CHRIST SAID IF I BE LIFTED UP FROM THE EARTH

PROCLAMATION

“And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself.”  John 12:32 (NIV)  The King James version reads: “And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto me.”  John 12:32 (KJV)

 

EXPLANATION

These words are from the gospel, the good news regarding Jesus, The Christ, according to the Apostle John and written under the influence of The Holy Spirit of God.  In this chapter John begins the recording of the events surrounding the last seven days in the earthly life and ministry of Jesus.  After He had raised Lazarus from the dead, the chief priests and the Pharisees came together plotted to kill Jesus and Lazarus. (John 12:9-11)  The next day He entered Jerusalem riding on a young donkey with the people shouting “Hosanna” as they placed palm tree branches on the road in front of Him. (John 12:12-18)  Many people wanted to meet Jesus and they approached His disciples with their requests.  When they told Jesus this, He replied to His disciples and predicted His own death. (John 12:20-26)  Then Jesus told the crowd how He was going to die and the results which would follow His death. (John 12:30-33) 

 

APPLICATION

Jesus, The Christ, said: “And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto me.”   (John 12:32)  Initially, the Roman soldiers lifted Him up.  The soldiers nailed Jesus to a cross while it was lying on the ground and then they lifted Him up physically so that the cross stood upright.  Today, we can praise His name publicly and lift Him up figuratively.  If we lift Him up, He will draw the people unto Himself.  His death on the cross and His subsequent resurrection has been spread throughout the world through the preaching of the gospel and large numbers of people have come to believe in Him.  Those who believe will be saved, and those who reject Him will be lost. (John 12:44-48)  As believers, we just have to do our part.  So, lift Him up, lift The Savior up.

 

 

LIFT UP JESUS THE CHRIST AND HE WILL DRAW THE PEOPLE TO HIMSELF

Proclamation:

“And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself.”  John 12:32 (NIV)  “And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto me.”  John 12:32 (KJV)

Explanation:

These words were spoken by Jesus, The Christ, and recorded by the Apostle John under the influence of The Holy Spirit of God.  In this chapter, John begins the recording of the last seven days in the earthly life of Jesus.  After He had raised Lazarus from the dead, the chief priests and the Pharisees came together plotted to kill Jesus and Lazarus. (John 12:9-11)  After He entered Jerusalem riding on a young donkey with the people shouting “Hosanna,” Jesus predicted His own death. (John 12:12-19 and 23-26)  Then He told the crowd how He was going to die. (John 12:32-33) 

Application:

The Roman solders nailed Jesus to a cross and then lifted Him up physically.  Today, we can praise His name publicly and lift Him up figuratively, and He will draw the people unto Himself.  His death on the cross and His subsequent resurrection has been spread throughout the world through the preaching of the gospel and large numbers of people have come to believe in Him.  Those who believe will be saved, and those who reject Him will be lost. (John 12:44-48)  

FOR HIS NAME ALONE IS TO BE EXALTED

Proclamation:

“Praise The Lord from the earth, you … young men and women, old men and children.  Let them praise the name of The Lord, for His name alone is exalted; His splendor is above the earth and the heavens.”  Psalm 148:7-13 (NIV)

Explanation:

The words of this psalm are also thought to have been written by King David.  Regardless of who the human author is, it is clear that it was written under the influence of The Holy Spirit of God.  This psalm is another one of the “Hallelujah” psalms.  It encourages all things heavenly (Psalm 148:1-6) and earthly (Psalm 148:7-12) to praise The Lord.  This will be the ultimate hallelujah chorus when all of His creations sing praises unto Him. 

Application:

One day, everything that The Lord God created will praise His name for He is worthy of all praise.  His name is to be exalted high above every name. (Philippians 2:9)  Every knee will bow and every tongue will confess that He is Lord. (Romans 14:11)  His glory is great. (Psalm 21:5)  His glory is above the heavens. (Psalm 113:4 and 148:13)  He is worthy to be praised. (Psalm 18:3 and Revelation 5:12)  Praise The Lord.

WE SHOULD PRAISE THE LORD GOD EVERY DAY

Proclamation:

“I will exalt You, my God The King; I will praise Your name for ever and ever.  Every day I will praise You and extol Your name for ever and ever.”  Psalm 145:1-2 (NIV)

Explanation:

The words of this psalm were written by King David under the influence of The Holy Spirit of God.  This psalm is a psalm of praise, one of the “Hallelujah” psalms.  It is also acrostic, meaning that each verse begins with one of the letters of the Hebrew alphabet, only the letter “nun” is missing.  The reason for that omission is still being debated by Bible scholars.  David begins by saying that he will lift up and praise the name of The Lord God every day. (Psalm 145:1-2)  Then he states that each generation of believers will tell the next generation of His great works, His mighty acts, and His goodness. (Psalm 145:3-7)  After that he proceeds to glorify God’s kingdom and recounts some of the reasons that The Lord God is worthy of all this praise. (Psalm 145:8-20)

Application:

As believers we are to praise The Lord God for who he is and not just for what He has done or can do for us.  We should also praise Him every day of the week and not just on Sunday when we go to church to worship.  We should not forget to praise the redemptive work of Jesus, The Christ, on Calvary, which He did for our salvation.  Nothing that we do is more important than our prayer, praise, and worship.  Maybe we should read one of the Hallelujah psalms each day. (Psalms 112 to 118 and 145 to 150)  Maybe this would help us in our praise without petitions.  We should not approach The Lord God only when we want something from Him.  Some of the time we ought to just praise Him and say thank you.

Lift Him Up

"But I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all men to Myself."  John 12:32 (NIV)   The King James Version reads: "And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto me."

The Apostle John recorded this statement of Jesus as He spoke to His disciples regarding His impending death and the manner in which He would die.  He knew that He would die upon a cross, as opposed to being stoned as the religious leaders wanted to do.

This statement has meaning both literally and figuratively.  After He was nailed to the cross, they literally lifted Him up upon it, as they raised the cross from flat on the ground to an upright position, and planted the base of the cross into the earth.  Today we lift Him up figuratively by praising His name among men, and during our public and private worship sessions.  If, and when Christ is lifted up, He will draw men unto Himself.  Our job is to lift Him up.  After His death on the cross, as the gospel was preached and He was praised, thousands believed and became a part of The Church.  That is still occurring today.  As we lift up and praise His holy name, He is still drawing men and women to His Church.  Lift Him up!