Turn now to the reading from the gospel of John this morning. John chapter 12. We'll read from verse nine through 41. John 12, verse nine. Let us hear the word of the Lord. Much people of the Jews therefore knew that he, Jesus, was there. And they came not for Jesus' sake only, but that they might see Lazarus also, whom he had raised from the dead. But the chief priest consulted that they might put Lazarus also to death, because that by reason of him many of the Jews went away and believed on Jesus. On the next day, much people that were come to the feast, when they heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem, took branches of palm trees and went forth to meet him and cried, Hosanna, blessed is the King of Israel that cometh in the name of the Lord. And Jesus, when he had found a young ass, sat there on. As it is written, fear not, daughter of Zion, Behold, thy King cometh sitting on an ass's colt. These things understood not his disciples at the first, but when Jesus was glorified, then remembered they that these things were written of him and that they had done these things unto him. The people, therefore, that was with him when he called Lazarus out of his grave and raised him from the dead bear record. For this cause the people also met him, for that they heard that he had done this miracle. The Pharisees therefore said among themselves, perceive ye how ye prevail nothing? Behold, the world is gone after him. And there were certain Greeks among them that came up to worship at the feast. The same came, therefore, to Philip, which was of Bethsaida of Galilee, and desired him, saying, Sir, we would see Jesus. Philip cometh and telleth Andrew, and again Andrew and Philip tell Jesus. And Jesus answered them, saying, The hour is come that the Son of Man should be glorified. Verily, verily, I say unto you, except the corn of wheat fall into the ground and die, It abideth alone, but if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit. He that loveth his life shall lose it, and he that hateth his life in this world shall keep it unto life eternal. If any man serve me, let him follow me, and where I am, there shall also my servant be. If any man serve me, him will my father honor. Now is my soul troubled. And what shall I say? Father, save me from this hour. But for this cause came I unto this hour. Father, glorify thy name. Then came there a voice from heaven saying, I have both glorified it and will glorify it again. The people therefore that stood by and heard it said that it thundered. Others said an angel spake to him. Jesus answered and said, this voice came not because of me, but for your sakes. Now is the judgment of this world. Now shall the prince of this world be cast out. And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto me." This he said, signifying what death he should die. The people answered him, we've heard out of the law that Christ abideth forever. And how sayest thou the son of man must be lifted up? Who is this son of man? Then Jesus said unto them, yet a little while is the light with you. Walk ye Walk while ye have the light, lest darkness come upon you. For he that walketh in darkness knoweth not whither he goeth. While ye have light, believe in the light, that ye may be the children of light. These things spake Jesus and departed and did hide himself from them. But though he had done so many miracles before them, yet they believed not on him, that the saying of Isaias the prophet might be fulfilled, which he spake, Lord, who hath believed our report? And to whom hath the arm of the Lord been revealed? Therefore they could not believe, because that Isaiah said again, he hath blinded their eyes and hardened their heart that they should not see with their eyes nor understand with their heart and be converted and I should heal them. These things said Isaiah when he saw his glory and spake of him. This ends our scripture reading this morning. Your congregation, when Adam and Eve sinned in paradise for themselves and for the rest of mankind, that sin destroyed spiritual sight. And until this very day, apart from God's grace working in lives, we live in spiritual darkness. People today grope around in this darkness thinking that there might be a switch that they can turn on that will dispel that darkness. And we reach for various things to do that. And yet, darkness remains. As we see from John's Gospel, this spiritual darkness is everywhere. Even in the chapter we read together, John describes this darkness coming through in various categories of people. In verse 4, Judas Iscariot, the betrayer, questions Jesus. Verse 9, the Jews come wanting to see Lazarus, not Jesus. Verse 10, the chief priests come that they might put Lazarus to death because he's a testimony of the power of Jesus. Verse 12, great multitudes welcome Christ anticipating his political kingdom. Verse 16, even the disciples don't understand Verse 19, the Pharisees, religious leaders, mock because of their own spiritual darkness. Perceive ye how ye prevail nothing? Don't you see? Behold, they say, the world is gone after him. Spiritual darkness reigning in many hearts. Then we read in verse 20 that there were certain Greeks among them that came up wanting to see Jesus. They asked to see him. In a sense, they had the correct desire, but they also knew they needed it to be able to see. May God bless his word this morning. As we turn to John 12, And consider our text, which is in verse 32, because we need that same spiritual sight to see this. But our text is John 12, 32. And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto me. We'll consider this under the theme, the attractive savior. Three thoughts, his person, his purpose, and his power. When the Jews came to the house where Jesus was, they came to see Lazarus. Lazarus, who had been raised from the dead. But Jesus tells them immediately how wrong they were. Lazarus was not the one to be lifted up and exalted and admired. And I, he says, if I be lifted up. Jesus is telling them, you cannot look anywhere else. And it might be obvious, but the I is very singular. There is only one who is the attractive Savior. And how is he described? But if we look at the descriptions of Jesus, even in the context of this chapter, there's three descriptors, we might say. First, he's the king. The crowds, as they were coming out to meet him, called out, blessed is the king of Israel that cometh in the name of the Lord. And we might say, the people are calling that out blindly, and they didn't actually understand what they were saying. In a sense, that's true. But, Jesus, when he had found a young ass sat there on, John says, as it is written, fear not daughter of Zion, behold thy king cometh unto thee. John's confirming that the prophecy of Christ coming as the king is correct. He will rule perfectly. He will rule justly. He will not be blinded by all the darkness. He will see. Then Jesus can say in verse 31, now is the judgment of this world. Now is the prince of this world cast out. He's also the son of man. Verse 23, the hour has come, Jesus says, that the son of man should be glorified. As he took on flesh, he suffered in the flesh. As the son of man, he will come and in a sense, he will lose his life, but dying, it will produce much fruit and he will ascend to heaven with a body. And even as the son of man, he comes and he's given privileges reserved for God, authority and glory and power, worship of men of every language and culture. He's given an eternal kingdom. As the Son of Man, He's going to come and He's going to interact. He's going to interact with real people, with sinners. Yet even as He comes in the flesh and interacts with sinners, He desires that they would come to Him. They would repent and believe. The attractive Savior also comes as the light of the world. Verse 35. He says, yet a little while, the light is with you. He is the light that's going to shine in the darkness. He's going to shine through the darkness. The darkness is not going to comprehend it or understand it. But as the light of the world, he comes wanting people to see. to see because of him, to no longer reject the light, but to embrace the light, to be transformed by the light, and then to go out and live as lights themselves in this dark world. And so we see that the attractive savior, the one to be lifted up is the righteous king, the son of man, the shining light of the world. He humbled himself. He became of no reputation. He took on flesh. Became a servant. And yet, he must be lifted up. In the passage we read, God, as it were, confirms that this is the identity of Jesus. He speaks from heaven. He's done so before saying, this is my beloved son, hear him. And now he comes and the voice comes again saying, I have both glorified it and will glorify it again. God's revelation of his approval of Christ as the Son of Man in the flesh is clear. And yet, the spiritual darkness remains because some say it thundered. They didn't hear it. Others say it was an angel speaking to him. They're not just blind, but they're spiritually deaf to God's voice as well. They don't hear him. They have various responses, but they're wrong. This morning, what is your response to who Jesus is? God's word comes to you. His revelation speaks clearly, confirming this is who Christ is. This is why he's come. But do you see it? Do you hear it? Have you ever seen him as the attractive savior? As your king, as the son of man who came for you? As the light that's transformed your world? If you've not seen it, if you've not heard him, you need to ask why. Are you living in unbelief? Because Jesus hid himself from those who did not believe so that they could not see him or understand. Verse 36, these things spake Jesus and departed and did hide himself from them. Yet we can never turn and say, Jesus has not shown himself to me. I have an excuse. There is no excuse. Because go to verse 48. Jesus says, He that rejecteth me and receiveth not my words hath one that judgeth him. The word that I have spoken, the same shall judge him in the last day. Our text this morning. And I, if I