The Gospel According to John
Notes
Transcript
Pastoral Prayer
Pastoral Prayer
John 15:1–6
“1 “I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinedresser.
2 Every branch in me that does not bear fruit he takes away, and every branch that does bear fruit he prunes, that it may bear more fruit.
3 Already you are clean because of the word that I have spoken to you.
4 Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me.
5 I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.
6 If anyone does not abide in me he is thrown away like a branch and withers; and the branches are gathered, thrown into the fire, and burned.”
Introduction to John
Introduction to John
Opening Illustration
Opening Illustration
Have you ever gotten a text message that totally confused you—
because you didn’t know who it was from,
or what the context was?
Imagine getting this text out of the blue:
‘It’s in the trunk. Don’t tell anyone.’
Now, if it’s from a family member or friend,
maybe their talking about a birthday present.
But if it’s from your sketchy cousin or a creepy person at work…
you’re calling the cops!
Without knowing who sent it, why they sent it, and what’s going on,
you can completely misread/misunderstand the message.
Point
The same is true when we open the Bible.
If we just jump into a book without knowing who wrote it, who they wrote it to, or why—
it’s easy to miss the meaning.
We are about to begin a series through the Gospel According to John,
but before we do we want to take some time to learn some of the backstory,
which will help us understand and appreciate it more.
Introduction: The Gospel According to John
Introduction: The Gospel According to John
Who is the Author?
Who is the Author?
Though the author never says his name,
the early church strongly and consistently identified him as the apostle John.
The Gospels do not give us a lot of information about John,
or any of the disciples for that matter,
but we do learn some things about them.
John
The son of Zebedee, who was a fisherman.
The brother of James.
John and James worked as fishermen with their father.
They were among the first to be called and follow Jesus.
John was one of the 12 disciples and apostles of Jesus.
He walked closely with Jesus and witnessed/experienced everything first hand,
which made him the perfect person to write an account of Jesus’ life.
We also know that…
John was in the inner circle of Jesus, along with James and Peter.
These three men are the only ones present with Jesus at a number of specific events:
the resuscitation of Jairus’ daughter;
Jesus’ transfiguration; and
in the Garden of Gethsemane.
even though they failed Jesus is His hour of need,
these are the men close to Jesus that he especially wanted near.
It is this John, the disciple and apostle of Jesus,
who wrote the Gospel According to John.
What is the Date of Writing?
What is the Date of Writing?
Though we can’t know the exact date,
it is believed that John wrote his account of Jesus’ life somewhere in the years A.D. 80—90,
after the destruction of Jerusalem…
about 50 years after John witnessed Jesus’ ministry.
By the time John wrote,
the other three gospels had already been written.
What is John’s Purpose in Writing?
What is John’s Purpose in Writing?
We learn from Eusebius, an early church historian, that
John desired to write a “spiritual gospel”.
Whereas the other gospel writers document Jesus’ life more chronologically (in order of events),
John only documents certain events and leaves others out (e.g. parables).
strategically choosing what to include,
because he’s not simply trying to tell the order of events,
but he’s trying to reveal the deeper truth those events point to…
Ultimately, John’s purpose in writing is found in:
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.
John wants people to know that Jesus was the Christ, the Son of God,
so that they can have eternal life in His name.
Who is John Writing to?
Who is John Writing to?
It is believed that John wrote his gospel in Ephesus,
where both Jews and Greeks would have lived.
John’s writing is simple and easy to understand,
but also deep and profound!
The Gospel According to John has helped people put their faith in Jesus,
while also helping people grow in their understanding of the richness of Jesus.
Billboard
Billboard
What I want to do this morning,
is to set the stage before we begin the book of John next week.
I want to take some time to learn a bit more about John the disciple,
as well as some key themes throughout his gospel
that are important for us to know.
As we look at these things this morning I want to encourage us to:
Follow John’s Example
Believe John’s Testimony; and
Cling to John’s Hope
Prayer for Illumination
Prayer for Illumination
Lord…
Transition
The first thing I want us to be encouraged to do is…
1. Follow John’s Example
1. Follow John’s Example
When we look at John’s life,
we see an example worthy of imitation.
When Jesus calls John to follow Him,
he immediately leaves everything and goes.
Even though John’s not perfect,
Jesus slowly transforms him into the man He wants him to be.
Explain
Explain
The first example we see from John is…
a. Follow Jesus, He Will Lead You
a. Follow Jesus, He Will Lead You
John worked as a fisherman,
but look what happens when he meets Jesus.
21 And going on from there he saw two other brothers, James the son of Zebedee and John his brother, in the boat with Zebedee their father, mending their nets, and he called them. 22 Immediately they left the boat and their father and followed him.
John and his brother James immediately follow Jesus.
Luke, in his gospel account, tells us that before this,
Jesus had been teaching on Peter’s boat,
and then he told Peter to let down their nets after a whole night of catching nothing!
Peter obeyed and they had so many fish that James and John had to bring their boat over,
and they filled both boats with fish so that they began to sink!
Peter, James, and John were experienced fisherman,
and knew how great of a miracle this was!
They DID NOT immediately understand everything about Jesus,
but they understood that He was no ordinary man…
Jesus is Lord!
For this reason they are willing to leave everything behind and follow Jesus.
And Jesus leads them to a new calling:
Fishers of men!
Summary
John is among the first to follow Jesus and be led by Him,
and we should follow his example.
Transition
The next example we see from John is…
b. Follow Jesus, He Will Transform You
b. Follow Jesus, He Will Transform You
As I mentioned, John didn’t fully understand everything before following Jesus,
but he was willing to step out in faith,
because of who Jesus is.
But what we learn from the gospels is that:
John was also far from perfect!
He had a lot of growing to do.
A few instances where we see John’s immaturity and lack of understanding are:
49 John answered, “Master, we saw someone casting out demons in your name, and we tried to stop him, because he does not follow with us.” 50 But Jesus said to him, “Do not stop him, for the one who is not against you is for you.”
This happened right after the disciples had been arguing about who was the greatest,
and John shows his immaturity through his self-righteous attitude.
He thought they were part of a special club,
and they were the only ones who could do God’s work.
Jesus rebukes him for his prideful attitude!
Transition
Another instance we see John’s immaturity is…
51 When the days drew near for him to be taken up, he set his face to go to Jerusalem. 52 And he sent messengers ahead of him, who went and entered a village of the Samaritans, to make preparations for him.
53 But the people did not receive him, because his face was set toward Jerusalem. 54 And when his disciples James and John saw it, they said, “Lord, do you want us to tell fire to come down from heaven and consume them?” 55 But he turned and rebuked them.
James and John were easily angered, hot-tempered, and proud,
which is why Jesus nick-named them,
the sons of thunder.
They had not yet cultivated a Christ-like heart.
Transition
Another instance we see John’s immaturity is…
37 And they said to him, “Grant us to sit, one at your right hand and one at your left, in your glory.”
James and John were selfishly concerned about honour,
and being rewarded,
and Jesus goes on to talk about how much they will suffer.
Summary
In all of these instances,
John shows that he was still immature,
and had a lot room to grow.
But he was still faithful to follow Jesus,
and Jesus was going to lead and transform him.
Later on in his life, John became a faithful leader who others looked up to.
He wrote 4 other books of the Bible:
1 John
2 John
3 John
Revelation
John matured, becoming a man who was willing to suffer for his faith,
putting his trust not in revenge, or rewards,
but spending eternity with His Saviour!
But he didn’t start out that way.
He had to learn it along the way,
but he was willing to start somewhere and just take a step of faith and follow Jesus.
Apply
Apply
(To those who think they don’t know enough…)
Maybe you’re here this morning,
and you have a desire to follow Jesus,
but you feel like you don’t know enough…
you feel like you need to know more…
Follow John’s example and follow Jesus!
John didn’t understand everything in the moment he followed Jesus,
but he believed He was God and stepped out in faith.
If you believe Jesus is Lord, step out in faith,
follow Jesus, and He will lead you to where you need to be!
(To those who think they need to get their life in order first…)
Maybe you want to follow Jesus,
but you think you are too immature…
you think you have too many things to work on…
you think you need to get your life in order first…
Follow John’s example and follow Jesus!
John was very immature and lacked wisdom,
but he followed Jesus and was transformed through the process.
Jesus doesn’t demand that you get to a certain level of maturity/wisdom before you are “good enough” to follow Jesus…
When you turn to Him and follow Him,
Jesus begins to transform you into the person HE wants you to become!
Jesus wants to work in you as He works through you
In other words,
He’s not expecting you to reach a certain level before He can use you.
You think you’re unworthy to serve God?
You’re absolutely right!
Join the club!
None of us deserve to serve God,
and He could choose to do it all on His own,
but instead He graciously chooses to use us to bring about His will,
and He grows us through the process!
Summary
Just step out and
Follow Jesus!
He will lead and transform you!
Transition
The next thing I want us to be encouraged to do is…
2. Believe John’s Testimony
2. Believe John’s Testimony
We already saw John’s purpose in writing a gospel account…
31 these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God
John is writing his eye witness accounts of Jesus,
so that people will believe that He was the Christ, the long awaited Messiah, the Son of God.
For this reason, John very carefully chose what he wanted to include in his gospel account,
so that people would believe Jesus is the Son of God.
Explain
Explain
One way John seeks to prove Jesus is God,
is through 7 “signs” throughout his gospel.
Our encouragement is to…
a. Believe the Signs of Jesus
a. Believe the Signs of Jesus
The 7 signs that John mentions are miracles that Jesus performed in His ministry that prove He is God.
The first sign is:
The water turned into wine (John 2:1-11)
Jesus was at a wedding where they ran out of wine.
Jesus turns 210 litres of water into wine.
The healing of the official’s son (John 4:46-54)
Jesus goes back to Cana where he turned the water into wine.
An official heard he was back.
His son was near death, and Jesus told the man to go home, his son would live.
As he went home his servants met him and told him his son had begun recovering.
The man realized he began healing the moment Jesus said, and he and all his household believed.
The healing of the lame man (John 5:1—18)
There was a man who had been unable to walk for 38 years…
and Jesus healed him!
The feeding of the multitude (John 6:1—15)
A large crowd of 5,000 had been following him because they had seen the signs he did.
He didn’t want to send them away hungry and faint,
so he miraculously multiplied 5 loaves and 2 fish to feed all of them!
Walking on water (John 6:16—21)
As the disciples were struggling to row their boat in a storm,
Jesus came to them walking on the water.
When he got in the boat they were miraculously at their destination.
The healing the blind man (John 9:1—41)
Jesus came across a man who had been born blind.
After a discussion about who’s sin caused the blindness,
Jesus spit on the ground, made some mud, put it on his eyes and told him to go wash it off
and his eyes were healed!
The raising of Lazarus (John 11:1—57)
Jesus’ good friend Lazarus got sick and died.
This was Mary and Martha’s brother.
After teaching them about the resurrection, he raised Lazarus from the dead!
Summary
John records all of these signs/miracles from Jesus,
because he wants us to believe the signs of Jesus…
that they prove that Jesus really is the Son of God!
Transition
The next way John seeks to prove Jesus is God,
is the 7 “I AM” statements Jesus makes about Himself.
Our encouragement is to…
b. Believe the Teaching of Jesus
b. Believe the Teaching of Jesus
John mentions 7 “I AM” statements Jesus made about Himself.
“I am the bread of life” (John 6:35)
Whereas we satisfy our physical hunger with bread,
Jesus is saying the only way to satisfy your spiritual hunger is through Him.
“I am the light of the world” (John 8:12)
Jesus is the only way to have our spiritual eyes opened.
“I am the door of the sheep” (John 10:7)
Jesus is the one through whom we can enter heaven and come to the Father.
“I am the good shepherd” (John 10:11)
Jesus doesn’t abandon His sheep, but cares for them, and ultimately lays down His life for them.
“I am the resurrection and the life” (John 11:25)
Through Jesus, who can raise the dead, we can have hope in the resurrection…
That we can and will have life after we die.
“I am the way, and the truth, and the life” (John 14:6)
There is only ONE way to the Father, and it’s through Jesus!
“I am the true vine” (John 15:1)
The only way for us to bear fruit is by being connected to Jesus, the true vine.
Summary
John records these 7 specific statements Jesus made about Himself,
so that we will believe the teaching of Jesus,
that He is the Son of God!
Transition
The next way John seeks to prove Jesus is God,
is by the statements that others make about Him.
Our encouragement is to…
c. Believe the Witnesses of Jesus
c. Believe the Witnesses of Jesus
John mentions eye witnesses who saw and affirm that Jesus was who He said He was.
John the Baptist
John 1:29 “29 The next day he saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!”
John 1:34 “34 And I have seen and have borne witness that this is the Son of God.””
Andrew
John 1:41 “41 He first found his own brother Simon and said to him, “We have found the Messiah” (which means Christ).”
Philip
John 1:45 “45 Philip found Nathanael and said to him, “We have found him of whom Moses in the Law and also the prophets wrote, Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.””
Nathaniel
John 1:49 “49 Nathanael answered him, “Rabbi, you are the Son of God! You are the King of Israel!””
