Who is Jesus - The Gospel of John - Pt1 - Intro to the Gospel of John

GREET EVERYONE-

Good Morning Loved Ones

If I have not had a chance to meet you; My name is Scott and I am a follower of Jesus and have the privilege of serving Him as the Lead Pastor among the people of Stonewater Fellowship.

The Reason Stonewater Fellowship is here -

The Reason God planted Stonewater as His local Church was simple -

Is to engage people into a multiplying relationship with Jesus!

In other words - TO make disciples of Jesus.

KAIROS- MEAL TICKETS - PRAYER CHAINS

LETS GRAB OUR BIBLES IF YOU HAVE ONE AND

Open it to The Gospel of John Chapter 20 verse 24 This morning as we begin a new preaching series where we will expose How God answers the question: “Who is Jesus?”

The Bible overall will answer that question for sure and for us we will look at what God says through the best friend of Jesus while he was here on earth - The Apostle John

PRAYER OVER SERIES

In this series we are Exposing What God says about “Who Jesus is”

and my prayer for all of us is that we would come to know in the most intimate way the person of Jesus.

And for some of us that may be for the very first time - This may be an introduction to Jesus.

My prayer is that EVEN if this is our first time introduction or if we have known him for years.

That we would know Him

That we would understand Him more

That we would begin to see him move and work and change things through the Holy Spirit every day.

That Any question - that any of us may have about Who is Jesus - Would be answered as we begin to walk through the Gospel of John together.

PRAYER OVER THIS MORNINGS MESSAGE

is that as we are introduced to the Gospel of John that was written by the Holy Spirit - through the hands of the very best friend of Jesus - The Apostle John.

We would come away with two things this morning -

1 - and Understanding of the Heart of the Apostle John and we will understand why God the Father used him via the Holy Spirit to write parts of the Bible.

2- We would come to fullness of understanding this morning of what Trust really is.

This is extremely important -

This is so important in fact that there is an eternity of difference between Believing things about Jesus and Trusting the person of Jesus.

In our text this morning we will hear the word Believe a lot -

We need to understand what that really looks like and what it meant to the guys who were seeing Jesus face to face so the truth of the Scripture can change all of us.

ENGAGEMENT –

Trust -

Man what an interesting thing that has become in our culture.

Seems like we have risen so much in our skepticism as a culture that really the thing we seem to trust the most is our own skepticism.

Seemingly we trust Questioning Everything and trusting nothing.

Lack of trust seems to be at an all time High and growing!

We have issues trusting Government

There are some in our culture that have trouble trusting the Police and Law Enforcement.

Some have issues trusting our medical community and the providers.

Some have issues trusting the Pharmaceutical companies

It would not surprise me at all if we surveyed the room and found that most if not all of us have a trust issues with the main stream media and news outlets.

after all there is this narrative called “Fake news” floating about out there.

Difficulty trusting neighbors - thats why we lock our doors.

Difficulty trusting community - That is why we lock our cars.

Family dynamics sometimes suffer this as well - Parents not trusting each other.

Kids not trusting parents - Parents not trusting Kids.

Now Parents I think we actually need to Trust our kids much more than we do.

Here is how!

My Kids you to say when they were in their mid teens.

“Dad why don’t you trust me?”

And My response would be:

I Trust you completely and I trust you totally. I trust that you will make decisions just like a 14 year old. And Trust me that is not good for you!

I digress -

in all of our dis-trust that has invaded our culture what has happened to us is we have developed a Skepticism -

A foundational approach to relationships of all kinds that says - “Prove your self to me”

A Skepticism that says “I will believe it - I will trust it when I see it!”

And un-redemptive and Unforgiving and a graceless approach to relationships with one another that is founded on did-trust.

And listen - In some cases that is warranted and wise - Dating my daughter - I will believe when I see -

But what has happened to us is we have created a culture not being able to choose trust even after a time of trial has been passed well.

A culture of Skepticism.

