1 00:00:11,833 --> 00:00:13,333 Welcome to Mars Hill church. 2 00:00:13,417 --> 00:00:16,333 Jesus is using Mars Hill to make disciples 3 00:00:16,375 --> 00:00:18,625 and plant churches all over the world 4 00:00:18,667 --> 00:00:21,333 and this wouldn't be happening without your help. 5 00:00:21,417 --> 00:00:24,167 Your gifts enable what you're watching right now 6 00:00:24,250 --> 00:00:26,750 and help plant churches, equip evangelists, 7 00:00:26,833 --> 00:00:29,500 and translate resources and study materials 8 00:00:29,542 --> 00:00:33,458 for people who have never had access to them before. 9 00:00:33,500 --> 00:00:36,667 Whether you're a part of a local Mars Hill church 10 00:00:36,708 --> 00:00:40,333 or you're one of hundreds of thousands of people 11 00:00:40,417 --> 00:00:43,417 listening and watching sermons each and every week, 12 00:00:43,500 --> 00:00:47,208 you're a part of our global family and I want to thank you. 13 00:00:47,292 --> 00:00:50,500 I encourage you to pray about giving to Mars Hill. 14 00:00:50,542 --> 00:00:54,250 You make this content available for free to anyone in the world, 15 00:00:54,333 --> 00:00:57,625 send out more pastors, plant more churches, 16 00:00:57,667 --> 00:01:02,500 and bring the kingdom of Jesus Christ to our world today. 17 00:01:02,542 --> 00:01:04,167 Thank you. 18 00:01:06,875 --> 00:01:10,500 Say hi to the camera! 19 00:01:10,583 --> 00:01:14,042 Jaime and Jose are like a mom and a dad to me. 20 00:01:14,125 --> 00:01:16,542 I love you guys. 21 00:01:16,625 --> 00:01:17,958 Are the flowers from you? 22 00:01:18,000 --> 00:01:19,500 Thank you, sweetheart. 23 00:01:19,583 --> 00:01:21,667 You're welcome. 24 00:01:21,750 --> 00:01:23,875 God calls us to live in community. 25 00:01:23,958 --> 00:01:26,542 God calls us to serve one another and love one another. 26 00:01:26,625 --> 00:01:30,333 We're just obeying that calling and we get so much out of it, 27 00:01:30,417 --> 00:01:33,667 you know, that we probably didn't even realize we would. 28 00:01:33,750 --> 00:01:35,667 If you've got sin, if you've got struggle, 29 00:01:35,750 --> 00:01:37,083 welcome to the family. 30 00:01:37,167 --> 00:01:39,583 This is the family of God. This is the family. 31 00:01:39,667 --> 00:01:41,333 We have a big brother, Jesus Christ, 32 00:01:41,375 --> 00:01:43,375 who's bigger than any of your problems. 33 00:01:43,458 --> 00:01:46,167 The outward righteousness that I believe Jesus 34 00:01:46,250 --> 00:01:48,458 is looking for is loving one another. 35 00:01:48,500 --> 00:01:51,625 That's about as simple as it gets. 36 00:01:58,708 --> 00:02:05,792 [congregation cheering] 37 00:02:37,792 --> 00:02:39,875 Thank you. Thank you. 38 00:02:39,958 --> 00:02:41,583 We love you, Mark! 39 00:02:41,667 --> 00:02:45,667 We love you, Pastor! 40 00:02:48,542 --> 00:02:53,417 I love you as well, and I genuinely appreciate the support 41 00:02:53,500 --> 00:02:57,125 in what has been a very difficult season. 42 00:02:57,167 --> 00:03:00,500 It is a great joy and honor to be with you today. 43 00:03:00,583 --> 00:03:07,542 And if it would be okay, I'd like to teach the Bible. 44 00:03:09,792 --> 00:03:14,208 A faithful friend is a great gift, amen? 45 00:03:14,292 --> 00:03:20,250 Thank you for being faithful friends to me, our family, 46 00:03:20,333 --> 00:03:22,167 our church family. 47 00:03:22,208 --> 00:03:24,333 A faithful friend is a great gift. 48 00:03:24,375 --> 00:03:27,667 A faithful friend is one who draws near you 49 00:03:27,708 --> 00:03:30,958 when everyone else is walking away from you. 50 00:03:31,000 --> 00:03:34,750 A faithful friend is one who remains alongside of you 51 00:03:34,833 --> 00:03:36,542 when there's nothing for them to gain, 52 00:03:36,625 --> 00:03:39,667 but there is much for them to lose. 53 00:03:39,708 --> 00:03:44,667 Life is almost unendurable 54 00:03:44,708 --> 00:03:47,500 without a faithful friend. 55 00:03:47,583 --> 00:03:51,000 Do you have a faithful friend? 56 00:03:51,083 --> 00:03:53,958 If you do, I'd encourage you to just love and thank them 57 00:03:54,000 --> 00:03:56,833 this week and thank God for them. 58 00:03:56,917 --> 00:04:02,167 Maybe a harder question is, are you a faithful friend? 59 00:04:02,208 --> 00:04:05,875 It's interesting that when God became a man, 60 00:04:05,958 --> 00:04:08,917 Jesus Christ entered into human history 61 00:04:09,000 --> 00:04:13,375 and he chooses some friends. 62 00:04:13,458 --> 00:04:16,083 We call them disciples or apostles. 63 00:04:16,167 --> 00:04:21,708 One of them, Judas Iscariot, ended up betraying Jesus. 64 00:04:21,792 --> 00:04:24,708 Some friends are like that. 65 00:04:24,792 --> 00:04:28,500 Peter denied and abandoned Jesus. 66 00:04:28,542 --> 00:04:31,542 Some friends are like that. 67 00:04:31,625 --> 00:04:34,667 Thomas doubted and distanced himself from Jesus, 68 00:04:34,708 --> 00:04:37,333 and some friends are like that. 69 00:04:37,375 --> 00:04:41,583 But out of that group of 12, there was 1 who was Jesus' 70 00:04:41,667 --> 00:04:45,375 most faithful friend, his most loyal friend, 71 00:04:45,458 --> 00:04:47,708 his most trustworthy friend. 72 00:04:47,792 --> 00:04:50,333 Not a perfect friend, but a friend who was there 73 00:04:50,375 --> 00:04:53,500 when no one else was there. 74 00:04:53,583 --> 00:04:55,958 What's his name? 75 00:04:56,000 --> 00:04:57,500 It's John. 76 00:04:57,542 --> 00:04:58,958 His name is John. 77 00:04:59,000 --> 00:05:02,333 There's about 9 guys in the New Testament named John. 78 00:05:02,375 --> 00:05:03,750 This is John the beloved. 79 00:05:03,833 --> 00:05:05,500 Five times in the Gospel of John, 80 00:05:05,583 --> 00:05:07,833 he's referred to as the one whom Jesus loved. 81 00:05:07,917 --> 00:05:09,792 They had a special affection. 82 00:05:09,833 --> 00:05:13,625 They were like a big brother and a little brother. 83 00:05:13,667 --> 00:05:16,167 When we see them together in gospels, 84 00:05:16,250 --> 00:05:19,292 Jesus is perhaps 30 or so. 85 00:05:19,333 --> 00:05:22,333 John is likely younger, in his 20s. 86 00:05:22,417 --> 00:05:27,667 And John remained, through the course of his life, 87 00:05:27,708 --> 00:05:32,958 Jesus' most faithful friend, his nearest and dearest, 88 00:05:33,000 --> 00:05:37,417 his best and most treasured friend. 89 00:05:37,500 --> 00:05:42,333 The next few months we will spend examining 90 00:05:42,417 --> 00:05:43,917 the book of 1 John, 91 00:05:44,000 --> 00:05:46,833 written by this man, Jesus' most faithful friend. 92 00:05:46,875 --> 00:05:52,333 And it's important that you get to know him, and understand him, 93 00:05:52,417 --> 00:05:55,375 and have, to some degree, a friendship with him 94 00:05:55,458 --> 00:05:58,667 so that you can fully understand, appreciate, enjoy, 95 00:05:58,708 --> 00:06:02,000 and avail yourself to everything that he has to teach us. 96 00:06:02,083 --> 00:06:05,542 And so in this sermon, I really want to focus on 97 00:06:05,625 --> 00:06:08,958 Jesus' best friend. 98 00:06:09,000 --> 00:06:11,458 And I want to start with John's family. 99 00:06:11,500 --> 00:06:13,875 You can learn a lot about somebody meeting their family, 100 00:06:13,958 --> 00:06:15,292 amen? 101 00:06:15,333 --> 00:06:17,792 If you're single, before you marry them, meet their family. 102 00:06:17,833 --> 00:06:19,292 Just a little bit of advice. 103 00:06:19,333 --> 00:06:21,958 You really get to know somebody when you meet their family. 104 00:06:22,000 --> 00:06:26,000 So to understand John, we'll first meet John's family. 105 00:06:26,042 --> 00:06:29,500 And here we read in Mark 1:16-20, 106 00:06:29,542 --> 00:06:31,333 "Passing along the Sea of Galilee, he," 107 00:06:31,375 --> 00:06:32,833 that is Jesus. 108 00:06:32,917 --> 00:06:34,542 So, we've got a geographic region. 109 00:06:34,625 --> 00:06:37,167 Galilee, it's pretty rural. 110 00:06:37,250 --> 00:06:39,000 We've been there, my family and I, 111 00:06:39,083 --> 00:06:40,500 and some of you joined us. 112 00:06:40,583 --> 00:06:42,583 It's a very large body of water 113 00:06:42,667 --> 00:06:45,042 and it's surrounded with a lot of farmland. 114 00:06:45,125 --> 00:06:46,667 So, it's rural. 115 00:06:46,750 --> 00:06:49,417 There's a lot of fishing and there's a lot of farming. 116 00:06:49,500 --> 00:06:52,875 Those are the primary businesses in that day in that region. 117 00:06:52,958 --> 00:06:55,708 "He," Jesus, "saw Simon and Andrew," 118 00:06:55,792 --> 00:06:58,375 Simon is also known as Peter, "the brother of Simon 119 00:06:58,458 --> 00:07:00,917 casting a net into the sea, for they were fishermen." 120 00:07:01,000 --> 00:07:05,500 So the story unfolds that Peter and Andrew, two brothers, 121 00:07:05,542 --> 00:07:07,000 have a fishing business in Galilee. 