Sermon Tone Analysis

Series: Growing In Your Love Walk—3

*The Apostle John: From ‘Son-of-Thunder’ to ‘Apostle-of-Love’*

* *

Over the past few weeks we’ve been talking about “main things.”

And church, what /is /the “main thing?”

*“The main /thing/, is to /keep/ the main thing, the main thing.”*

And what /is /the “main thing” that must always be kept the “main thing?”  *Love God . . .

and Love Others.*

When a scribe (teacher of the law) asked Jesus “Which commandment is the most important of all?” Jesus replied:

* *Mark **12:30**-31** *“…thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment.

And the second is like, namely this, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.

There is none other commandment greater than these.

[KJV]

 

The Apostle Paul also places love as “the main thing”:

* *Galatians 5:6** *“… The only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love.

[NIV]

* *1 Cor.

14:1** *Let love be your highest goal!

[NLT]

* [AMP] Eagerly purse…love…make it your aim, your great quest…”  

 

And what is “love?”

I gave you a definition last week that I want to keep before you this week and the weeks ahead:

*Agape~/Love is ...*

*“The God-Given Capacity to put Others first—*/AND/*—to Love /even/ the Most /Unlovable/.”*

[And I want to again reiterate a point that I made last week]

When we were born-again, through the Holy Spirit, God “moved in” to our lives and hearts.

And *When God “moved in”…He didn’t leave His agape-love behind.

He brought His agape-love with Him! *Which means…

*We have the God-Given Capacity to actually manifest the supernatural Agape-Love of God**!*

In the time that we have today, I want us to take a brief look at the life of the Apostle John.

Because he speaks about love more than any of the other biblical writers, the Apostle John is often called—“The Apostle of Love.”

But it wasn’t always that way.

John “grew” in his love-walk (just as believe it is God’s will that WE grow in /our/ love-walk).

*Background on John:* He was a fisherman (in the family business with his brother, James, and his father Zebedee).

John likely lived in Capernaum—next to the Sea of Galilee.

One day Jesus was walking along the shore of the Sea of Galilee.

The first disciples Jesus called were Simon Peter and his brother Andrew (who were also fishermen).

We further read in

* *Matthew 4:21-22** *A little farther up the shore he saw two other brothers, James and John, sitting in a boat with their father, Zebedee, repairing their nets.

And he called them to come, too.

They immediately followed him, leaving the boat and their father behind.

[NLT]

 

Hey, I’m pretty impressed with John already.

Jesus calls—and they “go for it!”

[go with the Spirit…]

At this point, we don’t know much about John’s personality.

He’s obviously a risk-taker since he’s willing to leave the family business (and his family) to follow Jesus.

But there’s a passage in the Gospel of Mark that gives us a bit of a hint that John has some ragged-edges to his and his brother’s personality:

* *Mark 3:13-17** *And He went up on the mountain and called to Him those He Himself wanted.

And they came to Him.

Then He appointed twelve, that they might be with Him and that He might send them out to preach, and to have power to heal sicknesses and to cast out demons: Simon, to whom He gave the name Peter; James the son of Zebedee and John the brother of James, to whom He gave the name Boanerges, that is, “*Sons of Thunder*”; [NKJV]

 

“Sons of Thunder”… scholars today still don’t understand precisely /why/ Jesus gave James and John this knick-name.

I did learn that “Sons of Thunder” could accurately be translated “Sons of Rage.”

Can you imagine that John, the Apostle of love, might have had a temper?

That he might have needed to attend an anger-management class?

Consider Luke 9:51ff

* *Luke 9:51-56** *As the time drew near for him to ascend to heaven, Jesus resolutely set out for Jerusalem.

He sent messengers ahead to a Samaritan village to prepare for his arrival.

But the people of the village did not welcome Jesus because he was on his way to Jerusalem.

When James and John saw this, they said to Jesus, *“Lord, should we call down fire from heaven to burn them up?”*

But Jesus turned and rebuked them.

So they went on to another village.

[NLT]

 

~*~*~*Paint a picture: James and John are seriously teed off!

In the verses just previous to this, the Bible says that Jesus appointed the 12 to go and preach the gospel and that He gave them power to heal the sick and cast out demons.

I guess the ‘power’ went to their heads!

That happens, you know?

People gain power and authority and it often times “messes with their heads.”

Jesus simply rebuked them—some Gk manuscripts tell us the exact rebuke—“You do not know what manner of Spirit you are of.

For the Son of Man did not come to destroy men’s lives but to save them.”

And then in Luke 9, we get another glimpse of John that is quite unflattering:

* *

* *Luke **9:46**-50** *Then his disciples began arguing about which of them was the greatest.

But Jesus knew their thoughts, so he brought a little child to his side.

Then he said to them, “Anyone who welcomes a little child like this on my behalf welcomes me, and anyone who welcomes me also welcomes my Father who sent me.

Whoever is the least among you is the greatest.”

John said to Jesus, “Master, we saw someone using your name to cast out demons*, but we told him to stop because he isn’t in our group.”*

But Jesus said, “Don’t stop him!

Anyone who is not against you is for you.”

[NLT]

 

Folks, that’s what you call “a party spirit.”

I mean, here is some guy using the name of Jesus to cast out demons in order to free people who had been possessed and oppressed by demons.

You would think that John and the others would be thrilled that there were others, probably believers, who were setting people free!

But not John!

This Son of Thunder probably personally went up to this fellow casting out the demons and said something like this:

*“Stop that!

Who do you think /you/ are!

You’re not a part of /our/ group…!”*

[Ah, yes.

There’s John—“the Son of Thunder”—in typical form!]

 

Let’s look at another episode that is most unflattering to both John and James—and even their Mother.

* *

* *Matthew 20:20-21** *Then the mother of Zebedee’s sons came to Him with her sons, kneeling down and asking something from Him.

And He said to her, “What do you wish?”

She said to Him, “Grant that these two sons of mine may sit, one on Your right hand and the other on the left, in Your kingdom.”

[NKJV]

* *

*“Jesus, besides you, make my boys, my sons the “head-honcho’s” over the kingdom & everyone in the kingdom!”*

Maybe Mom had ambitions for her sons….maybe

James and John are just manipulators.

But either way, James and John are pulling out all the stops!

They are going to ask the same thing in a moment.

But /first/, they call in Mom to perhaps soften Jesus up.

In the Gospel of Mark, chapter 10 we read: