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led by: Pastor Josh Franklin, Good Hope Baptist Church (www.goodhopechurch.org and www.joshfranklin.org)
BELIEVE AND LIVE
A Quick Look at the Gospel According to John
Fast Facts on
John
1. Who? John, the beloved
disciple of Jesus Christ.
2. When? 96 AD
3.Why? To present Jesus as the
Son of God (not merely
human)
4. Key Phrase:
Jesus Christ is the Son of God
Quick Facts
-Jesus is ETERNAL (John 1:1-18)
- 92 % UNIQUE from the other
three Gospels.
- God came in the flesh (1:14)
- the word “believe” occurs
approximately 100 times in
the gospel.
- There are also 7 emphatic “I
AM” statements which
identify Jesus as God and
Messiah (6:35; 8:12; 10:7, 9;
10:11, 14; 11:25; 14:6; 15:1,
5).
Source: Daniel Akin
Leon Morris compares "John's Gospel to a pool in which a child may wade
and an elephant can swim." On the one hand, it is commonly given to new
believers and even inquirers to examine the foundations of Christian faith. It is a
favorite for the simple faith of simple folk. On the other hand, "years of close
study of this Gospel do not leave one with a feeling of having mastered it, but
rather with the conviction that it is still 'strange, restless, and unfamiliar.'”
Introduction to John
Strategic to John’s background and setting is the fact that according to tradition John was aware of the
synoptic gospels. Apparently, he wrote his gospel in order to make a unique contribution to the record of the Lord’s
life (“a spiritual gospel”) and, in part, to be supplementary as well as complementary to Matthew, Mark, and Luke.
The gospel’s unique characteristics reinforce this purpose:
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1. John supplied a large amount of unique material not recorded in the other gospels.
2. He often supplied information that helps the understanding of the events in the synoptics. For example, while
the synoptics begin with Jesus’ ministry in Galilee, they imply that Jesus had a ministry prior to that (e.g., Matt.
4:12; Mark 1:14). John supplies the answer with information on Jesus’ prior ministry in Judea (chap. 3) and
Samaria (chap. 4). In Mark 6:45, after the feeding of the 5,000, Jesus compelled his disciples to cross the Sea of
Galilee to Bethsaida. John recorded the reason. The people were about to make Jesus king because of His
miraculous multiplying of food, and He was avoiding their ill-motivated efforts (6:26).
3. John is the most theological of the gospels, containing, for example, a heavily theological prologue (1:1–18),
larger amounts of didactic and discourse material in proportion to narrative (e.g., 3:13–17), and the largest
amount of teaching on the Holy Spirit (e.g., 14:16, 17, 26; 16:7–14). Although John was aware of the synoptics
and fashioned his gospel with them in mind, he did not depend upon them for information. Rather, under the
inspiration of the Holy Spirit, he utilized his own memory as an eyewitness in composing the gospel (1:14; 19:35;
21:24).
8 Signs of Jesus’ Divine Nature
2:1-11 - Turning water to wine.
6:15-21 – Walking on water
4:46-54 – Healing the nobleman’s son
9:1-41 – Restoring sight to a blind man
5:1-9 – Healing the cripple at Bethesda
11:1-44 – Raising Lazarus from the dead
6:1-14 – Feeding 5,000 with five loaves and two fish
21:1-14 – Giving the disciples a large catch of fish.
THE 7 “I AM” STATEMENTS IN THE GOSPEL OF JOHN1:
6:35 – I am the BREAD OF LIFE. I am the One who satisfies life. I am the sustainer of life.
8:12 - I am the LIGHT OF THE WORLD. I am the illuminator of life, the explainer of all things, the One who casts light
upon all mysteries and enigmas of life – and solves them.
10:7 - I am THE DOOR. I am the only openings that leads to eternal life; the open way.
10:11 - I am THE GOOD SHEPHERD. I am the guide of life, the only one who is able to safely steer us and protect us
through all life’s perils. I am the One whose rod of discipline and staff of guidance can comfort, give peace, lead
to still waters and restores souls.
11:25 I am THE RESURRECTION AND THE LIFE. I have the miraculous power of life, and I am the giver and restorer of
life. Resurrection power is the only power that saves when all hope is lost. Resurrection power works in the
midst of despair, failure, and even death. When nothing else can be done, I appear and say, “I am the
resurrection and the life.”
14:6 - I am THE WAY, THE TRUTH AND THE LIFE. I am ultimate reality. I am the real substance behind all things.
