1 00:00:00,040 --> 00:00:07,040 I hold in my hand a book written by Andrew Bonar. 2 00:00:08,240 --> 00:00:12,800 It is a biography of a man by the name of Robert Murray 3 00:00:12,800 --> 00:00:18,280 McShane. Over my years of living, which 4 00:00:18,280 --> 00:00:24,840 has been 67 of them almost 68, I've read many biographies. 5 00:00:26,720 --> 00:00:31,400 But there's one biography that stands head and tails above them 6 00:00:31,400 --> 00:00:40,080 all, and it's this one. It's about a man whose ministry 7 00:00:40,080 --> 00:00:50,360 spanned 6 1/2 years. He lived to be 29 years of age. 8 00:00:52,120 --> 00:00:55,280 He died 2 weeks before his 30th birthday. 9 00:00:57,000 --> 00:01:02,680 He pretty much turned Scotland upside down with the gospel. 10 00:01:05,120 --> 00:01:13,560 He pastored Dundee Church in Scotland and yet his ministry 11 00:01:13,560 --> 00:01:20,480 only spanned 6 1/2 years when he died. 12 00:01:22,960 --> 00:01:29,320 Historians tell us that 7000 people gathered as memorial. 13 00:01:31,200 --> 00:01:35,040 That was in an age where there was no television, no social 14 00:01:35,040 --> 00:01:40,840 media. Word was given by horseback or 15 00:01:40,840 --> 00:01:45,280 word of mouth to make sure others heard about what had 16 00:01:45,280 --> 00:01:48,960 taken place. So by the time he died and the 17 00:01:48,960 --> 00:01:52,640 time they gave the memorial service a few days later, 7000 18 00:01:52,640 --> 00:02:00,160 people would gather to celebrate the life of one man who turns 19 00:02:00,160 --> 00:02:04,320 Scotland upside down with the Gospel. 20 00:02:05,160 --> 00:02:10,280 In fact, it was Charles Spurgeon who said these words about Mr. 21 00:02:10,280 --> 00:02:13,960 McShane. He said, this is the This is one 22 00:02:13,960 --> 00:02:17,600 of the best and most profitable volumes ever published. 23 00:02:18,120 --> 00:02:21,720 The memoir of such a man ought to surely be in the hands of 24 00:02:21,720 --> 00:02:27,760 every Christian and certainly every preacher of the Gospel. 25 00:02:28,840 --> 00:02:33,880 The Memoirs and Remains of Robert Murray McShane by Andrew 26 00:02:34,600 --> 00:02:42,280 Bonar stands heads and tails above every other biography 27 00:02:42,280 --> 00:02:50,680 written by any other man simply because in 6 1/2 years he turned 28 00:02:50,680 --> 00:02:58,960 country upside down. I have on my desk in my office a 29 00:02:59,000 --> 00:03:05,600 quote by Mr. Mcchain, and that quote stares me in the face 30 00:03:05,920 --> 00:03:10,640 every time I open my Bible, every time I sit in my chair. 31 00:03:11,480 --> 00:03:15,360 This is the quote. In fact, I think it's the best 32 00:03:15,840 --> 00:03:21,640 quote ever given for any pastor who's ever lived. 33 00:03:22,400 --> 00:03:28,040 This is what it says. Mr. McShane is writing to a 34 00:03:28,040 --> 00:03:33,000 fellow colleague in his letter explains this. 35 00:03:33,920 --> 00:03:39,800 Do not forget the culture of the inner man, I mean of the heart. 36 00:03:41,040 --> 00:03:45,280 How diligently the cavalry officer keeps his Saber clean 37 00:03:45,280 --> 00:03:49,480 and sharp. Every stain he rubs off with the 38 00:03:49,480 --> 00:03:56,040 greatest care. Remember, you are God's sword, 39 00:03:56,760 --> 00:04:01,960 his instrument. I trust a chosen vessel unto him 40 00:04:01,960 --> 00:04:08,000 to bear his name in great measure, according to the purity 41 00:04:08,000 --> 00:04:12,520 and perfections of the instrument, will be the success. 42 00:04:13,840 --> 00:04:19,480 It is not great talents God blesses so much as great 43 00:04:19,480 --> 00:04:26,480 likeness to Jesus. A holy minister is an awful 44 00:04:26,480 --> 00:04:33,960 weapon in the hand of God. That is what characterized the 45 00:04:33,960 --> 00:04:42,600 life of Robert Murray McShane, something about a holy 46 00:04:42,600 --> 00:04:47,840 instrument being the most awful weapon in the hand of the living 47 00:04:47,840 --> 00:04:52,360 God. And it's a reminder to us as 48 00:04:52,920 --> 00:04:56,800 fathers. It's a reminder to us as 49 00:04:56,800 --> 00:05:04,160 leaders, especially a reminder to us as pastors, that as God's 50 00:05:04,160 --> 00:05:09,520 chosen vessels, you're used by God for the glory of his 51 00:05:09,520 --> 00:05:17,760 precious name. But the Memoirs and Remains of 52 00:05:17,760 --> 00:05:22,040 Robert Murray McShane is a book about one man's life. 53 00:05:22,040 --> 00:05:26,960 It's a biography. And as great as the biography 54 00:05:26,960 --> 00:05:31,120 is, there is a greater biography. 55 00:05:33,400 --> 00:05:38,600 In fact, there are 4 authors of that biography, Matthew, Mark, 56 00:05:39,200 --> 00:05:45,320 Luke and John. And yet their biography is not 57 00:05:45,320 --> 00:05:49,960 about a man necessarily who lived a great life. 58 00:05:51,680 --> 00:05:58,120 It's about the God man who gives life, the Lord Jesus Christ. 59 00:06:00,040 --> 00:06:03,360 And we are about to embark on a study of the Gospel of John, 60 00:06:04,200 --> 00:06:09,800 John's unique gospel, which by the way, 93% of John is not in 61 00:06:09,800 --> 00:06:13,520 the other three gospels. So it is unique. 62 00:06:14,600 --> 00:06:19,960 It's written 20 to 30 years after the other writers wrote 63 00:06:21,120 --> 00:06:26,960 about the Christ. But John's Gospel is so unique 64 00:06:28,760 --> 00:06:36,440 that he gives us the Christmas story in four English words, 65 00:06:36,600 --> 00:06:42,240 four Greek words. He gives us the Christmas story 66 00:06:43,720 --> 00:06:49,160 at its greatest description, and he does it without any of the 67 00:06:49,160 --> 00:06:54,600 historical figures, but with all the theological facts. 