Revelation: Christ and the Churches

Death is the Principle of Life Part 1 of 2

Transcript: AI Transcript

Professor: John Weaver

Subject: New Testament Studies

Genre: Sermon

Dictation Name:

Date: 2012-02-15

Synopsis: Pastor John Weaver expounds John 12:24-26, explaining that death is the principle of life—a truth seen in agriculture, salvation, and practical Christian living. Jesus' death, like a grain of wheat, was necessary to produce much fruit (the church). Believers are called to hate their life in this world, loving Christ preeminently, and dying to self to bear fruit.

[John Weaver] John chapter 12, and we're going to be reading verses 24 through 26. Let me tell you that I will finish this sermon, Lord willing, next Sunday. So it's going to be a part one and part two, and I would encourage you to make sure that you're here to listen to the last half of this message. So John chapter 12, look if you would please at verse 24. Our Lord said, Verily, verily, I say unto you, except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abideth alone. But if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit.

[John Weaver] 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 also shall my servant be. If any man serve me, him will my Father honour." The title of the message is death is the principle of life. Death is the principle of life.

[John Weaver] When you look at verse 24, and I do call your attention back to it where our Lord said, Verily, verily, I say unto you, except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abideth alone. But if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit. Our Lord gives us in this passage a very simple and yet at the same time a very complex truth. And that truth is that death is the principle of life.

[John Weaver] That is true in agriculture. That is true in soteriology, the doctrine of salvation. It is also true in practical Christian living. And the only thing that you and I could say to such a concept is what an extremely odd truth. that death is the principle of life. We do not normally think in those terms. We normally think that death is the absence of life. And yet our Lord informs us it is just the opposite, that life actually springs from death. Now if you and I do not understand and comprehend this important truth, we're not going to grasp practical Christian living. But I would say this, if we do understand and grasp this truth, it's not only going to change the way that we live now in practical Christian living, it's also going to change our view of death. Because we will no longer think of death as the cessation of life, but we will think of death as the new beginning of life.

[John Weaver] So I want you to look at verse 24. And first of all today, I want you to see the preface to this truth. The preface. Notice he says in verse 24, Verily, verily, I say unto you. Do you realize that the word verily, verily is translated in our Bibles as truly, truly, and amen, amen. The word is actually amen. Actually what he says in verse 24 is amen, Amen, I say unto you. Now, what I want to do very quickly is ask that you hold John 12, but turn in your Bibles, first of all, to Numbers chapter 5. I want to just show you a couple of times that this word occurs in the Old Testament. Then we're going to look at a few times it occurs in the New Testament. So if you'll look at Numbers chapter 5 and verse 22, you will read this. Look at Numbers 5. and verse 22. The Bible just simply says this, Numbers 5 verse 22, And this water that causeth the curse shall go into the bowels, to make thy belly swell, and thy thigh to rot, and the woman shall say, Amen, Amen.

[John Weaver] Now the interesting thing is, without turning to all these other passages, you will find in the Old Testament the word Amen occurring in Nehemiah 8 in verse 6, Psalm 41, 13. Psalm 72, 19. Psalm 89 in verse 52.

[John Weaver] Now I want you to turn to the New Testament and look if you would please at Romans chapter 9. Romans chapter 9 and verse 5. An interesting thing because if you will notice in John chapter 12, Amen, Amen was at the beginning. If you noticed in Numbers chapter 5, it was at the end. So now in Romans 9 and verse 5, referring to Christ,"...whose are the fathers, and of whom as concerning the flesh Christ came, who is over all, God bless forever, Amen." And then if you look in Ephesians chapter 3 and verse 21, Ephesians 3 verse 21, you're going to see the word Amen again. And by the way, it occurs very frequently in the book of John. But notice Ephesians chapter 3 and verse 21. Unto him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end. Amen. Now let me just tell you, we're going to look at another passage in just a moment. You will also find the word Amen in John 1.51, John 3.3, John 3.5, and John 5.24 and 25.

[John Weaver] The word Amen is indeed a remarkable word. It was transliterated from the Hebrew into the Greek, into the Latin, into the English. Now when I say transliterated, that is not translated. For instance, our English word deacon. You know what the English word deacon actually means? Or the Greek word deacon? It actually means servant. But the word deacon in the New Testament was transliterated. That is, it took the D from the Greek to a D in English. An E from the Greek to an E in English. In other words, it is spelled in English, basically, the way it is spelled in Greek. So it is transliterated. It is brought letter for letter and not translated. The word amen is done exactly the same way. So it is practically a universal word. So you could say amen in Hebrew basically, amen. You could say it in Latin the same way. You could say it in Greek the same way. You could say it in English the same way. The word amen has been called the best known word in human speech.

[John Weaver] I suppose it'd be close to hallelujah because hallelujah is basically the same in any language as well. But the word amen is closely related to the Hebrew word aman, A-M-A-N, which is translated believe or faithful. Thus it came to mean surely or truly as an expression of absolute trust and confidence. Whenever you see the words truly truly or amen amen at the beginning of a discourse It means, sit up, pay attention, because what follows is not only emphasized, it is extremely important. When you see the word, Amen, Amen, at the end of the discourse, it literally means, so be it, or may it be fulfilled. That's why in Romans 9 in verse 5 it was at the end. In Ephesians 3 in verse 21 it was at the end. May it be fulfilled. So be it.

[John Weaver] Now, let me show you one other thing. I want you to look in the book of Revelation chapter 3. Look in Revelation chapter 3. And we're just talking about the preface of this truth. But in Revelation chapter 3 we learn something else about the word Amen. This may surprise you. This may really surprise you, but in Revelation chapter 3 and verse 14, you find that the word Amen is actually a name of Jesus Christ. Look at it. Revelation 3 verse 14, And unto the angel of the church of the Laodiceans write, These things saith the Amen, The fateful and true witness, the beginning of the creation of God. Notice Jesus Christ is here called the Amen, the fateful and true witness. Now listen carefully. Thus when we say Amen to something, we're not only just saying truly, truly, verily, verily. We're not only just simply saying so be it or may it be fulfilled. We're also calling Jesus Christ, who is a faithful and true witness, to testify that whatever has been said is absolute truth.

[John Weaver] Wow. Amen is certainly appropriate at the reading of Scripture or at the declaration of Christian truth. But you have to remember, it is the name of Christ and you're calling Christ to testify that what has just been said is indeed the truth. So our Lord then, in John chapter 12, begins this discourse with the words, Amen, Amen, which are here translated, Truly, Truly. So He's calling your attention to what He's about to say. He's telling you that it is extremely important that you grasp and understand this truth. So let's look at the principle of the truth in verse 24. Our Lord says, verily, verily, or amen, amen, I say unto you, except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abides alone.

[John Weaver] Now it does not really matter what type of grain that you talk about. It doesn't matter as to its greatness or to its beauty. The truth that our Lord is enunciating is this, if it is not planted in the ground and and allowed to die, it remains alone. A grain could be in a granary for up to a thousand years and be preserved. But it's absolutely useless there. It cannot die. It cannot reproduce. Alice had given her a number of years ago several ears of Indian corn. And she has them in a basket, and all the Indian corn is of various colors. And it's very beautiful. It's a delightful thing to look at. It's a wonderful conversation piece. That's all it's good for. Because until it is planted in the ground and dies, it actually abides alone. Here's the principle. Life comes from death. Why did our Lord enunciate this principle? I want you to look at the context.

[John Weaver] Let's begin reading in John chapter 12 and verse 20, and read through verse 33, because you're going to find that our Lord is here talking about His death. Notice John chapter 12 and verse 20. And there were certain Greeks among them that came up to worship at the feast. And the same came therefore to Philip, which was a Bethsaida of Galilee, and desired him, saying, 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.

[John Weaver] Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except a 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 as my soul troubled, what shall I say? Father, save me from this hour, but for this cause came I into the world. Father, glorify thy name. Then came there a voice from heaven saying, I have both glorified it and will glorify it again.

[John Weaver] The people therefore that stood by and heard it said that it thundered. Others said an angel spake to him. Jesus said unto them, This voice came not because of me, but for your sakes.

[John Weaver] 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.

[John Weaver] Now notice what our Lord said. He is talking about this principle that life comes out of death. By the way, when you look in John chapter 12 and verse 23, This is the first recorded place in scripture where our Lord acknowledges that His hour had come. Notice He said, then said Jesus unto them, the hour is come that the Son of Man should be glorified.

[John Weaver] Now, there are many things in the Bible about the hour of Christ. For instance, in John chapter 2, you remember, at the wedding of Cain of Galilee, our Lord's mother came to Him and said, they have no wine. And Jesus said to her, Woman, what have I to do with thee? Mine hour is not yet come. In other words, it's not my time to die. I can take care of this problem. Again in John 7 in verse 30, the Bible said, They sought to take him, but no man laid hands upon him, because his hour was not yet come. And then in John 8 in verse 20, The Bible said, these words spake Jesus in the temple, in the treasury, as He was teaching in the temple. And no man laid hands upon Him, for His hour was not yet come. But when you look in John 12 and verse 23, He says, My hour is come. If you look in John 13 and verse 1, He acknowledges it again. Now before the feast of the Passover, when Jesus knew that His hour was come, that He should depart out of this world unto the Father, Having loved his own which were in the world, he loved them unto the end.

[John Weaver] So very obviously then, when he said, my hour has come, he's referring now to his death. Here came the Greeks, saying, sir, we would see Jesus. And our Lord then explains to his disciples, my hour has come, and the corn of wheat has to fall into the ground and die. So the hour that our Lord refers to then is the hour of his death. It is the hour in which he was predestined by God the Father to die. What? Yes.

[John Weaver] If you would look in your Bibles, first of all, to 1 Peter chapter 1 and verse 20. 1 Peter chapter 1 verse 20. Notice what the Bible says concerning Christ. who verily was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you. Now notice if you would please, he was manifested only in the last times, as 1 Peter 1 verse 20, but he was foreordained or predestined before the foundation of the world. Go back in your Bibles to the book of Acts chapter 4. Acts chapter 4. Verse 26, Acts 4, verse 26, and let's read through verse 28. Acts 4, beginning with verse 26. The kings of the earth stood up, and the rulers were gathered together against the Lord and against the Christ. Now watch carefully.

[John Weaver] For the truth against thy holy child Jesus, whom thou hast anointed, both Herod and Pontius Pilate with the Gentiles and the people of Israel were gathered together for to do whatsoever thy hand and thy counsel determined before to be done." Notice if you would, everything concerning our Lord's death was foreordained. Everything happened according to the predestination of God the Father. The truth of the matter is, no one could take our Lord's life before His hour was come.

[John Weaver] Our Lord was not only ordained to die in a certain time, He was also ordained to die in a certain way. Let me make something exceedingly clear. Jesus Christ was not murdered, although, in the strictest sense of the term, although those who crucified Him are rightfully accused of murdering him, but theologically speaking, he was not murdered, he was not even martyred. Why? Because he willingly gave his life. Do you know what our Lord said in John 10 verses 17 and 18? Listen to this. He said, Therefore doth my Father love me, because I lay down my life, that I might take it again. No man taketh it from me, but I lay it down of myself, I have power to lay it down, I have power to take it again. So literally, no one took our Lord's life. Although, yes, He was crucified, yes, those who did take His life were murderers in that sense of the word, and they were in rebellion against God. Yet the truth of the matter is, He willingly laid down His life.

[John Weaver] Look in John 12, verse 27. He makes it exceedingly clear, John 12 verse 27, when he said that his hour has come, he said, 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. The words, our Lord came to die. He's giving us this principle that life comes out of death. Let me give you just a quick quote of what Arthur W. Pink said concerning John 10, John 11, and John 12.

[John Weaver] We didn't read the entire chapters, but listen carefully. Pink said in John 10, the Lord Jesus is before us as a shepherd, leading God's elect out of Judaism and bringing them into the place of liberty. And in order to do this, He lays down His life that He may possess His sheep. In John 11, He is seen as the resurrection and the life, as the conqueror of death, with power in Himself to raise His own, a decided advance on the subject of the previous chapter. But in John 12, He speaks of Himself as the corn of wheat that falls into the ground and dies, that it may bear much fruit. This speaks of both union, and communion blessedly illustrated in the first section of the chapter where we have the happy gathering at Bethany supping with him.

[John Weaver] Now I want you to note what he said. In John chapter 12 the corn of wheat falls into the ground and dies and it speaks of union and communion. Think about this. I can take one grain of corn and plant it in the ground and when it dies The germ springs into life and up comes a corn stalk that will have sometimes two to three ears of corn with multiple hundreds of grains on each ear. So you have union and you have communion in the sense that each one of those ears and each one of those grains are drawing their nourishment And there's sustenance from the root.

[John Weaver] And from that which basically died. So you have union and communion. So this analogy that our Lord is giving us here, wonderfully expresses His death. Because when He died, He also was raised to newness of life. And now because of life out of His death, there is now union and communion.

