Love and Light: Sharing the Good News of John with the World

LOVE

and

LIGHT

Sharing the Good News of John with the World

JAMES LLOYD

Copyright © 2017 James Lloyd.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, stored, or transmitted by any means—whether auditory, graphic, mechanical, or electronic—without written permission of the author, except in the case of brief excerpts used in critical articles and reviews. Unauthorized reproduction of any part of this work is illegal and is punishable by law.

This book is a work of non-fiction. Unless otherwise noted, the author and the publisher make no explicit guarantees as to the accuracy of the information contained in this book and in some cases, names of people and places have been altered to protect their privacy.

THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

Scripture taken from the King James Version of the Bible.

Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations marked (NLT) are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2007 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

ISBN: 978-1-4834-7340-6 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-4834-7339-0 (e)

Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Thinkstock are models,

and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

Certain stock imagery © Thinkstock.

Lulu Publishing Services rev. date: 8/9/2017

DEDICATION

This book is dedicated to my wife, Sarah Jane Lloyd. She has been a steady, guiding force in my life through many decades of ministry. I am grateful for her parents, Bob and Beckie Moffitt whose spiritual leadership brought their family and my family to The Center Christian Church, Mays, Indiana where they served and where we met and were married.

A LITTLE EXPLANATION

These 36 sermons on the Book of John encourage and inspire as well as share the Good News of Jesus. Together, they provide a powerful way to preach or teach through this wonderful book of the Bible. Here are some suggestions:

• The one-page handout on the Book of John can be distributed as you prepare for this series. Encourage your people to read the Book of John at least once during this study.

• These 36 sermons cover all chapters of the Book of John. They are Biblical and expository. They are designed to preach between Christmas and Pentecost, but can be adapted to your needs.

• These are ready-to-preach sermons with two exceptions. On rare occasions, a personal illustration has been included, which will have to be adjusted accordingly. Also, you may want to include a personal invitation at the end that you feel is appropriate to the message.

• These sermons are for all audiences. One sermon is in the form of a skit for children that allows you to give young people a chance to participate.

• These sermons include powerful outlines that people can remember. Outlines are important for audiences. They allow your audience to more easily follow your sermon. Many preachers print outlines and important Scripture encouraging the audience to fill in blanks along the way.

• Special sermons for special days are included emphasizing the birth, death, and resurrection of Jesus.

• Two Book Sermons are included. These are designed to either introduce a book of the Bible to the audience or provide a fitting conclusion to a series; however, Book Sermons can be simply used as regular sermons.

• These sermons include three first-person sermons designed to dramatize the story of Jesus as seen through the eyes of those who were eyewitnesses.

SPECIAL SERMONS

These sermons are designed to preach between Christmas and Pentecost; however, some of the sermons lend themselves to special days.

Christmas: What Christmas Is ALL About

Epiphany: The True Light

Memorial Day or July 4: Jesus Sets People Free

Valentine’s Day: A Visit from John, the Apostle of Love

Palm Sunday: The Jerusalem Road or Lost in Wonder, Love and Praise

Maundy Thursday: Midnight in a Garden or The Night Before Jesus Died

Good Friday: It Is Finished! or The Roman Centurion

Resurrection Sunday: Amazing Moments at the Tomb of Jesus or Without a Doubt!

Post-Resurrection Sunday: What Does Jesus Want?

Pentecost: The Great ‘I Am’ Statements of Jesus this summarizes the series. It can be used with the idea that the Church must present Jesus to the world.

SPECIAL NOTE

This book contains three first-person sermons on John, Thomas, and the Roman Centurion. This is a special type of sermon that takes extra work to prepare but can bring great blessings to the hearer. I have found these sermons helpful in regular worship services as well as special services during the church year. I have presented lectures on how to do first-person sermons at Cincinnati Christian University. The next book that I publish will tell how to write and present this special type of sermon. I will also include about thirty scripts that you can use.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

I have been preaching for over 50 years and have heard sermons for 60 years of my life. Anyone who has been a preacher of God’s Word knows that preachers find illustrations in many places, many of which are simply labeled: Author Unknown. I have done my best to trace illustrations back to the original source if at all possible. Obviously that is not ultimately possible with some illustrations. If I have used an illustration that does not acknowledge the original source, feel free to contact me, and I will be happy to include such information in new editions of this book.

