Andrew Fountain - Meeting Jesus in the pages of John

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Meeting Jesus in the pages of John
  • John’s desire is that we should meet Jesus through his writing.
  • Even if we are Christians, we can meet him in a new and powerful way as we engage in these pages with the one who is both God and human.

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Sermon Outline - Meeting Jesus in the pages of John

Goal:

To tell you about how I feel I have met Jesus in the pages of John
and how you can do the same.

Meeting Jesus in the pages of John

  1. The Last Two Verses
  2. Experiencing Jesus through John
  3. Stories that spoke most to me

1.The Last Two Verses

John 21:24–25 The End

John 21:24–25 The End

  1. Peter turned and saw the disciple whom Jesus loved following them,
    (This was the one who had leaned back against Jesus’ chest at the meal and asked, “Lord, who is the one who is going to betray you?”)
    …
  1. This is the disciple
who is bearing witness about these things,
and who has written these things,
and we know
that his witness is true.
  1. And there are also many other things Jesus did.
    Which if every one were written,
    not even the world itself, I suppose, would have space for the books written.

Translation by Andrew Fountain

John 1

  1. There was a man sent from God, whose name was John.
  2. He came as a witness, to bear witness about the light,
  • The same word for “witness” as in ch.21

John 20

  1. Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book;
  2. 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.

2. Experiencing Jesus through John

John was there

  • He actually experiences Jesus, possibly closer than anyone else
  • He wrote this so that we can meet Jesus
  • almost as truly as if we had been there
  • and have a sense of him in our hearts in the same way we have of the people we know.

The two natures of Jesus

One of the most common errors that non-Christian cults make is not understanding the two natures of Christ. For example, the Jehovah’s Witnesses focus on Jesus’ humanity and ignore His divinity. They repeatedly quote verses dealing with Jesus as a man and try to set them against Scripture showing that Jesus is also divine. carm.org

Emotions only a human can have

  • 13:21. After saying these things, Jesus was greatly and visibly distressed in spirit
  • 11:35 Jesus wept
  • Hebrews 4:15 For we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet he did not sin.

Fully God and Fully Human

“Hypostatic Union” Wikipedia:

“The most basic explanation for the hypostatic union is Jesus Christ being both God and man. He is both perfectly divine and perfectly human.”

What would it be like to have known Jesus as a human?

  • to have hung out with him,
  • seen him talk with people,
  • got to know his sense of humour,
  • his taste in food,
  • what annoyed or upset him.

What must it have been like getting to know him as God?

  • Knows my thoughts and can read my mind
  • Cares about me so much, has so much power that he can always help me
  • But also wants me to trust him in a scary way.
  • Always tells the truth even if it makes people what to kill him
  • They may want to kill me too—how do I feel about this?

3. Stories that spoke most to me

John 17:11–13 (outline)

  1. I am no longer in the world,
    • but I am coming to you.
      • keep them safe
        • so that they may be one
        • just as we are one.
      • I kept them safe
    • but now I am coming to you,
  2. May they have my joy completed in them

John 14

  1. Peace I leave with you;
    my peace I give to you.
    Not as the world gives do I give to you.
    Let not your hearts be troubled,
    neither let them be afraid.

John 11

  1. When Jesus saw her weeping, and the people who had come with her weeping,
    he was intensely moved in spirit and greatly distressed
  2. He asked, “Where have you laid him?”
    They said, “Lord, come and see.”
  3. Jesus broke into tears.

John 12: Mary’s Response

  1. Then Mary took three quarters of a pound of expensive aromatic oil from pure nard
    and anointed the feet of Jesus.
    She then wiped his feet with her hair.
    Now the house was filled with the fragrance of the oil.
  • Challenge: Read the book again, in the next couple of weeks
  • With one aim: to meet Jesus in the pages and get to know him better
  • as a friend (human)
  • and a Saviour (God)

Updated on 2020-08-30 by Andrew Fountain