How can we understand the th..

Welcome to Cornerstone Reformed Baptist Church. Thank you for using and sharing our resources. What you're about to hear is God's Word from one of our teaching elders. We trust that God's Word will inspire, instruct, and bless you. For further teachings or information on our ministry, please visit us on our website at cornerstonerbc.

com. That's cornerstonerbc.com. Brothers and sisters and friends, we continue the text that we began last week. The text that is a momentous text in our Bibles.

In fact, it is recorded for us in every one of the four Gospels. It's the one that we know as the triumphant entry of our Lord into Jerusalem. I said in previous weeks that Israel was never more expectant of the Messiah than they were in the first century. So many of the prophecies of the Old Covenant were pointing to this day where the Anointed One of God will finally come and make His presence known, this Messianic King, the hope of Israel, in fact the hope of the world. And they knew that the abundant of prophecies that foretell about this Christ to come would be fulfilled because it is the Word of God and the Word of God cannot be broken.

Awaiting the fulfillment of those prophecies, they waited eagerly. But now somehow, Although the Lord has been to Jerusalem before on multiple occasions, although our Lord has already taught these people on multiple occasions, and made His claims before the vast crowds there in Jerusalem, and performed many signs and wonders and miracles before them all, it is now that the nation is pressed to do something with this Jesus. They're pressed to declare Him as King. They're pressed to make Him their King. And so as we discovered last week, they begin to chant on the height of their voices as Christ comes from Bethany over there in the east, over the Mount of Olives and begins to descend down into Jerusalem.

The crowd who had come out of Bethany, a huge massive numbers, and then a crowd that comes out of Jerusalem also, and they gather together and make this myriad of people coming down the Mount of Olives and descending into the city called Jerusalem, the Holy City, and they begin to chant at the top of their voices, Hosanna! Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord, even the King of Israel. Celebration is in the air. Joy, ecstasy, absolute jubilation would be how you would describe this moment as they rolled out that red carpet, so to speak, with their garments and leafy branches they've pulled off the trees to put before the Lord as He rode on that colt down into Jerusalem.

They wanted to make him king because in their hearts and in their minds they believed finally the king has come. What sparked such a tremendous outcry? What was the fuel for this massive recognition of royalty? Well, verse 17 tells us. 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, 18, the reason why, the reason why the crowd went to meet him was that they heard that he had done this sign.

What caused this massive outcry, this reception by the multitudes of people, to fully and finally declare this Jesus as their Messianic King, the one the Old Covenant was pointing towards, all the hundreds of prophecies were pointing towards? What is it? It is this fact that Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead. A man who'd been dead and buried for four days, and Jesus, with the power that comes from God through His Word, He says, come forth and Lazarus comes out of the dead and in the mind of the people who are well versed in scriptures they knew that life comes from God and God alone there is life in no one he is the source and the substance he is the fountain of life and everything apart from God is absolute death and if Jesus can open his mouth And with the word, bring Lazarus from his dead state into life. And then the people understood at that point, at least in their minds, that this man is sanctioned by God.

This man is being given the power of God. Yahweh is behind Jesus and therefore He has anointed Him to be the Messiah. He must be the anointed of God is what's running through their mind. This must be our King. They'd heard the reports from the eyewitnesses, we're told John tells us, who were actually there when Lazarus was actually raised from the dead and they could not but speak of what they had seen and heard.

They couldn't keep it to themselves. They had to open their mouth and say, did you hear about what this Jesus has done? This mammoth miracle had etched its memory into their hearts so deeply that even weeks after, they continued to bear witness. The apostle John tells us, weeks after, it must have made quite an impact on their lives. The whole region, we're told, was completely stirred up.

It wasn't a little noise they were making. This wasn't a festivity in a lane or two or in a street. No, no. This wasn't a few people, beloved. This was a massive commotion that is taking place.

Essentially, it eluded the whole nation. Everyone was coming to see this Jesus. Listen to the testimony of the outraged Pharisees in verse 19. So the Pharisees said to one another, you see, that you are gaining nothing. Speaking to one another, look, the world has gone after him.

Okay, perhaps there's some exaggeration there, because it's not quite the whole world that has gone after Christ, but as far as they can see it, everyone they know, the whole nation has now come out to meet with Jesus. The whole nation seems to be sympathetic to this Jesus. The whole nation now seems to be uttering those words, Hosanna, Hosanna, blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord, even the King of Israel. And the Pharisees weren't happy about it because they had already plotted to get rid of the evidence before this exact thing was to take place. Because they knew if the emesses were beginning to follow after Christ, that would be a movement they cannot stop.

So before that gets to that point, they had already planned and plotted with the chief priests and the Sanhedrin to bring an end to Christ, to put Him to death. That if anyone was to see Him, they were to come to tell them, they would arrest them, and in their mind they will also put Him to death. But exactly what they did not want to take place, has taken place. This was an absolute big deal. And from the perspective of the Pharisees and all those who were there that day, everyone was sold out for Christ.

At least that's how it seemed. The nation was determined to make Him king. And Christ, our Lord, for now, He not only approves, he even divinely orchestrates the whole event. Knowing full well that these people will fully and finally reject him in the end, Jesus. Jesus full-heartedly orchestrates what is taking place before us.

Not because, beloved hear me now, not because He desires. He desires the accolades and the applauds of men. That's not it at all. And it's not because He desires for them to enthrone Him right now as King in this way. No, that's not it.

But rather to fulfill scripture. Because it is written. It is written and it is written. And Jesus from his own words said that scripture cannot be broken. Back in chapter 6 we're told that the Galileans, they also tried to make Him king forcefully, but back then Jesus withdrew from them and rejected that notion.

As He will, this one also. Because He knows He is indeed the Messianic King. He knows who He is. Jesus knows who sent Him. He knows His mission.

He knows His purpose. And right now, it's not that he will assume a physical throne in order to rule and reign over Jerusalem. That's not his task. Rather, he has a more urgent matter at hand, and it will require to assume the role of the sacrificial lamb and lay down his life for his people. In fact, right now, if the chanting and the bellowing and the singing at the top of the voices of the myriads upon myriads that are with the Lord now, where the whole city, no doubt, is rumbling with their voices, if that noise was to cease for even a moment, there would be another distinct, unmistakable sound in the background that these people and we would do well to discern.

And it's an element that very few acknowledge when this text is being considered. It pertains, beloved, to how these cities transformed during the time of the Feast of Passover. Now last week I mentioned that according to some reasonable historical documents or writings, that the Passover was attended by not tens of thousands or hundreds of thousands, but in fact millions In the first century AD, before the destruction of the Jerusalem Temple, I said last week that there was a census done in one of those years and 2.7 million participants were counted according to the census who partook in the Passover for that year. Now that's a lot of people for such a small area.

Now most of the activities, as we know, and we've worked our way through the Feast of Tabernacles, and it's much the same with the Passover, much of the activities that take place during this massive feast take place in the temple precinct, which wasn't all that big. But even if we were going to stretch it out and say the whole of Jerusalem, even if we're going to take the whole of Jerusalem into consideration, we're talking 40, maybe 45 acres of land. Now some would be scattered across and outside of Jerusalem. No doubt when they came you can't fit 2.7 million in 40 or 45 acres of land.

It would be pretty impossible to fit them in that small space. But what they would do is they would come and they would find themselves lodging on the Mount of Olives in tents or staying at relatives' places in Bethany or down south in Bethlehem or up north in Emmaus. They would be scattered around that region. But there'd be a lot of people beloved. So when I said before and I've said previously that Jerusalem is absolutely bursting at the scenes during Passover, I wasn't exaggerating.

I want us to consider this. According to the law in Exodus chapter 12, and that's a text I did read to you about two months ago. Four days before the Passover, four days before the Passover, every family was to have the head of the family go and purchase, choose and purchase a lamb for the Passover if they don't already. have one. The lamb must be a year old, must be a male and must be without spot and must be without blemish and not just that but four days before the Passover they had to bring the lamb back home and that lamb needs to stay with them until that lamb is sacrificed.

So beloved the city was not only absolutely filled with people shoulder to shoulder The city was filled with lambs. I mentioned last week and then this week again, that 2.7 million number of participants in one year, and even if we called it one million, or one and a half million, or even just that 800,000, whatever it is, let's put in our minds that there's a great number of people that I didn't mention. But that census that recorded 2.7 million that year also recorded how many lambs were slaughtered or sacrificed that year also.

And beloved, the number came out at over 250,000 sacrificed that year, that Passover year. And all that to say, as Jesus was making his descent with this proud, and you wouldn't be able to hear your voices because you're chanting so loudly, descent into Jerusalem, it's likely, simultaneously, tens or even hundreds of thousands of lambs were making their way into the city also. And those lambs are making their way to be ready for lamb selection day, which is essential for the feast of Passover. And as I said earlier, if even for a moment the chanting and the singing was to stop, the sound of bleating, myriads of bleating lambs would no doubt be heard in the background. What a picture.

What a message this is for all who are residents of Jerusalem and those who have come from abroad to be participants in this wonderful festival. The Lamb was not a sideshow, beloved. The Lamb was the main event. Now it's true that there are hundreds of prophecies in the Old Testament, the 39 books of the Old Testament, which the Jews had, and we have. It's the same book that they had, beloved.

Hundreds of messianic prophecies in the Old Testament. And considering what they were singing and what they were chanting as they came down that mount with Jesus, it's very, very likely they were familiar with many, if not most, of those prophecies. However, it seems that they were plagued with a type of not selective hearing, but selective memory about those prophecies. Holding on to the messianic predictions that meet their own expectations, and discarding the rest that didn't. Hosanna, they cry out.

Hosanna. Last week I said that means save us now or rescue us now or deliver us now. Praise God, because the Messiah will save. He is the deliverer. Praise God, He is.

They chanted that He is the Son of David, absolutely. And the Old Covenant would point to the One who is the Son of David to come in His kingly reign, absolutely. Praise God that is so true and it is biblical. They chanted even the King of Israel, yes. Yes, this Messiah, the anointed from God, will come and He will be the King of Israel.

And that's absolutely true. They chanted peace in Luke. Peace. Peace that would come. Peace of God.

And that is true because He is the Prince of Peace. He will bring with Him a peace. He will do that. But how does all this fit with the one that they did not mention? How does all their messianic prophecies, which they're chanting on the way down with Jesus, fit in with what I would say is one of the clearest of all messianic prophecies in the Old Covenant, in the Old Testament?

One that they still deny today, the Jews. And I hope you know what I'm speaking of. I'm talking about Isaiah, Isaiah 52 and 53. I'm talking I'm talking about the anointed of God who comes as the suffering servant. Yes, He comes as the King of Israel.

Yes, He comes as the Son of David. Yes, He comes as the Deliverer, as the Savior. Yes, He comes with peace, the peace of God. But He comes also as the suffering servant. That's the anointed of God.

If you don't have a theology that takes the whole of God's Word, then your theology is broken at best. We can't take and nitpick what we like and then leave the rest. This is either God's Word or it isn't. If it is God's Word, and it is, then every single part of it is God's Word and needs to be submitted to every single part of it. So how did they take Isaiah 52 and 53?

which so clearly points in this setting where the lambs are bleeding and every household has one in their household for days before they would sacrifice. How did the writings of Isaiah 52 and 53 align with their understanding of this Messiah to come? When it is written, but He was pierced for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities, upon Him was the chastisement that brought peace. And with His wounds we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray.

We have turned everyone to His own way. And the Lord has laid upon Him the iniquity of us all. There's a sin problem. And God is laying the sins of His people upon the shoulders of this suffering servant here in Isaiah chapter 53. He was oppressed, he goes on, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth like a lamb.

Hear this, like a lamb. If you can't read, you just need to see. That is led to the slaughter. Every one of those lambs will be led to be sacrificed. And like a sheep that is before the shearer's silence, so he opened not his mouth.

And a little bit further, rather than reading the whole text for the sake of time, he goes on to say, he brought out his soul to death and was numbered with the transgressors. Yet he bore, hear this, yet he bore the sin of many and makes intercession for the transgressors. It was all about the Lamb. What did John the Baptist mean, that greatest of prophets, when he saw Jesus approach and he declared to everyone? And John the Baptist had a pretty massive following.

Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. The Pharisees are right. The whole world, as they see it, they are sold out for Christ. They are going after Christ. However, they're going after Him for the wrong reasons.

Because when He doesn't meet their expectations, that Hosanna, Hosanna turns in to crucify Him, crucify Him, let His blood be on us and upon our children. What a tragedy, but an absolute necessity. Because although the people of Israel did not understand the text like Isaiah speaking about the anointed of God, the Messianic King to come as the Lamb, as the suffering servant, and therefore they reject the Lord, that is in God's sovereign decree, they only did what he has sovereignly decreed to take place because it was absolutely necessary that Jesus lay down his life as the Lamb of God. in order to take away the sins of the world. In their unbelief, we see that Christ is in complete control.

That's the account, beloved, of the text that is before us, the triumphant entry of our Lord into Jerusalem. That's the text. Now, to the observant reader, you might actually have a question on your mind. You might look down and see that it goes from verse 12 through 19. There's eight verses there, and you might be asking the question, brother, why have you gone through every verse but you've completely skipped over verse 16?

And if that's the question you have in your mind, that's a pretty good question. And let me answer that question. It's because I intend, beloved, to spend the moments that we have together in verse 16. Whatever time we have left, this is where I want to park. This is the verse I need to unpack.

In fact, this is the reason, verse 16 is the very reason why I could not preach this text, only eight verses, in one sermon. The reason is what's happening here in verse 16, because verse 16 is huge. I won't be able to do full justice to the text. Let me be up front. That's not going to happen.

But I intend, by God's grace, with the time we have left, to unpack some of the key elements of that verse and leave much on the table. What does it say? Let's read it together. Verse 16. 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. His disciples did not understand these things at first. Now for starters, Let's give credit where credit is due. This is a pretty humble statement for the Apostle John, because he's included in the disciples. He's included in this number.

He's one of the apostles who says of himself, it's not just my brethren that didn't understand, I didn't understand either. He's claiming that he was ignorant as well. At least this time. And the question I ask is, how did they not understand? That's what we're told, they did not understand.

But how did they not understand? I mean, the disciples weren't exactly, as this was taking place, and the crowds were coming with Jesus, chanting on top of their voices, declaring Him as King. The disciples weren't standing back with hands crossed in protest, saying, no, we're not going to partake. That's not what was happening. In fact, a reading, a proper reading of all the four gospel accounts, and you cannot but come away acknowledging that the disciples weren't only part of this celebration, they were actually active in the celebration as well.

So you mean to tell me that these disciples, who were partaking in these massive joyful celebrations that day, were actually ignorant to the reason why Jesus was making His way into Jerusalem in the first place? Yes, that's what the Apostle John is telling us. And this is where it makes us a little uncomfortable. Because now we seem to be lumping the disciples, the men that are most intimate with the Lord Jesus Christ, the men who had spent years at his feet, in with the crowd of unbelievers. Now there's a difference, and I'll get to that.

But for now, let's acknowledge that there are also many similarities. A great deal of ignorance, a lack of understanding according to the Apostle John. The disciples also, not just the Jews, but the disciples also suffered from a major lack of understanding about what was taking place in real time. Now, if you're familiar with the Gospels, this would not be a surprise to you. In fact, you can stand back and say, well, I get it.

I get it. Because quite often as we work our way, whether it's the synoptics, Matthew, Mark, and Luke, or the Gospel according to John, quite often we see that the disciples, that they either didn't understand all that Jesus was saying, or they misunderstood some elements of his teaching, or they misinterpreted the words of our Lord quite badly. Put it this way, the scripture doesn't paint the picture of the disciples pre-glorification of Christ as them being very good exegetes because they just weren't. And our Lord pulled them up on many occasions because of this. Now it's true, beloved, and let's make this point.

It's true that our Lord, He spoke in parables, right? We remember that. Our Lord quite often spoke in parables. And the reason why He spoke in parables was because for those who are outside of the kingdom to be able to see and not perceive and to be able to hear and not understand, right? That's why.

Or else, He says, or else they will hear and they'll see and they shall be forgiven of their sins. But the disciples, at least the 11, we must acknowledge, they were Christ's. The secrets of the kingdom of God were given to the disciples. And yet, how often do we see a complete misunderstanding of the parables, among other things. The parable of the soils, for example.

Or the parable, as we know, of the sower, which is the parable of parables. In fact, It's this parable that practically interprets everything that Jesus taught them. It is the very base of understanding of what Christ is teaching and the disciples did not understand it. Beyond the parables, what about when we get to the straightforward teachings of Christ? Straightforward teaching quite often went straight over their heads.

Matthew 15. It's not what goes into the mouth that makes or defiles a person, but what comes out of the mouth that defiles a person because of the abundance of the heart. Disciples weren't washing their hands and the Pharisees had a saying, well this is disgusting, they're defiling me. But they're being defiled. The disciples didn't understand.

Peter had to come up to Jesus and say, what does that mean? Mark chapter 8 for example, when our Lord warns of the disciples of the leaven or the yeast of the Pharisees and the Sadducees, of course speaking about their teaching. That little bit of leaven works through what? The whole clump. And when He warned His disciples of the teaching of the Pharisees, the disciples mistook Jesus and thought He was speaking about literal bread.

in the upper room, which will take place from chapter 13 in the gospel according to John. After having spent three years with his disciples, they still couldn't understand why he was washing their feet. And a little bit later on in the upper room discourse, When Christ explained that he needs to go away and he needs to depart to be with the Father and then he will make a place so that the disciples one day will come and follow and be with him. Thomas, bewildered at what Jesus said, replies, we don't know where you're going. We don't know how to get there either.

There are more examples that we can go through, more examples of lack of understanding, misunderstandings by the disciples. But let me end on this one, one that we are all very, very well familiar with. The misunderstanding or lack of comprehension of his death and his resurrection. How many times did our Lord warn his disciples about his death and the resurrection to come? In Mark, over three chapters, three times.

Let me read you some. It says here in Mark chapter 8 verse 31, And He began to teach them, that's Christ, that the Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders and the chief priests and the scribes and be killed and after three days rise again. In Mark chapter 9 verse 31, For He was teaching His disciples, saying, The Son of Man is going to be delivered into the hands of men, and they will kill Him. And when He is killed, after three days He will rise. Again, in Mark chapter 10, we get, see, we are going up to Jerusalem, Jesus says, and the Son of Man will be delivered over to the chief priests and the scribes, and they will condemn Him to death, and deliver Him over to the Gentiles, and they will mock Him, and spit on Him, and flog Him, and kill Him.

And after three days, He will rise again. You realize, in every one of the three examples I gave you, in every single one, there is the impending death of Jesus Christ, and there's also the resurrection of Christ after three days. But the culmination of the disciples' understanding of this is this, which it was written, but they understood none of these things. The saying was hidden from them. They did not grasp what he said.

All the while he was trying to... Jesus was trying to teach his disciples, I have come to die. So here in John chapter 12, how can the disciples be thinking with the crowds that now we will coronate this Jesus as King over Israel? When it's abundantly clear through the words of Jesus Himself and the Scripture that He came to die. Put yourself in their shoes for a moment.

We can point to them and blame them all we like, but put yourself in their shoes. They didn't understand. They didn't know. They believed that the scripture was speaking that Jesus would be coronated as king then and there. And they were festive in the celebrations.

Imagine their horror when Jesus was dragged away and was crucified and then buried. You don't need to imagine. Luke 24 gives us some insight of what was going on in the hearts of the disciples and the followers of Christ when this took place. You remember the context? After the resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ, he walks along on the road to Emmaus, two disciples, two followers of Christ were walking towards Emmaus, Jesus comes alongside them And he asks them, what are you discussing?

They did not identify, not identify is another word, they didn't recognize, that's the word I'm looking for. They did not recognize that this is Jesus walking alongside, this is the resurrected Christ by the way, this is after the resurrection. And so Jesus looks at these two downcast disciples and he asks them, tell me, tell me what are you discussing? And the reply comes back, concerning Jesus of Nazareth, a man who was prophet, mighty in deed and word before God and all people, they acknowledge what he's done. And how our chief priests and the rulers delivered him up to be condemned to death and to be crucified, yes?

I think Jesus in his mind is probably thinking, I told you so. And then they continue, hear this, hear this, but, but, this is gut-wrenching, this here is gut-wrenching. A lack of understanding can be absolutely, absolutely gut-wrenching. We saw him in power and indeed, and he was delivered, he was taken from us, he was dragged from us by the chief priests and the rulers, and they killed him. And then they say they crucified this Jesus and He's buried now.

But we had hoped. Past tense. We had hoped that He was the one to redeem Israel. We had big hopes for this Jesus. We read the Old Testament and our minds were saying that this Jesus is going to be, is indeed the Messianic King.

And he will establish his kingdom. We had hoped that he would be the one who redeems Israel. But now he is being crucified. And then the reply comes from Jesus himself. foolish ones and slow of heart to believe it is all that the prophets have spoken.

It's interesting to me that that Jesus doesn't say how many times did I tell you But rather he goes back and says, what is written? It would be a great exercise to see how many times Jesus opens his mouth with, what is written? That's the high view our Lord has of the scripture and the high view that we ought to have also. Have, he says, all that the prophets have spoken, was it not necessary that the Christ should suffer these things and enter into glory? Why are you so downcast?

Not only did he say to them multiple times that he needed, it was necessary that he should die, but the prophets, the scripture explained it to them as well, that the Messiah must come to die, but they didn't understand. And it's not as though, beloved, that immediately after the resurrection of Jesus that all that misunderstanding was set in place either. It wasn't exactly cleared up in the minds of the disciples straight after the resurrection. 40 days after the resurrection. We're talking about moments before Jesus is ascended on the right hand of the Father on high.

His disciples ask him in Acts chapter 1, Lord, will you at this time restore the kingdom of Israel? Will you now? Will you now establish your physical kingdom and reign and rule over Israel, Jesus? I said earlier the disciples may have got many things wrong, and we've made examples of those. Lack of understanding in many, many areas.

And now we see here in John chapter 12, it may seem that the disciples are no different to those who are excited and chanting in the crowd, Hosanna, Hosanna, who only a few days will cry out, crucify him. But I want you to know that they are not of the same substance. They're not. They're not. Yes, they interpreted the moment incorrectly as they did many other moments as well.

But there is a difference and it is intrinsic, beloved. These disciples, as ignorant as they are, they belong to Jesus. They're his. They are his sheep. And He will take care of them.

And He will lead them. And He'll make sure He brings them home. In the process, it may look like they're a mess in their understanding, but they belong to Christ. It is His responsibility to bring them home, because He made a promise to the Father, all that you have given me, I shall lose how many? Five, ten?

What's the acceptable loss rate? 99.9% is great by human standards. None, 100%. If they're my sheep, I will bring them home.

They were known by Christ, and as such, Christ has revealed himself to them despite their misunderstandings. In other words, what I'm trying to say is the crowds and the disciples might have been chanting the same words, doing the same things, but there was a difference in the heart. The disciples' heart actually, actually knew their Lord. His voice was known to their heart because He has made it known to their hearts. And we see this in Matthew chapter 16, where we read, this is where Jesus was with the disciples in Caesarea Philippi, up north of Galilee.

And he asks the disciples, who do the people say that I am? The reply comes back, some say John the Baptist, others say Elijah, and others say Jeremiah or one of the prophets. He said to them, but who do you say that I am? And that's the important question. Because as Jesus said to his disciples, who do you say I am?

I should ask you the same question and ask myself the same question. It doesn't matter what they say. It doesn't matter what anyone else says. Who do you say he is? And then St.

Peter, the spokesman of the crowd, he opens his mouth and he says, you are the Christ, the Messiah, the anointed of God, the Son of the living God. Oh, that is a wonderful response. Spot on Peter. Spot on. You made a lot of doozies in the past.

This is a beauty here. You are the Christ, the Son of the Living God. Now you're thinking and I would be thinking as we read this if we hadn't read it before with that confession like that. This must be the turning point of the disciples. This must be when they start to really perceive and understand as the disciples of Christ.

Surely from now on they can now handle the truth with such a lofty, high and lofty confession as this. So Jesus begins to inform them of the necessity of his death. Only to have Peter open his mouth once again. The first time he opened it, it was great. And now he undoes everything.

When Jesus says he must die, Peter looks at Christ and he pulls him aside. He rebukes him and he says, far be it from you, Lord. This shall never happen. But he turned and said, that's Christ to Peter. And he said, get behind me, Satan.

You are a hindrance to me, for you are not setting your mind on the things of God, but the things of man. Wrong again, Peter. We can read the text like this and think, they're so hit and miss the disciples. So hit and miss, is there any hope for these disciples? Is there any hope for us?

Yes, they missed a lot, but they also hit a lot. There is absolutely hope. But beloved, this is the point. Hope, but not in man. Because what we've seen already is the best of men are men at best.

Our hope is in God. Our hope is in God. Our hope is not in our intellect, our understanding. Our hope is in God and the work that he's doing in the life of his sheep. Our hope rests in God and in God alone.

And that's the difference, beloved. The disciples at this stage might look like the rest of the crowd there in John chapter 12, who are chanting and cheering. But they're not. They're not like the majority. They're not.

There are sheep and there are goats. They play in the same paddock. They look similar. They're both prone to wonder and even say some very silly things. But only the sheep, only the sheep, but only the sheep are the concern of the Good Shepherd.

I'll say that again. Only the sheep are the concern of the Good Shepherd. He not only speaks truth, beloved, He promises in unity with the Father and by the power of His Spirit to make that truth also known to the hearts of His sheep in His time. Because He is sovereign, remember, in His time. Remember back when Peter declared that high and lofty confession that I mentioned only a few moments ago?

You are the Christ, the Son of the living God. I failed to mention what Christ said straight after that confession. Because when Peter says, you are the Christ, the Son of the living God, listen to what Jesus says in reply. He says, blessed are you, Simon, by Jonah. For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father who is in heaven.

Pat on the back. Peter, you did well. Kudos. Whatever you used to figure that out, do it again. No.

You know truth because the Father, by His Spirit, revealed that truth to your heart. Truth, beloved. Truth belongs to God. There is no truth apart from God. None.

Revelation belongs to God. Understanding it belongs to God. It is of God because He is true and it's given by God as we saw here with Peter. One may read the Bible, and the Bible is true. One may understand or try to perceive and point out the prophecies in the Bible.

One may even memorize the Scripture. But it won't make them better than the next person, unless that person is known by God and knows God. The interpretive grid by which we understand the very heart and the essence of the Word of God, the essence of comprehending the truth of God, is God Himself. Peter could not have possibly made that confession had the Father not revealed it to his heart. Unless the Father revealed it by the Spirit of God to the heart of Peter, he would never, never have made that confession.

Understanding, as I said, is found in the only true God. He is the light of all knowledge and all truth. And this is why in the upper room, our Lord, in the night before His crucifixion, says to His disciples, These things I have spoken to you while I am still with you, but the Helper, the Holy Spirit, Holy Spirit, God the Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name. He will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you. Verse 16 of chapter 12, His disciples did not understand these things at first, but when Jesus was glorified, they remembered that these things had been written about Him and had been done to Him.

bring to remembrance all that I have said to you." And again, in the Upper Room Discourse, a few chapters, a couple of chapters later, the Lord says, when the spirit of truth comes, don't you love the way He says that? If you have any doubts, the spirit of truth. That there is no truth apart from the revelation of the Spirit. That the Spirit of Truth, He says, when He comes, He will guide you into all truth, for He will not speak of His own authority, but whatever He hears, He will speak and He will declare to you the things that are to come.

He will glorify Me, Jesus is saying, for He will take what is Mine and declare it to you. All that the Father... that the father has is mine therefore I said that he will take what is mine and declare it to you. The essential ingredient to know truth is the spirit of truth. God himself One cannot fathom in their heart truth apart from the divine work of God, God Himself.

It's the Spirit of God, it's the Spirit of Truth, the Truth of the Word. They go hand in hand and it will go over our heads if we try to explore this Word and we don't have the illuminating power of the Spirit of God to show us and to reveal to us what is written in these words. We'll understand the grammar. We understand the stories, we may even be able to recite them, but the truth that God intends to convey to the heart of His people cannot be placed in the heart by you or me. It requires the finger of God.

The Spirit of God needs to do that miracle and place it into regions in your soul so deep that you and I don't even have access to. And right here in the passage before us in John chapter 12, Although the disciples, that's the 12, because one is a devil, have truly believed upon Christ, the confession of Peter, remember, and yet they are ignorant of many of the truths because the spirit of truth has not yet been given. The Holy Spirit has not yet been poured out. They receive truth from the mouth of Christ and that is truth. Christ is God.

And that truth is planted within their soul. But when the Spirit of God is poured out, something special, something special happens. Remember the words of John chapter 7? Verse 37, we're told, on that day of the feast, that was the feast of tabernacles, the great day, Jesus stood up and cried out, if anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as the scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.

And then John gives us a divine commentary under inspiration of the Holy Spirit. He says, Now this he said about the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were to receive, looking forward, as of yet the Spirit had not been given, looking forward, they believed upon Christ, the Spirit had not been given, because this is where our ears should just open up and hear the because, because Jesus was not yet glorified. Back in John chapter 12, that's what we're told. His disciples did not understand these things at first, but when Jesus was glorified, The disciples had an encounter with the Spirit of God. We must conclude that because without the Spirit of God there can be no salvation.

All the Old Testament saints had an encounter with the Spirit of God. It is the Spirit of God who brings salvation of God. You cannot be saved apart from the Spirit of God. It's impossible. However, they had not yet received the outpouring of the Spirit.

And with the outpouring of the Spirit of God comes power and a more accurate understanding of the truth, about all the truth that the Lord has given and written because we're told that Christ has not yet been glorified. So now in the context in real time here in John chapter 12, we have the disciples thinking in their mind, why can't we make Jesus king? I mean the scripture says clearly that he is king, he's the messianic king. Why can't we sing royal chants and forcefully put him on the throne to rule and reign over us? Why can't we expect of this Jesus to occupy David's throne and to give it to the rulers and to roam the empire, roam and to finally get rid of this oppression that is over us, to restore our land and to give us the full autonomy over our temple and have God reign over us with His King Jesus.

Why not join with the thousands and thousands celebrating in the streets, chanting in Jerusalem to coronate this Jesus Christ as King over us here in Jerusalem? Why not? Well, the simple answer is this. Because it was not the plan of God. That's why not.

It wasn't God's plan for that to take place. Although this celebration, beloved, was epic. You haven't heard me use that word, but I couldn't think of another one. It was of epic proportions. It was mammoth.

It was huge. I said a week ago, or maybe two, that this would have been one of the biggest celebrations you'll find in the New Testament. It's beyond what we can comprehend, how many people are chanting and celebrating and coming. It's massive. It's of epic proportions.

Although that is the case, beloved, these people had far too small a view of the Messiah. They weren't thinking big enough. He's greater and better and more glorious than they could ever imagine. Do you think that the Son of God in flesh would be pleased to be constrained to an earthly kingdom? Do you think by coronating Him as King over Israel that you're doing this Jesus justice?

Do you think that Jesus is merely worthy to rule and reign over a region called Israel, with a population of 8 to 10 million max, and maybe a land area of 20,000 square kilometers? Your thinking is too small of this Messiah. He is the creator of the heavens and the earth. He owns it all anyway. He is king of it all.

He is the sovereign of the universe anyway. But in his love, he came to this earth, taking upon himself humanity, sharing in the humanity that he created to be the human representative. To live that perfect, faultless, perfect life of obedience that his people could never have lived. And then to willingly lay down His life and to be crucified in that horrendous death called crucifixion. On their behalf.

To be buried. And on the third day to rise from the dead. To ascend upon high to the right hand of the Father. Where this Jesus Christ, this Jesus is not coronated simply of the King of Jerusalem or the King of Israel. But the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords.

Now this God-man called Christ, the God-man. Beloved, this humanity is represented in the Godhead. I'd love to explain that but I can't because I don't fully understand it. The God-man is now glorified because he's been coronated the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords. And now he's glorified with the same glory he had before a single atom was ever made.

And in His glory, the Spirit that He received in fullness and without measure according to John chapter 3, He will pour out with the Father. upon all those who belong to Him, His sheep. He will save them from their sins if they place their trust in Him. If they repent and believe upon Him. The Spirit of God is promised to be poured out into the heart of His people.

To open their hearts and to open their minds to the truth of God. Reconciled with God, forgiven of our sins. And now to open our eyes to see the truth. of God. To give His people a God-centered worldview rather than what they had been engaging in, a man-centered worldview.

To fix their eyes not upon the here and the now, but upon the eternal weight of glory in eternity in the One who is glorified. The Spirit will reveal all truth and in that truth he will sanctify his people with a type of holiness without which one cannot see God. One day this King of Kings and this Lord of Lords will return and he'll take his people to be with him in his eternal kingdom forever. The disciples had the scriptures taught to them by Christ and they perceived some. But it wasn't until Jesus was glorified and coronated as the King of Kings that the Spirit was poured in power and truth to open their eyes to see clearly.

The kingdom of concern is no longer. You see this shift in these disciples. The kingdom, the intention of their hearts, their energies, their efforts are no longer about establishing a kingdom right here, right now, and making Jerusalem as it was once under David. It's no longer that. Now they focus upon the eternal.

The kingdom of God in eternity. Yes, they were prepared to lay down their lives, and they even said as much to Christ. But when the time came, they all scattered, they all hid. But with the Spirit of God, the Spirit of truth, the Spirit of power, they will face persecution and suffering like you and I cannot even imagine. And they will face it, and they'll say, bring it on, Christ is worthy.

Christ sits upon the throne. He reigns supreme. Looking back, the disciples were able to discern only by looking back that they too had too small a view of the Messiah. but their fate was different to those who rejected the Lord and continued to reject the Lord and ended up under the wrath of God for all eternity. Not because of their understanding or their intellect, of course, they're better than the rest, but rather because they're held in the hands of this great Messiah, this good shepherd who had made a promise to the father to lose none and he will lead them home.

And He does. So in closing, let me just say, how do we receive this Spirit? How do we today receive this Spirit, the Spirit of God, the Spirit of truth? You must be born again. You must be born again.

Repent. Repent of your sins and place your trust fully in the Lord Jesus Christ, for there is no other name under heaven by which one can be saved. The promise of God to His people is this, that all who belong to Christ have the Spirit of Christ. The Spirit of God will be poured out into the heart of His people. And the Spirit of God will save, sanctify, open eyes to truth.

Beloved, We must not underestimate, we must never underestimate the power of the Holy Spirit that was poured out into the life of every single believer only because, only because Jesus went through what he went through in order to now ascend upon high, and to be coronated as the King of Kings at the right hand of the Father, to be our representative on the throne of God. This is absolutely remarkable. If there's ignorance in your mind about the things of Scripture, then welcome to the club, because I don't know it all. Every day is a school day and we learn, but you'll never learn, you'll never learn unless first, unless first you've bent your knee to this king. Because whether you bend your knee to this king or not, he is king and he reigns supreme.

And right now, as long as there's breath in our lungs and our hearts beat, he calls with an invitation, come unto me, believe upon me, come all who are weary and heavy laden and I will give you rest. Do we believe it? Let's pray.