John chapter 12, and I commence reading from verse 27 through to verse 36. If you are there, I commence reading from the English Standard Version. John chapter 12, verse 27. Now is my soul troubled, and what shall I say? Father, save me from this hour, but for this purpose I have come to this hour. Father, glorify your name. When a voice came from heaven, I have glorified it, and I will glorify it again. The crowd that stood there and heard it said that it had thundered, either said an angel had spoken to him. Jesus answered, this voice has come for your sake, not mine. Now is the judgment of this world. Now will the ruler of this world be cast out. And I, when I'm lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself. He said this to show what kind of death he was going to die. So the crowd answered him, we have heard from the Lord that the Christ remains forever. How can you say that the Son of Man must be lifted up? Who is the Son of Man? So Jesus said to them, the light is among you for a little while longer. Walk while you have the light, lest the darkness overtake you. The one who walks in the darkness does not know where he is going. While you have the light, believe in the light that you may become sons of light. Let's just pray together, shall we? Father, we once again echo the words of the prayer that was offered by our elder, that as we gather In silence of heart, may you speak to us. May your words come alive in our hearing. And may the pages of scriptures speak. Father, we ask that as we approach your throne on the merits of Christ, we plead that in silence of our hearts, as we hear you speak, Speak to each one of us. Those still in sin, bring them to yourself in Christ. May God the Holy Spirit cause that each one of us will sit and hear and will not be distracted in any way. All we plead, that, Lord, you be with us, but also be with the instrument that you've chosen to use. And at the end of the day, may we all testify the Lord did speak to us, and we are glad we were in his presence. Be with us, for Jesus is said. Amen. All right, we are back in our study of the Gospel of John, and our journey through the Gospel of John finds us in chapter 12 and verse 27 and 28. And as we see recorded by John, as we approach the crucifixion of Jesus Christ in the account of John's gospel, We find a passage today that shows us that not only was Jesus Christ willing to go to the cross, it also shows us that the death of the Lord Jesus Christ was one that was planned by God himself. And so we see, as the Lord Jesus Christ begins to open up what was going to happen, we begin to see what he says, as recorded for us here, that his soul was troubled. And as he says, as John records, his soul was troubled. None of us understand fully what it cost God, the Father, and God the Son to forgive us of our sins. None of us fully understand what it costs God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit for our salvation. None of us can ever fully reach a point where you feel you've understood the exact cost of our salvation. But the scriptures does record something for us to be able to appreciate the entire transaction of our salvation as it were. As we read the scriptures, we begin to see what the son had to go through in order to appease his father on our behalf. And we can learn something from these verses, especially recorded for us in the gospel of John. And we see here on the eve of the crucifixion, John records that Jesus' soul was troubled. His soul was troubled. As he began to contemplate, as he began to look forward to that moment when the tide of public opinion would cry out, crucify him, crucify him. John records for us that his soul was troubled. But also from those words, as we begin, as we'll be opening up that verse soon, is that from the onset we can also see that whatever trouble we might be going through as God's children, there is comfort in the Lord Jesus Christ. When he says to us, do not let your hearts be troubled, believe in me, it's because he himself went through trouble, and even to a greater measure than whatever trouble we might be going through put together. And true comfort is only in the Lord Jesus Christ. And it's available to his children, but it's also extended to those still living in sin. The first thing I'd like us to see is the reason for the trouble. And the first part of verse 27 simply reads, now is my soul troubled. What was the reason for Christ's soul to be troubled? Or why was his soul troubled? From the lips of the Lord Jesus Christ, we could see the anguish that was in him. And it was because he would soon bear the sins of the world. Very soon, he was going to be hanged on the cross and he would die. And as Jesus thought about the approaching death, the approaching hour, when he who knew no sin would be made to be sin, he was deeply troubled. And He could not, for a moment, contemplate that hour without being troubled. How could one who knew no sin be made sin? How could one who had never known any broken fellowship, not even for a second with his father, undergo that for a moment. How could the sinless saviour of the world, the sinless man who's ever lived on earth, peacefully contemplate that hour in which he was to be made sin for us, so that in him, we might become the righteousness of God. How could he peacefully entertain that thought? He had enjoyed this fellowship with his father from eternity past. When nothing existed, God was there, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. And they had this fellowship within the Godhead. And there had never been any moment in the history of the world when this fellowship within the Godhead was broken. But in that moment, this fellowship will know something of a break, we know something of a separation. And John tells us that the Lord Jesus Christ said, now is my soul troubled. And as we think of these words recorded for us here, we are Here we peep into the mystery of the two natures of Christ, but also peep into the mystery of the Godhead. We peep into the mystery of the two natures of Christ. Being one with the Father from all eternity, he had enjoyed fellowship with God. But he had to come into this world and be born into this world, the world he had created, and to subject himself to the rules of the creation he had himself created. And he went through all these things. But now, that moment is approaching. His time on earth was coming to an end. And he says, now is my soul troubled. Lord Jesus Christ, while he lived on earth, he still enjoyed this fellowship with his father. as a sinless man on earth, his time was marked by the same unbroken fellowship with his father. Now he's about to go to the cross. And he could not comprehend, as it were, for a moment that he would be separated from his father. And humanly speaking would dare say that you would not understand, you could not even comprehend that moment, what it will be like. That's why when we read the gospel, it records for us that on the cross, as he hung there, he cried, my God, my God, why have you forsaken me? At that moment, God made him who knew no sin to be seen on our behalf. He bore that awful punishment of God's wrath that we deserved. And that's why Jesus was troubled. We could not find words to explain what he was going through. Words do fail us because there's been no human experience equal to what Christ was going through. And there's never been a death that can be compared to what Christ was going through. He knew no sin and was made sin for us. He knew intimate, eternal fellowship with the Father and it was going to be broken for a moment. And John tells us his soul was troubled. And this shows us the intensity of the death of Jesus Christ on the cross. It shows us what he had come to do. He knew from eternity when God the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit planned our salvation. His divinity agreed to come and accomplish that salvation. But now his humanity had to go through that experience. And as we see here, we see the mystery of the true natures of Christ, his God and his man and being God, he knew what it is to drink in the wrath of God. But being human, he had never experienced what it means for the wrath of God to be poured upon him. And he says, My heart is troubled. My heart is troubled. Those words of the Lord Jesus Christ must ring in our minds whenever we think of our salvation. Our salvation comes to us free, but it's not cheap. It cost God his son. The Bible tells us Jesus was a man of sorrow because he knew the cost of our salvation. And as you ponder on those words, just two points of applications for us. The first is that whenever we think of the doctrine of justification by faith, it means that our sins were imputed to Christ. were put on Christ. All the sins of the world were imputed to Him. And then His righteousness was imputed to us, or is imputed to us, the moment you believe. And as you think of those words, you must know that you stand forgiven today because of the righteousness of the Lord Jesus Christ. He took your sin upon himself as if he's the one who had sinned against the father. Then he took his righteousness and put it upon you so that before his father, you appear as though you've never sinned against God. You stand forgiven, not because of your righteousness, but because of the righteousness of the Lord Jesus Christ, which comes to us by faith alone. Jesus went to the cross so that if you believe in him, You will not have to undergo God's judgment on that day when we all stand before him, because he bore all your guilt, all your sins, so that you could enjoy peace with God. When you think of your justification by faith alone, that doctrine must remind us that your sins were leveled on Christ. and Christ's righteousness was imputed or is imputed to you. But the second thing we need to see is that you must see the seriousness of sin. Our sins, your sin, caused your loving Savior to be so troubled. He went through pain. And as God's children, we must not play with sin. We must strive and fight to put sin to death. It troubled your Savior. He went through pain, and you should hate your sin with all the hatred that it deserves. Don't flirt with sin. Don't play with sin. Sin is an enemy seeking to kill you. And when you are tempted to sin, remember the words of the Lord Jesus Christ. Before he went to the cross, he was troubled. And as he hung on the cross, he cried out to his God. Why? Have you forsaken me? Sin is serious. And as a child of God, stay away from sin. But as one living in sin, think about the seriousness of sin, what God's son went through to atone for those sins. And if the father punished his son for your sins, what makes you think you have a lighter punishment if you are found on that day outside Christ? And that's why hell is a fitting place for all those who continue in sin and don't want to accept the salvation that Christ brings, an eternity separated from God. Even that cannot even fully atone for sin, and that's why you'll be in hell forever, so that you continue to pay for your sins for eternity. It's the reason why Christ was troubled. He was to be made sin. Who knew no sin? But secondly, let's look at the resolve of Christ in the midst of his trouble. The resolve in the midst of trouble. What was Christ's resolve? The last part of verse 27. Now is my soul troubled, and what shall I say? Father, save me from this hour, but for this purpose I have come to this hour. What was the underlining resolve? which gave Christ stability, strength in the midst of his trouble. It was what John records for us in the last half of verse 27. For this purpose, I have come to this hour. And so in spite of the depth of Christ's troubled