I also did my best to acknowledge sermon ideas or outlines. Those who have preached for many years know that it is possible that two or more preachers may come up with a similar sermon idea or outline. I have made an honest attempt to acknowledge ideas or outlines that are not original with me, but it is always possible that I heard or read something that may have unconsciously made its way into this book of sermons. If someone sees something in one of these sermons and believes that he is the original source of the idea or outline, please let me know. I am willing to give acknowledgement in future editions.

I made use of several different translations of the Bible: KJV, NKJV, NIV, and NLT.

• All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.com The NIV and New International Version are trademarks registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office by Biblica, Inc.™

• Some Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright ©1996, 2004, 2007, 2013 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

• Some Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

• I have taken one liberty with translations. I have capitalized personal pronouns referring to God and Jesus.

THE BIBLE BOOK OF THE MONTH

JOHN

1. The background of the book of John

John was a common name back then as it is now. The John who wrote this book was one of Jesus’ first twelve disciples. He was probably Jesus’ best friend while He was on earth. This is seen in the fact that John referred to himself as the disciple whom Jesus loved. Jesus loved all of His disciples, but he must have had a special friendship with this man. John was the brother of James, and they were the sons of Zebedee. He wrote this book and four other books of the Bible: 1, 2, 3 John and Revelation. Although many people think that the writings of John were finished between A.D. 90 and AD 96, some Bible scholars believe they might have been written earlier than that, before AD 70.

Matthew, Mark, Luke and John are all books about the life of Christ. It is amazing that when all four of them are put together, none of the facts about the life of Jesus contradict the other; they all fit together perfectly. John tells a lot about Jesus that Matthew, Mark, and Luke do not mention. For instance, Matthew tells about the wise men visiting Jesus. Luke tells about the shepherds and the angels. John begins his account of the life of Christ by saying, In the beginning was the Word (Jesus) and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. And then it says in verse 1:14 that The Word became flesh and lived among us. This shows that Jesus was God in the flesh. He was with God the Father from the very beginning when all things were created.

2. The purpose of the book of John

John says, Jesus did many other miraculous signs in the presence of His disciples that are not recorded in this book. But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God and that believing you may have life through His name (20:30, 31).

3. The outline of the book of John

• The opening months of Jesus’ ministry, 1:1—4:54

• The main part of Jesus’ ministry, from Galilee to Jerusalem, 5:1—11:57.

• The last week of Jesus’ life followed by his resurrection and ascension, 12:1—21:25.

4. Great things to look for in the book of John

• Look for the great I Am passages where Jesus tells people who he is and what he came to do, for instance I am the Good Shepherd, I am the Resurrection and the Life, and I am the Way the Truth and the Life.

• Look for the special miracles Jesus performed. John writes his book around the story of those miracles.

A VISIT FROM JOHN, THE APOSTLE OF LOVE

The best thing that ever happened to me was the fact that I got to spend time with the greatest person in all the world. Do you know who the greatest person in all the world is? It’s Jesus. Jesus is the greatest and He’s the most important person in all the world. And did you know that I got to see Him with my own eyes? Did you know that these hands touched the hands of Jesus? I’ll never forget that day when my brother James and I along with our father Zebedee were getting our boat ready to go out and fish in the Sea of Galilee. My father said to me, John, who’s that coming along the beach? I said, Why it’s Jesus. And you know what? Jesus walked right up to us and said to my brother and me, James and John, come, follow me. And we did. We knew that Jesus was very, very special, and my brother and I gladly dropped our fishing nets and followed Jesus.

I traveled with Jesus for over three years, and I heard Him talk about many things. And you know what? A lot of people have come up to me and asked me, "John, you are one of Jesus’ disciples. You heard Him teach. What is the most important thing that Jesus ever taught you? You know what I tell them? I tell them that He taught me the most important thing of all. He taught me about love. So let me tell you what Jesus taught me about love.

1. Jesus showed us the greatness of God’s love.

One day Jesus met with a man named Nicodemus. Jesus told Him something very important. Jesus said, God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life (John 3:16). I’ll never forget that. That’s why when I wrote in 1 John, God is love. This is how God showed His love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through Him. This is love: not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son as a sacrifice for our sins (1 John 4:8).

