By
Bishop Elijah H. Hankerson III, BA, MA, DD
LESSON NOTES:
I.
THE KEY TO UNDERSTANDING
THE ENTIRE BIBLE. If
you understand that the Bible is written to show us how humanity was created
for God, fell into sin, was reconciled through Christ (who was the product of a
family) and God will restore everything through His sacrifice on the Cross;
then you have the message of the entire Bible.
2 Corinthians 5:17-21 17Therefore
if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away;
behold, all things are become new. 18And all things are of God, who
hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given to us the
ministry of reconciliation; 19To wit, that God was in Christ,
reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them;
and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation. 20Now then we
are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us: we pray you in
Christ's stead, be ye reconciled to God. 21For he hath made him to
be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God
in him.
II.
PERSONAL THINGS ABOUT JOHN.
A.
HIS NAME HAD A RELIGIOUS MEANING. His
name means, “the lord is gracious.”
B.
HIS FATHER WAS WHAT WE WOULD CONSIDER UPPER MIDDLE CLASS.
His dad Zebedee had his own fishing business.
His dad had men that worked for him. John and his brother James also worked for
their dad.
Mark 1:19-20 19When he had gone a little
farther, he saw James son of Zebedee and his brother John in a boat,
preparing their nets. 20Without delay he called them, and they left
their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired men and followed him.
1.
HE DID NOT HAVE AS MUCH MONEY AS HIS FATHER DID.
Acts 3:2-6 2Now a man who was lame from birth
was being carried to the temple gate called Beautiful, where he was put every
day to beg from those going into the temple courts. 3When he saw
Peter and John about to enter, he asked them for money. 4Peter
looked straight at him, as did John. Then Peter said, "Look at us!" 5So
the man gave them his attention, expecting to get something from them. 6Then
Peter said, "Silver or gold I do not have, but what I do have I give you.
In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, walk."
C.
HIS MOTHER WAS A DEVOUT, FOLLOWER OF JESUS CHRIST. She was one of the ladies that served in His ministry.
She travelled with the group. She had travelled all the way from the region of
Galilee to the region of Judea and on to see Him crucified on Calvary.
Matthew 27:55-56
55-56 There were also quite a few women watching
from a distance, women who had followed Jesus from Galilee in order to serve
him. Among them were Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James and Joseph, and
the mother of the Zebedee brothers.
D.
HIS BROTHER WAS AN APOSTLE ALONG WITH HIM. Jesus gave them the nickname, “Sons of Thunder.” No one
know why. It could have been for the power of God on their lives. Or, it could
have been for their explosive tempers. We do not know.
Mark 3:13-19 13Jesus
went up on a mountainside and called to him those he wanted, and they came to
him. 14He appointed twelve that they might be with him and that he
might send them out to preach 15and to have authority to drive out
demons. 16These are the twelve he appointed: Simon (to whom he gave
the name Peter), 17James son of Zebedee and his brother John (to
them he gave the name Boanerges, which means "sons of thunder"), 18Andrew,
Philip, Bartholomew, Matthew, Thomas, James son of Alphaeus, Thaddaeus, Simon
the Zealot 19and Judas Iscariot, who betrayed him.
1.
BUT, HIS BROTHER WAS UNFORTUNATELY MURDERED.
Acts 12:1-3 1It was about this time that King
Herod arrested some who belonged to the church, intending to persecute them. 2He
had James, the brother of John, put to death with the sword. 3When
he saw that this met with approval among the Jews, he proceeded to seize Peter
also. This happened during the Festival of Unleavened Bread.
E.
HE WAS HOLY GHOST FILLED.
Acts 2:4 4And they were all filled with the
Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them
utterance.
F.
HE WAS A PRAYING MAN.
Acts 3:1 1One
day Peter and John were going up to the temple at the time of prayer-at three
in the afternoon.
G.
HE LIVED TO AN OLD AGE AND BECAME A COMPASSIONATE LEADER
IN THE CHURCH. He apparently was the one apostle who was not
martyred.
2 John 1
1 Greetings from the Elder.
To the
lady chosen by God and to her children.
I truly
love all of you. And I am not the only one. All those who know the truth love
you in the same way.
H.
JOHN’S PERSONALITY.
1.
HE COULD BE PREJUDICED AND HOT TEMPERED.
Luke 9:51-55
51 Now it came to pass, when the time had come
for Him to be received up, that He steadfastly set His face to go to
Jerusalem, 52 and sent messengers before His face.
And as they went, they entered a village of the Samaritans, to prepare for
Him. 53 But they did not receive Him, because
His face was set for
the journey to Jerusalem. 54 And when His
disciples James and John saw this, they
said, “Lord, do You want us to command fire to come down from heaven and
consume them, just as Elijah did?”
55 But He turned and rebuked them, and
said, “You do
not know what manner of spirit you are of.
2.
HE COULD BE VERY POLITICAL AND POWER HUNGRY AND COULD
CAUSE CONFUSION. The disciples had an ongoing argument on who
would be the greatest. So the two brothers got together (and since their mother
had influence with Jesus) they had a sidebar conversation with Him; in order to
get the upper hand over all of the other disciples.
Mark 9:33-34 33They came to Capernaum. When he
was in the house, he asked them, "What were you arguing about on the
road?" 34But they kept quiet because on the way they had argued
about who was the greatest.
Mark 10:35-37
5 Then James and John, sons of Zebedee, came to
Jesus and said, “Teacher, we want to ask you to do something for us.”
36 Jesus asked, “What do you want me to do for
you?”
37 The sons answered, “Let us share the great
honor you will have as king. Let one of us sit at your right side and the other
at your left.”
Matthew 20:20-27
20 Then Zebedee’s wife came to Jesus and brought
her sons. She bowed before Jesus and asked him to do something for her.
21 Jesus said, “What do you want?”
She
said, “Promise that one of my sons will sit at your right side in your kingdom
and the other at your left.”
22 So Jesus said to the sons, “You don’t
understand what you are asking. Can you drink from the cup that I must
drink from?”
The
sons answered, “Yes, we can!”
23 Jesus said to them, “It is true that you will
drink from the cup that I drink from. But it is not for me to say who will sit
at my right or my left. My Father has decided who will do that. He has prepared
those places for them.”
24 The other ten followers heard this and were
angry with the two brothers. 25 So Jesus called the followers together. He
said, “You know that the rulers of the non-Jewish people love to show their
power over the people. And their important leaders love to use all their
authority over the people. 26 But
it should not be that way with you. Whoever wants to be your leader must be
your servant. 27 Whoever
wants to be first must serve the rest of you like a slave.
3.
HE WOULD SPEAK UP FOR HIMSELF.
John 21:20-23
20 Peter turned and saw that the disciple whom
Jesus loved was following them. (This was the one who had leaned back
against Jesus at the supper and had said, “Lord, who is going to betray you?”) 21 When Peter
saw him, he asked, “Lord, what about him?”
22 Jesus answered, “If I want him to remain alive until I
return, what is that to you? You must follow me.” 23 Because
of this, the rumor spread among the believers that this disciple would not
die. But Jesus did not say that he would not die; he only said, “If I want him to remain alive until I return, what is that to you?”
III.
JOHN’S RELATIONSHIP WITH JESUS CHRIST. There
were many groups of followers at follow Christ, but John was apparently the
clostest.
A.
THE
CROWDS.
Matthew 19:2 2Large
crowds followed him, and he healed them there.
John 6:2 2and
a great crowd of people followed him
because they saw the signs he had performed by healing the sick.
Matthew 4:23-25 23Jesus
went throughout Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, proclaiming the good
news of the kingdom, and healing every disease and sickness among the people. 24News
about him spread all over Syria, and people brought to him all who were ill
with various diseases, those suffering severe pain, the demon-possessed, those
having seizures, and the paralyzed; and he healed them. 25Large
crowds from Galilee, the Decapolis, Jerusalem, Judea and the region across the Jordan followed him.
Matthew 12:15 15Aware
of this, Jesus withdrew from that place. A large crowd followed him, and he healed all who were ill.
B.
THE
70. Some texts say 72. But, this was a special group on
assignment by Jesus Christ.
Luke 10:1-9
10 After this the Lord appointed seventy-two others and
sent them two by two ahead of him to every town and place where he was
about to go. 2 He
told them, “The harvest is plentiful, but the
workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers
into his harvest field. 3 Go!
I am sending you out like lambs among wolves. 4 Do
not take a purse or bag or sandals; and do not greet anyone on the road.