be lifted up, will draw all men unto me. May judge you in the last day. There is no excuse. You've heard of the Savior. There's no excuse. And yet we know there is a line, there's a dividing line. And Jesus has come, as it were, even into our midst this morning and he's calling us to hear him. And yet we know from John's gospel that Jesus doesn't just go around trying to be as popular as possible. He has come to do his Father's will. And he's teaching his disciples here of his purpose on earth. And so we see in our second thought, his purpose, and we could consider his general purpose, but again, the context is more immediate. Verse 31, now is the judgment of this world. Now shall the prince of this world to be cast out. Now, a time of import has arrived. A defining moment, we might say. A moment of victory. And I, if I be lifted up from the earth. In order to understand this, we need to break it down a little bit. When Jesus says if, he does not mean that there's only a remote chance of it happening. It's more of a when statement, at a certain point in time, a certain moment, a definite moment. Then when he says be lifted up, he uses a word with ambiguous meaning. You might think of it as a word that has two meanings. And he certainly does mean it is a physical lifting up. A raising. He will be nailed to the cross. He will be raised, as it were, from the earth. And verse 33 confirms this. This, John says, he said, signifying what death he should die. He will bear the punishment of sin. The lamb of the world who takes away the sin of the world will be raised to the altar to satisfy God's justice. We can turn in John's gospel to chapter 19 and read how Pilate delivered Jesus to the high priest and the Jews to be crucified. And we read they took Jesus. And he, bearing his cross, went forth into a place called the place of a skull, Golgotha, where they crucified him. And Pilate wrote a title and put it on the cross, and the writing was, Jesus of Nazareth, the King of the Jews. And Jesus was so aware of that hour that was coming, that he prays in verse 27, Father, deliver me from this hour. And yet I said there's a dual meaning to this being lifted up. You may wonder how or why. Well, the term used here for lifted up also means to exalt. John 3, Jesus will be lifted up from the land where people dwell and he will be exalted by the Father. And what else had Jesus prayed for? in this chapter, prayed, Father, glorify thy name. And what was God's response? I have both glorified it and will glorify it again. The context of our text this morning is Christ's humiliation on the cross. And yet, it's also the glorification of the Father and the beginning of his exaltation. Again, verse 31, now is the judgment. Now will the prince of the world be cast out. And who's he speaking of there? It's Satan, the seed of the serpent. Christ's death, his being crucified, raised from the earth. shows us that Satan will not win. Death will not reign. Christ is exalted. He will reign. He is lifted up by the Father for the glory of the Father. He will be exalted. And then notice, maybe as confirmation about this dual meaning, John quotes from Isaiah, from verses 37 through 41. And he quotes, Lord, who hath believed our report, and to whom hath the arm of the Lord been revealed? Spiritual darkness. Jesus had been revealed to the Jews, but they would not believe. He hath blinded their eyes. Then verse 41, these things said Isaias when he saw his glory and spake of him. Now, you go back to the song of the suffering servant in Isaiah 53, where John is quoting from. It describes Christ's suffering in detail. He was oppressed. He was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth. He was cut off out of the land of the living, for the transgression of the people was he stricken. This parallels what it means to be raised up from the earth on the cross. And yet if you go back to the beginning of that song of the suffering servant, It begins with these words, behold, my servant shall deal prudently. He shall be exalted and extolled and be very high. Isaiah had combined these two ideas. John combines them here. Christ himself combines them saying, when I am lifted up, crucified and yet exalted by my father, then I will draw people to me. The suffering servant is the one who's lifted high on the cross. He's also lifted high in exaltation. He came to die, not to sit on the political throne. Yes, he's setting up a kingdom, but it's a spiritual kingdom and it will be of willing subjects. Those who adore him When you, this morning, dear believer, consider that He was lifted up on the cross to pay for your sin, to bear your punishment, does that not make you love Him? When you consider how willingly He went to that hour, how willingly He was lifted up, Does it not make you love him more? If I be lifted up, and then you think, that was for me. But there's a contrast here too, because The rejection of the enemies and his opponents make him shine brighter. The Pharisees can't stop the world from believing him. His might, his kingly