God really does love us, and we can see God’s love look at Jesus. Jesus always went about doing good and helping the most helpless people. He touched blind eyes and helped people to see. He helped people whose ears didn’t work so that they could hear again. He healed people who had leprosy. He even raised people from the dead.

But you know how people paid Him back? They betrayed Him and told lies about Him, and hurt Him and even killed Him. One of our fellow disciples, Judas betrayed Jesus for money. Soldiers arrested Him. They beat Him with sticks. They put a crown of thorns on His head. They slapped Him in the face. They spit on Him. They called Him names. They made fun of Him. Then they took Him to the cross where they hammered big nails into His hands and feet. There Jesus hung on a cross between two robbers.

But even then, you could see His love. You know what He said as He hung from the cross? Do you know what He said about those who nailed Him to the cross and those who were making fun of Him while He was hanging on the cross? He said, Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do (Luke 23:34). Even as He died He was thinking of others.

He asked me to take care of His mother after He died, and I did. I took His mother Mary into my home and took care of her. Just before He died Jesus said, I am thirsty (John 19:28). After this Jesus said, It is finished (John 19:30). With that, He bowed His head and gave up His spirit. In order to speed up their death, the soldiers broke their legs, but when they stood before Jesus they saw that He was dead already, so instead of breaking his legs, they thrust a spear into His side to make sure He was dead.

Then Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus took Jesus down from the cross and put Him in a tomb. We all felt terrible because Jesus was dead. We didn’t understand yet that Jesus died for us, so that our sins could be forgiven. We were all sad because He was dead.

But then, early on the first day of the week, Mary of Magdala went to the tomb, saw the stone had been removed and came running to Peter and me. They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we don’t know where they have put him (John 20:2). So Peter and I took off running. I outran Peter and reached the tomb first. I didn’t go in at first. I stood at the entrance where I bent over to look in. Then Peter caught up, rushed into the tomb, saw the strips of cloth. I went in to join Peter. We saw the empty tomb and grave clothes. At that moment, I believed. Jesus had been raised from the dead. Later that evening, we saw Jesus Himself. He was no longer dead but alive. That’s the greatest news in all the world! Jesus died on the cross for our sins, and then God raised Him from the dead. God did all of this because He loves us. He wants to forgive us of our sins. He wants us to live forever with Him in heaven.

All of this shows God’s great love. How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! Jesus showed us the greatness of God’s love (1 John 3:1).

2. Jesus also taught us to love.

You know, if God loves us, we need to love Him. Jesus told us that the greatest commandment of all is this: Love the Lord our God with all of our heart, mind, soul and might. Do you want to love God? Here’s how you can love God.

• First obey Him. This is love for God: to obey His commands, and His commands are not burdensome (1 John 5:3). A lot of kids and grown-ups don’t want to obey God’s commandments because they think that they won’t have any fun, but if you want to be a follower of Jesus, you will be happy to obey, not out of a sense of duty, but out of love.

• Also, if we love Him, we won’t love the world. It’s just like I said, Love not the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For everything in the world—the cravings of sinful man, the lust of his eyes and the boast of what he has and does—comes not from the Father but from the world. The world and its desires pass away, but the man who does the will of God lives forever (1 John 2:15-17). A lot of kids and adults put the things of this world before God. They put their toys and their games before going to church, but we need to put God first in our lives.

• Also we show our love for God by saying no to sin. I wrote these words in 1 John, Dear children, do not let anyone lead you stray. He who does what is right is righteous, just as He is righteous. He who does what is sinful is of the devil, because the devil has been sinning from the beginning. … This is how we know who the children of God are and who the children of the devil are: Anyone who does not do what is right is not a child of God (1 John 3:7-8).

Yes, we need to love God, but we must also love others. Jesus said that the second greatest command is to love your other people as much as you love yourself. And you know what? Jesus even took that one step further and taught a new commandment. He said, Love one another as I have loved you. How does Jesus love? He showed His by dying for us on the cross. So what can you do to obey this commandment to love others?

• First you need to help others. Jesus always went about doing good, so if we have material possessions and then see a brother or sister at church in need, then we need to help them. If we don’t then we don’t know what it’s like to practice God’s love. Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth. Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love. Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. No one has ever seen God; but if we love each other, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us (1 John 3:18-20).

• We also show love when we are willing to forgive. Jesus was willing to forgive those who had nailed His hands and feet to the cross. He was willing to forgive those that were making fun of Jim.

