The Apostle John: From Son of Thunder to Disciple of Love

turn your Bibles to John chapter 21 John chapter 21 we're going to continue today our series on the dirty dozen talking about the 12 apostles and how God could use people like these in his service and for his glory and how if God could use them God can use you and I as well and today we're going to look at the Apostle John last week we looked at Peter and we looked to Peter we we call Peter the Apostle with egg all over his face uh Peter was a natural leader but he kept trying to do everything in his own strength and his own power thinking a lot of times that he knew better than God and he had learned uh to let the Lord take control in his life and that's something that many of us struggle

with as well uh often we struggle with the idea that we have to do it on our own and we struggle with the idea well you know that's what God says but I know better this is what I need to do and that's what Peter struggled with but today we're going to look at John and John was kind of a IGN if if I could put it that way and he was a Enigma in that he was uh very mysterious there's there's two sides to John we have one side that he's called the th sons of thunder we'll look at that a little bit later on and then we have the other side of John where he is the disciple whom Jesus loved if you look at John chapter 21 and beginning with verse number 20 it says then Peter turned about see the

disciples whom Jesus loved on his breast as supported at supper and said Lord which is he that betrayeth thee Peter seeth him saith to Jesus Lord and what shall this man do and Jesus sayith to him if I will that he T till I come what is that to thee follow thou me then went this saying abroad among the Brethren that the disciple should not die yet Jesus said not unto him he shall not die but if I will that he T till I come what is that to thee this is the disciple which testifieth these things and wrote these things and we know that his testimony is true and there are also many other things which Jesus did the which if they could should be written every day I suppose that even the world

itself could not contain the books that could be written and as I said that that Peter was something of a nigma uh we'll say it egg nimma and uh a mystery and you just didn't know what was on the inside of him and to illustrate this I've got two eggs today and uh you know you have one egg that's hardboiled one egg that's not and uh you don't know which is which and so Alex is going to come up here and help me figure this out and Alex you get to choose one of these two eggs which one you want to have cracked over your head all right so uh uh which one do you want to choose here okay you choose this one you ready all right here we go turn around so everybody can see all right here we go ready

ah you got the hardboiled one all right in the actual truth the other one's hardboiled too all right but you know this is the kind of person that John was because you never knew what to get from John he was the the son of Thunder but he was also the disciple of love you know some of us are that way too aren we maybe your spouse is that way you don't know from day to day when you come home from work if you're going to get the son of Thunder or the daughter of Thunder or you're going to get the wife of Love or same thing with your husband sometimes we just don't know what we're going to get from inside of this person and that's the way the disciple John was see there's many things about John

that we can understand first of all how many have ever heard the Sy optic gospels raise your hand if you ever heard that term synoptic gospels a few of you have and the synoptic gospels are the first three gospels Matthew Mark Luke and John uh Matthew Mark and Luke I'm sorry and uh they are called the synoptic gospels because they are synonymous they they are synopsis of the story of Jesus and those three gospels pretty much say the same stories they tell you the same Miracles they tell you the same Parables uh they tell you the same stories from a little bit different point of view and a little bit of uh differences in how they relate it but they're all basically parallel as gospels now

John as we read here in verse number 25 it says and there also are many other things which Jesus did the which that they should be written everyone I suppose that even the world itself could not contain the books that should be written amen you see John he he wrote about different things and uh he wrote different stories and and and so we've got the synoptic Gospels and and and sometimes well why do we need three gospels that say the same thing I want you to hold your place here in John and go over to First Peter chapter 1 1 Peter chapter 1 and I want you to look at verses 10-2 1 Peter chapter 1 beginning with verse number 10 1 Peter 1:10 of says of which salvation the prophets have inquired

and search diligently who prophesied of the grace that should come unto you searching what or what manner of time the spirit of Christ which was in them did signify when it testified beforehand the sufferings of Christ and the glory that should follow unto whom was revealed that not unto themselves but unto us they did uh Minister the things which are now reported unto you by them that have preached the gospel unto you with the Holy Ghost sent down from heaven which things the Angels desired to look into and so we see here that uh that God sent these gospels I believe the synoptic gospels to prove the story of Jesus uh here's three different author that tell you basically the same things and

that just kind of reinforces that this is a true story and this is a story that actually happened now each of the synoptic gospel preachers uh were coming from a different angle even themselves Matthew wrote to the Jews in Matthew chap 1 verse one it says the book of the generation of Jesus Christ the son of David the son of Abraham he wanted to make sure that the Jews understood that Jesus came from the lineage of Abraham he wrote to the Jews in Matthew 2:2 is saying where is he that is born King of the Jews for we have seen the star in the east and are come to worship Him in Matthew 2711 and Jesus stood before the governor and the governor asked him saying art thou the king of the Jews as