might is so strong. The Jews can't stop others from calling Jesus their king. His authority is real. The people had enough, we might say Bible knowledge, to understand that the one who was to be lifted up But they couldn't reconcile that with their understanding of the Messiah. And then what Jesus was saying. Certainly our Messiah, the one who will free us, won't be lifted up on a cross. No, he'll conquer. And so they ask the question, who is the son of man? Certainly not the king who's coming to save us. And yet, in applying Jesus's claim to another, they appear to miss what's explicit in our text. And I, if I be lifted up. It was so obvious that they missed it. Their ears were closed. They were still spiritually deaf. They couldn't hear what Jesus was saying of himself. It's not an uncommon error. Do you believe your understanding of Jesus? Or do you believe what Jesus says of himself? Do you understand his purpose? coming to die to pay the price for sinners, to be exalted by the Father. Do you believe what Jesus said in John 3.14? And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. His purpose in being lifted up was not just to die, but to grant eternal life, not for himself, but for others, those given by the Father. We cannot look at Christ's work as being 2,000 years old and having little or minimal effect. No, the Father was well pleased with the work of His Son. Peter says in Acts, the God of our fathers raised up Jesus whom he slew and hanged on a tree. Him hath God exalted with his right hand to be a prince and a savior. Why? For to give repentance to Israel and forgiveness of sin. says in Philippians 2. And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. Wherefore, God also hath highly exalted him and given him a name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus, every knee should bow and every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord. to the glory of God the Father. This is where his identity shines. This is his true identity. This is who he is. This is why he's come. This is his purpose. As he's lifted up, he's lifted up to glory. He's exalted. As he's lifted up, he shines into the darkness. As he's lifted up, his glory will fill the earth. As he's lifted up, his kingship will rule and gather in willing subjects. As he's lifted up, he will fulfill his father's eternal plan of redemption. And the Lord's Supper is in remembrance of him. In remembrance of the king's death, the king who was lifted up, the son of man who's lifted up, the light of the world who's lifted up. The Lord's Supper does not exalt people. It exalts the one lifted up for our justification. Those who come are not lifted up to a new status. No, they're humbled. They need him. They need him to defeat Satan. They need him to bring light and life into their lives. They need him to come again and to redeem and forgive. Do you understand His purpose? Because as Christ is lifted up, division happens. Either you believe in Him, or you don't. As Christ was lifted up on the cross, some mocked, some wept. As Christ was lifted up on the cross, he died for some of those around him. And his cross will judge others who are standing right there. And so as we prepare for communion, has he been lifted up for you? If you stop for a moment and meditate on that, The overwhelming question is, can it be, Lord, for me? I look at myself, no, it can't be. I'm a sinner, I'm guilty. I sin against His kingship, His authority. I don't live the perfect life that I'm called to. I don't shine as I ought. But He's lifted up. And I look to Him lifted up. It pleases God that everywhere that the story of the cross is fully told, it saves souls, sinful souls, full of sin souls, through His power. That's our third thought, His power. Because Christ does not come, He's not lifted up. as a king who's going to come with military violence. He doesn't come through a man with brutal tactics, arm twisting people into submission. He doesn't come with one of these new laser light weapons that's so powerful it will burn anything that opposes. No, as his power comes through his death and exaltation, it comes and it draws. comes through drawing. A pulling in towards him. An irresistible pull. A powerful pull. And it pulls people in. It pulls sinners in. People who might initially resist. And yet in the end cannot. As Christ has lifted up his truth in front of others. draws in those who are searching for truth. As Christ has lifted up his gentleness, even for the Mary's in front of him, pulls in those searching for gentleness. His love for others draws in those seeking love. He draws in. wide arms lifted up on the cross, drawing all men to himself. Because as he's lifted up, he draws all men, people far off in the land of sin, people, hardened enemies, draws in, pulls them in gently, persuasively, That's not to say every single person. That's not the definition of the all men, but it's every category of man, Jew and Gentile, the Greeks who are seeking and the Jews who were opposing, the Samaritans, the Pharisees, strong and doubting disciples. The Pharisees are complaining, the world is following him. And Jesus says, as I'm lifted up, I will draw all men, the whole world, people from all over the world to me, Palestine, Greece, Rome, India, Germanic lands, Scotland, America, China. I will draw all men in. Then notice our text says unto me. I will draw all men unto me. Jesus speaking, as they're drawn in, they're going to be drawn to him. He didn't die for himself, but he died so that others would be able to come to him, so that they'd be attracted to him, so that they'd feel, as it were, that magnetic force pulling them in. And as the attractive Savior, the all-sufficient Savior, it's not a weak drawing. No, it's a powerful drawing. It's a complete drawing. All those that are drawn in will find in Him their all and all. And then the attractive Savior is known as a love that cannot be fathomed. And those who are drawn in will experience a life that can never die. A righteousness that can never be tarnished. A peace that can never be understood. A rest that can never be disturbed. A joy that can never be diminished. A hope that cannot be disappointed. A glory that can never be clouded. A light that can never be darkened. A happiness never interrupted. A strength never weakened. A purity never defiled. a beauty never marred, a wisdom that can never be baffled, resource that can never be exhausted. As we begin this week of preparation, is Christ your all and in all? Have you known that power drawing you Not to yourself, but to Him. Just as the sun shines on all, Christ is preached to you all. Yet Christ is not seen by those who are blind. By nature, we do not see the attractiveness of the Savior, the completeness of His resources, unless the Holy Spirit teaches us this. No one would be drawn in if it were not worked by God. And yet God has sent his spirit into the church to guide the church into all truth. He still draws men and women, boys and girls. And so as we close, I'd like to ask three questions. First question is this, What is it like to be drawn? What is it like to be drawn into the Savior? We go to the Old Testament, we see images of that drawing. I'll give you two. Jeremiah, we read of the covenant keeping God who is coming with everlasting love and he's drawing with bonds of loving kindness. He draws in covenant breakers. In Hosea, we read of the faithful God coming and bending down, meeting his children where they are, drawing them. Hosea says, with faithful love, he draws in unfaithful ones. We go through the New Testament, we see more examples of this drawing in. Lazarus knew of the power of the Savior. Mary had known that attractive power, and at the beginning, the chapter was willing to sacrifice her own comfort. But go to the day that Christ was lifted up from the earth. He's lifted up, and immediately, the penitent thief is drawn to him. Lord, remember me. He's lifted up and the centurion is drawn to see. And he glorified God saying, truly this man was the son of God. Joseph of Arimathea, Nicodemus, John, Mary, the other women, drawn to the cross. Peter, drawn to the empty tomb. 3,000 souls from under heaven, drawn in. Because the Savior, the attractive Savior is lifted up, sinners in spite of former lives are drawn in by his power and are forgiven. As the Savior is lifted up, sinners in spite of their denials and their doubts, still drawn in by his power and are forgiven. Sinners in spite of their misunderstandings and their questions are drawn in and forgiven. Sinners, in spite of their sin and unworthiness, are still drawn in and forgiven. In spite of their own guilt and condemnation, they should be there. They don't run away, they're drawn in and are forgiven. Christ dying never stopped his power. in drawing people to himself. But rather it began and it increased it. When I am lifted up, I will draw all men unto me. Have you been drawn? Drawn in. The Greeks came with a desire to see Jesus. Sir, we would see Jesus. Have you ever prayed, Lord, I want to see Jesus? Can you say with the author to the Hebrews, but we see Jesus. Notice then it's not an emotional drawing. Jesus doesn't draw you in to experience your own emotions. He doesn't draw you in morally. It's not just a moral drawing. You don't just appreciate his perfect life. It's not an external drawing of being bound up in the covenant. It's not a guilty conscience being attracted to peace. But it's a power that brings you in, that draws you in, but it draws you to Jesus Christ himself, the one, the only, the beautiful savior, crowned with glory and honor, who shines through his word, who calls sinners, who redeems them from destruction, who sets them on a rock, who transforms their lives, sends them out to go to all the world. Here is Jesus Christ, a sinner's desire, a sinner's only rest, a sinner's only hope, but they can't stop it before they find Him. Here's the King conquering sin, making sinners willing subjects. Here's the light of the world, dispelling darkness, enabling sinners to see themselves in the Word. Here's the Son of Man humbling Himself, Dying for sinners, destroying spiritual pride that we used to have. To be drawn in and is to see the attractive savior. The question this week is not may I be drawn. Christ never turned away one who comes to him in faith. No, he draws them. So the second question, how can you know if you are being drawn? By examining your hearts, asking yourself if you can recognize three things. First, do you know his powerful influence over your heart? Has he given you the humility to realize you deserve death? To see the guilt of your sin? Has he granted you that new life, that sense of forgiveness and peace, those new desires? Has he given you faith to believe the promise that for the sake of the one lifted up, your sins are forgiven? Second, do you know his powerful influence over your mind? Has he granted you the light to think differently, the light to care about new topics? Third, do you know his powerful influence over your will? You are no longer bound to sin, but he's blessed you with the desire to fight against unbelief and to live according to his commands. Yes, these things are not perfect, not complete, never will be here on earth. but being drawn in is a gradual process. Some are brought in quicker, others are brought in by slow degrees. But think of it like a sunrise. Might be slow, might be gradual, might even be subtle, gentle. It may be hard to point to that exact moment when the sun first appeared, but you can see it coming. And you can feel its effects. You can see its effects. And so, can you see the effects of God drawing you in? Affecting your desires. Affecting your interests. Affecting your love for his word. Affecting your prayers. That you would see Jesus more clearly. Not like trees walking. No, I want to see him clearly. If you really believe in total depravity, you recognize these things are not natural. We were born haters of God. We were born with enmity towards his word. And if you have heard his voice, not just the pastor's voice, no, if you've heard his voice imploring you, be reconciled. If you've heard his voice saying your sins are forgiven, being drawn, if you know this new willingness to glory in your Redeemer, you will know what the psalmist means when he writes, thy people shall be willing in the day of thy power. Willing to exalt him. to serve Him, willing to remember Him. The point is not that you and I are there, all the way there, with full knowledge, full transformation, full light. The question is, is Christ drawing me, pulling me, attracting me? Do I know that in my heart? Does his death, does his exaltation make me love him? Do his commandments make me want to live for him? Does his attractiveness make me long for heaven? Matthew Henry says it well. Then the soul that was at a distance from Christ is brought into an acquaintance with him. He that was shy and distrustful of him is brought to love him and trust in him. He is drawn up to his terms and to his arms. Christ is now going into heaven and he draws men's hearts to be with him there. So the third question this morning is, are you being drawn? In a sense, it's an urgent question because you do not know how much time you have left on earth. The call of the gospel always is repent and believe today, now. But it's also a question that each of us must answer before next Sunday morning. The question this week is not, did I feel something many years ago? Or has he led me down a long spiritual journey and have I experienced everything everyone else has? Those are not the questions. The question is, has he drawn me so that I look to him for everything, knowing that I don't deserve any of it? but because of His cross, His exaltation, He is drawing me. Amen. Let's close now together in prayer. Almighty and faithful God, how we thank Thee for Thy word by word that reveals to us the glorious person of thy son, Jesus Christ. His most glorious purpose in coming to die, paying the price for sinners, living the perfect life that we cannot and fulfilling Thy purpose, Thy desire for Him. Lord, how we stand amazed that Thou has revealed this in Thy Word, that Thou has revealed it to us. We are called to meditate on it once again. Lord, we pray that that would work with thy spirit in our midst, in our hearts, drawing us in so that many here would come to see Jesus, would have that spiritual darkness lifted, would know what it is to have spiritual light living in their hearts and souls, not because of anything they've done, but because thou has given them the gift of faith, the gift of regeneration. So, Lord, we pray that this week would be a week of sweet meditation, sweet communion, that we would not be so distracted by the busyness of life, that we would forget Thee until next Sabbath. Lord, fill our hearts, fill our minds, and cause Thy Word to go with us the rest of today the rest of this week. We pray for all the events of today. Lord, bless thy word as it goes out in many different means. Bless all those who participate and keep us from sin, even as we worship thee. We pray this in Jesus name. Amen.