John 1:35-51

Making Jesus known to others! In the closing of John chapter one, people begin to tell others about the Lord Jesus Christ and others begin to follow!

Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:00

All right, turn in your Bibles again to John chapter 1, verses 35 through 51. And the Bible says here again, the next day after Jesus, John stood and two of his disciples, and looking upon Jesus as he walked, he saith, Behold the Lamb of God. And the two disciples heard him speak, and they followed Jesus. And Jesus turned and saw them following and saith unto them, What seek ye? They said unto him, They said unto him, Rabbi, which is to which is to say, being interpreted, Master, where dwellest thou? He saith unto them, Come and see. They came and saw where he dwelt and abode with him that day, for it was about the tenth hour. One of the two which heard John speak and followed him was Andrew, Simon Peter's brother. He first findeth his own brother, Simon, and saith unto him, We have found the Messiah which is being interpreted the Christ. And he brought him to Jesus. And when Jesus beheld him, he said, Thou art Simon, the son of Jonah, thou shalt be called Cephas, which is by interpretation a stone. The day following Jesus would go forth into Galilee and findeth Philip, and saith unto him, Follow me. Now Philip was of Bethsaida, the city of Andrew and Peter. Philip findeth Nathaniel and saith unto him, We have found him of whom Moses and the law and the prophets did write, Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph. And Nathaniel said unto him, Can there any good thing come out of Nazareth? Philip saith unto him, Come and see. Jesus saw Nathaniel coming to him and saith of him, Behold, an Israelite indeed in whom is no guile. Nathaniel saith unto him, Whence knowest thou me? Jesus answered and said unto him, Before that Philip called thee when thou wast under the fig tree, I saw thee. Nathaniel answered and saith unto him, Rabbi, thou art the Son of God, thou art the King of Israel. Jesus answered and said unto him, Because I said unto thee, I saw thee under the fig tree, believest thou? Thou shalt see greater things than these. And he saith unto him, Verily, verily I say unto you, hereafter ye shall see heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of Man. I want you to notice again, and this theme just is continued through chapter one, the Gospel of John, chapter one, but making Jesus known to others. And the whole the whole first chapter really has been just an introduction of Jesus Christ. We saw him as the Word, and the first few verses, and we saw him that uh He was the light that's mentioned. And uh of course we saw Him as the uh the Son of God in the flesh. It says the Word was made flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth. And we also saw him as uh the uh Lamb of God that taketh away the sin of the world, and he's been introduced to us as the Son of God. But now I want you to notice that John's disciples they begin to go out and they actually are going to step out and they kind of uh quit following John, but of course, John is following Jesus, but the emphasis is uh not upon John the Baptist uh at all. The emphasis is is on following the Lord Jesus Christ. Matter of fact, in one passage, John said, He must increase and I must decrease. And there would be a time that John the Baptist would pass off of the scene, and uh, of course, his whole ministry was uh being the forerunner of Christ and making him known, announcing his coming uh to this earth. And so here in this section, making Jesus known to others, I want you to notice that John's disciples begin to follow Jesus. In verse 35 through 39, you can see that, but I want you to notice the transition from John the Baptist to Jesus in verse 37. It says, again, the next day after John stood and two of his disciples, and looking upon Jesus as he walked, he saith, Behold the Lamb of God. And verse 37, and the two disciples heard him speak, and they followed Jesus. Then Jesus turned and saw them following and saith unto them, What seek ye? They say unto him, Rabbi, which is to say, being interpreted, Master, where dwellest thou? He saith unto them, Come and see. They came and saw where he dwelt and abode with him that day, for it was about the tenth hour. But again, back in verse 37, the transition, it says in verse 37, and the two disciples heard him speak, and they followed Jesus. And so uh we see him, um, John's disciples, they begin to follow the Lord Jesus Christ. That word followed, it means to be in the same way with, uh, to accompany. 1 Peter 2.21, this would be a common theme in the life of Peter. And if you listen to the messages on Peter, you uh heard me talk about this, but it says in 1 Peter 2.21, for even hereunto were ye called, because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example that you should follow his steps. And 1 John chapter 2 and verse 6, he that saith he abideth in him ought himself also so to walk, even as he walked. All John the Baptist's ministry was to point them to Jesus so they could follow him. And that's really all of our ministry is uh listen, yes, we are to go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature, and uh certainly are to be doing that, but listen, the whole purpose of that is that we are simply uh we're bringing them to Jesus and so that others can follow him. And so it's like John has discipled them and is now letting them go. And if you see in verse 35, there were two of his disciples, verse 37, the two disciples heard him speak and they followed Jesus. Jesus takes notice of them following, and he asked them a question. He says, What seek ye? And of course, that word seek has to do with uh endeavoring, inquiring for. And I want you to notice what their response, they said unto him, Rabbi, which is to say, being interpreted, Master, where dwellest thou? And that word rabbi is a Jewish title