soul, He had this resolve that he had come for this very purpose to atone for the sins of the world. And this was the underlining resolve of the Lord Jesus Christ to look at his mission. His mission was salvation for the world and to surrender himself to the wisdom of his father. And he says, what shall I say? Father, save me from this hour. It is for this reason, for this purpose, I have come to this hour. Now when you read different commentaries, there is a debate as on the best way to understand the last half of verse 27 of John chapter 12. When you go to the original text in the Greek, the Greek doesn't have a question mark. Why it said, what and what shall I say? Father, save me from this hour. In the Greek, there's no question mark there. And so the, The debate is, how then do we understand this verse? Is it a question? Is it a rhetoric question that the Lord Jesus Christ is asking? And you see the ESV, the American Standard Bible and the New King James, that do put a question mark. And if, That's how we ought to understand this verse. Then obviously the response to Jesus' question is no. When he says, what shall I say? Father, save me from this hour? The answer is no. But the other version, like the Old King James, which has no question mark, gives us this idea that as Jesus is contemplating his death on the cross, he's making this statement, not as a question to the father, but making a statement which shows that as he came into this world, he came willingly. Just as he entered Jerusalem on the donkey willingly, he's also willingly going to the cross to die for our sins. Other commentators try to argue that there's a moment of indecision in the Lord Jesus Christ. As he thinks of the horrors of the cross, he begins to shrink back in his obedience to his father. But that's not the point here. The point is the Lord Jesus Christ wants us to see, as we read, that he came to this But he came to this earth and the reason he came to this earth is to accomplish salvation for us. There is no indecision in the Lord Jesus Christ. There is no... ounce of disobedience in Christ. No. He knew his mission. He knew why he came. And now he's saying, my soul is troubled. And what shall I say? Father, save me from this hour. No. This is why I came. This was my mission. All the miracles I did was for this reason why I came. that the world may know that I am the saviour of the world, the only true saviour of the world. I did not come here to make a name for myself, to create an empire for myself. I came into this world for this purpose, to die for the sins of the world. And as I die for the sins of the world, I want the world to know that it was done willingly. For this purpose, I have come to this hour. He was resolved to die for sin. Thomas Manton writes, and I quote, His desires of his own safety were moderated and submitted to the conscious of his duty and he preferred the honor of God and seeks to advance it above his own course, his own case. He accordingly affirms his commitment to his death and prays that the Father would glorify his name through it. And that's what we see in here, that he sacrificed himself. He wasn't thinking of himself. He had a mission, and that mission was given to him by his father. And his life had this one goal. to glorify my Father in all I do, even if it means I hang on the cross. My goal was to glorify my Father in heaven. This was the resolve in the midst of the trouble that Christ went through, or his troubled soul. He came. to die for sinners. And I ask, in light of what the scriptures teach us, the resolve of Christ, the reason why he came, in light of what the Bible teaches us, how foolish for anyone to think that they can accomplish salvation by other means and not Christ. In light of what we see in the scriptures, how worthless any attempt at gaining salvation outside Christ. Religious activities will not save anyone from their sins. It is foolish to think that your religious activities that are dented with sin can cause God to accept you. And yet the scriptures are clear. His son died. He came to die for sin. And what makes you think those religious activities, those sacrifices you give will please the father and he'll smile at you and say, welcome into my kingdom. Oh, that you may set yourself and see that there is no other way of salvation apart from Christ. Salvation is found only in the name of Jesus Christ. For he alone fulfilled all the necessary demands of the law of God. And he alone met the conditions of the father. And to think that you can obtain salvation in another way is blasphemy and the height of self-deception. It's blasphemy against God to think that by being religious, he will accept me when his own son died. Christ's resolve was to do that which will please the father. And he says, for this reason, I have come to this hour. Let's quickly look at the reassurance from heaven. The reassurance from heaven. Verse 28. Father, glorify your name. When a voice came from heaven, I have glorified it and will glorify it again. And we see this divine reassurance that came in the form of a voice from heaven. He says, my soul is troubled, but father, this is why I came. And then he says, glorify your name. And immediately we hear, The voice from heaven, as we are told, which says, I have glorified it and I will glorify it again. And if you are a Bible student, you know that this is the third time in the ministry or in the life of the Lord Jesus Christ where a voice is heard confirming who he is. The first was at his baptism. When he was baptized, a voice was heard from heaven and the Spirit of God came upon him in the form of a dove. and will say, this is my beloved son. And then on the Mount of Transfiguration, as we recorded in Mark chapter nine, again, when the disciples saw Jesus, Moses, and Elijah appear with him on the Mount of Transfiguration. Again, God