5 “When you enter a house, first say, ‘Peace to this house.’ 6 If someone who promotes peace is there, your
peace will rest on them; if not, it will return to you. 7 Stay there, eating and drinking whatever
they give you, for the worker deserves his wages. Do not move around from
house to house.
8 “When you enter a town and are welcomed, eat what is offered to
you. 9 Heal
the sick who are there and tell them, ‘The kingdom of God has come near to
you.’
Luke 10:17-19
17 The
seventy-two returned with joy and said, “Lord, even the demons submit to
us in your name.”
18 He
replied, “I saw Satan fall like
lightning from heaven. 19 I
have given you authority to trample on snakes and scorpions and to
overcome all the power of the enemy; nothing will harm you.
C.
THE
WOMEN.
Mark 15:39-41
39And when the centurion, who stood there in front of Jesus, saw how
he died, he said, "Surely this man was the Son of God!" 40Some
women were watching from a distance. Among them were Mary Magdalene, Mary the
mother of James the younger and of Joseph, and Salome. 41In Galilee
these women had followed him and cared for his needs. Many other women who had
come up with him to Jerusalem were also there.
Luke 8:1-3
1After this, Jesus traveled about from one town and village to
another, proclaiming the good news of the kingdom of God. The Twelve were with
him, 2and also some women who had been cured of evil spirits and
diseases: Mary (called Magdalene) from whom seven demons had come out; 3Joanna
the wife of Chuza, the manager of Herod's household; Susanna; and many others.
These women
were helping to support them out of their own means.
D.
THE
12.
Mark 3:13-19
13Jesus went up on a mountainside and called to him those he wanted,
and they came to him. 14He appointed twelve that they might be with
him and that he might send them out to preach 15and to have
authority to drive out demons. 16These are the twelve he appointed:
Simon (to whom he gave the name Peter), 17James son of Zebedee and
his brother John (to them he gave the name Boanerges, which means "sons of
thunder"), 18Andrew, Philip, Bartholomew, Matthew, Thomas,
James son of Alphaeus, Thaddaeus, Simon the Zealot 19and Judas
Iscariot, who betrayed him.
E.
THE
TREASURER.
John 12:3-6
3Then Mary took about a pint of pure nard, an expensive perfume; she
poured it on Jesus' feet and wiped his feet with her hair. And the house was
filled with the fragrance of the perfume. 4But one of his disciples,
Judas Iscariot, who was later to betray him, objected, 5"Why
wasn't this perfume sold and the money given to the poor? It was worth a year's
wages." 6He did not say this because he cared about the poor
but because he was a thief; as keeper of the money bag, he used to help himself
to what was put into it.
John 13:29
29Since Judas had charge of the money, some thought Jesus was
telling him to buy what was needed for the festival, or to give something to the poor.
F.
THE
INNER CIRCLE.
Matthew 17:1
Now after six days Jesus took Peter, James, and John his brother, led them up on
a high mountain by themselves;
Mark 5:37
And He permitted no one to follow Him except Peter, James, and John the brother of James.
Mark 9:2
Now after six days Jesus took Peter, James, and John, and led them up on a high
mountain apart by themselves; and He was transfigured before them.
Mark 14:33
And He took Peter, James, and John with Him, and He began to be troubled and deeply
distressed.
Luke 8:51
When He came into the house, He permitted no one to
go in except Peter, James, and John, and
the father and mother of the girl.
G.
THE
POSSIBLE BEST FRIEND. This was John the apostle. John was the adoptive son of the
family and took care of Mary, Jesus’ mother.
John 13:23 Contemporary English Version
(CEV).[1]
23 Jesus' favorite disciple was sitting next to
him at the meal,
John 21:7
7Then the disciple whom Jesus loved said to Peter, "It is the
LORD!" As soon as Simon Peter heard him say, "It is the LORD,"
he wrapped his outer garment around him (for he had taken it off) and jumped
into the water.
John 19:25-27
25Near the cross of Jesus stood his mother, his mother's sister,
Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene. 26When Jesus saw his
mother there, and the disciple whom he loved standing nearby, he said to her,
"Woman, here is your son," 27and to the disciple,
"Here is your mother." From that time on, this disciple took her into
his home.
IV.
JOHN
IS THE AUTHOR OF THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO JOHN.
John 21:24 24This is the disciple who
testifies to these things and who wrote them down. We know that his testimony
is true.
V.
