INTERNET BIBLE STUDIES JOHN LESSON 22
Contact: David Parham 940-322-4343

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John Chapter 12:26-50

Memory verse for this week: Prov 17:28 Even a fool, when he holdeth his peace, is counted wise: and he that shutteth his lips is esteemed a man of understanding.

Introduction: Last week we saw Christ teaching Martha a very important lesson in that we sometimes need to slow down and listen to the Lord. She was upset at Mary’s refusal to come and help her serve, and Jesus rebuked her and told her that "Mary hath chosen that good part, which shall not be taken away from her." (Luke 10:42)

I.  Jesus’ Answer

In verses 23-24, the Lord is presented as the crucified one. Christ was soon to be glorified in his death.

John 17:1 These words spake Jesus, and lifted up his eyes to heaven, and said, Father, the hour is come; glorify thy Son, that thy Son also may glorify thee:

Mat 26:45 Then cometh he to his disciples, and saith unto them, Sleep on now, and take your rest: behold, the hour is at hand, and the Son of man is betrayed into the hands of sinners.

Mat 26:46 Rise, let us be going: behold, he is at hand that doth betray me.

 

John 12:25 He that loveth his life shall lose it; and he that hateth his life in this world shall keep it unto life eternal.

John 12:26 If any man serve me, let him follow me; and where I am, there shall also my servant be: if any man serve me, him will my Father honour.

We see that we are commanded not to love our lives here on earth. God has placed us here for a reason, but we are not to love this present world. We should be willing to lay down our life for others, the same as Jesus has done for us.

 

1 John 2:16 For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world.

1 John 2:17 And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever.

Paul told the Corinthians that he took up his cross every day, and he died to the flesh.

1 Cor 15:31 I protest by your rejoicing which I have in Christ Jesus our Lord, I die daily.

Col 3:5 Mortify therefore your members which are upon the earth; fornication, uncleanness, inordinate affection, evil concupiscence, and covetousness, which is idolatry:

Col 3:6 For which things' sake the wrath of God cometh on the children of disobedience:

Rom 6:6 Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin.

Rom 6:7 For he that is dead is freed from sin.

Rom 6:8 Now if we be dead with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with him:

Rom 6:9 Knowing that Christ being raised from the dead dieth no more; death hath no more dominion over him.

Rom 6:10 For in that he died, he died unto sin once: but in that he liveth, he liveth unto God.

Rom 6:11 Likewise reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Rom 6:12 Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, that ye should obey it in the lusts thereof.

Rom 6:13 Neither yield ye your members as instruments of unrighteousness unto sin: but yield yourselves unto God, as those that are alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness unto God.

 

John 12:27 Now is my soul troubled; and what shall I say? Father, save me from this hour: but for this cause came I unto this hour.

John 12:28 Father, glorify thy name. Then came there a voice from heaven, saying, I have both glorified it, and will glorify it again.

We see that Jesus came into this world to die for our sins, and in so doing, glorifying the Father. Jesus’ every step in life, his very being, was to do the Will of the Father. And God spoke from Heaven saying that he would glorify His name again. John Phillips, in his book the Epistle of John, pointed out that this is the third time that God spoke audibly from Heaven in regards to Jesus.

"The first time was at his baptism, at the commencement of his ministry (Matthew 3:17), the second time was on the mount of transfiguration, at the climax of his ministry (Matthew 17:5), and the third time was here, at the crisis of his ministry. The first time was when he went down into the waters of Jordan; the second time was when he was about to come down from the mount; the third time was when he prepared himself to go down into death."

John 5:30 I can of mine own self do nothing: as I hear, I judge: and my judgment is just; because I seek not mine own will, but the will of the Father which hath sent me.

II. Testimony of Approval From God

John 12:29 The people therefore, that stood by, and heard it, said that it thundered: others said, An angel spake to him.

John 12:30 Jesus answered and said, This voice came not because of me, but for your sakes.

John 12:31 Now is the judgment of this world: now shall the prince of this world be cast out.

John 12:32 And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto me.

What a promise Jesus makes to us in verse 32. If he be lifted up from the earth, he will draw all men unto himself. This has a two fold meaning in that Jesus had to be lifted up to die on the Cross, and then we, who preach the Gospel, have to lift him up to a lost and dying world.

John 3:14 And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up:

John 3:15 That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life.

John 3:16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

John 3:17 For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.

John 3:18 He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.

By Christ being lifted up, the archenemy of God, Satan, will be cast out. Satan today is still roaming this earth, but one day he will be chained at the end of the tribulation, and later, after being loosed for a season at the end of the Millennial kingdom, will be cast into the Lake of Fire with the false prophet and the beast.

Rev 20:10 And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are, and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever.