[John Weaver] Now, let me just give you one little warning about the analogy that is used here. Whenever there's an analogy used in scripture, it represents a principle of truth. You cannot push every detail of an analogy. For instance, let me give you the illustration. That corn of wheat falls into the ground. or that grain of corn falls on the ground, it dies. It rots. And the germ springs up and that little bit of rotted material gives the first nourishment and sustenance to the new life that is springing up. It is true that our Lord was planted in the ground. The Bible says in Romans 6 and verse 5, for if we have been planted in the likeness of his death, We shall also be in the likeness of His resurrection. It is true that He was planted in the ground, but it is not true that His body saw corruption, that His body rotted. That's why I'm saying you can't push every analogy. For in Psalm 16 verse 10, He said, For thou wilt not leave My soul in hell, neither wilt thou suffer thine holy one to see corruption.

[John Weaver] And when Peter was preaching in Acts chapter 2 and verse 27, he quoted Psalm 16 and verse 10, proving again that the body of Jesus Christ did not seek corruption. So you cannot push every aspect of the analogy, but what our Lord is pushing right here is this principle that death is the principle of life and that He has to die in order that we may live. I want you to note, secondly, in verse 24, the potential in reach. Not just the principle, but the potential in reach. He said, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abideth alone. But if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit. If it die, speaks of the necessity of our Lord's death in order to produce fruit, He must die just like a grain of wheat. The death of the seed has the beneficial effect of quickening it that it may yield fruit. And our Lord here compares Himself to this grain of wheat. The grain is sown.

[John Weaver] The grain decomposes. Our Lord did not. And then from it springs the newness of life. Now, I want you to understand what our Lord is saying. Look in your Bibles to the book of Ephesians chapter 5. Ephesians chapter 5. And notice verses 25 and 27. Ephesians 5 verses 25 and 27. Here's the potential that if it died. This is what our Lord is talking about. Ephesians 5 beginning there verse 25.

[John Weaver] The Bible says husbands Love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, now watch, and gave himself for it. Well, why did he give himself for it? Watch verse 26, that he might sanctify and cleanse it with a washing of water by the word, that he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that it should be holy and without blemish. So Christ then loved the church and gave himself for it. Why? That he might present it to himself a glorious church.

[John Weaver] Now since you are in the book of Ephesians, just turn right back to Ephesians chapter 2, and let me show you that our Lord's death certainly was not in vain. Look in Ephesians 2 and verse 4. Our Lord said, but if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit. Look what happened. Ephesians 2 verse 4. But God who is rich in mercy for his great love wherewith he loved us, even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, by grace are you saved, and hath raised us up together and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ.

[John Weaver] Now I want you to note what the scripture is teaching. The scripture is teaching that basically we died with Christ. We were buried with Christ. We were raised from the dead with Christ. And we ascended into heaven with Christ. Everything that He did was that He might bring forth much fruit. He redeemed His people. He delivered us from sin and Satan. He was our substitute. He died in our stead.

[John Weaver] And He carried us from the grave into life, seated at the right hand of God. So in our Lord's death, there came newness of life. I want you to turn to 1 Corinthians chapter 15. I will deal with this passage more next week. But I want you to note, in accomplishing this, our Lord became the head of a new race, and the head of a new people. Look in 1 Corinthians chapter 15, beginning there with verse 45.

[John Weaver] Notice what the Bible said, And so it is written, The first man Adam was made a living soul, and the last Adam was made a quickening spirit. Howbeit that was not first which is spiritual, but that which is natural, and afterwards that which is spiritual. The first man, that is Adam, is of the earth earthy, And the second man, that is Christ, is the Lord from heaven. As is the earthy, such are they also that are earthy. And as the heavenly, such are they also that are heavenly. As we have borne the image of the earthly, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly. So the Bible tells us then, that in Jesus Christ, that when he died, there came newness of life, and with him union and communion, so that he became the head of a new race and a new people.

[John Weaver] He is the resurrected grain of wheat. And according to Romans 8 in verse 29, listen carefully, he is the firstborn among many brethren. That's why in Isaiah 53 verses 10 and 11, let me just quote it, Yet it pleased the Lord to bruise him. He hath put him to grief. Thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin. He shall see his seed. He shall prolong his days. The pleasure of the Lord shall prosper in his hand. He shall see the travail of his soul and shall be satisfied."

[John Weaver] Notice if he would, if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit. And so the fruit that our Lord died for is the church. It's His bride. It's His elect. It's His children. It's His sons. The reason you and I have life is because of His death.

[John Weaver] Now, go back to John chapter 12. John chapter 12. I want you to see the practical application of this truth. He said in verse 24, Verily, verily, I say unto you, except the corn of wheat fall in the ground and die, it abideth alone. But if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit. Now I want you to note, verse 24 applies directly to Jesus Christ and it is a principle of life. But when you get to verse 25 and verse 26, Here's a very practical application that affects each one of us. He that loveth his life shall lose it. And he that hated his life in this world shall keep it unto life eternal.

[John Weaver] 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.

[John Weaver] Now, let me show you that this truth is enunciated in all four Gospels. I want you to hold John 12, and let's go to Matthew first. I want us to look in Matthew, Mark, and Luke, because you're going to see in Matthew chapter 10, how our Lord repeats this, and sometimes there's a little difference in wording, which I need to explain. Notice in Matthew chapter 10, beginning there with verse 39, Our Lord says it like this.

[John Weaver] He that findeth his life shall lose it, and he that loseth his life for my sake shall find it. Well, that's pretty much the same. Look in Mark 8 and verse 35. Mark 8, verse 35. Mark 8, verse 35. Notice what he says here. Mark 8, verse 35. For whosoever will save his life shall lose it. But whosoever shall lose his life for my sake and the gospel's, the same shall save him." Well, that's essentially the same. But look if you would in Luke chapter 14 and verse 26. Luke 14 verse 26.

[John Weaver] This one is just a little different. Luke 14 verse 26. Notice what he said. If any man come to me in hate, not his father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and sisters, yea, in his own life also, he cannot be my disciple." What? If any man come to me in hate, not his father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and sisters, yea, in his own life also, he cannot be my disciple?

[John Weaver] Now how in the world do we explain these verses in light of the principle and the potential that our Lord taught us in John 12 and verse 24. We have to understand what it means to save a life and to lose a life. We have to understand what it means to love a life and to hate a life.

[John Weaver] Now, since we're looking at Luke chapter 14 and verse 26, let me go ahead and handle this. Because our Lord said very plainly, if any man come to me and hate not his father and his mother and his wife, and his children, and his brethren, and his sisters, and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple." Obviously, Jesus Christ is not contradicting Scripture. Obviously, Jesus Christ is not going against the very law that he commanded.

[John Weaver] The Word of God commands husbands to love their wives. We're commanded to honor our fathers and our mothers. We're commanded to love our children. And Ephesians chapter 5 even says, no man ever yet hated his own self. Well, what does our Lord mean then when He said, if you don't hate your father and your mother and your wife and your sister and your brother and your own life, you cannot even be my disciple. Well, our Lord is speaking comparatively. When I say comparatively, let me explain it like this. Obviously, we have been commanded to love our wives, to love our fathers and our mothers, our children, and our own life as well. But what our Lord is saying is this. According to the love that you have for Him, comparatively speaking, the love that you have for your fleshly family and yourself would be considered hatred. And He's saying that you should love Him so much greater than your father and your mother and your brothers and your sisters and your wife and your own life as well.

[John Weaver] What is the first commandment? Thou shalt have no other gods before me. What do most people do? They put their families. They'll put their husband or their wife or their children or themselves ahead of and before God, thus they become idolaters. In other words, our Lord is telling us that we have to love Him preeminently. We have to love Him more than anything and more than anyone else. Period. So that means this. Whether we like it or not, here's what it means.

[John Weaver] If I have to make a choice between my family and Jesus Christ, it's Jesus Christ. If I have to make a choice between my wife and Jesus Christ, it's Jesus Christ. Hopefully, most of us never have to make choices like that. But that's what he's saying. He is to be preeminent. And Luke 14 verse 26 has to be understood comparatively speaking.

[John Weaver] Now, when you talk about these other passages in Matthew 10 and Mark 8, talking about saving life and losing life, there are obviously many applications and let me try to make just a few of them. First of all, loving one's life and saving one's life all pertain to this world and the fleshly living which is condemned in the scripture. For instance, Look in your Bibles, go back to Romans chapter 8, and notice if you would, verses 6 through 8. This is essentially what it means to love one's life or to save one's life. Look in Romans 8 if you would, beginning there in verse 6. Our Lord says, to be carnally minded or to be fleshly minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life in peace. Why? Because the carnal mind, the fleshly mind is enmity against God. For it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be. So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God. So saving one's life and loving one's life means that you're living for yourself, you're living for your flesh, you're living for this present temporal world.

[John Weaver] This is also explained in Romans 13 and verse 14 where we're commanded make no provision for the flesh to fulfill the lust thereof." That's loving your life. John Gill, the Baptist commentator, said it like this, The sense is that whosoever is so in love with this present temporal life as to be anxiously careful for it and takes all precautions to secure it and rather than to expose it to any danger chooses to deny the faith of Christ and desert his cause and interest, as such a one shall not long enjoy this life, so he shall come short of an eternal one." In other words, loving one's life and saving one's life is the fact that, boy, I'm not going to suffer for Christ. I'm not going to do anything that's going to cause me displeasure. I'm not going to do anything but whatever pleases me, period. It's making provision for the flesh to fulfill the lust thereof. And that's what most people do. That's how most people live. They live for drunkenness. They live for fornication.

[John Weaver] They live for wickedness. Whatever's wicked and wrong, whatever pleases their flesh, tentilates their desires, that's what they live for. And they don't understand, they're saving their life, and in saving their life, they're losing their life.

[John Weaver] Secondly, this phrase could also apply as to the choices between martyrdom and apostasy. Now let me tell you something. If you really want to understand what the early Christians went through, read Foxe's Book of Martyrs. We have not been exposed to martyrdom Lately, I know there have been Christians martyred. There are Christians being persecuted now. There are Christians being imprisoned now, wrongfully, unjustly. Not in China, but in this country.

[John Weaver] But we haven't seen anyone burned at the stake. We haven't seen anyone lined up before a firing squad and shot. But just because we haven't seen it in the last hundred years or so, doesn't mean that it's not going to come back. Do you realize during the Reformation, especially in England and in Europe, all over Europe, Spanish Inquisition, many Christians chose martyrdom rather than to deny their faith.

[John Weaver] Let me give you one illustration. Some of you have heard of Thomas Cranmer. He was the Archbishop of Canterbury, and he was very much used during the Protestant Reformation in England. He was a scholar and a gentleman, I might add. Without going into his full story, he was condemned to be burned at the stake for refusing to submit to Roman Catholicism under the reign of Bloody Mary, who hated him for what she believed that he did concerning her mother Catherine of Aragon and Henry VIII. Henry VIII divorced Catherine of Aragon. He was the king of England. And she thought Thomas Cranmer had part in this. So, when Mary came to the throne, she took Thomas Cranmer and threw him in prison for three years.

[John Weaver] Now if you've ever seen the Tower of London, it is beautiful to look at on the outside. It's exciting to tour on the inside. But if you are locked in one of those damp, dark dungeons, it's not too pleasant. So Thomas Cranmer was thrown into the Tower for three years. After three years, he broke. And he signed a confession that he was wrong and the Roman Catholic Church was right.

[John Weaver] Well, that was still not sufficient for Mary because she still wanted him burned at the stake. And he was condemned to be burned at the stake. So he was to publicly proclaim his recantation that he was wrong, the Roman Catholic Church is right. But unbelievably, when it came time for him to speak, instead of proclaiming his recantation, he recanted his recantation. And he said, the Pope was wicked and ungodly and a reprobate, and the Roman Catholic Church was wrong, that Christ was right, and the Bible was right, and that he was willing to die for Christ, and he was willing for his right hand to be burned first that had signed that wicked recantation.

[John Weaver] And to show you that Thomas Cranmer literally took our Lord's words to heart He said it's better for you to lose a hand or an eye or a foot than to be cast into hell. When Thomas Cranmer was being burned at the stake, when the fire licked up high enough, He purposefully and deliberately extended his right arm, held his right hand into the flame, and he kept proclaiming, this unworthy right hand, this unworthy right hand, it should be burned first, this unworthy right hand, and he held it into the flame until his right hand had literally burned from his arm. And when the flames licked up around him, He began to pray as Stephen, Lord Jesus, into Thy hands I commit my spirit. Oh, this unworthy right hand, this unworthy right hand. And in the midst of the flames, He gave up the ghost. It is better to die a martyr for Christ than to deny the faith.

[John Weaver] Third, we must understand that losing our physical and temporal life is not the worst thing that could happen to us. I will tell you a little secret. You probably don't know this, but I'm going to tell it to you. We're going to die anyhow. I want you to look in your Bibles to 2 Corinthians chapter 4. 2 Corinthians chapter 4. Look at what the Apostle Paul said in verse 17 and 18. And by the way, the Apostle Paul went through far more than you and I could ever dream of.

[John Weaver] Beaten with 40 stripes a number of times, a night and day in the deep, stoned, left for dead. Look what he said. 2 Corinthians chapter 4 verse 17, for our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a more exceeding and eternal weight of glory. While we look not at the things which are seen, but the things which are not seen. For the things which are seen are temporal, but the things which are not seen are eternal. Isn't that amazing? He said, for this light affliction, light, stone to death, left for dead, Beat with 40 stripes a number of times. This light afflicts you. Why? He said everything we see is temporal.

