ALL BEGINS AT THE ENDTHE PARADOX IN THE PURSUIT OF LIFE

Bible Reading : John. 12:23-27

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 honour.

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.

Introduction

Precious Lord, take my hand,Lead me on, let me stand.I am tired, I am weak, I am worn.Through the storm, through the night,Lead me on to the light;Take my hand precious Lord, lead me home.

Thomas Andrew Dorsey

The Greatest DisappointmentNow 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.John 12:27-28

The Greatest Disappointment

They had seen his triumph. They supposed that he was about to establish his kingdom. He told them that the time had come in which he was to be glorified, but not in the manner in which they expected. It was to be by his death. But as they would not at once see how this could be, as it would appear to dash their hopes, he takes occasion to illustrate it by a beautiful comparison. All the beauty and richness of the harvest results from the fact that the grain had died.The time is just at hand in which the Gospel shall be preached to all nations, the middle wall of partition broken down, and Jews and Gentiles united in one fold. But this could not be till after his death and resurrection, as the succeeding verse teaches. The disciples were the first fruits of the Jews; these Greeks, the first fruits of the Gentiles.

The Greatest Disappointment

The Greatest Disappointment

The Greatest Contradiction For whosoever

will save his life shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall

find it. Mat. 16:25 He that loves his

life shall lose it; and he that hates

his life in this world shall keep it unto life eternal.

John 12:25

The Greatest Contradiction

He that is anxious to save his “temporal” life, or his comfort and security here, shall lose “eternal” life, or shall fail of heaven. He that is willing to risk or lose his comfort and “life” here for my sake, shall find “life” everlasting, or shall be saved. He who, for the sake of his temporal interest, abandons his spiritual concerns, shall lose his soul; and he who, in order to avoid martyrdom, abjures the pure faith of Christ, shall lose his soul, and perhaps his life too. Whatever a man sacrifices to God is never lost, for he finds it again in God.Whoever counts his life of so much value that he will preserve it by sacrificing his Christian integrity, or will renounce his faith to save his life, will find in the end that he has lost his soul forever for the sake of a few fleeting years; while he who gives up all things, even life itself, will find an abundant reward in the life eternal. All self-seeking is self-losing. The Divine law is always to give in order to receive.

Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leads to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat: Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leads unto life, and few there be that find it.

Mat 7:13,14

The Greatest Disappointment

la masacre en la comunidad de Ccano, en Huanta, Ayacucho, en febrero de 1991. Murieron 36 pobladores que participaban en un culto de la Iglesia Evangélica Pentecostal de la comunidad.

The Greatest Tragedy For what is a man profited, if he shall

gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?

or what shall a man give in exchange for

his soul? For the Son of man

shall come in the glory of his Father with his angels; and then he shall reward every

man according to his works.

Mat 16:26-27

The Greatest Tragedy

To gain the whole world means to possess it as our own - all its riches, its honors, and its pleasures. “To lose his own soul” means to be cast away, to be shut out from heaven, to be sent to hell. That they who are striving to gain the world, and are

unwilling to give it up for the sake of faith, will lose their souls; and,

That if the soul is lost, nothing can be given in exchange for it, or that it can never afterward be saved. There is no redemption in hell.

The world, the devil, and a man’s own heart are opposed to his salvation; therefore it is difficult. The soul was made for God, and can never be united to him, nor be happy, till saved from sin: therefore it is necessary. He who is saved from his sin, and united to God, possesses the utmost felicity that the human soul can enjoy, either in this or the coming world: therefore, this salvation is important.

VERILY, VERILY

αμην αμην - amen, amen

Firm, trustworthy, surely

An expression denoting the great importance of what he was about to say.

This is a certain truth in nature, a fact.

Hold close your life and you will find

frustration and death. The Dead Sea: always receive waters and never gives

Hold close your life and you will find

frustration and death.

For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. Rom 8:6

Vanity of vanities, saith the Preacher, vanity of vanities; all is vanity. Ecc 1:2

Except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abides alone. John

12:24a

A corn of wheat. A corn of wheat is almost the only seed, that being cast into the earth, does die; and therefore is very aptly used by Christ:

Fall into the ground. Be buried in the earth, so as to be accessible by the proper moisture. Jesus Christ not only was humbled for being made flesh, but went until the lowest condition, the most hateful and terrible death.

And die. The whole body or substance of the grain, except the germ, dies in the earth or is decomposed, and this decomposed substance constitutes the first nourishment of the tender germ a nutriment wonderfully adapted to it, and fitted to nourish it until it becomes vigorous enough to derive its support entirely from the ground.

It abides alone. Produces no fruit. It remains without producing the rich and beautiful harvest. So Jesus intimates that it was only by his death that he would be glorified in the salvation of men, and in the honors and rewards of heaven. Grains of wheat have been found in Egyptian tombs three or four thousand years old, but they are now dead. They bore no fruit.

Word by word

Release your life and you will find satisfaction.The Jordan river: Always receives water, always gives

Release your life and you will find satisfaction.but if it die, it brings forth much fruit.

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance: against such there is no law. And they that are Christ's have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts. Gal 5:22-26

I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. Rom 12:1

But if it die. The seed is corrupted, and putrefies; and which is done in three days time in moist land, but is longer in dry ground where it perishes. Though the body of our Lord died, there was still the germ, the quickening power of the Divinity, which re-animated that body, and stamped the atonement with infinite merit. Thus the merit was multiplied; and, through the death of that one person, the man Christ Jesus united to the eternal Word, salvation was procured for the whole world.

It brings forth much fruit. Christ must have been without them in heaven; wherefore he chose rather to die for them, that they might be for ever with him, than be alone in the human nature. And he further observes hereby, that his death would be productive of much fruit; which may be understood both of a large harvest of souls, that should be saved, among Jews, and Gentiles, and especially the latter; and of the blessings of grace, as redemption, justification, peace, pardon, and eternal life, that should follow upon it.

Word by word

The great soul prays, "Lord, make me as big as my problem." The little soul prays, "Lord, let me off easy.“The giant soul asks, "Lord, give me strength sufficient for a hard day," while the small soul begs, "Lord, let me have a lighter load.“The busy soul prays, "Lord, stand with me until I finish my task," while the weak soul says, "I got tired and quit.“

Lord, forgive us when we get consumed by the things of this world that fight for our love, and our passionAs our eyes are open wide and on youGrant us the privilege of your worldviewAnd may your kingdom be what wakes us upAnd lay us down.

CONCLUSION

Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God:But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name:

Phil. 2:5-9

DAILY EARLY PRAYER Lord, reign in me today. Live your life in me. I

surrender unto you all my legal rights. I reject to be loved, to be respected, to be

appreciated, to be accepted, to be prized, to be acknowledged, to be valued…

I give up my happiness, my comfort, my success in life, my wishes, my dreams, my goals, my expectations…

Take control of my thoughts, my feelings, my will, my behavior, my attitude, my habits, my actions…

I give it to you my strength, my time, my money, my talents…

I put at your feet my weaknesses, my failures, my frustrations, my worries, my fears, my struggle, limitations…

I give to you my pain, my sadness, my loneliness, my anguish, my insecurity, my desperation, my deficiency, my suffering…