John 12:20-26 - Honored in C..

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com. That's cornerstonerbc.com. John chapter 12 from verse 20. Amen brothers and sisters so we're going to this afternoon we're going to go back and start off basically where we left off last week as we always do that's what expositional preaching is we work our way through the Bible one book in particular the gospel according to John we've been here for some time now we've been here in John chapter 12 for some time and last week We unpack the portion of the verse 26 that is before us.

We only unpack the first part of that verse. You may remember, if anyone serves me, he must follow me. The words from the lips of our Lord. And my intention this afternoon is to unpack and to consider before you, with all of you this afternoon, the rest of that verse. And it starts this way, he goes, if anyone serves me, he must follow me and where I am, there will my servant be also.

Jesus continues, if anyone serves me, the father will honor him. Now, I've said before, and I think it's worth saying again, that to understand the words of our Lord, in particular here in John chapter 12, we need to understand that there is a framework, there is a context that is taking place. And I keep repeating to you every week what that context is. And He is in Jerusalem, and it's just a day or two earlier, maybe three at most. The people in Jerusalem had been declaring Him to be the King.

When he came down from the Mount of Olives, they chanted, Hosanna, Hosanna, blessed be he who comes in the name of the Lord, even the King of Israel. They're declaring our Lord Jesus the King of Israel. So there's excitement, there's jubilation in the air. That took place and that was the climax of probably two or three days earlier, but it's very likely even now as the Lord speaks that in the background there is still some excitement. We know that that excitement begins to dissipate.

It's like a bit of a slippery slope. There's a progression into going from extreme excitement, not wanting anything more, than to coronate this Jesus as their King, to sit upon David's throne, and to rule and reign over them once and for all, because the majority of the people of Israel at this point would consider the Lord to be that King. They'd seen His power in raising Lazarus from the dead, and now they want nothing more than to see Jesus coronated as that King, but in a few days time, It is these people who will declare at the top of their voices to the authorities of the day, crucify him, crucify him, let his blood be on us and upon our children. Nonetheless, right now there is some excitement in the air, nonetheless in the background there are people who are yet still excited, still following after our Lord in mass to hear what he has to say. Jesus is indeed the Messianic king.

He doesn't deny it, in fact he'll go on to declare himself to be the king before the authorities during the mock trials, during the interrogations. But he's not the king that the Jews think he is, or the king they expected him to be. In fact, the kingdom that Jesus has come to establish, to inaugurate, is worlds apart from the kingdom that the Jews in these days were expecting. There was a massive difference between the reality in what Christ was doing and what they perceived in their minds. And our Lord knew of that difference and he was not going to allow it to go unnoticed.

So in the words that we have before us, in verse 23 onwards, The teaching of our Lord is to that ends that they would know what kingdom he has come to establish. So as king, as master, as ruler of his kingdom, he begins to set the terms and the expectations of his kingdom for those who are wishing to enter into his kingdom. As king, he sets the standards and he's totally upfront and transparent. We saw that last week. He's not interested in surprising anyone and that's what you would expect from a righteous king.

He tells it as it is. There's no hidden with our Lord. And as I said last week, a servant who is considering servitude of a master, of a king, of a lord, before engaging in that activity, he would need to be aware of at least two major details. The first, what is the work that I'm going to do? What do you require of me?

What do you want me to do in my servitude towards you? And the second is, what will my reward be? If I accomplish, if I do what is required of me, what will my reward be? What would the result be for me? And with so many Jews and even Gentiles, because we know there are some Greeks interested in our Lord, no doubt they were curious to see the details of this new kingdom that has been established by our Lord.

Our Lord lays down the ground rules. That's what we have before us from verse 23, I believe. And it's unlike anything they'd ever seen before. Last week we considered the work required. That's what we said.

Last week we considered the work required of a servant in this kingdom. If you're going to enter the kingdom of Christ, then if you want to be his servant, then you're expected to get your hands dirty, I said last week. You've got to be expected to follow after Jesus, verse 26a. There's no sitting around on your hands. There's nothing passive in this kingdom.

There's no spectators only. Our Lord expects His servants to work and to be actively at work as they follow in His footsteps. That's what He expects. To tread the path that He has walked. To follow after Him.

And there's nothing unusual about this expectation. A servant to follow after their master is a reasonable ask, is it not? So far so good. But here's the twist. For those who have ears to hear, Jesus is not saying that you follow me in a regular path, but rather a path that leads to death.

Because what He's calling His servants to do is to lay down their life, is to put their self to death, their ambitions, their goals, their dreams, put those to death and now live for Christ. That His goals, that His purposes become primary in their hearts and they put to death themselves. It's a path that leads to death. It's a path that leads to complete self. Abandonment and that's what's required in the kingdom of our Lord and I unpacked what that meant last week and I'm not going to again for the sake of time but having considered the work last week this week I intend to speak to you about the reward.

The reward. The reward awarded to a faithful servant. So let's read verse 26 again to see what we have before us. If anyone serves me, he must follow me. And where I am, there will my servant be also.

