The Beloved Disciple John
(A First-Person Sermon)
Next Sunday, the world is reminded that there was a Man – a Man like no
other man who had ever lived ... a Man Who is actually the ... God/Man Who
came to the world a little more than two millennia ago – a Man who lived a
life like no other – died a death like no other – and rose to life again, like no
other.
In our generation, there are many who try to ... cancel this Man – but no
amount of revisionism – no amount of willful unbelief and defiance will ever
succeed in the canceling the reality of Jesus and God’s metanarrative on life...
Next week, the world will be reminded yet again, that by the request of the
Jews, and the hand of the Romans – this Jesus died on a cross just outside of
Jerusalem, and that He had in fact did not remain dead!
In the words of one who once tried to rid the world of all things Christ – but
who himself was transformed by the risen Christ – said –
1 Corinthians 15:3b-4
3... Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, 4
and that He was
buried, and that He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures,
That phrase – “according to the Scriptures” is a reminder that the cross of
Jesus was in fact God’s pre-planned provision for our greatest need!
The Apostle Peter stood on the Day of Pentecost following Jesus’ resurrection
and proclaimed –
Acts 2:22-24, :32, :36
22 “Men of Israel, listen to these words: Jesus the Nazarene, a man attested to
you by God with miracles and wonders and signs which God performed
through Him in your midst, just as you yourselves know— 23 this Man,
delivered over by the predetermined plan and foreknowledge of God, you
nailed to a cross by the hands of godless men and put Him to death.
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24But God raised Him up again, putting an end to the agony of death,
since it was impossible for Him to be held in its power... 32 This Jesus God
raised up again, to which we are all witnesses... 36 Therefore let all
the house of Israel know for certain that God has made Him both Lord
and Christ—this Jesus whom you crucified.”
Over the past few years, on this Palm Sunday, we have heard from various
witnesses to these events... We heard from Barabbas, The Roman Centurian,
Pilate, Nicodemus, Peter, and now ... John.
After we pray, I will assume the character of the Apostle John and seek to
present to you a ... rather limited report of a key eyewitness to the life,
ministry, and Person of Christ...
(Let’s pray)...
My name is John... In the Bible, you read about two different men named
John. The other was The Baptizer, the last Prophet of the Old Covenant... In
fact, I heard John preach many times, and the truth is, God used him to help
prepare my heart for becoming a follower of Jesus...
I am John, the younger brother to James, the youngest of the 12 men Jesus
personally called to be His first disciples. I know I don’t look so young today,
but keep in mind – that was a long time ago... I am grateful to have grown,
and ... matured a bit since then....
I was born in Bethsaida, which is at the northern tip of the Sea of Galilee, but
later my family moved to Capernaum, which is really ... less than 10 miles
away... You may remember my father’s name – Zebedee... He owned one of
the most successful fishing business on the Sea of Galilee (Mark 1:19-20)...
James and I worked for dad since we were old enough ... to not fall out of the
boat.
The important part of my story begins when Jesus of Nazareth – not long after
He had the other John baptize Him –
Mark 1:19-20
19 Going on a little farther, He saw James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother, who were also in the boat mending the nets. 20 Immediately He called them; and they left their father Zebedee in the boat
with the hired servants, and went away to follow Him.
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– came to the shoreline when James, Dad, and I were working in one of our
boats repairing the nets after a long night of fishing... We were also in
partnership with two brothers, Peter and Andrew, and they were still in their
boats (Luke 5:1-11). Jesus had a large crowd surrounding Him, and He was
preaching ... like no one I had ever heard...
Jesus had already called Peter and Andrew to become His disciples, so we had
already heard about Jesus so when He called James and me to also become
His disciples – our lives were forever changed. We got out of our boat and
left dad and the hired men (Mark 1:20 NIV), and we became followers of Jesus as
well!... There is something about Jesus when you encounter Him, that will
change everything... Oh, I love my parents, and I truly enjoyed our family
business – but no one, and nothing ... rivals Jesus...
Like most who share their testimony of coming to follow Jesus, I really didn’t
understand in the beginning what all was awaiting me when Jesus called me to
follow Him that day... Many people don’t understand this, but when ... God
confronts you with truth – the truth of Who Jesus is – your future, your eternal
future ... changes.
In the beginning of Jesus’ ministry, He called 12 men to be His disciples.
Peter, James, and I – though I never wrote about this – became known as a
part of the “inner circle” among the disciples. As I look back upon this – it is
... humbling.
I am known as “the disciple whom Jesus loved” (John 13:23, 19:26, 20:2, 21:7, 21:20) , and
because of that reputation, many people through the centuries, including those
in your day think of me as being some kind of ... almost effeminate, pale-
skinned, mild, and a quite figure who “leaned on Jesus’ shoulder” and had big
... dove-like eyes starring at Him during the last Passover Meal we shared...