Samaritans
Woman at the well
John 4:29 “29 “Come, see a man who told me all that I ever did. Can this be the Christ?””
Townspeople
John 4:42 “42 They said to the woman, “It is no longer because of what you said that we believe, for we have heard for ourselves, and we know that this is indeed the Savior of the world.””
Peter (on behalf of the disciples)
John 6:69 “69 and we have believed, and have come to know, that you are the Holy One of God.””
Martha
John 11:27 “27 She said to him, “Yes, Lord; I believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, who is coming into the world.””
The Crowd (Triumphal entry)
John 12:13 “13 So they took branches of palm trees and went out to meet him, crying out, “Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord, even the King of Israel!””
Thomas (after the resurrection)
John 20:28 “28 Thomas answered him, “My Lord and my God!””
John (the disciple)
John 20:31 “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.”
Summary
John really wanted people to know and believe that Jesus is the Son of God!
This is the reason he so carefully documented:
the 7 signs Jesus performed…
the 7 “I AM” statements Jesus made… and
the statements from eye-witnesses, including himself!
Illustrate — Me snoring
Illustrate — Me snoring
Throughout our marriage my wife, Jessica, every once in a while,
has lightly poked fun at me because of my snoring.
But she’s matured, because it’s been at least a week and half since the last time she did that! LOL
I have to admit that at times I would get a bit defensive!
It’s not cause I didn’t think I snored…
it’s because I thought she was over-exaggerating.
Well, a few years ago, Jessica wanted to find a way to prove that it was in face as bad as she was saying,
so she recorded an audio clip of me snoring,
and let me listen to it the next day.
I was devastated! I didn’t say much to her, because I was in shock, but
It was the worst thing I’ve ever listened to.
I was so embarrassed to think that she had to listen to that every night!
Summary
Jessica was able to prove the truth to me,
through recording that little audio clip,
which I hope is destroyed now!
Maybe you’ve experienced something like that in your life,
where you heard something that you didn’t believe to be true,
until you saw it with your own eyes, OR
heard it with your own ears in some cases.
Point
John is documenting all that he had seen and heard,
so that people would believe Jesus is the Christ,
and that they would have life in Him.
He didn’t have a phone that he could take out and record what was happening,
but writing was the was the most impactful way he could document what happened.
In the first century, if you wanted something to endure beyond a generation or be widely trusted,
writing it down was the gold standard.
Writing gave teachings and events a kind of permanence and authority,
especially when done by a respected scribe or copied carefully by others.
Writing was labor-intensive, and costly.
Materials like parchment or papyrus weren’t cheap,
and were reserved for things considered important.
So if something made it to writing back then,
it was because people really wanted to preserve and pass it on.
Apply
Apply
The result is that:
We should believe John’s testimony!
We don’t just believe him because he wrote it down,
but the claims that he was making would be very easy to disprove if they weren’t true.
If Jesus didn’t perform miracles,
they could have disproved it.
but instead there were often many witnesses who could verify that it DID happen.
If Jesus teaching was false,
they could have proven it since he taught publicly.
but instead, they had to come up with false accusations in order to condemn Him.
If Jesus hadn’t truly risen from the grave,
they would have been able to find and produce his body.
but instead, after His resurrection, He appeared to his disciples a number of times,
as well as appearing to hundreds of other people.
The reason the truth of Jesus has endured, and will endure to the end,
is because: IT’S TRUE!
It’s based on God’s own testimony through eye witnesses to those things.
So we should “Believe John’s Testimony”:
As one who walked with Jesus…
talked with Jesus...
touched Jesus…
witnessed His signs, His miracles, His teaching…
saw his resurrected body… and
watched him ascend to heaven…
We should take him at his word!
The early church accepted his testimony as valid,
and so have thousands of years worth of churches!
And if you believe that the Bible is true,
spend time in it daily!
God has chosen to reveal Himself to us through the Bible…
He inspired men to write all of this down…
They wrote exactly what they wanted to write, and yet,
The Holy Spirit was working in them to write exactly what God wanted.
As we read the Bible, we come to know the living, eternal God of the universe!
And as we come to know Him, we grow in:
our love for Him…
our knowledge of Him… and
our desire to worship Him!
Summary
As we go through the gospel of John,
“Believe John’s Testimony”…
and grow in love and worship of Jesus, the Son of God!
Transition
The next thing I want us to be encouraged to do is…
3. Cling to John’s Hope
3. Cling to John’s Hope
I’ve been emphasizing John’s purpose in writing his account…
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.
Why is it so important to John that people believe in Jesus?
Because Jesus is the key to eternal life!
Explain
Explain
Throughout John’s account,
he emphasizes that Jesus is the ONLY way to the Father.
Jesus is…
Jesus, the Hope of Eternal Life
Jesus, the Hope of Eternal Life
Listen to all these verses scattered through John that prove this point:
12 But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God,
15 that whoever believes in him may have eternal life.
16 “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.
24 Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life. He does not come into judgment, but has passed from death to life.
40 For this is the will of my Father, that everyone who looks on the Son and believes in him should have eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day.”
47 Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever believes has eternal life.
24 I told you that you would die in your sins, for unless you believe that I am he you will die in your sins.”
25 Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, 26 and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die.
42 I knew that you always hear me, but I said this on account of the people standing around, that they may believe that you sent me.”
44 And Jesus cried out and said, “Whoever believes in me, believes not in me but in him who sent me.
6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.
8 For I have given them the words that you gave me, and they have received them and have come to know in truth that I came from you; and they have believed that you sent me.
21 that they may all be one, just as you, Father, are in me, and I in you, that they also may be in us, so that the world may believe that you have sent me.
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.
John was so careful in how he wrote his account of Jesus’ life,
because he wants people believe that:
Jesus is God… and
was sent by God… so that
by believing we can have eternal life!
Summary
If you believe John’s testimony of Jesus,
you can cling to the hope of John,
that you will have eternal life through Jesus your Saviour!
Illustrate
Illustrate
Do you have a go-to person when you get into a situation where you don’t know what to do?
A person that you call every time you hit a road block,
because you know they’ll know what to do?
For me that’s my dad!
It doesn’t matter what it is,
he can always find a way to figure it out.
I used to question whether he would be able to find a way…
I’d get myself into a pickle,
then call my dad and he’d say,
“Ya we’ll be able to figure it out.”
But I wasn’t so sure.
But I’ve seen him solve so many problems,
that I don’t doubt him anymore.
I know he’s going to find SOME way to make it work.
When I get in trouble,
I cling to the hope that my dad can fix it,
because he’s proven it time and time again.
Point
John is encouraging us, the reader,
to put our hope in Jesus…
to believe Jesus’ signs;
to believe Jesus’ teaching; and
to believe that Jesus died and rose again…
All these thing prove that Jesus is God,
and by believing in Him we can have the hope of eternal life!
Apply
Apply
Maybe you’re going through some challenging circumstances in your life,
and you have very little or no hope.
Turn your eyes from your circumstances,
and look to Jesus:
His power over nature…
His power over history…
His power over death.
Look to Jesus, and cling to the hope He offers!
The hope that no matter how difficult things get in this life,
no matter how badly we can mess things up,
we can have hope in eternal life through believing in Jesus!
Follow John’s example and give your life more fully to Jesus.
You do not fully understand all that is going on, or what will happen,
but God will grow you as he works through you.
Believe John’s testimony that Jesus is the “I AM”,
that He is the promised Messiah… and
Cling to John’s hope that through faith in Jesus,
you will have eternal life!
Cling to this hope with all that you are!
That’s exactly what John did…
Conclusion
Conclusion
Closing Illustration
Closing Illustration
John was so convinced that Jesus was the Son of God,
that threats from the Jewish leaders didn’t stop him from telling people about Jesus…
being thrown in prison didn’t stop him from trying to convince people to believe Jesus was the Son of God…
And ultimately, his confidence in Jesus,
and unwillingness to stop sharing what he saw and heard,
got John exiled.
9 I, John, your brother and partner in the tribulation and the kingdom and the patient endurance that are in Jesus, was on the island called Patmos on account of the word of God and the testimony of Jesus.
Late into his life, John was still unwilling to stop telling people about Jesus.
It was because he knew it was true!
And he was willing to be exiled and suffer,
because he had hope in Jesus, the Son of God,
who had power over death,
and would bring him safely into eternal life with the Father!
Land the Plane
Land the Plane
I don’t know about you,
but I’m not always overflowing with this kind of confidence…
I am not always so willing to suffer for my faith…
But I am excited for us to go through the Gospel According to John,
to spend much time looking at the life of Jesus,
and grow in our faith and trust in Him,
as we seek to live for the glory and honour of His name here on earth,
and in heaven through all eternity!
Pray
Pray
Emphasize power of the Holy Spirit.
Gives us courage, boldness, obedience…
