John, pt. 1

Introduction

Matthew, Mark, & Luke are known as the synoptic gospels

Synoptic: "with the same vision"

The synoptic gospels (Matthew, Mark, & Luke) especially record what Jesus said and did.

John, who wrote his gospel 20-30 years later than the others, gave special emphasis to what Jesus meant.

"Expository preaching is that mode of Christian preaching that takes as its central purpose the presentation and application of the text of the Bible... all other issues and concerns are subordinated to the central task of presenting the biblical text." -Al Mohler

Important reminders when we are studying the Bible:

1. The Bible is holy.

2. Understand the Bible in context first, then, apply it to your life.

"preach the word" (2 Timothy 4:2a, ESV)

"like so many, peddlers of God’s word" (2 Corinthians 2:17a, ESV)

"You see, we are not like the many hucksters who preach for personal profit. We preach the word of God with sincerity and with Christ’s authority, knowing that God is watching us." (2 Corinthians 2:17, NLT)

"Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly handling the word of truth." (2 Timothy 2:15, ESV)

The word "handle" infers that Timothy was to drive a straight path through the Word of God and not deviate to the left or right.

"All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness," (2 Timothy 3:16, ESV)

My goal on Sunday mornings: To faithfully teach God’s Word so that you know what it says and in a way that it can be understood.

What we know about John:

-he was an unschooled fisherman

-his favorite nickname was "the disciple whom Jesus loved"

"Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were uneducated, common men, they were astonished. And they recognized that they had been with Jesus." (Acts 4:13, ESV)

To John, the only thing special about him, was Jesus.

Is that true of us today?

What we know about John:

-John and his brother, James, were Peter’s partners in the fishing trade in Galilee

-John and James were called "sons of thunder," most likely because of their quick temper

-Because of his own transformation, John focuses on life-change in so many other people:

Nicodemus, Samaritan woman, blind man, Lazarus, Peter

-Peter, James, and John actually become Jesus’ closest friends

-We have 4 other writings from John in our New Testament

1, 2, 3 John and Revelation

"Now there are also many other things that Jesus did. Were every one of them to be written, I suppose that the world itself could not contain the books that would be written." (John 21:25, ESV)

Purpose of John’s Gospel:

"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 20:31, ESV)

Divisions of the book of John:

1. The Prologue (1:1-18)

2. Jesus’ Public Ministry (1:19-12:50)

3. Jesus Ministers to His Disciples (Chapters 13-17)

4. Jesus’ Crucifixion and Resurrection (Chapters 18-20)

5. Epilogue (Chapter 21)

Application Questions

1. Do I desire knowledge that will lead to authentic life change?

2. What evidence does my life produce that I believe and follow Jesus?

3. Do I have a personal walk with God or do I just know about Him?