68 00:06:55,880 --> 00:06:58,880 That's what makes John's gospel so unique. 69 00:07:00,400 --> 00:07:04,520 The gospel is found in verse 14 of chapter one. 70 00:07:05,720 --> 00:07:13,280 In four words. The Word became flesh. 71 00:07:15,760 --> 00:07:21,040 That's the Christmas story. No Mary, no Joseph, no 72 00:07:21,040 --> 00:07:29,520 shepherds, no Bethlehem, no Manger, no cradle, no sheep, no 73 00:07:29,520 --> 00:07:40,920 hay, just the Word became flesh. The historical figures are are 74 00:07:40,920 --> 00:07:48,000 unique in and of themselves, but the theological facts are what 75 00:07:48,000 --> 00:07:55,640 defined for us. Christmas, the Word became flesh 76 00:07:57,560 --> 00:08:02,080 and the Word is defined in verse #1 of John's Gospel first 77 00:08:02,080 --> 00:08:10,200 chapter where it says that in the beginning was the Word and 78 00:08:10,200 --> 00:08:15,720 the Word was with God and the Word was God or literally God 79 00:08:15,720 --> 00:08:22,480 was the Word. And so you realize that that God 80 00:08:22,560 --> 00:08:28,800 became flesh. It's a summation of the Old 81 00:08:28,800 --> 00:08:33,559 Testaments theological facts about Christmas. 82 00:08:35,440 --> 00:08:39,440 But in the Old Testament it's in one word, and in the New 83 00:08:39,440 --> 00:08:44,520 Testament it's in 4 words. But the one word in the Old 84 00:08:44,520 --> 00:08:51,200 Testament is translated with four words, and that's found in 85 00:08:51,200 --> 00:09:01,760 Isaiah 7 verse #14 and that is Emmanuel, which translated means 86 00:09:01,760 --> 00:09:09,320 God is with us. So 4 words in the Old Testament, 87 00:09:09,400 --> 00:09:13,000 4 words in the New Testament give us all we need to know 88 00:09:13,080 --> 00:09:20,960 about the Christmas story and we are about to embark on the 89 00:09:20,960 --> 00:09:29,080 greatest story of the greatest man, whoever lived Jesus Christ 90 00:09:30,280 --> 00:09:37,240 our Lord. Such a unique gospel as John 91 00:09:37,240 --> 00:09:41,880 writes it. It was Martin Luther who said 92 00:09:43,200 --> 00:09:54,480 that this book is the unique and tender and genuine chief gospel. 93 00:09:55,720 --> 00:09:57,840 You see, John is more than a biography. 94 00:09:58,520 --> 00:10:01,880 John is the gospel. It's the good news. 95 00:10:03,400 --> 00:10:07,040 The gospel writers, writers give us the gospel of Jesus Christ 96 00:10:07,040 --> 00:10:11,520 our Lord. It screams nothing but good 97 00:10:11,520 --> 00:10:15,680 news. They just do it from different 98 00:10:15,680 --> 00:10:20,520 perspectives. It was William Barkley in his 99 00:10:20,520 --> 00:10:22,360 commentary on John who said this. 100 00:10:22,880 --> 00:10:26,520 For many Christian people, the Gospel According to Saint John 101 00:10:27,040 --> 00:10:29,520 is the most precious book in the New Testament. 102 00:10:30,520 --> 00:10:35,920 It is the book on which, above all, they feed their minds and 103 00:10:35,920 --> 00:10:40,400 nourish their hearts, and in which they rest their souls. 104 00:10:41,400 --> 00:10:46,480 For John has the most penetrating gaze of all the New 105 00:10:46,480 --> 00:10:51,480 Testament writers into the eternal mysteries and the 106 00:10:51,480 --> 00:10:54,880 eternal truths and the mind of God. 107 00:10:56,040 --> 00:11:03,280 Many people find themselves closer to God and Jesus Christ 108 00:11:03,720 --> 00:11:10,200 in John than in any other book in the world. 109 00:11:12,760 --> 00:11:17,160 Most of us, as new believers, began our reading in the Gospel 110 00:11:17,160 --> 00:11:21,400 of John. And that's because John's Gospel 111 00:11:21,400 --> 00:11:30,440 is written with simplicity. It's written with sublime words. 112 00:11:32,240 --> 00:11:38,440 In fact, very, very often he describes everything in no more 113 00:11:38,440 --> 00:11:41,480 than two syllables. Every once in a while he will 114 00:11:41,480 --> 00:11:45,200 embark on a three syllable word, but for the most part, it's the 115 00:11:45,240 --> 00:11:52,240 easiest gospel to read. So let me, as we introduce to 116 00:11:52,240 --> 00:11:56,360 you the Gospel of John, give you the ABC's of our introduction. 117 00:11:57,600 --> 00:12:02,280 First of all, the author, then the background, then the 118 00:12:02,280 --> 00:12:09,680 characteristics, and then your decision, the AB CS. 119 00:12:09,680 --> 00:12:15,280 By way of introduction, let's talk first of all about the 120 00:12:15,280 --> 00:12:21,160 author. John's name is not mentioned by 121 00:12:21,160 --> 00:12:23,640 him. He doesn't say that he is the 122 00:12:23,640 --> 00:12:27,960 author. He's referred to 10 different 123 00:12:27,960 --> 00:12:35,280 times in his gospel, but five times he's referred to as the 124 00:12:35,280 --> 00:12:46,480 disciple whom Jesus loved. In fact, it says over in John 13 125 00:12:48,040 --> 00:12:52,560 now they were leaning on Jesus's bosom, one of his disciples whom 126 00:12:52,880 --> 00:12:59,760 Jesus loved. That's how he refers to himself. 127 00:13:01,680 --> 00:13:03,400 And think about that with me, if you will. 128 00:13:07,720 --> 00:13:12,160 Jesus never asked John, do you love me? 129 00:13:14,160 --> 00:13:17,880 But he asked Peter, do you love me? 130 00:13:19,640 --> 00:13:22,960 But never asked John that question. 