John — Chapter 12

Why do some people never seem to find fulfillment when they come to Jesus? Why do they never find rest, peace, and satisfaction in Him? In this sermon on John 12:21 titled “The Right Approach,” Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones demonstrates from the account of the Greeks and their discourse with Jesus that many seek Him with the wrong approach. Jesus regularly and willingly granted access to Himself to all types of people. But in the account of the Greeks, Jesus denies their request. This denial falls outside of the boundaries of Jesus’s normal response because the approach and the request of the Greeks illustrates many worldly people who seek Jesus only when everything in their world falls apart. They do not want forgiveness of sin; they want a more serene life in sin. They come for wrong reasons and with wrong motives and when Jesus does not pluck them from the floodwaters of their broken life, they find nothing in Him and leave. In this account from John’s Gospel, Dr. Lloyd-Jones demonstrates how the Greeks come with the wrong approach and challenges the listener to take the right approach in coming to Christ. The right approach takes the road of humility and repentance, believing in the saving work of His death, burial, and resurrection.

There are many who want to observe Jesus, but few who will believe in Him. In this sermon on John 12:23 titled “Father, Glorify Your Name,” Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones explains the difference and shows how the glory of salvation is revealed in the cross of Jesus Christ. The Greeks, just like so many today, only approached Jesus in wanting to observe Him. They came with wrong motives and wrong reasons, and like contemporary culture, but they do not desire to understand His teaching or follow His example. Like a curious child, they look upon His death with inquisitive eyes and investigative hearts. But Jesus can only be known, loved, and experienced by direct interaction with His death. Dr. Lloyd-Jones explains that at the heart of Christianity is the sacrifice of Christ in the sinner’s place. The central mission, purpose, and message of Jesus is found in His dying since there is no hope of salvation unless the seed falls into the ground and the Son of Man is lifted up before all. It is His death on the cross that demonstrates the glory of salvation. One must see the absolute necessity of the cross and His death. Dr. Lloyd-Jones reveals that the death of Christ on the cross reveals the glory of the Father and is the basis for Jesus’s prayer: “Father, glorify your name.”