From Death Comes Life | John 12:20–26

SERMON OUTLINE

A grain of wheat that falls into the ground and dies doesn't just produce one grain in return — it produces a harvest. Jesus applied this image to himself, and it changes everything.

In this message from John 12:20–26, Pastor Nathan Smith explores one of the most paradoxical truths in all of Scripture: that the glory of the Son of Man would be revealed not through conquest, but through death. When Greeks come seeking Jesus at the Passover feast, their arrival signals a turning point — the ingathering of the nations has begun, and the hour Jesus had spoken of throughout the Gospel of John has finally come.

We look at what it means that Jesus is the grain that must die, why Daniel 7 and Isaiah point to this very moment, and what true believing faith actually looks like — using the thief on the cross as a window into repenting, particular, and directional faith.

And then there's the upside-down truth for the Christian life: it is by dying to self that we truly live.

Topics covered:

• The significance of the Greeks coming to Jesus
• The Son of Man and Daniel 7
• Isaiah's vision of the Messiah's glory
• What true saving faith looks like
• The thief on the cross
• Dying to self in everyday Christian living
• The honor the Father bestows on those who believe

Preached at Heritage Baptist Church — Lynchburg, VA | March 29, 2026Part of our ongoing series through the Gospel of John