Jesus said unto thou says and so Matthew's emphasis is Jesus the king of the Jews and then you have Mark now Mark wrote to the Gentiles in Mark chap 1 and verse number one it says the beginning of the gos goel of Jesus Christ the son of God as is written in the prophets behold I send my messenger before thy face which shall prepare the way before thee now the thing you need to understand about Mark is Mark was not one of the disciples he was not as far as we know he was not with Jesus when he was ministering on Earth he came later on uh he worked with Paul to begin with and then uh later with Barnabas and and some others as well and so Mark is writing the gospel more as a kind of a

journalist he's he's investigating he's asking people let tell all right Peter tell me their stories and John tell me your stories and he got all the different information and he wrote like a journalist writing an article and he wrote uh especially to the Gentiles Mark has fewer Old Testament quotes than Matthew or Luke do Mark has um fewer he has more Latin words and he explains Aramaic and Hebrew words because the his audience was not familiar with these things and so he is writing to the Gentiles and then thirdly you have uh Luke who is writing to the intellectual if you look at Luke chap 1 and verses 1-4 Luke chap 1 and beginning with verse number one down through verse number four Luke

1 verse one it says for as much as I have taken in hand to set forth in order a declaration of those things which are most surely believed among us even as they delivered them unto us which from the beginning were eyewitnesses and Ministers of the word it seemed good to me also having had perfect understanding of all things from the very first to write unto thee in order most excellent Theophilus that thou mightest know the certainty of those things wherein thou Hast been instructed uh Luke was an intellectual he was an educated man and he wanted to write a a a gospel that presented the proof of Jesus Christ uh he always God always provides evidence for our faith God doesn't want us to

believe without evidence to believe in and Hebrews 11 and verse number one it says now Faith is the substance of things hoped for the evidence of things not seen in verse number six but without faith is impossible to please him for he that cometh to God must believe that he is and is's rewarder of them that diligently seek him and so Luke wanted to sit down and give the the evidence of the Gospel so you could see the proof of who Jesus Christ was and uh and and and Luke wanted to present a reasonable case in in Acts chap chap 24 and verse number 25 it says and as he reasoned of righteousness Temperance and judgment to come Felix trembled and answered go thy way for this time when I have a

convenient season I will call for thee see Luke wanted to make sure that he he would present the gospel in such a reasonable way that people would have to make a choice am I going to believe or I'm not going to believe but the evidence would be presented before them in Acts 26 and: 26- 28 it says for the king knoweth of these things before whom I also speak freely for I'm persuaded that none of these things are hidden from him for this thing was not done in a corner king of gri grippa believest thou the prophets I know that thou believest then AG grippa said unto Paul almost thou persuadest me to be Christian see Agrippa had seen these things that they were writing about he knew the story of

Jesus Christ he knew the story of the Gospel but he chose not to believe but Luke wanted to make sure if you're going to choose not to believe is not because I didn't present the evidence and so Luke was writing more of a a scholarly uh uh evidence filled book to that people could understand who Jesus is see the proof of who Jesus was now this is the synoptic gospels and so again when you read Matthew Mark and Luke you're going to read many of the same stories many of the same Parables uh it's going to be very very similar but John is very different he does cover some of the same things but even when he covers the same situation he covers from a very different point of view now turn over to

