verses
32 to 33.
And I,
when I am
lifted up
from the
earth,
I will
draw all
people to
myself.
Being lifted
up is a
good thing,
right?
People want
that.
They want
to be
exalted.
They want
to be
raised
higher
than others.
This is
Jesus'
long-awaited
ascendance,
but what
exactly does
that being
lifted up
look like?
Verse 33,
he said this
to show by
what kind
of death
he was
going to
die.
John is
fond of
using words
with double
meaning.
He's using
the word
lift up to
refer to
Jesus'
exaltation,
but he's
simultaneously
also referring
to Jesus
being physically
hoisted up
on a cross,
being lifted
up to die,
to be
tortured,
those two
things are
not opposed
to each
other.
They happen
simultaneously.
Jesus
doesn't get
exalted
because he
was crucified.
His
crucifixion
being lifted
up and
dying is
part of
the very
glory that
God has
given and
assigned to
him.
That's why
he speaks
of the grain
of wheat
falling to
the ground
and dying
only then
does it
bear much
fruit.
The death
of the grain
is the
first stage
of its
fruitfulness.
Likewise,
death of
Jesus Christ
is the
first stage
of his
glorification
which
culminates
in his
resurrection
and ascension
to the
right hand
of the
Father.
So there's
great irony
here in
the strange
glory of
our Savior.
The world
presumed that
it was
passing judgment
on Jesus,
debating his
identity and
sentencing
him to
execution.
But in
reality,
Jesus threw
his life
and death
past judgment
on the
world.
The ruler
of this
world,
Satan,
presumed that
he was
winning when
he led
Jesus to
be crucified.
But in
fact,
that happened
to be his
decisive blow,
his defeat.
Jesus chose
the glory of
the cross in
obedience to
God the
Father who
loved us
from before
the foundation
of the world
in order
to save
us.
Jesus could
have crushed
us,
his rebellious
subjects under
his feet
because we're
all unworthy
sinners,
because we have
all rebelled
against him.
Instead of
living for God
and for his
glory,
we've lived
for our
glory.
We've lived
for ourselves
and we've
served other
lords and
other gods.
We are
treasoners.
rebels.
But instead
of us,
Jesus was
pierced for
our transgression.
He was
crushed for
our iniquity
so that we
can be
forgiven,
so that we
can be
reconciled to
God the
Father,
so that we
can live.
Even while
Jesus was
here on
earth,
Jesus deserved
the most
lavish and
royal golden
throne that
human beings
could ever
design.
But instead,
his throne
was the
cross,
the ancient
equivalent of
the electric
chair.
Jesus
deserved to
wear the
most beautifully
bejeweled
crown that
has ever
graced a
man's head,
but instead
on his
precious head
sits the
crown of
thorns.
cross.
That was
his
inauguration
day,
his
crucifixion
day.
There were
no parades,
only a
trail of
tears,
mourners,
no champagne
bottles were
popped for
Jesus.
When Jesus
was thirsty,
hanging on the
cross and
dying for us,
someone gave
him a
sponge full
of vinegar,
sour wine.
There were
no adoring
crowds,
no rapturous
applause from
the crowds,
only a
hateful mob
that yelled
crucify,
jeering,
mocking.
Brothers and
sisters,
Jesus did
not deserve
such a
shameful,
humiliating
death.
In fact,
as the
only sinless
man in
the history
of humankind,
he's the
only one
that deserved
to live,
to not
die.
But Jesus
died for
us.
He died
in our
place.
He died
for our
salvation.
That's the
kind of
king we
serve.
And
serving the
crucified
kings means
that we
also have
to choose
the glory
of the
cross
every day
of our
lives.
That's why
Jesus said
in verses
25 to
26,
whoever
loses
his life
loses,
loves his
life,
loses it.
Whoever
hates his
life in
this world
will keep
it for
eternal
life.
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.
The
language
of
love
and
hate
here
is a
Jewish
idiom
that
expresses
choosing
something
over
another
thing.
So whoever
loves
his
own
life
over
loving
God
at the
expense
of
loving
God
will
lose
his
life
for
he
worships
himself
and
is
an
idolater.
But
whoever
loves
God
more
than
even
his
own
life
and
even
more
than
this
whole
world
will
keep
it
for
eternal
life.
The
glory
of
our
discipleship
lies
in
forsaking
our
own
glory
to
seek
the
glory
of
Christ
our
Savior.
That
is
the
spiritual
law
that
governs
the
whole
of
the
Christian
life.
So what
does that
mean
practically?
Our
path
to
glory
always
involves
carrying
the
cross.
It
goes
through
death.
when
you
give
up
your
worldly
selfish
ambitions
of
success
and
fame
and
fortune
in
order
to
obey
God
and
in
order
to
serve
your
loved
ones
it
very
well
might
feel
like
something
inside
you
is
dying.
But
that's
the
path
of
the
cross
that
Jesus
calls
us
to
follow
him
in.
When
you
give
up
your
desire
to
be
liked
by
everyone
and
avoid
trouble
and
then
you
actually
evangelize
even
if
that
brings
ridicule
and
ostracism
it
will
feel
like
a
kind
of
death
but
that
is
the
path
of
the
cross
that
Jesus
calls
us
to
follow
him
in.
When
someone
has
hurt
you
and
offended
you
and
instead
of
canceling
them
and
wishing
for
their
downfall
you
pray
for
them
you
forgive
them
and
you
seek
their
genuine
repentance
and
reconciliation
it
will
feel
like
a
kind
of
death
inside
but
that
is
the
path
of the
cross
that
Jesus
calls
us
to
follow
him
in.
When
you
refuse
to
lie
and
manipulate
your
circumstances
and
the
peoples
around
you
to
get
what
you
want
and
advance
yourself
you
might
not
get
what
you
want
and
that
will
feel
like
death
but
that
is
the
path
of
the
cross
that
Jesus
calls
us
to
follow
him
in.
In
Philippians 2
8-11
it says
that
Jesus
humbled
himself
by
becoming
obedient
to
death
even
death
on
a
cross
therefore
God
has
highly
exalted
him
and
bestowed
on
him
the
name
that
is
above
every
name
so
that
at
the
name
of
Jesus
every
knee
should
bow
in
heaven
and
on
earth
and
under
the
earth
and
every
tongue
confess
that
Jesus
Christ
is
Lord
to
the
glory
of
God
the
Father
do
you
want
true
lasting
glory
and
there's
only
one
path
it's
through
death
suffering
faithful
obedience
to
Jesus
on
to
death
only
the
grain
of
wheat
that
falls
to
the
ground
and
dies
bears
fruit
the
glory
of
the
cross
is
waiting
for
you
remember
that
Jesus
never
asks
you
to
follow
him
where
he
hasn't
already
gone
before
you
to
follow
King
Jesus
is to
follow
his
path
to
glory
through
death
let's
pray
together
father we
confess
when we
are reminded
of
precious
truths
like this
that
that we
become so
worldly
forgive
us
Lord
Jesus
we
seek
the
glory
of
the
cross
we
want
the
glory
that
comes
from
God
and
not
the
glory
that
comes
from
man
so
help
us
by
the
power
of
your
spirit
to
pursue
this
path
of
obedience
of
death
and
suffering
so
we
might
share
in
your
glory
Lord
Jesus
in
your
precious
name
Jesus
we
pray
amen
said
62
N
to
pray
love
16
行