122 00:07:07,042 --> 00:07:10,000 You're going to see in a moment that they become part of 123 00:07:10,042 --> 00:07:12,333 the 12 disciples, the friends who journey with Jesus, 124 00:07:12,417 --> 00:07:15,792 and they leave their fishing business to do so. 125 00:07:15,833 --> 00:07:18,792 "And going a little farther, he saw James the son of Zebedee 126 00:07:18,833 --> 00:07:21,833 and John," there's our guy, "his brother." 127 00:07:21,917 --> 00:07:24,625 So James is the older brother, John is the younger brother, 128 00:07:24,667 --> 00:07:28,750 "who were in their boat mending their nets." 129 00:07:28,833 --> 00:07:30,833 The story continues, 130 00:07:30,917 --> 00:07:32,500 "And immediately he called them, 131 00:07:32,583 --> 00:07:34,708 and they left their father Zebedee in the boat," 132 00:07:34,792 --> 00:07:36,125 while the hired servants-- 133 00:07:36,167 --> 00:07:38,125 "with the hired servants," rather, "and followed him." 134 00:07:38,167 --> 00:07:39,500 So, here's the story. 135 00:07:39,583 --> 00:07:42,000 You can get the impression reading it that Jesus walks 136 00:07:42,083 --> 00:07:45,125 along and says, "Quit your job and follow me," and they did. 137 00:07:45,167 --> 00:07:49,333 But it is more likely that they had a very close 138 00:07:49,417 --> 00:07:52,000 pre-existing relationship. 139 00:07:52,042 --> 00:07:54,708 We learn from other Scriptures that John and James, 140 00:07:54,792 --> 00:07:56,625 these two brothers, James the older brother, 141 00:07:56,667 --> 00:07:59,667 John the younger brother, their mom's name was Salome. 142 00:07:59,750 --> 00:08:04,167 She was possibly Mary's sister. 143 00:08:04,250 --> 00:08:08,875 So, she would have been Jesus' aunt, and that would make Jesus, 144 00:08:08,958 --> 00:08:11,208 and James, and John cousins. 145 00:08:11,292 --> 00:08:14,125 So, as he was related to John the Baptizer, 146 00:08:14,167 --> 00:08:17,750 he may have also--Jesus may have also been related to 147 00:08:17,833 --> 00:08:19,667 James and John. 148 00:08:19,708 --> 00:08:24,208 We learn as well that their father's name is Zebedee, 149 00:08:24,292 --> 00:08:25,708 and he owns a fishing business. 150 00:08:25,792 --> 00:08:27,667 And you can sometimes get the impression, oh, 151 00:08:27,708 --> 00:08:29,667 these are just sort of rural, country bumpkins 152 00:08:29,708 --> 00:08:31,375 that were very, very poor and uneducated, 153 00:08:31,458 --> 00:08:32,875 but that's not entirely the case 154 00:08:32,958 --> 00:08:36,667 because their father Zebedee actually has a fishing business. 155 00:08:36,750 --> 00:08:39,708 He's got boats, and nets, and his sons are working 156 00:08:39,792 --> 00:08:41,125 in the family business. 157 00:08:41,167 --> 00:08:44,125 It was customary in that day that you would learn the trade 158 00:08:44,167 --> 00:08:46,625 of your father and that you would inherit the business 159 00:08:46,667 --> 00:08:48,000 from your father. 160 00:08:48,083 --> 00:08:51,000 So if he farmed this land, he would hand it to you 161 00:08:51,083 --> 00:08:52,500 and you would farm this land. 162 00:08:52,583 --> 00:08:54,500 Or if he fished this body of water, 163 00:08:54,583 --> 00:08:56,208 you would fish that body of water. 164 00:08:56,292 --> 00:08:58,417 And the family business was a means of survival 165 00:08:58,500 --> 00:09:00,208 passed from one generation to the next, 166 00:09:00,292 --> 00:09:01,708 and his business is so successful 167 00:09:01,792 --> 00:09:03,125 that he has hired servants. 168 00:09:03,167 --> 00:09:04,833 He's got employees. This is a business. 169 00:09:04,917 --> 00:09:07,333 So, the boys are working hard, the young men are, 170 00:09:07,417 --> 00:09:09,833 for their father and his business. 171 00:09:09,917 --> 00:09:12,208 It's amazing that when Jesus goes to choose leaders, 172 00:09:12,292 --> 00:09:15,958 he chooses them from the business world and not from 173 00:09:16,000 --> 00:09:18,667 the theological schools or the formal places that we 174 00:09:18,750 --> 00:09:21,667 would consider a pastor would have been trained in that day. 175 00:09:21,750 --> 00:09:24,000 And so they probably already knew Jesus. 176 00:09:24,042 --> 00:09:25,500 They probably grew up with him. 177 00:09:25,542 --> 00:09:28,000 They're probably related to him. They're probably cousins of his. 178 00:09:28,042 --> 00:09:29,667 They have a pre-existing relationship. 179 00:09:29,708 --> 00:09:32,292 Jesus is walking along, looks at James and John, and says, 180 00:09:32,333 --> 00:09:33,792 "Come follow me." 181 00:09:33,833 --> 00:09:36,500 And he says to Simon and to Andrew, "Come follow me," 182 00:09:36,583 --> 00:09:38,375 and they do. 183 00:09:38,458 --> 00:09:40,250 They leave behind their business. 184 00:09:40,333 --> 00:09:41,792 They leave behind their livelihood. 185 00:09:41,833 --> 00:09:43,417 They leave behind their security, 186 00:09:43,500 --> 00:09:46,500 and they leave behind what could be generations of 187 00:09:46,583 --> 00:09:49,500 a family business that provided for their grandparents 188 00:09:49,583 --> 00:09:52,000 and their parents would provide for them and their children. 189 00:09:52,083 --> 00:09:53,417 Here's the big idea. 190 00:09:53,500 --> 00:09:57,625 Sometimes Jesus asks you to follow him, and to do so, 191 00:09:57,667 --> 00:10:01,042 there are things that you need to leave behind. 192 00:10:01,125 --> 00:10:03,667 And sometimes that's a great expense. 193 00:10:03,708 --> 00:10:07,667 And what Jesus is doing is he's inviting them to ministry 194 00:10:07,750 --> 00:10:12,167 and to life with him, and they follow him and they obey him. 195 00:10:12,208 --> 00:10:15,250 That's John's family. 196 00:10:15,333 --> 00:10:18,792 Next I want to look at John's personality. 197 00:10:18,833 --> 00:10:23,125 What can oftentimes happen is we examine the Bible 198 00:10:23,167 --> 00:10:26,167 and we get to know someone 199 00:10:26,250 --> 00:10:29,500 as they have progressed over many years 200 00:10:29,583 --> 00:10:33,167 and are more godly than they were at the beginning. 201 00:10:33,208 --> 00:10:36,458 And it's important not just to examine where someone is, 202 00:10:36,500 --> 00:10:39,167 but where they started and the progress that has been made 203 00:10:39,208 --> 00:10:41,333 by the grace of God along the way. 204 00:10:41,375 --> 00:10:44,042 As you read of John, you're going to read about this 205 00:10:44,125 --> 00:10:46,333 very loving, elderly, kind man. 206 00:10:46,375 --> 00:10:50,042 And let me just say, he didn't start like that. 207 00:10:50,125 --> 00:10:51,958 And there's something that theologians will call 208 00:10:52,000 --> 00:10:55,458 progressive sanctification, and that is you become a Christian 209 00:10:55,500 --> 00:10:59,292 and then you, as they did, walk with Jesus in friendship. 210 00:10:59,333 --> 00:11:04,083 And day by day, bit by bit, you become more like Jesus 211 00:11:04,167 --> 00:11:07,583 until you die and stand before him 212 00:11:07,667 --> 00:11:12,167 and are ultimately, eternally perfected. 213 00:11:12,208 --> 00:11:15,583 And along the way, we're all works in progress, 214 00:11:15,667 --> 00:11:18,542 and John is no exception. 215 00:11:18,625 --> 00:11:23,250 I want to share with you three snapshots of John's life 216 00:11:23,333 --> 00:11:25,625 that are not particularly flattering, 217 00:11:25,667 --> 00:11:27,167 but they are insightful. 218 00:11:27,250 --> 00:11:29,500 The first one is in Mark 3:17. 219 00:11:29,542 --> 00:11:32,792 "James the son of Zebedee and John the brother of James 220 00:11:32,833 --> 00:11:36,000 "(to whom he gave the name Boanerges, 221 00:11:36,083 --> 00:11:38,583 that is, The Sons of Thunder)." 222 00:11:38,667 --> 00:11:42,667 Okay, you've got to say it like that, okay? 223 00:11:42,750 --> 00:11:44,917 Thunder is a little unsettling, amen? 224 00:11:45,000 --> 00:11:47,250 Right, when I travel, when I stay in hotels, 225 00:11:47,333 --> 00:11:49,792 oftentimes any noise wakes me up, 226 00:11:49,833 --> 00:11:52,667 so I got one of those background noise apps. 227 00:11:52,750 --> 00:11:56,667 Babbling brook, nice breeze, chirping birds. 228 00:11:56,750 --> 00:12:01,083 There's no thunder option on the sleeping app. 229 00:12:01,167 --> 00:12:02,500 You know why? 230 00:12:02,542 --> 00:12:05,333 Thunder is unsettling. Thunder is scary. 231 00:12:05,375 --> 00:12:08,125 Thunder is disruptive, amen? 232 00:12:08,167 --> 00:12:11,333 I can still remember the first time I encountered thunder. 233 00:12:11,417 --> 00:12:14,667 I remember being a little boy at my--I think it was at 234 00:12:14,750 --> 00:12:17,250 my grandparent's house in North Dakota. 235 00:12:17,333 --> 00:12:20,000 Boom! 236 00:12:20,083 --> 00:12:22,958 I didn't know what that--I thought the world exploded. 237 00:12:23,000 --> 00:12:25,875 What happened? What happened? 238 00:12:25,958 --> 00:12:28,042 What is that? It's thunder. 239 00:12:28,125 --> 00:12:32,958 And usually, you don't see it, you don't anticipate its coming. 240 00:12:33,000 --> 00:12:35,708 It just explodes out of nowhere violently, 241 00:12:35,792 --> 00:12:38,250 and it's very terrifying. 