[John Weaver] You know the Apostle Paul also wrote in Romans 8 in verse 18, For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed with us. He said there's nothing in this present life to be compared with the glory of the next life. I want you to think for a moment what our Lord is telling us.

[John Weaver] You lose what is worthless. You lose what is already under death. You lose what is already forfeited that you might find life and joy and happiness and the Lord Jesus Christ, who is the only one who is worthy of our affection. We find life in Christ. He is our sustenance. He is our nourishment. And I want you to think about this. Christ, who had a perfect life, and He gave it up that we might live. Truthfully, we have a worthless life.

[John Weaver] And most are not even willing to give it up. How in the world can someone not give up that which they're already going to lose? To gain that, which they can only have by giving it up. Do you realize, and I preached on Romans 6 a long time ago, but Romans 6 verse 11 is one of my favorite verses. Likewise, reckon ye yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin and alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord. Likewise reckon ye yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin." So when sin comes knocking, you don't answer it because you're dead. We're alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord. Our Lord gave His life and He found eternal exaltation.

[John Weaver] The grain that died lives. and produces hundreds and hundreds and hundreds more than you and I could ever, ever imagine. Listen, by way of application, we must learn that it's absolutely necessary to face humiliation and death in this life if we're going to prosper in the work of Jesus Christ. You cannot trust the world. You cannot trust worldlings. Those who shouted loud hosannas in John 12 saying, Hosanna! Hosanna! Hosanna!

[John Weaver] to the Son of David, four days later were shouting, Crucify Him! Crucify Him! Crucify Him! The only praise and adulation that counts is that which comes from God. Our Lord said in John 15, remember the word that I said unto you, the servant is not greater than his Lord. If they have persecuted me, they will persecute you also. If they've kept my saying, they'll keep yours also.

[John Weaver] You and I cannot shrink from persecution. We cannot shrink from humiliation. We must remain steadfast. and obedient. Our Lord said, verily, verily, I say unto you, except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abideth alone. But if it die, if it die, if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit. Can you imagine, can you even begin to think of the fruit that you and I would be enabled to produce by the grace of God and by the power of the Holy Spirit if we just died to ourself and our sin. If it died, it bringeth forth much fruit.

[John Weaver] That is true agriculturally, soteriologically, And practically, death is the principle of life. And we shall see that, Lord willing, next week, even in the resurrection. Father, in the name of Jesus Christ, we bow to Thee. We thank You for Your Word. We thank You for Your love. We thank You for Your truth. Lord, enable us to apply these principles to our lives. And we do pray, Lord, that You would make us holy and make us godly, that You would mortify our members which are upon this earth, that You would subdue our iniquities and conform us to the image of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, and whose name we pray. Amen.

Death is the Principle of Life Part 1

John Weaver | YouTube

Lecture Metadata	Details
Speaker	John Weaver
Source	YouTube
Media ID	J8B3SceMTM4
Subject	New Testament Studies
Course	Revelation: Christ and the Churches
Genre	Sermon
Date	2012-02-15
Dictation Name
Book	Book 190: Death is the Principle of Life — Chapter 1
Source Timed Segments	64

Formatted Transcript

Introduction and Reading of John 12:24-26

Weaver introduces the sermon as part one of two, reading John 12:24-26 and stating the title: 'Death is the Principle of Life.'

John chapter 12, and we're going to be reading verses 24 through 26. Let me tell you that I will finish this sermon, Lord willing, next Sunday. So it's going to be a part one and part two, and I would encourage you to make sure that you're here to listen to the last half of this message. So John chapter 12, look if you would please at verse 24. Our Lord said,

Scripture Reading — John 12:24-26

"Verily, verily, I say unto you, except a 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 also shall my servant be. If any man serve me, him will my Father honour."

The title of the message is "Death is the Principle of Life." Death is the principle of life.

The Preface: 'Verily, Verily' (Amen, Amen)

Weaver explains the significance of 'Amen, Amen' as a call to attention, its transliteration across languages, and its use as a name for Christ in Revelation 3:14.

So I want you to look at verse 24. And first of all today, I want you to see the preface to this truth. The preface. Notice he says in verse 24, "Verily, verily, I say unto you." Do you realize that the word "verily, verily" is translated in our Bibles as "truly, truly," and "amen, amen"? The word is actually "amen." Actually what he says in verse 24 is "Amen, Amen, I say unto you." Now, what I want to do very quickly is ask that you hold John 12, but turn in your Bibles, first of all, to Numbers chapter 5. I want to just show you a couple of times that this word occurs in the Old Testament. Then we're going to look at a few times it occurs in the New Testament. So if you'll look at Numbers chapter 5 and verse 22, you will read this. Look at Numbers 5 and verse 22. The Bible just simply says this, Numbers 5 verse 22, "And this water that causeth the curse shall go into the bowels, to make thy belly swell, and thy thigh to rot, and the woman shall say, Amen, Amen."

Now the interesting thing is, without turning to all these other passages, you will find in the Old Testament the word "Amen" occurring in Nehemiah 8 in verse 6, Psalm 41:13, Psalm 72:19, Psalm 89 in verse 52. Now I want you to turn to the New Testament and look if you would please at Romans chapter 9. Romans chapter 9 and verse 5. An interesting thing because if you will notice in John chapter 12, "Amen, Amen" was at the beginning. If you noticed in Numbers chapter 5, it was at the end. So now in Romans 9 and verse 5, referring to Christ, "...

Scripture Reading — Romans 9:5

whose are the fathers, and of whom as concerning the flesh Christ came, who is over all, God blessed

forever, Amen." And then if you look in Ephesians chapter 3 and verse 21, Ephesians 3 verse 21, you're going to see the word "Amen" again. And by the way, it occurs very frequently in the book of John. But notice Ephesians chapter 3 and verse 21: "Unto him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end. Amen." Now let me just tell you, we're going to look at another passage in just a moment. You will also find the word "Amen" in John 1:51, John 3:3, John 3:5, and John 5:24 and 25.

The word "Amen" is indeed a remarkable word. It was transliterated from the Hebrew into the Greek, into the Latin, into the English. Now when I say transliterated, that is not translated. For instance, our English word "deacon." You know what the English word "deacon" actually means? Or the Greek word "deacon"? It actually means servant. But the word "deacon" in the New Testament was transliterated. That is, it took the D from the Greek to a D in English, an E from the Greek to an E in English. In other words, it is spelled in English, basically, the way it is spelled in Greek. So it is transliterated. It is brought letter for letter and not translated. The word "amen" is done exactly the same way. So it is practically a universal word. So you could say "amen" in Hebrew basically, "amen." You could say it in Latin the same way. You could say it in Greek the same way. You could say it in English the same way. The word "amen" has been called the best known word in human speech.

I suppose it'd be close to "hallelujah" because "hallelujah" is basically the same in any language as well. But the word "amen" is closely related to the Hebrew word "aman," A-M-A-N, which is translated "believe" or "faithful." Thus it came to mean "surely" or "truly" as an expression of absolute trust and confidence. Whenever you see the words "truly, truly" or "amen, amen" at the beginning of a discourse, it means, sit up, pay attention, because what follows is not only emphasized, it is extremely important. When you see the word "Amen, Amen" at the end of the discourse, it literally means, "so be it," or "may it be fulfilled." That's why in Romans 9 in verse 5 it was at the end. In Ephesians 3 in verse 21 it was at the end. May it be fulfilled. So be it.

Now, let me show you one other thing. I want you to look in the book of Revelation chapter 3. Look in Revelation chapter 3. And we're just talking about the preface of this truth. But in Revelation chapter 3 we learn something else about the word "Amen." This may surprise you. This may really surprise you, but in Revelation chapter 3 and verse 14, you find that the word "Amen" is actually a name of Jesus Christ. Look at it. Revelation 3 verse 14,

Scripture Reading — Revelation 3:14

"And unto the angel of the church of the Laodiceans write; These things saith the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of the creation of God." Notice Jesus Christ is here called "the Amen, the faithful and true witness."

Now listen carefully. Thus when we say "Amen" to something, we're not only just saying "truly, truly," "verily, verily." We're not only just simply saying "so be it" or "may it be fulfilled." We're also calling Jesus Christ, who is a faithful and true witness, to testify that whatever has been said is absolute truth.

Wow. "Amen" is certainly appropriate at the reading of Scripture or at the declaration of Christian truth. But you have to remember, it is the name of Christ and you're calling Christ to testify that what has just been said is indeed the truth. So our Lord then, in John chapter 12, begins this discourse with the words, "Amen, Amen," which are here translated, "Truly, Truly." So He's calling your attention to what He's about to say. He's telling you that it is extremely important that you grasp and understand this truth. So let's look at the principle of the truth in verse 24. Our Lord says, "Verily, verily, or amen, amen, I say unto you, except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abides alone."

The Principle: Death Produces Life

Using the grain of wheat analogy, Weaver teaches that life comes from death. Jesus applied this to His own impending death, which would bring forth much fruit.

Now it does not really matter what type of grain that you talk about. It doesn't matter as to its greatness or to its beauty. The truth that our Lord is enunciating is this, if it is not planted in the ground and allowed to die, it remains alone. A grain could be in a granary for up to a thousand years and be preserved. But it's absolutely useless there. It cannot die. It cannot reproduce. Alice had given her a number of years ago several ears of Indian corn. And she has them in a basket, and all the Indian corn is of various colors. And it's very beautiful. It's a delightful thing to look at. It's a wonderful conversation piece. That's all it's good for. Because until it is planted in the ground and dies, it actually abides alone. Here's the principle. Life comes from death. Why did our Lord enunciate this principle? I want you to look at the context.

Let's begin reading in John chapter 12 and verse 20, and read through verse 33, because you're going to find that our Lord is here talking about His death. Notice John chapter 12 and verse 20.

Scripture Reading — John 12:20-33

"And there were certain Greeks among them that came up to worship at the feast. And the same came therefore to Philip, which was of Bethsaida of Galilee, and desired him, saying, 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 a 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 said unto them, 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.

Now notice what our Lord said. He is talking about this principle that life comes out of death. By the way, when you look in John chapter 12 and verse 23, this is the first recorded place in scripture where our Lord acknowledges that His hour had come. Notice He said, "then said Jesus unto them, the hour is come that the Son of Man should be glorified."

The Hour of Christ's Death

Weaver shows from John 12:23 and other passages that Jesus' 'hour' refers to His predestined death, which He willingly laid down.

Now, there are many things in the Bible about the hour of Christ. For instance, in John chapter 2, you remember, at the wedding of Cana of Galilee, our Lord's mother came to Him and said, "they have no wine." And Jesus said to

Scripture Reading — John 2:4

her, "Woman, what have I to do with thee? Mine hour is not yet come."

In other words, it's not my time to die. I can take care of this problem. Again in John 7 in verse 30, the Bible said, "They sought to take him, but no man laid hands upon him, because his hour was not yet come." And then in John 8 in verse 20, the Bible said, "these words spake Jesus in the temple, in the treasury, as He was teaching in the temple. And no man laid hands upon Him, for His hour was not yet come." But when you look in John 12 and verse 23, He says, "My hour is come." If you look in John 13 and verse 1, He acknowledges it again. "Now before the feast of the Passover, when Jesus knew that His hour was come, that He should depart out of this world unto the Father, having loved his own which were in the world, he loved them unto the end."

So very obviously then, when he said, "my hour has come," he's referring now to his death. Here came the Greeks, saying, "sir, we would see Jesus." And our Lord then explains to his disciples, "my hour has come, and the corn of wheat has to fall into the ground and die." So the hour that our Lord refers to then is the hour of his death. It is the hour in which he was predestined by God the Father to die. What? Yes. If you would look in your Bibles, first of all, to 1 Peter chapter 1 and verse 20. 1 Peter chapter 1 verse 20. Notice what the Bible says concerning Christ. "who verily was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you.

Scripture Reading — 1 Peter 1:20

" Now notice if you would please, he was manifested only in the last times, as 1 Peter 1 verse 20, but he was foreordained or predestined before the foundation of the world. Go back in your Bibles to the book of Acts chapter 4. Acts chapter 4. Verse 26, Acts 4, verse 26, and let's read through verse 28. Acts 4, beginning with verse 26. "

The kings of the earth stood up, and the rulers were gathered together against the Lord and against the Christ." Now watch carefully.

"For of a truth against thy holy child Jesus, whom thou hast anointed, both Herod and Pontius Pilate with the Gentiles and the people of Israel were gathered together for to do whatsoever thy hand and thy counsel determined before to be done." Notice if you would, everything concerning our Lord's death was foreordained. Everything happened according to the predestination of God the Father. The truth of the matter is, no one could take our Lord's life before His hour was come. Our Lord was not only ordained to die in a certain time, He was also ordained to die in a certain way. Let me make something exceedingly clear. Jesus Christ was not murdered, although, in the strictest sense of the term, although those who crucified Him are rightfully accused of murdering him, but theologically speaking, he was not murdered, he was not even martyred. Why? Because he willingly gave his life. Do you know what our Lord said in John 10 verses 17 and 18? Listen to this. He said, "Therefore doth my Father love me, because I lay down my life, that I might take it again. No man taketh it from me, but I lay it down of myself, I have power to lay it down, I have power to take it again." So literally, no one took our Lord's life. Although, yes, He was crucified, yes, those who did take His life were murderers in that sense of the word, and they were in rebellion against God. Yet the truth of the matter is, He willingly laid down His life.

