Christ Calls His First Disciples
Notes
Transcript
Intro:
Intro:
AG:
TS: This morning we see Jesus begin to call His disciples. This is different than other teachers of the day.
Disciples normally chose to become students of a particular rabbi, rather than a teacher calling his own disciples.
Craig Keener
But Jesus, the Master Teacher called them.
After being introduced as John 1:29
The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, “Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!
Jesus begins to gather a following.
RS: Jesus is still calling disciples
Andrew and John the Apostle
Andrew and John the Apostle
Again, the next day, John stood with two of his disciples.
And looking at Jesus as He walked, he said, “Behold the Lamb of God!”
The two disciples heard him speak, and they followed Jesus.
Then Jesus turned, and seeing them following, said to them, “What do you seek?” They said to Him, “Rabbi” (which is to say, when translated, Teacher), “where are You staying?”
He said to them, “Come and see.” They came and saw where He was staying, and remained with Him that day (now it was about the tenth hour).
One of the two who heard John speak, and followed Him, was Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother.
Andrew and John were the 1st 2
They heard the message:
Jesus was Lamb to take away sin
They followed Him
Jesus asked what they wanted
They called him Rabbi
This acknowledged Him as their Teacher
They wanted to join Him
He invited them to joining Him
V 39 10th hour (using Roman time, this was the 10th hour since midnight so 10:00 AM
This detail indicates to many scholars that John was the 2nd disciple.
He was so changed by his encounter with Jesus that he remembers the very hour.
We see a pattern to be followed:
(Experiencing God)-
1. God is always at work around you.
God created the universe and has been active within it since the very first moment and will continue to work until the very end!
Jesus was at work. John the Baptizer had introduced Him to the crowd and his disciples. Then he pointed them to Jesus
Andrew and John saw that.
2. God pursues a continuing love relationship with you that is real and personal.
Jesus came to be in relationship with us
He desired them to be disciples and sought to change their lives.
He still does the same
Any adjustments God’s Word demand and the Holy Spirit convicts us to do is only for our own good.
He loves us!
3. God invites you to become involved with Him in His work.
Seeing His work IS His invitation
Andrew and John recognized this and joined Him
We must do the same.
Peter
Peter
One of the two who heard John speak, and followed Him, was Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother.
He first found his own brother Simon, and said to him, “We have found the Messiah” (which is translated, the Christ).
And he brought him to Jesus. Now when Jesus looked at him, He said, “You are Simon the son of Jonah. You shall be called Cephas” (which is translated, A Stone).
Andrew had met the Master
Filled with excitement, he went first to his brother, Simon Peter.
“We have found the Messiah!”
Andrew already believed!
He knew this was the Anointed One and came in fulfillment of God’s promises from the OT.
Peter follows Andrew to Jesus
Jesus renames him Cephas (a stone)
Before, he was Simon
Now he was Cephas in Aramaic, Peter in Greek/English
Jesus not only sees us and sees inside of us, He transforms us
Far more than the name change, is the character change that occurs in Peter
Jesus knew what Peter would become as he walked with the Lord
Pattern to follow:
Go tell others
Being a disciple of Jesus means we multiply
Our hearts should burn with a desire to tell others about Jesus
We introduce Him.... HE CONVERTS them!
Be transformed
Follow God’s leadership as He removes what needs to be removed and adds what needs to be added.
Like a master artist, God is changing us
A sculptor will pound clay, squeeze it, slice it, slap on new material.
Ultimately he makes a beautiful work of art.
God does the same to us!
Philip and Nathanael
Philip and Nathanael
The following day Jesus wanted to go to Galilee, and He found Philip and said to him, “Follow Me.”
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.”
And 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 is no deceit!”
Nathanael said to Him, “How do You know me?” Jesus answered and said to him, “Before Philip called you, when you were under the fig tree, I saw you.”
Nathanael answered and said to Him, “Rabbi, You are the Son of God! You are the King of Israel!”
Jesus answered and said to 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, “Most assuredly, I say to you, hereafter you shall see heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of Man.”
Jesus calls Philip and Philip does exactly what Andrew did, go and tell someone.
The good news had to be shared!
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.”
This verse is a summary of the whole gospel of John
Jesus is the fulfillment of OT Scripture
This theme consistently runs throughout the gospel of John and the entire NT
Paul uses it repeatedly in 1 Cor 15
For I delivered to you first of all that which I also received: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures,
The NEW is tied to the OLD
The entire Bible is consistent!
Nathanael was skeptical due to prejudices against Nazareth
Can anything good come out of Nazareth
Galileans were despised by Judeans and the Galileans despised people from Nazareth
A little backwater village with what was thought to be no historic and prophetic significance. Yet they overlooked:
And he came and dwelt in a city called Nazareth, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophets, “He shall be called a Nazarene.”
Jesus so changed things, that later one of the names used of Christians was the “sect of the Nazarenes”
v. 48 Jesus knew Nathanael already!
Nathanael said to Him, “How do You know me?” Jesus answered and said to him, “Before Philip called you, when you were under the fig tree, I saw you.”
He is God, of course He did!
a man of no deceit
He was blunt and told the truth as he saw it
He came to Jesus and was willing to see for himself
He had an honest and seeking heart
Nathanael is shocked,
“How do you know me?”
The obvious answer: I’m GOD!
Jesus revealed His deity by displaying characteristics only God has
Jesus knows all things (including where Nathanael was)
Nathanael recognizes that!
Nathanael answered and said to Him, “Rabbi, You are the Son of God! You are the King of Israel!”
Clear confession of divinity!
Nathanael believes here was One who could not described in merely human terms!
Jesus answered and said to 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, “Most assuredly, I say to you, hereafter you shall see heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of Man.”
Jesus revealed Nathanael was going to experience far greater signs than just Jesus’ knowledge of his whereabouts!
Perhaps this refers back to
Then he dreamed, and behold, a ladder was set up on the earth, and its top reached to heaven; and there the angels of God were ascending and descending on it.
Jesus most used self designation, Son of Man, replaces the ladder!
Jesus is the bridge between God and Man, Heaven and Earth!
Jesus used the phrase over 80 times.
Pattern to be followed:
Believe in Jesus!
that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.
For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.
For the Scripture says, “Whoever believes on Him will not be put to shame.”
For “whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.”
Let us follow the pattern seen here:
Believe
Follow
Conclusion:
Conclusion:
The calling of the first disciples shows that one must not only repent and believe the gospel (1:15) but must also be ready to leave and follow.
David E. Garland