Let us try to grasp this principle in its simplicity and strength. In nature "a corn of wheat" is what it is itself alone. The burial in the ground and death make a wondrous change in the wheat; it is no longer itself alone; it gathers more, it multiplies itself, it comes out, associated with and increased into many things like itself. "It bringeth forth much fruit." Just so with the kingdom of grace. Death is essential to all augmentation; whatever does not undergo death, is solitary; whatever would bring forth fruit, must die.
I. Consider this principle, first, as respects Christ Himself. Christ might, had He so pleased, have abode with the Father, in the glory which He had with Him before the world was. He would have been happy in the adoration of angels and in His own perfections. But as respects that which now makes the very character and being of the Lord Jesus Christ, He would have been alone. Such happiness was not the happiness of the heart of Jesus. He could not, in His very nature, acquiesce in solitary life. Therefore, that He might not be alone, that beautiful plant of the Lord's planting fell into the ground and died. And this was the joy that sustained Him all along, that He would not be alone afterwards. The conversion and the life of the whole world springs out of the fall of that one precious seed into the earth.
II. But the principle which is true of the life of Christ, outwardly, is equally true of the inner life of Christ in a man's soul; all living comes out of dying. We bring with us into the world a certain natural character it is not the character which it ought to be it is not the character that is to be; but in that natural character there is a germ there is a capability. Now, the great process of grace, when it comes into the soul, is, that natural character, which we commonly call self, shall die, in order that the germ and capability of good may unfold itself and expand. When it does unfold, the old man dies under the unfolding of the principle of grace, the old nature decays away. And now the new thing which comes out is the spiritual man. It is like Christ it is pure and good and useful; to the praise of God, it brings forth much fruit.
J. Vaughan, Fifty Sermons,11th series, p. 251.
References: John 12:24. Contemporary Pulpit,vol. iii., p. 257; vol. x., p. 304; D. Fraser, Metaphors of the Gospels,p. 328; G. Moberly, Plain Sermons at Brightstone,p. 76; S. C. Gordon, Christian World Pulpit,vol. ii., p. 72; Ibid.,vol. x., p. 347; D. Young, Ibid.,vol. xxix., p. 253; F. J. Austin, Ibid.,vol. xxx., p. 268; J. R. Macduff, Communion Memories,p. 1. Joh 12:24, John 12:25. C. Kingsley, All Saints' Day,p. 101; S. Cox, Expositions,2nd series, p. 258. John 12:24-26. G. Calthrop, Words Spoken to My Friends,p. 1 3 John 1:12 :25. E. W. Shalders, Christian World Pulpit,vol. viii., p. 181.