Look in John 12, verse 27. He makes it exceedingly clear, John 12 verse 27, when he said that his hour has come, he said, "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." The words, our Lord came to die. He's giving us this principle that life comes out of death. Let me give you just a quick quote of what Arthur W. Pink said concerning John 10, John 11, and John 12. We didn't read the entire chapters, but listen carefully. Pink said in John 10, the Lord Jesus is before us as a shepherd, leading God's elect out of Judaism and bringing them into the place of liberty. And in order to do this, He lays down His life that He may possess His sheep. In John 11, He is seen as the resurrection and the life, as the conqueror of death, with power in Himself to raise His own, a decided advance on the subject of the previous chapter. But in John 12, He speaks of Himself as the corn of wheat that falls into the ground and dies, that it may bear much fruit. This speaks of both union and communion blessedly illustrated in the first section of the chapter where we have the happy gathering at Bethany supping with him.

Union and Communion through Christ's Death

Weaver explains that Christ's death and resurrection produce union and communion with believers, who are now part of a new race with Christ as head.

Now I want you to note what he said. In John chapter 12 the corn of wheat falls into the ground and dies and it speaks of union and communion. Think about this. I can take one grain of corn and plant it in the ground and when it dies the germ springs into life and up comes a corn stalk that will have sometimes two to three ears of corn with multiple hundreds of grains on each ear. So you have union and you have communion in the sense that each one of those ears and each one of those grains are drawing their nourishment and their sustenance from the root. And from that which basically died. So you have union and communion. So this analogy that our Lord is giving us here wonderfully expresses His death. Because when He died, He also was raised to newness of life. And now because of life out of His death, there is now union and communion.

Now, let me just give you one little warning about the analogy that is used here. Whenever there's an analogy used in scripture, it represents a principle of truth. You cannot push every detail of an analogy. For instance, let me give you the illustration. That corn of wheat falls into the ground, or that grain of corn falls on the ground, it dies. It rots. And the germ springs up and that little bit of rotted material gives the first nourishment and sustenance to the new life that is springing up. It is true that our Lord was planted in the ground. The Bible says in Romans 6 and verse 5, "for if we have been planted in the likeness of his death, we shall also be in the likeness of His resurrection." It is true that He was planted in the ground, but it is not true that His body saw corruption, that His body rotted. That's why I'm saying you can't push every analogy. For in Psalm 16 verse 10, He said, "For thou wilt not leave My soul in hell, neither wilt thou suffer thine holy one to see corruption."

And when Peter was preaching in Acts chapter 2 and verse 27, he quoted Psalm 16 and verse 10, proving again that the body of Jesus Christ did not see corruption. So you cannot push every aspect of the analogy, but what our Lord is pushing right here is this principle that death is the principle of life and that He has to die in order that we may live. I want you to note, secondly, in verse 24, the potential in reach. Not just the principle, but the potential in reach. He said, "Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abideth alone. But if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit." "If it die," speaks of the necessity of our Lord's death in order to produce fruit, He must die just like a grain of wheat. The death of the seed has the beneficial effect of quickening it that it may yield fruit. And our Lord here compares Himself to this grain of wheat. The grain is sown.

The grain decomposes. Our Lord did not. And then from it springs the newness of life. Now, I want you to understand what our Lord is saying. Look in your Bibles to the book of Ephesians chapter 5. Ephesians chapter 5. And notice verses 25 and 27. Ephesians 5 verses 25 and 27. Here's the potential that if it died. This is what our Lord is talking about. Ephesians 5 beginning there verse 25.

The Bible says "Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church," now watch, "and gave himself for it." Well, why did he give himself for it? Watch verse 26, "that he might sanctify and cleanse it with a washing of water by the word, that he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that it should be holy and without blemish." So Christ then loved the church and gave himself for it. Why? That he might present it to himself a glorious church.

Now since you are in the book of Ephesians, just turn right back to Ephesians chapter 2, and let me show you that our Lord's death certainly was not in vain. Look in Ephesians 2 and verse 4. Our Lord said, "but if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit." Look what happened. Ephesians 2 verse 4. "But God who is rich in mercy for his great love wherewith he loved us, even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, by grace are you saved, and hath raised us up together and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ."

Now I want you to note what the scripture is teaching. The scripture is teaching that basically we died with Christ. We were buried with Christ. We were raised from the dead with Christ. And we ascended into heaven with Christ. Everything that He did was that He might bring forth much fruit. He redeemed His people. He delivered us from sin and Satan. He was our substitute. He died in our stead.

And He carried us from the grave into life, seated at the right hand of God. So in our Lord's death, there came newness of life. I want you to turn to 1 Corinthians chapter 15. I will deal with this passage more next week. But I want you to note, in accomplishing this, our Lord became the head of a new race, and the head of a new people. Look in 1 Corinthians chapter 15, beginning there with verse 45. Notice what the Bible said,

Scripture Reading — 1 Corinthians 15:45-49

"And so it is written, The first man Adam was made a living soul, and the last Adam was made a quickening spirit. Howbeit that was not first which is spiritual, but that which is natural, and afterwards that which is spiritual. The first man, that is Adam, is of the earth earthy, and the second man, that is Christ, is the Lord from heaven. As is the earthy, such are they also that are earthy. And as the heavenly, such are they also that are heavenly. As we have borne the image of the earthly, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly."

So the Bible tells us then, that in Jesus Christ, that when he died, there came newness of life, and with him union and communion, so that he became the head of a new race and a new people.

Scripture Reading — Romans 8:29

He is the resurrected grain of wheat. And according to Romans 8 in verse 29, listen carefully, he is the firstborn among many brethren. That's why in Isaiah 53 verses 10 and 11, let me just quote it, "Yet it pleased the Lord to bruise him. He hath put him to grief. Thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin. He shall see his seed. He shall prolong his days. The pleasure of the Lord shall prosper in his hand. He shall see the travail of his soul and shall be satisfied."

Practical Application: Loving and Hating Life

Weaver applies the principle to believers, explaining that loving one's life means living for the flesh, while hating one's life means loving Christ preeminently, even above family.

"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, let me show you that this truth is enunciated in all four Gospels. I want you to hold John 12, and let's go to Matthew first. I want us to look in Matthew, Mark, and Luke, because you're going to see in Matthew chapter 10, how our Lord repeats this, and sometimes there's a little difference in wording, which I need to explain. Notice in Matthew chapter 10, beginning there with verse 39, Our Lord says it like this.

"He that findeth his life shall lose it, and he that loseth his life for my sake shall find it." Well, that's pretty much the same. Look in Mark 8 and verse 35. Mark 8, verse 35. Mark 8, verse 35. Notice what he says here. Mark 8, verse 35. "For whosoever will save his life shall lose it. But whosoever shall lose his life for my sake and the gospel's, the same shall save him." Well, that's essentially the same. But look if you would in Luke chapter 14 and verse 26. Luke 14 verse 26.

This one is just a little different. Luke 14 verse 26. Notice what he said. "If any man come to me and hate not his father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and sisters, yea, and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple." What? "If any man come to me and hate not his father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and sisters, yea, and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple"?

Now how in the world do we explain these verses in light of the principle and the potential that our Lord taught us in John 12 and verse 24. We have to understand what it means to save a life and to lose a life. We have to understand what it means to love a life and to hate a life. Now, since we're looking at Luke chapter 14 and verse 26, let me go ahead and handle this. Because our Lord said very plainly, "if any man come to me and hate not his father and his mother and his wife, and his children, and his brethren, and his sisters, and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple." Obviously, Jesus Christ is not contradicting Scripture. Obviously, Jesus Christ is not going against the very law that he commanded.

The Word of God commands husbands to love their wives. We're commanded to honor our fathers and our mothers. We're commanded to love our children. And Ephesians chapter 5 even says, "no man ever yet hated his own self." Well, what does our Lord mean then when He said, "if you don't hate your father and your mother and your wife and your sister and your brother and your own life, you cannot even be my disciple"? Well, our Lord is speaking comparatively. When I say comparatively, let me explain it like this. Obviously, we have been commanded to love our wives, to love our fathers and our mothers, our children, and our own life as well. But what our Lord is saying is this. According to the love that you have for Him, comparatively speaking, the love that you have for your fleshly family and yourself would be considered hatred. And He's saying that you should love Him so much greater than your father and your mother and your brothers and your sisters and your wife and your own life as well.

What is the first commandment? "Thou shalt have no other gods before me." What do most people do? They put their families. They'll put their husband or their wife or their children or themselves ahead of and before God, thus they become idolaters. In other words, our Lord is telling us that we have to love Him preeminently. We have to love Him more than anything and more than anyone else. Period. So that means this. Whether we like it or not, here's what it means.

If I have to make a choice between my family and Jesus Christ, it's Jesus Christ. If I have to make a choice between my wife and Jesus Christ, it's Jesus Christ. Hopefully, most of us never have to make choices like that. But that's what he's saying. He is to be preeminent. And Luke 14 verse 26 has to be understood comparatively speaking.

Now, when you talk about these other passages in Matthew 10 and Mark 8, talking about saving life and losing life, there are obviously many applications and let me try to make just a few of them. First of all, loving one's life and saving one's life all pertain to this world and the fleshly living which is condemned in the scripture. For instance, look in your Bibles, go back to Romans chapter 8, and notice if you would, verses 6 through 8. This is essentially what it means to love one's life or to save one's life. Look in Romans 8 if you would, beginning there in verse 6. Our Lord says, "to be carnally minded or to be fleshly minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. Why? Because the carnal mind, the fleshly mind is enmity against God. For it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be. So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God." So saving one's life and loving one's life means that you're living for yourself, you're living for your flesh, you're living for this present temporal world.

Martyrdom and Eternal Perspective

Weaver illustrates the cost of discipleship with the story of Thomas Cranmer and emphasizes that losing temporal life is not the worst thing; eternal glory outweighs present suffering.

Secondly, this phrase could also apply as to the choices between martyrdom and apostasy. Now let me tell you something. If you really want to understand what the early Christians went through, read Foxe's Book of Martyrs. We have not been exposed to martyrdom lately. I know there have been Christians martyred. There are Christians being persecuted now. There are Christians being imprisoned now, wrongfully, unjustly. Not in China, but in this country.

But we haven't seen anyone burned at the stake. We haven't seen anyone lined up before a firing squad and shot. But just because we haven't seen it in the last hundred years or so, doesn't mean that it's not going to come back. Do you realize during the Reformation, especially in England and in Europe, all over Europe, Spanish Inquisition, many Christians chose martyrdom rather than to deny their faith. Let me give you one illustration. Some of you have heard of Thomas Cranmer. He was the Archbishop of Canterbury, and he was very much used during the Protestant Reformation in England. He was a scholar and a gentleman, I might add. Without going into his full story, he was condemned to be burned at the stake for refusing to submit to Roman Catholicism under the reign of Bloody Mary, who hated him for what she believed that he did concerning her mother Catherine of Aragon and Henry VIII. Henry VIII divorced Catherine of Aragon. He was the king of England. And she thought Thomas Cranmer had part in this. So, when Mary came to the throne, she took Thomas Cranmer and threw him in prison for three years.

Now if you've ever seen the Tower of London, it is beautiful to look at on the outside. It's exciting to tour on the inside. But if you are locked in one of those damp, dark dungeons, it's not too pleasant. So Thomas Cranmer was thrown into the Tower for three years. After three years, he broke. And he signed a confession that he was wrong and the Roman Catholic Church was right. Well, that was still not sufficient for Mary because she still wanted him burned at the stake. And he was condemned to be burned at the stake. So he was to publicly proclaim his recantation that he was wrong, the Roman Catholic Church is right. But unbelievably, when it came time for him to speak, instead of proclaiming his recantation, he recanted his recantation. And he said, the Pope was wicked and ungodly and a reprobate, and the Roman Catholic Church was wrong, that Christ was right, and the Bible was right, and that he was willing to die for Christ, and he was willing for his right hand to be burned first that had signed that wicked recantation.

And to show you that Thomas Cranmer literally took our Lord's words to heart. He said it's better for you to lose a hand or an eye or a foot than to be cast into hell. When Thomas Cranmer was being burned at the stake, when the fire licked up high enough, He purposefully and deliberately extended his right arm, held his right hand into the flame, and he kept proclaiming, "this unworthy right hand, this unworthy right hand, it should be burned first, this unworthy right hand," and he held it into the flame until his right hand had literally burned from his arm. And when the flames licked up around him, He began to pray as Stephen, "Lord Jesus, into Thy hands I commit my spirit. Oh, this unworthy right hand, this unworthy right hand." And in the midst of the flames, He gave up the ghost. It is better to die a martyr for Christ than to deny the faith.

Third, we must understand that losing our physical and temporal life is not the worst thing that could happen to us. I will tell you a little secret. You probably don't know this, but I'm going to tell it to you. We're going to die anyhow. I want you to look in your Bibles to 2 Corinthians chapter 4. 2 Corinthians chapter 4. Look at what the Apostle Paul said in verse 17 and 18. And by the way, the Apostle Paul went through far more than you and I could ever dream of.

