The Gospel of John - The Power of Salvation - Pt3 - Salvation makes followers not fans.

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.

INVITES:

OCT - 5th - Welcome HOME.

KAIROS - CLOSING APPLICATION

ALPHA GROUPS

THE WRECKED CREW

MARRIAGE

SMALL DISCOURSE ON MARRIAGE

Chynah And Kody

Today as family and Brothers and Sisters in Christ we participate in this covenant through prayer with Chynah And Kody from this day forward. Today not only marks the beginning of their lives being bound together in covenant marriage but also makes a continuation of our prayers for them as Husband and Wife,

Our Encouragement to them!

And our admonishment of them as they journey together through life.

So with that knowledge let us pray.

(Scott Prays over the ceremony)

Then the LORD God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone; I will make him a helper suitable for him.”

 So the LORD God caused a deep sleep to fall upon the man, and he slept; then He took one of his ribs and closed up the flesh at that place. The LORD God fashioned into a woman the rib which He had taken from the man, and brought her to the man.

 And God’s words After he formed woman and took her to the man-

a man shall leave his father and his mother, and be joined to his wife; and they shall become one flesh. And the man and his wife were both naked and were not ashamed. 

 God also said in His creative work of all things “Let us make man in our own Image” So God created man in the image of God he created Him Male and female God created them”

In this Passage of Scripture, we see and hear the Lord declaring several things about Man and Woman.  

- Both made in the image of God

- Equal before God no one lesser no one greater - Heirs and co-heirs with Christ!

For in Christ there is neither male or female, slave or free Jew or gentile. 

- Both male and female with the commands from God to subdue the earth, rule over every creature on it, fill it, and be fruitful and multiply.

 It was not until male and female were created and these instructions were given to His creation that God said His creative work was VERY GOOD. 

The Text says “a helper suitable”

In marriage we are crafted for each other - Specifically designed for each other - This is one of the things that makes marriage HOLY.

Kody Is it your desire and do you come at this time and to this place before God and these brothers and sisters in Christ to enter into this lifelong covenant of marriage with Chynah

 Kody: I do

Do you come to this marriage Covenant willingly and without hesitation or reservation having covered this decision in prayer?

 KODY: I do

Chynah, is it your desire and do you come at this time and to this place before God and these brothers and sisters in Christ to enter into this lifelong covenant of marriage with this Kody?

CHYNAH: I do

Do you come to this marriage Covenant willingly and without hesitation or reservation having covered this decision in prayer?

 CHYNAH: I do

KODY and CHYNA - in as much as you have expressed a desire and commitment to be united in the covenant of marriage, now is the time to exchange your vows to each other.

 a vow is a solemn covenant promise that is made not only in the presence of your family and Brothers and Sisters in Christ, but also in the presence of God. The Bible makes it clear that God is a witness to the wedding vows. He hears the vows you make and He intends that they be kept so long as you both shall live

KODY AND CHYNAH - turn to each other, hold each other’s hands look into each other’s eyes and repeat after me. 

 KODY let’s begin with you.

 I Kody, before God and these witnesses, take you Chynah, under the covenant of marriage, as my lawfully wedded wife. To have and to hold you, to comfort and to keep you, to love, honor, and cherish you all the days of my life. My covenant to you is life-long whether in sickness or in health, in plenty or in want, in peace or in strife, forsaking all others keeping myself only unto you till death do us part.  

With these VOWS/RING - I three wed -giving all of my self and all that I have to you - IN the name of the father and of the son and of the Holy Spirit.

 CHYNAH: repeat after me:

I I CHYNAH, before God and these witnesses, take you KODY, under the covenant of marriage as my lawfully wedded husband. To have and to hold you, to comfort you and to keep you, to love, honor, and cherish you, all the days of my life.  My covenant to you is life-long whether in sickness or in health, in plenty or in want, in peace or in strife, forsaking all others keeping myself only unto you till death do us part.

With These Vows - I three wed - Giving all of my self and all I have to you in the name of the father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirt.

LETS - PRAY

Kody and Chynah - by the power vested in me by the state of Texas and the ordination of God. I now pronounce you husband and wife. 

Jesus Said: You are no longer two but one flesh. Therefore, what God has joined together, let no man separate. And all Gods people said AMEN-

 KODY you may kiss your bride.

