Mineral Springs Church of Christ Podcast

Continuing with his series on the gospel of John, minister Aaron Hill directs listeners' attention to Jesus' conversation with His disciples at what has become known as the Last Supper. Jesus tells Judas to go do what he must. He tells Peter that he will betray Him. He tells His disciples that they cannot follow where He is going. He tells them to love one another. Jesus is the only perfect sacrifice, because Jesus embodies a perfect love! No one loves like Jesus. 

To be honest, most people would rather be served than to serve. Sometimes profit becomes more valued than people. Sometimes power is more attractive than service. We think service is below us, yet Jesus, though having more power than any of us, came down to serve us. As minister Aaron Hill continues his series on the Gospel of John, he references John 13 and the scene depicted there of Jesus washing His disciples feet. He is beginning His farewell speech to them, and He teaches them an important lesson: to be great, people must make themselves servants of others just as Christ gave up His throne in heaven to become a servant and give us eternal salvation. To His disciples then and now He says, "If you know these things, blessed are you if you do them" (John 13:17). He cleanses us and sends us out to serve.

In this week's lesson, Minister Aaron Hill continues his series on the gospel of John by wrapping up chapter 12. At this point, Jesus has done many signs and wonders, and yet many of the Jews cannot believe in Him. It's not just that they do not; they cannot. Why? How can this be? John records as Jesus quotes from Isaiah. Isaiah tells of a rebellious people. Their hearts have become hard, but God works through Israel's rebellion to bring about salvation through Christ. "For God so loved the world, that He gave His only Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life" (John 3:16).

Jesus tells his disciples in John 12:23 that “the hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified.” As minister Aaron Hill continues his series on the gospel of John, he reminds listeners that Jesus’ glorification doesn’t look like what his followers then or even now see as glorification. They nor we expect what Jesus says will be done to Him; that He will be glorified by submitting to a cruel death. After all, He is the Son of God, the Messiah. He could have come with fire, lightning, and thunder, wiping out all who stood in opposition to Him. That was the kind of power His audience expected of their Messiah. Yet, Jesus went to the cross, a place that shows weakness, not power. Only God could use the cross as a means to glory, so how does Jesus on the cross glorify God? It glorifies God as just; what is wrong must be righted. It glorifies God as loving; Jesus willingly going to the cross show His great love for us. For us, glory and power mean being lifted up and celebrated by the world, but Jesus chose to be lifted up on a cross, enduring pain, suffering, and death so that we as His followers might live. 

John the Baptist said of Jesus in John 3:30, “He must increase, but I must decrease.” He understood Jesus’ role. Jewish leaders of the day weren’t as accepting. As they watched people turning to Jesus, they feared a loss of their influence and power. They plotted to kill both Lazarus and Jesus to maintain their status, not realizing Jesus didn’t operate in the ways of the world. They sought power within their hierarchal leadership structure, but Jesus came as a servant. As he continues his series on the gospel of John, Minister Aaron Hill tells us that Jesus told His disciples in John 12:23 that the hour had come that the Son of Man would be glorified. The Pharisees were willing to kill to keep their power; Jesus was willing to die to offer salvation to the whole world. His glorification looked like pain; it looked like suffering; it looked like weakness, but without Jesus’ glorification, there is no salvation. There is no life. Our lives are nothing without a relationship with God through Jesus Christ.

Heels over head. We've mostly heard the expression as "head over heels," but in the thirteen hundreds, "heels over head" just meant that a thing was upside down. In minister Aaron Hill's sermon today, "heels over head" takes on a different meaning. John 12:1-8 recounts the story of Mary anointing Jesus' feet will an expensive perfume and then drying them with her hair. As a woman's hair was considered her crowning glory in that culture, Mary was demonstrating that even Jesus' feet were greater than her head, than herself. She shows an affection toward Jesus that shows how much she values Him; however, Judas doesn't see Jesus' value. When he points out that the perfume could have been sold for a great deal of money to help the poor, John comments that, in reality, Judas was the money keeper and had been known to have helped himself to the money bag. Judas covets the cost of the perfume in the name of charity. Mary uses the costly perfume to anoint Jesus in preparation for His burial. She shows that He is worth everything to her. Is Jesus worth that to us? Is He worth ALL to us? 

Most if not all of us have sat with doctors and talked to them about our pain levels. Whether our pain was at a three or a ten, we've probably experienced pain of one kind or another. Minister Aaron Hill reminds us that God, too, has experienced pain. Jesus went through torturous pain on the cross.
Continuing his series on the gospel of John, Hill continues in chapter 11 following the resurrection of Lazarus. The Jews are concerned that so many are believing on Jesus. They fear they are in danger of losing their influence and position if that continues, so they plot to murder Him, not realizing that Jesus has not come to Jerusalem just to observe the Passover with a sacrifice. He has come to be the sacrifice, a sacrifice that would save not only the Jews of His own nation but also the peoples outside of Israel, the Gentile nations. He subjects Himself to a painful death on a cross to save the world.

Jesus told His followers, "In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.” God allows us to go through pain, yet He is always with us in that pain. Minister Aaron Hill continues in John 11 as He finishes the account of Jesus raising Lazarus from the dead. Jesus arrives after Lazarus has been in the tomb four days. Mary and Martha are both sure that their brother would not have died if Jesus had been there. Jesus, however, doesn't reprimand them. He doesn't invalidate their pain. He mourns with them. The Jews are there to comfort the family, but Jesus offers them something better. He always offers something better. He is there to glorify God and bring people to belief. The resurrection of Lazarus reveals the glory of God. We can't stop death, but there is One who can raise our bodies to everlasting life: Jesus Christ. 

God is loving, but sometimes God allows us to go through pain. Continuing his series on the gospel of John, minister Aaron Hill discusses the account of Lazarus’ death from John 11. Some might question why Jesus allowed Lazarus to die. He didn’t have to be in Bethany to heal him, yet He chose not to go. Why is that? Others may ask why He didn’t go directly to Bethany when he learned Lazarus was sick. He could have done that, too, but he didn’t. Why? Sometimes God doesn’t do what He can do. In the case of Lazarus, He waits before He goes. He waits until His friend dies. He waits so that He can bring glory to God. 

Minister Aaron Hill continues his series on the gospel of John as he proceeds through chapter 10. Sometime between chapter 7 and chapter 10, two months have passed. The Jews are now celebrating the Feast of Dedication, what we know today as Hanukkah. They are celebrating freedom, but they aren't really free. They are subjects of Rome. They are wondering if Jesus is really the Messiah. They know Jesus is unique because no one has ever said what He says or done what He does. Yet, they don't recognize Jesus because He is not the kind of Messiah they are looking for. Jesus has plainly declared himself to be the Christ, but they don't believe Him. Jesus declares that His sheep hear His voice, and He has the sheep in His hands to give them life. At the same time, the Jews have stones in their hands to try to take His life. Many voices pull us in many different directions, but it is important that we focus on the voice of the shepherd, the keeper of the sheep.