← ArchiveThe Mind of a DiscipleThe Mind of a Disciple: The Disciple Whom Jesus LovedDateJuly 30, 2023SpeakerJared MitchellText—Passages in this sermonJohn 134:29John 1911:04John 112:46John 1:114:38John 3:1616:381 John 117:56TranscriptMachine transcribed. Click any line to jump there.0:00*music*0:30okay well once again good morning church family it's good to be together today and to gather in this place just like we do Sunday after Sunday and we get the opportunity to do the things that we always do as we get to fellowship together we get to pray together and to pray for one another and we get to sing and and worship together and now we have the opportunity to hear from God's word together I said it earlier and I'll say it again my name is Jared and and I'm the worship pastor here but today I get the opportunity to to preach the word of God for us and I am thankful for it this morning we're going to be continuing our time in our current sermon series as we walk through the disciples of Jesus now we are drawing closer to the end0:59now we have the opportunity to hear from God's word together I said it earlier and I'll say it again my name is Jared and and I'm the worship pastor here but today I get the opportunity to to preach the word of God for us and I am thankful for it this morning we're going to be continuing our time in our current sermon series as we walk through the disciples of Jesus now we are drawing closer to the end of this series as today we're going to spend our time studying the disciple named John and then next week our pastor will be back to close out this series and now typically every Sunday if pastor Josh were here this would be the time that he would give us a pop quiz to know if we know the disciples if we know them by name and if we know them in accurate order now I will admit to you that when I was in college I was the student that1:29of this series as today we're going to spend our time studying the disciple named John and then next week our pastor will be back to close out this series and now typically every Sunday if pastor Josh were here this would be the time that he would give us a pop quiz to know if we know the disciples if we know them by name and if we know them in accurate order now I will admit to you that when I was in college I was the student that just hoped and prayed that just hoped and prayed that the teacher would forget about the quiz and I will say today as the teacher I have forgotten about the quiz there is no pop quiz today we're just going to get right to it but I will say that that I hope that you have been encouraged over the last several weeks as we have leaned into the word of God and we looked at the life of these disciples and my hope and prayer is that together we are encouraged by the word1:59just hoped and prayed that just hoped and prayed that the teacher would forget about the quiz and I will say today as the teacher I have forgotten about the quiz there is no pop quiz today we're just going to get right to it but I will say that that I hope that you have been encouraged over the last several weeks as we have leaned into the word of God and we looked at the life of these disciples and my hope and prayer is that together we are encouraged by the word today so let me pray for us as we begin2:29Jesus Christ so God today as we lean into your word as we examine the scriptures God I pray that you would open up our eyes to see and you would open up our ears to hear our minds to understand and you would open up our hearts to receive we pray all of this in the name of your son Jesus Christ amen amen now as we get started today like I said we're going to be studying the disciples2:59Jesus Christ so God today as we lean into your word as we examine the scriptures God I pray that you would open up our eyes to see and you would open up our ears to hear our minds to understand and you would open up our hearts to receive we pray all of this in the name of your son Jesus Christ amen amen now as we get started today like I said we're going to be studying the disciples and we're going to be studying the disciples we're going to be studying the disciples and we're going to be studying the disciples and we're going to be studying the disciples and we're going to be studying the disciples and we're going to be studying the disciples and we're going to be studying the disciples and we're going to be studying the disciples and we're going to be studying the disciples and we're going to be studying the disciples and we're going to be studying the disciples and what we know about John just from the beginning is that John the disciple knew Jesus closely3:29and we're going to be studying the disciples we're going to be studying the disciples and we're going to be studying the disciples and we're going to be studying the disciples and we're going to be studying the disciples and we're going to be studying the disciples and we're going to be studying the disciples and we're going to be studying the disciples and we're going to be studying the disciples and we're going to be studying the disciples and we're going to be studying the disciples and what we know about John just from the beginning is that John the disciple knew Jesus closely that he loved Jesus and that he loved Jesus and Jesus loved him all throughout Scripture John is described as the disciple whom Jesus loved and that's the title of our sermon today.3:59of their lives but as you look at Scripture and today we're going to look at a few different passages you can tell that Jesus and John had a unique relationship so let me begin by bringing your attention to John's gospel in chapter 13. John chapter 13 and let these next two passages if you would allow them to give you4:29let them give you insight into the relationship to the relationship to the relationship that he had with Jesus. So we come to chapter 13 in John and we see in this passage