Answering the Call
The Gospel of John • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
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· 4 viewsJesus continues to call His disciples. Upon facing the stigma of His time, He, through His omnipotence, calls another disciple and uses the Old Testament to prove He is the Messiah.
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Introduction
As John continues to cover this week long journey within the ministry of Jesus, we are now on day four, The next day He decided to go to Galilee (v. 1a). By the end of this day He will call two more disciples to follow Him, Philip and Nathaniel. He will have five of His twelve chosen. Now, while these five men may not be the apostles they will end up to be while serving the Lord, they were faithful to answer the call. Even if at the beginning they had some doubt about who it was they were being called by. May this be a reminder to us, that we are called by the King of Isreal, the King of the Jews, the Messiah, the Chosen One of God. We are called right where we are, but Jesus will not leave us where we are. If we follow Jesus faithfully, we cannot help but grow and mature in Him. As the apostle Paul wrote to the church at Philippi, For I am confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work among you will complete it by the day of Christ Jesus (Php 1:6 NASB).
How the Lord reaches those He calls happens in various ways, but the Call itself is always the same, Come…Follow Me. He called John and Andrew by the proclamation of John the Baptist, Behold the Lamb of God (Jn 1:36 NASB). Andrew in turn would go to his family and tell his brother about Jesus, We have found the Messiah (Jn 1:41 NASB). Within our text we find that once again people are being led to Jesus and answering His call on and for their life.
Focus Passage: John 1:43-51
43 The next day He decided to go to Galilee, and He found Philip. And Jesus said to him, “Follow Me.” 44 Now Philip was from Bethsaida, the city of Andrew and Peter. 45 Philip found Nathanael and said to him, “We have found Him of whom Moses wrote in the Law, and the prophets also wrote: Jesus the son of Joseph, from Nazareth!” 46 Nathanael said to him, “Can anything good be from Nazareth?” Philip said to him, “Come and see.” 47 Jesus saw Nathanael coming to Him, and said of him, “Here is truly an Israelite, in whom there is no deceit!” 48 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.” 49 Nathanael answered Him, “Rabbi, You are the Son of God; You are the King of Israel!” 50 Jesus answered and said to him, “Because I said to you that I saw you under the fig tree, do you believe? You will see greater things than these.” 51 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.”
Outline
What are some ways that we may hear the faithful call of our Lord - ‘…Follow Me...’
We have already been introduced to a couple of ways as discussed within our introduction.
How can God use us to lead people to him throughout our day?
Within our text, we find that Jesus is now in day four of five of this first week of his ministry beginning. He has called three other disciples, John, Andrew, Simon (who will become Peter). He is now moving into Galilee and finds another man, Philip, who from the same city as Andrew and his brother Simon, Bethsaida, and once again extends the call, Follow Me (v. 43). Once again, we see another variation of how moves through the work of the Spirit.
How does one hear the faithful call of our Lord?
A preacher telling them about Jesus - ‘…Behold the Lamb of God...’
A family member telling them about Jesus - ‘…We have found the Messiah...’
A stranger knocking on someone’s door and telling them about Jesus
Jesus personally calling them to Himself - ‘…He found Philip. And Jesus said to him, Follow Me...’
What kind of spiritual work was done on Philip’s head to prepare him for that call is unknown. What is known is that when the Lord called, he followed. May this be a testament to us. God does not need us. He chooses to use us. The Lord prepare hearts to receive Him through the work of the Holy Spirit.
7 But I tell you the truth: it is to your advantage that I am leaving; for if I do not leave, the Helper will not come to you; but if I go, I will send Him to you. 8 And He, when He comes, will convict the world regarding sin, and righteousness, and judgment: 9 regarding sin, because they do not believe in Me; 10 and regarding righteousness, because I am going to the Father and you no longer are going to see Me;
How many doubt the Lord just to see He’s faithful
Did you doubt the Lord, before coming to faith in the Lord?
When Philip answered the call of Christ, he proved his faith by going and sharing Jesus with his friend, Philip found Nathanael and said to him, We have found Him of who Moses wrote in the Law, and the prophets also wrote: Jesus the son of Joseph, from Nazareth (v. 45).
Not everyone we share the gospel with is going to believe at first. John and Andrew believed as soon as they heard. Simon believed as soon as he heard. Philip believed as soon as he heard, but Nathanael was different. He doubted. He had some question. His response to Philip was like many today, Can anything good be from Nazareth (v. 46a). There’s nothing in the text that shows Nathanael being smart. He was being honest. Nazareth did not have a good reputation. It was a small, impoverished town and did not show much promise of anything. Along with that stigma, the Savior was supposed to come from Bethlehem. Jesus was born in Bethlehem, the slums of Israel, but was raised in Nazareth, a not much better place. So, Nathanael naturally responded in doubt.
How often do we quit sharing when one doubts the gospel message?
