Sir, We Would See Jesus John 12:12-21 12 On the next day much people that were come to the feast, when they heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem, 13Took 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. 14And Jesus, when he had found a young ass, sat thereon; as it is written, 15Fear not, daughter of Sion: behold, thy King cometh, sitting on an ass’s colt. 16These 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. 17The people therefore that was with him when he called Lazarus out of his grave, and raised him from the dead, bare record. 18For this cause the people also met him, for that they heard that he had done this miracle. 19 The Pharisees therefore said among themselves, Perceive ye how ye prevail nothing? behold, the world is gone after him. 20 And there were certain Greeks among them that came up to worship at the feast: 21The same came therefore to Philip, which was of Bethsaida of Galilee, and desired him, saying, Sir, we would see Jesus. • Jesus came to Jerusalem and much people followed him with palm branches crying: Ho-sanna blessed is the king of Israel that cometh in the name of the Lord. • These Greeks were among the many people, Jews as well as Gentiles, from throughout the Roman empire who had come to Jerusalem during this Passion week to celebrate the Passover festival and worship at the temple. o No doubt they had heard many reports about Jesus, including the recent news that he had raised Lazarus of Bethany from the dead. o Like the Ethiopian eunuch of Acts 8 and the Gentile centurion Cornelius of Caesarea of Acts 10, these Gentiles were Godfearers. o Disgusted with the polytheism and immorality of pagan religions, they were drawn to the monotheism and morality of Israel. • These Greeks probably attended synagogue worship in their home towns and regularly traveled to Jerusalem to celebrate festivals.

o But when they came to worship at the temple, they could only go up to the court of the Gentiles. o There was a wall separating Gentile worshipers from the rest of the temple area and they could not go past it. • Despite this restriction, these God-fearing Greeks wanted to see Jesus. o They approached Philip, probably because he was from Bethsaida, which bordered their own Gentile towns, and because Philip was probably bilingual and spoke the Greek language. o "Sir," they said to Philip, "we would like to see Jesus" (John 12:21). o When Philip heard the request of the Greeks, he went to another apostle, Andrew, and together they took the inquiry of these Gentiles to Jesus. • There were many people at the feast • Just like church every Sunday: There are many people that come. o In the group of those that come are spectators, hypocrites, skeptics, doubters and scoffers. o But in the midst of that congregation there were and there are a few select people who came and who come for only one reason and that is to (worship God.) • They didn’t come to spectate… o They didn’t come to criticize… o They didn’t come to impress anybody with their new hat, or their new suit, or their new dress… o They just came to worship.  Is there anybody here right now who came just to worship?  Is there anybody here who came just to glorify God, to worship him in Spirit and in truth? • These Greeks came to worship: And they knew if they were really going to worship they needed to see Jesus. o And if we’re really going to worship today we need to see Jesus. • Sir we would see Jesus:

• In recent days this scripture has brought great conviction to my soul that we as the church and myself as a minister of the gospel have failed to a large degree to present to the world the Jesus of the bible. o We have preached organizations and denominations… o We have preached religion and traditions, rules and regulations…. o We have even preached, “The Potter’s House…” o We have preached Gods blessing plan and eight steps to a breakthrough and seven keys to your miracle.  I’m including myself in this.  My concern today is this: That we have preached the bible so well, but have failed to preach Jesus.  Somehow Jesus has gotten covered up with the privileges and blessings of being a child of God that we have forgotten or at least misplaced the Jesus of the bible. • There is today as there was in the days of the bible a cry from the human heart: (We would see Jesus.) • I love my church, I believe in the doctrines and teachings of my church, I believe in the godly traditions and practices of my church, but we must never forget that the head of the church is a living person (Jesus Christ the Son of God.) • It’s not religion or traditions or doctrines that saves the lost, heals the sick and sets the captives free. (No) It is the living Savior (The person Jesus Christ) o He is the Savior… o He is the healer… o He is the deliverer… o He is the Baptizer in the mighty Holy Ghost and Power. • I believe it is a crying shame that so many in the body of Christ have lost sight of Jesus. o But even worse than that is the fact that many don’t even realize they have lost that vision. o Even worse yet is that many have allowed other things to displace that vision and now they would rather have religion than Jesus. o They would rather have traditions than Jesus.

o They would rather have blessings than Jesus. • It’s amazing how many people want prosperity but they don’t want Jesus. o They want healing but they don’t want Jesus. o They want power but they don’t want Jesus. o They want joy and peace but they don’t want Jesus. • We will see a great revival in the body of Christ when the Heart cry of the Church is: We would see Jesus. • Around the world today churches are shutting down and locking their doors. o Organizations are dying; people are leaving the churches and going into new age and occult practices and sinful lifestyles.  Why?  Because we have failed to present Jesus to them.  Jesus said: If I be lifted up from the earth, I will draw all men unto me. o He didn’t say: Lift up your church or your denomination or your organization or your doctrine. o He didn’t say: Lift up your religion or your traditions or your philosophies. o He said: Lift me up:  Talk about me, witness about me, preach about me, and teach about me. • Let me live in your testimony • Let me live in your preaching • Let me live in your singing • Let me be the main attraction • Let me be the reason for your gathering together then I will draw all men unto me and your churches won’t die, but they’ll come alive with resurrection power, and your churches won’t empty out but they’ll fill up with hungry, and thirsty, broken, hurting and needy people. o We would see Jesus o We want to see Jesus o We need to see Jesus o We demand to see Jesus

o We won’t settle for anything less than a personal contact with Jesus.  Don’t just tell me about him, don’t just show me pictures of him, take me to him. • Preacher take me to Jesus • Pastor take me to Jesus • Evangelist take me to Jesus • Christian friend take me to Jesus • If we can’t take a soul who is lost to Jesus we’ve failed in our mission. o If we can’t take the bound and the oppressed, the sick and the diseased to Jesus, we’ve failed in our mission. o I’m under great conviction as I prepare this message that I have failed, and we have failed in our mission to get people to Jesus. • I believe I see my mission with new eyes o Paul the Apostle said: I determined not to know anything among you save Jesus Christ and him crucified. o Paul was a highly educated man, and he was deeply spiritual, but with all his wisdom and knowledge and spiritual experience he determined to hold himself to the preaching of Christ. o He determined that he would hold himself to preaching the life, the death, the burial, and the resurrection of Jesus Christ and him coming to rule and reign in us through the power of the Holy Ghost. • Romans 1:16-17 Paul Said: For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ for it is the power of God unto salvation, to everyone that believeth, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. For therein (the gospel of Christ) Is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith, as it is written, the just shall live by faith. • The gospel is the power of God unto salvation = (Sozo) this salvation is all inclusive, it is healing for the body, deliverance to the bound, peace, prosperity, wholeness. o We don’t need the gospel just to get saved by. o We need to gospel to live by everyday. • The gospel of Christ is the life he lived, the death he died, and his victory over Satan’s kingdom, and his resurrection and ascension to

the right hand of the throne of God, then his coming back to reign through the power of the Holy Spirit in every one who believes. o No place in the bible do we find the life of Christ more fully revealed than in the four gospels (Matthew) (Mark) (Luke) and (John). • We must present to the world and to the church the Jesus of the bible. o The Jesus of Mercy and Compassion who casts out devils, heals the sick, cleanses the lepers and raises the dead, works miracles and signs and wonders. o In many of our world’s churches today we are told there are no such things as demons, or devils, and we are told that miracles and signs and wonders were just for the early church and they are no longer needed today, and they are not for us. o But the devil is a liar.  Hebrews 13:8 says Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.  1 John 3:8 says For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil. • Jesus said in Mark 16:15-18 the first sign that would follow his true believers was (in my name they shall cast out devils.) o Then he said they shall speak with new tongues. o Don’t try to tell me that tongues passed away or they are not for today: Jesus said his believers would speak with new tongues. o Then he said: They = (believers) shall take up serpents; meaning demons of sickness, disease, oppression. o And if they drink any deadly thing it shall not hurt them, they shall lay hands on the sick and they shall recover. • But my primary mission and my commission is to Preach Jesus, to lift up Jesus. o If you take Jesus out of the bible there is no good news. o (The gospel means good news) o But if we take Jesus out of our preaching, there is no good news.  Without Jesus in our singing, our preaching, our teaching, there is no gospel.  The world is dying to hear the (gospel of Jesus Christ).

