Latest / Journey Elgin / Journey Through Scripture- John 1-4
Transcript
- Phillip Thomas: Hey, it's good to see you today. My name is Philip Thomas, Pastor of Journey here in Elgin, Texas. And thank you for joining us for our journey through Scripture. We are continuing to walk through a chronological ⁓ in in chronological order, walk through Scripture. We are in the New Testament now. Today we're going to be looking at John chapters one through four. We've already hit a little bit in chapter one. ⁓ and as we go through those these gospels, what you're going to see is we are going to kind of pick and choose a little bit. So it's not gonna just be read, you know, four straight ⁓ chapters. ⁓ that may be the best way to do it is just kind of read through the the big parts of the chapters that we're going to talk about. ⁓ and then we'll we'll hit and piece them together where they show up in the different synoptic gospels ⁓ talking about the same thing. Try to ⁓ piece those things together. So hang in there with us ⁓ you know if you want to Just ⁓ over the next, you know, few weeks, just start reading through all four of the gospels and then we'll be talking about them as we go in a chronological order. But one thing that we're going to see, especially today, ⁓ John is different than the synoptic gospels, ⁓ Matthew, Mark, and Luke. Different in in just kind of the the theological ⁓ push that John is doing. Sometimes the timeline appears to be different, but y you know, again, remember these are not autobi ⁓ biographies of Jesus' life. They are ⁓ sermons that are teaching us about Jesus' life. ⁓ so yes, they are historical, but they are not a history book. ⁓ they tell us a lot about Jesus, but most importantly they are telling us what Jesus came to teach and what he desires for us to believe. So one of the things that we we see in the synoptic gospels, so Matthew, Mark, and Luke, is basically there's this move from Galilee ⁓ to Judea to Jerusalem. So Jesus is is making you know the the move to Jerusalem where ⁓ he will eventually ⁓ be killed. and John shows that that that that move happened more than once, which is probably very accurate. Right. So Jesus' ministry was about three years. That would have been three Passovers. That would have been ⁓ three of the major religious ⁓ festivals. It is likely that Jesus and the disciples went to Jerusalem at least ⁓ once a year for Passover. ⁓ we again we don't know for sure, but it would make sense that they they would participate in those festivals and so make that ⁓ journey to Jerusalem numerous times. ⁓ again, ⁓ Matthew, Mark, and Luke kind of kind of do it's like nearly all three years kind of crammed into one. Here's his move from Galilee to Jerusalem. And if you think geographically, Galilee is in the north, and then you have Samaria, and then you have Jerusalem. So Nazareth is up up in the north, so you have Galilee, and Jesus would be traveling down to Jerusalem. That's that's why you can have ⁓ two account two different places ⁓ where Jesus drives people out of the temple. ⁓ you know, you have it in ⁓ John you has it early on. The Synoptic Gospels has it later. So it could have happened twice. It could have been in one of the first trips to Jerusalem. ⁓ Jesus did this at the beginning of his ministry, and then he did it again at the end of his ministry, right before he ⁓ was going to be crucified. We we we don't know for sure. We know that it historically it happened exactly when. We're not we're not ⁓ completely sure on that. Again, that's not the point of the gospels. ⁓ the point is much much bigger. So today we're going to be looking in John chapters one through four. And we've already read some of chapter one. ⁓ so if you kind of get to chapter ⁓ verse thirty-five, where Jesus is beginning to call ⁓ the first disciples, what we see And John ⁓ talks about John the Baptist as preparing the way. So John the Baptist, his disciples start questioning, saying, Hey, this Jesus guy, people are starting to listen to him. ⁓ what's what what are we to to do with that? And ⁓ and John, of course, is saying that I'm I'm pointing people to him. And so you have the first ⁓ disciple the or apostle that Jesus calls is Andrew, who was a disciple of John. So he Andrew was John's disciple, but then whenever he meets Jesus, he begins to follow Jesus. Andrew's brother is Peter, or who would come to be known Peter, as Simon Peter's brother. And ⁓ so Andrew says, We have found the Messiah, ⁓ which is translated as the Christ and brought him to Jesus. And so both both Andrew and Peter bec ⁓ are called now to be Jesus' disciples. Then you have two more, Philip and Nathaniel, verse forty-three. ⁓ he found Philip, said to him, Follow me. Philip was ⁓ from Betheda, ⁓ from the city of Andrew and Peter. ⁓ Philip found Nathaniel and said to him, We have found him of whom Moses and the law and also the prophets wrote of Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph. And that Nathaniel said to him, Can anything good come out of Nazareth? And ⁓ this is neat. J Jesus said, I saw you. ⁓ under the fig tree. And Nathaniel realizes, wow, the there's something with this this guy. ⁓ verse fifty, Jesus answered and said to him, Because I said to you, I saw you under the fig tree, do you believe you will see greater things than these? So d just a a neat way that Jesus is beginning to call these individuals. The the disciples are they are just normal guys that have been passed over by rabbis. They have not been called ⁓ to be in the work within the the priestly ⁓ world. They that was not something for them to do. many of them, I'm sure, went through all of the religious schooling, but they they were not the top of their class. They they were not chosen by any rabbi ⁓ to be a follower. But Jesus is choosing them. And they are honored to be chosen and come and follow Jesus. Even though at this point they don't know exactly what that means. So John chapter two is one of the first signs. ⁓ what what this meant John has seven ⁓ signs that he kind of emphasizes that point to Jesus being the Messiah. Again, there would have been much more that Jesus did, but this is s ⁓ the the things that John points to. And the the first sign is Jesus changing water into wine. And and so we we have this interesting ⁓ situation. You can read it there in chapter two. ⁓ the s wedding ceremony went on for days. And so it it would be understandable if you ran out of wine. That's a possibility, but it would have been very embarrassing. And so they start to run run out of wine. ⁓ Mary asked Jesus, ⁓ Mary, his mother, ⁓ ask him if he could go ahead and fix the problem. And Jesus said, It's not quite time. ⁓ but Mary kind of says, No, I I think it is. And it's it's just ⁓ it's interesting. And all of a sudden, ⁓ Jesus' ministry is is beginning and full. And you would have known this was kind of one of those miracles that not everyone would have known about. ⁓ only a few would have started seeing what was what was happening and starting to piece together what Jesus did. And then as you continued reading in ⁓ chapter two, ⁓ so Jesus has now is moved from Galilee. Now he's moved to ⁓ Jerusalem. He cleanses the temple in ⁓ chapter two, ⁓ that the temple was being used ⁓ for ungodly things, that people were using it to take advantage of people. ⁓ that it had b basically become just a business and it and again remember God God isn't as concerned with the sacrifices as he is with your heart. But they were taking advantage of people who may have a good heart and taking advantage of them and selling sacrifices at ⁓ unreasonable rates. ⁓ but it it also it just shows the state of the religious ⁓ institution of that day. Things are are not going well and Jesus is going to change that. ⁓ This this also ⁓ is kind of just shows the tension is going to be there from the beginning between Jesus and the religious leaders. ⁓ in verse twenty-three it says, ⁓ now when he was in Jerusalem at the Passover during the feast, many believed in his name when they saw the signs which he did. But Jesus did not commit himself to them because he knew all men and had no need of That anyone should testify of man, for he knew what was in man. And so he's being very careful at this time. People are starting to believe, starting to question, but he's trying to keep it quiet in a in a sense, because he knew that the hearts of men would just move to use him, to use him for political purposes, to use him for political gain or power gain. And he did not want that to happen. So Jesus is being strategic in how he is using and revealing his signs. And and how he is engaging ⁓ with the people. John chapter three, very familiar chapter, of course has the one of the most famous verses ⁓ ever, John three sixteen. But you have a religious leader, a Pharisee, ⁓ Nicodemus, who comes to Jesus and it's interesting, he comes at night, ⁓ comes ⁓ at night to meet Jesus to find out who this guy is. ⁓ you kind of get the feeling Nicodemus is curious, ⁓ but but very, very skeptical, but kinda has an open heart. ⁓ he he wants to be willing to believe in who Jesus is, but but this is a a big ⁓ a big change in what they were thinking of and of who the Messiah would be. They assumed that the Messiah, ⁓ it would be obvious who who he was, that he would come ⁓ probably through the through the church ranks. Right. But i this guy is just from Nazareth, but yet he is doing these miraculous signs and so Nicodemus comes ⁓ at night ⁓ because kind of symbolic that he is still in the dark. And Jesus tells him that you must be born again. He says, How can I be born again? And and basically what that means but that that translation, born again means to be born of God, right? Be born of the spirit, not just of the flesh. I love Verse ⁓ sixteen, for God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son that whoever believes in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God did not send his son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through him might be saved. And then he continues, he says, He who believes in him is not condemned, but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. And So there's this constant balance that is very important for us to understand that Jesus is forgiving, He is loving, He wants to bring people into His presence. ⁓ and at the same time, there is condemnation without Him, that we must ⁓ turn to Him, we must believe, we must repent ⁓ of the direction that we're going and begin going His way. ⁓ it's it He doesn't just come and tell us. Hey, I I love you and want to show you mercy, so just continue living the way that you have been. No, he he calls us to something more. ⁓ and you have ⁓ John the Baptist, that this is where he is ⁓ you know kind of making sure his disciples know that Jesus that that this is Jesus is the Messiah. John is not the Messiah. ⁓ it says ⁓ there in verse thirty. Therefore this joy of mine is fulfilled. ⁓ he must increase, but I must decrease. You know, that really says a lot about John. That is that is not a normal human instinct, ⁓ recognizing who Jesus is, and he says, Okay, now it's time for him to increase and me to decrease. And so I I need to give up some of my power, my popularity, ⁓ and everything needs to be pointing to Jesus. And that's an important lesson for us. And are are we striving to increase ourselves or are we try striving to decrease so that ⁓ all all glory can be ⁓ put where it belongs, and that's on Christ. Says verse 33, it says, He who has received his testimony has certified that God is true. ⁓ I I love that that by whenever we experience the power of the Holy Spirit and we experience who Jesus is, we recognize that God is true, that the word of God ⁓ is true. Verse thirty six, He who believes in the Son has everlasting life, and he who does not believe in the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him. ⁓ I I'm going to point out those types of verses quite a bit because I think it's one that has been lost. ⁓ that we because we're uncomfortable with that. We kind of relegate the Old Testament to be the God who ⁓ brings vengeance and judgment. But no, it's it's also in the New Testament because again, it's the same God. Then we have ⁓ chapter four is a a beautiful passage where Jesus encounters the Samaritan woman. So again, you you get this ⁓ picture that they're moving between Jerusalem, going back up to Galilee now, so you have to walk through Samaria. You don't have to, you can walk around, ⁓ but it takes longer. And so Jesus said, Let's we're just walking right through. He meets the Samaritan woman. ⁓ if you you remember the story as you read through, ⁓ the Samaritan woman is living with someone who is not her husband. She has been in adultery. and Jesus recognizes all of that and then he calls her to go and to sin no more. But he's extending this ⁓ this grace To the Samaritans. The Samaritans and the Jews did not like each other, but yet Jesus is intentionally going out of his way to make sure that he interacts ⁓ with them. And many began to to believe. And I I I love where he talks to the disciples and he says talks talks about the ⁓ the harvest and that there there are many who have already sown, and now it is time to to reap ⁓ the harvest. ⁓ verse thirty four said Jesus said to them, My food is to do the will of him who sent me and to finish his work. Do you not say there are still four months and then comes the harvest? Behold, I say to you, lift up your eyes, look at the fields, for they are already white for harvest, and he who receives reaps will receive wages and gathers fruit for eternal life, that both he who sows and he who reaps may rejoice together, for in this the saying is true one sows and another reaps. I sent you to reap that for which you have not labored, others have labored, and that you have entered into their labors. And so he's calling the disciples, he's beginning to make clear that this is this is not talking about physical stuff, it's talking about spiritual stuff. The the kingdom of God is a spiritual reality. And many of the Samaritans already start to to believe that Jesus may be the Messiah. ⁓ and then we have ⁓ ending on in John chapter four, Jesus gets back to Galilee. So the first four chapters of ⁓ John have Jesus moving from Galilee down to Jerusalem and then back to to Galilee again. the synoptic gospels don't don't show that happening on a regular basis, but it probably happened at least once a year. Okay. ⁓ let's look at Luke. Chapters four through six, Mark, chapters one through three. We've already started reading a little bit of of chapter one, but go all the way through chapter three, and then the second part of Matthew, chapter four, and then there's going to be parts in chapters eight and nine of Matthew as well. So that's Luke four through six, Mark one through three, Matthew four, and also a little bit in chapters eight and nine. All right, we will see you on have a good week.