If anyone serves me, the Father will honor him. Now, just at a glance at this verse, clearly we can see the latter part, the last part of the verse, if anyone serves me, the Father will honour him. That speaks to a reward. The honouring of the Father is no greater honour than to be honoured by the Father. And I'll unpack that shortly.

But before we go there, there's that middle portion that Jesus speaks to. The portion in the middle where he says, if anyone serves me, he must follow me. And then he goes on to say, and where I am, there will my servant be also. Now this is a statement of fact from the words from the mouth of our Lord. Not only are the servants of the kingdom expected to follow after Christ, to follow in his example, to put self to death in the process, that's what our Lord is saying, their work that is required of them to accomplish will also be done directly in his midst.

That's what he's saying. That he will be with him. That his servants will be in his kingdom and he will be among them. That he will be with them. And where I am, there will my servant be also.

They'll be with me, is what Jesus is saying. I'll be with them, we'll be together, always. There's no separation taking place here. This is a master, this is a lord, this is a king who desires intimacy with his subjects. He desires to be intimate with his servants.

It's just not a hands, what do they say, the hand distance, arm's length. No, no, he wants to be intimate with his people, and he's making that known here with these words, and these words, beloved, they are profound. However, they may have not immediately hit the mark in real time. You see, our Lord has begun to say some pretty shocking things. He's spoken some contentious truths about the kingdom that he has come to inaugurate, the kingdom he has come to establish.

And as time goes on and more truths are spoken from his mouth, frankly, it's becoming more and more difficult for his followers to back this type of kink. It's not long before this excited crowd will begin to realize this king is not exactly what they'd expected And his kingdom is unlike anything they'd envisaged in their mind when they were long awaiting the messianic king to come I suspect, some are thinking, this whole ordeal is starting to sound a little scandalous What's with the demand of us needing to hate our own lives to be accepted as servants for this King? I thought the Messiah would come and enrich our lives. I thought he'd come and take care of the enemy and the oppression around us and elevate our lives from where it is to a higher status. Isn't that what the Messiah was meant to do?

Do you think perhaps that some are reasoning in their minds? Have we backed the wrong guy? I think so. I think that's starting to happen. As I said earlier, you don't go from Hosanna, Hosanna, blessed be he who comes in the name of the Lord, the King of Israel, to crucify him in one step.

It is a progression. It is a slippery slide, and I think we're starting to see it happen right before our eyes. Having said that, I also suspect that some of the Lord's words were not that provocative, were not that shocking, that they were assumed. And I think what we have before us are words that are assumed. When Jesus says, where I am, there will my servant be also, that seems quite logical to me, and I hope it does to you.

Probably very likely to his audience there in the first century also. Because that word diakonos, the word that's translated in our English Bibles, servant, was a term that is commonly used for a servant who'd wait around the table, wait at the table of his lord or his master. Like a waiter. And if he's to wait on the table, then he wouldn't be very far from his master, his lord. It makes sense that Jesus is saying, where I am there will my servant be also.

It makes perfect sense, right? Now, this type of servants would have to be in the presence of his Lord, in the presence of his master, within earshot of his master, to be at his beck and call. It can't be far. Makes sense. And Jesus says, that's what's going to take place in my kingdom.

I'm going to be where my servant is. My servant's going to be where I am. There's not going to be separation between me and them. But here's the thing. These words are actually shocking.

They're very shocking, because our Lord knows something that hasn't yet been grasped by his audience. Not even his disciples, unfortunately, even though he has spoken to them about it. They will shortly understand, but right now they don't see it. And beloved, that is this, that his death, the death of our Lord, is not metaphorical. It's not a matter of speech.

It is the real deal. He'll physically and really die. His body will be put to death. And in a short matter of time, he will be separated from his servants. And the fact is clear from verse 32 onwards, he'll make that fact clear to his audience who are listening there in only a few verses.

And if they haven't turned already, his words in verse 32 will send these jubilant Jews who want nothing more than to coronate him as king into a towel spin. I'll address their reaction in a few weeks time when we get there, but for now there's a more pressing matter. How are these words? How are these words before us? Where I am, there will my servant be also.

How are they to be taken in light of the fact that in a few days our Lord is going to be crucified and shortly after He'll ascend to be at the right hand of the Father to no longer be physically among His people? So let me ask you this question. If King Jesus is in heaven and His servants are on the earth, then how can where I am, there will my servants be also, be truthful? You think that's a fair question? Beloved, our Lord is true and his words are true and they are spectacular.

The key to understand what Jesus is saying is to first understand what type of kingdom he has come to inaugurate, what type of kingdom he's come to establish. And beloved, it is so clear as we work our way through the text and through the scripture that it's not a physical kingdom yet that he's concerned with, but a spiritual one. Remember before Pilate in John chapter 18 when he's interrogated by the governor. When the governor was questioning Jesus whether he is the king of the Jews or not. The Lord's words were, my kingdom is not of this world.

He goes on, if my kingdom were of this world my servants would have been fighting that I might not be delivered over to the Jews. But again he reiterates, but my kingdom is not of this world. Our Lord is actually emphasizing that His kingdom is not the one, it's not going to be seen and touched. It's beyond. It's a spiritual kingdom that He's come to inaugurate.

A spiritual kingdom. Christ will be enthroned for sure because He is King. But right now, not on the physical throne of David in Jerusalem, but on the throne of God in heaven. So how are these words here? Where I am, there will my servant be also.

How are they to be understood? We know God is true. Christ is true. He's the epitome of truth. He's the model.

He's truth example. He's the way and the truth and life. So how do we understand these words knowing that very shortly He'll be at the right hand of the Father, separated physically from His people, from His servants. How do we understand these words? Well, we need to go to John 14 to understand.

So let's open our Bibles to John chapter 14. And we'll read from verse 15 through 24. This is the explanation the Lord gives to His disciples. John chapter 14 from verse 15 through 24. If you love me, you'll keep my commandments.

That's what servants do, they obey. And I will ask the father and he will give you another helper to be with you forever. Note that word. Even the spirit of truth whom the world cannot receive because it neither sees him or knows him. You know him for he dwells with you and will be in you.

I will not leave you as orphans, Jesus says, I will come to you. Yet a little while and the world will see me no more, but you will see me. Because I leave, you also will live. In that day you will know that I am in the Father and you in me and I in you. Verse 17 he says the Spirit will be in you and now he says I will be in you.

Verse 21 whoever has my commandments and keeps them he is who loves me and he who loves me will be loved by my Father and I will love him and manifest myself to him. Judas, not Iscariot, said to him, Lord, how is it that you will manifest yourself to us and not the world? Jesus answered him, if anyone loves me, he will keep my word and my father will love him. We will come. We will come to him and make our home with him.

Whoever does not love me does not keep my word. And the word that you hear is not mine, but the father's who sent me. There is so much in this passage. And I'm not gonna begin to exposit it, because it'll take me weeks, and we'll get there. But when Jesus says, where I am, there will my servant be also, from that text in John 14, it is so clear that Jesus is saying, I'll be there by my spirit.

by my spirit who will be poured out onto all believers since the day of Pentecost. Christ will forever dwell with His people, beloved. That's what He's telling His disciples. I'm not going to leave you as orphans. I will come back.

I will send the Spirit of truth. I will come back. He comes back in His Spirit to dwell in His people. Christ will be with you and He'll be in you forever is what He's telling His disciples in John chapter 14. Beloved, this is an absolute game changer if we understand and recognize this truth.

If we apprehend this truth, it will change everything. You must allow this truth to sink in. It must remain at the forefront of your mind and mine. It must drive us every single day that Christ is with us by His Spirit. Listen to how the Apostle Paul says it in Romans chapter 8 verse 9 and 11.

You, however, are not in the flesh but in the Spirit. In fact, the Spirit of God dwells in you, he says. Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him. But if Christ is in you, although the body is dead because of sin, the Spirit is life because of righteousness. If the spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through the spirit who dwells in you.

Beloved, not long from now, our Lord will ascend to the right hand of the Father. He'll no longer be physically among his disciples, his followers, but that's actually better. His disciples would mourn, and they would grieve, but Jesus says in John chapter 16 that this is better, because it's required that He depart from among them, and then He ascend to the right hand of the Father, and when He does, He will be coronated as King of kings, and the Father and the Son will pour out the Spirit of God upon every one of His people. A more glorious thing Jesus is saying. He's saying it's better.

It is absolutely better that this will take place. That the helper is given to you. This is better than if I remain behind, he says in John chapter 16. Do you get it, beloved? Christ must leave in order not to merely return to dwell physically among a group of people there in Jerusalem, but to return by His Spirit and dwell in sweet, intimate communion in every one of His true followers, in every one of His true sheep, in every one that is called by His name, no matter where they are all over the world.

That intimate relationship with you and the Lord, believer, Christian, that you enjoy right now is enjoyed with those in Africa, and America, and Sweden, and Switzerland, and Lebanon, and Colombia, everywhere. It's the same experience because it's the same Lord. It is the Spirit of God that dwells inside the life of your believer. If that won't make you rejoice, nothing will. Nothing will.

This is such a glorious, glorious reality when Jesus says, where I am, there will my servant be also. It's an absolute glorious statement of fact. And it is an absolute promise. And this is how our Lord is able to say that I will never leave you, nor will I ever forsake you. Christian, if you belong to Christ, you will never, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever be alone.

Not in this age. Matthew chapter 28 verse 20. And behold, I am with you always to the end of the age, our Lord's words. And not in the age to come. He says, to be absent in the body is to be what?

Present with the Lord. 2 Corinthians chapter 5 verse 8. Never alone. Never alone. No matter where you are Christian, Christ is with you no matter where you are.

If you've come to know Him. to trust in Him. If you come with repentance and faith in the only Saviour, the only name under heaven by which man must be saved, then this Jesus has redeemed your soul and poured out His Spirit to be with you in more intimate relationship, more intimate fellowship than you husbands have with your wives, or wives have with your husbands, or fathers and sons and mothers and daughters, more intimate, because He is in you. Do we see this? Do we see the glory of these words, beloved?

