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Tropical Sands Christian Church (Disciples of Christ)

That Is Why Next Sunday, we will celebrate Palm Sunday, when Jesus made his triumphant entry into Jerusalem just before his crucifixion. Today's scripture happens just after that. When certain Greeks came specifically seeking an audience with Jesus, he knew that his time had come. He knew that his message of salvation had spread beyond the nation of Israel, and that eventually the entire world would be drawn to God through him. But his toughest assignment was yet to come, and how did Christ respond? Let us hear the word of the LORD: Some Greeks were among those who had gone to Jerusalem to worship during the festival. They went to Philip (he was from Bethsaida in Galilee) and said, "Sir we want to see Jesus." Philip went and told Andrew, and the two of them went and told Jesus. Jesus answered them, "The hour has now come for the Son of Man to receive great glory. I am telling you the truth: a grain of wheat remains no more than a single grain unless it is dropped into the ground and dies. If it does die, then it produces many grains. Whoever loves his own life will lose it; whoever hates his own life in this world will keep it for life eternal. Whoever wants to serve me must follow me, so that my servant will be with me where I am. And my Father will honor anyone who serves me. "Now my heart is troubled -- and what shall I say? Shall I say, 'Father, do not let this hour come upon me.'?" But that is why I came -- so that I might go through this hour of suffering. Father, bring glory to your name!" -- John 12:20-28 There was a trick question that Presbyterians used to pull on ministry candidates: "Are you willing to be damned for the sake of the Gospel?" There is no right answer; they just wanted to see them squirm. But Christians face a similar challenge from Jesus himself. Two weeks ago, we had this verse in Mark: "Whoever saves his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake, and for the gospel, will save it." It's about the same thing here "Whoever loves his own life will lose it; whoever hates his own life in this world will keep it for life eternal." Either way, the question is the same: Are we willing to surrender our lives to the glory of God? For Jesus, it was very literal. At the crucifixion, Jesus would lose his life, only to save it for life eternal. He would die for our salvation, and for the glory of God. In today's scripture, Jesus says, "Whoever wants to serve me must follow me." In Mark, he says, "If anyone wants to come with me, he must forget himself, carry his cross, and follow me." John and Mark are completely different gospels, so we know that this is a major point with Jesus. We must be willing to surrender ourselves to the glory of God. We can all quote John 3:16, but we also quote this verse, or rather, misquote it, every time we say, "Oh, Spare Me!" or, "God, No!" "Now my heart is troubled -- and what shall I say? Shall I say, 'Father, do not let this hour come upon me.'?" But that is why I came -- so that I might go through this hour of suffering. Father, bring glory to your name!" His suffering is the very reason he came to Jerusalem for Passover, in such a visible fashion. All of a sudden, thinking "Spare me" in the face of a messy kitchen or a boring sermon seems a bit trivial, doesn't it? Later in John's gospel, in his rendition of the last supper, Jesus told his disciples, "In this world, you will have trouble, but fear not, for I have overcome the world." Too often we think that the Christian life will keep us out of trouble. It will keep us clear of the trouble we get ourselves into, but this world will get you into trouble no matter how Christian you are. Jesus said you will have trouble, but fear not. So fear is something that Jesus would NOT do. Avoiding trouble, or putting it off, is something he would not do. On the other hand, even Jesus himself said his heart was troubled; so don't let pain and uncertainty cast doubt on your faith. The power of God in Jesus Christ does not give us psychic powers to cast spells over your environment; we can't just wiggle our noses and make trouble disappear. It also doesn't lessen the dread of suffering; as he said, his heart was troubled. Even if we follow the example of Christ, we do not have to pretend that our troubles don't exist. Rather, following his example, we face our trouble head-on, and deal with it. What do we say when a child or grandchild gets in trouble? "Father, save me from this hour."? It can't hurt, and I would say that, but we might also say, "Father, thank you for being with me. Give me the strength to get through this." we might even say, "Thank God I have the Holy Spirit in me. I couldn't deal with this without the Holy Spirit." Because it might be that a troubled child is the very reason Christ has entered your life. What do we say in the face of sickness or injury. "Father, save me from this hour."? It can't hurt; I probably would say that. But I might also say, "Father, I know that the branches you love you also prune, so that they can bare more fruit. Give me the strength to survive your pruning." We might also say, "Father, you have said that all things work for good to those who love you. I don't see what good can come out of this, but I know that you can see farther than I can. Give me faith to trust in you." What did Jesus say in the face of rejection, unjust persecution, and even death? "Father, save me from this hour."? No, he saw it as the very reason he came, as something in God's control. His prayer was not, "O God, Spare Me," but rather "Father, bring glory to your name!" And that should be our prayer as well. The Bible teaches us that trouble will come, but that God will provide the strength to deal with it. The Bible teaches us that God will not give us more than we can handle, even when it seems like he's giving us more than we can bear. The Bible teaches us that sometimes, God even allows trouble into our lives to make us stronger, or to prepare us for something bigger. When the trouble is not ours, but someone else's trouble, the answer is even clearer. Like the good Samaritan, we are to reach out when others are in trouble, to help them however we can. Following Christ's commandments, we are to love our brothers and sisters, strangers, and even our enemies. That might be the very reason that Christ lives in us. It is certainly why he says we should surrender our lives and let God take control. So, it is guaranteed that you will have trouble, even if you do have faith in Christ. Jesus said that in this world, you will have trouble. But if indeed we do follow him, then we should follow his example. Whatever the trouble, we should see trouble as an opportunity to glorify God. In good times and bad, and even in trouble, we should let God glorify his name by working through us. But if we are to follow Christ's example and God's will, we have to understand what those are. We need to study our Bibles before trouble strikes, so that we will know just what a Christian response to trouble would be. When times were good, Jesus prayed, "Father, I praise you." "Father, I thank you." And so should we. When times were hard, Jesus prayed, "Father, glorify your name." And so should we. Because if we follow Jesus, if we give our very lives to the glory of God the Father, then we will be where Jesus is, and God the Father will honor us as he glorifies his name. That is why Jesus came, to glorify God's name. And at all times, through good times and bad, that is why we exist -- to glorify his name. In the glorious name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, Amen. Joel Tucker Tropical Sands Christian Church April 2, 2006