242 00:12:38,333 --> 00:12:41,000 Jesus gives these two brothers, James and John--you kind of 243 00:12:41,042 --> 00:12:43,417 get the idea like they're two barrels on a gun, 244 00:12:43,500 --> 00:12:45,042 these two guys. 245 00:12:45,125 --> 00:12:47,792 He gives them the nickname The Sons of Thunder. 246 00:12:47,833 --> 00:12:50,583 Now, there are only two kinds of people that we nickname, 247 00:12:50,667 --> 00:12:54,333 the people we really love and the people we really hate, amen? 248 00:12:54,417 --> 00:12:57,167 Okay, you chuckle because you've done that, okay? 249 00:12:57,250 --> 00:13:00,417 Well, he gives them the nickname Sons of Thunder. 250 00:13:00,500 --> 00:13:04,125 And this will explain a little bit about me. 251 00:13:04,167 --> 00:13:08,167 I grew up watching wrestling and listening to AC/DC, okay? 252 00:13:08,208 --> 00:13:11,208 So, if you did as well, we can pray for one another. 253 00:13:11,292 --> 00:13:13,875 Nonetheless, I watched fake wrestling, 254 00:13:13,958 --> 00:13:15,875 and if you didn't know it was fake, 255 00:13:15,958 --> 00:13:18,667 I apologize for ruining it for you. 256 00:13:18,708 --> 00:13:22,250 I watched fake wrestling with my diesel mechanic, truck driver, 257 00:13:22,333 --> 00:13:24,917 loving, awesome Grandpa George 258 00:13:25,000 --> 00:13:27,083 and I also grew up listening to AC/DC. 259 00:13:27,167 --> 00:13:29,833 And when I hear James and John, The Sons of Thunder, 260 00:13:29,875 --> 00:13:31,250 here's what I think. 261 00:13:31,333 --> 00:13:33,000 In wrestling, do you remember--in fake wrestling, 262 00:13:33,042 --> 00:13:35,042 there's tag teams. 263 00:13:35,125 --> 00:13:38,167 This sounds like a tag team wrestling name, amen? 264 00:13:38,208 --> 00:13:40,500 And now, entering the ring, James and John, 265 00:13:40,542 --> 00:13:42,375 The Sons of Thunder! 266 00:13:42,458 --> 00:13:45,500 All right, and then I hear AC/DC "Thunderstruck" 267 00:13:45,583 --> 00:13:50,333 as the walk out music for James and John, amen? 268 00:13:50,375 --> 00:13:51,833 Okay, just something to pray about. 269 00:13:51,875 --> 00:13:53,833 Maybe you don't see it that way, 270 00:13:53,875 --> 00:13:58,292 but that's how I see James and John, okay? 271 00:13:58,333 --> 00:14:01,958 Here's another snapshot, a vignette. 272 00:14:02,000 --> 00:14:05,083 "And he," Jesus, "sent messengers ahead of him, 273 00:14:05,167 --> 00:14:07,667 who went and entered a village of the Samaritans." 274 00:14:07,708 --> 00:14:11,167 The Samaritans, they were kind of God's people, 275 00:14:11,208 --> 00:14:13,333 and then they got kind of their own Bible, 276 00:14:13,417 --> 00:14:14,833 and they got their own temple, 277 00:14:14,917 --> 00:14:16,333 and they created their own religion, 278 00:14:16,417 --> 00:14:17,833 and they intermarried with other gods, 279 00:14:17,917 --> 00:14:19,583 and they were very convoluted and corrupted, 280 00:14:19,667 --> 00:14:22,083 and God's people were very disgusted by them 281 00:14:22,167 --> 00:14:24,375 and would actually venture around them. 282 00:14:24,458 --> 00:14:27,458 This is racial conflict, cultural conflict, 283 00:14:27,500 --> 00:14:29,333 religious conflict. 284 00:14:29,417 --> 00:14:34,250 It's highly charged and Jesus is bravely going to venture through 285 00:14:34,333 --> 00:14:37,750 this Samaritan area, something that many Jews 286 00:14:37,833 --> 00:14:39,458 would simply not do. 287 00:14:39,500 --> 00:14:41,667 And he sends his leaders ahead to make preparations. 288 00:14:41,708 --> 00:14:43,500 "Tell them I'm coming. Get everything ready." 289 00:14:43,583 --> 00:14:47,083 "And when his disciples James and John," the Sons of Thunder, 290 00:14:47,167 --> 00:14:49,500 here they come, "saw it, they said, 291 00:14:49,583 --> 00:14:55,500 "'Lord, do you want us to tell fire to come down from heaven 292 00:14:55,542 --> 00:14:57,750 and consume them?'" 293 00:14:57,833 --> 00:15:01,708 Okay, true or false, that's not the most pastoral moment? 294 00:15:01,792 --> 00:15:04,333 True or false, right? 295 00:15:04,417 --> 00:15:06,708 "Jesus, you said to go into town. 296 00:15:06,792 --> 00:15:08,292 "They don't want you to come. 297 00:15:08,333 --> 00:15:12,083 How about we set them all on fire?" 298 00:15:12,167 --> 00:15:16,667 I was reading this wondering, "Could they really do that? 299 00:15:16,750 --> 00:15:21,542 Because that would be handy." 300 00:15:21,625 --> 00:15:27,458 If nothing else, for camping, you know? 301 00:15:27,500 --> 00:15:33,500 But what a--I mean, this is not a very pastoral moment, right? 302 00:15:33,542 --> 00:15:37,500 "But he," that's Jesus, "turned and rebuked them." 303 00:15:37,542 --> 00:15:39,583 "How about we pray for them? 304 00:15:39,667 --> 00:15:41,583 "Maybe we evangelize them. 305 00:15:41,667 --> 00:15:44,000 "Maybe we talk to them. 306 00:15:44,042 --> 00:15:46,958 I don't think we should set them all on fire." 307 00:15:47,000 --> 00:15:50,333 Okay, you get a little bit of an insight 308 00:15:50,375 --> 00:15:52,667 into John's personality. 309 00:15:52,708 --> 00:15:56,750 The third vignette, snapshot, 310 00:15:56,833 --> 00:16:00,333 is from Mark 10:35-37. 311 00:16:00,417 --> 00:16:04,500 "And James and John," the Sons of Thunder, 312 00:16:04,583 --> 00:16:08,333 "the sons of Zebedee, came to him," Jesus, "and said to him, 313 00:16:08,417 --> 00:16:11,750 'Teacher, we want you to do for us whatever we ask of you.'" 314 00:16:11,833 --> 00:16:14,000 How many of you have a kid like this? 315 00:16:14,083 --> 00:16:16,958 "Mom, Dad, I want to ask you for something 316 00:16:17,000 --> 00:16:18,667 and I want you to say yes." 317 00:16:18,750 --> 00:16:20,083 "What is it?" 318 00:16:20,167 --> 00:16:25,250 "Nope, before I ask, I want you to say yes, and then I'll ask. 319 00:16:25,333 --> 00:16:27,333 It's just one thing." 320 00:16:27,375 --> 00:16:29,958 This is sort of what they do. 321 00:16:30,000 --> 00:16:32,458 "Jesus, we have--we've been talking about it, 322 00:16:32,500 --> 00:16:34,958 "this one thing. 323 00:16:35,000 --> 00:16:37,958 "We've been trying to think about what we'd ask. 324 00:16:38,000 --> 00:16:39,708 "We'd like you to agree to it 325 00:16:39,792 --> 00:16:41,917 and then we'll let you know what it is." 326 00:16:42,000 --> 00:16:43,333 And here's what it is. 327 00:16:43,375 --> 00:16:45,042 "And he said to them," Jesus did, 328 00:16:45,125 --> 00:16:47,250 "'What do you want me to do for you?' 329 00:16:47,333 --> 00:16:50,250 And they said to him, 'Grant us to sit,'" this is amazing, 330 00:16:50,333 --> 00:16:54,875 "'one at your right hand and one at your left, in glory.'" 331 00:16:54,958 --> 00:16:59,042 Does that seem potentially prideful to anyone else? 332 00:16:59,125 --> 00:17:00,875 Just me? Okay, here's the-- 333 00:17:00,958 --> 00:17:04,208 "So, Jesus, we heard you talking about you came down 334 00:17:04,292 --> 00:17:06,125 "from heaven, you're going back to heaven. 335 00:17:06,167 --> 00:17:08,833 "When you get to heaven, there's going to be a throne. 336 00:17:08,917 --> 00:17:11,250 "You're going to be high and exalted, 337 00:17:11,333 --> 00:17:13,083 "worshiped by angels crying, 338 00:17:13,167 --> 00:17:16,208 "'Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty. 339 00:17:16,292 --> 00:17:19,208 "'Heaven and earth are full of his glory.' 340 00:17:19,292 --> 00:17:22,625 "And we were talking about it thinking two more thrones 341 00:17:22,667 --> 00:17:25,167 "would be appropriate. 342 00:17:25,208 --> 00:17:27,917 "Three. 343 00:17:28,000 --> 00:17:31,833 "And in all humility, we came to the conclusion that you can get 344 00:17:31,875 --> 00:17:33,250 "the one in the middle. 345 00:17:33,333 --> 00:17:34,917 "You're welcome. 346 00:17:35,000 --> 00:17:38,292 "And we'd like to be at your right and left, 347 00:17:38,333 --> 00:17:42,875 "being glorified eternally by all creation. 348 00:17:42,958 --> 00:17:44,292 "That's it. 349 00:17:44,333 --> 00:17:47,333 Just one thing, that's all we ask." 350 00:17:47,417 --> 00:17:52,167 We get the impression from John he's angry, 351 00:17:52,208 --> 00:17:57,125 says things he shouldn't say, is impatient, unloving, 352 00:17:57,167 --> 00:18:01,500 unkind, a little scary, frightening, intimidating. 353 00:18:01,583 --> 00:18:07,167 Also very proud and self-seeking. 354 00:18:07,208 --> 00:18:12,542 Jesus starts in a place like that with all of us. 355 00:18:12,625 --> 00:18:16,667 And the reason that the Bible gives us the story of John is 356 00:18:16,750 --> 00:18:22,167 to give us hope that if God could change this man, 357 00:18:22,250 --> 00:18:26,833 God could change anyone, God could change us. 358 00:18:26,875 --> 00:18:32,833 What's perhaps most intriguing is John lives to be 359 00:18:32,917 --> 00:18:34,667 maybe 100 years of age. 360 00:18:34,750 --> 00:18:36,708 We're not exactly sure. 361 00:18:36,792 --> 00:18:41,500 And as an old man, he is well known for being loving. 