An Encounter with the Christ

Read

John 1:35–42 (ESV)

35 The next day again John was standing with two of his disciples, 36 and he looked at Jesus as he walked by and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God!” 37 The two disciples heard him say this, and they followed Jesus. 38 Jesus turned and saw them following and said to them, “What are you seeking?” And they said to him, “Rabbi” (which means Teacher), “where are you staying?” 39 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. 40 One of the two who heard John speak and followed Jesus was Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother. 41 He first found his own brother Simon and said to him, “We have found the Messiah” (which means Christ). 42 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).

Opening Prayer

Intro

Here we are on our third day with John the Baptist.

And, what we see is a transitioning from the Baptist’s ministry...

To the ministry of Jesus, the Lamb of God.

John’s Faithfulness

On day one John was interrogated...

Who are you?

Are you Elijah?

Are you the Prophet?

John’s clarity, forthrightness, humility, and faithfulness to His calling from God...

He declares that he is not the Christ...

He is on a mission to preach Christ...

And, point to Him in all his words...

To prepare the people for the Christ’s appearance.

And, that is exactly what we see John do.

John 1:29 (ESV)

29 The next day he saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!

John 1:35–36 (ESV)

35 The next day again John was standing with two of his disciples, 36 and he looked at Jesus as he walked by and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God!”

This seems to be the pattern of the Baptist...

Whether he’s pointing to the Christ in his preaching...

Or pointing to Him as He is physically visible...

The Baptist is faithful to point everyone to the One in whom the hope of the world rests.

The Christ is the One who saves.

The Christ is the One who redeems.

The Christ is the One who frees from the bondage of sin.

The Christ is the One who atones and makes righteous.

The Christ is the One who frees us from sin and death.

Everyone/everything else is a false savior and a false hope.

And, the Baptist wants to be faithful to point everyone to the true Christ.

Two of John’s Disciples

Because of John’s faithfulness to declare the Christ...

We are told...

John 1:37 (ESV)

37 The two disciples heard him say this, and they followed Jesus.

These two have been faithfully sitting under the preaching and teaching of the John the Baptist.

They’ve committed themselves to be his students/disciples.

They’ve been baptized by him.

They’ve acknowledged their sinfulness and need for repentance.

It seems their hearts have been tilled, seeds planted...

And, now their teacher, the Baptist, points them to the One they truly need to follow.

What a faithful teacher of the Word of God, John was.

John doesn’t keep their gaze upon him.

He points their gaze to the Christ.

And, these two disciples of John...

Leave John and start following Christ.

They needed more than the Baptist could give.

He’s spoken of the perfect satisfaction found in the Christ.

They’ve felt the repeated dissatisfaction that this world and our performance in it leaves us with.

They’ve felt the weight of the law and their guilt before it.

They’ve felt the weight of the curses of the old covenant that they cannot escape on their own.

They need someone greater than John.

They need more than just to be told how good the Christ is...

They need to taste and see for themselves that the Lord is good.

John wasn’t going to withhold from them what they needed.

They needed to follow Christ.

They needed to be taught by Christ.

They needed their hope to be in Christ.

Application

What is your hope in?

Where are you feeling the emptiness of the world in your pursuits?

What needs to be let go of, in order for you to follow the Lord?

What is hindering you from chasing after the Lord?

Give the stumbling block to Jesus...

The disciples, helped by the preaching of the Baptist, take their questions & doubts and allow Jesus to give comfort.

He’s the source of all true answers and comfort.

An interesting scene here...

John 1:37–39 (ESV)

37 The two disciples heard him say this, and they followed Jesus. 38 Jesus turned and saw them following and said to them, “What are you seeking?” And they said to him, “Rabbi” (which means Teacher), “where are you staying?” 39 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.

They seem to want to follow Jesus...

And, at the same time not bother Him.

Thinking at the same time, we need Him...

And, He doesn’t have time for us.

Application

How many times have you felt this way?

How many times have you felt like you’re a bother to the Savior?

Maybe you’ve failed Him again.

Fallen into that besetting sin one more time.

You think He won’t receive you.

You think you need to clean yourself up before you present your self to the Lord.

Oh, this couldn’t be father from the truth...

It is a lie and scheme of the Devil to keep you away from the freedom of guilt and the joy of acceptance with the Lord.

To think:

That the Lord won’t receive a weary sinner.

Somehow your sin is more than can be forgiven

That the Lord’s acceptance of you is somehow based on your performance.

Christ receives us, not based on our performance, but on our acceptance of His performance on our behalf.

That is the good news of Christ & His covenant.

Listen, whatever your reason for standing off from the Savior...

Holding back from running into His arms.

Abandon such reasoning, such tragic thoughts...

And, run to Him.

Fall upon Him.

Find rest in His arms.

He promises that whoever, in honesty, comes to Him, He will not turn away.

He cares. Look at the next verse...

John 1:38 (ESV)

38 Jesus turned and saw them following and said to them, “What are you seeking?”

The Heart Penetrating Question from Jesus

Jesus knows they’re following Him, but at a little bit of a distance...

And, He draws them to Himself by asking a question.

A question that will reveal their motives for following Him.

Jesus knows the hearts of all mankind.

But, He wants them to process this question...

Ask the question of them self within the recesses of their heart.

What are you seeking?

We know from the gospels that many people followed Christ for all sorts of reasons:

Some wanted to be healed.

Some wanted to be fed.

Some wanted to fit into the crowds that were following Him for one of the two above reasons.

Some followed out of a sort of curiosity.

Some followed in the hopes that Jesus would fit their ideal of a Savior.