Often we just shut down or do not share at all because of rejection or the fear of rejection. We are not to quite sharing Jesus just because someone has doubt. How does Philip respond to Nathanael’s doubt or what seems to be rejection? Does he cower down in defeat? Does he stop sharing? Or does he do something different? The answer is found within the same verse. After Nathanael responds with, Can anything good be from Nazareth, Philip responds with, Come and see (v. 46b).
When people doubt, follow the example of Jesus...
Jesus said, “Come and see” (Jn 1:39)
Jesus said, “Come and drink” (Jn 7:37)
Jesus said, “Come and dine” (Jn 21:12)
Jesus was and is always giving the lost man and woman, boy and girl an invite to have an encounter with Him that will changer their life forever.
The Bible Exposition Commentary Chapter One: God Is Here! (John 1)
“Come” is the great invitation of God’s grace
Who says you have to be at church for God to reach you
Do not misunderstand my question. I’m not stating that going to church is not important. In fact, I believe that church is very important. If Jesus died to purchase and cleanse the church, then she’s pretty important. As Tony Evans states, “I do not have to go home to prove I’m married, but let me stay away for a while and let me see how long that marriage lasts.” However, we’re not addressing growth and maturity in our walk with the Lord, we are addressing where the Lord revealed Himself to you. We are speaking on the topic of salvation, the answer to the call of Christ.
Where were you when the Lord revealed Himself to you?
We find in the Scripture that Nathanael was setting under a tree reading from Genesis 28, and the story of Jacob’s ladder, presumably by Jesus’ response to Nathanael’s doubt about who He was. As we read through the text, Jesus shows that He omniscient and omnipresent, both characteristics saved for God Himself. He shows His omniscience when He see Nathanael coming and states, Here is truly an Israelite in whom there is no deceit (v. 47b). He shows His omnipresence when He tells Nathanael where He was when Philip said, Come, Before Philip called you, when you were under the fig tree, I saw you (v. 48b). Through this text we see a few truths that do not need to be missed.
A few truths to take to heart about Nathanael’s encounter with Jesus
Jesus knows your heart - ‘…Here is truly an Israelite in whom there is no deceit...’
As stated already, it is assumed from the text that Nathanael was reading from Genesis 28 when Philip called him to come and meet Jesus. This chapter deals with the deception of Jacob stealing Esau’s blessing from their father Isaac and traveling back to his home people to find a wife. Along this journey he stops to sleep for the night. While sleeping, he has a dream and a ladder is shown that reaches to heaven. Along this ladder the angels are ascending and descending. God appears to him and tells him that the land he was on would before his descendants a number as the dust of the earth. Jesus was comparing Nathanael’s spiritual condition with Jacob’s. He was telling Nathanael, the man you were reading about was a lier but you are not.
Jesus knows where you are - ‘…Before Philip called you, when you were under the fig tree, I saw you...’
We find recorded after Jacob’s dream the following:
16 Then Jacob awoke from his sleep and said, “The Lord is certainly in this place, and I did not know it!” 17 And he was afraid and said, “How awesome is this place! This is none other than the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven!”
Don’t miss this final truth.
Jesus wants you to know who He is
All throughout the Scriptures, one is told who Jesus is. Moses spoke of who Jesus was. Philip stated, We have found Him of whom Moses wrote in the Law (v. 45a). This no doubt is a reference to Moses’ farewell speech to the Israelites of the coming Messiah.
15 “The Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among you, from your countrymen; to him you shall listen.
The prophets spoke of who Jesus was, and the prophets also wrote. As the author of Hebrews writes:
1 God, after He spoke long ago to the fathers in the prophets in many portions and in many ways, 2 in these last days has spoken to us in His Son, whom He appointed heir of all things, through whom He also made the world.
Jesus declares the ladder that Jacob perceived as the door way to the house of God was none other than He Himself.
51 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.”
Jesus truly is not a way to heaven but the way to heaven.
6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father except through Me.
Conclusion
I conclude with two closing paragraphs from differing commentaries on this text, both of which make good on the text before us.
The Bible Exposition Commentary Chapter One: God Is Here! (John 1)
At the close of that fourth day, Jesus had six believing men who were His disciples. They did not immediately “forsake all and follow Him”; that was to come later. But they had trusted Him and experienced His power. In the three years that lay ahead, they would grow in their faith, learn more about Jesus, and one day take His place on the earth so that the Word might be carried to all mankind.
The Bible Exposition Commentary Chapter One: God Is Here! (John 1)
The witness of this entire chapter is clear: Jesus of Nazareth is God come in the flesh!
God is here!
John F. Followers of the Lamb (1:35–51)
John 1 describes five men who met the Lord and the Lamb. All different. All believers. All models. What great lessons they teach us. We learn that witnessing is everybody’s responsibility. We also learn that witnessing begins at home, either in one’s own family or hometown, not necessarily by going to another country. A third lesson is that witnessing promotes the Lord, not ourselves or some personal agenda. And finally, these early disciples show us that witnessing is both verbal and specific.