131 00:13:22,960 --> 00:13:25,160 In fact, he asked Peter that question. 132 00:13:25,320 --> 00:13:28,640 And the response was if you love me, feed my sheep. 133 00:13:28,720 --> 00:13:31,200 If you love me, tend to my lambs. 134 00:13:31,320 --> 00:13:36,600 If you love me, do this. But to John he said this John 135 00:13:37,160 --> 00:13:46,120 chapter 19, verse #26 When Jesus therefore saw his mother and the 136 00:13:46,120 --> 00:13:51,800 disciples standing by whom he loved, he saith unto his mother, 137 00:13:51,800 --> 00:13:59,040 Woman, behold your son. They looked at John and said, 138 00:14:00,560 --> 00:14:05,040 Behold your mother as Christ hung on the cross. 139 00:14:06,360 --> 00:14:11,960 As he thought about his mother. He entrusted his mother into the 140 00:14:11,960 --> 00:14:19,120 care of one man, the man who knew he was loved by the Lord 141 00:14:19,520 --> 00:14:22,960 and the man who truly loved his God. 142 00:14:24,760 --> 00:14:30,480 Historians tell us that that John cared for for Mary until 143 00:14:30,480 --> 00:14:36,160 she died. But it's interesting to note 144 00:14:38,200 --> 00:14:41,960 that even though he was known as the disciple whom Jesus loved, 145 00:14:43,360 --> 00:14:49,520 he was also known as Bornegas, a son of Thunder. 146 00:14:51,120 --> 00:14:54,160 In fact, he had a brother named James. 147 00:14:55,040 --> 00:14:57,040 They were called the Sons of Thunder. 148 00:14:58,640 --> 00:15:02,600 So even though he was the disciple whom Jesus loved, and 149 00:15:02,600 --> 00:15:05,520 even though he was the one that Jesus truly loved and entrusted 150 00:15:05,520 --> 00:15:09,560 his mother to, he was an impetuous man. 151 00:15:11,160 --> 00:15:16,840 He was a ferocious man. He was an explosive man. 152 00:15:18,040 --> 00:15:21,320 He was the one who wanted to call fire down from heaven to 153 00:15:21,320 --> 00:15:24,520 consume those who would not follow Christ or believe in 154 00:15:24,520 --> 00:15:27,400 Christ. This is the disciple whom Jesus 155 00:15:27,400 --> 00:15:32,040 loved. In fact, he says in his epistle 156 00:15:32,520 --> 00:15:38,800 in first John 3 verse #1 he says, oh, what manner of love is 157 00:15:38,800 --> 00:15:43,360 this that the Father has bestowed upon us, that we should 158 00:15:43,360 --> 00:15:49,400 be called the children of God? The word he uses this pot of 159 00:15:49,400 --> 00:15:53,280 pen, which means something that's from another world, from 160 00:15:53,280 --> 00:15:57,760 a from another, not not just another generation, but 161 00:15:57,760 --> 00:16:01,600 something that's otherworldly. What other worldly kind of love 162 00:16:01,600 --> 00:16:04,280 is this that the father would bestow upon us that we should be 163 00:16:04,280 --> 00:16:08,400 called the children of God. John was so overwhelmed with 164 00:16:08,520 --> 00:16:12,480 with God's love because he was such a ferocious man. 165 00:16:13,560 --> 00:16:16,960 He was called the son of Thunder along with the brother James. 166 00:16:18,240 --> 00:16:25,120 And yet God loved him and he recognized that and he responded 167 00:16:25,680 --> 00:16:30,720 to that in a very unique and and special way. 168 00:16:32,760 --> 00:16:37,760 And John, as he writes, first John, second John, and 3rd John, 169 00:16:40,000 --> 00:16:44,360 you'll notice the great contrast because John was somebody who 170 00:16:44,360 --> 00:16:47,280 was not a Gray man. He was a black and white man. 171 00:16:48,200 --> 00:16:53,000 Everything he wrote was in black and white, stark contrasts. 172 00:16:53,680 --> 00:16:58,200 Contrast like light versus darkness, life versus death, 173 00:16:58,920 --> 00:17:06,079 spirit versus flesh, the redeemed and the lost, the 174 00:17:06,079 --> 00:17:11,800 righteous and the unrighteous. He was a man of stark contrast. 175 00:17:12,760 --> 00:17:16,599 He didn't mince words. He made it very clear what he 176 00:17:16,599 --> 00:17:21,079 believed and what others would believe if they were true 177 00:17:21,079 --> 00:17:26,200 followers of Christ. Because he was a true follower 178 00:17:26,200 --> 00:17:29,640 of Christ. He truly loved the Lord and was 179 00:17:29,640 --> 00:17:35,680 overwhelmed that the Lord would even love him. 180 00:17:37,800 --> 00:17:42,680 I wonder if if you are in that category of people who are 181 00:17:42,680 --> 00:17:46,840 overwhelmed that God would even love you. 182 00:17:49,160 --> 00:17:52,520 The Bible says that God loves the world. 183 00:17:54,240 --> 00:17:58,720 I I don't understand that. I don't grasp that magnitude of 184 00:17:58,720 --> 00:18:03,880 love, But God's love is uniquely different than ours. 185 00:18:04,800 --> 00:18:06,800 It's infinite. Ours is finite. 186 00:18:08,360 --> 00:18:10,280 His is perfect, ours is imperfect. 187 00:18:12,240 --> 00:18:18,440 But John was able to recognize God's love for him and he 188 00:18:18,440 --> 00:18:23,160 responded in a way by helping other people know how they could 189 00:18:23,160 --> 00:18:30,960 be loved by God as well. What a a great man he was. 190 00:18:32,720 --> 00:18:37,680 At the end of his life, he was banished to the Isle of Patmos. 