spoke to show that yes, Elijah was a good and strong prophet. Moses was a good servant, but none of these are equal to my son. And God spoke and said, this is my beloved son. Follow him. And now here John records for us again, when Christ says, my soul is troubled, then a voice is heard from heaven, reassuring the Lord Jesus Christ, that I have glorified myself and I will do it again. God spoke from heaven. And we see, as John records, that those around did not even understand or comprehend what it is that he had said. And others were basically saying, It had thundered, but what God said was audible enough to the Lord Jesus Christ to assure him of what it is that he had come to do, but also to assure him that your mission is about to come to an end, but also throughout your life on earth, your incarnation, your ministry on earth has been a means of glorifying my name because through you, you've made me known to the world. I have glorified myself. And then the father uses a future tense, and I will glorify it again. obviously pointing us to that moment when Jesus would hang on the cross and through his death, the father will bring many to himself. Jesus knew that the father will be glorified by his death. But also we need to understand that God's glory is complete in and of itself. God's glory is complete in himself. And he didn't need anything outside of himself to complete that glory. He doesn't even need us to increase his glory. But there's a sense in which we see here that the death of Jesus Christ will be a means through which the Father will glorify himself. And this will be in the redemption of sinners from every tribe, nation, and language, from every people group of the earth. The death of Christ brings glory to God the Father. And Jesus was willing to die so that his Father is glorified. And this glory of the Father will be seen as salvation is granted, not only to the Jews, but to Gentiles as well. The cross of Christ brings glory to God. The cross shows, showed the angels and the principalities in heaven and on earth, the unfathomable riches of the love and the grace of God. That Christ, who is the center of heaven, would come down to earth live a perfect life in total obedience to his father, and that he would willingly submit himself to the cruel treatment of his own creation, and that he would hang on the cross, and on that cross, he would give up his life. so that all principalities would know the unfathomable riches of God's love and grace in Christ. The cross of Christ displays God's infinite holiness. It also shows us his infinite justice Sin will not be unpunished. Sin will not go caught free. It will be punished. And we see on the cross that the father poured his wrath on his son. And the son drank that wrath for us. And on that day, when you stand outside Christ, you will drink the wrath of God yourself. And oh, you'll be destroyed. Because only God can drink in the wrath of God. Only God can stand God. That's why Christ had to be God, because only God can drink in the wrath of God, but also had to be human, because human beings are the ones who had sinned against God. This is why the hymn writer would ask, and can it be that I should even gain an interest in the Savior's blood. When the imitator thinks of the transaction on the cross, he realized that there's no human words that I can use to explain why I can even have an interest or even a benefit on the transaction that happens on the cross. He said, died he for me who caused his pain. How can I even gain from that death? And we see that Christ's soul was troubled because he had come to accomplish your salvation. That in him, you might be the righteousness of God. But we also see that all this was in the plan of God. And Christ willingly came and died for us. God has planned all things. And he's planned that whoever will not believe in his son will perish. and that will come to pass. And I plead with you, don't continue in sin. Turn away from sin today. Jesus died for your sin. so that you can be the righteousness of God. And to continue in your sin is to say to God the Father, I don't care what you've done. I don't care about the death of your son. I will live my way, I will do what I want, and you will not do anything about it. And the father looks at you and says, you don't know what you are saying. Hell awaits for you while you'll be punished for your sins, not for one day, but for eternity. Come to your senses today and turn away from sin. But for those of us who are God's children, when you think of the cross of Christ, that's an expression of God's love for you. That he gave his son for you. With all your weakness, with all your shortcomings, he loves you. and He wants you to live a clean life. Stop playing with sin today. Look at the cost of your salvation. Look at what Christ has done for you. Why go back to your sins when it cost your Savior His life so that you don't live in sin? Turn away. from that life of sin and live the way God wants you to live. He loves you, not just today, not just for tomorrow, but for eternity. He's loved you with an everlasting love. And as you Think about the cost of your salvation. Oh, that we may sing all of us with joy. I am so glad that Jesus loves me. Jesus loves me. Jesus loves me. I am so glad that Jesus loves me. Even me! Yes, me, who from time to time live as if I'm not a Christian. Yes, even me, he loves me. He's died, I'm his. And may the Holy Spirit helps us to live lives that are worthy of our salvation. And may we not forget that our Savior was troubled. because soon he was about to pay for our sins. And he did pay for our sins. And now he's in heaven, praying for each one of us that are his. And yes, we can see, even though I wander away and sometimes I forget him, he still loves me. And I'm so glad that Jesus loves me. Even me. He loves me. Amen.