The Book of John - Introduction 2

Introduction - Last week we looked at the Apostle John Himself. This week we will continue the introduction to the book of John by surveying the book itself.

Let’s begin by reading John 20:30-31 “And many other signs truly did Jesus in the presence of his disciples, which are not written in this book: But these are written, that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye might have life through his name.”

Let’s pray.

I asked you to think about John’s life and particularly about his latter years.

John Philips said this, “John had known all the apostles, all the disciples, all the early members of the church. He was a charter member, now the last one left. He had seen the church grow from 120 to over 3,000 in a single day. He had seen it take root and spread, until now, near the end of the first century, its branches were reaching all the world. No living man knew that story better than he.”

“All kinds of false teachings were either flourishing already or soon would flourish. Soon they would have names attached to them and they would be written into church history books:

— Apollinarianism: the word became “flesh,” not a body or its like;

—Gnosticism: the Lord only assumed the appearance for a time of something that was really quite alien to himself: at his baptism the divine Logos was united with the man Jesus

— Eutychianism: if humanity of the Lord had any real existence at all, it was because the result of the incarnation was a third nature;

— Nestorianism: the Lord had both a divine personality and a human one, and all aspects of his life must be referred to one or the other of them;

— Ebionism: the Holy Spirit was imparted to Christ at his baptism.”

All of these ‘heresies’ concerning Christ fail to appropriately say that Jesus Christ is fully God and fully man.

In truth, these heresies spring up out of desire to try to grasp who Christ is but skew what the Bible has to say about the Lord Jesus Christ.

No doubt the enemy of our souls has part in this, as he always has in trying to confuse the truth.

John the Apostle presents the truth concerning the Lord Jesus Christ, that He is fully God and fully man.

We believe that the Scriptures teach the hypostatic union of the Lord Jesus Christ.

“The unity of Christ is the doctrine that Jesus, although he possesses two distinct and complete natures—he is simultaneously fully God and fully man—is nevertheless one integral person, God the Son incarnate.

The incarnation of the person of the eternal Son as Jesus Christ is one of the great mysteries of the Christian faith. This personal incarnation, in which “the Word became flesh” (John 1:14), is often referred to as the “hypostatic union” (after the Greek word hypostasis, which came to function in the patristic era as a technical term for a “person”).”

“Hypostatic Union - The hypostatic union may be defined as “the second person, the preincarnate Christ came and took to Himself a human nature and remains forever undiminished Deity and true humanity united in one person forever… The result of the union of the two nature is the theanthropic Person (the God-man).”

- Charles Ryrie

As we have discovered, John the Apostle is very unique.

The book of John likewise is very unique.

The book of John is 21 chapters in length.

28 - Matthew

16 - Mark

24 - Luke

As we look at these other Gospel records we discover that the book of John is average in size.

What makes the Gospel record of John significantly different is not its size, but its content.

Matthew, Mark and Luke are what have been termed the synoptic Gospel records.

This means “similar” “optics.”

These Gospel records (Matthew, Mark and Luke) overlap much concerning the life, ministry, death, burial and resurrection of Christ.

Each of these records are significant. God has given to us the exact revelation we need of His Son in these records.

J. Sidlow Baxter said this concerning the differing Gospel records:

In Matthew, we have impressionist groupings.

These impressionists groupings speak to the main highlights of the Lord’s work and tie Him unequivocally to the Old Testament Scriptures.

In Mark, a rapid succession of camera-shots.

Mark gives us alot of action. It catalogs the Lord’s movements and shows his constant engagement with man.

In Luke, a beautifully unfolding story.

This story is full of details and shows the Lord Jesus Christ as the perfect man.

In John, everything subserves the developing of certain recurrent ideas or spiritual truths.

Because of this, as we study this book we do need to be as concerned with a rigid timeline, but rather the spiritual truths that God has given us.

What are these certain spiritual truths?

Of course, we spoke earlier of the Christiological teachings concerning the Lord Jesus Christ.

I believe we will discover the answer as we look at this explanatory verse in the book of John found in John chapter 20.

John 20:30-31 “30 And many other signs truly did Jesus in the presence of his disciples, which are not written in this book: 31 But these are written, that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye might have life through his name.”

We see these three words in this verse, that give us great insight to the main thrusts of the book of John.

The first of these three terms is:

Signs -These ‘signs’ are often translated in this book of the Bible by the word ‘miracle.’

“The ‘signs’ refer to miracles with a special background significance. That is, they were given to reveal something about the person of Christ.” - R. Hester

The "Signs” penned by John:

Turning the water into wine (2:2-11)

Healing nobleman’s son (4:46-54)

Healing the impotent man (5:1-15)

Feeding the five thousand (6:1-14)

Walking on water (6:16-21)

Healing the blind man (9:1-41)

Raising Lazarus from the dead (11:1-44)

Providing the catch of fish after the resurrection. (21:6-11)*

The resurrection of Jesus Christ*

*You will see in different lists that some exclude these last two from the previous seven mentioned.

The Bible tells us of the counterfeit one who will seek to destroy in the last days. He is referred to as the Wicked. He will mimic by the power Satan lying signs and wonders.

