4/1/26 These Are Written: The Hour Is Come, pt.4

In this powerful sermon from Faith Church, the pastor explores John chapter 12, focusing on the pivotal moment when 'the hour has come' for Jesus' crucifixion. The message begins with a reflection on Palm Sunday's triumphal entry, contrasting the crowd's enthusiastic but often self-focused praise with the Pharisees' growing anxiety that 'the world has gone after him.' The sermon then shifts to the narrative irony in John’s Gospel: the very people who oppose Jesus—like the Pharisees—are proven right when Greeks (Gentiles) come to Philip asking to see Jesus. This moment becomes the divine signal that Jesus' hour of glorification through death is at hand. The pastor emphasizes that Jesus' death is not defeat but the seed that produces 'much fruit'—a global movement of people from every tribe and nation drawn to Him. Through vivid illustrations of farming, mountain gardening, and historical missions, he underscores that the cross is the canvas where God displays the true worth of His Son. The sermon culminates in the Roman centurion’s confession at the cross: 'Truly this man was the Son of God,' affirming that Jesus’ sacrifice draws all people to Himself. The message calls believers to reflect daily on the transformative power of the cross and to live as part of the vanguard of a world-changing movement.