Oh the Praise of Men

So, as you can see, the title of today's sermon is, Oh, the Praise of Men! I would like for you to turn with me, if you will, to John 12. One of the most interesting chapters in the entire Bible. What makes it interesting is, basically, every year, before Passover, during Passover, and all that time, we go through John 13, 14, 15, 16, and the High Priesthood of Prayer, and 17. We go through that. And a lot of people just skip right over 12, over the year. But it's actually Jesus Christ's last proclamation, before he is then put to death.

I told you. So, it makes an interesting chapter. I'm going to pull something out, and then we'll look at a couple of things in it today, because it really relates to us. So, if you will, turn to John. I'll be reading from the New King James Version. John 12, 43. 43. For they love the praise of men more than the praise of God. For they love more the praise of men than the praise of God. Do we? Do we love the praise of men? Hmm. Sometimes we do, don't we? Most people do. And why? Why? Well, it's about conforming. When we conform to this world, we kind of follow and are like everyone else.

And everyone likes to be liked by everyone else. Right? Most people do. Here. So, we capitulate. We sometimes like to what? Fit in. Because it's very hard sometimes to go against the grain. As they say, swim upstream. But many of you in this room here have had to do that.

And we'll continue to have to do that because of what you believe. Because of who you are. Not always easy. Not the easy road. Not the easy path, is it? Christmas. Everybody does Christmas, right? Except for weirdos. Strange people. And most of you in this room. New Year's. It's time to get drunk. Party. Right? Stay up till midnight. Have we even been up till midnight? For a long time. That shows how old my wife and I are. But that night, you're supposed to. And what? Valentine's Day is coming up. We all have these hearts. We're going to have some messages on that.

So we go, well, what's wrong? What's wrong with showing a little love? Right? But we don't do that. And we don't mind saying, no, I don't do that. I remember going into a bank, Murfreesboro, Tennessee, where I went in every other day to make deposits. I had my company, and the girls all knew me and said something.

It was Valentine's Day. They had all these little hearts put up all over the lobby and so forth. And they said, oh, jock! Because they knew Mary, because she would go in there and make some deposit. What did you get Mary for Valentine's Day? I said, nothing. Oh, what are you going to get her? Nothing. And before I could go into anything, they were already taking my notes down and putting it in.

Must have thought we were going to get a divorce or something. Maybe that's what it was. But that's not like everybody else in this world. Right? Just like today, the Sabbath day is what? It's a day for ballgames! It's a day to go frog-gigging so you can eat frog legs. It's a day to do anything except what?

Go to church. And when you do it, you are different. Pull out of your driveway dressed up every day, every Sabbath, every Saturday at a certain time. You are different! And you don't do it on Sunday. And a lot of people feel weird, strange, because most everyone does it on Sunday. We do not fit in. We do not join in this world. We're not as Romans 12-12. We don't conform to this world because our minds have been transformed by the Holy Spirit.

And we understand what this book says, and this book is just not a book but the book. There's a reason they have country clubs. I don't know. Maybe somebody here belongs to a country club. There's nothing against that. But people like country clubs, because country clubs, you're special. You fit in, right? Even in college, they have sororities and fraternities, so that you can join up. And you can be a special part of fitting in and joining in, and you're special when you do that.

And isn't that way with a lot of political parties? You're not a Democrat? Oh! You're not a Republican? What? But he wants to, you know, you need to join. You need to fit in, don't you? And when you don't, what does it take? It takes a little inner strength, doesn't it? It takes moxie, nerve, some people call it spunk, confidence. But I think the Bible reference is better as courage. Courage. It takes courage to stand. It takes courage to go against the grain. It takes courage to swim upstream. It takes courage to keep the Sabbath day. And I'm not telling you anything you don't know. Hopefully I'm enforcing what you do know. With only a few days left in his human life, Christ gave this incredible message that we're looking at here in John 12. Let's look at John 12 and jump down. We were at 43. Let's go to 44. Then Jesus did what? What's your Bible say? He cried out! He didn't go, oh now listen everybody. He cried out. This was very important. He cried out. He who believes in me believes not in me but in him who sent me. For he who sent me sees him who sent me. I have come as a light into the world that whoever believes in me should not abide in darkness. We don't abide in darkness. We believe in him. We believe God. We don't just believe in him. We believe him. We believe what he says and we do it. But the world's not that way. And those that don't go along with the herd are strange. Strange.