191 00:18:39,360 --> 00:18:44,880 He was the only one of the 12 that we know of that was not 192 00:18:44,880 --> 00:18:50,600 martyred. He died an old man, but before 193 00:18:50,600 --> 00:18:56,200 he died he was exiled to the Isle of Patmos, in which he 194 00:18:56,200 --> 00:18:59,160 would receive the great revelation of the return of 195 00:18:59,160 --> 00:19:03,440 Christ. His writing was somewhere around 196 00:19:03,440 --> 00:19:09,360 95 or 96 AD, which is very important to understand because 197 00:19:10,640 --> 00:19:15,960 he was exiled under the reign of Domitian and Domitian reign from 198 00:19:16,920 --> 00:19:25,280 88 AD to 98 AD and he was exiled to that island was able to 199 00:19:25,280 --> 00:19:29,280 receive the glorious vision of the return of Christ in the Book 200 00:19:29,280 --> 00:19:33,400 of Revelation. Explains all you need to know 201 00:19:33,400 --> 00:19:36,680 about the return of Jesus Christ our Lord. 202 00:19:38,720 --> 00:19:43,840 But that's the author. How about some background 203 00:19:44,520 --> 00:19:52,440 concerning the Gospel of John? John does it differently than 204 00:19:52,440 --> 00:19:59,720 Matthew, Mark, and Luke. They they, they write as if they 205 00:19:59,720 --> 00:20:04,000 have a videographer with them and they're videotaping as they 206 00:20:04,000 --> 00:20:06,400 move along through the life of Christ. 207 00:20:08,600 --> 00:20:13,240 But John is more a snapshot kind of guy. 208 00:20:14,840 --> 00:20:18,480 He gives you snapshot of this, then a snapshot of that, a 209 00:20:18,480 --> 00:20:20,720 snapshot of this, then a snapshot of that. 210 00:20:21,040 --> 00:20:24,440 He doesn't do it necessarily in a chronological order, but in a 211 00:20:24,440 --> 00:20:27,840 very systematic kind of way to prove his point. 212 00:20:30,080 --> 00:20:32,640 In fact there are 4 gospels, Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. 213 00:20:34,280 --> 00:20:38,600 Matthew, Mark, and Luke are called the Synoptic Gospels, but 214 00:20:38,600 --> 00:20:43,640 each of them has an emphasis and I think you need to grasp this 215 00:20:44,280 --> 00:20:54,040 because each gospel is an elongated version of one verse 216 00:20:54,720 --> 00:20:57,560 of the Old Testament. Let me explain it to you. 217 00:20:59,360 --> 00:21:07,440 The book of Matthew is all about the royalty of the Messiah. 218 00:21:08,400 --> 00:21:15,800 The King has come. So Matthew writes about the king 219 00:21:15,800 --> 00:21:20,160 and his Kingdom and all of his royalty. 220 00:21:21,040 --> 00:21:27,200 And in Matthew's Gospel you have a genealogy that traces the 221 00:21:27,200 --> 00:21:35,520 lineage of Christ back to David so that you will know that he is 222 00:21:35,520 --> 00:21:40,880 the rightful heir to the throne, that he is the son of David. 223 00:21:41,080 --> 00:21:46,040 He is the king of Israel, very unique. 224 00:21:47,160 --> 00:21:51,880 The Gospel of Matthew and you can write in in gold letters 225 00:21:51,880 --> 00:21:55,320 across the top of the book of Matthew. 226 00:21:56,040 --> 00:22:05,200 Behold your king phrase taken from Zechariah 9 verse #9 So one 227 00:22:05,200 --> 00:22:10,720 verse Zechariah 99, Behold your king is unfolded for you in the 228 00:22:10,720 --> 00:22:16,120 Gospel of Matthew. You come to the book of Mark, 229 00:22:17,480 --> 00:22:21,120 Mark's Gospel. So while Matthew emphasizes his 230 00:22:21,120 --> 00:22:29,000 royalty, Mark emphasizes his humility because he emphasizes 231 00:22:29,000 --> 00:22:33,160 the servanthood of the Messiah. So when you read the Gospel of 232 00:22:33,160 --> 00:22:36,920 Mark, you have one keyword that is spread all throughout the 233 00:22:36,920 --> 00:22:43,560 gospel, and it's the word immediately because servants act 234 00:22:43,760 --> 00:22:49,360 immediately when it comes to accomplishing their task. 235 00:22:50,720 --> 00:22:56,440 And Mark's gospel has a unique emphasis on the hands, arms, and 236 00:22:56,440 --> 00:23:00,920 feet of the Messiah because it's the hands and the feet and the 237 00:23:00,920 --> 00:23:03,840 arms of the servant that do all the work. 238 00:23:06,240 --> 00:23:11,040 And so you can write across the Gospel of Mark these words. 239 00:23:12,040 --> 00:23:22,520 Behold, my servant, Isaiah 42 verse #1 So Zechariah 99 is 240 00:23:22,520 --> 00:23:28,400 unfolded in the Gospel of Matthew, and Isaiah 42 verse #1 241 00:23:28,600 --> 00:23:30,880 is unfolded in the Gospel of Mark. 242 00:23:31,560 --> 00:23:34,400 You with me so far, you taking good notes. 243 00:23:35,080 --> 00:23:38,240 I hope so, because you'll be quizzed on this before you leave 244 00:23:38,240 --> 00:23:40,360 today. I'm just kidding you. 245 00:23:41,880 --> 00:23:43,920 Then you come to the Gospel of Luke. 246 00:23:44,880 --> 00:23:48,400 Oh, by the way, Mark has no genealogy in it. 247 00:23:49,320 --> 00:23:51,920 Why? Because nobody cares about where 248 00:23:51,920 --> 00:23:55,360 a servant's from. That's important to understand 249 00:23:56,840 --> 00:23:57,920 that. Then you come to the Gospel of 250 00:23:57,920 --> 00:24:02,640 Luke. Luke is all about the humanity 251 00:24:02,640 --> 00:24:10,560 of Christ, and Luke has a genealogy, but the genealogy 252 00:24:11,560 --> 00:24:17,280 that Luke gives goes all the way back to Adam to prove the 253 00:24:17,280 --> 00:24:22,600 humanity of the Messiah. He is the Son of man. 254 00:24:24,360 --> 00:24:28,200 And so you can write in gold across the top of the Gospel of 255 00:24:28,200 --> 00:24:33,200 Luke. Zechariah chapter 6 verse #12 256 00:24:33,840 --> 00:24:42,320 Behold a man. So Zechariah 6 verse #12 is 257 00:24:42,320 --> 00:24:48,200 unfolded in Luke's Gospel. Then you recognize that Isaiah 258 00:24:48,200 --> 00:24:51,840 chapter 42 verse #1 is unfolded in Luke's and Mark's Gospel. 259 00:24:53,400 --> 00:24:58,600 Zechariah 99 is unfolded in Matthew's Gospel. 