Title: Lovely Disciple/John (1 John 04:7-16)
The Gospel of John is a Gospel written by the Apostle John. In the Gospel of John, John mentions the names of the other disciples, but never reveals his own name. Instead, they express themselves in other ways. “One of the disciples of Jesus, whom he loved, leaned in the bosom of Jesus” (John 13:23). Because he received the Lord’s extraordinary love, he was given a more holy and glorious title than his own expression of ‘I, John’. He wanted to be called “the disciple whom the Lord loved.” 1)Name and background
John's father was Zebedee. Regarding his father, he is silent, only revealing his name. However, his mother can be seen several times in the Bible. Although the name is not revealed, it is known that one of the women who followed to the cross was the mother of John. John was probably more influenced by his mother than by his father in the impression of his sincere faith in following Jesus Christ.
John, along with James, Andrew, and Peter, was from Capernaum and was a fisherman who threw his net into the sea and caught fish. The name John means “God is gracious”. John's family was not a poor commoner. He had a servant, had a spacious house, and had an acquaintance with Caiaphas the high priest. Despite coming from a family that had a strong influence in his hometown, one day he met Jesus Christ and abandoned his nets and became a disciple preaching the gospel.
How he became a Christian can be found in John 1:35ff. “And the next day John was standing with two of his disciples, and when he saw Jesus walking around, he said, “Behold, the Lamb of God!” And the two disciples heard him and followed him (John 1:35-37). While serving as a disciple of John the Baptist, one day he heard the words of his testimony and followed Jesus. Jesus asked the two disciples who followed him, “What are you looking for?” To this, the two disciples did not answer what they wanted, but asked, “Where do you live, sir?”
They didn't just want the simple benefit of getting something from Jesus, they wanted to get acquainted with the one who was testified as the Lamb of God. He wanted to know where he lived and continue to have fellowship with him. “Jesus said to them, “Come, see. Therefore, when they saw where they were going, they dwelt together that day, and it was about the tenth hour” (John 1:39).
2) Character and personality
John was usually called by the Lord as “the disciple whom he loved.” There is one more peculiar thing attached to it, and it is the “son of thunder.” At first, John was a quick-tempered and rough person like thunder, but he was changed into a “beloved disciple” by Jesus.
“John said, “Lord, we saw a man casting out demons in your name, and we forbade it because he did not follow us” (John 9:49). A person with passion is always prone to falling into this kind of mourner. “Jesus said, “Do not forbid him, for he who is not against you is for you.” (Luke 9:50) Jesus rebuked John.
“When the time for the ascension of Jesus had passed, they were determined to go up to Jerusalem, and sent messengers ahead, and they went into a Samaritan village to go and make preparations for Jesus, but they did not accept him because Jesus was going toward Jerusalem. When the disciples James and John saw this, they said, "Lord, do you want us to command fire to come down from heaven and destroy them?" (Luke 9:51-54) Then they are saying, "Teacher, let's send down lightning from heaven and burn all the people of this village."
3) Lessons about love
Among the Gospels that John wrote, the 1st, 2nd, 3rd, and Revelation, the greatest passages that John left for us are the words of love. “By this we know love, because he laid down his life for us, and we also ought to lay down our lives for our brothers” (1 John 3:16).
In 1 John 4, the apostle John summarizes his experiences into four lessons about love.
“Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God; everyone who loves is born of God and knows God; whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love” (1 John 4:7,8). The Word 'emphasizes that God is love'
“In this way the love of God was revealed to us, because God sent his only begotten Son into the world that we might live through him” (1 John 4:9). .
“We know that he abides in us, and he abides in us, because he gives us his Spirit” (1 John 4:13).
“If anyone says, “I love God,” and hates his brother, he is a liar, and he who does not love his brother whom he has seen cannot love God whom he has not seen (1 John 4:20). The love that has dwelt within must now be revealed to the brother.
Love can be brave. You can sacrifice when you love. John did not back down from where Peter denied Jesus. As they all dispersed and fled, only John followed to the bottom of the cross. “John, bring me my mother.” Jesus entrusted Mary to John and died.
4) his death
Peter and John take on the role of pioneers in the mission of the early church. We can see that the first half of the history before Paul appeared in Acts was done by Peter and John. After that, he is arrested while preaching the gospel, and according to Revelation 1, he is exiled to Patmos.
One day while praying on the island of Patmos, the Holy Spirit moves him and begins to show him a great revelation of God. That is the book of Revelation. He was released from exile during the reign of Emperor Domitian of Rome, in A.D. 98. He does his final work in Ephesus. Already all the other disciples drank the cup of martyrdom. He is called the only disciple who was not martyred.
But he was a living martyr. History tells this story. He is captured again in Ephesus while preaching the gospel. So I put it in a poison ivy and threw it into the water. In that situation, God amazingly saves him. But his body was torn apart. Finally, he was carried on a stretcher and often attended Christian gatherings, and when people sat him down, he earnestly preached, “Little children, love one another.” About 100 A.D. he died.
5) Lessons and problems raised
In order to be loved, one must have deep fellowship with the Lord of love.
You must look to the Lord.
Love increases as it is practiced.