Parable of the Seed that Dies

— John 12:24 — Andrew Fountain: Oct 27, 2013

How come the early church spread so quicky?
- Within a generation they were reaching out to the edges of the known world
If they had continued at the same rate, then in just a few generations every man, woman and child would have been saved!
So what was different about them compared with us?
Question
- We are supposed to be like Jesus, both in character and in gifting
- We are supposed to be his voice, his hands, his life lived out
- He was the light of the world, and his light shines through us
- If every single Christian on this planet right now, was 100% like Jesus, how long would it take to evangelize the world?
  - a few days?
- If we were even 1% like Jesus, it would make a massive difference.
Two ways they were much more like Jesus than us:
1. The level of empowerment of the Spirit
2. The self-sacrificial commitment to one another
So how do we have the life of Jesus flowing out of us?
1. We have to die!
2. We have to be born of God
3. The life of Jesus has to be in us and flowing through us

John 12:24

“Truly, truly, I say to you,
unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone;
but if it dies, it bears much fruit.”

Matthew 10:38–39

And whoever does not take up his cross and follow me is not worthy of me.
Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life because of me will find it.

Not technically a parable, but more of an extended metaphor
But it is an underlying theme that gets repeated many times throughout Jesus’ ministry
Matthew, Mark and Luke report Jesus repeating a similar saying:
Joe Crummey Video
What does it mean to die??
Primarily this death results in loving others sacrificially
- Just as Jesus died for those the Father loved, so must we
John wrote a whole letter to unpack Jesus’ teaching on death and life
- we die to the old, and then receive new life from Jesus

1 John 3:14,16

We know that we have crossed over from death to life because we love our fellow Christians…
We have come to know love by this: that Jesus laid down his life for us; thus we ought to lay down our lives for our fellow Christians.

So going back to the early church

Acts 2:43–47

Reverential awe came over everyone, and many wonders and miraculous signs came about by the apostles.
All who believed were together and held everything in common,
and they began selling their property and possessions and distributing the proceeds to everyone, as anyone had need.
Every day they continued to gather together by common consent in the temple courts, breaking bread from house to house, sharing their food with glad and humble hearts,
praising God and having the good will of all the people. And the Lord was adding to their number every day those who were being saved.

We love the supernatural gifts given at Pentecost
- But are we prepared to die to self like they did?
Note that this was an emergency situation
- Later Paul talks about those in the church of Thessalonica who didn’t work and expected other Christians to feed them
  - He says, “If anyone is not willing to work, neither should he eat.”
  - This was an emergency...
- We are not called here to never have private possessions and always have everything in common
- But in a sense our possessions are never private—they are always to be shared
See the close connection between v.43—signs and wonders, and v.44 love for one another
- We see exactly the same thing the next time it refers to supernatural power

Acts 4:33–35

With great power the apostles were giving testimony to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and great grace was on them all.
For there was no one needy among them, because those who were owners of land or houses were selling them and bringing the proceeds from the sales
and placing them at the apostles’ feet. The proceeds were distributed to each, as anyone had need.

“great grace was on them all” —not “they motivated themselves to be more loving”

Examples

“Amy Carmichael”

Image source: unknown

The story
A Chance to Die, or The Story of a Lover and her Beloved
Much of what this looks like comes under “Hospitality”
- Heb 13:2 Do not neglect hospitality, because through it some have entertained angels without knowing it.
- One example was Abraham (at least to start with)

Mat 25:34–36

Then the king will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.
For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in,
I was naked and you gave me clothing, I was sick and you took care of me, I was in prison and you visited me.’

Ok, so we don’t have quite the needs as during Pentecost, but we do have them:
It is so important that we continue to be this as a church
I cannot emphasize enough how Jesus wants this. He says:
“By this shall men know that you are my disciples”
Hospitality: How many people in the New Testament were saved in homes, not in church?
- Zacchaeus
- Many in Matthew’s home
- Many of the healing miracles (like man let down through roof)
- Cornelius and his household, the first Gentile
- The apostle Paul (I would argue)
- Philippian Jailor
- Roman ruler of Malta
A friend of mine from Mississauga, a Spirit-filled leader in the church.
- Asked him how he was saved.
- “I was a teenager, doing drugs on the street, and I heard about this guy who was taking my friends out for coffee, and he would pay! and he would talk with them for an hour! So I wanted to meet this guy. He invited me for Saturday breakfast at his house. I heard about Jesus.”
- When I started following Jesus, he let me live in his home for a while
We want the power of the early church without the commitment to love.
- But many verses make the connection:

1 John 3:23–24, 4:12–13

Now this is his commandment: that we believe in the name of his Son Jesus Christ and love one another, just as he gave us the commandment.
And the person who keeps his commandments resides in God, and God in him. Now by this we know that God resides in us: by the Spirit he has given us.
No one has seen God at any time. If we love one another, God resides in us, and his love is perfected in us.
By this we know that we reside in God and he in us: in that he has given us of his Spirit.

So have I made you all feel really guilty now?
- Can you guilt people into loving more?
- Not genuine love!!
So how does it happen?
Jesus’ words create life
- As we receive his words, the Spirit causes them to germinate like seeds and create life
- John 6:63 “The Spirit is the one who gives life; human nature is of no help! The words that I have spoken to you are spirit and are life.”
  - The words that I have spoken to you are spirit and are life.!!!!
That is why we are studying the parables
- Jesus spoke the words at creation: “let there be light” —his words are not just words, they have creative power
  - It’s Jesus words that create the new creation inside you.
- What are you going to do this afternoon with Jesus’s words?
  - If you receive them, they are life, they are Spirit and power, they transform
  - New creation life grows up in you
Jesus said that he is our food and drink

What can I do? I don’t have a home to invite people to?

Something very simple
- One of the biggest scourges in our city is lonliness
  - Find a couple of people here who you think might be lonely
- Die to your own shyness and call them
  - Ask Jesus for his life to flow out through you
Or just ask him
- Say “Jesus I am totally committed to following you and dying to myself
  I am not sure what this will look like, but I am committed to your life not mine.”

Galatian 5:22–24

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,
gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.
And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.

It’s the flesh or the Spirit
- To be filled with the Spirit, the flesh needs to die (v.24)
- And the Spirit in you looks like 22-23
  - Which is the same as saying Jesus in us
If all of us are just 1% filled with Jesus, we can turn this city upside down!

Updated on 2013-12-05 by Andrew Fountain