SERMON STRUCTURE: How To Save Your Own Life

John 11:45-53; 12:20-36a

CIT (Central Idea of the Text): “Those who love their life lose it, but those who hate their life in this world will keep it for eternal life.” (12:25).

SERMON FOCUS: If life is a gift, then the secret to living a great life is to give it away.

MO: Consecrative

SO: Give your life away by investing it in the redemption of those around you!

TITLE: How To Save Your Own Life

Then … the completed sermon should be evaluated in terms of how well it adheres to the CIT and SF, and accomplishes its SO.

INVOCATION

OUTLINE OF John 11:45-53; 12:20-36a

1. The Plot to Kill Jesus (11:45-53).

1. Reaction of the Jews to the raising of Lazarus. (11:45-46).

   1. Some of them believed. (11:45).

   2. But others informed the Pharisees. (11:46).

2. Reaction of the Pharisees to the people’s belief in Jesus. (11:47-53).

   1. Their question: “⁴⁷What are we to do?” (11:47-48).

   2. The response of the High Priest: “⁵⁰It is better for you to have one man die for the people than to have the whole nation destroyed.” (11:49-50).

   3. Their decision: “⁵³So from that day on they planned to put him to death.” (11:51-53).

2. Some Greeks Wish to See Jesus. (12:20-26).

1. Greek Jews at the Festival inquire about seeing Jesus. (12:20-21).

2. Phillip and Andrew inform Jesus. (12:22)

3. Jesus responds. (12:23-26).

   1. “²³The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified.” (12:23).

   2. “²⁴Very truly, I tell you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth, it remains just a single grain; but if it dies, it bears much fruit.” (12:24).

   3. “²⁵Those who love their life lose it, but those who hate their life in this world will keep it for eternal life.” (12:25).

   4. “²⁶Whoever serves me must follow me, and where I am, there my servant will be also. Whoever serves me, the Father will honor.” (12:26).

3. Jesus Speaks About His Death. (12:27-36a).

1. Jesus expresses his anguish. (12:27-28a).

2. A voice from heaven responds. (12:28b-29).

3. Jesus responds. (12:30-36).

   1. “³⁰‘This voice has come for your sake, not for mine. (12:30).

   2. “³¹‘Now is the judgment of this world; now the ruler of this world will be driven out. (12:31).

   3. “³²‘And I, when I am lifted up,[I] will draw all people to myself.’ ³³He said this to indicate the kind of death he was to die.” (12:32-33).

4. The crowd questions Jesus: “³⁴Who is this Son of Man?” (12:34)

5. Jesus answers. (12:35-36).

   1. “³⁵‘The light is with you for a little longer. Walk while you have the the light, so that the darkness may not overtake you.’” (12:35).

   2. “³⁶‘While you have the light, believe in the light, so that you may become children of light.’” (12:36).

SERMON DEVELOPMENT

How to Save Your Own Life

John 11:45-53; 12:20-36a

Introduction

1. All of us have been touched in some way during this last week by the senseless and brutal murder of Eve Marie Carson, the young and energetic president of the student body at Carolina.

1. The unexpected death of anyone her age is almost always shocking.

2. But in this event, several factors make it even more so:

   1. In the first place, it appears to be a merciless and cruel act of random violence.

   2. In the second place, it appears to be entirely gratuitous, since, at this point, ther is no discernable reason or justification for it.

   3. But what makes it especially tragic is that it happened to someone so young and gifted, someone with so much talent and promise.

3. In commenting on this incident, several people, including UNC Chancellor James Moeser, wondered aloud what things this young lady might have accomplished in her lifetime if this tragic event had not happened.

2. There seem to be two general qualities that distinguished this young lady.

1. In the first place, she was extremely intelligent and energetic.

2. But in the second place, she seemed to know where to invest her personal gifts and energies.

3. In a note she had written to herself on her own left hand she said, “I want any excuse to work with my classmates (and to help them do what they want to do … because that’s what I wanted to do).”

3. In the news reports of this tragic event we have heard little or nothing about her religious faith, save that her funeral is today, I think, at a Methodist church in Georgia.