Beaten with 40 stripes a number of times, a night and day in the deep, stoned, left for dead. Look what he said. 2 Corinthians chapter 4 verse 17, "for our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a more exceeding and eternal weight of glory. While we look not at the things which are seen, but the things which are not seen. For the things which are seen are temporal, but the things which are not seen are eternal." Isn't that amazing? He said, "for this light affliction," light, stone to death, left for dead, beat with 40 stripes a number of times. This light affliction. Why? He said everything we see is temporal.

You know the Apostle Paul also wrote in Romans 8 in verse 18, "For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed with us." He said there's nothing in this present life to be compared with the glory of the next life. I want you to think for a moment what our Lord is telling us.

Conclusion: Dying to Self to Bear Fruit

Weaver concludes that dying to self and sin is necessary to produce fruit, and prays for God's enabling grace.

And most are not even willing to give it up. How in the world can someone not give up that which they're already going to lose? To gain that, which they can only have by giving it up. Do you realize, and I preached on Romans 6 a long time ago, but Romans 6 verse 11 is one of my favorite verses. "Likewise, reckon ye yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin and alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord. Likewise reckon ye yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin." So when sin comes knocking, you don't answer it because you're dead. We're alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord. Our Lord gave His life and He found eternal exaltation.

The grain that died lives and produces hundreds and hundreds and hundreds more than you and I could ever, ever imagine. Listen, by way of application, we must learn that it's absolutely necessary to face humiliation and death in this life if we're going to prosper in the work of Jesus Christ. You cannot trust the world. You cannot trust worldlings. Those who shouted loud hosannas in John 12 saying, "Hosanna! Hosanna! Hosanna!"

to the Son of David, four days later were shouting, "Crucify Him! Crucify Him! Crucify Him!" The only praise and adulation that counts is that which comes from God. Our Lord said in John 15, "remember the word that I said unto you, the servant is not greater than his Lord. If they have persecuted me, they will persecute you also. If they've kept my saying, they'll keep yours also." You and I cannot shrink from persecution. We cannot shrink from humiliation. We must remain steadfast and obedient. Our Lord said, "verily, verily, I say unto you, except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abideth alone. But if it die, if it die, if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit." Can you imagine, can you even begin to think of the fruit that you and I would be enabled to produce by the grace of God and by the power of the Holy Spirit if we just died to ourself and our sin. If it died, it bringeth forth much fruit.

That is true agriculturally, soteriologically, and practically, death is the principle of life. And we shall see that, Lord willing, next week, even in the resurrection. Father, in the name of Jesus Christ, we bow to Thee. We thank You for Your Word. We thank You for Your love. We thank You for Your truth. Lord, enable us to apply these principles to our lives. And we do pray, Lord, that You would make us holy and make us godly, that You would mortify our members which are upon this earth, that You would subdue our iniquities and conform us to the image of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, and whose name we pray. Amen.

Study Guide

Major Themes

Death as the Principle of Life

Summary: The central paradox that life springs from death, illustrated by a grain of wheat, applied to Christ's death and the believer's life.

Evidence: Our Lord gives us in this passage a very simple and yet at the same time a very complex truth. And that truth is that death is the principle of life.

The Necessity of Christ's Death

Summary: Jesus had to die to produce much fruit—the church, His bride, His elect—just as a seed must die to produce a harvest.

Evidence: Our Lord then explains to his disciples, 'my hour has come, and the corn of wheat has to fall into the ground and die.'

Preeminence of Christ

Summary: Believers must love Christ so supremely that all other loves, even for family and self, seem like hatred in comparison.

Evidence: Our Lord is telling us that we have to love Him preeminently. We have to love Him more than anything and more than anyone else.

Dying to Self in Practical Christian Living

Summary: Christians must face humiliation and death to self to prosper in God's work, reckoning themselves dead to sin.

Evidence: We must learn that it's absolutely necessary to face humiliation and death in this life if we're going to prosper in the work of Jesus Christ.

Eternal Perspective on Suffering

Summary: Present afflictions are light and temporal compared to the eternal weight of glory; losing physical life is not the worst outcome.

Evidence: He said, 'for this light affliction,' light, stone to death, left for dead, beat with 40 stripes a number of times. This light affliction. Why? He said everything we see is temporal.

Key Arguments

The 'Amen, Amen' preface signals crucial truth

Summary: Jesus' use of 'Amen, Amen' emphasizes the extreme importance of the following teaching and invokes Christ as the faithful witness.

Evidence: Whenever you see the words 'truly, truly' or 'amen, amen' at the beginning of a discourse, it means, sit up, pay attention, because what follows is not only emphasized, it is extremely important.

Christ's death was predestined and voluntary

Summary: Jesus' hour was foreordained by God, and He willingly laid down His life; no one took it from Him.

Evidence: Everything concerning our Lord's death was foreordained. Everything happened according to the predestination of God the Father.

The grain of wheat analogy illustrates union and communion

Summary: Christ's death and resurrection produce a new race of believers who share union and communion with Him, drawing nourishment from His death.

Evidence: In John chapter 12 the corn of wheat falls into the ground and dies and it speaks of union and communion.

Loving one's life means fleshly, temporal living

Summary: To love or save one's life is to live for the flesh and this world, which is enmity against God and leads to loss of eternal life.

Evidence: Saving one's life and loving one's life means that you're living for yourself, you're living for your flesh, you're living for this present temporal world.

Hating one's life is comparative love for Christ

Summary: Jesus' command to hate family and self is a comparative statement: love for Christ must be so great that all other loves seem like hatred.

Evidence: According to the love that you have for Him, comparatively speaking, the love that you have for your fleshly family and yourself would be considered hatred.

Martyrdom is better than apostasy

Summary: The example of Thomas Cranmer shows that losing one's life for Christ is preferable to denying the faith.

Evidence: It is better to die a martyr for Christ than to deny the faith.

Scripture References

John 12:24-26

Context: Primary text: the grain of wheat must die to bear fruit; loving life leads to loss, hating life in this world keeps it for eternal life.

Numbers 5:22

Context: Example of 'Amen, Amen' used at the end of a statement in the Old Testament.

Romans 9:5

Context: Example of 'Amen' at the end of a doxology, meaning 'so be it.'

Ephesians 3:21

Context: Another example of 'Amen' at the end of a doxology.

Revelation 3:14

Context: Jesus is called 'the Amen, the faithful and true witness,' showing 'Amen' is a name of Christ.

John 12:20-33

Context: Context of the grain of wheat saying: Greeks seek Jesus, He speaks of His hour and death, voice from heaven.

John 2:4

Context: Jesus says 'Mine hour is not yet come' at Cana, contrasting with John 12:23.

John 7:30

Context: They could not seize Jesus because His hour had not yet come.

John 8:20

Context: No one laid hands on Him because His hour was not yet come.

John 13:1

Context: Jesus knew His hour had come to depart to the Father.

1 Peter 1:20

Context: Christ was foreordained before the foundation of the world but manifested in the last times.

Acts 4:26-28

Context: Herod, Pilate, Gentiles, and Israel gathered to do what God's hand and counsel predestined.

John 10:17-18

Context: Jesus lays down His life willingly; no one takes it from Him.

Ephesians 5:25-27

Context: Christ loved the church and gave Himself for it to present it holy and without blemish.

Ephesians 2:4-6

Context: God quickened us together with Christ, raised us up, and seated us in heavenly places.

1 Corinthians 15:45-49

Context: Christ as the last Adam became a quickening spirit; we bear the image of the heavenly.

Romans 8:29

Context: Christ is the firstborn among many brethren.

Isaiah 53:10-11

Context: When His soul is made an offering for sin, He shall see His seed and be satisfied.

Matthew 10:39

Context: He that finds his life shall lose it; he that loses his life for Christ's sake shall find it.

Mark 8:35

Context: Whosoever will save his life shall lose it; whosoever loses his life for Christ and the gospel shall save it.

Historical References

Thomas Cranmer, Archbishop of Canterbury

Context: Cranmer recanted under pressure but later recanted his recantation and was burned at the stake under Queen Mary I, holding his right hand into the flame first.

Foxe's Book of Martyrs

Context: Weaver references Foxe's Book of Martyrs as a source for understanding early Christian martyrdom.

Spanish Inquisition

Context: Mentioned as a period when many Christians chose martyrdom over denying their faith.

Reign of Queen Mary I (Bloody Mary)

Context: Mary I persecuted Protestants and had Thomas Cranmer burned at the stake.

Henry VIII and Catherine of Aragon

Context: Henry VIII's divorce from Catherine of Aragon contributed to Mary's hatred of Cranmer.

Important Quotes

Verily, verily, I say unto you, except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abideth alone. But if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit.

Significance: The central verse of the sermon, establishing the principle that death produces life.

Death is the principle of life.

Significance: The title and core thesis of the message.

We will no longer think of death as the cessation of life, but we will think of death as the new beginning of life.

Significance: Summarizes the transformative perspective on death that the sermon aims to instill.

Whenever you see the words 'truly, truly' or 'amen, amen' at the beginning of a discourse, it means, sit up, pay attention, because what follows is not only emphasized, it is extremely important.

Significance: Explains the weight of Jesus' preface and calls hearers to heed the teaching.

Jesus Christ was not murdered, although, in the strictest sense of the term, although those who crucified Him are rightfully accused of murdering him, but theologically speaking, he was not murdered, he was not even martyred. Why? Because he willingly gave his life.

Significance: Highlights the voluntary nature of Christ's sacrificial death.

Our Lord is telling us that we have to love Him preeminently. We have to love Him more than anything and more than anyone else.

Significance: Defines the comparative hatred required for discipleship.

It is better to die a martyr for Christ than to deny the faith.

Significance: The lesson drawn from Thomas Cranmer's story and the call to faithfulness.

You lose what is worthless. You lose what is already under death. You lose what is already forfeited that you might find life and joy and happiness and the Lord Jesus Christ, who is the only one who is worthy of our affection.

Significance: Encapsulates the gain of losing one's life for Christ.

Discussion Questions

How does the agricultural analogy of the grain of wheat help you understand the necessity of Christ's death and the fruit it produced?

Context: Weaver explains that a seed must die to produce a harvest, and Christ's death brought forth the church.

In what ways does the truth that 'death is the principle of life' change your view of physical death and daily dying to self?

Context: Weaver states that understanding this truth changes both practical Christian living and our view of death.

What does it mean practically to 'hate' your own life and your family in comparison to your love for Christ?

Context: Weaver explains Luke 14:26 as a comparative statement requiring preeminent love for Christ.

How can the example of Thomas Cranmer inspire believers facing pressure to compromise their faith today?

Context: Cranmer initially recanted but later chose martyrdom, holding his right hand into the flame.

Why does Paul call his severe sufferings 'light affliction,' and how can we adopt that eternal perspective?

Context: Weaver cites 2 Corinthians 4:17-18, emphasizing that temporal sufferings are outweighed by eternal glory.

What are some practical ways we 'make provision for the flesh' and how can we instead reckon ourselves dead to sin?

Context: Weaver contrasts loving one's life (fleshly living) with Romans 6:11's command to be dead to sin.

Applications

Die to self to bear spiritual fruit

Summary: Believers must face humiliation and death to self in order to prosper in God's work, just as a seed must die to produce a harvest.

Evidence: We must learn that it's absolutely necessary to face humiliation and death in this life if we're going to prosper in the work of Jesus Christ.

Love Christ preeminently above all

Summary: Our love for Christ must be so supreme that all other loves, even for family and self, seem like hatred in comparison.

Evidence: Our Lord is telling us that we have to love Him preeminently. We have to love Him more than anything and more than anyone else.

Reckon yourselves dead to sin

Summary: Christians should consider themselves dead to sin and alive to God, not answering sin's call.

Evidence: Likewise reckon ye yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin. So when sin comes knocking, you don't answer it because you're dead.

Do not shrink from persecution

Summary: Believers must remain steadfast and obedient even when facing persecution, following Christ's example.

Evidence: You and I cannot shrink from persecution. We cannot shrink from humiliation. We must remain steadfast and obedient.

Value eternal glory over temporal suffering

Summary: Present afflictions are light and temporary compared to the eternal weight of glory; we should focus on the unseen.

Evidence: He said, 'for this light affliction,' light, stone to death, left for dead, beat with 40 stripes a number of times. This light affliction. Why? He said everything we see is temporal.

deepseek | deepseek-v4-pro | clean_readable_transcript | 2026-06-04T19:48:02Z

deepseek | deepseek-v4-pro | weaver_study | 2026-06-05T21:32:24Z

Clean Transcript

Death is the Principle of Life Part 1

Clean readable transcript. This view follows the Commentary.net cleaned segment text while preserving timestamps for audio follow-along.