Brothers and Sisters in Christ it is with great love and affection and honor that I present to you Kody and Chynah as Husband and Wife.  

LETS GRAB OUR BIBLES IF YOU HAVE ONE AND

Open it to the Gospel of John and Chapter 12 beginning in verse 1 as we continue in our series called “The Power of Salvation” which is ONE part of our walking through the Gospel of John together verse by verse.

PRAYER OVER SERIES

My prayer over this series is that the Holy Spirit will reveal to us through the Scriptures as to what is the Power of Salvation!

and In knowing what the power of salvation really is - We would walk more confidently in the plans and purposes of God that He has sent Jesus to give us.

And as we walk more confidently in the plans and purposes of God we would experience the victory God has delivered to us in Christ Jesus.

I am praying that we would all experience the victory of Christ in our lives and in the lives of others around us.

I know this that as we experience the Victory won for us - We will see the manifest power and glory of God.

And when we see that we will be in a constant and continual state of growing in AWE and WORSHIP of HIM.

And when that Happens; we will love HIM, and Serve Him, and Worship Him the way and with the severity that He desires and deserves to Loved and Served and Worshiped!

PRAYER OVER MESSAGE

My prayer over this mornings message is that we would examine our lives against the declaration of Scripture, be truthful with ourselves and before God and in reflection of the Scriptures -

Asking ourselves this question:

Are we Fans of Jesus or are we followers?

Are we fans of Jesus - Loving what He does for us - Enjoying the scriptural promises He declares to us - Cheering Him and others on as we watch from the stands?

OR

Are we followers of Jesus - Fully Devoted Followers of Jesus - Doing what He did - Going to the people He went to in His day that are still among us in this day? Proclaiming what He proclaimed? Living the life that He lived, the way he lived it - All of which are modeled for us in the rest of the new testament beginning in the book of ACTS?

Ever wondered why the New testament of your bibles was ordered the way it was ordered?

Think about this loved ones!

Mathew, Mark Luke and John - The Gospel Proclaimed -

Acts - The Gospel lived out and advanced -

The Letters - 1st Corinthians through Jude - “The How To and how not to Part”

Revelation of Jesus Christ - The last part - The Culmination of the Gospel!

ENGAGEMENT

There is this problem in the western church -

Because of some problems started around the beginning of the 19th Century with a Preacher named Charles Finney

Some of us think we can be a fan of Jesus -

Here is why we can trace this back to Chares Finney -

what Finney introduced was this Idea that MAN can choose, free from any work of God to be saved.

Charles introduced the Idea of an Alter call - “Walk an Isle, Say a prayer, be sincere and your in!”

This led people to believe that all THEY had to do was this or that -

and it led to GOD no longer being sovereign.

TENSION

The problem that we have in any aspect of taking this Idea that all we have to do is say a prayer and walk and Isle and were saved into our relationship with Jesus -

Well the biggest part of that problem is we now have this tendency to take about half of Jesus words and wither say -

That doesn't apply to me - When it really might!

or we just don’t not take them seriously.

I want you guys to apply this and hear this -

The Scripture says that Jesus is the Word of God that Became flesh and dwelt among us -

John 1:14 “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.”

Hebrews 4:12 “For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.”

Here is what all that needs to mean to us!

Jesus, who is the Living word, The personal revelation of God to man - His words are going to be sharp - His words are going to peirce - His words are going to discern the thoughts and intentions of the heart.

SO loved ones we can never think that His words don’t some how apply to us - And there are none of them that I think he makes optional for us to take seriously.

You see - fans of Jesus do that -

Devoted Followers Don't

and in this passage of text we will see Jesus pointing to the Characteristic of a follower.

BACKGROUND

Jesus has a minute ago raised Lazarus form the Dead-

Making a Claim that He in fact was the one in who everlasting life is found.

He made it in a definitive “i am” statement

John 11:25–26 “Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die.

This new life brings conflict among those who do and do not believe in him and the religious leaders of the day as Passover begins.

UNPACKING

HERE IS WHAT WERE GONNA DO THIS MONRING -

THIS PASSAGE OF TEXT IS DIVIDED INTO 2 LOCATIONS WITH 9 DIFFERENT PEOPLE OR SETS OF PEOPLE.