362 00:18:41,542 --> 00:18:44,875 And I would say, had he been accused of that as a young man, 363 00:18:44,958 --> 00:18:47,792 the evidence would not have held up in court. 364 00:18:47,833 --> 00:18:52,417 You couldn't charge him with being loving. 365 00:18:52,500 --> 00:18:56,333 What happens is that, as he grows older, 366 00:18:56,375 --> 00:18:58,708 he grows more loving. 367 00:18:58,792 --> 00:19:01,458 As we spend months together studying 1 John, 368 00:19:01,500 --> 00:19:04,125 it was the first book of the Bible that I studied 369 00:19:04,167 --> 00:19:07,667 as a new Christian in college, and my wonderful pastor said, 370 00:19:07,708 --> 00:19:10,833 "As you read it, circle or highlight words like 'love,' 371 00:19:10,875 --> 00:19:12,375 "and 'know,' and 'fellowship.' 372 00:19:12,458 --> 00:19:14,833 "These are key words that sort of unlock the meaning 373 00:19:14,917 --> 00:19:17,208 of the book and your understanding." 374 00:19:17,292 --> 00:19:18,875 And so I did that. 375 00:19:18,958 --> 00:19:21,625 What I found was in 5 chapters-- and I'd encourage you 376 00:19:21,667 --> 00:19:24,625 to do the same as you read 1 John--the word "love" appears 377 00:19:24,667 --> 00:19:30,167 about 40 times from John. 378 00:19:30,208 --> 00:19:35,167 He says, repeatedly, "Love one another." 379 00:19:35,208 --> 00:19:38,500 Church history outside of the Bible records that, 380 00:19:38,542 --> 00:19:41,667 as a very elderly man, he was frail and nearing the end of 381 00:19:41,750 --> 00:19:45,667 his life, he would be brought to a church. 382 00:19:45,750 --> 00:19:47,750 He needed help. 383 00:19:47,833 --> 00:19:50,042 He would be helped up front, right, 384 00:19:50,125 --> 00:19:53,750 that they would sit him down as a very elderly man. 385 00:19:53,833 --> 00:19:56,667 And at this point, all the other apostles, 386 00:19:56,750 --> 00:19:59,208 disciples, the 12 are all dead. 387 00:19:59,292 --> 00:20:00,958 His brother, James, was the first one 388 00:20:01,000 --> 00:20:02,500 killed and martyred. 389 00:20:02,583 --> 00:20:07,292 He would be the last one alive, John would. 390 00:20:07,333 --> 00:20:10,542 And he would say, "You are the children of God. 391 00:20:10,625 --> 00:20:13,708 Love one another." 392 00:20:13,792 --> 00:20:17,917 You'll read repeatedly in 1 John that he refers to his people as, 393 00:20:18,000 --> 00:20:20,000 "My dear children." 394 00:20:20,042 --> 00:20:24,417 In the Greek, it's literally, "My little born again ones." 395 00:20:24,500 --> 00:20:27,417 And he knew that through the preaching and the teaching 396 00:20:27,500 --> 00:20:30,917 of the gospel of Jesus Christ, people were born again. 397 00:20:31,000 --> 00:20:35,583 And just like you have a father who is used of God 398 00:20:35,667 --> 00:20:37,042 in your physical birth, 399 00:20:37,125 --> 00:20:40,333 so he was used of God for spiritual birth. 400 00:20:40,375 --> 00:20:45,875 And what happens is he goes from the Son of Thunder 401 00:20:45,958 --> 00:20:49,958 to a loving father. 402 00:20:50,000 --> 00:20:54,667 I find a tremendous amount of hope and encouragement in that. 403 00:20:54,708 --> 00:20:57,542 What happened? 404 00:20:57,625 --> 00:21:00,875 It was his friendship with Jesus. 405 00:21:00,958 --> 00:21:06,875 A friendship with Jesus changes you. 406 00:21:06,958 --> 00:21:08,833 As I told you, it says five times 407 00:21:08,917 --> 00:21:11,833 that John was the one whom Jesus loved, 408 00:21:11,917 --> 00:21:15,417 so it was the love of Jesus that caused John 409 00:21:15,500 --> 00:21:17,083 to become more loving. 410 00:21:17,167 --> 00:21:22,375 See, God only expects us to give what he has already given. 411 00:21:22,458 --> 00:21:24,917 He has forgiven us, so we forgive others. 412 00:21:25,000 --> 00:21:26,958 He has loved us, so we love others. 413 00:21:27,000 --> 00:21:29,958 He has been generous to us, so we are generous toward others. 414 00:21:30,000 --> 00:21:32,667 He is patient with us, so we are patient with others. 415 00:21:32,750 --> 00:21:35,333 He is merciful toward us, so we are merciful toward others. 416 00:21:35,417 --> 00:21:37,833 God does not expect any of us to give something 417 00:21:37,917 --> 00:21:40,875 he has not already given to us first, amen? 418 00:21:40,958 --> 00:21:46,458 And our great God, Jesus Christ, gave love to John, 419 00:21:46,500 --> 00:21:49,958 and that changed John to become loving like Jesus 420 00:21:50,000 --> 00:21:52,292 and to love others like Jesus. 421 00:21:52,333 --> 00:21:55,583 And what he's doing in that is he's obeying Jesus who said this 422 00:21:55,667 --> 00:21:57,542 in John 13:34. 423 00:21:57,625 --> 00:22:00,292 John was there, heard it with his own ears. 424 00:22:00,333 --> 00:22:03,250 "A new commandment," Jesus says, "I give to you, 425 00:22:03,333 --> 00:22:10,167 that you love one another just as I have loved you." 426 00:22:10,208 --> 00:22:12,042 What does this look like, Jesus? 427 00:22:12,125 --> 00:22:15,167 "You love one another like I have loved you. 428 00:22:15,250 --> 00:22:18,333 "You also are to love one another. 429 00:22:18,375 --> 00:22:22,042 "By this, all people will know that you're my disciples. 430 00:22:22,125 --> 00:22:26,792 "That you're friends walking with me, like the 12, 431 00:22:26,833 --> 00:22:29,333 if you have,"--what? 432 00:22:29,375 --> 00:22:34,958 "Love for one another." 433 00:22:35,000 --> 00:22:37,667 Jesus' love changed John. 434 00:22:37,708 --> 00:22:41,042 Jesus' love made John more loving. 435 00:22:41,125 --> 00:22:45,000 And Jesus' life message, through John, 436 00:22:45,042 --> 00:22:48,000 was one of love and friendship. 437 00:22:48,083 --> 00:22:50,500 And I'll say in this, as you read 1 John, 438 00:22:50,583 --> 00:22:54,875 please make note that he retains all of his strength. 439 00:22:54,958 --> 00:22:57,833 When he starts talking about false apostles, deceivers, 440 00:22:57,875 --> 00:23:01,000 and antichrists, oh, there is a little thunder. 441 00:23:01,083 --> 00:23:04,208 He loves Jesus. 442 00:23:04,292 --> 00:23:05,792 He loves the truth. 443 00:23:05,833 --> 00:23:07,667 He loves God's people. 444 00:23:07,708 --> 00:23:12,417 He retains all of his intensity, but it is harnessed 445 00:23:12,500 --> 00:23:17,625 and it is directed by God's love through him for others. 446 00:23:17,667 --> 00:23:21,708 What I want to do now, we've looked at John's family, 447 00:23:21,792 --> 00:23:25,167 John's personality, and John's ministry 448 00:23:25,250 --> 00:23:29,000 is what we need to examine next. 449 00:23:29,042 --> 00:23:31,208 And when it comes to John's ministry, 450 00:23:31,292 --> 00:23:32,875 it's quite extraordinary. 451 00:23:32,958 --> 00:23:36,208 As I said, Jesus picked 12 to be his friends. 452 00:23:36,292 --> 00:23:38,500 And in that day, what you would typically do 453 00:23:38,542 --> 00:23:41,625 is not choose a school, but choose a teacher, 454 00:23:41,667 --> 00:23:45,000 and then you would support that teacher financially, 455 00:23:45,083 --> 00:23:46,500 and you would travel with them, 456 00:23:46,583 --> 00:23:49,000 and learn from them, and you would eat with them, 457 00:23:49,042 --> 00:23:51,250 and it was a very close, intimate, 458 00:23:51,333 --> 00:23:53,792 mentoring type of relationship. 459 00:23:53,833 --> 00:23:58,167 What's interesting is that Jesus chose his disciples, 460 00:23:58,208 --> 00:23:59,708 they did not choose him. 461 00:23:59,792 --> 00:24:01,667 That was distinct. 462 00:24:01,750 --> 00:24:04,125 And he chooses 12 to be his friends. 463 00:24:04,167 --> 00:24:06,375 And I was thinking about it. 464 00:24:06,458 --> 00:24:09,167 I'm so glad that Jesus had John. 465 00:24:09,250 --> 00:24:12,917 I'm of course glad that John had Jesus, 466 00:24:13,000 --> 00:24:19,208 but I was thinking about it, for the Lord Jesus, his mother, 467 00:24:19,292 --> 00:24:23,667 brothers, sisters, family, during his earthly ministry, 468 00:24:23,750 --> 00:24:26,417 they did not yet believe that he was God. 469 00:24:26,500 --> 00:24:30,292 See, I have the loving support of my parents and my siblings. 470 00:24:30,333 --> 00:24:32,292 He didn't have that. 471 00:24:32,333 --> 00:24:34,000 Some of you know what that's like, 472 00:24:34,042 --> 00:24:35,458 when you have unbelieving family 473 00:24:35,500 --> 00:24:38,292 that doesn't walk with you with Jesus. 474 00:24:38,333 --> 00:24:42,708 In addition, he didn't have, the Lord Jesus, a wife. 475 00:24:42,792 --> 00:24:46,083 I have a wonderful wife who's my very best friend. 476 00:24:46,167 --> 00:24:50,667 He didn't have a wife to go home to as a friend to walk with. 477 00:24:50,708 --> 00:24:52,333 He was alone. 478 00:24:52,375 --> 00:24:54,375 Those of you who are single or widowed, 479 00:24:54,458 --> 00:24:56,083 you know what that's like. 480 00:24:56,167 --> 00:24:58,167 He also didn't have children. 481 00:24:58,208 --> 00:25:01,125 I'm very blessed to have wonderful children 482 00:25:01,167 --> 00:25:03,667 that I love with all my heart. 