15:1 – I am THE TRUE VINE. I am the producer of all fruitfulness, the reason of all fellowship, the source of all
identity and communion.
Dating John: The Monarchian Prologue to the Fourth Gospel, probably written about 200 or a little later,
says concerning the date of the appearance of the Gospel: “He [the apostle John] wrote this gospel in
the province of Asia, after he had composed the Apocalypse on the Island of Patmos.” The banishment
of John to Patmos occurred in the last year of Domitian’s reign (ca. 95). A few months before his death
on September 18, 96, the emperor had discontinued the persecution of the Christians and recalled the
exiles (Eusebius, Ecclesiastical History 3.20.5-7). This evidence indicates that the Gospel was
composed in 96 or one of the years immediately following. [Why Four Gospels, David Alan Black, 89]
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Adapted from Ray Stedman, Adventuring through the Bible, Gospel of John.
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Chapter 1: The Word is the Creator God who comes in human form.
He is God in flesh, the Creator of all and the sacrifice sufficient for all sin.
Chapter 2: The Miracle Worker prophesies His own resurrection.
He demonstrates His power over creation by changing water to wine, and proclaims His power over death.
Chapter 3: The Son of Man offers salvation.
He reveals that eternal life is possible only through experiencing the "new birth" through faith in Him.
Chapter 4: The Messiah quenches spiritual thirst with living water.
He is the Living Water, who alone is capable of satisfying our empty souls.
Chapter 5: The Son of God explains His equality with God the Father.
He is equal to yet separate from the Father and is the Source and Lord over all life.
Chapter 6: The Bread of Life feeds 5,000 people by miraculous means.
He is the Bread of Life, who provides life through His death for all who believe.
Chapter 7: The Christ stuns the Jews with His teaching.
He possesses divine authority, is the promised Messiah, & predicts the indwelling of the Spirit within.
Chapter 8: The Light of the World sets people free.
He teaches that He is equal in power, glory, and substance to the Father, who sent Him into the world.
Chapter 9: The Light heals blindness.
He is the Light of the world demonstrating His deity by healing physical and spiritual blindness and revealing the
guilt of those who reject Him.
Chapter 10: The Shepherd saves the sheep.
He is the Good Shepherd, who lays down His life for the sheep, takes it up again, and protects the sheep.
Chapter 11: The Resurrection and the Life raises Lazarus from the dead.
He shows that He is the source of life and has power over death by raising Lazarus from the dead.
Chapter 12: The King of Israel experiences an anointing and fulfills prophecy.
He is the promised Messiah, whose death can unite all humanity through faith.
Chapter 13: The Servant predicts His betrayer.
He is God and He is man who prepares to sacrifice Himself out of love for us and commands us to love each
other in the same way.
Chapter 14: The Way and the Truth and the Life explains His oneness with the Father.
He reveals the unique relationship His followers have with the Father through the ministry of the Holy Spirit
because of the merits and achievement of Jesus Himself.
Chapter 15: The True Vine produces fruit through branches.
He causes you to bear spiritual fruit for the kingdom of God as you abide in Him and draw your life and
sustenance from Him, depending on Him to be your Need-Meeter and your source for success.
Chapter 16: The Conqueror overcomes the world.
He teaches that the Holy Spirit is coming to His followers, the One who abides in you and empowers you to
resist the lure and pull of the world and to live righteously before Him even while you are still in the world.
Chapter 17: The Intercessor prays for His followers.
He represents you before the Father, who has given you to Him as an eternal inheritance to be united with all
fellow believers in a dynamic relationship with the Holy Trinity.
Chapter 18: The Nazarene overwhelms the soldiers with His powerful presence.
He demonstrates His innocence before Pilate and the Jewish authorities, while confirming His authority and
power without using it to escape the coming crucifixion.
Chapter 19: The King of the Jews fulfills prophecies through His death.
He lays down His life for you and for all sinful humanity because of His love.
Chapter 20: The Lord God rises from the dead, salvation is secured, and skepticism is satisfied.
He purchases you with His blood, having met the righteous demands of the Law of God. Now you are the
beneficiary of His grace, the recipient of His great salvation.
Chapter 21: The Lord of Love fills the net and restores Peter.
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He has reconciled you to the Father and forgiven all of your sins—past, present, and future—and through your
confession of future sin, He will continuously restore you to right fellowship with the Father, just as He did with
Peter.
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