1 John chapter 1 1 John chapter 1 so we have to ask well why did John write his gospel it was the last of the gospels written he wrote it long after Matthew Mark and Luke had already written their gospels and so why did he feel the necessity to write another gospel in 1 John chap 1: 1-4 it says that which was from the beginning which we have heard which we have seen with our eyes which we have looked upon and our hands have handled of the word of life for the life was manifested and we have seen it and bear witness and show unto you that eternal life which was with the father it was manifested unto you unto us that which we have seen and heard to declare we say we we unto you that you also

may have fellowship with us and truly our fellowship is with the father and with his son Jesus Christ and these things write we unto you that your joy may be full so you see John when he wrote his books whether it was the Gospel of John or first John or 2 John or third John when he wrote his books his purpose I believe is he wanted to give you a very personal account he he wanted to tell you an account of the gospel and who Jesus was from a very personal point of view this is who I knew and I want you to know the the Savior the Christ I want you to know who who I knew and how special he was and so I believe that's reason why he wrote the Book of John in fact if you'll go to John chapter 20

John chapter 20 and vers 30 and 31 he again makes it very clear why he's writing John chapter 20 and beginning with verse number 30 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 you might believe that Jesus is the Christ the son of God and that believing you might have life through his name so John was specifically writing the Gospel of John because he wanted people to believe in Jesus Christ he wanted them to believe in the gospel the good news of Salvation you see he wanted to understand that this is the Son of God go to John chapter 1 John chapter 1 and and look at verse number 34 John chapter 1 and

verse number 34 and I saw and bear record that this is the Son of God in John chapter 1 beginning with verse number one the Bible says in the beginning was the word and the Word was with God and the Word was God the same was in the beginning with God all things were made by him and without him was not anything made that was made in him was life and the life was the light of men and the light shineth in darkness and the Darkness comprehended it not there was a man sent from God whose name was John the same came for a witness to Bear witness of the light that all men through him might believe he was not the light but he was sent in the to Bear witness of that light that was the True Light

which lighted every man that come to the world he was in the world and the world was made by him the world knew him not he came into his own his own received him not but as many as received him to them gave you the power to become the sons of God even to them that believe on his name which were not born of blood nor the will of the flesh nor the will of man but of God and the Word was made flesh and dwelt among us and we beheld his glory the glory of the only begotten of the father full of grace and truth you see John wanted you and John wanted me to understand that this is the Son of God this is very God himself this is Jesus Christ the one who came in the flesh to die upon the cross for

you and I and we celebrated the time of year Christmas when Jesus was born in the manger but the whole reason he was born in that manger the whole reason he was born of a woman is that he could come in the flesh to die upon the cross for us and John wanted you understand that this is who you're reading about this is God himself and he want to understand how much God loved you in John chapter 3 and verse number 16 it ISS for God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son that whosoever believeth in him should not perish but have everlasting life I I believe that something that just overwhelmed John it was a truth that just amazed him that God would love him so much that he would

come in the flesh and that he would die in the cross that he might save me from my sins and John wanted you to believe in Jesus and the Salvation that comes through his death his burial and his resurrection in fact if you'll turn back over to First John chapter 5 1 John chap 5 and verses 12 and 13 1 John CH 5 and: 12 and 13 the Bible says he that hath the son hath life he that hath not not the Son of God hath not life now listen what he says next these things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the son of God that you may know that you have eternal life and that you may believe on the name of the son of God see John wrote his book because he wanted you know that this is the

Son of God this is God incarnate come in the flesh this is God who came down and gave himself upon the cross that we might have eternal life and that believing in him you might know that you're on your way to heaven your sins are forgiven John wanted you to know that and that's why he wrote the scriptures that's why he wrote these books in fact if you're talking to somebody who's not saved and you want to encourage them read the Bible the best place for them to read is the Book of John and then after John to read first John because this these were written that you might know who Jesus was in 1 John chapter 1 and verse number four John says in these things write we unto you that your joy may

be full see John not only wanted you to believe in Jesus but he wanted you to have the joy of the Lord that your joy may be full go over to John chapter 15 The Book of John chapter 15 and look at verses 11-4 John chapter 15 beginning with verse number 11 these things have I spoken un you that my joy might be remain in you and that your joy might be full this is my commandment that you love one another as I have loved you greater love hath no man than this that a man laid down his life for his Brethren see John he saw the love of Jesus that he would come and die for us and he said that is the greatest love and if you can understand and comprehend that love and if you can take that love of

Jesus when he died for us and gave himself for us and if you can give it to others that's where Joy comes in look at John Chapter 13 and look at verses 34 and 35 a new commandment I give unto you that you love one another as I have loved you that you also love one another by this shall all men know that you are my disciples that you have love one for another see John wanted to understand about love he want to understand that Joy comes from loving it comes from loving God and loving others in 1 John Chapter 2 and verses 7 and 8 it says bre and I write no new commandment unto you but an old commandment which you had from the beginning the old commandment is the word word which you have heard

from the beginning a new commandment again a new commandment I write into you which is this is which thing is true in him and you and him because the darkness has passed and the True Light now shineth he said this is an old commandment but it's also a new commandment that we love one another in 1 John chapter 4 veres 20 and 21 John says if a man say I love God and hates his brother uh how to how he is a liar for he that loveth not his brother whom he has seen how can he love God whom he not seen and his commandment have we from him that he who loveth God love his brother also you see John said if you want joy starts by believing in Jesus in his death his burial his resurrection that he loved

you so much he sent his son to die for you see John was just over a at the fact that God could love him and he says that love compels me to love others and that's where the true joy of the Christian Life comes from see all the Commandments of the word of God can be boiled down to this Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart with all thy soul with all thy mind and thou shallal love thy neighbor as thyself and that's the message that John wanted us to understand in third John 1:4 it says I have no Greater Joy than to hear my children walk in truth and he want us to understand the truth of the Gospel he want us truth of God's love but who is John in Mark chap 3:1 17 it says and John

James the son of Zebedee and John the brother of James and he surnamed them bernus uh which which means by the way Rage which is the sons of thunder got your attention there tonight but that's what John was that's how Jesus this isn't how his his parents described him this is how his friends describ him listen again what it says there but you are s uh it says uh and John the and James the son of zebede and John the brother James and he Jesus surnamed them the sons of Rage or the sons of thunder this is how Jesus described John you know John before he got saved had a lot of rage he had a lot of anger he was loud and boisterous and and telling people what to do this was how John was the Bible

tells us in 1 Corinthians 6:11 such were some of you but you are washed but you are Sanctified but you are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus by the spirit of our God you see John was a son of Thunder but he came became the Beloved of God and folks no matter what you were it's more important what you become in Jesus Christ as you study the life of John as you go through the gospels and in first John and second and third John and Revelation which he wrote also when you read these things you don't read them you don't see the sun of th Thunder you see the the man of love in fact there's only two times we actually hear John speak in the Bible and the first time is in Luke Chapter n if you

want to turn over there with me Luke chapter 9 and verses 49 and 15 now Peter he spoke all the time I mean he was always opening his mouth and putting his foot in hisou mouth and he just never shut up but John as as well known as John is he wrote about 20% of the Bible uh the New Testament he he'd only spoke twice that we know of in the gospels in Luke chapter 9: 49 and 50 Luke chapter 9 and verse 49 and John answered and said Master we saw one casting out devils in thy name and we forbade him because he followed not with us he said you know here's John the son of Thunder you can't do that and what's Jesus say Jesus said unto him forbid him not for he is that is not against us is for us see

John in in his old nature he just wanted to tell people you can't do that in fact little later here in the same passage look at verse number 51 and it came to pass when the kind time was come that they should be received he steadfastly said his face to go to Jerusalem and sent Messengers before his face and they went and entered the village of Samaritans to make ready for him and they did not receive him because his face was as though he would go on to Jerusalem and got remember the Samaritans and the Jews didn't like each other they said well if you're going to Jerusalem you can't stop here and verse number 34 when his disciples James and John saw this they said Lord wil thou wil thou that

we command fire to come down from heaven and consume them even as Elias did see immediately what's that that old sin nature comes out again Lord we're going to call down fire from heaven we're going to destroy these people for rejecting you and that's the son of Thunder that's the old sin nature you know what I don't know about you but I struggle with an old sin nature maybe your your sin nature is one of like John of anger and and and rage or or maybe your sin nature is one of depression or maybe it's some other aspect of it but we all struggle with that old sin nature and that's the kind of person that jum was when Jesus first described him when he first met him you are like a son of