Some followed in the hopes of gaining comfort in this world.

Jesus is asking this penetrating question of these two disciples to see where their motives lie in their following Him.

Application

What do you want from Jesus?

What is your greatest desire for him to grant?

What is your reason for spending time with Him when you do, if you do?

If you could have a wish granted from Christ, but you had to abandon His presence forever more would you take Him up on it?

Is your greatest desire from Jesus something other than Jesus?

The disciples answered Jesus...

John 1:38–39 (ESV)

38 ... And they said to him, “Rabbi” (which means Teacher), “where are you staying?” 39

Seems like a weird response, doesn’t it?

What are you seeking?…asked by Jesus.

An answer in a question...Where are you staying?

Based on the text, it seems that what John is telling us is the disciples’ answer to this question...

Is not what do they want, but whom.

They’re not wanting anything but to be in His presence.

Oh, what a beautiful truth to behold.

The real, true satisfaction, joy, happiness that we all crave...

Is found exclusively in the friendly presence of the Savior.

They are saying Lord, we don’t want anything but to be in your presence.

Where are you staying is like asking...

Can we hang out?

Can we fellowship with you?

Can we spend time with you?

Will you teach us?

Will you correct our understanding?

Will you fill our hearts with good news?

And Jesus’ reply is warming to the heart...

John 1:39 (ESV)

39 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.

Scholars have differing thoughts on this time of day because of Roman times and Jewish times...

But, the time that seems most accurate is 10am.

They went with Jesus at 10am and stayed with Him all day.

Application

I wonder if we, as Christians, think that a little over an hour a week with the Lord is enough?

I wonder if we think that the time we spend on Sunday at church is more than enough Jesus for me to get by?

I wonder how much of Christ we really want?

How much of His presence?

How much of His penetrating questions?

How much of His correction & loving rebuke?

Or am I satisfied with just enough to make me feel better about myself...

Rather than Jesus making us better?

Change for the better is ours in the new covenant...

But it takes sitting at His feet.

It means resting with Him and in Him.

It means the Spirit of God working in us.

And the Spirit uses God’s Word understood.

Do we really want to inquire and hear Christ’s penetrating word?

Or do we want to stand off and see Him from a comfortable distance?

Do we really want to be transformed into the image of Christ by the power of the Spirit?

Or does change and all that it entails scare us away from spending time with the Lord?

One thing is for sure...

The Disciples Were Changed

They were a little concerned, keeping their distance...

But, after spending a day with Jesus…we’re told...

John 1:40–41 (ESV)

40 One of the two who heard John speak and followed Jesus was Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother. 41 He first found his own brother Simon and said to him, “We have found the Messiah” (which means Christ).

They were changed.

Timid towards the Christ.

Inquisitive towards the Christ.

Now, after bing in His presence they were loud about the Christ.

The first thing Andrew did after spending the day with the Lord was to go tell his brother about Jesus.

Andrew told his brother Simon...

We have found the Messiah.

Andrew was convinced of the Christ.

And, once you’re convinced of it, you want those you know to be convinced of it, too.

It’s not that they had a perfect theology...

Or a perfect understanding of what Jesus would accomplish His mission...

Or a complete understanding of His person...

But, they had enough to believe...

And, to follow Him all of their days.

Application

Isn’t that the same for us?

Aren’t we still growing in our understanding and application of the person and work of Christ?

Aren’t we still in need of correction and rebuke from the gentle hand of our Savior?

Aren’t we still finding joy in His presence?

Aren’t we willing to follow Him to the end?

Well, the next thing we know Simon is brought to Jesus.

To spend time with Him, to become convinced as well.

And Jesus does something spectacular...

Jesus Promises Change

John 1:42 (ESV)

42 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).

This must be understood in the light of the significance attaching to the “name” in biblical times.

A name stood for the whole person.

It summed up the entire personality.

The giving of a new name is an assertion of the authority of the giver.

Jesus stares at Simon...

And tells Simon...who he will become as a consequence of knowing the Lord.

Or to put it differently, Jesus is telling Peter how He is going to change him by the power of God.

The name Simon means hearing.

Cephas or Petros means stone or rock.

Let’s think about the Peter we meet in the gospels:

He’s impulsive & quick tempered.

He rebukes the Lord without understanding.

He falls asleep in the garden.

He attacks Malchus and cuts off his ear.

He tells the Lord he’s ready to die or go to prison.

then immediately...

He denies Jesus three times.

Jesus promises to change Simon from this kind of person...

To a rock of a man, a trustworthy and stable person.

The Apostle who would write with such compassion, concern, patience and love for the Bride of Christ in his epistles.

The Apostle who, upon a death sentence of crucifixion, requested to be hung upside down...

As he did not feel worthy to die in the same manner as His Lord.

Conclusion

You cannot Behold the Lamb of God ...salvifically...

And, not be changed.

The seemingly small faithfulness of John the Baptist...

Helped produce many of the Apostles who were the builders of the Church.

John didn’t know what fruit would bear out in his ministry...

He was just faithful to trust the Lord and keep on preaching the Christ.

The disciples were all changed by the power of God...

And, that change came about through the means of sitting at His feet.

It takes sitting at His feet.

It takes resting with Him and in Him.

It means the Spirit of God working in us.

And the Spirit uses God’s Word understood.

Oh, that the Spirit of God would make us:

To study, to know Him more deeply.

To love Him more affectionately.

To worship Him more frequently.

To want to be like Him.

To think more often of Him.

Let our hearts be filled with the love of Christ...

And desire for those whom we know to know Him, too.

We know the Christ...

And, like the Apostles, we will be forever changed.

Closing Prayer