The Incomprehensible Love of Jesus
By Sean Morris
Friend, the American Jesus is not the Biblical Jesus. That's a Biblical Fact! It has become a popular saying today, that, “God so loved the world” (John 3:16), but the world fails to remember how unpopular God’s love was insomuch that the 1st century populous nailed the Son of God to the cross! God so loved the world, yes... but the world did not love Him back!
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"In Him was life; and the life was the light of men. And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not." - John 1:4-5
"He was in the world, and the world was made by him, and the world knew Him not." - John 1:10 |
Specifically speaking, who were the people of darkness? The Jews.
They didn't comprehend the light and love Jesus. They did not think He was a man of love and peace. In their opinion, Jesus spread division and lawlessness. They considered Him to be a dangerous person who was so polarizing that He threatened the very existence of the Jewish people. Frenzy and chaos would circle about His ministry and confusion abounded!
The Jews! The people who read the Bible and memorized scripture, who regularly attended the synagogues and the Temple, who obeyed the letter of the Law as they understood it - THESE PEOPLE WERE IN DARKNESS! The professed people of God were in darkness--the ones who claimed to be in the light! This means that if things haven't changed since then, the Christians of the 21st century are in darkness. Can it be?
The hostile situation of Jews-against-Jesus was not isolated to any particular culture or people. The same thing happened in the Gentile World when the apostles spread the Gospel from nation to nation. The Thessalonians responded the same ways the Jews did in the Land of Israel: with hostility (1 Thess. 2:13-16)! The Corinthians did likewise as all the Gentiles (1 Cor. 1:18-31) because the preaching of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing! This hostility was not exclusive to the Jewish people but pervasive among all the peoples of the world! And so, this hostility was not isolated to any particular generation in time either. This hostility was not exclusive to the 1st century peoples of the world but rather pervasive among all peoples in every generation! Paul prophesied that things would get worse, not better (2 Tim. 3:1-15)! ...insomuch that the Last Days would be worse than any other generation that has ever existed (2 Thess. 2:3-12)!
And so, 2,000 years removed from the 1st century... things aren't any better. Can you believe it? I implore the reader to look at the life and ministry of Jesus - the love of Jesus! - and try to figure out why the world was so hostile against it! Try to comprehend the love of Jesus which, to the Jews and Gentiles of the 1st century, was incomprehensible! Follow the historical account presented in this sermon via the book of John and see for yourself why Jesus was so intolerable and odious to mankind insomuch that they crucified Him! For, what was then is now. The American Jesus is not the Biblical Jesus!
They didn't comprehend the light and love Jesus. They did not think He was a man of love and peace. In their opinion, Jesus spread division and lawlessness. They considered Him to be a dangerous person who was so polarizing that He threatened the very existence of the Jewish people. Frenzy and chaos would circle about His ministry and confusion abounded!
The Jews! The people who read the Bible and memorized scripture, who regularly attended the synagogues and the Temple, who obeyed the letter of the Law as they understood it - THESE PEOPLE WERE IN DARKNESS! The professed people of God were in darkness--the ones who claimed to be in the light! This means that if things haven't changed since then, the Christians of the 21st century are in darkness. Can it be?
The hostile situation of Jews-against-Jesus was not isolated to any particular culture or people. The same thing happened in the Gentile World when the apostles spread the Gospel from nation to nation. The Thessalonians responded the same ways the Jews did in the Land of Israel: with hostility (1 Thess. 2:13-16)! The Corinthians did likewise as all the Gentiles (1 Cor. 1:18-31) because the preaching of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing! This hostility was not exclusive to the Jewish people but pervasive among all the peoples of the world! And so, this hostility was not isolated to any particular generation in time either. This hostility was not exclusive to the 1st century peoples of the world but rather pervasive among all peoples in every generation! Paul prophesied that things would get worse, not better (2 Tim. 3:1-15)! ...insomuch that the Last Days would be worse than any other generation that has ever existed (2 Thess. 2:3-12)!
And so, 2,000 years removed from the 1st century... things aren't any better. Can you believe it? I implore the reader to look at the life and ministry of Jesus - the love of Jesus! - and try to figure out why the world was so hostile against it! Try to comprehend the love of Jesus which, to the Jews and Gentiles of the 1st century, was incomprehensible! Follow the historical account presented in this sermon via the book of John and see for yourself why Jesus was so intolerable and odious to mankind insomuch that they crucified Him! For, what was then is now. The American Jesus is not the Biblical Jesus!
- The Testimony of John the Baptist: John 2:26 & Luke Ch. 3
- The Cleansing of the Temple: John 2:13-25
- The Confounded Pastors of Judaism: John 3:1-21
- Salvation Flourishing in the Most Unexpected Places among the Most Unexpected People: John 4:6-42
- The Jews already Seeking to Persecute (Slander) and Murder Jesus: John 5:16-18
- Jesus Exposes Jewish Hypocrisy: John 5:39-47
- Jesus Reproves the Insincere Followers: John 6:1, 26-27
- Jesus Preached a Hard-to-be-Understood Sermon to Sift the Multitude: John 6:31-71
- Jesus' Family thought He was Crazy: John 7:1-9
- Jesus' Open-Air-Preaching was Unwelcomed at the Temple & the Feast - John 7:10-53 (Division, Controversy, Fear, & Debate Abounded!)
- Jesus Confronts Insincere Disciples: John 8:31-59
- Jesus Pursues and Saves Those who Unashamedly Confess His Name and thereby are Cast Out of the Church (Synagogue): John 9
- Jesus says that His Sheep hear His Voice and Follow Him Despite the Persecution and Controversy: John 10:11-30
- The Fickle Multitudes were Misleading, Dishonest, and Unreal in their Devotion to Christ insomuch that they Suddenly Crucified Jesus (for the love that they had for sin and their fear of man instead of God): John 12:12-36
- Jesus Tended Closely to His true Disciples who would Stand for Him in the Time to Come: John 13-17
- The Commissioning of the Disciples: Matthew 10:24-39
- The Timeless Conditions of Following Jesus in Truth: Matthew 7:24-27
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