Grace Church exists to glorify our Heavenly Father by
 continually making more disciples of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Grace Church
257 Kendall Street
Burlington, WI 53105

(262) 763-3021

Thunder & Red Roses John 13:23 Get Real: A Study of 1 John Sermon #1 Though at one time she was a single Mom on welfare, this year she’s the only career author on Forbes’ billionaires list and the first one to ever become a billionaire from writing books. You probably recognize the name of J. K. Rowling, the author of the best selling Harry Potter books. She’s one of the richest women in the world, worth well over a billion dollars. But her books make more sense when you realize that she’s English. Americans do not typically send their children off to boarding schools, nor do they wear uniforms to school. It’s said that Hermione Granger, Harry Potter’s obsessively studious friend, resembles J. K. Rowling as a child. As a child, she also loved C. S. Lewis’ Narnia Tales, like The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. She also understands poverty. Divorced in 1993 after a brief marriage and having to also support a child, she struggled to make it. In fact, she wrote much of the first Harry Potter book in a café since her apartment was unheated. Sounds a lot like Harry Potter doesn’t it? Just eking by in virtual poverty. But in July of 2005 when Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince was released, it obliterated all previous book sales records. On just the first day of sales, it sold 6.9 million copies in the United States alone…about 80 copies per second. The Harry Potter books make a lot more sense when you know who J. K. Rowling is. The same is true with the books of the Bible. This morning we’re beginning a series of a small New Testament letter, 1 John, that we’ve dubbed – Get Real!   Other than the name of the book, most of us know very little about this disciple who wrote it. But not only is his book a part of God’s inspired Word, John himself is a trophy of God’s grace. Look with me at two passages that give us a glimpse of who John  is: Mark 3:17 (p. 709) and John 13:23 (p. 763). Notice the contrast – thunder and love. The Apostle John was truly Thunder & Red Roses. There was a wonderful transformation that took place in his life because of His meeting the Master. It was a metamorphosis from tough to tender.   Strangely, John has been portrayed by artists as a mild-mannered youth, beardless, and gentle. The most famous, Leonardo da Vinci’s Last Supper, has him portrayed almost effeminate, girlish with white hands folded softly. While John was probably the youngest of the twelve disciples, perhaps an older teenager when he first met Jesus, he was anything but effeminate. Jesus did not dub him a “son of thunder” because he was a little on the wimpy side.   Five of the books in our New Testament were written by the Apostle John, yet the New Testament tells us surprisingly little about their author. He’s mentioned by name only three times in Matthew, ten times in Mark, seven times in Luke, nine times in Acts, one time in Galatians, and five times in Revelation. In most of these references there is the mere mention of the name and little or no information is given about the man. What we do know about the author of 1 John is from just glimpses that the New Testament gives us.   But as we look this morning at one who went from Thunder to Red Roses, it will encourage us. Isn’t it wonderful to know that Jesus doesn’t let who we are get in the way of what He is able to make us become? It’s only through Jesus that a “son of thunder” can become the “Apostle of Love.” As our Lord can transform someone who is so rough around the edges, He can transform us as well. What does the life of John teach us? 1. Jesus can transform someone from a rough background. More boys around the world have been named for the Apostle John than for any other Bible character. A survey a few years ago counted roughly 6 million boys in America bearing the name John. Of the apostles' names, James was next popular with about 3 million. Thomas followed with approximately 2 million, then Peter with a third of a million. The name means “one whom God loves” or “God is gracious.” The name John also corresponds to the Old Testament Jonah which means “a dove.”   While we don’t know when or where John was born, we do know some things about his family. For instance, we know that he had a brother named James, that his father's name was Zebedee, and that his mother's name was Salome. In addition, we know that the family was engaged in the fishing industry. Now when you think of a fisherman, please don’t picture some guy sitting on the bank holding a rod and reel. Picture George Clooney and his crew in The Perfect Storm. It was a rough life. It was for a man’s man. Remember too that Jesus dubbed John and his brother, James, “the sons of thunder.” So when you picture James and John, think Bruce Willis and Vin Diesel, Brett Farve and Warren Sapp, or Kid Rock and Snoop Dog   Apparently, it was a successful business. That his family was well-to-do as suggested by the fact that they had hired servants (Mark 1:20), that the mother in the family was one of the women who ministered to Jesus of their substance (Mark 15:41). John even appears to have been known to the high priest and had access to the high priest's court at the time of the arrest of Jesus (John 18:15-16). And there is at least the suggestion that John had a home in Jerusalem (Matt. 20:20), which would be most unusual for a simple Galilean fisherman who for several years had not been actively engaged in his business. It’s logical then to conclude that he had some independent resources upon which to draw.   