JOHN’S
FOCUS WAS THE DIVINITY OF CHRIST. That could possibly
why John was Jesus’ favorite; because as close as he was to Christ; He did not
take him for granted.
John 1:1 In
the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
John 10:32-33 32but
Jesus said to them, "I have shown you many good works from the Father. For
which of these do you stone me?" 33"We are not stoning you
for any good work," they replied, "but for blasphemy, because you, a
mere man, claim to be God."
John 20:31
31But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Messiah,
the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.
1 John 4:15
15If anyone acknowledges that Jesus is the Son of God, God lives in
them and they in God.
A.
HE
KNEW THAT JESUS WAS LORD AND GOD BECAUSE HE SAW THE EMPTY TOMB FOR HIMSELF.
John 20:4-8 4Both were running, but the other
disciple outran Peter and reached the tomb first. 5He bent over and
looked in at the strips of linen lying there but did not go in. 6Then
Simon Peter came along behind him and went straight into the tomb. He saw the strips of linen lying there, 7as well
as the cloth that had been wrapped around Jesus' head. The cloth was still lying in its place, separate from the
linen. 8Finally the other disciple, who had reached the tomb first,
also went inside. He saw and believed.
VI.
THE FACT THAT THE MESSIAH IS THE GOD OF THE OLD TESTAMENT
IN FLESH IS A REVELATION THAT MANY MISS. There
is only one God. And, while the Son is distinct from the Father; the Father is
God and the Son is God. Obviously Jesus is not just a prophet, like in the Old
Testament. He is not just a teacher. He is not just a good man. The Jews new
exactly what He was saying; He was attesting to His equality with God.
Luke 22:69
But from now on the Son of Man will be seated at the right hand of
the power of
God.”
Luke 22:70
And they all said, “Are You the Son of God, then?” And He said to
them, “Yes, I am.”
John 10:30
I and the Father are one.”
John 10:38
but if I do them, though you do not believe Me, believe the works,
so that you may know and understand that the Father is in Me, and I in the
Father.”
John 12:45
He who sees Me sees the One who sent Me.
John
14:7-10 7If
you really know me, you will know my Father as well. From now on, you do know
him and have seen him." 8Philip said, "LORD, show us the
Father and that will be enough for us." 9Jesus answered:
"Don't you know me, Philip, even after I have been among you such a long
time? Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, 'Show us the
Father'? 10Don't you believe that I am in the Father, and that the
Father is in me? The words I say to you I do not speak on my own authority.
Rather, it is the Father, living in me, who is doing his work.
John 16:15
All things that the Father has are Mine; therefore I said that He takes
of Mine and will disclose it to you.
Matthew 16:16
Simon Peter answered, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living
God.”
John 1:1
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the
Word was God.
John 1:2
He was in the beginning with God.
Romans 1:4
who was declared the Son of God with power by the resurrection
from the dead, according to the Spirit of holiness, Jesus Christ our Lord,
Romans 9:5
whose are the fathers, and from whom is the Christ according to
the flesh, who is over all, God blessed forever. Amen.
Colossians
1:15
He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all
creation.
Colossians
2:9
For in Him all the fullness of Deity dwells in bodily form,
1
Timothy 3:16
By common confession, great is the mystery of godliness:
He who was revealed in the flesh,
Was vindicated in the Spirit,
Seen by angels,
Proclaimed among the nations,
Believed on in the world,
Taken up in glory.
He who was revealed in the flesh,
Was vindicated in the Spirit,
Seen by angels,
Proclaimed among the nations,
Believed on in the world,
Taken up in glory.
1
Timothy 6:15
which He will bring about at the proper time—He who is the blessed
and only Sovereign, the King of kings and Lord of lords,
Hebrews 1:3
And He is the radiance of His glory and the exact representation
of His nature, and upholds all things by the word of His power. When He had
made purification of sins, He sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on
high,
Revelation
19:16
And on His robe and on His thigh He has a name written, “KING OF
KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS.”
Matthew 3:17
and behold, a voice out of the heavens said, “This is My beloved
Son, in whom I am well-pleased.”
Matthew 17:5
While he was still speaking, a bright cloud overshadowed them, and
behold, a voice out of the cloud said, “This is My beloved Son, with whom I am
well-pleased; listen to Him!”
John 5:37
And the Father who sent Me, He has testified of Me. You have
neither heard His voice at any time nor seen His form.
John 8:18
I am He who testifies about Myself, and the Father who sent Me
testifies about Me.”