At least that is how a few medieval paintings have depicted me to be...
That kind of “portrait” is nothing like me!
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The lingering reputation of my life is being a man of love – and I am grateful
that it is – because I am the product of ... God’s great love –– but ... it wasn’t
always that way.
There was a time when James and I were best known by the nickname Jesus
gave us – “Sons of Thunder” (Mark 3:17). The truth is ... Jesus was right.
We both could be a bit ... hot-headed... What you may not realize is that –
that word; “thunder” comes from an Aramaic word meaning – “rage”... We
both could ... rage.
After following Jesus for a couple of years, Jesus wanted to travel through
Samaria – which itself had been an issue for a lot of us – and when a bunch of
Samaritans didn’t even want Jesus to travel through their town –
Luke 9:54
When His disciples James and John saw this, they said, “Lord, do You want us to command fire to come down from heaven and consume them?”
James and I asked the Lord if He would allow us to be the ones to “call fire
down from heaven” upon them! After all that we had seen Jesus accomplish,
and having known His power through us to heal and even cast out demons –
there was no doubt in my mind that if Jesus said “do it” ... it would have been
done!
Oh, there is so much to tell you... Peter, James, and I witnessed so much
more than some of the other disciples...
John 1:14
And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we saw His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth.
The most significant was when we went with Jesus up a high mountain and
we encountered the supernatural presence of Moses and Elijah, but more
importantly we witnessed ... the brilliant manifestation of the very glory of
God radiating through the very skin of Jesus as He was ... transfigured right
before our very eyes!... If there had ever been any doubt in my mind as to
Who Jesus is – it was completely eradicated that day!
With the limited time we have today, I can’t go into detail how I witnessed
Jesus restore sight to the blind, cast out demons, and how he raised people
form the dead – including our dear friend, Lazarus!...
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Jesus told Martha that day, that He is –
John 11:25
Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life; he who believes in Me will live even if he dies,
– and the person that believes in Jesus ... lives, even if he dies!...
Oh, there is so much to tell!... The fact is, if we remained here for a week, it
wouldn’t be enough time to tell you of all the things I heard Jesus say, and saw
Jesus do!... In fact, there were so many –
John 21:25
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 that would be
written.
... Why don’t we share a few centuries together in heaven one day, and I’ll
tell you more?...
What is important, is that you know what I share with you today, is not
something merely read of someone else’s experience, but of –
1 John 1:1
What was from the beginning, what we have heard, what we have seen with our eyes, what
we have looked at and touched with our hands, concerning the Word of
Life—
I have come today to share with you about the One Whose love so transforms,
and to call you to a life ... centered in that love!
Love has become a major theme in my preaching and in the letters the Lord
had me write... The longer I have known the Lord, the more important this
theme becomes...
Jesus spoke of this truth often... Not long before He was to go to the cross,
Jesus spoke to us about how love is to be preeminent in our lives – He said –
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John 15:8-10
8 My Father is glorified by this, that you bear much fruit, and so prove to be
My disciples.
9
Just as the Father has loved Me, I have also loved you; abide
in My love.
10 If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My
love; just as I have kept My Father’s commandments and abide in His love.
You would think that such a command would be ... easy to obey... Many
people think that love is limited to just positive emotions one has toward
another... That limited view of love is what the world thinks love is all about
... You need to understand that such an inadequate, shallow understanding of
love is really a false and pernicious lie that Satan wants you to believe and
pursue... There is not enough time today for me to elaborate on the dangers
of the deceiver and you need to be guarded against all the false claims of the
many antichrists that are out there in the world!
(1 John 2:18, 26, 3:7, 4:1-7)
Satan would love nothing more than to deceive you into ... watering down
Jesus’ commands into nothing more than ... an endorsement of the sinful
practices people are determined to cling to...
That kind of life ... is not love...
In fact, there are those who have so ... purposefully twisted God’s Word to try
and ... affirm their own sin – that they have actually accused Jesus’ love for
me, and mine for Him as being so sort of a ... “Christianized Hedonism”...
Be careful...
What you may not realize is that there are three distinct words in my day to
convey the idea of love...
Eros is a “romantic love”. It is a love of ... attraction... Now, you won’t
find this word used in the Bible, though God does give (1 Cor. 7:5; Heb. 13:4) you
clear truth on a Christian’s understanding and attitude should be about it!
Agape is a ... other-centered love – it is “looking out for somebody else”,
even if you don’t like them very much... This is the supreme level of love.
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This is the love that is demonstrated by God. It comes from God. It is a
part of God!... God’s love is the reason He sent His Son, Jesus to the
world! As Jesus told Nicodemus that night –
John 3:16
For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that
whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.
