Gospel of John Series - What or Who AreYou Seeking?

                                                 What or Who Are You Seeking?

John 1:35-51

People come to hear about Jesus, go to church or read the Bible for many various reasons. I came to church at first with my girlfriend because that was the only way we could date. I didn’t come to seek out Jesus. About fifteen years later, I still wasn’t seeking Jesus, He was seeking me. The disciples as well came with certainty, doubt, even wariness and many didn’t go looking for Jesus, He found them. John in his gospel said the calling all began with John the Baptist’s proclamation, “Behold, the Lamb of God.” Let’s look at the text, “The next day, again John was standing with two of his disciples, and he looked at Jesus as he walked by and said, “Behold,  the Lamb of God!” The two disciples heard him say this, and they followed Jesus.” 

John and Andrew had been following the Baptist for an uncertain amount of time, and some even called them John’s disciples, though both of them were fishermen from Bethsaida and Capernaum. They followed Jesus because he was the Lamb of God, which is a reference to the sacrificial lamb on Passover and the daily sacrifice of a lamb in the Old Testament, “This is what you are to offer on the altar regularly each day: two lambs a year old.” Ex. 29:38  “Tell the whole community of Israel that on the tenth day of this month each man is to take a lamb for his family, one for each household.” Ex. 12:4 “Yet it was the Lord’s will to crush him and cause him to suffer, and though the Lord makes his life an offering for sin…” Isa. 53:10 

They knew that the lamb was a sacrifice for sin and holiness, and protection. The first was collective, for all who were in the house. The second was personal, for each male. Andrew and John both had practiced these all their lives. The third reference is sacrifice for sin offering for all. Let’s look at the text, “Jesus turned and saw them following and said to the “What are you seeking?” And they said to him, “Rabbi” (which means Teacher), “where are you staying?” He said to them, “Come and you will see.” So they came and saw where he was staying, and they stayed with him that day, for it was about the tenth hour. One of the two who heard John speak and followed Jesus was Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother. 

Now, they spend the day with Jesus, probably listening and asking questions. From this it may be ascertained that Jesus’ teaching was authoritative, thus “Rabbi.” At the end of the day, around 4:00 - 6:00 pm the 10th hour they went to their homes. 

Application - It is interesting that many in the world have heard of Jesus, and many revere the name as important and it has religious significance. He is in other religious books as well as the Bible. James said, just believing that Jesus is God isn’t enough, for even the devil and demons know this and shudder in fear. (James 2:19) When I heard the name of Jesus, I didn’t go oo-ha, I had heard stories about Jesus, but didn’t make it personal. This is where salvation is truly real or not real in many people’s lives. Faith, believing in what you cannot see, and confident that it is true. This is what Andrew and John had found in the Lamb of God. They didn’t see then a crucified Lord upon a cross, the sacrifice for all mankind who would believe in him, but they believed and followed that belief (faith) to the point that they would tell others. Today, there are pictures of Jesus, crucifixes with Jesus, just about anything can be made to have Jesus on it, but to have real faith, it is in believing in the one who died for our sins, gave his life as a propitiation, an atonement, for our sins before God the Father, even more, the confidence that he did it for all who would believe in Him. We see that Jesus is the collective offering for protection from death (death doesn’t have its grip on us.  Acts 2:23-38), personal because everyone must believe for themselves, you can ride on the shirt tails of someone else, and last this salvation is for all who will believe and trust with confidence in Christ Jesus for salvation.  

Next, Andrew brings Peter to see Jesus. It is interesting in the other gospels, Matthew, Mark, and Luke, it is written that Jesus found them along the Sea of Galilee, fishing or finished fishing and cleaning nets. There really is no discrepancy, for the work of fishing was after Andrew and Peter were in Capernaum (Matt. 8:14-16, Mk. 1:20,29) and they had met Jesus beforehand, possibly in Bethsaida which was 6 miles northeast of Capernaum. Andrew brought Simon who would be called Peter by Jesus. It was here that Andrew makes the claim Jesus was the Messiah to Peter. Let’s look at the text, “He first found his own brother Simon and said to him, “We have found the Messiah” (which means Christ). He brought him to Jesus. Jesus looked at him and said, “You are Simon the son of John. You shall be called Cephas” (which means Peter, the rock).” 

John doesn’t say who Peter thought Jesus was, but while at the Sea of Galilee, cleaning nets, Peter addresses Jesus as “Master” and “Lord” that he was a sinful man (Lk. 5:5,8) and it was again at the lake that Peter, Andrew, James, and John begin to follow Jesus full time (Lk. 5:10-11). “Follow me and I will make you fishers of men.”

Application - Not many will call anyone Master and Lord today. We all want to be the rulers of our own lives and freedoms. It is interesting, people have to come to a place where they are at the lowest part of their lives, before they will admit they need someone who is greater than themselves. Peter, who didn’t jump up and down at first about Jesus. He realized that Jesus was different, Andrew had called him the “Messiah”, the chosen one, the Christ. When Jesus got into Peter’s boat to talk to the people, Peter was listening while cleaning his nets from a not too prosperous day of fishing. But He obeyed when Jesus told him to go out again and they went out and caught several fish.

 I wonder, will it take a miracle to convince this world that Jesus is the Master and Lord, that He sits at the right hand of God the Father in heaven. One day all will see him, and every knee will bow and every tongue will confess that He is Lord. “That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

(Phil.2:10-11)

Last, John records the calling of Phillip and Nathanael. Let’s read the text, “Now Philip was from Bethsaida, the city of Andrew and Peter. Philip found Nathanael and said to him, “We have found him of whom Moses in the Law and also the prophets wrote, Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.” Nathanael said to him, “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?” Philip said to him, “Come and see.” Jesus saw Nathanael coming toward him and said of him, “Behold, an Israelite indeed, in whom there is no deceit!” Nathanael said to him, “How do you know me?” Jesus answered him, “Before Philip called you, when you were under the fig tree, I saw you.” Nathanael answered him, “Rabbi, you are the Son of God! You are the King of Israel!” Jesus answered him, “Because I said to you, ‘I saw you under the fig tree,’ do you believe? You will see greater things than these.” And he said to him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, you will see heaven opened, and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man.”