1. So I have no idea whether she knew anything specifically about our Scripture passage today, or whether she made a conscious effort to apply this passage to her own life.

2. But I think her life embodies some of the teaching of this passage.

3. So lets think a bit about how our Scripture for this morning may be reflected in her ideals and priorities, and in the way she lived.

Scripture

We will read our passage today in three segments, with a brief comment on each part.

1. The first section is John 11:45-53. I am reading from the New Revised Standard Version.

[Read here John 11;45-53, NRSV.]

2. To understand what this section is about, we need to recall that the first half of this eleventh chapter of John recounts the raising of Lazarus from the grave.

1. It includes the dialog between Jesus and Martha, in which Jesus says to her,“^23‘‘Your brother will rise again,’” and Martha replies “²⁴‘I know that he will rise again in the resurrection at the last day.’” (11:23-24).

2. And then Jesus answers, “²⁵‘I am the resurrection and the life. Those who believe in me, even though they die, will live, ²⁶and everyone who lives and believes in me will never die.’” (11:25-26).

3. These are the familiar words often heard at funerals and memorial services. They are words of comfort and assurance for all of us.

3. It is also helpful for us to remember that the raising of Lazarus appears only in the Gospel of John — it does not occur in the Matthew, Mark, or Luke.

   1. For John, the raising of Lazarus is a story of signs that prefigure the coming crucifixion of Christ.

   2. Indeed, one commentator¹ points up the numerous parallels between the death and burial of Lazarus and that of Jesus and observes,

“Lazarus left the tomb, but the price was that Jesus had to enter it (vv. 45-53). Jesus himself said it, one cannot give life unless one dies (12:24). Jesus made no exception in his own case.”

Exposition

1. In our first section of Scripture, we see that the raising of Lazarus set in motion the events that led to the crucifixion of Jesus.

1. Many of the Jews that witnessed the raising of Lazarus believed that Jesus was the promised Messiah. (12:45).

2. But some did not, and they reported what had happened to the Pharisees. (12:46).

3. And the Pharisees were perhaps understandably concerned about what the Roman authorities might do if this popular belief in Jesus became a political uprising. (12:47-50).

4. And so they resolved to put Jesus to death. (11:53).

2. But let us not overlook one important verse in this section.

1. Verses 51 and 52 say the High Priest “⁵¹prophesied that Jesus was about to die for the nation, ⁵²and not for the nation only, but to gather into one the dispersed children of God.” (11:51-52).

2. So in this I think we hear a hint that God was using the High Priest and the Pharisees to accomplish God’s own purposes, whether they were aware of it or not.

Scripture

1. The second section of Scripture is from chapter 12, verses 20-26. Again I’m reading from the New Revised Standard Version.

[Read here John 12:20-26, NRSV.]

2. In these verses we hear Jesus’ reflections on his coming death.

1. “²⁴‘Very truly I tell you [he says], unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains just a single grain; but if it dies, it bears much fruit.’” (12:24).

2. And he continues, “²⁵‘Those who love their life lose it, and those who hate their life in this world will keep it for eternal life.’” (11:25)

3. Now these are very strange and disturbing words to our ears, but I think they are the very heart of this passage — and indeed, the very heart of what it means to be a Christian.

Exposition

1. The agricultural metaphor that Jesus used — planting a grain of wheat, so that more wheat will grow — is an image that Jesus’ hearers would have quickly understood.

2. And we quickly understand it too!

3. But does this mean that each of us should expect literally to die for someone else, in the physical way that Christ died for each of us?

4. Or is there some other sense in which these words are to be understood?

5. I think a clue comes in the next words that Jesus utters.

1. He continues, “²⁵‘Those who love their life lose it, and those who hate their life in this world will keep it for eternal life.’” (11:25)

2. Now these words do appear in the other three Gospels — in no less than five other places: Matthew 10:39 and 16:25; Mark 8:35; and Luke 9:24 and 17:33.