260 00:25:00,720 --> 00:25:06,320 Then you come to the Gospel of John, and John's emphasis is on 261 00:25:06,320 --> 00:25:11,280 the deity of Christ. See if Matthew on his royalty, 262 00:25:12,760 --> 00:25:16,800 Luke, excuse me, Mark on his humility, Luke on his humanity, 263 00:25:18,800 --> 00:25:26,560 and John on his deity, the Son of the living God. 264 00:25:28,320 --> 00:25:31,360 And there you're right across the top of the Gospel of Luke, 265 00:25:31,960 --> 00:25:39,600 Isaiah chapter 35 verse #4 which says, behold your God. 266 00:25:40,760 --> 00:25:44,000 See that? So one verse in the Old 267 00:25:44,000 --> 00:25:50,560 Testament is magnified in each of the Gospels in a very 268 00:25:50,560 --> 00:25:57,000 specific and strategic way by the Spirit of God, All of us 269 00:25:57,000 --> 00:26:00,600 inspired by God. But but Matthew's going to 270 00:26:00,600 --> 00:26:06,400 unfold his kingship and Mark's going to unfold his, his 271 00:26:06,400 --> 00:26:11,960 humiliation as a servant. And Luke's going to show us that 272 00:26:11,960 --> 00:26:18,520 he's the, he's the Son of man, his humanity, humanity that 273 00:26:18,520 --> 00:26:24,000 wraps around deity. And then when you come to the 274 00:26:24,000 --> 00:26:28,640 Gospel of John, it's all about the Son of God. 275 00:26:29,600 --> 00:26:38,440 He is the Word that became flesh and dwelt among us. 276 00:26:39,960 --> 00:26:43,640 What an incredible understanding of how the Old Testament 277 00:26:45,040 --> 00:26:48,120 introduces to us the New Testament. 278 00:26:49,720 --> 00:26:54,320 Now the New Testament is able to fulfill all that was spoken in 279 00:26:54,320 --> 00:26:58,560 the Old Testament to show us the continuity of the Spirit of God 280 00:26:58,800 --> 00:27:03,360 as He begins to show us the beauty of all that's there. 281 00:27:05,760 --> 00:27:08,640 Now, John's gospel does not contain certain elements. 282 00:27:10,040 --> 00:27:13,680 John's gospel does not contain the birth of Christ. 283 00:27:15,360 --> 00:27:17,640 It doesn't contain the baptism of Christ. 284 00:27:20,080 --> 00:27:23,040 It doesn't contain the temptations of Christ. 285 00:27:24,600 --> 00:27:28,600 It doesn't contain the ascension of Christ. 286 00:27:30,280 --> 00:27:37,760 In fact, it it doesn't contain the Lord's Supper, it doesn't 287 00:27:37,760 --> 00:27:49,320 contain Gethsemane. In fact, John's Gospel has no 288 00:27:49,320 --> 00:27:52,320 parables in it. None. 289 00:27:53,560 --> 00:27:58,680 Interesting to note that John would not discuss any of the 290 00:27:58,680 --> 00:28:09,520 parables of our Lord. You also realize that in John's 291 00:28:09,520 --> 00:28:16,880 Gospel of the miracles he chooses, not one miracle deals 292 00:28:18,560 --> 00:28:23,240 with demonic activity in casting out demons. 293 00:28:24,160 --> 00:28:30,120 Not one. But John does tell us about the 294 00:28:30,120 --> 00:28:34,240 first miracle, the wedding at Cana of Galilee. 295 00:28:35,360 --> 00:28:40,520 The other gospels do not. He talks to us about the 296 00:28:40,520 --> 00:28:43,480 narrative with Nicodemus about what it means to be born again. 297 00:28:44,880 --> 00:28:50,240 The other gospels do not. He incorporates that the the 298 00:28:50,240 --> 00:28:55,800 woman at the well and the conversation he has with her The 299 00:28:56,040 --> 00:29:06,640 the other gospels do not. In fact he includes the raising 300 00:29:06,640 --> 00:29:10,920 of Lazarus, what's the other gospels do not. 301 00:29:12,480 --> 00:29:21,680 He also includes the washing of the disciples feet, What's the 302 00:29:21,680 --> 00:29:27,360 other gospels do not? And he incorporates in his book 303 00:29:28,440 --> 00:29:33,560 all that took place on the eve before the crucifixion when it 304 00:29:33,560 --> 00:29:38,720 came to discussing the ultimate comforter that would come the 305 00:29:38,720 --> 00:29:42,440 Holy Spirit. The other gospels do not. 306 00:29:44,320 --> 00:29:47,120 And then of course, he records the High priestly prayer of 307 00:29:47,120 --> 00:29:54,120 Christ, which the other disciples or other apostles do 308 00:29:54,120 --> 00:29:57,320 not. So there's a lot of uniqueness 309 00:29:57,320 --> 00:30:02,920 to John's Gospel that sets it apart from the synoptic Gospels, 310 00:30:03,080 --> 00:30:10,200 Matthew, Mark, and Luke. For John's emphasis is proving 311 00:30:10,200 --> 00:30:15,840 the deity of Christ, that Jesus is the Son of God. 312 00:30:18,360 --> 00:30:21,400 So when the the Mormons come to your door and they say that 313 00:30:21,400 --> 00:30:27,000 Jesus is a brother of Lucifer, you say, no, he's not, he's the 314 00:30:27,000 --> 00:30:31,200 Son of God. When the Jehovah's Witnesses 315 00:30:31,200 --> 00:30:34,200 come to your door and they say that that Jesus is the, the, 316 00:30:34,560 --> 00:30:42,520 it's just Michael the Archangel. No, he is the son of God. 317 00:30:44,200 --> 00:30:51,760 And the phrase that is used is wios to describe son, which is 318 00:30:51,760 --> 00:31:01,320 very, very important because we OS never is about origin. 319 00:31:03,000 --> 00:31:07,320 The word for that is Tecnon or briefos. 320 00:31:09,520 --> 00:31:12,600 Jesus is never called the little born one of God. 321 00:31:13,800 --> 00:31:16,400 He is the Son of God, the we OS of God. 322 00:31:18,120 --> 00:31:23,920 And we OS is defined as position, equality and the 323 00:31:23,920 --> 00:31:32,280 rightful heir of the Father. He is the Son of God. 324 00:31:34,360 --> 00:31:43,880 You will note that John's Gospel refers to God as Father 127 325 00:31:43,880 --> 00:31:50,080 times because Jesus refers to God as his Father. 