Fishing was rugged labor, demanding and developing hard muscles. Rowing through heavy waves resulted in calloused hands. Mending the nets, as they dried on racks under sunny skies, bronzed the lean form of this manly youth. Fishermen were a rough lot. We’ve all heard the phrase, “swears like a sailor.” And John had violent temper. He was tough. 2. Jesus can transform someone with a violent temper. John was the first to coin an ancient version of “nuke ‘em till they glow,” Luke 9:51-56 (p. 734). Now anger in and of itself is not a sin. God is described as being angry. We know that when Jesus saw the worship abuse in the Temple, He became angry and drove out the money changers. Since we’re designed in the image of God, as image-bearers we all have this emotion called anger. Paul exhorted us, “In your anger do not sin” (Eph. 4:26). The problem is not anger. It’s sinful anger or carnal anger.   This also fits his nickname from Mark 3:17, Boanerges, which means “sons of thunder.” There’s a reason for the nickname. The word Boanerges comes from a Chaldean word which means “violent, anger or rage.” John had an incredibly violent temper.   It helps us understand what’s taking place in Luke 9 when we remember the cultural context. The Jews hated the Samaritans. I’m sure that they had all sorts of cruel names for them, much like some of the cruel names we hear Arabs called today; towel heads, camel jockeys, sand niggars, etc. If you were a Jew and wanted to go from Galilee to Jerusalem you took a wide swing around Samaria. You didn’t want to be there. But not Jesus, Jesus went through the forbidden territory. And the hate which the Jews had was reciprocated. Samaritans hated the Jews just as much. They particularly hated the fact that the Jews considered themselves to be of purer religious stock then the Samaritans. They were tired of being called Samaritan dogs. They were tired of being branded half-breeds. They were tired of being seen as moral deviations. So when a Jew would try and take a short-cut through the region, they would make life as difficult as possible. Only this time they missed out on entertaining the very Lord of Heaven. It’s not all a one way street. The Samaritans gave as good as they got…and John is rabid. Can you just picture him, beet red, nearly frothing at the mouth? He wanted to vaporize them. This was the future “Apostle of love.” But Jesus also used that passion to stand against anti-christs and apostates, as we’ll see in 1 John. How about you? Do you have a temper that needs to be transformed by Jesus? 3. Jesus can transform someone who is intolerant. When the French and English were at war in colonial Canada, Admiral Phipps was in charge of the British fleet and was ordered to anchor outside Quebec. He was to wait for the coming of the British infantry and then join the land forces in an attack. Arriving early, Admiral Phipps, an ardent anti-Catholic, was annoyed by the statues of the saints which adorned the roofs of the Roman Catholic cathedrals. So he spent his time shooting at them with the ships' guns. How many he hit we don't know. But history recorded that when the infantry arrived and the signal was given for attack, the Admiral found himself out of ammunition. He had used it all up shooting at the saints.   John, too, was a saint shooter. He was intolerant. Look at Mark 9:38-41 (p. 715). We don’t have a lot of details, but it was the old “your not quite our kind” of intolerance. Perhaps on a preaching mission in some village John noticed a crowd. He pushed forward to see what the commotion was all about. A demon-possessed boy was groaning on the ground, his head tossing from side to side. John thought of using his delegated authority to cast out the demon. But before he could act, a total stranger cast out the evil spirit. The boy gave a convulsive twist, grew silent, and then later stood healed and calm. That's when John the thunderer came unglued. Pushing forward, he confronted the startled healer in a loud voice, "How dare you use my Master's name! By what right do you do this sort of thing? You have no authorization from Him. I'm one of His inner circle, and I've never seen you before. I order you to stop using His name!" When John reported this irregular, fraudulent worker, he probably expected some brownie points for his zeal. Instead, Jesus rebuked him for his competitive, intolerant spirit. John highhandedly assumed that those outside Jesus' immediate could in no way speak for Him or do works in His name. Here was a sincere man whose heart had been influenced by the ministry of Jesus and wanted to emulate His service to needy people. Perhaps he even possessed spiritual gifts equal to those of the apostles and John tries to shut him down.   This is one reason why I don’t want to be a part of a denomination. I remember years ago, arguing with denominational leaders who wanted to waste precious resources starting a new church in some town because there was not a church of their “stripe” in that town. We are not in competition with other Bible-believers. While I don’t dot my theological i’s where my Assembly of God and Presbyterian friends do, I’m thankful for them! They’re leading folk to the Lord! They’re seeking to advance the Kingdom. I hope that you pray for other pastors and Bible-believing ministries. And please, please don’t ever try to get some believer from another Bible-believing church to come to Grace because your pastor has a better bald head than theirs does.   John had a spirit of exclusiveness that needs to be transformed. That’s the need for far too many in the Church today. Now we’re not talking about spiritual lies or heresy. We can’t be tolerant when someone says that there is another way of salvation or that “all roads lead to heaven.” What we’re talking about is within the family of Christians. As Augustine, the early church father, said, “In Essentials, Unity; in Non-essentials, Liberty; in All Things, Charity.” That’s the transformation that Jesus brought about in John’s life. 4. Jesus can transform someone who is arrogant. A lion went around boasting that he was 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 that 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’s 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 asked his question: "Who’s 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, you don’t have to get mean about it!"   Turn to Mt. 20:20-28 (p. 697). Mark’s gospel suggests that this was initiated by the sons, not the Mom. John wanted to be a top dog…not just in the here and now, but in the next life as well. But there’s no place for pride or arrogance in Christ’s Kingdom. If you want to be a leader in His Kingdom, you must be a servant. While I find many passages of Scripture convict my cold heart, there’s one that gets me every time. It’s found in Proverbs 6:16. “These six things does the LORD hate…seven are an abomination unto Him” And then it starts with “a proud look.” Enemy #1 with God is pride. Ouch!   Some years ago a devoted Christian from Africa named Sammy Morris came to America to go to school. Although his pathway to service for Christ was not easy, his difficulties never deterred him. Perhaps this was because he had learned genuine humility. One incident that showed this occurred when he arrived at Taylor University in Indiana. He was asked by the school's president what room he wanted. Sammy replied, "If there is a room nobody wants, give it to me." Later the president commented, "I turned away, for my eyes were full of tears. I was asking myself whether I was willing to take what nobody else wanted." The change in the Church today would be radical if we had more Christians who were willing to wash feet, who were willing to take what no one else wants. 5. Jesus always transforms, not reforms. When the Bible talks about a change, it’s talking about new life. All of the programs of this world are reformations; committing one’s life to Christ is a transformation. “If any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new” (2 Cor. 5:17).   A gardener noticed that a piece of clay in his garden had become fragrant. He couldn’t figure out how it had developed such a sweet aroma until he realized that he had placed it near a rose. The Bible alludes to Jesus as the Rose of Sharon. Constant association with the Rose of Sharon transformed John from a quick-tempered youth to a man of gracious gentleness. The son of thunder became the apostle of love. Seeing his Lord, as in a mirror, John conformed to His image. It was a slow process. John never lost his volcanic potential. It always slumbered beneath the surface of his personality. But my friend, if someone only has a reformation and not regeneration, they really don’t know the Lord. Jesus doesn’t want to give us a new start; He wants to give us a new heart.   And what an encouragement John’s change is to us. Ornery, selfish, whining youths need not grow up into ornery, selfish, whining adults. Through the Spirit’s power and the laws of spiritual growth, green bitter fruit can ripen into something luscious and lovely for the Master Gardener.   a) John developed a humble honesty. We know John as the disciple that Jesus loved. It’s mentioned five times in John’s gospel. But did you know that John never once claims to be the disciple who loved Jesus? There’s never a hint of favoritism in the Gospels but Jesus saw something in John that drew His heart to this disciple. Peter and James were the first among the twelve but John was first in Jesus’ heart. What a commendation! Enoch, the Old Testament saint, walked with God. King David was a man after God’s own heart. John was the disciple that Jesus loved but John never toots his own horn. We never get a “Do you know who’s A list I’m on?” Rather, in his gospel he’s honest about his own failures and sin.   b) John developed loving loyalty. John's thunder-turned-tender character revealed itself in his loyalty and bravery at the cross and in the early days of the Church. After fleeing in panic with the rest from Gethsemane, John was the first to rally. Though Peter followed afar off, John courageously entered the high priest’s courtyard. Through his influence John got Peter inside the courtyard too. But while Peter lingered around the fire, justifiably afraid because of his attack on the high priest's servant, John apparently entered the trial room with Jesus during the interrogation. While Peter issued his threefold denial, then shamefully left in bitter tears, John remained true. Of all of the apostles, John alone is mentioned as standing by the Cross. He had the manliness to stand in the midst of Christ's enemies, while they spat out their venomous hate, and not run away. John was the only apostle mentioned or addressed by Jesus in His seven last words from the cross. Looking at John, Jesus