1 John 5:9
If we receive the testimony of men, the testimony of God is
greater; for the testimony of God is this, that He has testified concerning His
Son.
VII. THE DIVINITY OF
CHRIST IN JOHN.
A.
THE GOD OF THE OLD TESTAMENT SAID “I AM.”
Exodus 3:13-14 13Moses
said to God, "Suppose I go to the Israelites and say to them, 'The God of
your fathers has sent me to you,' and they ask me, 'What is his name?' Then
what shall I tell them?" 14God said to Moses, "I am who I
am. This is what you are to say to the Israelites: 'I am has sent me to
you.'"
B.
JESUS IN THE NEW TESTAMENT SAID, “I AM.”
1.
I AM THE BREAD OF LIFE.
John 6:35 35Then
Jesus declared, "I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never go
hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.
Exodus
16:15 15When
the Israelites saw it, they said to each other, "What is it?" For
they did not know what it was. Moses said to them, "It is the bread the
LORD has given you to eat.
Exodus
16:4 4Then the
LORD said to Moses, "I will rain down bread from heaven for you. The
people are to go out each day and gather enough for that day. In this way I
will test them and see whether they will follow my instructions.
2.
I AM THE LIGHT OF THE WORLD.
John 8:12 12When
Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, "I am the light of the world.
Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of
life."
Exodus 13:21 21By
day the LORD went ahead of them in a pillar of cloud to guide them on their way
and by night in a pillar of fire to give them light, so that they could travel
by day or night.
3.
I AM THE DOOR OF THE SHEEP.
John
10:7 7Therefore
Jesus said again, "Very truly I tell you, I am the gate for the sheep.
John
10:9 9I am the
gate; whoever enters through me will be saved. They will come in and go out,
and find pasture.
4.
I AM THE GOOD SHEPHERD.
John
10:14 14"I
am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me-
John
10:11 11"I
am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.
Isaiah 40:11 11He
tends his flock like a shepherd: He gathers the lambs in his arms and carries
them close to his heart; he gently leads those that have young.
5.
I AM THE RESURRECTION AND THE LIFE.
John 11:25 25Jesus
said to her, "I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in
me will live, even though they die;
Daniel 12:2 2Multitudes
who sleep in the dust of the earth will awake: some to everlasting life, others
to shame and everlasting contempt.
6.
I AM THE WAY, THE TRUTH AND THE LIFE.
John 14:6 6Jesus
answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the
Father except through me.
7.
I AM THE TRUE VINE.
John
15:1 1"I
am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener.
John
15:5 5"I
am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will
bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.
Psalm 80:8 8You
transplanted a vine from Egypt; you drove out the nations and planted it.
IX.
THE MESSAGE OF JOHN.
A.
THE BEGINNING OF JESUS’
MINISTRY (John 1:1-18). Really the entire book can be summarized by the following
text.
John 1:11-16 11He
came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him. 12Yet
to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the
right to become children of God- 13children born not of natural
descent, nor of human decision or a husband's will, but born of God. 14The
Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the
glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and
truth. 15(John testified concerning him. He cried out, saying,
"This is the one I spoke about when I said, 'He who comes after me has
surpassed me because he was before me.'") 16Out of his fullness
we have all received grace in place of grace already given.
B.
JESUS MINISTERS TO THE JEWS
(1:19-4).
He came to that which was His own….
C.
THE JEWS REJECT JESUS (John
5-12).
His own received Him not….
D.
THE APOSTLES RECEIVE JESUS’
INSTRUCTIONS (John 13-17).
Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his
name, he gave the right to become children of God-
E.
THE WORD TO GO EVERYWHERE
(John 18-21).
John
1:16 16Out of his fullness we
have all received grace in place of grace already given.
X.
PRAYER FOR SALVATION. As we close, if you have not received this
Jesus pray this simple prayer:
"Father, I know that I
have sinned against You. Please forgive me. Wash me clean. I promise to trust
in Jesus, Your Son. I believe that He died for me—He took my sin upon Himself
when He died on the cross. I believe that He was raised from the dead. I
surrender my life to Jesus today.
"Thank You, Father, for Your gift of
forgiveness and eternal life. Please help me to live for you. In Jesus' name,
Amen."
[1] https://classic.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=John+13%3A23&version=CEV. (Accessed, May 12, 2020).
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