483 00:25:03,708 --> 00:25:08,542 They're a great joy and a sanctuary. 484 00:25:08,625 --> 00:25:12,000 Jesus didn't have that. 485 00:25:12,042 --> 00:25:13,917 Those of you who don't have children, 486 00:25:14,000 --> 00:25:16,083 you know what that's like. 487 00:25:16,167 --> 00:25:22,500 For all that Jesus endured, to do so alone would have been 488 00:25:22,542 --> 00:25:26,208 even more difficult. 489 00:25:26,292 --> 00:25:31,958 But he had John as his faithful friend. 490 00:25:32,000 --> 00:25:34,375 And so as you read the Scriptures, 491 00:25:34,458 --> 00:25:36,667 you're going to see that the Bible says that 492 00:25:36,750 --> 00:25:39,333 5,000 men came out, on one occasion, to see Jesus. 493 00:25:39,417 --> 00:25:41,542 If you add in the women and the children, 494 00:25:41,625 --> 00:25:43,042 maybe we're talking 10,000, 15,000, 20,000. 495 00:25:43,125 --> 00:25:44,458 I don't know. 496 00:25:44,500 --> 00:25:46,500 It's huge. 497 00:25:46,542 --> 00:25:49,000 There are other times that a group of like 120 498 00:25:49,083 --> 00:25:51,375 are mentioned, or 70 are mentioned. 499 00:25:51,458 --> 00:25:53,333 There are various sized groups. 500 00:25:53,417 --> 00:25:57,042 Jesus picks 12 to do life with. 501 00:25:57,125 --> 00:26:01,833 But even within those 12, there were 3 that were nearest 502 00:26:01,917 --> 00:26:06,250 and dearest to him: Peter, James, and John. 503 00:26:06,333 --> 00:26:10,292 And so John had access to and familiarity with Jesus 504 00:26:10,333 --> 00:26:13,958 at times when no one else did. 505 00:26:14,000 --> 00:26:16,333 And I just find it so extraordinary that God 506 00:26:16,417 --> 00:26:19,583 comes into human history, he can pick anyone as his best friend, 507 00:26:19,667 --> 00:26:22,000 and he picks John. 508 00:26:22,042 --> 00:26:28,667 They were there, these three, at the raising of Jairus' daughter, 509 00:26:28,708 --> 00:26:30,042 as one example. 510 00:26:30,125 --> 00:26:32,792 I don't know if you know that story in the Bible. 511 00:26:32,833 --> 00:26:35,167 It's one of the most tender, heartfelt, wonderful stories. 512 00:26:35,208 --> 00:26:38,833 It's my daughter's favorite. 513 00:26:38,875 --> 00:26:40,792 We've read it often. 514 00:26:40,833 --> 00:26:44,500 Jairus' daughter is this little girl who gets very sick. 515 00:26:44,542 --> 00:26:46,708 Death comes upon her. 516 00:26:46,792 --> 00:26:49,000 Jesus could have healed her from a distance. 517 00:26:49,083 --> 00:26:51,500 Instead, he draws near to her bed, tender, affection, 518 00:26:51,583 --> 00:26:56,000 incredible sweetness, and he restores her back to life, 519 00:26:56,042 --> 00:26:58,333 and her family is overjoyed. 520 00:26:58,417 --> 00:27:00,250 Peter, James, and John were there. 521 00:27:00,333 --> 00:27:01,833 The other 12 were not there. 522 00:27:01,917 --> 00:27:04,833 The remainder of the 12, I should say, were not present. 523 00:27:04,875 --> 00:27:08,167 Peter, James, and John, this group of three--and see, 524 00:27:08,208 --> 00:27:09,542 this is how it is. 525 00:27:09,625 --> 00:27:11,875 Maybe there's 120 people you know, 526 00:27:11,958 --> 00:27:14,000 and 70 that you have some contact with, 527 00:27:14,083 --> 00:27:16,208 and 12 that you kind of do life with, 528 00:27:16,292 --> 00:27:20,125 but 3 that are really your friends. 529 00:27:20,167 --> 00:27:22,583 These three were there. 530 00:27:22,667 --> 00:27:25,333 John was there at the Mount of Transfiguration. 531 00:27:25,375 --> 00:27:27,000 You remember that? 532 00:27:27,042 --> 00:27:28,792 It's like Jesus is the greater Elijah. 533 00:27:28,833 --> 00:27:31,000 He goes up to the top of the mountain-- 534 00:27:31,042 --> 00:27:32,500 or he's the greater Moses, rather. 535 00:27:32,542 --> 00:27:34,667 He goes up to the top of the mountain. 536 00:27:34,750 --> 00:27:37,875 His face radiates the goodness of the glory of God. 537 00:27:37,958 --> 00:27:40,500 God is unveiled in all his glory. 538 00:27:40,542 --> 00:27:42,250 Who comes down for the meeting? 539 00:27:42,333 --> 00:27:44,125 Moses and Elijah. 540 00:27:44,167 --> 00:27:45,792 What a day! Imagine that. 541 00:27:45,833 --> 00:27:47,167 "What'd you do today?" 542 00:27:47,250 --> 00:27:49,042 "I hung out with Moses and Elijah." 543 00:27:49,125 --> 00:27:51,625 They came down from heaven to hang out with Jesus. 544 00:27:51,667 --> 00:27:53,083 It was amazing. 545 00:27:53,167 --> 00:27:56,000 John was there. John was there. 546 00:27:56,083 --> 00:28:01,500 John was there when Jesus was in the Garden of Gethsemane, 547 00:28:01,583 --> 00:28:05,458 so filled with anxiety that he was sweating drops of blood. 548 00:28:05,500 --> 00:28:09,500 The other eight--Judas had already betrayed Jesus. 549 00:28:09,583 --> 00:28:11,250 The other eight were a distance away. 550 00:28:11,333 --> 00:28:14,208 Peter, James, and John were invited closest to Jesus. 551 00:28:14,292 --> 00:28:17,250 They could have heard him weeping and heard him praying 552 00:28:17,333 --> 00:28:20,083 if they'd have stayed awake and been better friends. 553 00:28:20,167 --> 00:28:26,042 What I want to show you are three vignettes, snapshots, 554 00:28:26,125 --> 00:28:30,708 moments in Jesus' ministry where John was present 555 00:28:30,792 --> 00:28:33,333 and part of Jesus' ministry. 556 00:28:33,417 --> 00:28:38,000 And they give us insights into John and his love for Jesus. 557 00:28:38,042 --> 00:28:41,000 The first is at the Last Supper. 558 00:28:41,083 --> 00:28:47,792 John records this in John 13:23-25. 559 00:28:48,917 --> 00:28:52,667 "One of his," Jesus', "disciples, whom Jesus loved," 560 00:28:52,750 --> 00:28:57,167 that's John, "was reclining at table at Jesus' side." 561 00:28:57,250 --> 00:28:58,583 So here they are. 562 00:28:58,667 --> 00:29:00,167 You've all seen the picture, right? 563 00:29:00,208 --> 00:29:02,208 The great painting of the Last Supper. 564 00:29:02,292 --> 00:29:05,750 In that culture, whoever sat next to you, 565 00:29:05,833 --> 00:29:09,500 that was a position of honor, and if I could use this 566 00:29:09,583 --> 00:29:15,500 language, it clearly articulated the leadership, 567 00:29:15,542 --> 00:29:18,167 the authority structure. 568 00:29:18,208 --> 00:29:21,708 If you're in the military, you call it the chain of command. 569 00:29:21,792 --> 00:29:25,708 And in our culture, this still happens. 570 00:29:25,792 --> 00:29:28,375 Let's say, for example, there was a huge dinner party, 571 00:29:28,458 --> 00:29:33,000 or large banquet, or event. 572 00:29:33,083 --> 00:29:35,250 Who would be sitting next to me? 573 00:29:35,333 --> 00:29:37,083 Who do you think? 574 00:29:37,167 --> 00:29:39,333 It's not a trick question, Mars Hill, okay? 575 00:29:39,375 --> 00:29:41,042 My wife. 576 00:29:41,125 --> 00:29:44,833 And if you saw her sitting at another table far away, 577 00:29:44,917 --> 00:29:50,625 you'd know that I had done something very wrong, okay? 578 00:29:50,667 --> 00:29:53,333 You bring closest to you physically 579 00:29:53,417 --> 00:29:56,667 those who are closest to you emotionally. 580 00:29:56,708 --> 00:29:59,667 You draw near to you those who are most trustworthy, 581 00:29:59,708 --> 00:30:01,583 and it makes a statement. 582 00:30:01,667 --> 00:30:03,500 Others see. 583 00:30:03,542 --> 00:30:09,750 And so John is seated next to Jesus at the Last Supper. 584 00:30:09,833 --> 00:30:12,208 This is the celebration of the Passover meal 585 00:30:12,292 --> 00:30:17,667 that was all foreshadowing the death of Jesus, 586 00:30:17,708 --> 00:30:21,167 that he would be the lamb without spot or blemish, 587 00:30:21,250 --> 00:30:25,375 that his blood would be shed for the remission of our sins. 588 00:30:25,458 --> 00:30:28,958 And here, Jesus is on the precipice of being betrayed 589 00:30:29,000 --> 00:30:30,625 by Judas Iscariot. 590 00:30:30,667 --> 00:30:35,958 He knows that the cross is coming very quickly. 591 00:30:36,000 --> 00:30:38,750 And what he says at the table is, 592 00:30:38,833 --> 00:30:41,250 "One of you is going to betray me." 593 00:30:41,333 --> 00:30:45,125 Can you just feel the chill that goes through the room? 594 00:30:45,167 --> 00:30:46,542 The men are eating. 595 00:30:46,625 --> 00:30:48,583 They've been together for a few years. 596 00:30:48,667 --> 00:30:51,125 They think they are all friends. 597 00:30:51,167 --> 00:30:52,667 They have prayed together. 598 00:30:52,750 --> 00:30:54,250 They have done ministry together. 599 00:30:54,333 --> 00:30:57,292 They have served the Lord together. 600 00:30:57,333 --> 00:31:00,250 And one of them was a pretend friend. 601 00:31:00,333 --> 00:31:02,667 One of them was a betrayer. 602 00:31:02,708 --> 00:31:05,208 And Jesus says, "One of you will betray me." 603 00:31:05,292 --> 00:31:08,125 You can just imagine, the men just recoil, 604 00:31:08,167 --> 00:31:10,458 looking at one another with great suspicion. 605 00:31:10,500 --> 00:31:16,667 Who is the betrayer? 