3. So that’s twice in Matthew, once in Mark, twice in Luke, and once in John!

4. Do you think perhaps God is trying to tell us something here?

6. I want to come back to a practical application of these verses in a moment.

7. But first let’s consider briefly the last part of our Scripture.

Scripture

1. The final section of our Scripture is verses 27 through 36 of this chapter. Again, I’m reading from the New Revised Standard Version.

[Read here John 12:27-36, NRSV.]

2. In these verses Jesus speaks plainly about his crucifixion

Exposition

1. It is here that Jesus applies to himself what he has just said about losing one’s life in order to keep it.

2. He expresses three thoughts in these words.

1. First, his supreme desire is to bring glory to God by what is about to happen to him.

“²⁷And now my soul is troubled [he says]. And what should I say — ~`Father, save me from this hour? No, it is for this reason that I have come to this hour. Father, glorify thy Name.’” (11:27).

2. Second, his desire is that by his death, all the world will be reconciled to God.

“³¹Nows is the judgment of this world; now the ruler of this world will be driven out. ³²And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself.’ He said this to indicate the kind of death that he was to die.” (12:31-32).

3. And third, his desire is that all of us should walk in the light of His supreme love for us.

“³⁵…The light is with you for a little longer. Walk while you have the light, so that the darkness may not overtake you. If you walk in darkness, you do not know where you are going. ³⁶While you have the light, believe in the light, so that you may become children of light.” (12:35b-36a)

Reflections and Conclusions

1. So the key thought in these passages lies in the words repeated six times in the four gospels: “²⁵‘Those who love their life lose it, and those who hate their life in this world will keep it for eternal life.’” (11:25).

2. And what does that mean for us?

1. Does it mean that we should all die in some physical way, that we should all become martyrs for the cause of Christ?

   1. Sometimes that does indeed happen.

   2. The account of Dietrich Bonhőffer’s execution by the Nazis that we read two weeks ago is but one of many examples of physical death even in these times for the cause of Christ.

2. But there is a larger sense in which each of us may lose our lives in the cause of Christ — and that is by becoming involved in the redemption and reconciliation of others.

3. And we talked about that last week, when we considered rejoicing in the suffering we may experience as we become involved with others in the cause of Christ.

4. You may also remember that in the first sermon I shared with you I talked about the ministry of reconciliation that God has given to each of us.

   1. In that message I stressed that this ministry of reconciliation consists of sharing with other people the experienced reality of God in our own lives.

   2. And the ministry of reconciliation is always relational, sacrificial, redemptive, and respectful in its nature.

3. Some years ago, in the long-ago ages when high schools and colleges used to sponsor baccalaureate services for their graduates, the minister of a church in our community said something that has made a lasting impression on me.

1. She said, “If life is a gift — and surely it is, because we cannot create life on our own — then the secret to living a great life is to give it away.”

2. And this truth applies not only to individuals, but to the life of the church as well!

   1. An individual who is concerned only with him- or herself and ignores the hurts and needs of others is someone who doesn’t really understand what life is about.

   2. And a church that is not actively involved in meaningful ministry in its own community doesn’t understand what the gospel of Jesus Christ is all about.

   3. Cane Creek is a church that IS involved in its community — by participating actively in programs like Orange Churches In Missions and the Appalachian Service Project.

3. I think that is the secret, if indeed it is a secret, that Eve Marie Carson instinctively understood and practiced.

   1. Her great gift did not lie so much in her intelligence and energy, as prodigious as those qualities were, but rather in her desire to help other people become all that they could be.

   2. And if I may brag a bit, I am blessed to be married to a very intelligent and gifted lady whose focus is almost always on what she can do for someone else — even sometimes to neglecting her own needs.

4. Our lives are truly a gift from God.

1. God has created us for relationships with Himself and with each other.

2. And our lives find their deepest meaning when we invest them in the lives of other people.

3. This is what Jesus means, I believe, when He says that if we try to center our lives on ourselves, and what we want and need, life becomes meaningless and empty.

4. But when we invest our lives in the lives of others, especially for the cause of Christ, we become wonderfully aware of what life is all about in the first place.

5. That’s how you can save your own life! Give it away by investing it in the redemption of those around you!