meaning teacher, and master is an instructor. But uh remember uh who these men were called in verse 35. They were disciples, which means a learner, a pupil, to learn or to understand. And notice what they ask him, where dwellest thou in verse 39. I'm of the opinion that they wanted to know more about who Jesus is, because notice what happens next in verse 40 and 41. It says, one of the two which heard John speak and followed him was Andrew, Simon Peter's brother. He first findeth his own brother Simon and saith unto him, We have found the Messiah which is being interpreted the Christ. All right. So listen, I don't know if it was uh if there was a bit of time that was spent with him before uh between those verses, but uh it just seems to me that these they they wanted to learn of him, and then they began to tell others about him. And listen, it is so true. Once you start learning about who he really is, and uh when he you begin to see him work in your life and all those things, man, you can't help but uh want to tell somebody else. But I want you to notice uh John's disciples become Jesus' disciples there in verses 37 through 41, and we've already read those. But uh the next section here is Jesus' disciples begin to make more disciples. Notice in verse 40 through 42, it says, One of the two which heard John speak and followed him was Andrew, Simon Peter's brother. And he first findeth his own brother Simon and saith unto him, We have found the Messiah, which is being interpreted the Christ, and he brought him to Jesus. And when Jesus beheld him, he said, Thou art Simon, the son of Jonah, thou shalt be called Cephas, which is by interpretation a stone. But these uh disciples, they begin to make more disciples. Andrew makes Jesus known as the Messiah in verse 41, and uh they were looking for that coming king. The name Messiah means the anointed or consecrated person, uh, the king or priest or saint. Uh Christ is the anointed to smear a rub with oil, to consecrate uh to a religious office or service. But they were looking for the coming king, and there's several passages that we could uh look at, and we talked about that in the last message as well. But they were looking for a prophet to come. We saw that in Deuteronomy chapter 18, verses 15 through 18. But then I want you to notice that Andrew brings Simon to Jesus in verse 42. And he brought him to Jesus, and when he beheld him, he said, Thou art Simon the son of Jonah, which uh thou shalt be called Cephas, which is by interpretation a stone. And so he brought him to Jesus. Jesus sees Simon as what he will be. I love this in verse 42. Thou art Simon, the son of Jonah, thou shalt be called Cephas, which is by interpretation a stone. And this man, Simon, listen, he uh he just has begun to meet and follow the Lord Jesus Christ, and he's not what he should be yet. Uh, but God sees him, the Lord sees him as what he will be, Cephas, which means the rock, and uh it his name Peter means a stone or a piece of rock. I believe the point is that the Lord saw what Peter would be. And I love Jeremiah chapter 1, verse 5. It's helped it helped me, is hat has helped me and helps and encourages me so much. Before I formed thee in the belly, I knew thee. And before thou cameest forth out of the womb, I sanctified thee and I ordained thee a prophet unto the nations. You know, I've said this many times, but one of the things that was so helpful to me after coming to know Christ as my Lord and Savior is finding out the purpose that I was made for, that God had a plan and a purpose for my life. And here he uh as Simon Peter uh meets the Lord Jesus Christ, Peter is uh let in on what he will be in the future, although he may not see that in himself yet. And uh I want you to notice also, so Jesus sees Simon as what he will be, and then Philip and Nathaniel come to know Jesus. In verses 43 through 51, it says, The day following Jesus would go forth into Galilee and findeth Philip, and saith unto him, Follow me. Now Philip was of Bethsaida, the city of Andrew, and Peter. Philip findeth Nathanael and saith unto him, We have found him of whom Moses and the law and the prophets did write, Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph. And Nathaniel said unto him, Can there any good thing come out of Nazareth? Philip saith unto him, Come and see. Jesus saw Nathaniel coming to him and saith of him, Behold, an Israelite indeed in whom is no guile. Nathanael saith unto him, Whence knowest thou me? Jesus answered and said unto him, Before that Philip called thee, when thou wast under the fig tree, I saw thee. Nathaniel answered and saith unto him, Rabbi, thou art the Son of God, thou art the King of Israel. Jesus answered and said unto him, Because I said unto thee, I saw thee under the fig tree, believest thou, thou shalt see greater things than these. And he saith unto him, Verily, verily I say unto you, hereafter ye shall see heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of Man. And listen, I want you to notice some things about this. Philip, he comes to know the Lord. There was a call that was given to him in verse 43, and that call was simply to follow me. Matter of fact, that was has been repeated already, as we've seen. But that word follow again, it means to be in the same way with, to accompany specifically as a disciple. We see his city is mentioned, his uh his con his convert is mentioned there in verse 45. Philip findeth Nathaniel and saith unto him, We have found him of whom Moses and the law and the prophets did write, Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph. Do you see what's happening here? Hey, listen, people are finding out who the Lord is and they're getting excited about it, and they're starting to tell other people about it. Uh that's one thing that when I became a Christian, when I when the Lord saved me and the Lord saved uh and changed my life, listen, I wanted other people to know about it. I really did. I I the peace that God gave me and the joy that God gave me and uh the victory and the help that God gave me and delivered me uh from the bondage of sin, I wanted people to know about that. And I wanted my friends to know about that. And I, you know, not many of them really, to be honest with you, some didn't really uh want to listen or seem like they didn't want to listen and all those things, but I wanted them to know that. And here, that's what's happening in this chapter. Uh the Lord is being made known to others, and he's uh the ones that are finding out about him, they're starting to make him known. And then look at Nathaniel in verses 46 through 51. We see he's influenced by the scriptures in verse 45. Philip findeth Nathaniel and saith unto him, We have found uh him of whom Moses in the law and the prophets did write, Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph. And listen, the scriptures are so important. They do reveal to us the Lord Jesus Christ. Uh they are what God has given us to make himself known to this lost world. And uh, of course, he uses us uh people to share those scriptures with others. But Nathaniel's influenced by the scriptures, and he's also skeptical at first. Notice what it says in verse 46. And Nathanael said unto him, Can there any good thing come out of Nazareth? Philip saith unto him, Come and see. Come see for yourself, Philip. And though he was skeptical, and I remember when I started coming to church here at Tabernacle Baptist Church, uh, I was kind of like, Is this for real? And uh, you know, it was definitely different. It was more, it was uh different than anything I had ever seen. I was used to the uh dictions meetings that this world has, your NA and AA and all those things, and and uh there was something different about this place. There were people that shared their testimony about the grace of God in their life, and they gave the gospel and they were concerned about the souls of others. And uh, but uh there was some skepticism skepticism uh that old Nathaniel had here at first in verse 46, but then we see that he's convinced by the Savior. In verse 47 through 49, Jesus saw Nathanael coming to him and saith of him, Behold, an Israelite indeed in whom is no guile. Nathanael saith unto him, and I love this, and I want you to think about this for just a moment. He says, Whence knowest thou me? Jesus answered and said unto him, Before that Philip called thee, when thou wast under the fig tree, I saw thee. And in verse 49, Nathaniel answers and saith, saith unto him, Rabbi, thou art the Son of God, thou art the King of Israel. Listen, I don't know what Nathaniel was doing under the fig tree. Uh I don't know what was going on at that point, but Jesus knew what it was. And I there's something I'm gonna tell you. I remember uh when I started coming to church here and hearing the preaching of God's word and all those things, man, I felt like that preacher knew everything about me. I felt like he'd been following me around and he knew all my secrets and all those things. But I'm gonna tell you something. That wasn't that preacher, he didn't know anything really about me, not too much. Uh the man that was preaching, he did know me a little bit. But I'm gonna tell you something. The Lord knew who I was, and the Lord knew where I was, and the Lord knew all those things that I was doing. Matter of fact, as I used to drive by this church, and I really do believe looking back now that the Lord was speaking to my heart and drawing me to this church to hear the truth of the gospel, I used to say, I used to feel like someone was telling me that I needed to come here, and I needed to come here, and I really do believe that was the Lord. And uh listen, I came and I heard for myself. I heard the preaching of God's word, I saw the testimonies of others and the lives that were changed, and I believed, just as uh Nathaniel did here in verses 47 through 49. And then I want you to notice uh the eye, Nathaniel's eye was to be opened one day in verse 50 and 51. Jesus answered and said unto him, Because I said unto thee, I saw thee under the fig tree, believest thou? Thou shalt see greater things than these. He saith, and he saith unto him, Verily, verily I say unto you, hereafter ye shall see heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of Man. And so there were some things that that uh Nathaniel was going to see in the future that were even better. But hey, listen, this first chapter, and I know I keep repeating it, but the scripture here has repeated it. Listen, it is all about making Jesus known to others. Hey, listen, if you're out there and you don't know him, listen, my job and my responsibility, my calling that God has called me with is to make him known to you. And if you're out there and you do know Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, you have a part and you have a responsibility to make him known to others as well. And uh that's how God's designed it. He he told the church to go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. Uh and listen, there is a there is a multitude of ways that we can do that. We can go knock on doors, we can witness to our co-workers, we can talk to people at school. Uh, listen, we can now with this uh all this technology that we have, we can make recordings and and even live stream videos and all those things, and we can we can talk to someone on the other side of the world about the Lord Jesus Christ in such a way that that that will change their lives. And listen, if you if you don't have uh a part in that, if you're not being a part of that in some way, shape, or form, I encourage you, listen, get into a good uh Bible believing church and be a part of that work. But listen, I appreciate you listening to these. And if there's something I can do for you, please reach out to me on the fan mail section and I'd love to talk with you. But may the Lord bless you and have a good day.