that Jesus had just washed his disciples feet that he had explained what this meant and we come to verse 21. And here Jesus is troubled. He's hurting. He's groaning in his spirit as he starts to think and contemplate.4:59plate that one of his disciples will soon betray him. And we're not going to spend a lot of time5:29on the betrayal here. Earlier in this sermon series, our pastor did. I'd encourage you to go back and find that sermon online. But I do want us to pay attention to the context. I want us to pay attention to what is happening here because I think that it gives us insight into this relationship that John had with Jesus. So look at verse 21 in John 13. It says,5:54When Jesus said this, he was troubled in his spirit and he testified, Truly I tell you that one of you will betray me. The disciples started looking at one another, uncertain as to which one he was speaking about. And one of his disciples, the one whom Jesus loved, was reclining closely beside Jesus. Simon Peter motioned to him to find out who it was he was6:19talking about. So he leaned back against Jesus and asked him, Lord, who is it? So look closely at verse 23. It says, The disciple whom Jesus loved. Now, almost all scholars claim this to be John. And it says that he was reclining close beside Jesus. Now, as you examine this text and you look at other6:44translations and you start to take this language back, you see that it literally means that John was laying in the chest of Jesus. That he more than likely had his head on his shoulder. He was leaning on Jesus. And I can understand this. Just a few weeks ago, me and my family were at home and7:09we were just playing around the house and there was a storm coming. We saw the storm on the radar. And I remember I was in the living room and my daughter Presley was in her bedroom playing with some toys and all of a sudden we heard a loud boom. And the storm was approaching and it started to thunder pretty loudly. And when that thunder hit, I just heard and felt these little feet scurry across7:37the house. And here Presley comes. She jumps right into my arms and she buries her head in my chest. So I asked her, well, what's wrong Presley? And she says, daddy, I just want the thunder to stop. And all night the thunder would continue. So every time it thunders, here she comes running right into my arms. At one point we put on a movie to try to distract us from the storm. So all8:02night there my daughter was in my arms. There's times when my two-year-old son is so distraught like a two-year-old can be that the only place that he can find any peace is in the arms of his mom, my wife. And there's days that he will just sit in her arms for hours because it's the only place he wants to be. So I think that we all understand this intimately. Now there's children8:32all around this room that lean on us, do this to us as parents. As I look out right now, I can literally see children leaned on their parents. Because there's this reality that the closer we are to someone emotionally, the more we trust someone to hold us up, sometimes that manifests itself8:58physically. And John here is showing that he knows, he believes that he is leaning on the one who can ultimately be leaned on. That he is leaning on the one who has proved to him he will never let him fall. When I think about this passage, I'm reminded of this hymn that we love to sing that says,9:23"What a fellowship we have, and what a joy that is divine when we are leaning on the everlasting arms." And you can see that even with the other disciples, that they even begin to recognize this relationship. In this passage, Jesus makes this pretty startling comment. So the disciples kind of sit up a little bit,9:47that you can put yourself in the scene, that you can put yourself in the scene and they start looking at each other. Like why would, why would Jesus say that? Did you hear him correctly? Who, who's he, is he talking about you? He's not talking about me, he must be talking about you. And then Simon looks up at John, who's close to Jesus, and he says, "Hey, can you ask him? Maybe he'll tell you." They knew that there was a unique and a close relationship here. And I would10:14suggest to you that any of us can have this kind of relationship with Jesus. That through his spirit and through his word, we have now the access and the ability to come extremely close to Christ. And for me and for you, when we draw close to him, he draws close to us like a good father does.10:43Again, we are leaning on the everlasting arms of Jesus Christ. And I would suggest to you that there's no better place to be. Now, I want to give you one more example in scripture of their relationship. And it's when you look at Jesus's last moments on the cross in John chapter 19. John chapter 19, starting in 25. He says this, "Standing by the cross of Jesus were his mother, his mother's sister, Mary, the wife of Coloppus, and Mary Magdalene.11:14And when Jesus saw his mother and the disciple he loved standing there, He said to his mother, "Woman, here is your son." And he said to the disciple, "Here is your mother." And from that hour, the disciple took her into his home. You see, in Jesus's last moments, he looks at John and says, "Take care of my mom."11:37As you study the life of Jesus, and it's clear throughout scripture, In the passages that we have that Jesus loved his mom. That he cared deeply for her. And he wanted to make sure that she was taken care of after he was gone. So he looks straight at John when he's on the cross and says, "Would you be there for her?"12:02And I would expect John to do this and do this well. But don't miss this, that John trusted Jesus, but in this moment, Jesus knew that he could trust John. This is just another example of this close relationship, this close friendship. So John would walk side by side with Jesus. And after Jesus died, John would begin to write.12:32As