Interesting as he goes on in verse 49. For I have not spoken on my own authority. How about us? When we make a judgment? When we say something? Is it on our authority? Do we make it up as we go?

Or do we recognize where the source of all knowledge that we need to have comes from? For I have not spoken on my own authority. But the Father who sent me gave me a command that I should what I am what what I should say and what I should speak. And I know that his command is everlasting life. We thought that was strange. But his command is everlasting life? New Living Translation. Anybody have one? You have it? Okay, Molly. Read me that. What does it say about everlasting life? I know his command leads to eternal life. Ah, that his commands lead to eternal life. That's what we follow, right? That's what it's all about. Follow this and you will have eternal life. That's why Christ came. That's why we're doing what we're doing. Living the way we're living. Because he said this is about eternal life, not 70, 80 years.

Which in reality to God is a spit in the ocean. You ever spit in the ocean?

Don't amount to much, does it?

This is our guidebook. This is our instruction manual. This is what it's about. It's about God and the glorification of Him. That's what Christ came. He said, I came that God may be glorified. And He was, right? That's why when we live like Christ, we glorify Him. Not us, it's the Father. Because we normally wouldn't act like this, live like this, talk like this, except what?

We've been instructed. We've been given a guide.

So that we can live like He wants us to live. But that is not always easy.

And at many times, you are put on the spot. I bet there's not a person in here who hasn't been put on the spot in the last year because of what you believe. And sometimes you have to make a stand, and it's not always easy.

But that's why you've been called. Because you can make that stand.

Because you have the courage. There was a guy by the name of Eddie. Eddie was known for his courage.

Eddie was once asked, you must be fearless. To which Eddie said, no, absolutely not.

And I quote Eddie here when he was asked about that. He said, courage is doing what you're afraid to do.

There can be no courage unless you're scared.

Unless there's angst. Unless there's something there that you have to make a stand for.

It may be a job. It may be family. It may be a lot of things. Eddie could speak from experience. Eddie was a unique individual.

Matter of fact, you find it's hard to believe that one man could have accomplished all that Eddie accomplished in his lifetime. See, he was an auto racer because he was a mechanic first. And so he decided that he could drive these race cars.

He was fearless. No, he had courage.

And he set the world speed record at Daytona in the year 1914. A few years later, he was a pilot who recorded the highest number of victories in aerial combat against the Germans in World War I.

As he had enlisted to fight, he knew something about engines. So he actually wanted to be a pilot. But they said, you don't have any education. You don't know much at all. Let you work on the planes. And before long, he started taking them up. And there was nobody, no one, who was as good as he was. And that's why he was one of the most decorated soldiers in World War I. Quite a feat! Until later in the Second World War, Secretary of Defense actually asked him to be an advisor. During World War II, he made many flights.

Until one crashed in the Pacific. And he actually was stranded on a raft in the Pacific Ocean for 22 days. On the third day, he ran out of food and water with a couple other men.

Actually, on the third day, fourth day, this bird happened to land right on top of his head.

And he grabbed it, killed it, they ate it.