IN EACH were go’na try and answer the question “Fan or Follower”?

VVS1-3

Set the scene for us - Time and Location -

6 days before Passover - Passover celebrations are a week and then you have the Passover meal.

We are 6 days before that and Jesus is back at Mary and Martha's and Lazarus’s house.

After dinner - Mary, did something pretty interesting.

She takes a Pound of, what the text says is Expensive Ointment - made from pure Nard -

NOW - ya don't hear people at HEB or Brookshires walk p to the counter and say “need a lbs. of Nard please”

So what is it and how expensive -

In todays market place at $15 bucks an hour - it would be worth roughly $36,000 in todays terms.

SO it was Expensive -

What happens is Mary - The first person in the Story - Pours the ointment on Jesus head and anoints His feet - wiping his feet with Her Hair!

NOW if you didn’t know ANY else about Marry -

You would say “Fan” or “Follower”

VSS4-8

The disciples are with Jesus - Big meal - One of them Judas - Has a problem with the thing that Mary did and He complains -

John 12:5 ““Why was this ointment not sold for three hundred denarii and given to the poor?””

in other words - Why did we waist this on pouring on Jesus and anointing his feet - We could have done something better with that!

No loved ones - Jesus actually said - Feed hungry people, give thirsty people something to drink - Clothe naked people, Shelter homeless people, and visit those sick and in prison.

Now verse 6 - clears things up - that Judas was a thief and didn’t really care about the Poor -

So what can we cay about Judas?

Fan or Follower?

Watch what Jesus says:

John 12:7–8 “Jesus said, “Leave her alone, so that she may keep it for the day of my burial. For the poor you always have with you, but you do not always have me.””

Yea FAN - Because He keep going where Jesus went, participating in what Jesus participated in - so FAN at best -

VSS9-11

Two groups - are introduced?

“The Large Crowd”

and

“The Chief Priests”

The Large Crowd

John 12:9 “When the large crowd of the Jews learned that Jesus was there, they came, not only on account of him but also to see Lazarus, whom he had raised from the dead.”

Look they came to see Jesus not only on account of Him but to see Lazarus - I cant imagine that conversation?

Where were you when they cam and got you?

Who told you your leaving the after life?

Did you actually hear Jesus speak to you from earth all the way in heaven?

Who know what they was like.

FAN or FOLLOWERS?

Vs10 and 11 The Chief Priests -

Look at what they have going on - They now want to add to their murder list Lazarus - WHY

Because many of the Jews were leaving Jewish life and believing in Jesus.

Chief Priests - Fans or Followers?

Neither - Enemies

VSS12-19

VS12

This is Jesus last time to come into Jerusalem - He is on his way to the cross - This is usually a passage of text that is talked about or preached form on Palm Sunday the Sunday before Easter -

The interesting thing about the Apostle John is - He records for us many many more things that Jesus says and does during the week in between.

Vs12 introduces us to another group - on the next day - A Large Crowd

and as Jesus was Riding in in on a Donkey - as the old testament prophet Zechariah said he would some 1000 years before he actually did it.

This crowd was shouting something really really important.

John 12:13 “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!””

Palm branches were used back in the days of the Kinds of Israel - long before Jesus when they were not under Roman occupation - When they rules their own land - When a King was coming from being crowned king or back from battle - When the King was coming they would place Palm branches on the steps, the would place their clokes on the steps to pay honor to the king as a way of showing submission to the role of the king in their lives.

And they are crying out - this phrase - “Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord, even the King of Israel!””

VSS16

Gives us the insight that John is writing this well after these events and he is sharing his reflective thoughts - remembering that the disciples of Jesus didn't really know what was happening when these people were using these palm branches and shouting hat they were shouting until After the resurrection -

VS17-18

What John does is He gives what can be described as an understanding that there are two different crowds -

ONE that was with Jesus when He raised Lazarus form the dead - THose are giving witness to who Jesus is and what He had done -

and then the crowd that “went to meet him” - The Crowd that is laying the palm branches - The Crowd shouting Hosanna -

THese had just heard of what he had done and thay wanted to come and see the miracle workier the one who the oters says “he is the son of GOd - He is the king of Israel -

and VS 19 the bitterness and fear of the Pharisees continues -

So the Crowd that Had heard Jesus had raised Lazarrus - Not the one that were there but the ones on this day that are shouting - “Hosanna, blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord -

FAN or Followers?