he would go on to write five books that we have in the New Testament, he would write his Gospels. He would write three letters and then he would write the book of Revelation. So now, I want to take us all the way back to the very beginning of his Gospel in John chapter 1. John chapter 1. You see, John's Gospel is unlike the other three Gospels that we have in the New Testament.12:57It begins differently than all of the rest. It reads differently than all of the rest. And I think that when you really consider the relationship that he had with Jesus, it makes sense that his Gospel would be different. It makes sense that his Gospel would be unique. It would be unlike the rest. So John sits down to write, and if we could, let's put ourselves in John's shoes for a minute.13:28That when you sit down to write about the one who means everything to you, what do you say? What words could you possibly use? Just this past year, my grandmother passed away. And I had the opportunity to give a eulogy and to say a few things at her funeral.13:56And I remember sitting down at my desk wondering, how do I sum up her life in just a few words? What could I write that could honor her? What could I write that could honor her well? And I know that there are those all across this room that have been in this situation. And if you have, you know that it's not easy. So as John remembers his friend, his Savior, the one he leaned on, writing as the one whom Jesus entrusted his mother to,14:24this is how he writes about Jesus. In John chapter one, verse one. He says, "In the beginning was the word. And the word was with God. The word was God. He was with God in the beginning.14:53All things were created through him. And apart from him, there was nothing that was created. In him was life. And that life was the light of men. And that light shines in the darkness. And yet the darkness did not overcome it." You see, John knew how to describe Jesus uniquely.15:20He was able to describe the deity of Jesus accurately. And he could describe the life of Jesus passionately. As he wrote that he was God. He was also with God. And he holds all things together. So how could John know? How could he know Jesus in such a way that he writes these words?15:47And it's because he walked with Christ. He saw and he listened. John was there when Jesus turned water into wine. John was there when Jesus looked at the lame man and said, "Pick up your mat and walk." He was there when Jesus fed the 5,000. He was there when Jesus literally walked on top of the ocean. He was there when Jesus brought Lazarus back to life.16:16And he was there when he heard Jesus say, "I am the light of the world." And the one who follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life. And then he was there when Jesus said these words that we, as a church, have come to love. John 3:16, when God says through Jesus, Jesus says these words, "For God loved the world in this way, that he gave his one and only Son,16:46that whoever believes in him shall not perish, but have," what? "Everlasting life." You see, John leaned his head on the one who brought the dead back to life. He knew who he was writing about and he was inspired by God divinely to do so. So after everything that John saw Jesus say and do, he sums it up this way.17:12He says that Jesus brings life and he brings light. Jesus brings life and brings light into the darkness. And he would spend the rest of his life to write about this because John wanted the world to know that there is a way out of darkness and is only found through the life and in Jesus Christ.17:37So John would write and write, as we've already mentioned, he would go on to write three more letters in the New Testament. So now, if you would, we're going to go to his first letter. If you would turn with me to 1 John 1. And this is where we're going to spend the remainder of our time. You keep flipping and it's almost to the end of the New Testament. It's a short book, 1 John.18:07And it's interesting that as you read and you turn from John's gospels to John's letters, his letters being written Ephesus around AD 70. This is after Jesus died. This is after he wrote his gospel. You can tell, and we'll read together and we'll see it together, that John becomes pretty bold in his writings. That he comes to this place where he does not leave room for exceptions when it comes to the truth.18:34It's as if he is saying, like, this is what I saw Jesus do and this is what you need to know. He was clear. He was concise. And with John, there was no gray area. And I hope that as believers in 2023, we can appreciate this. That we tend to live in a gray area society.19:01That we hear truth, but then we start to ask questions. We hear truth, but we ask, well, is that really, is that really what that means? Or we hear truth and say, well, you don't really mean that, do you? Listen, friends, there are no exceptions when it comes to the truth. And if we can be honest, we need to stop making room for them.19:31But it is time that we stand on the truth of God's word. So that whatever may come our way, we can hold fast. And we can hold fast to the inerrant word of the Lord because it's truth and we can trust it. But guess what? Even if you don't trust it, it's still truth. That truth is not something that needs to be believed in order to be true.20:01Amen? So let's read together in 1 John 1, verse 1. And this is what John writes about truth. He says, what was from the beginning, what we have heard, what we have seen with our eyes, what we have observed and touched with our hands concerning the word of life. That life, that life was revealed and we have seen it and we testify and declare to you the eternal life that was with the Father and was revealed to us.20:28So what we have seen and heard, we declare to you so that you may also have fellowship with us. And indeed, our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son, Jesus