606 00:31:16,708 --> 00:31:21,250 "So Simon Peter motioned to him," motioned to John. 607 00:31:21,333 --> 00:31:23,250 Peter doesn't say, "Jesus, who is it?" 608 00:31:23,333 --> 00:31:26,792 What he says is, "John, you ask him who it is." 609 00:31:26,833 --> 00:31:30,583 Because this is the kind of thing you've got to reveal 610 00:31:30,667 --> 00:31:35,625 to a trusted person, and Jesus trusts John the most. 611 00:31:35,667 --> 00:31:39,583 "So that disciple, leaning back against Jesus, said to him, 612 00:31:39,667 --> 00:31:41,167 'Lord, who is it?'" 613 00:31:41,208 --> 00:31:44,000 And in that culture, you would sit next to 614 00:31:44,083 --> 00:31:49,458 your most trustworthy friend, your most faithful friend. 615 00:31:49,500 --> 00:31:51,917 And if they had something private to say to you, 616 00:31:52,000 --> 00:31:57,042 you would lean over so that your head was on their chest 617 00:31:57,125 --> 00:31:58,625 and in front of their ear, 618 00:31:58,667 --> 00:32:01,417 then others couldn't lip read what they were saying 619 00:32:01,500 --> 00:32:06,000 and only you could hear it, and you had privacy, 620 00:32:06,083 --> 00:32:08,500 confidentiality. 621 00:32:08,583 --> 00:32:12,333 This is someone you can trust with sacred information. 622 00:32:12,417 --> 00:32:18,792 And in that moment, we don't know what Jesus said to John. 623 00:32:18,833 --> 00:32:21,583 We don't know everything that Jesus said to John 624 00:32:21,667 --> 00:32:25,042 because John was a faithful friend. 625 00:32:25,125 --> 00:32:28,500 He didn't betray, he didn't gossip. 626 00:32:28,542 --> 00:32:32,042 Maybe Jesus told him nothing, maybe Jesus told him everything, 627 00:32:32,125 --> 00:32:35,083 but John was a faithful friend. 628 00:32:35,167 --> 00:32:39,167 By God's grace, may we all be faithful friends like that. 629 00:32:39,250 --> 00:32:43,417 By God's grace, may we all have faithful friends like that. 630 00:32:43,500 --> 00:32:50,292 The next snapshot, vignette, is on the cross. 631 00:32:50,333 --> 00:32:56,250 And I would be persuaded that 632 00:32:56,333 --> 00:33:00,375 this is the most insightful moment 633 00:33:00,458 --> 00:33:05,167 revealing the depth of the affection, love, 634 00:33:05,208 --> 00:33:09,083 and friendship between Jesus and John. 635 00:33:09,167 --> 00:33:14,208 At this point, the Lord Jesus has been betrayed by Judas. 636 00:33:14,292 --> 00:33:16,500 He has been denied by Peter. 637 00:33:16,583 --> 00:33:20,125 He has been abandoned by many. 638 00:33:20,167 --> 00:33:23,500 He is exhausted after a sleepless night. 639 00:33:23,583 --> 00:33:27,750 His reputation is destroyed after an unending list 640 00:33:27,833 --> 00:33:29,708 of false accusations. 641 00:33:29,792 --> 00:33:32,583 He has been beaten beyond recognition. 642 00:33:32,667 --> 00:33:35,833 He is bleeding profusely. 643 00:33:35,875 --> 00:33:38,000 He is sweating heavily. 644 00:33:38,083 --> 00:33:41,417 He is laboring under anxiety. 645 00:33:41,500 --> 00:33:46,667 And he is being crucified, atoning in your place and mine 646 00:33:46,708 --> 00:33:51,250 for the sins of the world. 647 00:33:51,333 --> 00:33:53,708 John was there. 648 00:33:53,792 --> 00:33:57,125 He records this in John 19:25-27, 649 00:33:57,167 --> 00:34:00,917 "But standing by the cross of Jesus were his mother." 650 00:34:01,000 --> 00:34:02,750 Okay, let me pause momentarily. 651 00:34:02,833 --> 00:34:04,917 All of you mothers, raise your hand. 652 00:34:05,000 --> 00:34:06,625 Moms, raise your hand. 653 00:34:06,667 --> 00:34:10,750 Mothers, emotionally enter into that moment inasmuch 654 00:34:10,833 --> 00:34:13,333 as you're able. 655 00:34:13,417 --> 00:34:17,375 This is your son, 656 00:34:17,458 --> 00:34:22,000 your firstborn, eldest son. 657 00:34:22,042 --> 00:34:28,750 You are watching him bleeding and dying while a crowd 658 00:34:28,833 --> 00:34:35,500 is cheering and jeering. 659 00:34:35,542 --> 00:34:41,792 Mom, what's the first thing you do when the baby's born? 660 00:34:41,833 --> 00:34:46,667 You long to hear them breathe their first breath. 661 00:34:46,750 --> 00:34:52,583 She's going to hear her son breathe his last breath. 662 00:34:52,667 --> 00:34:57,458 You count ten fingers, ten toes, and now you see them 663 00:34:57,500 --> 00:35:00,875 nailed to a Roman cross. 664 00:35:00,958 --> 00:35:02,750 Mary is in shock. 665 00:35:02,833 --> 00:35:04,458 Mary is devastated. 666 00:35:04,500 --> 00:35:08,417 Mary is in agony. 667 00:35:08,500 --> 00:35:12,875 Jesus' other friends are, in all likelihood, not present. 668 00:35:12,958 --> 00:35:14,833 But do you know who is there? 669 00:35:14,917 --> 00:35:20,208 John, the one whom Jesus loved, the one who loved Jesus, 670 00:35:20,292 --> 00:35:23,375 the most faithful friend. 671 00:35:23,458 --> 00:35:25,792 "When Jesus saw his mother and the disciple 672 00:35:25,833 --> 00:35:27,917 whom he loved standing"--where? 673 00:35:28,000 --> 00:35:29,792 He's still there. 674 00:35:30,500 --> 00:35:32,458 He's still there. 675 00:35:32,500 --> 00:35:35,542 "He said to his mother, 'Woman, behold, your son!' 676 00:35:35,625 --> 00:35:38,542 "Then he said to the disciple, 'Behold, your mother!' 677 00:35:38,625 --> 00:35:42,417 And from that hour the disciple took her into his own home." 678 00:35:42,500 --> 00:35:45,833 At this point, it is likely that Jesus' father Joseph 679 00:35:45,875 --> 00:35:47,333 was deceased. 680 00:35:47,417 --> 00:35:48,792 We read nothing of him. 681 00:35:48,833 --> 00:35:51,792 He was a godly and devout man who deeply loved his wife, 682 00:35:51,833 --> 00:35:54,500 and the fact that he's not present to care for her 683 00:35:54,583 --> 00:35:56,000 indicates that perhaps he's died. 684 00:35:56,083 --> 00:35:59,250 At this point, Jesus' brothers, James, Jude, and others, 685 00:35:59,333 --> 00:36:02,083 they are not yet believers in Jesus, 686 00:36:02,167 --> 00:36:06,500 and so he does not entrust his mother's care to them. 687 00:36:06,542 --> 00:36:12,917 In this moment, without a wife, without children, 688 00:36:13,000 --> 00:36:17,042 the person whom Jesus is most concerned about 689 00:36:17,125 --> 00:36:19,250 and committed to is who? 690 00:36:19,333 --> 00:36:22,000 His mother. 691 00:36:22,042 --> 00:36:26,000 They often crucified people at eye level. 692 00:36:26,042 --> 00:36:29,417 It is possible that he is looking his mother in the eye, 693 00:36:29,500 --> 00:36:31,792 and his mother is looking him in the eye, 694 00:36:31,833 --> 00:36:36,667 and they are both weeping profusely as he is dying. 695 00:36:36,708 --> 00:36:39,917 And he looks at his mom and says, 696 00:36:40,000 --> 00:36:43,167 "My friend John's going to take care of you. 697 00:36:43,208 --> 00:36:46,792 "And John, I want you to treat her as you would treat 698 00:36:46,833 --> 00:36:49,167 your own mother." 699 00:36:49,208 --> 00:36:53,000 That tells me, that tells us 700 00:36:53,083 --> 00:36:57,042 everything we need to know about John, amen? 701 00:36:57,125 --> 00:37:01,833 Do you even have anyone, in a moment like that, 702 00:37:01,875 --> 00:37:05,333 that you could trust? 703 00:37:05,417 --> 00:37:09,458 Are you the kind of person that, in a moment like that, 704 00:37:09,500 --> 00:37:12,417 others could trust you? 705 00:37:12,500 --> 00:37:14,708 May we have friends like that. 706 00:37:14,792 --> 00:37:20,042 May we become friends like that. 707 00:37:20,125 --> 00:37:21,958 Jesus died. 708 00:37:22,000 --> 00:37:23,542 Jesus was buried. 709 00:37:23,625 --> 00:37:25,708 John was there and he knew it. 710 00:37:25,792 --> 00:37:30,292 And in John 20 and 21, 711 00:37:30,333 --> 00:37:34,583 the Bible records that 3 days later on a Sunday, 712 00:37:34,667 --> 00:37:36,792 Jesus conquered sin and death. 713 00:37:36,833 --> 00:37:40,750 Jesus walked away from his grave in triumphant victory. 714 00:37:40,833 --> 00:37:44,542 A group of women were headed to his tomb to mourn. 715 00:37:44,625 --> 00:37:48,833 As is often the case, you go to the grave site of someone you 716 00:37:48,875 --> 00:37:53,875 love and miss, pray, weep, 717 00:37:53,958 --> 00:37:56,750 lament, mourn, grieve. 718 00:37:56,833 --> 00:38:00,250 When these godly women approached the tomb, 719 00:38:00,333 --> 00:38:04,125 they were the first to see that it was open. 720 00:38:04,167 --> 00:38:05,917 The stone had been rolled away. 721 00:38:06,000 --> 00:38:07,792 Jesus' body was not present. 722 00:38:07,833 --> 00:38:10,000 They were uncertain what had happened. 723 00:38:10,042 --> 00:38:12,125 God bestowed great dignity on these women, 724 00:38:12,167 --> 00:38:14,625 making them the first eyewitnesses to the empty tomb. 725 00:38:14,667 --> 00:38:16,667 What these women do then, the Bible records, 726 00:38:16,708 --> 00:38:19,333 they go back into town and they look for two guys. 727 00:38:19,375 --> 00:38:20,708 Which two guys? 728 00:38:20,792 --> 00:38:23,750 Peter and John, because they're the leaders. 