Thunder a son of rage and we struggle with that rage and Jesus goes on in verses 55 and 56 but he turned and rebuked them and said you know not what manner of spirit you are of for the son of man has not come to destroy men's lives but to save them and they went to another Village he only spoke twice and both times it was with wrath and anger in James 1: 19- 20 it says wherefore my beloved Brethren let every man be swift to hear slow to speak slow to wrath for the wrath of man worketh not the righteousness of God and when we let that old sin nature take control in our lives that's not God that's us and sometimes we struggle with that old sin nature and some of you as well you struggle with

that old nature that you were born with that you were raised with that you learned growing up you got to control your anger or your anger is going to control you Bible says in Proverbs Chapter 16:32 he that is slow to anger is better than the mighty and he that ruleth his Spirit than he that taketh the city one time a guy described his anger he says well I have a short fuse but I get over it quick well so does dynamite and it sure makes a mess Bible says in Proverbs 26 and: 27 he that hath no rule over his own Spirits like a city that is broken down and Without Walls it's either you're going to you're going to either control your anger or your anger is going to control you either that old

nature you're either going to control that old nature through the spirit of God or that old nature is going to control you and John struggled with an old nature he struggled with that sin nature of rage and anger but yet through the power of God he was able to overcome it Ephesians chapter 4: 26 and 27 says be angry and sin not let not the sun go down upon your wrath neither give place to the devil the Bible talks about Not Giving place to the devil not giving a place in my life and when we we allow that sin nature to control when we allow that anger to come out or that whatever else it is when we allow that to take control we're giving place to the devil we're giving him a place in our

lives and this is what John had to learn to not let the rage control him in numbers 12 and: 3 says now that man Moses was very Meek above all the men which were upon the face of the Earth the word meek means power under control and the Bible describes Moses as a Meek man but you know what later on in Numbers Chapter 20 when the people rejected God he struck the rock with his rod and anger and cause water water to come forth but what did God say to him because of your anger you now can't go into the promised land see sometimes people look at well I I get angry but you know it doesn't happen very often but it just takes once for a man that was known as being Meek to lose everything because of

his anger because of that sin nature if we allow that sin nature to take control in our lives it will mess us up and and John had a nature of rage and anger but God changed him there's three other things that we read about John that give you insight into who he was the first one is this he was the only disciple at the crucifixion all the other disciples had scattered and in John chapter 19 Jesus while he's on the cross looks down it says John behold your mother he put John in charge of taking care of his his mother Mary and he said Mary behold your son because he was the only disciple didn't run away that says a lot about his character then we also read in in John chapter 20 that um he was

fast he remember how uh Mary and the other ladies they went to the tomb and they saw Jesus tomb was empty and they came back and they told the disciples and John and Peter took off running and and John got there first but then instead of rushing in he stepped back let Peter the old guy to go in before him remember that Zeke the old guy all right and uh he let Peter go in before him he was fast but then also in John chapter 21 remember the story we talked about this a couple weeks ago how Peter got discouraged even after the resurrection even after he seen Jesus he wanted to go back to the old life let's go fishing and they were out there fishing and Jesus called out cast down your net on the

other side and they caught all these fish and John turned to Peter and said it's the Lord It's the Lord that tells me a lot about John and John's character and he's one that I want to emulate and I want to learn from but the other thing about John is John seems like the teacher's pet you know what I'm talking about look at John Chapter 13 John never refers to himself as John in John Chapter 13 and verse number 23 it says now there was leaning on jesus' bosom one of his disciples whom Jesus loved and that's how John described himself as the one whom Jesus loved in fact later on when Peter was asking about what going to happen to John he he referred to John as the one whom Jesus loved who laid

on his bosom see John wanted to be close to Jesus and John described himself five different times as the one whom Jesus loved now uses that phrase one other time in John and that's in John chapter 11 and that's where he describes Lazarus as one whom Jesus loved and how did Jesus wept over Lazarus because he loved him but other than that he described himself as the one who Jesus loved and when you read that it's almost sounds arrogant does it you know I'm the favorite in school does you ever have have a a student in class that was a teacher's pet who was a favorite and knew that and it almost sounds like John thought he was the favorite that that Jesus loved me more than everybody else but I

don't believe that's what it was what I believe is this John was so a and amazed at the fact that God loved him John 3:16 for God so loved me I think that amazed John I think when he got a hold of that concept when he understood that God loved me in fact in Romans chapter 5 and verse number 8 it says but God commendeth or showed his love towards me and that while are yet sinners Christ died for us when you get a hold of that idea that God loves me it changes you I remember we had years ago a young Marine that had come to church for the first time as fellow marines that invite him to come to church because we serve food every Sunday afternoon and he wanted to come for the food he came to

