The Apostle John

Moore's Corner Church

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The Apostle we're going to be looking at this Sunday is the Apostle John. John is one of the most prominent disciples of Christ.

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He wrote five New Testament books, including the Gospel of John, the

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Epistles of 1st, 2nd, and 3rd John, and finally the book of Revelation.

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John, in his Gospel, refers to himself as what? The disciple whom

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Jesus loved. And he is often referred to that way in history. People have called him the

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Apostle of Love. Unfortunately, though, during the Renaissance era, starting with Leonardo da

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Vinci, he painted the Apostle John in his famous work, The Last Supper.

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He painted John intentionally to look like a woman. And even now, if you search the

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Apostle John online, all sorts of images appear of feminine looking men, and probably women.

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And that's just the way they depict him. So I'll say it again based on 1st

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Corinthians chapter 11. Not only did Jesus not have long hair, John didn't look like that either.

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Okay, so John was not like that. He was not effeminate as they portray him in Hollywood and pop culture.

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Far from it. John was a fisherman. He had a bit of a temper. And as I shared last time, him and his brother

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James got a nickname from Jesus. And what was that nickname? Sons of Thunder.

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So I don't know where this comes from, but that's sort of how history is. They try to distort the image of who

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Jesus was and who his apostles were. We also have the idea of the stained glass apostles.

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You know, this idea that they walked around with a halo above their head.

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You know, that's not true. They were average, ordinary people just like us. The difference is they were chosen.

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And their time with Jesus and the filling of the Holy Spirit, that is what turned them into the great men that they were.

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But John was unique in a few ways. Being so close to Jesus, that has to be the most significant thing.

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Along with the fact that he was the only disciple to not forsake

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Christ as he stood with the women at the cross while Jesus suffered and died.

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All the other disciples, you remember, were in hiding. But John was there. And perhaps it's for that reason that Jesus allowed

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John to live longer than any other disciple. There was even a rumor among the twelve that John would never die.

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And he would live until the Lord returned. Of course, that was not the case.

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Because John, likely being the youngest apostle, he lived, we believe, at least until the year 95

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A .D. Where, according to tradition, he was the only apostle who died of natural causes.

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But before he went home to be with the Lord, he wrote the final words of Scripture in Revelation 22.

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John ends the Bible with these words. He who testifies to these things says,

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Surely I am coming quickly, speaking of the Lord. Or this is Jesus saying, I am coming quickly.

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And John replies, Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus.

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the Bible ends. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen.