Disciple or Spectator?

Roadmap

What’s happened?

We learned that Jesus is God, that all things were made through Him. We know that to as many as received Him, He gave the right to become children of God. He became flesh and dwelt among us, and now most recently John the baptist is crying out in the wilderness about Jesus, preparing the way for Him- crying out that Jesus is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!

What’s going to happen?

We’re going to see Jesus now entering the scene, and John pointing his disciples to Jesus to follow Him, and were going to see Jesus performing His first recorded miracle of Jesus in the gospels- turning water into wine. Today were going to be talking about having consistency, our behavior as Christ followers, and faith in the work of Jesus.

A Consistent Messenger

John 1:35–37 “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.”

-Just before this, John the Baptist in 29-34 he sees Jesus and says “Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!” And in verse 35 again he says “Behold the Lamb of God”

This is a super important part of doctrine that i think we need to take a second to understand: (So Student: who knows the significance of Jesus being the Lamb of God)?

(Explain significance of Jesus being the Lamb)

Isaiah 53:7 “He was oppressed and He was afflicted, Yet He opened not His mouth; He was led as a lamb to the slaughter, And as a sheep before its shearers is silent, So He opened not His mouth.”

In Exodus 12:11–13 , God tells the israelites while they’re in egypt during the plagues, to cover their doorposts with the blood of a lamb, and the plague that was sent to kill the firstborns of the egyptians would pass over the people and not harm them.

1 Peter 1:18-21 (NIV) 18For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your ancestors, 19 but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect. 20 He was chosen before the creation of the world, but was revealed in these last times for your sake. 21 Through him you believe in God, who raised him from the dead and glorified him, and so your faith and hope are in God.

So what else do we see about John here as we read that he’s repeating “Behold the Lamb of God”?

- John’s message about Jesus Christ was true, and consistent (x2). PAUSE.

Is your message consistent? (x2). Ask yourself this question: What is the consistent message my friends are getting from me? (x2)

-Maybe you’re saying, greg I don’t evangelize that’s not my thing, or greg I don’t have any unbelievers around me so this doesn’t mean anything for me, it doesn’t really matter.

Ephesians 4:29-31(NIV)

29 Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen. 30 And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. 31 Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. 32 Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.

1. Your example, what you say, how you carry yourself, and the friends you have is a witness to this world. How do we know John the baptist was a good witness of Jesus Christ? His words, his attitude, his humility, and his willingess to be used for God’s will.

2. So what about your words, your attitude, your humillity? Your willingess to find out and then yield to God’s will for your life? We need to be really aware of the moment we start making excuses about our example.

First point: Are You a Consistent Messenger?

Story of people coming up to me in coffee shop

-saw i was working on teaching

-came up to me to encourage me

-asked favorite part of the bible, and immediately i started sharing the gospels are my favorite because it’s the account of Jesus Christ, His perfect sacrifice for my sins, and that it is by faith through grace that i am saved

-started laying this heavy witness of the gospel on them (in my head wondering why i was so impressed to share the gospel)

-come to find out at the end they were JW’s, and if you don’t know JW’s, theyre a cult and are not believers at all. They tried handing me a JW pamphlet, to which i responded i am a follow of Jesus Christ/attend CCM, and that He’s the way the truth and the life

Raes brother and mormonism night before

Don’t underestimate the Holy Spirit, He knows what you need to say to people even if you don’t.

Following, Dwelling, Sent

Read John 1:38–42 “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. 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).”

-Jesus asking them what they are seeking stood out to me, doesn’t He know? Why didn’t He just say start teaching them? We see throughout the gospels Jesus asking people questions He already knows the answers to. It’s not about Jesus knowing, it’s about the people He’s speaking with knowing.

Matthew 16:15-17“Who do you say I am?” Simon Peter answered, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.” Jesus replied, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by flesh and blood, but by my Father in heaven.

1. -Every true disciple of Jesus has a hunger and desire to spend time in the presence of God. We cry out “Abba, Father” in our need to be with Him. Are you spending that time with Him in His word? in prayer? in worship?

2. -When Jesus is inviting you to spend time with Him, do you actually respond and go? They did! Are you? You feel the Holy Spirit calling you to get away, get alone with God- what’s your decision? I’m preaching to myself. We can always do better, but remember that you are under the new covenant of grace by faith- not of works, it is the gift of God lest any man boast.

3. Once you spend time in the presence of God, reading His word and speaking with Him in prayer, it is literally impossible to stay silent. Andrew after spending time with Jesus, he HAD to tell his brother Peter.

Second Point: Analyze your life with this point: Follow Jesus, Dwell in the presence of Jesus, Sent by Jesus

Maybe some of you are stuck at step 1. You say you follow, but maybe it’s only sundays or wednesdays. or maybe you’re not dwelling in His presence/not looking to see what He says in His word- and you’re frustrated because you’re not being sent! That was me for 20 years. Follow Him (Meaning put your faith in Him as your Savior), dwell with Him (Study His word for yourself, talk with Him, share your life with Him), and then you will have the direction from God for your life, and hear me when i say this- God does have a plan for your life. He wants to use you for His Kingdom in ways that would blow your mind if you knew, don’t assume He has nothing in mind for you. But first follow and dwell with Him and be patient, He will reveal it to you in His timing.

John 2:1–5 “On the third day there was a wedding in Cana of Galilee, and the mother of Jesus was there. Now both Jesus and His disciples were invited to the wedding. And when they ran out of wine, the mother of Jesus said to Him, “They have no wine.” Jesus said to her, “Woman, what does your concern have to do with Me? My hour has not yet come.” His mother said to the servants, “Whatever He says to you, do it.””

Have to address this- The term woman in those days, was not disrespectful. It sounds like it today because culture changes, but really the term Jesus uses is actually a respectful address. It would be like going to Arkansas and referring to older lady as ma’am, or older dude as sir. But Jesus here is acutely aware of the timing His Heavenly Father is requiring for Jesus’ miracles to begin- this is why He says My hour has not yet come. He meant that it wasn’t yet time for Him to perform miracles in a public way, for the outside public that were not following Him to understand that it came from Jesus. As we read on we see Jesus intervened, but only in a way that was not as public as future miracles would be.

Jesus knew the will of His Father, and the timing of specific events in Jesus’ ministry. Are you acquainted with God’s will for your life? Pause. Jesus was, and by the power of His Holy Spirit through the word of God- you can know His will for your life too.

in that culture, hospitality was a sacred duty they owed to other people. It would have been considered humiliating to the bride and groom for the wine to run out, even though more than likely nobody there was wealthy. It would be like us buying 2 boxes of pizza for 80 kids- not a good look. Are you intentional with being hospitable to those around you? bringing a celsius to youth, your last piece of gum to a friend, having people over for dinner?

1 Peter 4:8–9 “And above all things have fervent love for one another, for “love will cover a multitude of sins.” Be hospitable to one another without grumbling.”

i love mary’s response to the servants. She knows Jesus well enough at this point to know that Jesus is going to intervene. Maybe it was the look on His face, maybe it was His tone- either way she knew. I felt this was important to point out, Jesus cares about the day to day details in our lives. Pause. Do you believe that? Mary clearly did. We have to get away from this idea that God only cares about the aspects of our lives that we deem important. You are His child, EVERY part of your life is important to Him.

John 2:6–11 “Now there were set there six waterpots of stone, according to the manner of purification of the Jews, containing twenty or thirty gallons apiece. Jesus said to them, “Fill the waterpots with water.” And they filled them up to the brim. And He said to them, “Draw some out now, and take it to the master of the feast.” And they took it. When the master of the feast had tasted the water that was made wine, and did not know where it came from (but the servants who had drawn the water knew), the master of the feast called the bridegroom. And he said to him, “Every man at the beginning sets out the good wine, and when the guests have well drunk, then the inferior. You have kept the good wine until now!” This beginning of signs Jesus did in Cana of Galilee, and manifested His glory; and His disciples believed in Him.”

-”According to the manner of purification of the jews” These huge waterpots of stone were used for all kinds of ceremonial washing. Hand washing before AND after meals, washing cups and vessels. Also feet washing because of the dirty roads. Wine was seen as something to have in moderation, in celebratory circumstances. Wine in this context is scene as a part of a celebration of marriage- two people coming together and celebrating the joy of the occasion.

