New Life Bible Fellowship Church
12-8-24

      • Luke 2:1–20ESV

      • Bible Trivia
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      • Psalm 33:1–3ESV

  • What Child is This
  • As With Gladness Men of Old

      • Psalm 116NKJV

  • Introduction:

    As we continue with this year’s advent series called, Call His Name Jesus, which we have taken from the passage in Matthew 1:21 (“21 She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.”” ), we mentioned last week, that the Greek word for name (nomos) is a word that denotes the very characteristics of the one to whom it’s given. So we began last week with the Nature of Jesus and saw from Philippians 2:1-11, that the name Jesus encompasses both the nature of God and the nature of man.
    This morning. we will look at another characteristic contained in the name of Jesus (the Lord is salvation) and that is his function. So what does that actually mean?
    The word function is defined as the natural purpose of something or the duty of a person. For example, "The function of the veins is to carry blood to the heart". This blood is then pumped throughout the body bringing life sustaining oxygen to the cells in our bodies.
    In reference to our message today, we will see that Jesus, the second person of the trinity with the dual natures of eternal God and perfect man, in his incarnation, was able to fulfill his natural purpose of bringing spiritual life to his people, according to the eternal covenant of redemption.
    We will see how he does so this morning as we look at John 12:27-36, and understand this Function of Jesus.

    Text: John 12:27-36

    John 12:27–36 ESV
    27 “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. 28 Father, glorify your name.” Then a voice came from heaven: “I have glorified it, and I will glorify it again.” 29 The crowd that stood there and heard it said that it had thundered. Others said, “An angel has spoken to him.” 30 Jesus answered, “This voice has come for your sake, not mine. 31 Now is the judgment of this world; now will the ruler of this world be cast out. 32 And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself.” 33 He said this to show by what kind of death he was going to die. 34 So the crowd answered him, “We have heard from the Law that the Christ remains forever. How can you say that the Son of Man must be lifted up? Who is this Son of Man?” 35 So Jesus said to them, “The light is among you for a little while longer. Walk while you have the light, lest darkness overtake you. The one who walks in the darkness does not know where he is going. 36 While you have the light, believe in the light, that you may become sons of light.” When Jesus had said these things, he departed and hid himself from them.

    Main Idea: Because his name is Jesus, his ultimate function was to be lifted up that we might become sons of light.

    Background:

    We have been studying the gospel of John in our non-advent Sunday morning services. We have come to understand that John’s purpose in writing his gospel is to declare that Jesus is the Son of God through his teaching, miracles, and final substitutionary atonement.
    We pick up John’s narrative this morning just after Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem, and see that Jesus uses this opportunity to prepare his disciples for his crucifixion, his purpose for coming.

    I. Glorify the Father (27-30)

    (27) “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.
    Now is my soul troubled. And what shall I say? ‘Father, save me from this hour’? - the reality of his humanity is weighing heavily upon Jesus as he faces the certainty of the crucifixion, but though this is the case, he understands that it was…
    for this purpose (dia [preposition] - for this reason) [I have come] (erchomai [aor, act, ind] - to move toward or approach) to this hour. - in other words Jesus, though under severe physical and mental strain, understands the function he is to perform in the eternal covenant of redemption, which begins with…
    (28) Father, glorify your name.” Then a voice came from heaven: “I have glorified it, and I will glorify it again.”
    Father, glorify your name.” - it was first and foremost that Jesus the Son, the Son of Man, would in his humanity bring glory to his eternal Father (as was done in his divinity), as he sought to magnify and make evident all that the Father’s name represents. This we see again in more detail in Jesus High priestly prayer from John 17:1-5:
    John 17:1–5 ESV
    1 When Jesus had spoken these words, he lifted up his eyes to heaven, and said, “Father, the hour has come; glorify your Son that the Son may glorify you, 2 since you have given him authority over all flesh, to give eternal life to all whom you have given him. 3 And this is eternal life, that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent. 4 I glorified you on earth, having accomplished the work that you gave me to do. 5 And now, Father, glorify me in your own presence with the glory that I had with you before the world existed.
    “I have glorified it, and I will glorify it again.” - the Father assures his Son that his name is glorified by the work and purpose that Jesus is doing.
    (29) The crowd that stood there and heard it said that it had thundered. Others said, “An angel has spoken to him.” - this exchange between the Father and the Son was done publically for the benefit of those who looked on, as Jesus explains next…
    (30) Jesus answered, “This voice has come for your sake, not mine. - once again Jesus makes clear his intimate relationship with his Father who has more then once sanctioned all that Jesus was doing before those who watched. Remember at his baptism and transfiguration:
    Matthew 3:16–17 ESV
    16 And when Jesus was baptized, immediately he went up from the water, and behold, the heavens were opened to him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and coming to rest on him; 17 and behold, a voice from heaven said, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.”
    Matthew 17:2–5 ESV
    2 And he was transfigured before them, and his face shone like the sun, and his clothes became white as light. 3 And behold, there appeared to them Moses and Elijah, talking with him. 4 And Peter said to Jesus, “Lord, it is good that we are here. If you wish, I will make three tents here, one for you and one for Moses and one for Elijah.” 5 He was still speaking when, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them, and a voice from the cloud said, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased; listen to him.”
    So not only is what Jesus is about to do will function to Glorify the Father, but it will also:

    II. Judge the World (31-33)

    (31) Now is the judgment of this world; now will the ruler of this world be cast out.
    Now is the judgment of this world - By His coming death, Jesus will end the power of sin over Adam’s race, judging and condemning it.
    now will the ruler of this world be cast out
    the ruler of this world. Satan. Satan is a usurper and powerful created being. He is the head of sinners and the world’s sinful structures, but the Lord is sovereign even over Him, and Satan exercises authority over God’s enemies only to the extent that God allows him. When God destroys Satan’s power, He is not violating his rights, or breaking any agreement made with him.
    cast out. The death of Christ deprives Satan of grounds to accuse believers in God’s heavenly law court and curtails his power to deceive and dominate humanity.
    (32) And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself.” (33) He said this to show by what kind of death he was going to die.
    when I am lifted up from the earth - This refers to the crucifixion (v. 33), but also to the glorification of Christ. As Mediator, He will be “lifted up” to the right hand of God.
    will draw all people to myself. - The cross exerts a universal attraction, and people of all nationalities, Gentiles as well as Jews, will be saved through it. “All” means all kinds of people without distinction—i.e., rich and poor, Jew and Gentile, not all members of the human race without exception.
    Finally, we see that not only would the actions of Jesus function to Glorify the Father, and Judge the World, but wonderfully:

    III. Make Sons of Light (34-36)

    We begin by a response from the crowd of people who were present:
    (34) So the crowd answered him, “We have heard from the Law that the Christ remains forever. How can you say that the Son of Man must be lifted up? Who is this Son of Man?”
    “We have heard from the Law that the Christ remains forever.
    the law, is one of the terms used for the entirety of the OT Scriptures (10:34; 15:25).
    that the Christ remains forever - This statement by the crowd regarding the eternality of the Messiah, is a possible reference to several passages in the OT, one of course we use during the Christmas celebration from Is. 9:7
    Isaiah 9:7 ESV
    7 Of the increase of his government and of peace there will be no end, on the throne of David and over his kingdom, to establish it and to uphold it with justice and with righteousness from this time forth and forevermore. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will do this.
    Along with this statement, they ask two questions:
    How can you say that the Son of Man must be lifted up? - They apparently understand this to be a reference to death by hanging or crucifixion, and on the basis of Scriptures they cannot reconcile their view of the Messiah with the prospect of His death.
    Who is this Son of Man?” - They understand this title, Jesus’ preferred self-designation, to be a claim as the promised Messiah (Matt. 26:63, 64).
    Note how Jesus responds next, though he does not seem to answer their questions, he certainly reveals the truth behind his function as the bearer of light and how that light will bring about the fulfillment of his eternal Messiahship.
    (35) So Jesus said to them, “The light is among you for a little while longer. Walk while you have the light, lest darkness overtake you. The one who walks in the darkness does not know where he is going.
    The light is among you for a little while longer. Jesus is the “light”. His impending death will bring a period of darkness.
    The presence of light has always been associated with the presence of God:
    James 1:16–18 ESV
    16 Do not be deceived, my beloved brothers. 17 Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change. 18 Of his own will he brought us forth by the word of truth, that we should be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures.
    Jesus’ answer is indirect; in view of the fact that the light will be with people only for a little while longer, his crucifixion is near. He urges the people to believe in the light while there is still time.
    (36) While you have the light, believe in the light, that you may become sons of light.” When Jesus had said these things, he departed and hid himself from them.
    While you have the light, believe in the light, that you may become sons of light. - while the light (Jesus) was with them, those who trusted him became a part of his light.
    1 John 1:5–7 ESV
    5 This is the message we have heard from him and proclaim to you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all. 6 If we say we have fellowship with him while we walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. 7 But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin.
    Jesus is connecting his function as the light bearer, with his function as a sin bearer. When he is lifted up on the cross, he will draw all people to himself, thus making them sons of light through trust in his substitutionary death on the cross.
    When Jesus hid himself from them, he indicated God’s imminent judgment and the completion of his revelatory work to the people of Israel (1:18).

    So What?

    Do we understand that through his nature of humanity, Jesus functioned in his obedience to glorify the Father, condemn the ruler of this world, and make sons of light?
    As we celebrate Christmas through our various traditions, I want us to take focused time to look at this tiny babe, so peaceful and helpless as the one who through his incarnation is God in the flesh, who came with the natural purpose of glorifying his father through his obedience of judging the sinful, Satanic world system, by being lifted up on the cross, bearing our sins, and shining his eternal light, and from this function, created adopted sons of light.
    As a result, we as those sons of light are to be Jesus’ bearers of light. Remember what Jesus said in Matthew 5:14-16
    Matthew 5:14–16 ESV
    14 “You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. 15 Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. 16 In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.
    As Jesus glorified the Father in his flesh, we too are called to do the same by letting our light shine.
    Have you through faith in Christ alone become a son of light?

      • John 12:27–36ESV

      • John 12:27–30ESV

      • John 17:1–5ESV

      • Matthew 3:16–17ESV

      • Matthew 17:2–5ESV

      • John 12:31–33ESV

      • John 12:34ESV

      • Isaiah 9:7ESV

      • John 12:35ESV

      • James 1:16–18ESV

      • James 1:16–18ESV

      • James 1:16–18ESV

      • John 12:36ESV

      • 1 John 1:5–7ESV

      • Matthew 5:14–16ESV

  • O Little Town of Bethlehem
New Life Bible Fellowship Church
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(302) 945-8145
https://newlifebfcde.org
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