It is a culture that has been created out of our brokenness of our humanity a brokenness that is a direct result of humanities broken relationship with God -

TENSION

and what has developed over time is what seems to be a hardened heart towards God, the things of God, the premises of God, the promises of God, and therefore the goodness of God -

So much so that you don't have to Go very far on social media to see a horrific result of this skepticism were people who desperately need to love of God - who need to desperately experience his forgiveness and His love as So confused and deceived they actually say they believe the God of the Bible is a God of Hatred and that Satan is the one who actually loves.

This all seems like hardened soil for the Gospel to till and penetrate.

You see what happens when we take this Skepticism - This “I will believe it when I see it” framework into our relationship with God -

God become the genie in the bottle that I will only Go to when I need something I cant get for myself or I want something I cant give to myself.

God will give me all the desires of my heart!

You see our skepticism really takes us back to attempting to trust our self.

And there are many in this room this morning,

that have played that Game long enough

that can clearly tell you from experience -

Trusting our selves doesn't work out too well.

And all of this places a real resistance to the Idea of Trusting God- Placing Him in Charge - Surrendering all To Him.

and when we don't surrender all we are really Being Fans for what He did for us but it keeps us from being fully devoted followers who live for the one who dies for us.

What we will see and hear this morning is the eternal Difference between - Belief which in our terms really means we agree with some facts.

and Trust - Which means Submission and Surrender.

Loved ones there is an eternal difference between believing in some facts about Jesus and totally Trusting in Him and His finished work and the power of His Resurrection that you are compelled to surrender your life to Him.

BACKGROUND

The Gospel of John was written by the Holy Spirit through the hands and mind of the an Apostle Named John.

John was fishing with His father Zebedee and His brother James in the family fishing business in the see of Galilee - They saw and heard Jesus call Peter and his brother Andrew - who were business partners in the family fishing business - “follow me and I will make you a fisher of men”

Jesus calls John and James and and they did the same thing - Dropping the fishing business all they followed Him.

John - seemingly become the best friend of Jesus.

He was in the inner circle - Peter James and John

He was at the Mount of Transfiguration when jesus revealed part of His glory

He was sitting next to Jesus at the last supper -

He saw Jesus sweat blood in the Garden as Jesus prayed in agony.

He was at the Crucifixion - and the man Jesus trusted to care for His mother.

He was in a foot race with Peter, back to the empty tomb when the women came and told them He is Risen the tomb is empty.

he sees Jesus face to face after His Resurrection -

AND The holy Spirit used Him to write 5 parts of the New Testament- The Gospel of John-

1, 2, 3, John and The Revelation of Jesus Christ - The Very last book of the New Testament!

in John Chapter 20 every thing around Jesus has happened -

his birth - his life - All his teachings - All of his wisdom - His arrest - his trial - His accepting of execution as an innocent person

His death of the roman cross -

his Resurrection -

At this point Jesus has been brought back to Physical life. and He has not only appeared to the disciples - and other people - he has actually had meals with people.

But one of the original 12 disciples has been somehow left out of all of these times with Jesus after He has been brought back to life.

A Disciple - An Apostle - Thomas - who some would nick name “doubting Thomas”

LETS UNPACK

UNPACKING

VS24-25

Sets the stage for this part of the story -

it says

John 20:24 ESV

24 Now Thomas, one of the twelve, called the Twin, was not with them when Jesus came.

When it says :one of the 12” what that means is Thomas was one of the original disciples that Jesus said and invited by the words “Follow Me”

Here is what is kinda funny about Thomas - Thomas was a guy who was kind of a Downer - No very optimistic. If fact he may have been down right Pessimistic -

Pessimistic simply means someone who thinks everything is bad and there is nothing good and its all gonna work out terrible.

I think we all know people that approach life that way.

Here is why I say this -

Back a few chapters ago Back in Chapter 11 - The Apostle John capturs the Story of a set of siblings named Mary, Martha and Lazarus.