It is interesting here that Phillip was not told to follow, but evidently Phillip lived in the same town as Andrew and Peter and went with them. He could have possibly listened to Jesus’ teaching or heard Andrew’s proclamation to Peter. Phillip didn’t hesitate to find Nathanael, “Philip found Nathanael and said to him, “We have found him of whom Moses in the Law and also the prophets wrote…'' It would seem that Phillip and Nathanael were very familiar with the Torah and the prophets. Nathanael, in true Israeli form, was reclining under a fig tree to study and pray during the hot weather. It was here that Phillip found him. Nathanael’s first thoughts were of wariness of the lineage of Jesus. From Nazareth, a small village of no importance near Sepphoris, the luxurious Greek-style capital of Herod Antipas. Nathanael was sceptical of Nazareth. Can anything good come out of Nazareth?” But what won the wary heart of Nathanael was Jesus’ knowing where Nathanael was and why he was under the fig tree. Nathanael’s acclamation ““Rabbi, you are the Son of God! You are the King of Israel!” was bold indeed. Many Israelites were praying for the coming of the Messiah, the Christ, to deliver them from Roman bondage and oppression. Nathanael’s response brought a promise from Jesus, “You will see greater things than these.” And he said to him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, you will see heaven opened, and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man.” 

Any true Israelite would remember the story of Jacob and the angels coming up and down the ladder to heaven, “He had a dream in which he saw a stairway resting on the earth, with its top reaching to heaven, and the angels of God were ascending and descending on it. There above it stood the Lord, and he said: “I am the Lord, the God of your father Abraham and the God of Isaac. I will give you and your descendants the land on which you are lying. Your descendants will be like the dust of the earth, and you will spread out to the west and to the east, to the north and to the south. All peoples on earth will be blessed through you and your offspring. I am with you and will watch over you wherever you go, and I will bring you back to this land. I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised you.” Gen. 28:12-15. Nathanael would have been looking for the fulfillment of God’s promise to Jacob, for God said He would be watching over them, and bring them back to all that He promised. Nathanael proclaimed Jesus, “you are the Son of God! You are the King of Israel! 

Application - The promises of God and Jesus Christ are many. In the promise to those who are God’s children, He said I will bless you beyond anything you could imagine. He would give them a home and a place to prosper, and the greatest part was that He would watch over them and never leave them until He had fulfilled His promise. Imagine if you would believe as Nathanael or Phillip. These promises were to all of Abraham’s children, and because we are Christ’s children by faith, we too have the blessings promised. Jesus said I will go and prepare a place, a home for you (John 14:1-3). Also Jesus promised to give us the riches of His glory, God’s grace. (Eph. 3:14-21) And even more, He promised to be with us to the very end. (Matt. 28:20b) and He gave us the promise of the Father, the Holy Spirit who dwells in the lives of those who believe in Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord. 

Now, who are you seeking today, or what are you seeking? Will it give you eternal life, a peace that passes all understanding? Will it wear out, rust, or fade? Will it last for eternity? As I said, many have heard the name of Jesus, but only those who place their faith in Him, and are confident that He will fulfill every promise He has made to them will receive the promises. Those who have said yes to him when He came and sought them, and have trusted and obeyed Him with all that they are, to these He has given eternal life.

  I’m again including the ABC’s of salvation (JD Farag). Please, Jesus, God the Son, came to this world to save all who would believe and trust in him. He is Life and that eternal, He is the Light that overcomes the darkness of this lawless world. If you haven’t asked him to be your Lord and Savior, today could be that day.

 First, A - Admit that you are a sinner. This is where that godly sorrow leads to genuine repentance for sinning against a righteous God and there is a change of heart, we change our mind and God changes our hearts and regenerates us from the inside out. Romans 3:10 - As it is written: "There is none righteous, no, not one." Romans 3:23 - For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. (We are all born sinners which is why we must be born spiritually in order to enter the Kingdom of Heaven). Romans 6:23 - For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. The bad news is that the wages of sin is death, in other words our sin means that we have been given a death sentence, we have the death penalty hanging over our heads, that's the bad news. But here's the good news: The good news is that the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. Ephesians 2:8-9 - For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith —and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast. Second,

 B - Believe in your heart that Jesus Christ died for your sins, was buried, and that God raised Jesus from the dead. This is trusting with all of your heart that Jesus Christ is who he said he was. Romans 10:9-10 - That if you confess with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved. Third, 

C - Call upon the name of the Lord. Every single person who ever lived since Adam will bend their knee and confess with their mouth that Jesus Christ is Lord, the Lord of lords and the King of kings. Romans 14:11 - For it is written: "As I live, says the Lord, Every knee shall bow to Me, And every tongue shall confess to God." Don't wait until later — do this now. Romans 10:13 - For "whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved." "O God, I am a sinner. I'm sorry for my sin. I want to turn from my sin. I believe Jesus Christ is Your Son; I believe that He died on the cross for my sin and that He was buried and You raised Him to life. I have decided to place my faith in Jesus Christ as my Savior, trusting only in His shed blood as sufficient to save my soul and to take me to heaven. Thank You, Lord Jesus, for saving me. Amen."

Please share this with someone this week, the Lord knows that we and they need it.

If you would like other lessons, please go to http://pmdinhisservice.blogspot.com 

Until next week, In His Service Mike Davis