Apostle John’s the Beloved
-Growth in Spiritual Maturity-
Introduction
Jesus called 12 men of different personalities, passions and skills to follow Him and become His disciples. We call them Apostles because Jesus commissioned and sent them out as His Missionaries to preach, teach, baptize and make disciples of all people. The word “Apostle” means “sent one.” Mark 3:13-19 the 12 Apostles are listed….”Jesus appointed twelve designating them apostles.”
Today we are looking at the life and ministry of the Apostle John. We know John as John the Beloved. John became a disciple of Jesus when he was about 23 years old. He was the youngest of the Apostles. He was part of a fishing business partnership with his brother James and Peter and Andrews. His father was Zebedee and his mother was Salome a sister of Mary, mother of Jesus. John was the only apostle that died of natural causes. He died around the age of 90.
You can read the Gospel of John and not find one place where the author refers to himself as John. Time and time again he refers to himself as “the disciple who Jesus loved.” John may have been thinking – “I know my immaturity in comparison to some of the other disciples, yet Jesus loves me and overlooks my weaknesses.”
The Apostle John’s life is an example of the Christian Life in Spiritual Growth and Spiritual Maturity. In John’s life we see three levels of spiritual maturity.
I. Spiritual Immaturity
The first level is spiritual immaturity.
We first see the spiritual immaturity of John. Jesus referred to John and his brother James as the “Sons of Thunder.” John tended to be obnoxious, self centered, temperamental, and got angry easily.
In spite of his weaknesses he was dependable, prompt and courageous, faithful and devoted. He was one of three closest to Jesus. John was the only disciple that followed Jesus all the way to the cross.
Many of us in our Christian life have struggled with some of the same spiritual immaturities that John struggled with. John in his spiritual immaturity had to face up to his spiritual pride and self centeredness.
A. Spiritual Pride
Mark 9:38-41 – John observed a follower of Jesus who was not part of the 12 driving out demons in the name of Jesus. John told him to stop. John bragged to Jesus what he had done. Jesus confronted John and rebuked him and told him not to tell him to stop. Jesus said, “Those who are not against us are for us.” God’s power over sin and Satan is not limited to just a few. His love and power are available to all.
It is spiritual pride that causes you to look down on those who do not believe as you do. “I am a follower of Jesus. I am a better person than you whose who don’t. People need to believe as I do, or their not as good a Christian as I am.”
“You are not part of our elite group. Stop what you’re doing in the name of the Lord.”
Spiritual pride quickly moves a person to becoming judgmental. If you don’t dress like I do. If you don’t like the music I like. If you don’t worship as I worship. If you don’t (you fill in your personal preference) you are not as good a Christian as I am.
B. Self Centered
John also needed to face his self-centeredness.
Matthew 20:20-28, the mother of James and John knelt before Jesus and requested that Jesus allow her two sons to sit with him when he established his Kingdom. James and John chimed in and said they would be honored to sit on the right and left hand of Jesus. They were thinking, “We are the greatest. We deserve to be at your side in as You reign over the Kingdom of God.”
# The story is told about a Lion that boasted as being the greatest in the jungle. . The lion was proud of his mastery of the animal kingdom. One day he decided to make sure all the other animals knew he was the king of the jungle. He was so confident that he bypassed the smaller animals and went straight to the bear. "Who is the king of the jungle?" the lion asked. The bear replied, "Why, you are, of course." The lion gave a mighty roar of approval. Next he asked the tiger, "Who is the king of the jungle?" The tiger quickly responded, "Everyone knows that you are, O mighty lion." Next on the list was the elephant. The lion faced the elephant and addressed his question: "Who is the king of the jungle?" The elephant immediately grabbed the lion with his trunk, whirled him around in the air five or six times, and slammed him into a tree. Then he pounded him onto the ground several times, dunked him under water in a nearby lake, and finally threw him up on the shore. The lion--beaten, bruised, and battered--struggled to his feet. He looked at the elephant through sad and bloody eyes and said, "Look, just because you don’t know the answer is no reason for you to get mean about it!"
We talk about living by the golden rule but there are also other rules that people live by:
• The Iron Rule–Do unto others BEFORE they do unto you
• The Silver Rule–Do unto others AS they do unto you (an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth)
• The Golden Rule–Do unto others AS YOU would have them do unto you
• The Platinum Rule–Do unto others AS THEY would have you do unto them
• The Titanium Rule–Do unto others AS CHRIST has done unto you
# When we respond in times of conflict or disagreement with immaturity it is a reminder that we need to go deeper with the Lord.
# Black Telephone – Example of conflict in Building Program in Kansas City, Kansas
# Blue Doors – A person’s response to blue doors determines the depth of his/her spiritual commitment
By the Grace and Love of God we don’t have to stay on the level of spiritual pride or self centeredness. We can move on to the more excellent way of Love.
II. The Meaning of Love
The Apostle John looked at his own life of immaturity and witnessed the life of Jesus and realized he needed to move on toward Christian maturity. John saw in Jesus a new level of love – unconditional love.
A. Unconditional Love
John 19:25-27 – John was an eye witness of the unconditional love of Jesus. He stood at the foot of the cross and saw how Jesus suffered and died.
John heard Jesus say, “Father forgive them for they do not know what they are doing.” He heard Jesus promise to the repentant thief on the cross: “Today you will be with me in Paradise.”
Later when John penned the First, Second, and Third letters of John he had witnessed the resurrection of Jesus and experienced the filling of the Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost. He wrote in I John 3:1 “How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called the children of God.” V. 11: “This is the message you hard from the beginning. We should love one another.” VV 16-18: “This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers. If anyone has material possessions and sees his brother in need but has no pity on him, how can the love of God be in him. Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth.”
Here we see John living on a higher level of Love. In the life of John we know that Jesus loves us unconditionally no matter how selfish or arrogant we have been.
B. Demonstration of Love
John was an eye witness of the love of Jesus. John saw the lives of people transformed.
John witnessed the transformation of a good religious leader, Nicodemus. John reported the transformation in John 3:1-21. Many of the Jewish religious leaders were out to destroy Jesus, but Jesus saw in Nicodemus a religious ruler with a hungry heart for God. Jesus took time to talk with him at night and explain the way of salvation, not through keeping the Jewish law, but by being born again by the Spirit of God.
John also witnessed the transformation of a Samaritan woman. He wrote about the story in John 4:1-42. John saw a woman of the world transformed into a woman that became a member of the Kingdom of God.
In the life of John the Apostle we see spiritual growth from spiritual immaturity to a more excellent way of Love and finally to servant leadership.
III. Servant Leadership
Jesus modeled servant leadership.
A. The Example of Jesus
John 13 at the Last Supper Jesus took on the role of a servant and washed his disciple’s feet. Then he said to his disciples: “I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you.” John 13:15
John learned from ministry experience that it’s okay to be second. During the time of Christ Peter became the key leader. The leader is usually named first. Luke 22:7-13 Jesus sent Peter and John to make arrangements for the Last Supper in the upper room. Luke 22:8 “Jesus sent Peter and John…”
Acts 3:1: “One day Peter and John were going up to the temple at the time of prayer at three in the afternoon.” Acts 4:3, “They seized Peter and John …and put them in jail.” Acts 4:8 “Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them…” Acts 8:14 “When the apostles in Jerusalem heard that Samaria had accepted the Word of God, they sent Peter and John to them.” The person mentioned first is assumed as the leader.
Filled with the Holy Spirit John did not complain or argue about who was first. He was a servant leader and proud to be part of the ministry team bring glory to God and advancing the Kingdom of God. John felt privileged to love and serve as Jesus had loved and served.
As servant leaders we serve to the glory of God. Servant leaders don’t care who gets the credit. In fact many of the apostles gained a cruel cross for their efforts. The Apostle John was the only apostle that died a natural death at age 90.
Peter - crucified upside down, June 29/July 12
Andrew - crucified on an "X"-shaped cross, November 30/December 13
James, the son of Zebedee - beheaded, April 30/May 13
John the Theologian - natural death in 100 AD, September 26/October 9
Philip - crucified, November 14/27
Bartholemew - crucified, flayed, beheaded, June 13/26
Thomas - pierced with five spears, October 6/19
Matthew the Evangelist - burned by fire, November 16/29
James. the son of Alphaeus - crucified, October 9/22
Thaddeus (or Jude), the brother of James - crucified, August 9/22
Simon the Zealot - crucified, May 10/23
Matthias - stoned then beheaded, August 9/22 (Replacement for Judas Iscariot)
John’s Character
As the Apostle John grew older he grew more and more into the character of Jesus. When all the other 12 apostles were crucified or martyred, John did not become bitter, but put his life in God’s hand.
His own brother, James was the first church’s martyr. After his fellow apostles were killed John was all alone. History says that John became pastor of a church founded by Paul at Ephesus. During a great persecution under the Roman Emperor Domitian John was banished to a small island called Patmos. He lived in a cave there and while there received a special revelation from God and wrote the book of Revelation.
John learned to live with loneliness and suffering but there is no complaint about his sufferings anywhere in his epistles or the book of Revelation.
Eusebius a early church historian retells a story given by Clement of Alexandria that illustrates the character of the Apostle John. While in Smyrna to mediate a dispute, John left a young convert in the care of the newly appointed bishop, who was to supervise the youth’s spiritual training. After the convert was baptized the bishop lost track of him. The young convert fell into bad company and eventually became the leader of a band of thugs involved in stealing and all kinds of violence.
When John returned to Smyrna he inquired about the new convert, the embarrassed bishop had to tell him that he was now a leader of a gang of highwaymen. The old apostle tore his clothing and chastised the bishop for his lack of supervision. Despite his age John jumped on a horse and galloped off for the back-country to find the wayward convert. In time he was surrounded by the gang members and he said, “Take me to your leader.”
When the bandit leader saw John he turned and ran. John called out: “Don’t run from me your spiritual father, who is unarmed and very old. Be sorry for me, child, not afraid of me. You still have hope of life. I will account to Christ for you. To save you I will give my own life. Stop! Believe! Christ sent me!”
The leader turned around and approached John. The apostle moved toward him and the bandit flung his arms around John sobbing and repented. John led him back to Smyrna and helped him get reestablished in the church.
How Do you become Mature in Christ?
The life and ministry of the Apostle John gives us lessons on how to become mature in Christ.
You overcome immaturity and self centeredness by allowing the Holy Spirit to fill you with the Love of Jesus. Jesus said you become great when you become like a child. In your heart you say “no” to self and “yes” to Christ.
We all need to become mature in Christ. We all need to humble ourselves and let the love of Christ fill our hearts.
The more excellent way is the way of Love – unconditional Love. The Apostle Paul described that love in I Corinthians 13. Paul express that level of spiritual maturity when he said: “I have been crucified with Christ, and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me.”
John the Apostle of Thunder became John the Apostle of Love. John surrendered his all to Jesus.
This morning let’s surrender our all to Jesus.
Closing Song: On Screen – "I Surrender All"