729 00:38:23,833 --> 00:38:25,958 Peter's named more than any of the apostles 730 00:38:26,000 --> 00:38:27,625 in the New Testament. 731 00:38:27,667 --> 00:38:31,333 John is mentioned 2nd most frequently, about 50 times. 732 00:38:31,375 --> 00:38:33,542 In Galatians 2, I think it's around verse 9, 733 00:38:33,625 --> 00:38:36,667 it says that these men were pillars of the early church. 734 00:38:36,750 --> 00:38:39,708 They appear together frequently throughout the book of Acts. 735 00:38:39,792 --> 00:38:41,958 They're the leaders. 736 00:38:42,000 --> 00:38:45,958 So, the women go find Peter and John, and Peter and John, 737 00:38:46,000 --> 00:38:49,083 we are told, run to Jesus' empty tomb. 738 00:38:49,167 --> 00:38:50,667 Who gets there first? 739 00:38:50,750 --> 00:38:52,750 John, right? 740 00:38:52,833 --> 00:38:57,667 If you're slow, you're like Peter, okay, and me, okay? 741 00:38:57,750 --> 00:39:02,833 And if you're fast, you're like John and my daughter, okay? 742 00:39:02,875 --> 00:39:06,000 They run. 743 00:39:06,083 --> 00:39:08,833 John gets there first, but he doesn't enter in. 744 00:39:08,875 --> 00:39:11,542 He respectfully waits for Peter as the leader. 745 00:39:11,625 --> 00:39:13,917 So, John is the first at the empty tomb. 746 00:39:14,000 --> 00:39:18,250 Him and Peter enter in and then John is the first one to believe 747 00:39:18,333 --> 00:39:20,250 in the resurrection of Jesus. 748 00:39:20,333 --> 00:39:22,417 If you believe in the resurrection of Jesus, 749 00:39:22,500 --> 00:39:24,625 you're following in the wake of John's faith. 750 00:39:24,667 --> 00:39:28,292 John says, and I'm paraphrasing, "When Jesus was with us, 751 00:39:28,333 --> 00:39:30,375 "he told us he would rise from death! 752 00:39:30,458 --> 00:39:32,667 That's what's happened." 753 00:39:32,708 --> 00:39:35,375 Jesus then appears, we're told in the Bible, 754 00:39:35,458 --> 00:39:38,875 over the course of 40 days to groups of people upwards 755 00:39:38,958 --> 00:39:41,333 of 500 at a time, evidencing his resurrection. 756 00:39:41,417 --> 00:39:43,167 He had breakfast, he hugged people, 757 00:39:43,208 --> 00:39:46,667 he was available publicly to verify his triumphant victory 758 00:39:46,708 --> 00:39:49,583 over sin and its penalty of death through resurrection. 759 00:39:49,667 --> 00:39:52,708 But the very first person to see Jesus risen from death 760 00:39:52,792 --> 00:39:56,292 and to recognize that it was Jesus was who? 761 00:39:56,333 --> 00:39:58,083 John. 762 00:39:58,917 --> 00:40:01,708 John. 763 00:40:01,792 --> 00:40:05,292 Because that was Jesus' best friend. 764 00:40:05,333 --> 00:40:11,333 Jesus loved him and he loved Jesus. 765 00:40:13,667 --> 00:40:18,833 John's legacy is amazing. 766 00:40:18,875 --> 00:40:23,125 It shows the power of the love of God. 767 00:40:23,167 --> 00:40:25,875 It shows the power of a lifelong friendship 768 00:40:25,958 --> 00:40:28,083 with Jesus. 769 00:40:28,167 --> 00:40:31,417 He likely began with Jesus in his 20s, 770 00:40:31,500 --> 00:40:34,333 and he remained faithful to Jesus until he was perhaps 771 00:40:34,375 --> 00:40:36,000 100 years of age. 772 00:40:36,083 --> 00:40:38,500 All of the other apostles were put to death. 773 00:40:38,583 --> 00:40:41,792 They tried, according to church history outside of the Bible, 774 00:40:41,833 --> 00:40:46,083 to put him to death by boiling him alive in oil, 775 00:40:46,167 --> 00:40:48,292 and he didn't die. 776 00:40:48,333 --> 00:40:51,333 He was then exiled to a penal colony called Patmos, 777 00:40:51,417 --> 00:40:54,917 which is not far from Turkey. 778 00:40:55,000 --> 00:40:57,417 I've been there with my family. 779 00:40:57,500 --> 00:41:03,167 It's an exposed, rugged island terrain, heavy winds, 780 00:41:03,250 --> 00:41:08,333 unpleasant, completely remote. 781 00:41:11,833 --> 00:41:15,625 We read in the Bible that he was there when the Lord Jesus 782 00:41:15,667 --> 00:41:20,333 visited him and gave him the book of Revelation. 783 00:41:20,375 --> 00:41:25,500 We went to the cave that it is believed that John lived in 784 00:41:25,542 --> 00:41:28,375 and received and wrote the book of Revelation. 785 00:41:28,458 --> 00:41:30,167 He's buried in Ephesus. 786 00:41:30,250 --> 00:41:37,167 I've been to his tomb where they believe his body resides. 787 00:41:37,250 --> 00:41:42,667 Once he was returned to Ephesus from Patmos, he was a pastor, 788 00:41:42,750 --> 00:41:45,000 and a preacher, and a teacher, and a writer, 789 00:41:45,042 --> 00:41:48,667 and he devoted his whole life to talking about his best friend 790 00:41:48,708 --> 00:41:52,875 Jesus, and how loving Jesus is, and how wonderful 791 00:41:52,958 --> 00:41:55,792 a loving friendship with Jesus can be. 792 00:41:55,833 --> 00:41:58,750 And that was John's whole life. 793 00:41:58,833 --> 00:42:01,667 And in Acts 4, I think it's around verse 13, 794 00:42:01,750 --> 00:42:04,292 the critics said that he and others were, quote, 795 00:42:04,333 --> 00:42:07,458 "Unlearned men." 796 00:42:07,500 --> 00:42:12,417 I would say don't always believe what the critics say. 797 00:42:15,708 --> 00:42:20,375 He was a brilliantly wise man. 798 00:42:20,458 --> 00:42:23,000 He writes more Bible than any other apostle. 799 00:42:23,042 --> 00:42:26,625 He wrote five books of the Bible. 800 00:42:26,667 --> 00:42:29,000 The Gospel of John, have you read that? 801 00:42:29,042 --> 00:42:32,875 That's not the work of an unlearned, 802 00:42:32,958 --> 00:42:35,875 simple country bumpkin. 803 00:42:35,958 --> 00:42:38,875 That's a wise man filled with the Spirit of God. 804 00:42:38,958 --> 00:42:41,500 He wrote Revelation, have you read that? 805 00:42:41,583 --> 00:42:47,292 We don't even know what it means. 806 00:42:47,333 --> 00:42:49,458 Some of you say, "I do." 807 00:42:49,500 --> 00:42:52,333 No, you don't. 808 00:42:52,375 --> 00:42:55,500 It wasn't a simple, unlearned man who wrote that. 809 00:42:55,542 --> 00:42:58,500 It was a man who spent a lot of time with Jesus 810 00:42:58,542 --> 00:43:00,292 and was filled his Spirit and wisdom. 811 00:43:00,333 --> 00:43:03,792 And he wrote 1, 2, and 3 John, and we're going to spend months 812 00:43:03,833 --> 00:43:06,542 studying 1 John together. 813 00:43:06,625 --> 00:43:10,000 And so all of that is my introduction. 814 00:43:10,083 --> 00:43:13,250 Now, if you would turn with me to 1 John. 815 00:43:16,667 --> 00:43:22,042 Here's how he begins. 816 00:43:22,125 --> 00:43:25,667 1 John 1:1-4, "That which was from the beginning." 817 00:43:25,750 --> 00:43:28,167 He's talking about his friend Jesus. 818 00:43:28,208 --> 00:43:29,833 He says Jesus is eternal. 819 00:43:29,917 --> 00:43:31,708 Jesus is without beginning or end. 820 00:43:31,792 --> 00:43:34,375 Before there was a beginning, there was Jesus. 821 00:43:34,458 --> 00:43:37,208 He is the Creator. 822 00:43:37,292 --> 00:43:39,417 He precedes all things. 823 00:43:39,500 --> 00:43:44,292 He is not part of creation, he is the Creator. 824 00:43:44,333 --> 00:43:49,083 Before there was a beginning, there was Jesus. 825 00:43:49,167 --> 00:43:51,542 "That which was from the beginning, which we have heard." 826 00:43:51,625 --> 00:43:53,042 Here's what John is saying. 827 00:43:53,125 --> 00:43:55,208 "Trust me when I tell you about Jesus. 828 00:43:55,292 --> 00:43:57,583 Trust me." 829 00:43:57,667 --> 00:44:01,958 See, today, there are many who have opinions of Jesus, 830 00:44:02,000 --> 00:44:05,458 but none were present and eyewitnesses. 831 00:44:05,500 --> 00:44:09,167 Who are you going to trust more than John? 832 00:44:09,250 --> 00:44:11,125 That would be my question to you. 833 00:44:11,167 --> 00:44:13,625 For those of you that are non-Christians and you're here, 834 00:44:13,667 --> 00:44:16,833 and I love you, and it's such a great honor to teach you, 835 00:44:16,875 --> 00:44:18,208 but if you would say, 836 00:44:18,292 --> 00:44:19,958 "I disagree with his perspective on Jesus," 837 00:44:20,000 --> 00:44:21,792 do you have a more credible source? 838 00:44:21,833 --> 00:44:23,917 Are you following in the instruction of someone 839 00:44:24,000 --> 00:44:27,333 who spent more time with Jesus? 840 00:44:27,375 --> 00:44:34,000 It's impossible to have anyone provide more insight regarding 841 00:44:34,042 --> 00:44:37,333 Jesus than his best friend John. 842 00:44:37,375 --> 00:44:41,375 He said--what he said, he said, "I heard what Jesus said 843 00:44:41,458 --> 00:44:45,667 with my own ears, which we have seen with our eyes." 844 00:44:45,750 --> 00:44:47,917 You read about the miracles, and the supernatural, 845 00:44:48,000 --> 00:44:50,667 and the casting out of demons, and all that he did. 846 00:44:50,708 --> 00:44:52,333 He says, "I saw it. 847 00:44:52,417 --> 00:44:55,417 I was there." 848 00:44:55,500 --> 00:44:58,875 "Which we looked upon and have touched with our hands." 