• We also show love when we serve one another. The night before Jesus died on the cross, He met with us in the upper room. There He began to show us the full extent of His love. I’m ashamed to tell you that as we were sitting around waiting to eat supper, all of us disciples were arguing about which one of us was the greatest—which one of us was the most important and which is the least important.

It was our custom back then that when we came to someone’s house the servant of the house washed people’s feet. We disciples didn’t have servants, so one of us had to wash everyone else’s feet. I refused to believe that I was the least important person in that room, so I wasn’t about to wash anyone’s feet. Now I’m ashamed that I thought like that.

And when Jesus saw us arguing, you know what He did? He poured water in a wash basin and began to wash our feet. He said, I am the Son of God, but I did not come into the world to be served, I came into the world to serve, and to give my life for many people. Jesus taught us that we should put other people above ourselves. What do you kids want to do when you grow up? Do you want people to sit around and take care of you, or do you want to be like Jesus and help others? You can help sick people like Jesus did. You can help people who don’t have friends—that’s what Jesus did. You can help lonely people. After all, that’s what Jesus would do.

What a wonderful Lord we have. He is indeed the Living One, the one who was dead, and is alive forever and ever. He is the one who will raise from the dead. Jesus said, I am the Resurrection and the Life (John 11:25). Jesus also, I am the Way, the Truth and the Life; no one comes unto the Father except through me (1 John 4:6). Jesus said, I go to prepare a place to you, and if I go to prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you unto Myself (John 14:3). This is the hope you have because God loved us and gave His Son. So we need to love one another.

CHRISTMAS—WHAT IT’S ALL ABOUT!

JOHN 1:1-14

A Charlie Brown Christmas is one of my favorite Christmas specials. Do you remember the story? Charlie Brown had a problem. All of his friends were having lots of fun. School was out. Christmas was just around the corner. Everyone was happy—everyone except Charlie Brown. I’m depressed, he sighed. I should be happy, but I’m not. Lucy offered him psychiatric advice for a nickel, but it didn’t help. Everywhere he looked, he saw people getting ready for Christmas—buying presents, decorating trees, and making Christmas cards, but it seemed so commercialized. He was even more discouraged when he saw Snoopy decorating his doghouse to win the town lighting contest. Even my own dog has gone commercial, he sighed. Then his sister Sally said, Charlie Brown, write to Santa for me and ask him for lots of money. That made him even more upset. Finally, in complete frustration he says, I guess I just don’t know the meaning of Christmas. What’s it all about? Won’t someone please tell me what Christmas is all about? His good friend Linus spoke up. Charlie Brown, it’s about the birth of Jesus. He went on tell Charlie the Christmas story—the same one we’ve heard many times.

The Christmas story is one of the greatest stories of all time! It’s the story of shepherds, angels, and wise men. It’s the story of the star in the sky and a baby in a manger, and the little town of Bethlehem. It’s a story that even a little child can tell you. The Christmas story tells us that Jesus was born of Mary and visited by shepherds. It describes how the sky was filled with angels who said that He could be found wrapped in swaddling clothes and lying in a manger. It’s about wise men who came from far away to worship Him and present Him with expensive gifts.

It’s an amazing story, isn’t it—a story that changes lives. But there’s another part to the Christmas story. John puts it this way, The Word became flesh and lived among us. It sounds so simple, but John is telling us something very special about this very special baby who grew up to be the Savior of the world. Let’s look at the Christmas story as told in the Book of John.

1. What’s Christmas all about? It’s the story of the One who had it all and left it all for us.

No doubt about it, Jesus had it all in heaven. John says that back in the beginning of time, Jesus was with God the Father and that He Himself was God. Philippians 2 adds that Jesus was equal with God the Father and enjoyed all of the glories of heaven. Jesus had it all in heaven.

John says, Through Him all things were made; without Him nothing was made that has been made. So who was the baby born in Bethlehem? Before Jesus was born in that stable and laid in a manger, before He became flesh and blood, He was there in heaven with God the Father. All things were made by Him. He made the vast universe. He made the world and all of its beauty. He made the animals and plants. He made us in His very image. Jesus is the one who had it all and left it all for us. That’s really amazing when you stop and think about it. So it is:

• Jesus left the beauty, glory, and perfection of heaven for this sinful and imperfect world

Kings here on earth like to get it all and hold onto it all, but Jesus, the King of Heaven, did not consider equality with God something to selfishly hold onto. He humbled Himself and came to this earth. He had no limitations in heaven, but He accepted the limitations that come with being human. In heaven, He never grew tired, but here on earth, Jesus was tired just like us. In heaven, He was never hungry, but here He was often hungry. In heaven, He knew everything, but here, He said that some things only the Father knew. As the song goes, He came from the ivory palaces of heaven. He had them; He gave them up and came to this world of woe.