That wherever you are in the journey, wherever you are, no matter where you're going or where you are right now, No matter how difficult life has become for you, or difficult life will become, wherever you are on that journey, on that path that He has you on, whether there's fear or trepidation, whether there's anxiety in your heart, whether you're joyful or you're weeping and tearing, no matter where you are, you have one thing you can be absolutely sure of, if you are in Christ, is that He's with you and He'll never leave you, nor will He forsake you. Never. Ever. Ever. Ever.

And there's no more glorious truth than that. None. Meditate upon it. Let that sink in. And let that raise your heart to give Him the thanks that He deserves.

To be overwhelmed by His love and His glory. The reason I said last week, that I'm going to unpack the work of a servant then, and then the next week, which is this week, I wanted to spend time meditating and contemplating the reward is because in my estimation, the words here that we have, where I am, there will my servant be, also are well beyond a statement of fact. Beloved, in my estimation, this right now, right here, is our great exceeding reward. It is the greatest reward. absolute greatest reward, that Christ promises to be with His own and to never leave them, nor forsake them.

Christ is ever with us. His continued presence is our reward. Everything in this world is pale in comparison to Christ. Christ is our treasure. Christ is precious.

Ask yourself now, is he precious to your heart? Is he your exceedingly great reward? Is he more precious than anything? You have to ask yourself these very peacing questions. Is he more peace, is he more precious to your soul than anything else in this world?

We've been given parables of the kingdom in the Gospels. Matthew 13 speaks to a few of them. And you know the examples that speak to what is the kingdom of heaven? What is the kingdom of God like? What is the value?

What is the treasure of the kingdom? And you've heard it said that a man goes and finds a treasure in a field. He puts it back in the field. Then he sells what? Everything he has to purchase that field.

Joyfully. I give up all for what is in this field and it says the kingdom of heaven is like this. Or the man who, the merchant who is in search of precious stones finds a pearl of great price and then he also sells everything he has to purchase this pearl joyfully because it's worth it. The exchange in his mind is worth it. What makes the kingdom of God, what makes the kingdom of heaven so valuable to the soul of man?

What is it about the kingdom that is so precious that one is willing to give up everything he owns? What is it? Luke chapter 17, verse 21. Our Lord, I believe our Lord gives us the answer there. The Pharisees were speaking to our Lord and asking him a series of questions about the kingdom.

And then Jesus says these glorious words. He says, behold, the kingdom of God is in the midst of you. Right then, right there, Jesus says, you're asking me all these questions. I'm telling you, look around. The kingdom is here.

The kingdom is here because the king has come. The kingdom is where the king reigns. It is his rule. It is his authority. The kingdom's value is not in the things of the kingdom, but in the king of the kingdom.

The treasure of the kingdom is Christ. Christ himself. He's the one who's infinitely precious. Christ. Sure there are many glorious aspects of the kingdom.

There are many, many. We thank the Lord for them. But you take away, you remove Jesus and you have nothing. You don't have access to the Father, but through the Son. You don't have access to the Spirit of God, but through the Son.

The glories of heaven will be just something in the abstract in your mind apart from the Son. The treasure for the heart of the Christian beloved is Jesus Christ. Being willing to give up all that you have, your dreams, your goals, your ambitions, your possessions. Your position, your power, your prestige, your money, even your own life, which is demanded by the Lord, cannot be because you value what is yet to come. The things and the little things that come or the attributes of the kingdom to come, it cannot be in those things.

It cannot be that you're willing to give up your own life because you're so intrigued about the pearly gates of heaven, as glorious as they are. It cannot be that your treasure is the big walls of Jasper, and you just want to go there and touch them. I'm giving up everything for those walls, or all the other precious stones, whether it's sapphires, or emeralds, or onyxes, or beryl, or topaz, all listed in the book of Revelation, by the way. And it can't be that you're willing to give up everything for the 24 karat gold and streets, as wonderful as they are, and I'm looking forward to seeing them. And it cannot be even, beloved, for the prized crown of glory that you'll receive as a Christian, as a faithful servant.

No. As wonderful as all that is, the treasure of the kingdom is none of those things. The treasure that is worthy of all is the one before whom all those crowns are gonna be cast at his feet. The treasure of the kingdom is Christ. And you have him now.

Jesus speaks in the present tense, not in the future. Although his words are true for the future, you have him now. That the indwelling of Christ in the life of the believer is not something you need to wait for. It's a reality for every single Christian who through repentance and faith has apprehended the glories of God and the saving and the salvation of the Lamb of God who bled and died upon that cross for the forgiveness of my sins. You receive that glorious Spirit, the Spirit of Christ, even now.

Beloved, do you treasure Christ now? Is He right now the precious treasure of your soul? Because if you are in Christ, He does dwell in you and you do have an intimate relationship with Him. Let me be blunt. If He's not your treasure now, you're not gonna like heaven very much, because he's the treasure of heaven.

Again, everything, everything in heaven, the Father, the Spirit, all the glories, we only, we only have access through Jesus Christ. Beloved, look at what he has demanded that you be willing to give up to be his servant. He said everything. We went through it last week, even your own life. But what does it profit a man to gain the whole world but lose his own soul?

It's clear to us, there's nothing more valuable than life. And if you call to give it up, then the only way you're going to give it up is if you perceive that which you receive in return is of greater value. Like we know how it works. We all, you know, we have money and we work and when we go to the shops we have a wallet in our pocket and quite often we have cash, at least for now we may have cash or credit cards. But the thing is, you go and you see an item that you think you need and you look at the price tag and you make a decision based on that price tag.

And that decision that you're making is the perceived value. Is it worth what they're asking? Is it worth me putting my hard-earned cash to buy that item? Because if the answer is no, you leave it there and you walk away. If the answer is yes, yes, I'm prepared.

That thing is more valuable to me than my hard-earned cash, then you walk away with item in hand. Isn't that right? Well, when it comes to currency, there's no greater currency than one's own life. That is the highest price one can pay. Now, let me make this clear.

I make it every week, and I think I feel I need to make it all the time, even though you know the preacher, you know what I believe. This is not to enter into the kingdom of God. Right? We're not using currency. We're not using our life.

Our service doesn't get us in. Christ alone gets us in. By the grace of God through faith. Alone. In Christ alone.

We're not talking about getting into the kingdom. We're talking about appreciating who is in the kingdom. This is what the Lord is saying, so let's get that clear. It's not by works, it's just by grace, through faith that one is saved. But as I was saying earlier, the currency, the greatest currency that we have is indeed our lives.

It is the highest price that one could pay, and if you want to know if you'd be willing to pay your life, then the answer, you need to answer this simple question, and it is Is Christ more precious than your life? Wow, that's a difficult question to ask. Is Christ more precious than your life? You see, many fall away after many years, professors to be Christian. And it's because at one stage, it didn't cost that much to be labeled as a Christian, to walk the walk, to do church, to be among the community.

It wasn't that costly. But as the costs, they grew and increased. Then at one stage, the cost became too much to bear. And they find themselves to giving up and walking away. Why?

Because as I said earlier, the price to pay was too great. And the value for which they perceived was not great enough. And they would rather retain their own lives. And that is only to prove that they were not in Christ in the first place. Because, beloved brothers and sisters, this is the scary thing is, we can have an abstract understanding of who Jesus is.

We can have knowledge in the mind. We can read our Bibles. We can talk to our friends, our brethren, have an understanding in our minds. But unless that is reality in here, Unless the Lord has actually changed our hearts and the Spirit of God, the Spirit of Christ dwells within us and we have come to taste and see the goodness of God. You don't know what he's worth.

You don't know what he's worth. And you don't know what price, how far in or how much is demanded of you before you say I'm done with this whole Christian thing. But with the believer, those who have truly been saved by the grace of God, eyes have been opened to see this reality. Apart from Christ, I'm bankrupt anyway. There's nothing in this world that is worthy.

There's nothing in this world that compares to what I receive in the Lord Jesus Christ. Nothing. Without Him, I'm bankrupt. With Him, I have. I have everything.

How precious is Christ to you? This text, this chapter began with Mary pouring out that ridiculously expensive nard at the feet of the Lord. You remember that? What an act of love. What an act of generosity.

It's just mind-blowing her absolute love for the Savior. Pure nard. A full year's wages. This is greater yet. What we've been called to is not a year or two or three, but everything.

Everything. How precious is Christ? Answer that question and you'll be able to answer whether you're prepared to give it up for him. How much do you love him? That's the question.

If you're asked to give it up, In your heart of hearts, have you recognized Him to be enough? Remember the kingdom, the parables of the kingdom? He didn't sell 95% of what he had, but all of it. There's no, what do they call it? There's no fallback.

There's nothing to go to. It's Christ or nothing. Remember 1st John chapter 5 verse 12, whoever has the Son has life and whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life. If one thinks they can have life apart from Christ, they're deluded. True life is found only in the Lord Jesus Christ.

This is eternal life that they know. They know the Father, they know the only true God and they know the one here is Saint Jesus Christ. That's it. Beloved, We need to examine our hearts daily and we need to test our hearts daily to see whether there's things in this world that has captured or embraced our hearts and have taken our eyes upon what is truly precious, what is truly eternal, what is truly of great value, our treasure, Jesus Christ. I keep going back to the words of the Apostle Paul, those wonderful words that just, I love them in Philippians chapter three, but whatever I gain, he says, I had, I counted as lost for the sake of Christ.

Indeed, I count everything a loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Jesus Christ, Jesus, my Lord, for his sake, I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish in order that I may gain Christ. Paul knew it. For Paul, Christ was more valuable than life itself. And we have a history of what he went through, the persecution, the suffering, the tribulation of this apostle. And yet, nothing more precious is his declaration.

Christ is worthy of it all. Because Christ is, is everything. If we have Christ, we have it all. He is our wisdom. We're told this in the scripture.

1 Corinthians. He's our righteousness. He's our sanctification. He's our redemption. He's our peace, our joy, our comfort, our safety, our security.

He's our treasure. Like anything that is, the soul requires, the soul which is of eternal value. Anything that you're looking for is found only in Christ. As I said earlier, you're bankrupt apart from Jesus. He is everything, beloved.

Christ is our great reward. Christ is our great reward. If anyone serves me, he must follow me. And where I am, there will my servant be also. If anyone serves me, the Father will honor him.

The riches of being united with Christ really do surpass all understanding. But the more you delve into God's words and explore his promises, the more you explore, you become dumbfounded by what you find. Because it just keeps getting better. and better, more glorious, and more glorious. I just finished making the point that Christ is our exceedingly great reward.

He is our great reward. But then you go on and you hear those words, but there's more. The Father, the all-powerful, all-knowing God of the universe would honor this sinful frame. It's hard to fathom. That's what our Lord is saying.

His faithful servants, those who belong to Him, those who are in His kingdom, those who are united by Him through repentance and faith to walk in a life of self-denying, sin-mortifying path led by our Lord, as we said last week, will be honoured by the Father. Christian, you must hear these words. Your service to the Lord, your service to Christ is honoured by the Father, is blessed by the Father, is valued by God. We're not worthy of this. We're not.

We're not worthy of this. The song we sang earlier, clay jars is what we are. Unworthy vessels. And Jesus is saying, yet we will receive the highest honor. That's remarkable.

Actually, it's mind boggling. See, we often ascribe honor and glory. Honor and glory are very closely related in the New Testament, as well as the Old. But those words, honor and glory, we often ascribe honor to God as we should, right? We should, because the word is translated honor here, but it can be translated revere, or to esteem, or to visit with favor, to place a price upon, or here it is, to give high estimation, to lift up to price.

Commonly, we ascribe this sort of language to the Lord, because this language is commonly used in the text of an inferior ascribing or rendering esteem or honor or prize to a superior. That's what we normally see in the scripture. From the lesser to the greater. The lesser honors the greater, because the superior is inherently worthy of the accolade. Not always, but quite often.

quite often is how it's ascribed, not that he's not worthy of the accolade. God is normally the recipient of the honor. He's worthy. He's worthy to be exalted. He's inherently worthy.

He's worthy to be esteemed. And the scripture is replete of the importance of ascribing honor and glory to the Lord. It is a theme that runs through the whole of the Old Testament. The Lord God is a God who He's worthy of glory, and He'll share it with no other. We know that, and the importance of the people of Israel to ascribe the honor and the glory that is fitting His name, we see that.

And in the New Covenant, in the New Testament, we see Jesus, our Lord, also speaking quite extensively about the honor of the Father. And in fact, what He says is that the Father is honored through the Son. That when we honor the Son, we honor the Father. When we honor the Father, we honor the Son. If you don't honor the Son, you don't honor the Father.

I and the Father are one. That's the concept that Jesus is teaching us. He's equality with the Father because He is God in flesh. Indeed, He is God in flesh. He tells us that in John chapter 5.

We get how God is to be honored in this way. But us? How could this be? We're not worthy of this. What is it in us that gives worth to be prized by the Father?

Have you ever asked yourself that question? What is it in you, what is it in me that is worthy of being honored, exalted, lifted up, prized by the Father? I submit to you, there is only one possibility. It's your exceedingly great reward once again. It's Christ, the Son of God.

We are honored, beloved, because of Christ. Listen, He, Jesus, is eternally glorious as the Son of God, God Himself. And in the Incarnation, the God-Man, Jesus Christ, who shared in our humanity, He's the one who's worthy of the honor of the Father because of His absolute perfect obedience, faultless in His obedience to the will of the Father. We spoke about that last week. Christ's life was a life that is eternally pleasing to the Father.

He put a smile on the Father's face because everything He did was glorious. And God's standards is perfection. Anything short of perfection He cannot tolerate. He's a God who lives in unapproachable light. He's thrice holy and He's worthy of the very best.

Not even a minute of corruption can enter into His presence. Are you worthy of that? Am I? Are we capable of living in that way? We are not.

Only Christ can. Only Christ is worthy to be honored by the Father in this way because He's perfect, He's faultless and He is indeed God Himself. How are we then honored by the Father? Listen to 2 Peter 1, 16-18. For we did not follow cleverly devised myths when we made known to you the power and coming of the Lord Jesus Christ, but we were eyewitnesses of his glory.

For when he received honour and glory from God the Father, and the voice was born to him by the majesty or majestic glory this is my beloved son with whom I am well pleased we ourselves heard the very voice born from heaven for we were with him on the mountain this is Peter's eyewitness he heard with his ears the father is the one who looked upon the son and said in him I am well pleased and he ascribed honor and glory upon the Son. Because the Son is inherently worthy of the accolades of the glory and the honor of the Father because of who He is. He is the eternal Son of God. He is God Himself and because of what He's done in absolute perfect faultless obedience to God. And He rendered a service that is acceptable to God because of who He is, infinitely righteous.

So, he obtained the pleasure of God and was worthy of the honor of God. Christ is the one worthy of honor. Christ is the apple of God's eye. He says that. If Christ is all that, then why are we honored by God?

A few months ago, I gave you a small illustration. If you remember, I'm not going to repeat it again just for the sake of time, I know time is escaping. But if you remember, it was about a very wealthy man with a very large art collection. I don't give many illustrations, hardly any, so I'm hoping you'd remember, probably the only one I used in the last six months. But anyway, the man loved his son.

His son had passed away before he has, and he had a beautiful painting of his son. And then when he passed away, this is the wealthy man, he made mention in his will of how his assets are going to be distributed and auction was to be placed. You remember the story. The auctioneer would come and the sound of the gavel would only be heard once because the instruction of the man was this, that you auction the painting of my son and whoever receives my son, he receives everything. You have these art collectors from all over the world salivating, wanting to buy the Van Goghs and the Da Vinci's and all these wonderful paintings.

And then they hear the gavel drop once and they're going, great, let's get to business. And the auctioneer says, game over. If you have the son, you have everything. And I suspect that's something similar that's taking place here when Jesus says, if anyone serves me, the father will honor him because the honor is only worthy of the son. But we are united in the Son.

We are identified with the Son. And if you have the Son of God, you have everything. The biblical principle is this, that we share in the eternal glories. in everything that the Son has accomplished. We Christians share in and through the Son, the riches, the inheritance, all of it, all of it, we share because we belong to Him, because of our union in Christ.

Hear those words, in Christ, in Christ. You won't go very long speaking to myself before I mention those words because our identity, the formal ground of our acceptance to God is because we are in Christ. Not only are we in Christ and set free and forgiven in Christ and His righteousness covers us so that the Father can look upon us with joy and pleasure, but we are also in Christ in the sense that everything that Christ has accomplished Everything He has earned, everything that belongs to Him is ours also in Christ. Without Christ, without the reality, beloved, you have nothing. Zilch.

It exists out there, but you have none of it. In Christ. Remember that. That we are inserted in Christ. That He's inserted in us.

He dwells in us and we dwell with Him. There's a beautiful union that our identity is no longer Bernie. It's no longer you filling the gaps. It is in Christ. I belong to Him forevermore.

He promises He'll never leave me nor forsake me. That relationship will never be severed. That separation will never happen. Never. Where I am, my servants will be also.

We are highly esteemed because of who we are in Jesus Christ. If you take yourself away from Christ, look at yourself, look at myself, and I'll find there's absolutely nothing in me worthy, not of honor, not even of a good word, but everything I find within me is worthy of judgment. Because there's nothing apart from corruption in this heart apart from Christ. There's nothing worthy to boast in this life apart from Christ. Christ ought to be our boast.

Christ ought to be our treasure. Christ ought to be precious to our hearts. Can you see why it's important to have him as the treasure of your heart and mine? Scripture gives us these answers. It tells us how God honors us, how we're lifted up by God because of our relationship with Christ.

And I'll go through them very quickly. The grace of God. We know salvation cannot occur, cannot be accomplished apart from the finished work of Christ and then by the grace of God for that finished work to be applied to the life of the believer through repentance and faith. It cannot be. So why am I worthy of that grace?

I'm not. But why has God chosen to honor me with that grace, to uplift me, to prize me to the point where He bestow and ascribe that grace upon me? Beloved, this is my answer. I don't know. I actually don't know the extent of it, but I know this much.

I know according to scripture, according to 2 Timothy 1.9, that His grace was given in Christ before the ages began. So it wasn't that I was born and He liked my smile. Or He liked my voice or thought I had aptitude or skill or something that He can use. It's none of that.

Before the ages began, I wasn't here. Nothing was here and yet His grace was bestowed upon me through Christ. In Christ. You heard those words. In Christ.

Let me give you another one. Salvation. Why has Christ, why has God exalted me in salvation that I don't deserve? Why has He lifted me up from a state of being worthy of only condemnation and destruction and being under the recompense of God for all eternity? Why has He lifted me up to save me?

Why? Again, my answer to you is I don't know the full extent of it. But I know this much. His word tells me that I was chosen in Christ before the foundation of the world. Chosen in Christ.

Ephesians 1.4. Why is he being pleased to show me mercy? I know my sin. I know my corruption.

Why has he been pleased not to punish me, not to bestow upon me what I deserve, but to give me what I don't deserve? Why? Why has he been pleased to lift me up and not condemn me, but to give me his own honor? Why? Again, I'll let the Apostle Paul answer that one.

There is therefore no condemnation for those who are in Christ. What's the common denominator? In Christ. In Christ. In Christ.

Why has He loved me? God is love, that's true. There are many who will go to hell and God still remains love. Why has He loved me so vividly? Why do I experience right now a love that I cannot be separated, the love of God?

Why am I experiencing His love that is wider and deeper and higher than I could ever imagine? That nothing can separate me from the love of God. Why? Why? Beloved, why?

You ever ask yourself that question? Why am I loved by God? He is love, true. You can't go beyond that because now you're starting to go into the mind of God. And apart from what is written, we can't go.

We need to leave it there. But I know this much, according to Romans 8, verse 39, that nothing can separate me from that love of God because I'm in Christ Jesus, in Christ. Romans 8, verse 39. The Spirit of God that we spoke about earlier in John chapter 14, the Spirit of Christ. This is a wretched body.

This is a wretched frame. A corrupted frame. This is not worthy. Not worthy to be the temple of God. This is not worthy.

Paul says so in 1 Corinthians that we're the temple of God. We're not worthy to have the Spirit of God dwell in us. The Spirit of Jesus dwell in us. We're not worthy beloved. And yet in Titus 3, 6 we're told the Spirit is poured out on us richly.

Hear this, through Christ. Again, in Christ. I said earlier that we're no longer individuals, but we're now identified as Christian. There is no greater honor here. This is no greater honor than to be named, than to be named as children of the living God.

Children of God. Christian, you've become a child of God. God's not ashamed to put His name upon you. Can you think of a greater honour than to be called a child, a child of God? How were we adopted as sons of God?

How? How? How did we receive that honourable name according to James 2.7? He calls it the honourable name of God.

Tells us the basis of our adoption in love. He predestined us for adoption to himself as sons again through Jesus Christ. Ephesians 1.5. Union with Christ is the basis for everything.

Remember that. In Christ. Union with Christ. You take yourself away. You take yourself and depart from it.

Identify as anything you want apart from Jesus and you're wretched and you're under the wrath of God. We are, we are in Christ if we have come to embrace him by faith. If we've repented of our sins and been inserted in Him, we are no longer seen by God as sinful individuals, although that we are, but rather we're seen as clothed in the beauty and the perfection and the glory and the obedience and the wonder and the splendor of Jesus Christ. Our formal standing before the God of the universe is because we are in Christ. I can speak on about how God has exalted us and lifted us up in Christ.

I can talk to you about being heirs to the eternal riches. I can talk to you about the joy that we have in Him. I can talk to you about the peace and the comfort and security and the safety and the protection and the ability to bear fruit for Him, righteousness, fruit of righteousness. To yield His Word, to be empowered by His strength and His Spirit. To honor, to be honored with the proclamation of the gospel of grace.

And know that through it He will honor the work and build His church, because it's Christ Himself that builds the church, but He does it through. through His servants, through His people who proclaim that word. Who's worthy of carrying the word of Christ? Who's worthy of proclaiming the gospel of grace? Who is worthy of these things?

The Apostle Paul was broken over this. None of us are. Christ is. Christ is. I can go on but I think you get the picture.

But if not, let the Apostle Paul summarize it all for you in Ephesians chapter 1 verse 3. Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places. He's got away with words, the Apostle Paul. Under inspiration, he doesn't have to name them like I did. Peace, comfort, security.

He just says every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realm. Can you think of a spiritual blessing? He says he has blessed us in Christ with that blessing. All of it is in Jesus Christ. All of it.

What an honor. What an honor. Every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places. Heaven is God's abode. All the blessings of heaven we're told.

Blessings worthy of God himself are ours in Christ Jesus our Lord. What can we say to all of this? All we want is really to, at the end, to stand before Him and hear the words, come on in, good and faithful servant. I don't know about you, but that would be enough. I don't know about you, but that's, I'll be glad with that.

And I see what He's bestowed upon me, and I just, what do you do with all of this? How glorious is He? That He's been pleased to give us the greatest reward that is Christ. And He's been willing through that greatest reward to give us the greatest honor, the honor of the Father Himself. How precious is our salvation, beloved?

How wonderful is our Lord? How glorious is the work of Jesus Christ in bringing us into the kingdom of God? How wonderful is it? Don't let the enemy, don't let him whisper in your ear and whisper lies. You need to meditate, you need to consider, you need to spend time in the word and see the promises of God and find that they're all yes and amen in Jesus Christ.

And rejoice. Rejoice not so much in the benefits but in Christ himself. Because Christ is our treasure. Christ is our exceedingly high or great reward. But don't let this make you proud.

There is no boasting in this. Because from beginning to end, I've explained to you how the formal ground of all that we receive, all those incredible blessings, the reward, the honor of the Father, the formal ground of all of it is Christ. Because he's the one who is worthy. The fruit we produce in this life is fruit that is rooted in the one who is the vine and we are the branches. It is the life of Jesus by the power of his spirit.

He's the one who empowers us to speak the gospel. He's the one who does it all. There is no boasting. Protect your heart from boasting, because the heart ought to be, as we're told in Luke chapter 17, when it's all said and done. Even though these are the accolades and these are the blessings and these are the incredible, mind-blowing, precious blessings that are found in Christ in being a servant of this great king in his kingdom, we're told in Luke 17, when it's all said and done, we are to come to him and say, we are unworthy servants.

We have only done what was our duty. Mean that from the heart. Because that's the power of the Spirit that will be at work in you to break down any pride, because there is no grounds for pride if Christ has done it all. But at the same time, rejoice. Rejoice that if you have the Son of God, you have everything.

Let's pray.