said to His mother, "Woman, behold thy son!" Then directing John to His mother, "Behold thy mother!" Only John recorded, “I thirst," and "It is finished!" Then he saw Jesus bow His head and dismiss His spirit. John alone tells of the piercing of Jesus' side and the flow of blood and water, also of the burial by Nicodemus and Joseph. John was courageous and devoted to the end. Seeing the Lamb of God led to the slaughter, John became the preacher of the slain and resurrected Lamb. While Peter dominated the first half of Acts, John was his companion in most episodes. Their special friendship, probably begun as boys, had been strengthened by their business partnership. Impulsive Peter and spirited John made a great team. Likely they formed one of the pairs when Jesus sent His disciples out two by two. They must have been staying together after the crucifixion, for they raced to the empty tomb together, youthful John outrunning Peter. After Pentecost John went with Peter to the temple to pray. Though Peter was the spokesman, the record indicates both spoke to the crowd after the healing of the lame man. They were arrested and jailed together. They were tried before the Sanhedrin who saw the boldness of John as well as of Peter. Told not to speak nor teach any more in the name of Jesus, John joined Peter in answering, “For we cannot but speak the things which we have seen and heard” (Acts 4:20). From self-seeking, he became Savior-centered. It’s no accident that the Apostle of love would share one of Jesus’ most familiar statements… “For God so loved the world” (John 3:16).   c) John developed godly philosophy. John’s been dubbed the Christian Plato. The early Church revered him by simply calling him “the Theologian.” While only a fisherman he has depth and philosophical insight that’s far beyond his natural ability. Obviously, John had a keen mind but he surrendered that mind to Christ to be a tool in the Master’s hands.   A friend of mine from Bible college had a very sharp mind. He had such great insight into the Scriptures. What was most amazing was that prior to coming to Christ, Marty had been a heroin pusher. Through submission to the Lord and the memorization of Scripture, God had transformed the damage caused by a sinful life.   I’ll be honest; I’m approaching our study of 1 John with some anxiety. It’s tough book with real depth. It’s not an easy book to preach. In fact, as I contacted several pastor friends for advice, not one of those stinkers had ever preached through 1 John. Yet in spite of the intellectual and philosophical depth, John never takes credit for this book or the gospel that he wrote. His name is never once mentioned in his gospel, 1, 2, or 3 John. While it’s very obvious that he wrote it and his authorship was never questioned by the early Church. Someone has insightfully said that in John’s books, “John is never visible but Jesus is never invisible.”   John’s spiritual discernment is vividly seen in the last chapter of his gospel. Remember when some of the disciples had gone back to fishing and Jesus called to them from the shore? It was John who recognized Jesus. Dullness of wanting to be first had been replaced with depth and discernment. Friend, what do you find yourself taking credit for? I wonder how much more the Lord would use us…how much more we would accomplish for the cause of Christ…if we didn’t try to take credit.   d) John developed tough love. While John epitomized love, it’s love with a backbone. It’s not sloppy agape. True love can be tough, warding off all that would injure the object of its affection. Just as a loving father would protect his toddling youngster against a vicious dog, so John warned against popular false teaching aimed right at the vitals of his "little children." He doesn’t hesitate to call those whose walk contradicted their talk liars. He forbade believers to welcome into their homes, or endorse in any way, those who held false views of Christ (2 John 10). He exposed the church boss, Diotrophes, for his dictatorial assumptions and malicious words (3 John 9-10). John didn't lose his tendency to thunder, but his denunciation was restrained with humility and love. He truly spoke the truth in love.   One graphic account from the early church tells how John, visiting a public bath in Ephesus, caught a glimpse of Cerinthus, champion of the heresy of Gnosticism, inside. Immediately John rushed out of the bathhouse without bathing, exclaiming, "Let us flee, lest even the bathhouse fall down because Cerinthus, the enemy of truth, is within." On another occasion John reportedly called Cerinthus, "the firstborn of the devil." While we do not know for sure of their accuracy, these stories do reflect the presence of that thunderous nature, for many decades under the control of the Master, now evidencing itself with proper constraint. Tender but tough. Thunder & Red Roses.   e) John developed perseverance. Irenaeus claims that John lived at Ephesus till the time of Trajan, who became emperor in A.D. 98. Tradition says an attempt was made to poison John, but God spared him. This is why the symbol for John is a chalice with a snake issuing from it. Another legend says that during a persecution he was thrown into a cauldron of boiling water but emerged unharmed.   