• Jesus also left the beauty and glory and perfection of heaven and became a helpless baby.

Can you imagine that? Here He was with God in the beginning of creation, but now He willingly became a helpless baby—a baby that could not protect Himself from the weather, a baby that was hungry and thirsty, a baby that cried and had to be changed. He was a baby, a helpless baby, unable to protect Himself from people like King Herod who killed all the infants of Bethlehem because he wanted to kill Jesus. Jesus knew that when He came to earth as a little baby He would have to totally entrust Himself into the care of Mary and Joseph. So, how would you like to give up the security of heaven to become a helpless infant? Jesus did.

• And then, too, Jesus left the beauty and glory and perfection of heaven to serve others.

As Jesus grew up, He did not assemble a great army to conquer the world. He did not amass great treasures and fortunes. He humbled Himself and took the form of a slave—just the opposite of what you would expect—just the opposite of what we humans do. People want the best education, the best job—lots of money and things. They want to be important and popular, but not Jesus. Jesus had it all in heaven. He had more than the greatest king has here on earth, and yet He gave it all up so that He could come here and serve us. His whole life was given over to humble service to others. He humbly gave Himself to sinful people like you and me. He spent His life helping and serving even those who hurt Him, betrayed Him, and rejected Him. He wore Himself out restoring sight to the blind and hearing to the deaf. He touched and healed those with contagious diseases. He gave back hope to the hopeless. He took abuse and mockery from His enemies. His whole life was directed toward other people and not Himself. Then, too:

• Jesus left the beauty, glory, and perfection of heaven to be rejected and suffer and die.

John says, He came into His own and His own received Him not (1:11). His earthly life that began in a manger as a helpless infant ended on a cross. He humbled Himself and became obedient to death, even death on a cross (Phil. 2:8). None of us can begin to imagine what He endured—how He was rejected and shamelessly abused, beaten, and tortured, and though He could have died some other way, He chose the horrors of crucifixion. But this is why He came. He came not to be served but to serve and give His life as a ransom for many Mt 20:28). This, my friend, is the spirit of Christmas. Christmas began when Jesus gave Himself in humble service to mankind. It began the day when Jesus, the Lord of Heaven came to earth and was born in a stable out with the animals, helpless and weak—that was the start of the true Christmas spirit.

2. What’s Christmas all about? It’s all about the One who had it all and gave it all to us.

Once upon a time there was a king who lived in a beautiful kingdom. He was happy and so were his people. They worked together to improve the kingdom and brought the king many gifts. The king, in turn, was generous to his people. People all over the world heard of this kingdom and came to visit. They admired the beautiful kingdom and they marveled at how happy everyone seemed to be. The kingdom grew and prospered, but then something happened.

The king grew selfish and wanted more and more. He grew self-indulgent and demanded that the people bring him more and more food and more and more of the good things of life. The king’s selfishness made him rich and fat, but the people became poor and miserable. One by one the people left the kingdom, and the kingdom that had been so beautiful and so happy began to fall apart. The king found himself alone in his castle, surrounded by mountains of food and all of the luxuries of life, but outside the kingdom had crumbled, and the people had all slipped away. The king who had it all became selfish and wanted to keep it all, but he ended up losing it all.

What a contrast that story is to the story of Jesus. Jesus had it all and gave it all to us. He has given us His very best. He’s given us everything that we need. But, what do you think you need the most? Sometimes I think we have a hard time figuring that out. Let’s say that 100 American children are brought in, and we set before them two tables. On one table are things like a state of the art game system, an iPad, the best Smart Phone money can buy, an entertainment center, a smart TV, money and clothes. On the other table we put a just a very simple plate of bread and vegetables. Then we tell them, Choose the table you want. Which will they take? It’s pretty obvious, don’t you think? But, if you bring in a few of the many children who go to bed hungry every night and give them the same choice, which