• What was the request of the Greeks? o "We would see Jesus." o Notice, they were not saying, "We would like to see the beautiful temple," or "We would like to have an audience with the high priest, Caiaphas."  I hope you don't come to church just to see a beautiful building or hear the choir or look at stained glass windows.  There are many beautiful cathedrals, especially in Europe, but many of them, even though they are beautiful, are empty of people.  I hope you came here, saying, as the Greeks did, "Sir, we would see Jesus." • Why should we want to see Jesus? • There are so many reasons, but I will list a few here: • Only Jesus can save his people from their sins. o Salvation is found in no one but Jesus. o It is this Jesus who asked his disciples, "Who do you say I am?" o The answer came by divine revelation: "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God." • Why should we want to see Jesus? • Jesus is the Messiah. o He made this profound statement to the sinful Samaritan woman in John 4: "I am he," he told her, meaning, "I am the Messiah." o There is no other messiah, no other Savior, no other Deliverer. o That is why we must say, "Sir, we would see Jesus." • Why should we want to see Jesus? • Jesus is the living bread. o In John 6:51 Jesus declared, "I am the living bread which came down from heaven," meaning, "I am the living bread for your soul, the one who came down from heaven. o Others ate manna in the wilderness and died, but I have come down from heaven as the living Bread to make you alive." o So we can say, "Sir, we would see Jesus, because he alone is the living Bread."

• Why should we want to see Jesus? • Jesus alone is from above. o Jesus came down from heaven, from the bosom of the Father, to die on the cross for our sins. o That is why we say, "Sir, I want to see Jesus." • Why should we want to see Jesus? • Jesus is the eternal one. o In John 8:58 Jesus said, "Before Abraham was, I am." o That means he is the eternal one, meaning he is God himself. • Why should we want to see Jesus? • Jesus is the light of the world. o In John 8:12 Jesus says, "I am the light of the world." o The world is darkness. o Not only is it in darkness, but it is darkness. o And Jesus says, "I am the light of the world." • Why should we want to see Jesus? • Jesus is the Son of God. o We find this reference to Jesus throughout the gospel accounts as well as the rest of the New Testament. • Why should we want to see Jesus? • Jesus is the resurrection and the life, the beginning and the end. o In John 11:25 Jesus told Martha, "I am the resurrection and the life," meaning eternal life is found in him alone. o In Revelation 1 the resurrected Christ tells us, "I am the Alpha and the Omega. I am the First and the Last." • Why should we want to see Jesus? • Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life. o He is the only way to the Father. • These are but a few reasons why we should want to see Jesus. o That is why, when a minister begins to preach, we should say, "Pastor, don't preach about yourself. Don't tell us stories. Don't talk about health or wealth or fame or philosophy or politics. Sir, we would see Jesus!"

• What about you? o Do you want to see Jesus? o I hope you do. o And if you really see him, I guarantee you that your life will change. o You will be transformed from a sinner to a saint and brought out of death and darkness into life and light.  That is why we want to see Jesus. • We have the answer to every problem in the world or in the church and His name is Jesus. • Jesus is the answer: o Can you hear it? o Can you feel it? • The human heart is crying out (We would see Jesus) • Who is going to take the blind sinner by the hand and lead them to Jesus the Savior? o Who is going to take the sick, the suffering and the bound and the oppressed and lead them to Jesus the Healer and Deliverer and Miracle Worker? • It’s those who have seen Jesus: o Those who live with the revelation of Jesus before their faces. • Jesus asked the question of his disciples: Who do the people say I am? o The disciples began to tell Jesus what they had heard others say about Him. o But Jesus would not and will not settle for second hand information, He requires that we know Him by personal revelation. o He pressed his disciples: Who do you say that I am. • We cannot build our lives on second hand information; Peter answered, “Thou art the Christ the Son of the Living God” o Jesus said: Blessed art thou Simon Bar-Jonas for flesh and blood hath not revealed this unto thee, but my father which is in heaven.

o Peter was blessed because he had a revelation of Jesus. CLOSING • In the book of Numbers 21:4-9 the children of Israel had murmured against God and poisonous serpents came into their midst and bit them and many of them died. o Then they cried out for mercy and God told Moses to make a serpent of brass and put it on a pole and lift it up in the midst of the people; and everyone that looked upon the serpent on the pole was healed and lived. o That brass serpent on the pole was symbolic of Jesus dying on the cross suffering for our sins and sickness under the judgment of God. o Everyone that was bitten that lifted up their eyes and looked upon that serpent were healed. o That was just a type and shadow of our mighty Savior, Jesus saving us and healing us and destroying the works of the devil. • When we lift up our eyes and get a revelation of Jesus we can be healed, we can be delivered; we can receive everything Jesus accomplished through His life, death, burial, and resurrection and His living and reigning in us by His Spirit. • We would see Jesus • We must see Jesus • We will see Jesus