Sermon Tone Analysis

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Intro & overview

!!! John: The Maverick Gospel

Intro.

It was the 1987 AFC championship game.

The Broncos, led by quarterback John Elway, were in Cleveland, trailing the Browns 20-13 with 5:32 left to play.

Surrounded by 80,000 screaming, bone-throwing fans in Cleveland’s “Dawg Pound,” the Broncos were pinned down on their own 2 yard line, 98 muddy yards away from a chance to tie the game.

They had not been able to generate much offense all day, and now, after fumbling the kickoff return, the Broncos huddled in their own endzone.

Things looked grim.

Then one of the offensive linemen, Keith Bishop, said, “Well, we’ve got ’em right where we want ‘em.”  (I don’t know if the Browns saw them laugh or not)

            Bishop’s timing and his words couldn’t have been better.

The grimness broke up in laughter.

Elway went on to engineer what Bronco fans now know simply as “The Drive”, capped by a tying touchdown pass to Mark Jackson with 37 seconds left.

Then Elway led the Broncos to a winning field goal in overtime.

Ancient Hebrew wisdom said,

*“Like apples of gold in settings of silver Is a word spoken in right circumstances.”*

Proverbs 25:11

            Begin a series (next several months) in the maverick gospel;  the gospel of John

            The Apostle John remembered Christ's life much like the words of Keith Bishop.

He sweeps over vast territory (1-12) and then allows us to listen to the whispers of a few intimate moments with His disciples.

He replays the feelings and the words of those next few hours in the detail of 5 chapters (13-17).

Only in John’s gospel is recorded that Jesus washed His disciples’ feet, the lengthy discourse of Jesus on the Holy Spirit.

John moves slowly.

Recounting the thoughts, replaying the actions, reliving those last moments.

In the first twelve chapters he surveys pre-incarnate eternity past.

With profound insight he writes the amazing words, *“In the beginning was the Word… the Word became flesh and dwelt among us and we beheld His glory, full of grace and truth.”*

Only John walks us through intimate personal moments of the wedding at Cana; Jesus’ night time encounter with Nicodemus; the conversation with the woman of Samaria, the raising of Lazarus.

(These are not in the other gospels.)

John (looking back on what he witnessed) wants us to feel the wisdom of this Jesus who was the Christ.

John is not a good pluralist.

He wants us to believe.

He lets us know that the most important thing in life is that we believe in Jesus, the Christ.

/(Introductory material)/

Author

Technically, all of the gospels are anonymous.

By a process of elimination, there is little question that the author is John, the brother of James, the son of Zebedee, the fisherman from the northern shores of Sea of Galilee, the "son of thunder" whose natural tendencies were overcome  by the love of Jesus to where he was recognized as "the Apostle of love".

That theme of love comes through his writings.

He wanted only to be known as,   “The disciple whom Jesus loved”.

Why did John write this gospel?

John's gospel was the last to be written (around AD 90).

The "synoptics" were already written.

They were patterned with a common source between them.

The similarities and parallels are clear.

John's gospel came last.

It is a maverick gospel, running free in admiration for the Savior.

Matthew, Mark and Luke each had a distinct theological perspective that they sought to convey.

So did John.

He crafts his own literary structure to convey his message.

The gospel became the literary vehicle.

He could have done as he did in the letters; use the strength of logic and exhortation.

But, he chose to write a gospel.

The genre of gospels literature has no precedent or parallel in secular writings.

It is not a biography although it contains biographical information.

It is not historical narrative, although it is historical.

It is the maverick literature of the gospel.

The human authors were redactors.

They chose from a wealth of material available.

*“And there are also many other things which Jesus did, which if they were written in detail, I suppose that even the world itself would not contain the books which were written.”

*(Jn.

21:25)   The things John selected are significant.

The words and works that he chose to leave out are also significant.

You and I are the recipients of 20 centuries of man’s thoughts about these gospels.

There are more commentaries on John than any of the other gospels.

These four, Matthew, Mark, Luke and John did not think that the words and works of Jesus needed the help of commentary or explanation.

With evidence of inspiration, these 4 evangelists did not want you or me to get bogged down interacting with them on a human level.

Their argument.

Their logic.

But rather, they merely let the words and works of Jesus stand.

Those who read it, who engage it, who involve themselves with the text will either believe that Jesus is Lord, or they will walk away hardened in unbelief.

But, it is Jesus, the Christ with whom you will have dealt.

Jesus the Word became flesh.

Jesus, the living word of God.

Historical tradition says that John moved to Ephesus in 66AD and pastored the church at Ephesus.

It is likely that he did his writing from there.

The gospel, I, II, III John, and The book of the Revelation.

Strong tradition has it that his bones are buried there in Ephesus alongside his mother.

John tells us his purpose in writing this gospel.

*"Many other signs therefore Jesus also performed in the presence of His disciples, which are not written in this book; but these have been written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing you may have life in His name."*

John 20:30,31

These three words: *signs, believe, & life,* provide organization of the fourth gospel.

·In the *signs* appear the revelation of God.

·In *belief*, the reaction that the signs ought to evoke.

·In *life*, we have the result that belief brings.

Signs

*"Many other /signs/ therefore Jesus also performed in the presence of His disciples, which are not written in this book; but these have been written…”*

It has been estimated that if all the words from the lips of Jesus cited in Matthew, Mark, and Luke were read aloud, the amount of time taken would be only about three hours.

Since the ministry of Jesus lasted about three years, a three-hour sample is a small amount.

*Overview of the movement in the drama of salvation:*

Prologue                                                1:1-18

The period of consideration               1:19-4:54                 Book of signs 1-11

The period of controversy                 5:1-6:71~*

The period of conflict                          7:1-11:53

The period of crisis                              11:54-12:36a

The period of conference                   12:36b-17:26                          Book of glory 12-21

The period of consummation             18:1-20:31

Epilogue                                                21:1-25

 

~*Jesus’ seven “I Am’s” in the Gospel of John

1.         “I am the Bread of Life” (6:35) (after he feeds the multitude)

2.         “I am the Light of the world” (8:12)(at the illumination of the temple)

3.         “I am the Gate for the sheep (10:7,9) (in the good shepherd    discourses