John chapter 12, and we're going to be reading verses 24 through 26. Let me tell you that I will finish this sermon, Lord willing, next Sunday. So it's going to be a part one and part two, and I would encourage you to make sure that you're here to listen to the last half of this message. So John chapter 12, look if you would please at verse 24. Our Lord said, "Verily, verily, I say unto you, except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abideth alone. But if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit."
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"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 also shall my servant be. If any man serve me, him will my Father honour." The title of the message is "Death is the Principle of Life." Death is the principle of life.
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When you look at verse 24, and I do call your attention back to it where our Lord said, "Verily, verily, I say unto you, except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abideth alone. But if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit." Our Lord gives us in this passage a very simple and yet at the same time a very complex truth. And that truth is that death is the principle of life.
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That is true in agriculture. That is true in soteriology, the doctrine of salvation. It is also true in practical Christian living. And the only thing that you and I could say to such a concept is what an extremely odd truth, that death is the principle of life. We do not normally think in those terms. We normally think that death is the absence of life. And yet our Lord informs us it is just the opposite, that life actually springs from death. Now if you and I do not understand and comprehend this important truth, we're not going to grasp practical Christian living. But I would say this, if we do understand and grasp this truth, it's not only going to change the way that we live now in practical Christian living, it's also going to change our view of death. Because we will no longer think of death as the cessation of life, but we will think of death as the new beginning of life.
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So I want you to look at verse 24. And first of all today, I want you to see the preface to this truth. The preface. Notice he says in verse 24, "Verily, verily, I say unto you." Do you realize that the word "verily, verily" is translated in our Bibles as "truly, truly," and "amen, amen"? The word is actually "amen." Actually what he says in verse 24 is "Amen, Amen, I say unto you." Now, what I want to do very quickly is ask that you hold John 12, but turn in your Bibles, first of all, to Numbers chapter 5. I want to just show you a couple of times that this word occurs in the Old Testament. Then we're going to look at a few times it occurs in the New Testament. So if you'll look at Numbers chapter 5 and verse 22, you will read this. Look at Numbers 5 and verse 22. The Bible just simply says this, Numbers 5 verse 22, "And this water that causeth the curse shall go into the bowels, to make thy belly swell, and thy thigh to rot, and the woman shall say, Amen, Amen."
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Now the interesting thing is, without turning to all these other passages, you will find in the Old Testament the word "Amen" occurring in Nehemiah 8 in verse 6, Psalm 41:13, Psalm 72:19, Psalm 89 in verse 52.
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Now I want you to turn to the New Testament and look if you would please at Romans chapter 9. Romans chapter 9 and verse 5. An interesting thing because if you will notice in John chapter 12, "Amen, Amen" was at the beginning. If you noticed in Numbers chapter 5, it was at the end. So now in Romans 9 and verse 5, referring to Christ, "...whose are the fathers, and of whom as concerning the flesh Christ came, who is over all, God blessed forever, Amen." And then if you look in Ephesians chapter 3 and verse 21, Ephesians 3 verse 21, you're going to see the word "Amen" again. And by the way, it occurs very frequently in the book of John. But notice Ephesians chapter 3 and verse 21: "Unto him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end. Amen." Now let me just tell you, we're going to look at another passage in just a moment. You will also find the word "Amen" in John 1:51, John 3:3, John 3:5, and John 5:24 and 25.
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The word "Amen" is indeed a remarkable word. It was transliterated from the Hebrew into the Greek, into the Latin, into the English. Now when I say transliterated, that is not translated. For instance, our English word "deacon." You know what the English word "deacon" actually means? Or the Greek word "deacon"? It actually means servant. But the word "deacon" in the New Testament was transliterated. That is, it took the D from the Greek to a D in English, an E from the Greek to an E in English. In other words, it is spelled in English, basically, the way it is spelled in Greek. So it is transliterated. It is brought letter for letter and not translated. The word "amen" is done exactly the same way. So it is practically a universal word. So you could say "amen" in Hebrew basically, "amen." You could say it in Latin the same way. You could say it in Greek the same way. You could say it in English the same way. The word "amen" has been called the best known word in human speech.
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I suppose it'd be close to "hallelujah" because "hallelujah" is basically the same in any language as well. But the word "amen" is closely related to the Hebrew word "aman," A-M-A-N, which is translated "believe" or "faithful." Thus it came to mean "surely" or "truly" as an expression of absolute trust and confidence. Whenever you see the words "truly, truly" or "amen, amen" at the beginning of a discourse, it means, sit up, pay attention, because what follows is not only emphasized, it is extremely important. When you see the word "Amen, Amen" at the end of the discourse, it literally means, "so be it," or "may it be fulfilled." That's why in Romans 9 in verse 5 it was at the end. In Ephesians 3 in verse 21 it was at the end. May it be fulfilled. So be it.
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Now, let me show you one other thing. I want you to look in the book of Revelation chapter 3. Look in Revelation chapter 3. And we're just talking about the preface of this truth. But in Revelation chapter 3 we learn something else about the word "Amen." This may surprise you. This may really surprise you, but in Revelation chapter 3 and verse 14, you find that the word "Amen" is actually a name of Jesus Christ. Look at it. Revelation 3 verse 14, "And unto the angel of the church of the Laodiceans write; These things saith the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of the creation of God." Notice Jesus Christ is here called "the Amen, the faithful and true witness." Now listen carefully. Thus when we say "Amen" to something, we're not only just saying "truly, truly," "verily, verily." We're not only just simply saying "so be it" or "may it be fulfilled." We're also calling Jesus Christ, who is a faithful and true witness, to testify that whatever has been said is absolute truth.
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Wow. "Amen" is certainly appropriate at the reading of Scripture or at the declaration of Christian truth. But you have to remember, it is the name of Christ and you're calling Christ to testify that what has just been said is indeed the truth. So our Lord then, in John chapter 12, begins this discourse with the words, "Amen, Amen," which are here translated, "Truly, Truly." So He's calling your attention to what He's about to say. He's telling you that it is extremely important that you grasp and understand this truth. So let's look at the principle of the truth in verse 24. Our Lord says, "Verily, verily, or amen, amen, I say unto you, except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abides alone."
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Now it does not really matter what type of grain that you talk about. It doesn't matter as to its greatness or to its beauty. The truth that our Lord is enunciating is this, if it is not planted in the ground and allowed to die, it remains alone. A grain could be in a granary for up to a thousand years and be preserved. But it's absolutely useless there. It cannot die. It cannot reproduce. Alice had given her a number of years ago several ears of Indian corn. And she has them in a basket, and all the Indian corn is of various colors. And it's very beautiful. It's a delightful thing to look at. It's a wonderful conversation piece. That's all it's good for. Because until it is planted in the ground and dies, it actually abides alone. Here's the principle. Life comes from death. Why did our Lord enunciate this principle? I want you to look at the context.
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Let's begin reading in John chapter 12 and verse 20, and read through verse 33, because you're going to find that our Lord is here talking about His death. Notice John chapter 12 and verse 20. "And there were certain Greeks among them that came up to worship at the feast. And the same came therefore to Philip, which was of Bethsaida of Galilee, and desired him, saying, 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."
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"Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except a 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."
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"The people therefore that stood by and heard it said that it thundered. Others said an angel spake to him. Jesus said unto them, This voice came not because of me, but for your sakes."
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"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.
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Now notice what our Lord said. He is talking about this principle that life comes out of death. By the way, when you look in John chapter 12 and verse 23, this is the first recorded place in scripture where our Lord acknowledges that His hour had come. Notice He said, "then said Jesus unto them, the hour is come that the Son of Man should be glorified."
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Now, there are many things in the Bible about the hour of Christ. For instance, in John chapter 2, you remember, at the wedding of Cana of Galilee, our Lord's mother came to Him and said, "they have no wine." And Jesus said to her, "Woman, what have I to do with thee? Mine hour is not yet come." In other words, it's not my time to die. I can take care of this problem. Again in John 7 in verse 30, the Bible said, "They sought to take him, but no man laid hands upon him, because his hour was not yet come." And then in John 8 in verse 20, the Bible said, "these words spake Jesus in the temple, in the treasury, as He was teaching in the temple. And no man laid hands upon Him, for His hour was not yet come." But when you look in John 12 and verse 23, He says, "My hour is come." If you look in John 13 and verse 1, He acknowledges it again. "Now before the feast of the Passover, when Jesus knew that His hour was come, that He should depart out of this world unto the Father, having loved his own which were in the world, he loved them unto the end."
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So very obviously then, when he said, "my hour has come," he's referring now to his death. Here came the Greeks, saying, "sir, we would see Jesus." And our Lord then explains to his disciples, "my hour has come, and the corn of wheat has to fall into the ground and die." So the hour that our Lord refers to then is the hour of his death. It is the hour in which he was predestined by God the Father to die. What? Yes.
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If you would look in your Bibles, first of all, to 1 Peter chapter 1 and verse 20. 1 Peter chapter 1 verse 20. Notice what the Bible says concerning Christ. "who verily was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you." Now notice if you would please, he was manifested only in the last times, as 1 Peter 1 verse 20, but he was foreordained or predestined before the foundation of the world. Go back in your Bibles to the book of Acts chapter 4. Acts chapter 4. Verse 26, Acts 4, verse 26, and let's read through verse 28. Acts 4, beginning with verse 26. "The kings of the earth stood up, and the rulers were gathered together against the Lord and against the Christ." Now watch carefully.
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"For of a truth against thy holy child Jesus, whom thou hast anointed, both Herod and Pontius Pilate with the Gentiles and the people of Israel were gathered together for to do whatsoever thy hand and thy counsel determined before to be done." Notice if you would, everything concerning our Lord's death was foreordained. Everything happened according to the predestination of God the Father. The truth of the matter is, no one could take our Lord's life before His hour was come.
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Our Lord was not only ordained to die in a certain time, He was also ordained to die in a certain way. Let me make something exceedingly clear. Jesus Christ was not murdered, although, in the strictest sense of the term, although those who crucified Him are rightfully accused of murdering him, but theologically speaking, he was not murdered, he was not even martyred. Why? Because he willingly gave his life. Do you know what our Lord said in John 10 verses 17 and 18? Listen to this. He said, "Therefore doth my Father love me, because I lay down my life, that I might take it again. No man taketh it from me, but I lay it down of myself, I have power to lay it down, I have power to take it again." So literally, no one took our Lord's life. Although, yes, He was crucified, yes, those who did take His life were murderers in that sense of the word, and they were in rebellion against God. Yet the truth of the matter is, He willingly laid down His life.
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Look in John 12, verse 27. He makes it exceedingly clear, John 12 verse 27, when he said that his hour has come, he said, "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." The words, our Lord came to die. He's giving us this principle that life comes out of death. Let me give you just a quick quote of what Arthur W. Pink said concerning John 10, John 11, and John 12.
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We didn't read the entire chapters, but listen carefully. Pink said in John 10, the Lord Jesus is before us as a shepherd, leading God's elect out of Judaism and bringing them into the place of liberty. And in order to do this, He lays down His life that He may possess His sheep. In John 11, He is seen as the resurrection and the life, as the conqueror of death, with power in Himself to raise His own, a decided advance on the subject of the previous chapter. But in John 12, He speaks of Himself as the corn of wheat that falls into the ground and dies, that it may bear much fruit. This speaks of both union and communion blessedly illustrated in the first section of the chapter where we have the happy gathering at Bethany supping with him.
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Now I want you to note what he said. In John chapter 12 the corn of wheat falls into the ground and dies and it speaks of union and communion. Think about this. I can take one grain of corn and plant it in the ground and when it dies the germ springs into life and up comes a corn stalk that will have sometimes two to three ears of corn with multiple hundreds of grains on each ear. So you have union and you have communion in the sense that each one of those ears and each one of those grains are drawing their nourishment and their sustenance from the root.
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And from that which basically died. So you have union and communion. So this analogy that our Lord is giving us here wonderfully expresses His death. Because when He died, He also was raised to newness of life. And now because of life out of His death, there is now union and communion.
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Now, let me just give you one little warning about the analogy that is used here. Whenever there's an analogy used in scripture, it represents a principle of truth. You cannot push every detail of an analogy. For instance, let me give you the illustration. That corn of wheat falls into the ground, or that grain of corn falls on the ground, it dies. It rots. And the germ springs up and that little bit of rotted material gives the first nourishment and sustenance to the new life that is springing up. It is true that our Lord was planted in the ground. The Bible says in Romans 6 and verse 5, "for if we have been planted in the likeness of his death, we shall also be in the likeness of His resurrection." It is true that He was planted in the ground, but it is not true that His body saw corruption, that His body rotted. That's why I'm saying you can't push every analogy. For in Psalm 16 verse 10, He said, "For thou wilt not leave My soul in hell, neither wilt thou suffer thine holy one to see corruption."
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And when Peter was preaching in Acts chapter 2 and verse 27, he quoted Psalm 16 and verse 10, proving again that the body of Jesus Christ did not see corruption. So you cannot push every aspect of the analogy, but what our Lord is pushing right here is this principle that death is the principle of life and that He has to die in order that we may live. I want you to note, secondly, in verse 24, the potential in reach. Not just the principle, but the potential in reach. He said, "Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abideth alone. But if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit." "If it die," speaks of the necessity of our Lord's death in order to produce fruit, He must die just like a grain of wheat. The death of the seed has the beneficial effect of quickening it that it may yield fruit. And our Lord here compares Himself to this grain of wheat. The grain is sown.
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The grain decomposes. Our Lord did not. And then from it springs the newness of life. Now, I want you to understand what our Lord is saying. Look in your Bibles to the book of Ephesians chapter 5. Ephesians chapter 5. And notice verses 25 and 27. Ephesians 5 verses 25 and 27. Here's the potential that if it died. This is what our Lord is talking about. Ephesians 5 beginning there verse 25.
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The Bible says "Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church," now watch, "and gave himself for it." Well, why did he give himself for it? Watch verse 26, "that he might sanctify and cleanse it with a washing of water by the word, that he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that it should be holy and without blemish." So Christ then loved the church and gave himself for it. Why? That he might present it to himself a glorious church.
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Now since you are in the book of Ephesians, just turn right back to Ephesians chapter 2, and let me show you that our Lord's death certainly was not in vain. Look in Ephesians 2 and verse 4. Our Lord said, "but if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit." Look what happened. Ephesians 2 verse 4. "But God who is rich in mercy for his great love wherewith he loved us, even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, by grace are you saved, and hath raised us up together and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ."
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Now I want you to note what the scripture is teaching. The scripture is teaching that basically we died with Christ. We were buried with Christ. We were raised from the dead with Christ. And we ascended into heaven with Christ. Everything that He did was that He might bring forth much fruit. He redeemed His people. He delivered us from sin and Satan. He was our substitute. He died in our stead.
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And He carried us from the grave into life, seated at the right hand of God. So in our Lord's death, there came newness of life. I want you to turn to 1 Corinthians chapter 15. I will deal with this passage more next week. But I want you to note, in accomplishing this, our Lord became the head of a new race, and the head of a new people. Look in 1 Corinthians chapter 15, beginning there with verse 45.
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Notice what the Bible said, "And so it is written, The first man Adam was made a living soul, and the last Adam was made a quickening spirit. Howbeit that was not first which is spiritual, but that which is natural, and afterwards that which is spiritual. The first man, that is Adam, is of the earth earthy, and the second man, that is Christ, is the Lord from heaven. As is the earthy, such are they also that are earthy. And as the heavenly, such are they also that are heavenly. As we have borne the image of the earthly, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly." So the Bible tells us then, that in Jesus Christ, that when he died, there came newness of life, and with him union and communion, so that he became the head of a new race and a new people.
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He is the resurrected grain of wheat. And according to Romans 8 in verse 29, listen carefully, he is the firstborn among many brethren. That's why in Isaiah 53 verses 10 and 11, let me just quote it, "Yet it pleased the Lord to bruise him. He hath put him to grief. Thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin. He shall see his seed. He shall prolong his days. The pleasure of the Lord shall prosper in his hand. He shall see the travail of his soul and shall be satisfied."
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Notice if he would, "if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit." And so the fruit that our Lord died for is the church. It's His bride. It's His elect. It's His children. It's His sons. The reason you and I have life is because of His death.
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Now, go back to John chapter 12. John chapter 12. I want you to see the practical application of this truth. He said in verse 24, "Verily, verily, I say unto you, except the corn of wheat fall in the ground and die, it abideth alone. But if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit." Now I want you to note, verse 24 applies directly to Jesus Christ and it is a principle of life. But when you get to verse 25 and verse 26, here's a very practical application that affects each one of us. "He that loveth his life shall lose it. And he that hated his life in this world shall keep it unto life eternal."
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"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."
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Now, let me show you that this truth is enunciated in all four Gospels. I want you to hold John 12, and let's go to Matthew first. I want us to look in Matthew, Mark, and Luke, because you're going to see in Matthew chapter 10, how our Lord repeats this, and sometimes there's a little difference in wording, which I need to explain. Notice in Matthew chapter 10, beginning there with verse 39, Our Lord says it like this.
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"He that findeth his life shall lose it, and he that loseth his life for my sake shall find it." Well, that's pretty much the same. Look in Mark 8 and verse 35. Mark 8, verse 35. Mark 8, verse 35. Notice what he says here. Mark 8, verse 35. "For whosoever will save his life shall lose it. But whosoever shall lose his life for my sake and the gospel's, the same shall save him." Well, that's essentially the same. But look if you would in Luke chapter 14 and verse 26. Luke 14 verse 26.
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This one is just a little different. Luke 14 verse 26. Notice what he said. "If any man come to me and hate not his father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and sisters, yea, and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple." What? "If any man come to me and hate not his father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and sisters, yea, and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple"?
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Now how in the world do we explain these verses in light of the principle and the potential that our Lord taught us in John 12 and verse 24. We have to understand what it means to save a life and to lose a life. We have to understand what it means to love a life and to hate a life.
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Now, since we're looking at Luke chapter 14 and verse 26, let me go ahead and handle this. Because our Lord said very plainly, "if any man come to me and hate not his father and his mother and his wife, and his children, and his brethren, and his sisters, and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple." Obviously, Jesus Christ is not contradicting Scripture. Obviously, Jesus Christ is not going against the very law that he commanded.
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The Word of God commands husbands to love their wives. We're commanded to honor our fathers and our mothers. We're commanded to love our children. And Ephesians chapter 5 even says, "no man ever yet hated his own self." Well, what does our Lord mean then when He said, "if you don't hate your father and your mother and your wife and your sister and your brother and your own life, you cannot even be my disciple"? Well, our Lord is speaking comparatively. When I say comparatively, let me explain it like this. Obviously, we have been commanded to love our wives, to love our fathers and our mothers, our children, and our own life as well. But what our Lord is saying is this. According to the love that you have for Him, comparatively speaking, the love that you have for your fleshly family and yourself would be considered hatred. And He's saying that you should love Him so much greater than your father and your mother and your brothers and your sisters and your wife and your own life as well.
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What is the first commandment? "Thou shalt have no other gods before me." What do most people do? They put their families. They'll put their husband or their wife or their children or themselves ahead of and before God, thus they become idolaters. In other words, our Lord is telling us that we have to love Him preeminently. We have to love Him more than anything and more than anyone else. Period. So that means this. Whether we like it or not, here's what it means.
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If I have to make a choice between my family and Jesus Christ, it's Jesus Christ. If I have to make a choice between my wife and Jesus Christ, it's Jesus Christ. Hopefully, most of us never have to make choices like that. But that's what he's saying. He is to be preeminent. And Luke 14 verse 26 has to be understood comparatively speaking.
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Now, when you talk about these other passages in Matthew 10 and Mark 8, talking about saving life and losing life, there are obviously many applications and let me try to make just a few of them. First of all, loving one's life and saving one's life all pertain to this world and the fleshly living which is condemned in the scripture. For instance, look in your Bibles, go back to Romans chapter 8, and notice if you would, verses 6 through 8. This is essentially what it means to love one's life or to save one's life. Look in Romans 8 if you would, beginning there in verse 6. Our Lord says, "to be carnally minded or to be fleshly minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. Why? Because the carnal mind, the fleshly mind is enmity against God. For it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be. So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God." So saving one's life and loving one's life means that you're living for yourself, you're living for your flesh, you're living for this present temporal world.
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This is also explained in Romans 13 and verse 14 where we're commanded "make no provision for the flesh to fulfill the lust thereof." That's loving your life. John Gill, the Baptist commentator, said it like this, "The sense is that whosoever is so in love with this present temporal life as to be anxiously careful for it and takes all precautions to secure it and rather than to expose it to any danger chooses to deny the faith of Christ and desert his cause and interest, as such a one shall not long enjoy this life, so he shall come short of an eternal one." In other words, loving one's life and saving one's life is the fact that, boy, I'm not going to suffer for Christ. I'm not going to do anything that's going to cause me displeasure. I'm not going to do anything but whatever pleases me, period. It's making provision for the flesh to fulfill the lust thereof. And that's what most people do. That's how most people live. They live for drunkenness. They live for fornication.
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They live for wickedness. Whatever's wicked and wrong, whatever pleases their flesh, titillates their desires, that's what they live for. And they don't understand, they're saving their life, and in saving their life, they're losing their life.
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Secondly, this phrase could also apply as to the choices between martyrdom and apostasy. Now let me tell you something. If you really want to understand what the early Christians went through, read Foxe's Book of Martyrs. We have not been exposed to martyrdom lately. I know there have been Christians martyred. There are Christians being persecuted now. There are Christians being imprisoned now, wrongfully, unjustly. Not in China, but in this country.
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But we haven't seen anyone burned at the stake. We haven't seen anyone lined up before a firing squad and shot. But just because we haven't seen it in the last hundred years or so, doesn't mean that it's not going to come back. Do you realize during the Reformation, especially in England and in Europe, all over Europe, Spanish Inquisition, many Christians chose martyrdom rather than to deny their faith.
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Let me give you one illustration. Some of you have heard of Thomas Cranmer. He was the Archbishop of Canterbury, and he was very much used during the Protestant Reformation in England. He was a scholar and a gentleman, I might add. Without going into his full story, he was condemned to be burned at the stake for refusing to submit to Roman Catholicism under the reign of Bloody Mary, who hated him for what she believed that he did concerning her mother Catherine of Aragon and Henry VIII. Henry VIII divorced Catherine of Aragon. He was the king of England. And she thought Thomas Cranmer had part in this. So, when Mary came to the throne, she took Thomas Cranmer and threw him in prison for three years.
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Now if you've ever seen the Tower of London, it is beautiful to look at on the outside. It's exciting to tour on the inside. But if you are locked in one of those damp, dark dungeons, it's not too pleasant. So Thomas Cranmer was thrown into the Tower for three years. After three years, he broke. And he signed a confession that he was wrong and the Roman Catholic Church was right.
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Well, that was still not sufficient for Mary because she still wanted him burned at the stake. And he was condemned to be burned at the stake. So he was to publicly proclaim his recantation that he was wrong, the Roman Catholic Church is right. But unbelievably, when it came time for him to speak, instead of proclaiming his recantation, he recanted his recantation. And he said, the Pope was wicked and ungodly and a reprobate, and the Roman Catholic Church was wrong, that Christ was right, and the Bible was right, and that he was willing to die for Christ, and he was willing for his right hand to be burned first that had signed that wicked recantation.
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And to show you that Thomas Cranmer literally took our Lord's words to heart. He said it's better for you to lose a hand or an eye or a foot than to be cast into hell. When Thomas Cranmer was being burned at the stake, when the fire licked up high enough, He purposefully and deliberately extended his right arm, held his right hand into the flame, and he kept proclaiming, "this unworthy right hand, this unworthy right hand, it should be burned first, this unworthy right hand," and he held it into the flame until his right hand had literally burned from his arm. And when the flames licked up around him, He began to pray as Stephen, "Lord Jesus, into Thy hands I commit my spirit. Oh, this unworthy right hand, this unworthy right hand." And in the midst of the flames, He gave up the ghost. It is better to die a martyr for Christ than to deny the faith.
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Third, we must understand that losing our physical and temporal life is not the worst thing that could happen to us. I will tell you a little secret. You probably don't know this, but I'm going to tell it to you. We're going to die anyhow. I want you to look in your Bibles to 2 Corinthians chapter 4. 2 Corinthians chapter 4. Look at what the Apostle Paul said in verse 17 and 18. And by the way, the Apostle Paul went through far more than you and I could ever dream of.
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Beaten with 40 stripes a number of times, a night and day in the deep, stoned, left for dead. Look what he said. 2 Corinthians chapter 4 verse 17, "for our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a more exceeding and eternal weight of glory. While we look not at the things which are seen, but the things which are not seen. For the things which are seen are temporal, but the things which are not seen are eternal." Isn't that amazing? He said, "for this light affliction," light, stone to death, left for dead, beat with 40 stripes a number of times. This light affliction. Why? He said everything we see is temporal.
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You know the Apostle Paul also wrote in Romans 8 in verse 18, "For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed with us." He said there's nothing in this present life to be compared with the glory of the next life. I want you to think for a moment what our Lord is telling us.
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You lose what is worthless. You lose what is already under death. You lose what is already forfeited that you might find life and joy and happiness and the Lord Jesus Christ, who is the only one who is worthy of our affection. We find life in Christ. He is our sustenance. He is our nourishment. And I want you to think about this. Christ, who had a perfect life, and He gave it up that we might live. Truthfully, we have a worthless life.
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And most are not even willing to give it up. How in the world can someone not give up that which they're already going to lose? To gain that, which they can only have by giving it up. Do you realize, and I preached on Romans 6 a long time ago, but Romans 6 verse 11 is one of my favorite verses. "Likewise, reckon ye yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin and alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord. Likewise reckon ye yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin." So when sin comes knocking, you don't answer it because you're dead. We're alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord. Our Lord gave His life and He found eternal exaltation.
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The grain that died lives and produces hundreds and hundreds and hundreds more than you and I could ever, ever imagine. Listen, by way of application, we must learn that it's absolutely necessary to face humiliation and death in this life if we're going to prosper in the work of Jesus Christ. You cannot trust the world. You cannot trust worldlings. Those who shouted loud hosannas in John 12 saying, "Hosanna! Hosanna! Hosanna!"
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to the Son of David, four days later were shouting, "Crucify Him! Crucify Him! Crucify Him!" The only praise and adulation that counts is that which comes from God. Our Lord said in John 15, "remember the word that I said unto you, the servant is not greater than his Lord. If they have persecuted me, they will persecute you also. If they've kept my saying, they'll keep yours also."
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You and I cannot shrink from persecution. We cannot shrink from humiliation. We must remain steadfast and obedient. Our Lord said, "verily, verily, I say unto you, except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abideth alone. But if it die, if it die, if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit." Can you imagine, can you even begin to think of the fruit that you and I would be enabled to produce by the grace of God and by the power of the Holy Spirit if we just died to ourself and our sin. If it died, it bringeth forth much fruit.
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That is true agriculturally, soteriologically, and practically, death is the principle of life. And we shall see that, Lord willing, next week, even in the resurrection. Father, in the name of Jesus Christ, we bow to Thee. We thank You for Your Word. We thank You for Your love. We thank You for Your truth. Lord, enable us to apply these principles to our lives. And we do pray, Lord, that You would make us holy and make us godly, that You would mortify our members which are upon this earth, that You would subdue our iniquities and conform us to the image of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, and whose name we pray. Amen.
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deepseek | deepseek-v4-pro | clean_readable_transcript | 2026-06-04T19:48:02Z