Here is what is interesting to know - Most of these people are the same people that a week after this will be shouting “Crucify Him Crucify Him”

VS20-22

a Last group of people are introduced - GREEKS - Without going into great detail - to unpack that - Let me define who these were because they were there in Jerusalem to “worship at the feast”

These were part of a group of Jewish people who were the descendance of those who had been scattered in what the bible talks about “the dispersion” Jewish people who were scattered back in the Babylonian Exile - about 700 years before - these guys did not move back to the geographical area of Israel - and over time when the Greeks concurred the world these Jewish people spoke Greek -

These people want to see Jesus -

VSS 23-26

Jesus Answers Phillip and Andrew who had gone to Jesus and told him there were some people that wanted to see Him.

and Pay attention Loved ones -

Jesus lays down the criteria -

Jesus lays down the Characteristics that differentiates Fan from Follower -

Jesus lays down THE clear and unmistakable transformation of the POWER of SALVATION

Jesus says -

John 12:23 “And Jesus answered them, “The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified.”

Here is what He was saying - His time had come for the fullness of who Jesus is to be revealed - That is what Glorified means - To be revealed in the fullness of who He is.

VSS24

Then watch loved ones - Jesus uses a word picture - and in this word Picture Jesus refers back to one of the first parables that Jesus ever spoke. In fact this Parable that He is referring to is THE central parable, THE ONLY parable that Jesus himself said in Marks Gospel - “if you don't understand this parable you won’t understand any parable.

Without preaching another whole message - A short recap -

It is the Parable of the Sower and the Seed - and it conveys to us this Idea of the Word of God being Sown into different soils and the different effects the soils have on the the multiplication of the word -

And it concludes there is only one kind of soil that produces fruit - There is only one kind of soil that multiplies the seed - That is Good soil -

and what Jesus does here in reaching back to the beginning of his teaching is talk about the seed in reference to multiplying - in reference to what has to happen for the seed to bear fruit -

The seed has to go through transformation - The seed has to die - it has to change - it has to give up its's current form so it can live to its design to do what God created it to do and that is to bear much fruit -

VSS25

Jesus applies it to those who are his followers - Jesus applies it to those who claim Him -

Jesus applies it to differentiate whose in this life who are merely fans - Admiring who He is and what He does from the stands - Watching what happens -

From those who are truly His - Following Him - In the Game with Him - True Devoted Followers!

Watch -

Three Characteristics -

ONE - Looing this life that we have designed and desire for ourselves -

John 12:25 “Whoever loves his life loses it, and whoever hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life.”

Jesus uses the words “Hate his life” here is what he means - Jesus is not talking about not wanting to be alive - What Jesus is refering to here is the desires of this life - Jesus is saying that if the life ou have designed for yourself has a distates to you that you realize the life you have designed for your self is worthless and unsatisfying and distasteful and your realize that the fruit bearing life I came to give you will satisfy and is priceless -

then you will keep life eternal.

SECOND Characteristic -

Serving Him means Following him - going where he goes - being where He is -

When Jesus goes to the cross His followers Pick up their cross and follow Him -

Jesus gave his life to save others - Followers do the same -

Jesus was obedient to the father -

Followers do the same!

THIRD - Characteristic

Followers serve Jesus - and are Honored by the Heavenly father -

THE GOSPEL CONNECTION - JASON UP

Loved ones know that this doesn’t not happens because we are trying to earn heaven!

It happens because God has saved us. It happens Because we hear the Gospel and God gives us the faith to surrender to the One who died so that we may live -

When Faith grabs us - When God transforms us - When the Gospel takes root in our lives -

WE then Joyfully follow - WE joyfully surrender - We joyfully Obey

LOVED ONES Obedience begins with repentance - Surrender to being obedient to the commands of Jesus - loving him, serving him, worshiping him in the way he deserves and desires to be loved served and worshiped.

The commands of Jesus begin with Surrender - an act the bible called Repentance. Repent for the kingdom of Heaven is at hand

Following that is to be baptized -

BAPTIZMS