Christ. And we are writing these things so that our joy may be complete. So before John gets to his message in verse 5, here he puts a disclaimer.20:52He prefaces this by saying, listen, you can trust me about this. Now these verses actually tend to mirror the verses in John chapter 1, in his gospel, when he says, in the beginning was the word and the word was God. But now in his letter, he takes what he wrote in his gospel and he makes it a little bit more personal. He takes it a step further.21:21He says, what we say is true because we have seen it with our eyes. We have listened to it with our ears. We have touched it with our hands. John is saying, listen, I was there. And there's this reality that eyesight is almost always the best evidence that we have. I remember years ago, I was at a Braves baseball game with my wife.21:49I'm a huge baseball fan. And we were sitting in the outfield and it was a great game, going back and forth. And we come to the bottom of the ninth inning, the very end of the game, and it was a tie game. And one of my favorite players by the name of Chipper Jones comes up to bat. And in the bottom of the ninth inning, Chipper Jones hits a walk-off home run right to my section, right above my head. We almost caught the ball. The story would have been cooler if we did, but we didn't.22:18But it was like just this electrifying moment as a baseball fan to see your favorite player hit a walk-off home run. I remember the next day, I had some friends texting me, like, man, did you see the game last night? Like, wasn't that an awesome game? And you know, the conversation changed when I said, man, listen, I was there. I was there when he hit the ball. I was there when it came above my head in that section.22:46It was incredible. You see, when we witness events in person, it's much different than just hearing about it. And John is saying here, listen, we didn't just hear about this. Jesus was not just some spiritual being. This is not just a vision. But Jesus was really in the flesh. Jesus was a person. Remember, John knew this because he leaned his head on Jesus' shoulder.23:13So this letter that he writes is personal. And his Savior was his source, Jesus Christ. And then in verse 5, he gets to the point. He says this in verse 5. This is the message we heard from him, and now we declare to you. That God is light, and there is absolutely no darkness in him.23:37And if we say that we have fellowship with him, but yet we walk in darkness, we are lying, and we are not practicing the truth. If we walk in the light as he himself is the light, we have fellowship with one another. And the blood of Jesus, his son, cleanses us from all sin. But if we say we have no sin, we're deceiving ourselves, and the truth is not in us. But if we confess our sins, but if we confess our sins, he is faithful and righteous to forgive us of our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.24:07But if we say we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us. Church, in a day and in a time when truth is open to interpretation, and even biblical truth is opened up for debate, let us lean on this text to remind us that there is no gray area.24:35And let these verses be a wake-up call for us, that if you need the reminder today, I know that I do, that God is light. And there is no darkness with him. There can't be. But look at verse 6. When he says, If we say we have fellowship with him, but yet we walk in darkness, we are lying and we are not practicing the truth.25:01So this right here, this verse, this is truth. And the more I think about it, I think that this is why we try to make exceptions to the truth. Because a lot of times, the truth just hurts. And this is a truth that may hurt this morning. This is where John is bold.25:31He's very black and white on this issue. He says, If we have fellowship with God, if we say we have fellowship with God, but yet we're walking in darkness, we are lying. We say we're practicing the truth, but if we can be honest, we simply are not. You may think, well, Jared, what do you mean by darkness? I'm here at church.26:00I brought my family here. Darkness just seems like this cold, distant place. Surely I am not living that way. Surely I'm not in darkness. Friends, listen, to live in darkness is simply to persist in sin. And it doesn't matter the sin. Yes, you might be here at church this morning, and I want you to know that I'm glad you are. But if you go home, and you're living in persistent, consistent sin,26:30you are walking in darkness. Because to know God is to walk in light. To follow Jesus is to turn from darkness. And just on a practical level, that if you think that your darkness isn't that dark, if you think that your sin isn't that bad,26:57take a second and just look at the people around you. That you may keep your sin quiet. You may not talk about it, but there is a reality that sin affects you and everyone around you. And your circle, your sphere of influence, your home, with sin is getting darker and darker. But what the gospel tells us,27:27and what John writes, his friend, there is a way out of darkness. And you do not have to remain there. I'll tell you this story. A couple of weeks ago, our daughter Presley brought home this little baby turtle from the lake. She immediately fell in love with this thing. So me and her mom pretty much realized, we need to commit to this. So I went to Walmart,27:57and I bought a tank, and I bought some stuff for it. But if I could be honest with you, we don't have pets. I really have no idea what to do when you bring a turtle home from the lake. So I asked the only person that I can trust when it comes to turtles, and I trust him with a lot of other things too, one of my really good friends, Trent Jackson. So I asked him, and he gave me some advice. And he mentioned that it needed the light28:25because this little