SERMON 164: THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO JOHN
Germaine Charles Lockwood

There are four historical witnesses to the works, teaching, life, death and resurrection of Messiah Jesus: the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John.

The most important book in the world for you to read and know is the Gospel According to John. Study the Gospel According to John and you will come to know Jesus the Messiah. You can come to believe in Him and have everlasting life in His name, a home in the heavenly New Jerusalem. 

The early Christian writers stated that John the son of Zebedee, the apostle, wrote the Gospel According to John. The early Christian writers were Irenaeus, Tertullian, and Clement of Alexandria. Irenaeus wrote:

Afterwards, John the disciple of the Lord, who also had leaned upon His breast, did himself publish a Gospel during his residence at Ephesus in Asia. (Against Heresies 3. 1. 1.)

It is obvious that early Christian writers were in a better historical position to know who the author was than any modern critical scholars. Irenaeus had learned about John from Polycarp who had been taught by the apostles. 

Early church historian Eusebius of Caesarea recorded that the early writers had stated that John the son of Zebedee had written the Gospel According to John. (Ecclesiastical History 3. 23. 3.; 5. 8. 4.; 6. 14. 7.) 

F.C.Baur of the Tubingen, Germany school had dated The Gospel According to John to the last quarter of the second century. But that was proven wrong by two fragments of the Gospel According to John 18:31-33 in the John Rylands Library in Manchester England, Papyrus 457. Sir Frederic Kenyon dated these fragments: "Early 2nd century." . . . "important as a proof of the early circulation of the Fourth Gospel." The Text of the Greek Bible, (London: Duckworth, 1958) p. 75.
Critical scholars have been proven wrong.

The author of the Gospel According to John clearly stated in the first chapter that he and those with him had seen Messiah Jesus, the Word.

John 1:14: And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth. John 1:14.

John the son of Zebedee and the other apostles beheld the glory of the Word, Messiah Jesus. They were eyewitnesses of the historical Jesus.

You can learn to know the historical Jesus by reading and studying the Gospel According to John

John 19:35: And he who has seen has testified, and his testimony is true; and he knows that he is telling the truth, so that you may believe. John 19:35.

Yes, John recorded what he saw and heard. You can read and know the truth. The eyewitness testimony is given to you so that you can believe.

John 21:24: This is the disciple who testifies of these things, and wrote these things; and we know that his testimony is true. John 21:24.

The apostle John, the son of Zebedee, recorded some of the works of Jesus the Messiah: some of His sermons, discourses, discussions and signs, especially what He did in Jerusalem. The Gospel According to John supplements what is recorded in the other three Gospels. John especially recorded the teaching that Jesus gave about himself. 

John the son of Zebedee and Salome (Matt. 27:56 & Mark 15:40, 41) was from the town of Bethsaida on the northeast shore of the Sea of Galilee, Kinneret. John knew Hebrew from the Synagogue, and learned Greek. His father was a fisherman who had hired servants. John was known by the High Priest Caiaphas (John 18:15). The Gospel According to John fits the historical context, the Jewish religious context, the cultural context, and the geographical context of Israel before the destruction of Jerusalem in A.D. 70. The Dead Sea scrolls have shown this. Yes, John was an eyewitness that wrote what he saw and heard while living and working with Jesus Messiah. When the Romans destroyed Jerusalem killing Jews and hauling them away into slavery, that historical context, Jewish religious context, and cultural context were all destroyed. Jerusalem and the temple were destroyed. The Jewish historian Flavius Josephus recorded what happened in his books, Wars of the Jews.

John, the apostle, recorded what he saw and heard. Possibly he made notes day by day. However, John had supernatural help. Jesus had said in:
 
John 14:26: But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you. John 14:26.

The Gospel According to John recorded historical information supplementing what is in Matthew, Mark and Luke. The Gospel According to John is for all people, in all the world, for all time. The Gospel According to John has a very special purpose.

John 20:31: but these (signs) are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing you may have life in His name. John 20:31.

You can read the Gospel According to John and come to know Jesus Messiah, His signs, His sermons, His discourses, His teaching, the evidences, and the testimonies. Yes, you may believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God. The proof is recorded for you in the Gospel According to John.

In John we learn that Jesus is the Word. Jesus is the only begotten of the Father. John the baptist said "Behold! (Jesus) The lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!" Andrew told Peter, "We have found the Messiah.” Nathaniel answered Jesus, "Rabbi, You are the Son of God! You are the King of Israel!" Jesus is the Son of Man. Jesus said, "For if you believed Moses, you would believe Me; for he wrote about me." Jesus said, "I am the bread of life." Jesus said, "I am the Light of the world." Jesus said, "Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I AM." Jesus said, "Truly, truly, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep." Jesus said, "I am the good shepherd."

Jesus said, "I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live." Jesus said, "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me." Jesus said, "I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser." Jesus said, "I and My Father are one." And Thomas answered and said to Him, "My Lord and my God!" Will you believe? Read and study the Gospel According to John and you will come to know Messiah Jesus the Son of God.

The good news is that Jesus Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures. He was buried, and He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures. You can have the forgiveness of your sins and eternal life. Only Jesus died for your sins. Jesus said in: 

John 3:16: For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. John 3:16.

John 1:12: But as many as received Him, to them he gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name. John 1:12.

When you receive Jesus believing in Him you will receive the right to become a child of God, having been begotten of God. Then you can be born of water and the Spirit.

John 3:5: Jesus answered, "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. John 3:5.

Acts 2:38: . . . Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. Acts 2:38.

Read and study the Gospel According to John. Then you can believe in Jesus the Messiah the Son of God. Turn away from sin, repent, and turn to Messiah Jesus. Then be baptized, immersed in water, buried under the water in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit for the forgiveness of your sins. You will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. You will be a Christian, a Messian, and live a faithful life.

With His help, you can overcome and live a fruitful life. Be faithful until death and you will receive an eternal home in the heavenly New Jerusalem.

Amen!