326 00:31:52,040 --> 00:31:55,440 You will also note that there was never ever in the history of 327 00:31:55,440 --> 00:32:01,040 Judaism where a Jew ever referred to God as my Father. 328 00:32:03,640 --> 00:32:09,800 God was a father of Israel in terms of a nation. 329 00:32:11,200 --> 00:32:17,480 He was the Father of the nation, but no Jew up until the time of 330 00:32:17,640 --> 00:32:23,600 Jesus ever referred to his Father in heaven as my Father, 331 00:32:23,720 --> 00:32:25,800 because that would be blasphemous. 332 00:32:28,040 --> 00:32:36,200 But Jesus comes along, He talks about his Father, my Father in 333 00:32:36,200 --> 00:32:40,480 heaven, because he is the Son of God. 334 00:32:40,480 --> 00:32:47,000 He is equal in nature. He was equal in position as God. 335 00:32:47,000 --> 00:32:52,240 That's what we us means. He is the Son of God. 336 00:32:53,880 --> 00:33:02,440 So John is here to prove to us in various ways that Jesus is 337 00:33:02,440 --> 00:33:07,920 who he said he was. He is God in the flesh. 338 00:33:09,280 --> 00:33:11,840 So you move from the author to the background to to the 339 00:33:11,840 --> 00:33:14,560 characteristics and and what I want you to see about this is 340 00:33:14,560 --> 00:33:20,240 just one verse because it gives us John's motive, John's message 341 00:33:21,440 --> 00:33:27,320 and John's manner in which he gives us the message. 342 00:33:29,440 --> 00:33:36,520 Turn to John chapter 20, very familiar words, verse #30 343 00:33:38,040 --> 00:33:43,280 therefore many other signs Jesus also performed in the presence 344 00:33:43,280 --> 00:33:47,680 of the disciples, which are not written in this book, but these 345 00:33:48,480 --> 00:33:53,440 have been written. So you may believe that Jesus is 346 00:33:53,440 --> 00:34:01,840 the Christ, the Messiah, the Son of God, and that believing you 347 00:34:01,840 --> 00:34:09,199 may have life in his name. The motive by which John writes 348 00:34:10,480 --> 00:34:16,360 is that you might believe. That word is used 92 times in 349 00:34:16,360 --> 00:34:21,120 John's gospel. He's writing that you may 350 00:34:21,120 --> 00:34:23,639 believe. Listen very carefully if you 351 00:34:23,639 --> 00:34:26,400 have a family member that does not believe. 352 00:34:26,920 --> 00:34:29,520 This is where your family member needs to be every Sunday 353 00:34:29,520 --> 00:34:32,760 morning. If you have a friend that 354 00:34:32,760 --> 00:34:36,159 doesn't believe this is where they need to be every Sunday 355 00:34:36,159 --> 00:34:37,440 morning. Bring them with you. 356 00:34:37,600 --> 00:34:40,199 If you have to drag them with you, drag them here. 357 00:34:41,400 --> 00:34:43,520 However you can get them here. Get them here. 358 00:34:44,679 --> 00:34:49,239 Because if you ever want them to believe who Jesus Christ is and 359 00:34:49,239 --> 00:34:53,080 be a follower of Christ, they need to hear what John has to 360 00:34:53,080 --> 00:34:57,200 say. Because the whole motive behind 361 00:34:57,200 --> 00:35:01,800 him writing is that you may believe that Jesus is the 362 00:35:01,800 --> 00:35:05,840 Messiah and the Messiah is the Son of God. 363 00:35:07,360 --> 00:35:10,240 So whatever you do, if you have a friend or family member that 364 00:35:10,240 --> 00:35:15,160 doesn't believe, get some handcuffs, put it around your 365 00:35:15,160 --> 00:35:18,640 wrist, put the other one around their wrist and bring them with 366 00:35:18,640 --> 00:35:21,960 you every Sunday morning. And then you can unlock that 367 00:35:21,960 --> 00:35:25,120 when they leave when it's over. But let them know, I want you to 368 00:35:25,120 --> 00:35:28,760 believe because John wrote, I want you to believe that Jesus 369 00:35:28,880 --> 00:35:31,280 is the Messiah. That's his whole motive for 370 00:35:31,280 --> 00:35:37,840 writing. He uses the word witness 47 371 00:35:37,840 --> 00:35:48,360 times. He used the word truth truth 372 00:35:48,360 --> 00:35:55,840 some 66 times. He used the word No 117 times 373 00:35:56,720 --> 00:36:01,800 because he wants you to know for certain who Jesus Christ is. 374 00:36:01,800 --> 00:36:05,600 There's a great emphasis in John about believing in the Lord 375 00:36:05,600 --> 00:36:09,000 Jesus Christ. Acts 1631. 376 00:36:09,000 --> 00:36:12,240 Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and you will be saved. 377 00:36:13,640 --> 00:36:15,320 Do you believe in Him? Do you know Him? 378 00:36:16,640 --> 00:36:20,440 Do you understand the witnesses that talk to us about Him? 379 00:36:23,160 --> 00:36:27,680 This is so important. I can't emphasize it enough that 380 00:36:27,680 --> 00:36:32,440 if you know someone who doesn't believe, do whatever you have to 381 00:36:32,440 --> 00:36:37,360 do to bring them with you, that they might believe that Jesus is 382 00:36:37,360 --> 00:36:44,160 the Christ, the Son of God. That's his motive. 383 00:36:47,200 --> 00:36:51,720 What's his message? That Jesus is God in the flesh. 384 00:36:53,400 --> 00:37:01,800 That's why he gives those eight IM statements a go a me direct 385 00:37:01,800 --> 00:37:06,920 translation of the four Hebrew consonants that make up the 386 00:37:06,920 --> 00:37:12,240 tetragonmaton in the book of Exodus that describe God fact. 387 00:37:12,440 --> 00:37:16,600 When you read the Gospel of John, let me suggest that you do 388 00:37:16,600 --> 00:37:21,200 this. You take your shoes off for an 389 00:37:21,200 --> 00:37:25,360 Exodus chapter 3. God said take your shoes off, 390 00:37:26,440 --> 00:37:28,400 Moses, you're standing on the holy ground. 