Again, the world doesn’t know much about this kind of love, but it is truly
from God... The NT is filled with this love... This is the kind of love that
should characterize our very lives!
1 John 4:7-11
7Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God; and everyone who
loves is born of God and knows God. 8 The one who does not love does not
know God, for God is love.
9By this the love of God was manifested in
us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world so that we might
live through Him.
10 In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He
loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins.
11 Beloved, if
God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.
There is a third word for love, and this too ... is special...
Phileo is a “brotherly love”, an affection for family, close friends ... pals...
This is the love Jesus and I had for each other. We enjoyed being in each
other’s company... We are great friends!... The LORD knows how to be
... a friend – a true friend!
It is this friendship that compelled me to stay near to Jesus even in His
crucifixion... All the others ... ran, and watched at a distance – but I simply
... could not... Jesus is my Lord – but He is also ... my friend.
When Jesus was nailed and raised upon the cross ... a scene I will never forget
... He was so “other-focused”...
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Jesus’ mother and I were standing there looking up at Jesus... Others were
there too, but there was a moment ... that was ... personal.
John 19:26-27
26 When Jesus then saw His mother, and the disciple whom He loved standing nearby, He said to His mother, “Woman, behold, your son!”
27Then He said to the disciple, “Behold, your mother!” From that
hour the disciple took her into his own household.
I was deeply honored that Jesus ... even while nailed to the cross, would be so
... loving (agape love) – that He was concerned about the care of His mom...
Jesus looked down from the cross and said to His mom to look to me as being
her son, and He told me to look at Mary as my own mother from then on...
You may find it a bit strange that Jesus would have me to care for His mom,
and not His Own blood-brother, James... Jesus knew that James would not
outlive his mother, and that he would be murdered by being thrown off a high
place on the Temple Mounti ...
It was my honor to bring Mary into my home from that day forward, and care
for her for the rest of her life...
... There is so much to tell ... too much for what little time we have today...
Let me rush forward and share with you how it is that I came to be ... the last
man standing – that is – the last of the first 12 disciples...
You know of course that Judas was no true disciple... That’s a whole
different story, and you may hear from him someday, but the fact remains that
he was the one who ... betrayed Jesus to the Jews that lead to Him being
crucified...
Immediately following that ... long night and day – the day of Jesus’
crucifixion – everything changed!... For the first couple of days, we were all
doing our best to avoid the Jews!... They were determined to ... (to use your
vernacular) – they were determined to cancel everything about Jesus!
But... early on the first day of the week –
My mom, Jesus’ mom, and Mary Magdalene came to the tomb where Jesus’
body was laid...
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John 20:1
Now on the first day of the week Mary Magdalene came early to the tomb, while it was still dark, and saw the stone already taken away from the tomb.
They wanted the guard to allow them to anoint Jesus’ body since they didn’t
have the opportunity to do so before He was entombed...
When she saw that the stone had already been rolled away from the door –
John 20:28
So she ran and came to Simon Peter and to the other disciple whom Jesus loved, and said to them, “They have taken away the Lord out of the tomb, and we do not know where they have laid Him.”
– she ran to come and tell Peter and me that she thought Jesus’ body had been
stolen!
John 20:3-4
3 So Peter and the other disciple went forth, and they were going to the tomb.
4 The two were running together; and the other disciple ran ahead faster than Peter and came to the tomb first;
So, Peter and I took off! We ran as fast as we could to the tomb! Peter is
older ... and slower – so I ran past him and got to the tomb first!...
John 20:5
and stooping and looking in, he saw the linen wrappings lying there; but he did not go in.
But, when I got there ... I just couldn’t bring myself to ... rush in – but Peter
could!
John 20:6-7
6 And so Simon Peter also came, following him, and entered the tomb; and he saw the linen wrappings lying there,
7
and the face-cloth which had been on His head, not lying with the linen wrappings, but
rolled up in a place by itself.
When Peter arrived, he went right in!... He saw the burial linens lying there
... empty! The cloth that covered Jesus’ face was over to the side by itself –
folded ... as if with care someone took it off ... folded it and laid it down...
John 20:8
So the other disciple who had first come to the tomb then also entered, and he saw and believed.
So, I followed Peter right in!... when I saw all that Peter saw ... I was there in
that very moment – convinced that Jesus’ body had not been stolen! It has
been RAISED!... His words came rushing back!
John 11:25a
Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life...
“I AM the resurrection and the life”!!!
Yes, Jesus has risen, and because He has all power to not only raise others –
He can raise Himself!... Not only is Jesus the resurrection and the life –
He IS –
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Revelation 1:8
“I am the Alpha and the Omega,” says the Lord God, “who is and who was and who is to
come, the Almighty.”!!!
