Jesus’ Words in Red Transformation of a Seed

Jesus’ Words in Red

Transformation of a Seed

The man who loves his life will lose it, while the man who hates his life 

in this world will keep it for eternal life.

You and I are as a seed

We were meant to die before the grave

Our purpose is to 

“Whoever serves me must follow me; and where I am, my servant also will be. 

My Father will honor the one who serves me.”

We cannot follow Christ unless we die to our earthly desires

Our earthly desires will cause us to remain alone

We were meant to grow in Christ and to produce much fruit

Fruit that will remain

We were meant to be eternal beings

Start living your eternal life now

Transformation of a Seed

Context is always important and here in John 12

it is important to see the context in the first

22 verses before reading the words

of Jesus in the following verses.

Two things are setting up Jesus’ words.

Lazarus had just been raised from the dead.

Second, Greeks want to see Jesus.

 

“There were some Greeks among those who went up to worship at the Feast. 21 They came to Philip, who was from Bethsaida in Galilee, with a request. "Sir," they said, "we would like to see Jesus."

We should keep in mind the words of Jesus

in John 12: 23 and following were not

just for the Jew, but for the Greek as well.

We again see Jesus explaining natural things we

see in the world with spiritual things of Heaven.

Jesus’ messages are trying to get

across the point we are eternal beings.

Our purpose and meaning to life is to

be focused on the eternal prospective.

I was just talking to a man in his 70s the other day.

We were taking about a fishing trip

he was leaving for in just a few weeks.

This man has taken fishing trips

several times a year for most of his life.

He said as he has gotten older, going

on a fishing trip has less meaning.

As a young man he spent as many

 hours fishing as he possible could…

Trying to catch the biggest fish and the most.

As he has gotten older and still in very good health a

fishing trip, spending time on the water, is not as important.

In fact, he said if he didn’t fish that would be ok.

As we talked he said the things he thought were

important in life don’t seem to be as important now.

He questioned what is important,

what is the purpose and meaning of life.

As he questioned why, I said the

reason is we are eternal beings.

We were made to live forever.

Our accomplishments soon become history and

we need something else to keep us fulfilled.

This is Jesus’ message…

“The man who loves his life will lose it, while the man

who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life.”

So what does it mean to love

our life and to hate our life?

Jesus helps us to understand by looking at a seed.

I tell you the truth, unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies,

it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds.

A seed has very little value until it dies to what it is.

A seed has great potential when

it is willing to be transformed.

Once the seed is put into the ground and

the transformation begins to take place

it can never be a seed again although

it will be able to reproduce seeds.

When you and I are born

into this world we are a seed…

A seed with eternal purpose.

The seed cannot realize the eternal

purpose until it comes to a place of death.

The seed can look for the things in this life that

will satisfy but in the end it will remain alone.

When we recognize we are like a seed alone

we find life’s accomplishments unfulfilling.

The temporary leaves us unfulfilled.

When a seed realizes that if it falls into

the ground and dies it can become a plant.

The person who realizes after physical death we

can have eternal life through the resurrection of

Jesus Christ will want that eternal life to begin now.

Jesus said we were to pray…

Thy Kingdom come Thy will be

 done in earth as it is in heaven.

Jesus lived His earthly life with

the realization He was eternal.

His focus on everything He did and said

was from an eternal prospective.

Jesus was dead to the desires of the flesh,

long before the cross.

Jesus did not live as a seed on

this earth but an eternal plant.

  

You and I are as a seed.

We were meant to die before the grave.

Our purpose is to…

 

“Whoever serves me must follow me; and where I am, my servant also will be.

My Father will honor the one who serves me.”

We cannot follow Christ unless

we die to our earthly desires.

Our earthly desires will cause us to remain alone.

But if we die to the earthly desires and choose

to live for eternal purposes, things that will last…

We will enjoy fulfillment now.

 

We must plant ourselves in Christ.

In doing the will of the Father…

We were meant to grow in Christ

and to produce much fruit.

Fruit that will remain.

We were meant to be eternal beings.

Start living your eternal life now.

Scripture Reading

John 12:17-26 NIV

17 Now the crowd that was with him when he called Lazarus from the tomb and raised him from the dead continued to spread the word. 18 Many people, because they had heard that he had given this miraculous sign, went out to meet him. 19 So the Pharisees said to one another, "See, this is getting us nowhere. Look how the whole world has gone after him!"

20 Now there were some Greeks among those who went up to worship at the Feast. 21 They came to Philip, who was from Bethsaida in Galilee, with a request. "Sir," they said, "we would like to see Jesus." 22 Philip went to tell Andrew; Andrew and Philip in turn told Jesus.

23 Jesus replied, "The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified. 24 I tell you the truth, unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds. 25 The man who loves his life will lose it, while the man who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life. 26 Whoever serves me must follow me; and where I am, my servant also will be. My Father will honor the one who serves me.