turtle wanted to be out of the water, and it needed a way to climb out of the water and to sit in the light because it likes to be warm. It likes to sunbathe. And you know, I was like, all right, whatever. I get it. But honestly, I didn't really understand the light. And to be honest, I just didn't get one. So we didn't put a light down on the tank, and about a week goes by, and I go downstairs, and I start to think, you know what? It's pretty cold down here. It's also kind of dark. You know,28:56You know, Trent may have been on to something. That little turtle may benefit from some light. So me and Anna Claire, we ordered a light, and we put it on the tank, and here's the thing, that when we turn this light on, I've never seen a little baby turtle swim so fast. That within five seconds, this turtle was on this rock, and it just stayed in that light for hours and hours. That while it was swimming around,29:25and it may not have known it, it was desperate for that light. And when the light came on, and it got in the light, it realized that there was no better place for it to be. Now, if you're a turtle lover, please forgive me. The turtle has everything it needs now. Now, here's the reality. Is that some of you may be persisting in darkness,29:52living in sin, and you think that your darkness or your sin is comfortable, but what the gospel tells us is that the light of Jesus Christ has come on. And in that light, there is no darkness, but there is only freedom in Christ, who the Bible says cleanses us from all of our unrighteousness if we would turn from our sin and put our trust in him. So if you are battling sin this morning,30:20the gospel urges you to seek Jesus, to find the light. That would suggest to you that the light of Jesus Christ is unlike anything else, and there's no better place for you to be. And then we come to chapter two, and this is where we'll end our time. John reiterates this incredible truth. When he writes this in 1 John, starting in chapter two, he says, my little children,30:50he says, I am writing to you these things so that you may not sin. But if anyone does sin, remember that we have an advocate with the Father, and his name is Jesus Christ. He is the righteous one. And he himself is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours, but also for the entire world. You see,31:20You see, John hated sin. And he feels so strongly about it because he saw, he walked with Jesus, and he saw how strongly Jesus felt about sin. So he is writing, he is pleading, don't sin. Strive to not sin. But he writes that if you do, and when you do, because we're all human, remember that we have31:50an advocate with God. And that is Jesus Christ in our place. And the gospel tells us that while we were dead in sin, God made us alive through the death of his son, Jesus Christ. And because of this, we find freedom from our sin, and we find eternal life in Jesus Christ. And this is what John wanted you to know. And sometimes I find it interesting that when John writes his letters,32:20that he doesn't write about every single thing that he saw. And trust me, he saw a lot. Because at the very end of his gospel, he ends by saying this. He says, and there's so many other things that Jesus did. which if every one of them were written down, he says, I suppose not even the world itself could contain the books32:49that were written. John is saying, listen, we could sit here for hours and hours and hours. And we would never skim the surface of everything Jesus really did. but the main thing, the point of all of this, the reason we're here today, and you may be wondering, what is all of this about? You may have been coming33:19for weeks, months, years, but you're still asking, what is the point? And it's that, the gospel tells us and drives us to this reality that if you are far from God, there is eternal life to be found in Jesus Christ. And if you are living in sin and darkness, don't let it get any darker because there's light to be found in Christ. If you're hurting33:49and living in sadness and you've been through some tough seasons and I know there are some people in here who have been in some tough seasons, you're in them right now. There is peace and joy to be found in Jesus Christ. You see, John learned to lean his head on the one who would never let him fall. And maybe today you're here and you've been standing on your own for a really long time.34:18Maybe you've been standing on your own for your entire life. Maybe you're here and you're leaning on your sin and you think that nobody can tell but if you're honest with yourself, you know that they probably can. there's this saying that what we cover God will uncover but what we uncover God will cover. Friend, listen,34:49Friend, listen, there's a truth you need to hear that your house is more made of glass than you may think. It's just the truth. And maybe now is the time that you confess your sins and remember though, remember that while we confess and it's hard and it hurts that the gospel tells us that Jesus will cleanse us from all unrighteousness and that we can35:19find freedom and walk in the light of Jesus Christ. So if you're here today and that is you, maybe you want to give your life to Christ for the very first time. Maybe you just want to ask more questions about it. Maybe you just want to talk. I'm going to be down here after the service. Pastor James is going to be down here after the service and we would love to talk to you but don't leave here without getting it right. The gospel tells us35:48that it is worth it and Jesus Christ in your life is worth it. You think, oh my life can never change. I've done too much. I'm doing too much right now. Jesus Christ can save you from your sins and you can find eternal life with him. Let's pray together. Father, we are...← Previous in The Mind of a DiscipleThe Mind of a Disciple: Close to the Heart of Jesus (Thaddaeus)