church and heard the gospel for the first time in his life and he came forward and wanted to talk to somebody about what he'd heard and one of our men took him in the back and and began to open the Bible to him and showed him how God loved him and this young Marine began to cry this tough young Marine began to cry and he looked at that man he said that is the first time that I've ever heard somebody say they love me I grew up in the streets of Chicago without a father without a mother I've never heard those words in my life said to me and he bowed his head in tears said Lord Jesus I love you and accepted Jesus Christ as Savior and that changed that young man's life I got to see him about 20

years later and God still he still hadn't gotten over that and I believe the reason John called himself the disciple whom Jesus loved was not out of arrogance it was not because he thought he was the teacher's Pat but because he could not believe that God could love a son of Thunder like him that God could love him he couldn't believe that we should be called the sons of God turn over to 1 John chapter 3 1 John chapter 3 1 John 3: 1 through3 behold what manner of love the father have bestowed upon us that we should be called the sons of God therefore the world knoweth us not because it knew him not beloved now are we the sons of God and it do not yet appear what we shall be but we know that

when he shall appear we shall be like him for we shall see him as he is and every man that hath this hope Ando purify himself even as he is pure John could not believe that he was a Son of God the son of Thunder was now called the Son of God what a privilege what an honor John chap 1 ver2 but as many as received him to them gave you the power to become the sons of God even to them that believe on his name that's why he was so amazed is that God loved me and God made me his child the son of Thunder the son of Rage could become the child of God you know love begats love the Bible tell says we love him because he first loved us let me ask you a question how many times have you said the words I

love you this week how many times have you said that you see those are words that we need to use a whole lot more because the more you say it the more you believe it the more you believe it the more you want to say it when was the last time you said to your spouse honey I love you Ephesians 5:25 says husbands love your wife even as Christ loved the church church and gave himself for it in Titus Chapter in verse number 28 it says so men ought to love their wives as their own body he that loveth his wife loveth himself you know we ought to love our wives and we ought to tell them what we love them and and wives ought to tell their husbands that they love them and when's the last time you said

that when's the last time you children told your children you love them in Titus Chapter 2:4 it says that they may teach the young woman be sober to love their husbands to love their children and I don't think it's words that we say often enough honey I love you we need to say to our children how much we love him by the way children it doesn't hurt to tell your parents you love them either when was the last time you told your friends you loved them in 1st Samuel chapter 18 verse1 it says and it came to pass when he made an end of speaking unto Saul that the soul of Jonathan was knit with the soul of David and Jonathan loved him as his own soul it wasn't too long after that that Jonathan died

and David never had a chance to tell him again how much he loved him and how much he thanked God for him how often do you say those words I love you even our enemies in Luke chapter 6 and verse 35 it says but love your enemies and do good and lend and hope for nothing again your reward shall be great and you shall be the children of the highest for he's kind on the unthankful to the evil love begats love and the more you know the love of God the more you're going to love others around you as well Jeremiah chapter 31 in verse number three it says the Lord hath appeared of old unto me saying yay I have loved thee with an Everlasting Love Therefore with loving kindness have I drawn thee John's

life was transformed by the love of God the son of Rage became the disciple of love when you understand the Everlasting Love of God it transforms you it changes that old nature into a new nature John chapter 21 let's turn there as we close in John chapter 21 back where we started in John 21 verse 15 it says so then when they had dyed Jesus said to Simon Peter Simon son of Jonas lovest thou me more than these he asked that Peter that question three different times what about you do you love God 1 John 4:19 we love him because he first loved us how many of you at Christmas time you like watching Hallmark Christmas movies raise your hand not a lot of guys hands up I actually like them because

we made a new rule when we watch these movies is when they kiss on the screen we kiss so I'm looking forward to that first kiss you know how it is they're they're both waiting for the other one to make that first move you know and every once a while they get close then oh and then they get close oh not this time and then finally they give that first kiss and one of them says I love you and what does the other one say I love you too God so loved you God commendeth his love towards you while you yet sinner Christ died for you we love him because he first loved us and that's the message of John 109 times in his writings he uses the word love 109 times because he wanted us to understand God loves me