849 00:44:58,958 --> 00:45:00,917 "He really was God become a man. 850 00:45:01,000 --> 00:45:03,208 "I hugged him. I patted him on the back. 851 00:45:03,292 --> 00:45:04,625 "I ate meals with him. 852 00:45:04,667 --> 00:45:06,875 "After he rose from death, I double checked. 853 00:45:06,958 --> 00:45:10,000 "He did rise from death physically. 854 00:45:10,083 --> 00:45:14,000 I touched him with my own hands." 855 00:45:14,083 --> 00:45:20,000 "Concerning the word of life--the life was made 856 00:45:20,083 --> 00:45:25,542 "manifest, and we have seen it, and testify to it 857 00:45:25,625 --> 00:45:27,333 and proclaim to you the eternal life." 858 00:45:27,417 --> 00:45:30,958 He said, "The Living God became a man. 859 00:45:31,000 --> 00:45:33,375 "The eternal God entered into history. 860 00:45:33,458 --> 00:45:36,667 The invisible God took upon human flesh." 861 00:45:36,750 --> 00:45:39,208 He says, "I'm testifying about that. 862 00:45:39,292 --> 00:45:41,042 "I'm telling you the truth. 863 00:45:41,125 --> 00:45:45,458 This is who Jesus is, my best friend." 864 00:45:45,500 --> 00:45:48,375 He continues, "He was with the Father." 865 00:45:48,458 --> 00:45:50,458 Now he's into the doctrine of the Trinity. 866 00:45:50,500 --> 00:45:51,833 There's God the Father, 867 00:45:51,917 --> 00:45:54,250 God the Son who entered into human history. 868 00:45:54,333 --> 00:45:56,333 "And was made manifest to us." 869 00:45:56,417 --> 00:45:58,292 God visited us. 870 00:45:58,333 --> 00:45:59,833 He's Emmanuel, God with us. 871 00:45:59,917 --> 00:46:02,000 That's Jesus. 872 00:46:02,042 --> 00:46:05,125 "That which we have seen and heard we proclaim to you also." 873 00:46:05,167 --> 00:46:06,833 Why would he do this? 874 00:46:06,875 --> 00:46:08,792 Why would he preach, and teach, and write? 875 00:46:08,833 --> 00:46:10,542 Why would he do this? 876 00:46:10,625 --> 00:46:13,125 "So that you too may have fellowship with us." 877 00:46:13,167 --> 00:46:16,000 That's biblical language for friendship. 878 00:46:16,042 --> 00:46:19,333 We have friendships with non-Christians. 879 00:46:19,375 --> 00:46:21,208 When Christians have friendships, 880 00:46:21,292 --> 00:46:23,208 it's called fellowship. 881 00:46:23,292 --> 00:46:26,000 And the difference is fellowship is a friendship 882 00:46:26,083 --> 00:46:29,208 that includes Jesus, amen? 883 00:46:29,292 --> 00:46:32,208 Fellowship is a friendship that includes Jesus. 884 00:46:32,292 --> 00:46:34,458 Jesus is a loving friend to us. 885 00:46:34,500 --> 00:46:39,167 We, by God's grace, grow to be a loving friend with him, 886 00:46:39,250 --> 00:46:43,000 and then we grow to love one another with the love 887 00:46:43,083 --> 00:46:45,667 that he gives. 888 00:46:45,708 --> 00:46:49,042 John says, "I'm telling you this so that the world 889 00:46:49,125 --> 00:46:51,208 "can have more friendships. 890 00:46:51,292 --> 00:46:54,625 "I'm telling you this so that the world can have more love. 891 00:46:54,667 --> 00:46:57,083 "I'm telling you this so that your church can have 892 00:46:57,167 --> 00:47:00,875 more friendships and your church can have more love." 893 00:47:00,958 --> 00:47:02,875 "And indeed our fellowship is with the Father 894 00:47:02,958 --> 00:47:04,375 "and his Son Jesus Christ. 895 00:47:04,458 --> 00:47:06,917 "And we are writing these things so that our joy 896 00:47:07,000 --> 00:47:09,375 may be made complete." 897 00:47:09,458 --> 00:47:16,167 John is saying, "What makes God happy is that his people 898 00:47:16,250 --> 00:47:19,500 "would have a friendship with Jesus, 899 00:47:19,583 --> 00:47:22,958 "and receive the love of Jesus, 900 00:47:23,000 --> 00:47:25,083 "and share it with one another, 901 00:47:25,167 --> 00:47:27,333 "and have friendship with one another 902 00:47:27,375 --> 00:47:30,500 "so that this world could know something of love, 903 00:47:30,583 --> 00:47:33,542 and friendship, and joy." 904 00:47:33,625 --> 00:47:36,375 Amen? 905 00:47:36,458 --> 00:47:42,500 And that's God's exhortation to you, and to me, and to us. 906 00:47:42,583 --> 00:47:49,333 If you don't know Jesus, there is no friend like Jesus. 907 00:47:49,375 --> 00:47:50,833 He never betrays you. 908 00:47:50,917 --> 00:47:52,250 He never denies you. 909 00:47:52,333 --> 00:47:54,250 He'll never leave you and never forsake you. 910 00:47:54,333 --> 00:47:57,375 He will never fail you. 911 00:47:57,458 --> 00:48:01,708 The longer I walk with Jesus, the more convinced I am 912 00:48:01,792 --> 00:48:07,625 that there is no one like him. 913 00:48:07,667 --> 00:48:10,542 There is no friend like him. 914 00:48:10,625 --> 00:48:13,792 Has Jesus been a good friend to you? 915 00:48:13,833 --> 00:48:15,958 He's been a very good friend to me. 916 00:48:16,000 --> 00:48:18,292 Have you been a good friend to Jesus? 917 00:48:18,333 --> 00:48:21,083 A good friend doesn't look out for their own interests but 918 00:48:21,167 --> 00:48:23,667 the interests of the one they love, and the reputation, 919 00:48:23,708 --> 00:48:26,333 and the fame, and the name of the one they love. 920 00:48:26,375 --> 00:48:31,167 To be a good friend of Jesus is to do what is best for him 921 00:48:31,208 --> 00:48:33,833 and trust that he will do what is best for you. 922 00:48:33,917 --> 00:48:37,833 Lastly, are you a good friend to others? 923 00:48:37,875 --> 00:48:39,833 Are you a good friend to others? 924 00:48:39,875 --> 00:48:42,833 And if you have someone that is a good friend to you, 925 00:48:42,875 --> 00:48:47,333 it's a great day to thank them and to praise God for them. 926 00:48:47,417 --> 00:48:50,458 I'm going to go ahead and pray, and we will respond with 927 00:48:50,500 --> 00:48:54,000 giving our tithes and offerings, which is an act of love. 928 00:48:54,042 --> 00:48:56,167 As Jesus has given, we give. 929 00:48:56,208 --> 00:48:57,750 We're going to partake of Communion. 930 00:48:57,833 --> 00:49:00,333 As Jesus gave his body and blood, 931 00:49:00,375 --> 00:49:03,750 we receive it as a gift, as friends. 932 00:49:03,833 --> 00:49:07,708 And eventually, ultimately, we will sing because he wants 933 00:49:07,792 --> 00:49:09,875 our joy to be made complete. 934 00:49:09,958 --> 00:49:11,708 Father, thank you for the Scriptures. 935 00:49:11,792 --> 00:49:14,708 Thank you for the life of John. 936 00:49:14,792 --> 00:49:17,208 Thank you that the Bible is the most honest book 937 00:49:17,292 --> 00:49:18,958 that's ever been written, 938 00:49:19,000 --> 00:49:21,958 and it shows us what love and a friendship with Jesus 939 00:49:22,000 --> 00:49:25,000 does in the life of one person, 940 00:49:25,042 --> 00:49:27,708 changing him from a Son of Thunder 941 00:49:27,792 --> 00:49:29,708 to a loving father. 942 00:49:29,792 --> 00:49:32,375 Lord, I pray for all of my friends, 943 00:49:32,458 --> 00:49:34,083 that they would have a friendship with 944 00:49:34,167 --> 00:49:35,750 the Lord Jesus. 945 00:49:35,833 --> 00:49:38,458 That they would walk, as John did, with the Lord Jesus. 946 00:49:38,500 --> 00:49:40,750 That they would experience and enjoy the love 947 00:49:40,833 --> 00:49:42,375 of the Lord Jesus. 948 00:49:42,458 --> 00:49:44,458 That they would respond with a loving friendship 949 00:49:44,500 --> 00:49:46,500 and devotion to the Lord Jesus 950 00:49:46,542 --> 00:49:49,000 and that they would respond with love and friendship 951 00:49:49,083 --> 00:49:51,625 to one another so that our joy may be complete. 952 00:49:51,667 --> 00:49:53,667 In Jesus' good name, amen. 953 00:49:56,667 --> 00:49:58,000 Pastor Sutton Turner here. 954 00:49:58,042 --> 00:49:59,333 The sermon just finished 955 00:49:59,417 --> 00:50:02,292 and you can still play a role at Mars Hill church. 956 00:50:02,333 --> 00:50:06,292 Whether you're part of one of our local Mars Hill churches, 957 00:50:06,333 --> 00:50:09,667 or part of our global Mars Hill community, 958 00:50:09,708 --> 00:50:13,333 if you value this sermon, please consider making a donation 959 00:50:13,417 --> 00:50:17,917 by visiting marshill.com/give. 960 00:50:18,000 --> 00:50:21,000 Sermons like this are recorded and streamed for free 961 00:50:21,083 --> 00:50:24,167 to anyone interested in learning more about Jesus 962 00:50:24,208 --> 00:50:25,833 and living their faith. 963 00:50:25,875 --> 00:50:29,167 And I'd like to ask you to support making that happen 964 00:50:29,208 --> 00:50:32,667 by making a gift, even a small one, to Mars Hill, 965 00:50:32,750 --> 00:50:36,917 you will help a global family of brothers and sisters in Christ 966 00:50:37,000 --> 00:50:42,125 that download sermons like this one over 10 million times. 967 00:50:42,167 --> 00:50:46,167 Your gift also helps plant churches, equip evangelists, 968 00:50:46,250 --> 00:50:50,708 distribute bibles and study materials all over the world. 969 00:50:50,792 --> 00:50:53,583 Let's see more materials translated, 970 00:50:53,667 --> 00:50:56,667 more pastors sent out, more churches planted, 971 00:50:56,750 --> 00:50:59,125 and more people saved by Jesus Christ.