And then they learned to use it to get the food. And then they learned to use some of the stuff to fish. 22 days drifting around on a raft. So thirsty, their tongues couldn't even move in their mouth, it felt like. Thankfully, it rained a couple of times. But one of the men reached down to grab some water to drink out of the Pacific. Eddie told him not to, he did anyway. He was buried at sea two days. 22 days, can you imagine that? Eddie became vice president and eventual president of Eastern Airlines as he created new ways to fly, new ways to do things. But Eddie's courage, he said, didn't begin when he first took out an airplane, when he first drove a fast car, began at age 12, when his father died and he had to quit school to be the breadwinner for his family. He sold newspapers, eggs, goats' milk, worked whatever jobs, worked factory, wherever he could find work. Got up every morning with courage. He was in walking around one day and happened to get a car. In the early 1900s, cars were not just now coming in. He decided, you know, I want to know everything about it. So he would study. He would go and study, he'd have another job, and he would study and study until he actually knew how the engines worked, and that's when he became applied for a mechanic. And the rest, you could say, is history. But it took courage, and that's what he talked about, not only in his autobiography, but the biographies that were written about him. But as Martin Luther King said, the ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy. Is that us? So, brethren, the next time you cross the Rickenbacker Bridge, Causeway, that connects Miami to Key Biscayne and Virginia Key, should have looked at that huge Causeway Bridge. Look how strong it's built, and it reminds you of courage, because it was Eddie Rickenbacker who that bridge was named after. Because they wanted a symbol of strong, enduring. Couldn't have picked a better man to do it. Courage. Let's go back to John 12. John 12, verse 20. John 12, verse 20. He said, now there were certain Greeks among those who came to worship at the feast. Then they came to Philip. Huh. Why Philip? Possibly because he had a Greek name. No. But they came to Philip, who was from Bethsaida in Galilee, and asked him, saying, sir, we wish to see Jesus. Oh, here we go. They were wealthy Greeks. They were men of renown. They wanted a private audience. Well, these men could really help them to work, couldn't they? Probably wealthy, had connections. Well, it's, wow, Philip's like, oh, look here. I mean, all these people are here, and here's some important guys. Right? So we wish to see Jesus. Philip came and told Andrew, and turned Andrew and Philip told Jesus. But Jesus answered them and said, the hour has come that the Son of Man should be glorified. Hmm. The time for Christ to be glorified, because he had spent the last 33 years of his life glorifying his Father.

The Father said, it's time for you to be glorified. It's time that my children eventually will be glorified, if they follow in your footsteps. So he basically blew them off. These people? Because it wasn't about him anymore, it was about finishing the work that God had given him to do. Have you finished the work that God has given you to do? I don't think so. I haven't finished mine. Now, down to verse 25. He who loves his life will lose it, and he who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life. Hmm. Now what we talked about earlier, in verse 50, it's about eternal life. This is what he's wanting. He's wanting to tell. It's about eternal life, not some 60, 70, 80 years living forever.

Verse 26, if anyone serves me, let him follow me, and where I am there, my servant will also be. If anyone serves me, him, my father will do what? What's your Bible say? Honor, honor. Doxae is the actual Greek word when you use it, and it can mean to glorify, to praise, to honor, to have dignity. So it's about raising you up here and taking you up here to a time, place of honor.

Verse 27, now my soul is troubled, and what shall I say? Father, save me from this hour? But for this purpose, I came to this hour. For this purpose, I was born, you might say. This is what he's supposed to do, and this is the last moment. Public moments besides being mocked and beaten and thrown up on a piece of wood naked. This is it. Excuse me.

Father, glorify your name. It's still about the father. It's still. This thing. Then a voice came from heaven saying, what's it saying? I have both glorified it and will glorify it again. God told him, I've glorified it, and you've glorified it. You've done what I have asked you to do. What an example to us. What an example. Therefore, the people who stood by and heard it said that it had thundered. Others said an angel has spoken to him.

Jesus answered and said, this voice, this voice did not come because of me, but for your sake. Now is the judgment of this world. Now the ruler of this world will be cast out. Excuse me. Will be cast out.

This is what he'd been waiting for. Here, had just shown a human.

Just showed a human can do something that was in the works for thousands, if not millions of years. Now Satan had been cast out. Isn't that an interesting statement?

How many times had Satan mocked human beings? How many times, besides the time of Jonah, did it come up? How many times had he made fun of in the window? How many times had Satan laughed at this puny human being that God had decided to raise from dirt? You dirtbags. You mud pies. Can you imagine how many words Satan had had to say? Right? About these puny humans that God had said, Guess what? I'm going to take dirt. I'm going to make it divine. And one day, you're going to work for that piece of dirt. Now, now, Christ proved it could be done. That a human could overcome this world. But it took courage. It took courage.

Wow. Glorify. God speaks. It is done. It is done.

Go down to verse 36. And he says, While you have light, believe in the light that you may what? Become sons of light. He says, Follow this light, and you will be the light of the world. It's a big light. I don't know how many of you looked out. If you were on a cruise this past, you probably had a nice, beautiful view of that moon. Yeah, if anybody see that full moon, what was it called? A super blood, super duper moon, or whatever it was? Yes. Okay. And it was beautiful, wasn't it? And it was easy to see, and everybody walked outside. If it wasn't cloudy, he could see it, even if it was clouds. We had some clouds over our way during that time, and it covered up, but you couldn't cover it up.

What about you? You shine even when you're a little covered up. Are you the sons of this light? That's what we're called to be. Do you have the courage to be that light and don't mind standing out in a crowd?

For this purpose, you were born?

I think about it. I think about it. These things Jesus spoke and departed and was hidden from them. He needed his time. Verse 37, but although he had done so many signs before them, they did not believe in him. Wow! This is the end for him.

And it was physical life. Three and a half years of healing, miracles, walking on water, casting out demons, everything imaginable. Everybody goes, John says, there's not enough books to write down everything that he did.

Let's go down to verse 42. Verse 42, Nevertheless, even among the rulers, many believed in him. But because of the Pharisees, they did not confess him, lest they should be put out of the synagogue.

He spoke the word, he knew the word, he said the word, and yet people couldn't do it. They did not have the courage to stand. They were afraid, well, wait a minute, somebody might not like me. Some minister may go, oh, wait a minute, what are you doing here? You don't agree with me, you need to leave.

They weren't speaking God's word. They made up their own rules. They made up their own things. That's why I've told you many times, if I say something here, and I can't back it up in the Bible, it's your job. It's your job to come to me. Because we're in this thing together.

We're going to live by this word, every word. Wow, when you think about this, you think about all Christ was doing. These are supposed to be the teachers of the law. They're supposed to be the teachers of this book. And he was speaking, he wrote it. He was the author of it, and they disagreed. And so here the truth was laid out. And they didn't want to follow the word. I've had people that I've talked to on the phone went out and met with them. They read it. Wow, this is really great. Saturday.

Wait a minute, I've read a book. I watched some of your shows on beyond. I watched Saturday. Saturday? Are you sure?

Had one woman go, well, okay, but can I do it on Saturday night?

Saturday? Well, no, I can't do that. And this is what happened here. Would you be willing to stand? Even if it may kick you out of the synagogue?

I hope so.

I hope you will. Yeah, it's interesting. I had an old boss. When I started working at this company, I was 18, 19 years old, and he didn't have any real religion. He didn't go to church. He didn't go to church. But as he became a more successful businessman over the years, the next four or five years, the business grew by 30, 40 percent each year for the first five or six years I was there. And we always got the Sabbath off because he understood that, because my father was there before me. And so he never really liked talking about religion. Well, then he actually brought up because he then started playing golf and joined the country club.

And he was considered an important businessman. So then he decided he had to go to church because some of those people were going around and went to church, and it would be good.

And he even talked to me about it just one day. He said, well, Chuck, I know I've never gone to church, but I'm going to start going to church. I said, really? Okay, why are you going to go to church? Well, I think I should.

Be good for me. I said, yeah, probably would. I said, where are you going? He said, I haven't decided yet. So then a couple weeks later, he came in and said, I've decided. And I won't mention the church because somebody may hear this and go back and say, aye. But it was a big church.

Before there were mega churches, there were seven, eight hundred thousand people attending this church. And that's where he went. He went the first week. He liked it.

And then I asked him later, I said, well, are you going there all the time? Yes, yes. I'm going to join the church. I said, why is that? He goes, you know, when I walked in there, every big businessman in town was there. All the movers, all the shakers went to that church. President of his bank, mayor, state representative, they were all there. Would have taken a lot more courage to go somewhere else. But it's easier to join in, to fit in. Just like the mega churches today. I mean, you got what? Five, ten, fifteen, twenty thousand people going to church. Why? Because it's easy. They make it easy. They even have coffee. Was it Starbucks coffee in the lobbies? Yes. Places to eat. They have all this... I used to have this little booklet they would give on the success of mega churches. And why? It even goes out to the parking places so you would have extra wide parking places for people to come in. Because they wanted to make everything so easy for you to fit in, to join. As I said one time to someone, I guess your gates pretty broad, isn't it?

Brethren, we do what we do. Because God called us to do it. And knew he knows we can do it. He won't fail us. It's just us. We have to worry about failing him.

For they love the praise of men more than the praise of God.

Takes an incredible mindset to walk this way of life. To follow God no matter what. Young people, whoo, harder than it was in my time.

Because everybody's tied. You remember how it was when you were in school? High school was worse in college, right? High school, you know, you had to have certain clothes. You know, otherwise you didn't look, you know, you didn't look like everybody. You know, in our school, it was you had to wear Levi jeans. If you wore lees, you were gay. If you were a man, it had to be Levi's and they had to have that red tag right here. Or you could have a yellow tag, but you know, and the shirt, everything, you know, because otherwise it's like, I don't know what's wrong with that guy. You know, that was my school. I bet all of you could tell different stories of, wow, how you had to fit in, right? That's tough. But you see, you begin to develop courage at a young age when you're able to stand and deliver against the odds, against the grain. Even if it's uncomfortable, you do these things.

James called it unspotted from the world in his book. So, courage, as I wrap this sermon up today, I hope you realize why you're here.

As one coach used to tell us, I wish there was a shot I could give you that said courage, and you could take it in the arm, but it's something that has to be developed. It's something that's inside you.

Courage to stand. Courage in the face of adversity.

There was a 19th century circuit writing preacher named Peter Cartwright, and back then the churches were all scattered, and he came through to a city in Tennessee, way back, and he was going to preach that day, and then the next week he'd write on and go to another.

Well, as he came up, he was warned that President Andrew Jackson, old Hickory as he was called, would be in the pews that day.

And if you remember anything about the history of Andrew Jackson, he was, he would speak his mind, and if he didn't like his mind, he'd pull out his revolver. He had many duels, shot many men, was known for his temper. I guess, by the way, he used his gun or he used his mouth like Donald Trump used his Twitter.

He didn't mind saying something.

And everybody was a little bit intimidated by him because he was a small guy.

Terry, he was about your size, but fearless because he was, made his name, being a soldier. He led the battle and he would be right up the front, known for his courage, known to speak his mind, even to a point of putting people at odds with him. And so, this Peter Cartwright, the preacher, was asked to keep his comments unoffensive, non-offensive. Don't do anything that might upset him.

At which Mr. Cartwright got up and said, I have been told that Andrew Jackson is in this congregation, and I have been asked to guard my remarks.

He said, but what I must say is that Andrew Jackson will go to him if he does not repent of his sins.

After the message, President Jackson made his way up to him. He said, sir, I want to tell you, if I had men like you, I could whip the world.

Courage. Courage to say what he felt was right.

We don't always know what to say. And sometimes it takes courage to keep our mouths shut. With me, it does. Sometimes I have to know. I'll look at my wife and she'll have her head down like I wish you hadn't gone there.

It takes wisdom. And as much as you may pray for courage, and I hope you will, I hope you will pray for wisdom of when to use it. Because that's what God wants us to do.

Read the examples. We have three and a half years of examples of how to walk on this earth, being like Christ.

Having courage by using wisdom. So why this message of courage? For God desires to glorify you into eternity.

For God desires to glorify you into eternity if you have the courage to glorify him on this earth in this world.

Today. Now, it's interesting that in the Greek, the word for world is cosmos. Cosmos.

And one of the best definitions I found in all those that I read was cosmos.

The Greek, a world apart from God.

A world apart from God.

How about it?

1 John 2 and verse 17. It says the world, the cosmos, is passing away on the lust of it. But he who does the will of God lives forever. The same eternal life. It's about glorification.

As Jesus Christ is praying the high priestly prayer in John 17, verse 14, he says, I have given them your word.

Right, brethren? This is, he's given this to us. I have given them your word.

And the world has hated them because they are not of this cosmos.

It's a world apart from God.

See, this is a world of God, with God, by God, for God.

They are not of this world, just as I am not of this world, this cosmos.

Brethren, the praise of men are the praise of God.

It's your choice.

Choose and be courageous.