We do know John was exiled to Patmos, a small ruggedly beautiful but lonely island penal colony in the Aegean Sea not far from Ephesus. John wrote in the salutation of Revelation, “I, John, your brother and companion in the suffering and kingdom and patient endurance that are ours in Jesus, was on the island of Patmos because of the Word of God and the testimony of Jesus” (Rev. 1:9). Banished there by Emperor Domitian, he received the message and visions of the book of Revelation. John's heart was gladdened by a glimpse of the ultimate victory of martyrs and saints, and of the divine, brighter side to persecution. In the final chapter he wrote, “I, John, am the one who heard and saw these things” (22:8).   Apparently Emperor Trajan allowed John to leave Patmos and return to Ephesus. He wished to go and speak to his spiritual children face to face.   John’s life compassed a great span. A teen when he first followed Christ, he lived the longest of the Twelve. He died around A.D. 100 having lived into his 90s. Paradoxically, his brother James was the first of the apostles to die. John teaches us much about growing old gracefully. Early in life he submitted to the power of Christ's love which progressively cooled his youthful hotheadedness. If we want to be loving, gracious individuals at sixty or eighty, we must start earlier to yield to the influence of Christ. That’s how we move from Thunder to Red Roses. It’s not us, it’s Him. Conclusion: The John of the book of Acts and the epistles is a very different John from the one we meet in the Gospels. The changes we see are not a credit to John, but rather to Jesus Christ. And his life is applicable to each of us. We can safely say from what we see of John in the Gospels that our Lord did not choose him for all the fine qualities he possessed. John had no status in life as a fisherman nor was he an educated man, even by the standards of that day. He certainly did not possess any qualities or education that impressed the scribes and Pharisees. He was a volatile fellow, a “son of thunder.” He’s not a magnetic personality or a charismatic leader. He was self-centered and self-serving, an opportunist who did not hesitate to get the jump on his peers. The fact that our Lord chose John is testimony to the grace of God. He was a work in progress. We too are works in progress.   It’s important that we admit that. If we can’t we will not be effective disciples and we will not be effective in going out and making disciples. Why not? Well, imagine the impact you’d have as a disciple if you came with an attitude of having it all together. When you witnessed your focus would be on how good you are and how righteous you have become. It would not be on the need to look to Jesus for grace and mercy. If you act like one who has it all together, you’ll turn people away from the Gospel because they might come to the conclusion that they cannot match up to your example. It’s not a good way to spread the Word. But if you were to come with a different attitude; an attitude which recognizes that you’re just a work in progress, then everything changes very quickly. When witnessing the not-yet-believer will say, “I’m such a bad person”. Believers who are works in progress will say “So am I”. When witnessing the not-yet-believer will say, “I’m don’t deserve forgiveness” Believers who are works in progress will say, “Neither do I”. When witnessing the not-yet-believer will say, “I’m sure I’ll mess up” Believers who are works in progress will say, “I do all the time.” At some point the not-yet-believer will say, “We are the same” Believers who are works in progress will say, “Yes we are. We both need Jesus just as much.” Do you see the difference? When we realize we’re works in progress, we also realize that we constantly need Jesus to make, and keep on making, an incredible transformation occur in our lives. We’re works in progress and, like John, we’ll see growth. John’s discipleship ministry started at the fishing boat, it continued through the Galilean countryside, it passed through the Cross. It was Christ’s work that brought out this wonderful transformation.   You see, Jesus did not come to vaporize sinners, but to make Himself a sacrifice for sinners. John saw this first hand. As John comforts the mother of Jesus, John looks upon the crucified One and sees the supreme manifestation of love – Jesus, the very embodiment of love, dying there. John remembers the words Jesus taught, “Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends.” And John sees there on the Cross, his heaven-sent friend, gasping for every breath as the wrath of God against sinners is poured out on Him. John sees first hand what it means to have a perfect substitute…the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. And John realizes it is because of his fiery temper that Jesus is suffering. It’s because of his thunderous attitude that the heavens are dark. It’s because of his sinful intolerance that Jesus is forsaken.   My friend, that’s what the cross is all about. It’s not a place where sinners are vaporized. It’s a place where a sacrifice is made. The cross is where a hasty temper dies. The cross is where a revengeful spirit is vanquished. The cross is where unbridled prejudice meets an eternal end. The cross is where an untamed character is crucified…the Son of God being made to be sin for John, the son of thunder.   Do you feel less than adequate to be a disciple? Do you know you have character flaws? Do you struggle with sin every single day? You’re not alone, you never will be. You will struggle with these issues, but you can change…you can grow because you have a Savior who calls you knowing that you’re a work in progress. He’s the Savior that transforms thunder into red roses!