391 00:37:29,960 --> 00:37:33,640 There is no more holier ground than the Gospel of John because 392 00:37:33,640 --> 00:37:41,200 every page is ablaze with the reality of the deity and glory 393 00:37:41,200 --> 00:37:45,920 of Christ. Fact, we should probably have 394 00:37:45,920 --> 00:37:49,520 some kind of place out in the foyer where you can take your 395 00:37:49,520 --> 00:37:54,360 shoes off when you walk in here. Because when you open up the 396 00:37:54,360 --> 00:37:59,000 Gospel of John, it's all about seeing Christ as the Son of God, 397 00:37:59,280 --> 00:38:03,000 the great I am. And that's why Jesus said or 398 00:38:03,000 --> 00:38:06,760 John says in John 8 quoting Jesus, unless you believe that I 399 00:38:06,760 --> 00:38:12,320 am, you will die in your sins. You must believe that Jesus is 400 00:38:12,320 --> 00:38:16,880 the God who spoke to Moses from the burning Bush in Exodus 401 00:38:16,880 --> 00:38:22,040 chapter 3. You must believe that if you do 402 00:38:22,040 --> 00:38:24,200 not believe that you have another Jesus. 403 00:38:25,760 --> 00:38:28,120 If you have another Jesus, you'll never be saved. 404 00:38:31,200 --> 00:38:34,120 You have to believe in the Jesus of the Bible because the Jesus 405 00:38:34,120 --> 00:38:38,280 of the Bible is the God of the Bible and the Jesus of the Bible 406 00:38:38,280 --> 00:38:40,160 is the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. 407 00:38:42,600 --> 00:38:47,040 I try to explain to my Jewish friends, they have another God. 408 00:38:48,840 --> 00:38:51,960 They don't have the true God. And they will say, well, I 409 00:38:51,960 --> 00:38:54,120 believe in the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. 410 00:38:55,680 --> 00:38:59,840 And I said, no, you don't, because if you did, you would 411 00:38:59,840 --> 00:39:05,600 believe in the great I am, that Jesus is the Messiah who is the 412 00:39:05,600 --> 00:39:10,440 true and living God. But you don't believe that the 413 00:39:10,440 --> 00:39:16,720 Jews serve another God. I'm sorry to say that, but 414 00:39:16,720 --> 00:39:20,360 that's the truth. And we must come to to grips 415 00:39:20,360 --> 00:39:22,280 with the reality of what the Bible says. 416 00:39:22,840 --> 00:39:26,160 Jesus is God. They do not believe that. 417 00:39:27,360 --> 00:39:32,920 They believe what the Muslims believe that Jesus is just 418 00:39:32,920 --> 00:39:37,840 another prophet. But that's the truth. 419 00:39:39,400 --> 00:39:41,400 Was he a prophet? Yes. 420 00:39:41,720 --> 00:39:44,240 Was he the prophet? Yes. 421 00:39:45,480 --> 00:39:46,920 But he's much more than a prophet. 422 00:39:48,480 --> 00:39:54,080 He's the son of the living God. And so you read the witnesses of 423 00:39:54,080 --> 00:39:58,560 a people like John the Baptist. Behold the Lamb of God, who 424 00:39:58,560 --> 00:40:04,280 takes away the sin of the world. Nathaniel Rabbi, you are the Son 425 00:40:04,280 --> 00:40:13,320 of God, the King of Israel. Peter, John 6. 426 00:40:13,640 --> 00:40:21,160 We believe and have come to know that you are the Holy One of 427 00:40:21,920 --> 00:40:28,720 God. Martha John 11 Yes, Lord, I have 428 00:40:28,720 --> 00:40:34,800 believed that you are the Christ, the Son of God, he who 429 00:40:34,800 --> 00:40:46,080 comes into the world. Thomas, my God, my Lord, my 430 00:40:46,080 --> 00:40:50,120 king, you have all these witnesses, You have the 431 00:40:50,120 --> 00:40:54,560 witnesses of the scripture, the witness of the Spirit, all 432 00:40:54,560 --> 00:41:01,760 saying the same thing. Behold your God. 433 00:41:03,280 --> 00:41:13,720 One book that fulfills Isaiah 35 verse #4 and the manner he tells 434 00:41:13,720 --> 00:41:21,880 you and John chapter 20. Many other signs did Jesus do. 435 00:41:22,880 --> 00:41:26,920 Interesting that he has seven signs. 7 Miracles. 436 00:41:28,920 --> 00:41:32,240 He chooses them very strategically, very 437 00:41:32,240 --> 00:41:37,560 specifically, to inform us about what took place at a very unique 438 00:41:37,560 --> 00:41:41,880 time in the life of Christ. To show you that all these signs 439 00:41:42,120 --> 00:41:47,920 prove without a shadow of a doubt that Jesus is God in the 440 00:41:47,920 --> 00:41:54,240 flesh, that the Messiah is the God of Abraham, Isaac, and 441 00:41:54,240 --> 00:41:57,360 Jacob. He wants to prove to you that 442 00:41:57,360 --> 00:42:00,680 Jesus is the Son of God. And so he's going to begin in 443 00:42:00,680 --> 00:42:05,680 chapter 1, verse #1 all the way through verse #18 giving us an 444 00:42:05,680 --> 00:42:13,720 introduction to the Son of God. And then in chapter 1, verse #19 445 00:42:13,840 --> 00:42:17,000 all the way to chapter 12, He's going to give us the public 446 00:42:17,000 --> 00:42:22,800 ministry of the Son of God. And then in chapter 13 through 447 00:42:22,800 --> 00:42:26,520 chapter 17, he's going to give us the private ministry of the 448 00:42:26,520 --> 00:42:33,080 Son of God. And then in chapter 1819 and 20, 449 00:42:34,240 --> 00:42:38,120 he's going to give us the passion ministry of the Son of 450 00:42:38,120 --> 00:42:41,320 God. And then chapter 21 will be the 451 00:42:41,320 --> 00:42:44,160 conclusion. So you have an introduction in 452 00:42:44,160 --> 00:42:47,200 chapter 1, a conclusion. In chapter 21 you have the 453 00:42:48,040 --> 00:42:51,440 public ministry, private ministry, and passion ministry 454 00:42:51,680 --> 00:42:55,320 of the Messiah. That's how the book of John is 455 00:42:55,320 --> 00:43:00,200 outlined. Very simple, yet very, very 456 00:43:00,320 --> 00:43:04,720 important for us to understand that Jesus is the Son of God. 457 00:43:06,920 --> 00:43:10,520 Last point is the and that is your decision. 458 00:43:12,120 --> 00:43:16,120 What decision have you made about the Christ? 459 00:43:18,200 --> 00:43:26,440 Who is Jesus in your mind? Better yet, who really, truly is 460 00:43:26,440 --> 00:43:32,040 Jesus? Do you see him as the Bible 461 00:43:32,600 --> 00:43:37,800 portrays him and proclaims Him? Do you see as you open up the 462 00:43:37,800 --> 00:43:40,720 perfect law of liberty, as Paul says in Secretary of History 18, 463 00:43:41,360 --> 00:43:46,240 we with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the 464 00:43:46,240 --> 00:43:50,040 Lord, we open up the gospel of John, and what do we see? 465 00:43:50,200 --> 00:43:54,040 We see the brilliant shining forth of the glory of God. 466 00:43:56,120 --> 00:43:58,200 And therefore when you read it, you're being changed from one 467 00:43:58,200 --> 00:44:01,280 level of glory to the next level of glory, even as by the Spirit 468 00:44:01,280 --> 00:44:04,440 of God. If you want to be transformed, 469 00:44:04,520 --> 00:44:08,120 if you want to be changed, behold the face of God. 470 00:44:10,680 --> 00:44:14,800 You see him clearly in John's gospel. 471 00:44:16,960 --> 00:44:22,200 So who is Jesus and what must I do to be saved? 472 00:44:24,200 --> 00:44:29,360 Boy, John will give that to you in great detail as he discusses 473 00:44:29,360 --> 00:44:32,480 his Christ counter with Nicodemus. 474 00:44:34,480 --> 00:44:39,160 But interesting when you come to the end in Christ is before 475 00:44:39,160 --> 00:44:49,880 Pilate, he brings out Jesus and he says behold the man at a 476 00:44:49,880 --> 00:45:00,240 place called the Echo Homo there in the city of Jerusalem, Behold 477 00:45:00,240 --> 00:45:03,960 the man, heaven been beaten beyond recognition. 478 00:45:03,960 --> 00:45:08,720 It's almost as a pilot saying, behold, he doesn't look like a 479 00:45:08,720 --> 00:45:13,320 man anymore, but he is a man. Because he's been beaten so 480 00:45:13,320 --> 00:45:20,360 severely and completely bloodied and marred and broken, he stands 481 00:45:21,280 --> 00:45:26,040 unrecognizable. Behold the man. 482 00:45:27,480 --> 00:45:30,520 And then a little later on he brings Christ out again. 483 00:45:30,520 --> 00:45:37,640 It says to Israel, Behold your king, your king. 484 00:45:38,360 --> 00:45:43,800 Your king is a man, but stand it all at your king. 485 00:45:46,200 --> 00:45:51,000 So Pilate would write the inscription that would be 486 00:45:51,000 --> 00:45:55,920 carried with Jesus and hung on the cross. 487 00:45:56,960 --> 00:46:07,560 Jesus of Nazareth, king of the Jews, and the Jewish leaders 488 00:46:07,560 --> 00:46:11,480 were upset. Say that that's what he said. 489 00:46:11,640 --> 00:46:14,360 And Pilate said I've written what I've written because he 490 00:46:14,360 --> 00:46:20,840 wrote the truth. Jesus of that despised village 491 00:46:20,840 --> 00:46:29,160 of Nazareth is your king. But yet Luke 19 says we will not 492 00:46:29,160 --> 00:46:36,760 have that king rule over us. I wonder if you made the 493 00:46:36,760 --> 00:46:42,240 decision for him to rule over you, that the Son of the living 494 00:46:42,240 --> 00:46:51,000 God, King in the flesh, and dwelt among us, and we beheld 495 00:46:51,000 --> 00:46:55,040 His glory. John says the glory as of the 496 00:46:55,080 --> 00:46:59,360 only begotten of the Father, full of grace and full of truth, 497 00:47:01,600 --> 00:47:04,080 because of the truth of the living God. 498 00:47:05,040 --> 00:47:08,520 He bestows grace upon those who are so undeserving. 499 00:47:09,840 --> 00:47:11,600 That's me. That's you. 500 00:47:13,000 --> 00:47:17,560 Have you made the decision to be a follower of Christ? 501 00:47:17,560 --> 00:47:23,480 Let me pray with you, our most gracious Heavenly Father. 502 00:47:23,480 --> 00:47:28,360 We are grateful for today, the brief moment that we could spend 503 00:47:29,480 --> 00:47:34,840 just introducing this marvelous gospel. 504 00:47:36,880 --> 00:47:45,880 What lies before us are so many unbelievable pages of the glory 505 00:47:45,880 --> 00:47:51,480 of Christ. So with anticipation, we we look 506 00:47:52,440 --> 00:47:57,040 to what you're going to reveal to us that we might truly 507 00:47:57,040 --> 00:48:00,800 believe. I pray for everyone in the room 508 00:48:02,520 --> 00:48:05,080 that Lord they would be a believer in the Lord Jesus 509 00:48:05,080 --> 00:48:09,960 Christ, that they would not leave without committing their 510 00:48:09,960 --> 00:48:14,400 life to the Messiah, the Son of the living God. 511 00:48:14,440 --> 00:48:22,320 And for those of us who know those that do not believe compel 512 00:48:22,320 --> 00:48:30,520 us to bring them with us. They might hear how the Word 513 00:48:30,520 --> 00:48:36,240 became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld the beauty and 514 00:48:36,240 --> 00:48:40,440 splendor and glory of the Son of God. 515 00:48:42,400 --> 00:48:47,520 We pray this in the name of Jesus Christ our King, Amen.