J. Vernon McGee had this comment about these verses. "We live in world that is judged. He came to die a judgment death for the sins of the world. If the world will not accept this, the world is judged. How is Satan, the prince of this world, cast out? I believe it is done gradually. When Christ died on the Cross, I am convinced that Satan did not understand what was happening. What he thought would be a defeat turned out to be a victory. He lost the battle at the Cross which is the reason the Lord can say that the prince of this world is cast out. Then in Rev. 12:10 we are told that Satan will be cast out of heaven, which is the second stage. Then in Rev. 20:3, he will be cast into the bottomless pit, and in Rev. 20:10, he will be cast into the lake of fire. Thais is the last stage of his defeat. At the Cross, his doom was sealed. The Cross marks the victory of Christ and the defeat of Satan.

 

John 12:33 This he said, signifying what death he should die.

John 12:34 The people answered him, We have heard out of the law that Christ abideth for ever: and how sayest thou, The Son of man must be lifted up? who is this Son of man?

John 12:35 Then Jesus said unto them, Yet a little while is the light with you. Walk while ye have the light, lest darkness come upon you: for he that walketh in darkness knoweth not whither he goeth.

John 12:36 While ye have light, believe in the light, that ye may be the children of light. These things spake Jesus, and departed, and did hide himself from them.

We see that the people do not comprehend what Jesus speaks in regards to him being lifted up. The idea of Jesus dying on the Cross was not something that made sense to them. Jesus tells them that He is the light of this world. So many times he had revealed this to the people, but they did not grasp this. If we want to be known as children of the Lord, we need to walk in the light like Jesus. We can’t walk in darkness and be of the Lord.

1 John 1:6 If we say that we have fellowship with him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth:

1 John 1:7 But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin.

1 John 1:8 If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.

1 John 1:9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

1 John 1:10 If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.

III. Fulfillment of Prophecy

John 12:37 But though he had done so many miracles before them, yet they believed not on him:

John 12:38 That the saying of Esaias the prophet might be fulfilled, which he spake, Lord, who hath believed our report? and to whom hath the arm of the Lord been revealed?

John 12:39 Therefore they could not believe, because that Esaias said again,

John 12:40 He hath blinded their eyes, and hardened their heart; that they should not see with their eyes, nor understand with their heart, and be converted, and I should heal them.

John 12:41 These things said Esaias, when he saw his glory, and spake of him.

We see that many prophecies were fulfilled during this time. All things that were prophesied of the Lord came to pass exactly as they were pinned. Some of the prophecies were in Psalms, some in Micah and the minor prophets, but a large number of the prophecy came from the book of Isaiah.

God had blinded the Jews eyes, and even today they still have not realized that the Messiah has already came, almost 2,000 years ago.

John 12:42 Nevertheless among the chief rulers also many believed on him; but because of the Pharisees they did not confess him, lest they should be put out of the synagogue:

John 12:43 For they loved the praise of men more than the praise of God.

Do we have any today that fail to serve God in sincerity and truth because they seek to please men? Of course we do. And if we seek to please men, be sure the Lord is not pleased with our lives. We should fear God, and He and He alone should we strive to please. When our ways please the Lord, He makes our path easy.

Prov 16:7 When a man's ways please the LORD, he maketh even his enemies to be at peace with him.

Psa 112:1 Praise ye the LORD. Blessed is the man that feareth the LORD, that delighteth greatly in his commandments.

Psa 112:2 His seed shall be mighty upon earth: the generation of the upright shall be blessed.

Psa 112:3 Wealth and riches shall be in his house: and his righteousness endureth for ever.

Psa 112:4 Unto the upright there ariseth light in the darkness: he is gracious, and full of compassion, and righteous.

John 12:44 Jesus cried and said, He that believeth on me, believeth not on me, but on him that sent me.

John 12:45 And he that seeth me seeth him that sent me.

John 12:46 I am come a light into the world, that whosoever believeth on me should not abide in darkness.

John 12:47 And if any man hear my words, and believe not, I judge him not: for I came not to judge the world, but to save the world.

John 12:48 He that rejecteth me, and receiveth not my words, hath one that judgeth him: the word that I have spoken, the same shall judge him in the last day.

John 12:49 For I have not spoken of myself; but the Father which sent me, he gave me a commandment, what I should say, and what I should speak.

John 12:50 And I know that his commandment is life everlasting: whatsoever I speak therefore, even as the Father said unto me, so I speak.

We see that the Lord came to judge the unbeliever. We don’t have to wait to find out if we are condemned by our sins. The bible says we are condemned already. All we can do is hope to find salvation in the Lord Jesus Christ. Christ’s Word is exactly the same as the Father’s Word.

John 3:18 He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.

John 3:19 And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.

John 3:20 For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved.

John 3:21 But he that doeth truth cometh to the light, that his deeds may be made manifest, that they are wrought in God.

John 9:4 I must work the works of him that sent me, while it is day: the night cometh, when no man can work.

John 9:5 As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world.

Internet Bible Studies are prepared and distributed free of charge. The lessons may not be sold without consent. If you have questions or wish to discuss the lessons, or possibly need help in finding Jesus Christ as your Personal Lord and Savior, contact David Parham at 940-322-4343.

Prov 4:18 But the path of the just is as the shining light, that shineth more and more unto the perfect day.

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