Death is the Principle of Life Part 1

John Weaver | Freedom Ministries

Pastor John Weaver expounds John 12:24-26, explaining that death is the principle of life—a truth seen in agriculture, salvation, and practical Christian living. Jesus' death, like a grain of wheat, was necessary to produce much fruit (the church). Believers are called to hate their life in this world, loving Christ preeminently, and dying to self to bear fruit.

Introduction and Reading of John 12:24-26

Weaver introduces the sermon as part one of two, reading John 12:24-26 and stating the title: 'Death is the Principle of Life.'

Scripture Reading — John 12:24-26

"Verily, verily, I say unto you, except a 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 also shall my servant be. If any man serve me, him will my Father honour."

The title of the message is "Death is the Principle of Life." Death is the principle of life.

The Preface: 'Verily, Verily' (Amen, Amen)

Weaver explains the significance of 'Amen, Amen' as a call to attention, its transliteration across languages, and its use as a name for Christ in Revelation 3:14.

Scripture Reading — Romans 9:5

whose are the fathers, and of whom as concerning the flesh Christ came, who is over all, God blessed

Scripture Reading — Revelation 3:14

"And unto the angel of the church of the Laodiceans write; These things saith the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of the creation of God." Notice Jesus Christ is here called "the Amen, the faithful and true witness."

The Principle: Death Produces Life

Using the grain of wheat analogy, Weaver teaches that life comes from death. Jesus applied this to His own impending death, which would bring forth much fruit.

Let's begin reading in John chapter 12 and verse 20, and read through verse 33, because you're going to find that our Lord is here talking about His death. Notice John chapter 12 and verse 20.

Scripture Reading — John 12:20-33

"And there were certain Greeks among them that came up to worship at the feast. And the same came therefore to Philip, which was of Bethsaida of Galilee, and desired him, saying, 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."

The Hour of Christ's Death

Weaver shows from John 12:23 and other passages that Jesus' 'hour' refers to His predestined death, which He willingly laid down.

Scripture Reading — John 2:4

her, "Woman, what have I to do with thee? Mine hour is not yet come."

Scripture Reading — 1 Peter 1:20

" Now notice if you would please, he was manifested only in the last times, as 1 Peter 1 verse 20, but he was foreordained or predestined before the foundation of the world. Go back in your Bibles to the book of Acts chapter 4. Acts chapter 4. Verse 26, Acts 4, verse 26, and let's read through verse 28. Acts 4, beginning with verse 26. "

The kings of the earth stood up, and the rulers were gathered together against the Lord and against the Christ." Now watch carefully.

Union and Communion through Christ's Death

Weaver explains that Christ's death and resurrection produce union and communion with believers, who are now part of a new race with Christ as head.

Scripture Reading — 1 Corinthians 15:45-49

"And so it is written, The first man Adam was made a living soul, and the last Adam was made a quickening spirit. Howbeit that was not first which is spiritual, but that which is natural, and afterwards that which is spiritual. The first man, that is Adam, is of the earth earthy, and the second man, that is Christ, is the Lord from heaven. As is the earthy, such are they also that are earthy. And as the heavenly, such are they also that are heavenly. As we have borne the image of the earthly, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly."

So the Bible tells us then, that in Jesus Christ, that when he died, there came newness of life, and with him union and communion, so that he became the head of a new race and a new people.

Scripture Reading — Romans 8:29

He is the resurrected grain of wheat. And according to Romans 8 in verse 29, listen carefully, he is the firstborn among many brethren. That's why in Isaiah 53 verses 10 and 11, let me just quote it, "Yet it pleased the Lord to bruise him. He hath put him to grief. Thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin. He shall see his seed. He shall prolong his days. The pleasure of the Lord shall prosper in his hand. He shall see the travail of his soul and shall be satisfied."

Practical Application: Loving and Hating Life

Weaver applies the principle to believers, explaining that loving one's life means living for the flesh, while hating one's life means loving Christ preeminently, even above family.

Martyrdom and Eternal Perspective

Weaver illustrates the cost of discipleship with the story of Thomas Cranmer and emphasizes that losing temporal life is not the worst thing; eternal glory outweighs present suffering.

Conclusion: Dying to Self to Bear Fruit

Weaver concludes that dying to self and sin is necessary to produce fruit, and prays for God's enabling grace.

Death is the Principle of Life Part 1

John Weaver | YouTube

Lecture Metadata	Details
Speaker	John Weaver
Source	YouTube
Media ID	J8B3SceMTM4
Subject	New Testament Studies
Course	Revelation: Christ and the Churches
Genre	Sermon
Date	2012-02-15
Dictation Name
Book	Book 190: Death is the Principle of Life — Chapter 1
Source Timed Segments	64

Lecture Guide

Outline

Introduction and Reading of John 12:24-26: Weaver introduces the sermon as part one of two, reading John 12:24-26 and stating the title: 'Death is the Principle of Life.'
The Preface: 'Verily, Verily' (Amen, Amen): Weaver explains the significance of 'Amen, Amen' as a call to attention, its transliteration across languages, and its use as a name for Christ in Revelation 3:14.
The Principle: Death Produces Life: Using the grain of wheat analogy, Weaver teaches that life comes from death. Jesus applied this to His own impending death, which would bring forth much fruit.
The Hour of Christ's Death: Weaver shows from John 12:23 and other passages that Jesus' 'hour' refers to His predestined death, which He willingly laid down.
Union and Communion through Christ's Death: Weaver explains that Christ's death and resurrection produce union and communion with believers, who are now part of a new race with Christ as head.
Practical Application: Loving and Hating Life: Weaver applies the principle to believers, explaining that loving one's life means living for the flesh, while hating one's life means loving Christ preeminently, even above family.
Martyrdom and Eternal Perspective: Weaver illustrates the cost of discipleship with the story of Thomas Cranmer and emphasizes that losing temporal life is not the worst thing; eternal glory outweighs present suffering.
Conclusion: Dying to Self to Bear Fruit: Weaver concludes that dying to self and sin is necessary to produce fruit, and prays for God's enabling grace.

Major Themes

Key Arguments

The 'Amen, Amen' preface signals crucial truth

Jesus' use of 'Amen, Amen' emphasizes the extreme importance of the following teaching and invokes Christ as the faithful witness.

Whenever you see the words 'truly, truly' or 'amen, amen' at the beginning of a discourse, it means, sit up, pay attention, because what follows is not only emphasized, it is extremely important.

Christ's death was predestined and voluntary

Jesus' hour was foreordained by God, and He willingly laid down His life; no one took it from Him.

Everything concerning our Lord's death was foreordained. Everything happened according to the predestination of God the Father.

The grain of wheat analogy illustrates union and communion

Christ's death and resurrection produce a new race of believers who share union and communion with Him, drawing nourishment from His death.

In John chapter 12 the corn of wheat falls into the ground and dies and it speaks of union and communion.

Loving one's life means fleshly, temporal living

To love or save one's life is to live for the flesh and this world, which is enmity against God and leads to loss of eternal life.

Saving one's life and loving one's life means that you're living for yourself, you're living for your flesh, you're living for this present temporal world.

Hating one's life is comparative love for Christ

Jesus' command to hate family and self is a comparative statement: love for Christ must be so great that all other loves seem like hatred.

According to the love that you have for Him, comparatively speaking, the love that you have for your fleshly family and yourself would be considered hatred.

Martyrdom is better than apostasy

The example of Thomas Cranmer shows that losing one's life for Christ is preferable to denying the faith.

It is better to die a martyr for Christ than to deny the faith.

Scripture References

John 12:24-26: Primary text: the grain of wheat must die to bear fruit; loving life leads to loss, hating life in this world keeps it for eternal life.
Numbers 5:22: Example of 'Amen, Amen' used at the end of a statement in the Old Testament.
Romans 9:5: Example of 'Amen' at the end of a doxology, meaning 'so be it.'
Ephesians 3:21: Another example of 'Amen' at the end of a doxology.
Revelation 3:14: Jesus is called 'the Amen, the faithful and true witness,' showing 'Amen' is a name of Christ.
John 12:20-33: Context of the grain of wheat saying: Greeks seek Jesus, He speaks of His hour and death, voice from heaven.
John 2:4: Jesus says 'Mine hour is not yet come' at Cana, contrasting with John 12:23.
John 7:30: They could not seize Jesus because His hour had not yet come.
John 8:20: No one laid hands on Him because His hour was not yet come.
John 13:1: Jesus knew His hour had come to depart to the Father.
1 Peter 1:20: Christ was foreordained before the foundation of the world but manifested in the last times.
Acts 4:26-28: Herod, Pilate, Gentiles, and Israel gathered to do what God's hand and counsel predestined.
John 10:17-18: Jesus lays down His life willingly; no one takes it from Him.
Ephesians 5:25-27: Christ loved the church and gave Himself for it to present it holy and without blemish.
Ephesians 2:4-6: God quickened us together with Christ, raised us up, and seated us in heavenly places.
1 Corinthians 15:45-49: Christ as the last Adam became a quickening spirit; we bear the image of the heavenly.
Romans 8:29: Christ is the firstborn among many brethren.
Isaiah 53:10-11: When His soul is made an offering for sin, He shall see His seed and be satisfied.
Matthew 10:39: He that finds his life shall lose it; he that loses his life for Christ's sake shall find it.
Mark 8:35: Whosoever will save his life shall lose it; whosoever loses his life for Christ and the gospel shall save it.

Historical References

Thomas Cranmer, Archbishop of Canterbury: Cranmer recanted under pressure but later recanted his recantation and was burned at the stake under Queen Mary I, holding his right hand into the flame first.
Foxe's Book of Martyrs: Weaver references Foxe's Book of Martyrs as a source for understanding early Christian martyrdom.
Spanish Inquisition: Mentioned as a period when many Christians chose martyrdom over denying their faith.
Reign of Queen Mary I (Bloody Mary): Mary I persecuted Protestants and had Thomas Cranmer burned at the stake.
Henry VIII and Catherine of Aragon: Henry VIII's divorce from Catherine of Aragon contributed to Mary's hatred of Cranmer.

Important Quotes

Verily, verily, I say unto you, except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abideth alone. But if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit.

The central verse of the sermon, establishing the principle that death produces life.

Death is the principle of life.

The title and core thesis of the message.

We will no longer think of death as the cessation of life, but we will think of death as the new beginning of life.

Summarizes the transformative perspective on death that the sermon aims to instill.

Whenever you see the words 'truly, truly' or 'amen, amen' at the beginning of a discourse, it means, sit up, pay attention, because what follows is not only emphasized, it is extremely important.

Explains the weight of Jesus' preface and calls hearers to heed the teaching.

Jesus Christ was not murdered, although, in the strictest sense of the term, although those who crucified Him are rightfully accused of murdering him, but theologically speaking, he was not murdered, he was not even martyred. Why? Because he willingly gave his life.

Highlights the voluntary nature of Christ's sacrificial death.

Our Lord is telling us that we have to love Him preeminently. We have to love Him more than anything and more than anyone else.

Defines the comparative hatred required for discipleship.

It is better to die a martyr for Christ than to deny the faith.

The lesson drawn from Thomas Cranmer's story and the call to faithfulness.

You lose what is worthless. You lose what is already under death. You lose what is already forfeited that you might find life and joy and happiness and the Lord Jesus Christ, who is the only one who is worthy of our affection.

Encapsulates the gain of losing one's life for Christ.

Discussion Questions

[Question]

How does the agricultural analogy of the grain of wheat help you understand the necessity of Christ's death and the fruit it produced?

[Context]

Weaver explains that a seed must die to produce a harvest, and Christ's death brought forth the church.

[Question]

In what ways does the truth that 'death is the principle of life' change your view of physical death and daily dying to self?

[Context]

Weaver states that understanding this truth changes both practical Christian living and our view of death.

[Question]

What does it mean practically to 'hate' your own life and your family in comparison to your love for Christ?

[Context]

Weaver explains Luke 14:26 as a comparative statement requiring preeminent love for Christ.

[Question]

How can the example of Thomas Cranmer inspire believers facing pressure to compromise their faith today?

[Context]

Cranmer initially recanted but later chose martyrdom, holding his right hand into the flame.

[Question]

Why does Paul call his severe sufferings 'light affliction,' and how can we adopt that eternal perspective?

[Context]

Weaver cites 2 Corinthians 4:17-18, emphasizing that temporal sufferings are outweighed by eternal glory.

[Question]

What are some practical ways we 'make provision for the flesh' and how can we instead reckon ourselves dead to sin?

[Context]

Weaver contrasts loving one's life (fleshly living) with Romans 6:11's command to be dead to sin.

Applications

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