In II Thessalonians 2:8-9 we find these words, “8 And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming: 9 Even him, whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders,”

And so, as we think about the Lord Jesus Christ in this wonderful Gospel record revealing to us God the Father, we understand that the enemy of our souls will one day try to subvert and mimic God by signs and lying wonders but will be destroyed by the One True Living God, the Lord Jesus Christ.

The second of these words I would like us to consider in this verse is the word ‘believe.’

Believe - Is used in this book of the Bible means to be persuaded. (The word translated as ‘believe’ — pisteuō nπιστεύω - is used 86 times in this Gospel record.)

There is so much confusion in this world concerning who Jesus Christ is.

That all-important question must be answered individually, “What think ye of Christ?”

And the best way to combat error is truth. This Gospel record presents truth concerning the Lord Jesus Christ.

The Holy Spirit of God had John pen this Gospel record that many would come to Christ through belief. (faith, trust)

The Bible tells us that God “....will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth.” I Timothy 2:4

This does not mean that all men will be saved, but simply God’s will is that all men would be saved.

We understand from II Peter 3:9 “9 The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.”

The book of Acts declares that men must repent and receive Jesus Christ as their Savior.

“Testifying both to the Jews, and also to the Greeks, repentance toward God, and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ.” Acts 20:21

It is evident that the Gospel is intended for all men.

In addition, we who are His children would be strengthened or we might say increased in faith.

I am reminded of the father’s cry whose child was possessed, He exclaimed Mark 9:24, “I believe; help thou mine unbelief.”

All of us need to have our faith strengthened.

I can identify with this father, I believe, help thou my unbelief.

In this matter of correct belief concerning the Lord Jesus Christ, we have many I AM statements.

The I AM statements found in this Gospel record declare to us the deity of Jesus Christ; revealing God to us. (Exodus 3:14)

He is the ‘express image of His person.’

Hebrews chapter 1:3 tells us that our Lord Jesus Christ is “... the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high;”

Those statements have such great significance for us:

I AM the bread of life. (6:35)

I AM the light of the world.(8:12; 9:5)

I AM the door. (10:7)

I AM the good shepherd. (10:11, 14)

I AM the resurrection and the life. (11:25)

I AM the way, the truth, and the life. (14:6)

I AM the true vine. (15:1)

This last of these words from this verse I would like us to consider also is the word ‘life.’

Life - The Bible says, “He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life.” (I John 5:12)

Those who are lost may be puzzled by this.

They may be thinking, I have life, I woke up today. I am breathing, I have a home and family and a good job. Surely I have life.

Others may think of life as some form of worldly attainment.

We could ask the question to discover this throughout our study of this book, “What is life?”

Is life nothing more than to have physical existence at this present moment.

We asked a similar question which is also discussed in this Gospel record which is “What is truth?” (John 18:38)

I want you to think about this question and ponder it, “What is life?”

The answer to this question concerning life is so important, that Holy Spirit has given us some profound revelation concerning this word.

Let me give just a few verses to get you thinking about this word life.

The Bible tells us of the Lord Jesus Christ, “In him [Jesus Christ] was life; and the life was the light of men.” John 1:4

John 3:36 states, “He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him.”

In John 5:26 concerning the Lord Jesus Christ, “For as the Father hath life in himself; so hath he given to the Son to have life in himself;”

This wonderful declaration of Peter is found in John 6:68 “68 Then Simon Peter answered him, Lord, to whom shall we go? thou hast the words of eternal life.”

John 10:10 Jesus said to his concerning His disciples, “10 The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.”

Jesus stated this seeming paradox concerning life, John 12:25,“He that loveth his life shall lose it; and he that hateth his life in this world shall keep it unto life eternal.”

Of course we all know that most famous passage, where the Lord Jesus said these words in John 14:6 , “.... I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.”

And perhaps to sum all of this up we find again the Saviors words in John 17:3 “3 And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent.”

Really what we discover as we see this constant reference to life, and eternal life, and abundant life is this truth, that this physical existence of mine for some 70-80 years is not all that there is to life.

This that the world purports as true life or we might say, “I’m really living” is not what the Bible is presenting as real life.

But to know God; to know the God-man, to be reconciled to Him; and consequently to be in fellowship with Him; this is life.

The world presents something vastly different from this. The lost world would have you to believe that there is no God. The lost world would have you to believe that any number of temporal amusements is what will truly satisfy the soul of man.

But the Gospel record declare, “And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent.”

As we close this weeks lesson, these three key words will be presented as we go through the book of John over and over again,

Signs - miracles that have specific purpose to teach us about the Lord Jesus Christ and covey spiritual truth.

Believe - that our faith may be strengthend, we will know our wonderful Savior more and more.

Perhaps for those who have not received Jesus Christ as their Savior they “might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye might have life through his name.””

And lastly, this matter of life. What is life? What is true life? What is the life that God would have me to live? What do we mean by the phrase living the abundant life?

Next week, I will a little more introduction and most likely a outline for us as we continue our study on the book of John.