When you come to know the Alpha and Omega – you begin an eternal long
relationship with the Almighty – Who will be ever maturing you and making
you more like Jesus!...
As time has gone by, I have come to appreciate the truth that all Christians are
at various points in their maturity in Christ...
We all start out as –
1 John 3:1
See how great a love the Father has bestowed on us, that we would be called children of God; and such we are. For this reason the world does not know us, because it did not know Him.
– children of God!... And that is a wonderful truth!... We are God’s children!
He is God, and worthy of all honor and worship, but He has brought us into a
relationship, whereby we are ... children of God!... There is no status in life
that compares! Though we never truly “outgrow” this status, it is important to
... grow up!
All of us are at different points in our ... spiritual maturity...
Some are little children who have recently come to know Christ, and are yet in
the early stages of their growth in Christ... Little children –
1 John 2:1
My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. And if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous;
– you need to be reminded that you are to pursue a life in righteousness, not
sin! And yet, when you do sin, you need to ... run to Jesus – Who Alone can
forgive and cleanse you and set you on the right path again...
Some are young men who are
1 John 2:14b
... I have written to you, young men, because you are strong, and the word of God abides in you, and you have overcome the evil one.
– strong and growing, as you grow in your appetite for God’s Word and in the
consistent victories you are having over the world, your flesh, and the devil!...
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Some are fathers ... and mothers
1 John 2:13a, :14a
I am writing to you, fathers, because you know Him who has been from the beginning...
– who began as babes in Christ yourself. You have matured and grown in
your relationship with Christ, and are now ... shining examples of what it
looks like for one to have known, loved, and followed Jesus ... since the
beginning!
... As time has gone by for me, I’ve experienced a great deal of joy because of
Jesus. He makes all of life ... meaningful – purposeful – and fruitful... Keep
maturing in Him!...
Life is not going to always be ... like you think it might be... In your day,
there are a few loud voices that are trying to convince you that you can “have
your best life now” – as if this world and all its goods are for you to grab and
claim!... No. Jesus said –
John 12:25
He who loves his life loses it, and he who hates his life in this world will
keep it to life eternal.
This world cannot provide your value and purpose – that is found only in a
right relationship with Jesus!
So, what do you do when you are facing trials, troubles, and tribulation?...
Jesus said –
John 16:33
These things I have spoken to you, so that in Me you may have peace. In the
world you have tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world.”
Jesus is right – such trouble has indeed come to this world!...
King Agrippa scattered Christians by intensifying persecution upon us... Over
the next few decades, all of the original Apostles – including the Apostle Paul,
were martyred for their faithfulness to Christ and His Word!... The Lord sent
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me to Ephesus where He used me in that church, and gave me the privilege to
write a Gospel account, and the three letters that have been circulated among
the churches... Decades later, when the Emperor of Rome, Domitianus came
to power, he had me sent to the prison mines on the island of Patmos...
It was there that the Lord gave me the vision of the Apocalypse – which is
now the book of Revelation!...
Revelation 1:9
I, John, your brother and fellow partaker in the tribulation and kingdom and perseverance which are in Jesus, was on the island called Patmos because of the word of God and the testimony of Jesus.
I realize that in your day, there a many Christians who are ... depriving
themselves of the truth God has revealed in His Word... I know this is true
concerning the book of Revelation, but I think it is also true in regard to ... all
66 books!...
Listen, if that is you – you are depriving yourself of the very truths that not
only protect and sustain you – but that which also gives you purpose and
meaning! Jesus is the One Who gives life to you in this life – and will one
day return just as He left!... He said –
Revelation 22:12-13
12 “Behold, I am coming quickly, and My reward is with Me, to render to
every man according to what he has done. 13 I am the Alpha and the
Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end.”
All I can say at this point is – MARANATHA!
Revelation 22:20c-21
20... Amen. Come, Lord Jesus.
21 The grace of the Lord Jesus be with all. Amen.
----
So... today you have heard a message from the Apostle John... I pray that
more importantly, you have had the ear to hear what the Spirit of God has
been saying to your heart!... What truths have you heard, that you need to
respond to and apply today?...
Let’s pray...
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Questions to Consider in Community Group:
➢ What is the Apostle John known for? (youngest, the Apostle of love, one of the sons of
thunder, etc.)
➢ Just what does it mean that John is the “disciple whom Jesus loved”? Why
is that phrase important?
➢ Just what does it mean to be a “child of God” – what makes that
terminology so important?
➢ Why, do you suppose, Jesus commissioned John to care for His mother, and
not one of His brothers?
➢ Spiritually speaking, what is the difference between children, young men,
and fathers / (mothers)?
➢ What are some of the things The Lord spoke to you about in this message –
as in “he who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches”
(Rev. 2:7, et al)?