Jesus and the disciples have just escaped a near death experience in the area where these three live -

Word gets to them that Jesus friend is sick and they have to God back - Jesus says “We have to go back”

And Thomas's response was “Ok lets go back and die”

I mean He was just a downer.

and Verse 24 says that Thomas was not with the other 11 disciples when Jesus had appeared to them the other times that Jesus had appeared -

Now I don't know why he was not with them - Maybe he wasn't invited? I’m not sure - the Bible doesn't say -

VS25

John 20:25 ESV

25 So the other disciples told him, “We have seen the Lord.” But he said to them, “Unless I see in his hands the mark of the nails, and place my finger into the mark of the nails, and place my hand into his side, I will never believe.”

So after Thomas shows up the Other disciples say to him -

“We have seen the Lord”

We have seen the Master - that is what Lord means - We have seen the Master -

No here is what is important to grasp about this moment -

The Last time Thomas Saw Jesus - Jesus was on His way to the Cross.

No One EVER escaped Roman Execution.

If the Romans arrested you and sentenced you to death by Crucifixion - You were a dead man walking before you died.

And so what Thomas had done is Thomas had scattered with the other disciples, gone back to fishing for fish and excluded himself from the other gatherings.

It seem that He was not there on Resurrection day when the Women had come back form the tomb and reported “He is Risen”

So Thomas shows up and the Other disciples say “We have Seen the Lord The master”

Watch How skeptical Thomas’s response is - and it is So important to understand the fullness of what He was saying -

Watch -

Unless I SEE the mark of the nails - I want to see them with my EYE’s

What is interesting is to know something about the way God has created us as humans -

We as humans process information in three ways -

Visually - what we see

Auditorally - What we hear -

Kinistheticaly - What we feel either emotionally or physically or a combination of Both.

Here is what Thomas just said - Unless I See -

Watch what he says Next - Unless I place my finger into the mark of the nails and place my hand into His Side -

What did Thomas Just say ?

Unless I feel!

Then He concludes this “negative if then” proposition with the ultimate conclusion -

In other words - If I don’t I Won’t

I won’t do what?

I WILL NEVER BELIEVE!

“Never” in the original language of the New Testament is a great combination of two Greek words - and it means.… well Never

The Word Believe?

That is a word that does not come over well into the english.

In our language - The Believe has this idea of agreement with a statement of fact. Or better, this Idea that You agree that a Statement is in fact true.

It’s like me saying - Jesus died for your sins. I have made a claim and in that claim I have stated it in such a way that says “this is a true claim”

In our language - when we use the word “believe” like “I believe that” what we are saying is “I believe that is true”

I say Jesus died for your sins and you say I believe that is true.

But in that statement there is no indication of conviction or cause to act.

Ok I simply agree with eh statement that Jesus dies for my sins is a true event in history.

That is what the word Believe means in our english usage of the word.

But that is so short of what that word means in the original language of the Bible.

The Greek Word used in the Bible in the place where we read “Believe” means “to trust” to count something as so trustworthy that is compels action becasue it is worthy to Trust in - and therefore base life decisions on.

“To trust”

What Thomas just said is “I will never trust that you have seen the lord and base life decisions on the claim that you have seen him!”

No that is not just a claim that I don not agree with you - That is a complete and total rejection of not only the claim but also that the claim is so unreliable that there can never be any life decisions based on it.

WATCH WHAT JESUS DOES-

You See Jesus has a plan for Thomas’s life, just like He has a plan for you and for me.

Yes you - Even in your unbelief.

Watch what Jesus does -

VS26 -27

John 20:26–27 ESV

26 Eight days later, his disciples were inside again, and Thomas was with them. Although the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you.” 27 Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here, and see my hands; and put out your hand, and place it in my side. Do not disbelieve, but believe.”

A little over a week later - The Disciples are together behind locked doors!

You might wonder why locked doors?

These guys were scared - The guys who changed everything about them over the last three and a half years is dead - Some of them have seen him raised form the dead -

and they are very much afraid that the Romans and the Jewish leadership will hunt them down and kill them as well.

And What happens -

Jesus shows up - Resurrected - Fully in the flesh, brought bask to life. No a ghost - not an abhorishion.

Not some figment of imagination or hallucination.

Jesus in the flesh - Raised from the dead - Shows up behind locked doors and says “Peace be with you” and what the language in the NT says - “peace be with Ya’all”

Jesus turns to Thomas - Focuses his attention to Thomas and says -

John 20:27 ESV

27 Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here, and see my hands; and put out your hand, and place it in my side. Do not disbelieve, but believe.”

This is so important to understadn the fullness of what Jesus just said and did.

Thomas says - Unless I see and Unless I feel - I’m out.

Jesus shows up and not only does Thomas see - not Only is He invited to feel - Thomas also Hears Jesus.

and Jesus says:

DO not Distrust - Don’t dismiss my resurrection and count it unworthy that you don’t make life decisions on it - Don’t Dis-trust

BUT RATHER - Trust

Trust in my Resurrection - Trust in my work so much so that you can make life changing decisions upon it.

Thomas’s answer is so very important.

Thomas’s answer if the difference in so many peoples eternity -

Thomas’s answer might be the difference in your eternity -

Thomas says -

My Lord and My God!

My Master - The One I trust - The One I surrender to - The One who has the authority over my life.

My God _ The One I worship and the One who created me -

The one I serve and the One I worship!

Jesus Responds -

VS29

John 20:29 ESV

29 Jesus said to him, “Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.”

You have trusted to the extent that you will make life altering decisions upon it -

Blessed - which means Happy -

Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have trusted enough to make life altering decisions on it.

We might be left with this question - Trusted in what?

in this narrative - Jesus is talking about Trusting in the Resurrection -

This is so important - That for us to know that our eternal life is secure and that we are truly saved from the Wrath of GOD -

We must loved ones go Beyond just simply agreeing with the facts of History that Jesus did in fact die for our sins and was raised from the dead.

we must Trust in the finished work of Jesus on the cross of Calvary and His death defeating Resurrection to such an extent that is compells us to make life altering decisions on it.

This is ultimately what Thomas Did -

Thomas Took the Gospel to what we now consider India - Some 2200 miles away from Jerusalem when the Holy Spirit fell that Day =

Some 30 years after He exclaimed My Lord and My God - He was martyred for His faith by being run through with a spear. in the eastern coast of India - Where He has shared the Gospel, Made disciples, and as a result Churches were planted.

Loved ones this is the reason for the Whole Gospel of John -

This is the very reason that The Holy Spirit of God used the very best friend of Jesus to write this beautiful historical narritive of the Life of Jesus -

Listen to His heart as he writes VS30-31

John 20:30–31 ESV

30 Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book; 31 but these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.

THE GOSPEL CONNECTION

This whole Gospel was written so that everyone who read it, would trust that Jesus is the Christ - The Anointed of God - The Actual Son of God -

And that by Trusting in HIM to such an extent that you and I are compelled to make life altering decisions to Live for Him and for His Glory.

This is what the Gospel does -

This is what Faith in Christ Looks Like.

This is the Gospel that Jesus came and dies and calls us to new life -

People - Once dead in our trespasses and sin and not alive in Christ - Gods workmanship Created in Christ Jesus to Walk in the good works that God has planned in advance that we may walk in them.

and Loved ones being brought from death to life by the finished work of Jesus -

having our relationship with our heavenly father repaired by the Finished work of Jesus -

Responding in complete trust through the Gift of Faith the Holy Spirit gives us - An Act the Bible calls repentance -

Loved ones That is Good news!

and Loved ones - This is the heart of God for every person on the planet and this was the hear of The Apostle John that he would write so that we might believe and have eternal life with GOD -

Loved ones I pray this morning - That you would examine your self in light of the glory of the scriptures this morning and Make sure you are of the faith -

PRAYER TEAM