They had SO much water at this wedding! Each waterpot would have held 120-180 gallons of water- which is a minimum of 720 gallons of water, which was probably primarily used for ceremonial washing.

I think sometimes as believers we can get sidetracked by trying to purify ourselves and our lives and do all of the right things and say all of the right things, that we can let that negatively affect the joy that we have in the Lord. “Gotta get to church, gotta get to youth, check the box, make sure my life is scrubbed clean before i get before the Lord.” We become so ritualistic in what we do, Then suddenly at some point, we realize- the joy is gone. We were so worried about trying to wash and purify ourselves, that our joy is gone. Church is good, youth is good, but if you’re checking boxes to feel good about yourself-

and Here me when i say this- If you are focusing on trying to purify yourself, you are wasting your time. Pause. (X2)

John 13:8“Peter said to Him, “You shall never wash my feet!” Jesus answered him, “If I do not wash you, you have no part with Me.”

Some of you have lost your love that you had. You’re focusing on purifying yourself and not on the joy of the Lord. You have forgotten that it’s the Lord Himself who purifies you and washes your feet, not yourself. At that time, people’s feet were the dirtiest part about them. Some of you feel the Lord tugging on your heart to let Him have that part of you- the deep dark evil stuff that you don’t want anyone- let alone the Lord to handle. Pause.

And Jesus is speaking to you, right now “If I do not wash you, you have no part with Me.”

Jesus did an incredible miracle here! His disciples believed in Him! But there were those that day that saw this miracle, that walked away and did not believe. What about the servants that scripture says drew the water and knew? We don’t know, scripture only says His disciples believed in Him. You see what God is doing in this room, in this church, the miracles of people being healed and following Jesus! We can be so distracted by so many things in our lives, that we miss the fact that God is working right in front of us, and we just pass on by.

Third Point: Don’t miss the work of God that’s right in front of you!

Closing

We talked about being a consistent example for Jesus, Following Jesus, Dwelling with Jesus, and being sent by Jesus, and we talked about not missing what God is doing in front of us.

What do you seek? What do you want? If you seek Jesus- What is your example? Is your example like John the baptist- pointing to Jesus Christ as the way the truth and the life- the Lamb of God, telling others to follow Him? Or is it more like what we saw Paul was saying in the beginning- you’re bitter, hateful and raging- brawling and slandering others with every form of malice?

I think the Holy Spirit during this teaching, and in this moment, He is bringing to mind to some of you guys the stuff that’s been dwelling in your heart and minds, the mean things you’ve said, the envy in your heart, the hatred for that person, the accumulation of gunk on your feet and in your heart- and He’s calling you to repent of that and lay it before Him, and let Him cleanse you.

Psalm 86:5–7 “For You, Lord, are good, and ready to forgive, And abundant in mercy to all those who call upon You. Give ear, O Lord, to my prayer; And attend to the voice of my supplications. In the day of my trouble I will call upon You, For You will answer me.”

Remember that as you struggle with whether or not to cry out to Him for help with your struggle. He is good and ready to forgive and abundant in mercy to ALL those who call upon Him.

Altar Call- You want to know why I am so passionate about Jesus? Because He saved my life. Pause. He’s cleansed me and continues to cleanse me. Has He saved your life? Pause.

Maybe for some of you this is the first time you’re being told that someone is pursuing you, Someone that has all of the answers to the questions burning in your heart about why you’re here, or what the point of all of this is. Some of you need to see that Jesus has been pursuing you a long time. PAUSE.

oO maybe you grew up in a Christian home but never really found out who Jesus is to you personally- not just to your parents- And you’ve drifted away without realize it, until now. You feel Him calling out to you to come back to Him. Whether you love Him and made a mistake and need to repent, or you’ve been gone for a long time. Whether you raise your hand or not, He is calling out to you.

Revelation 3:20 “Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me.” My encouragement to those of you going through unimaginable things right now, and Jesus is not a part of your life, OPEN THE DOOR to Him. So if everyone can close the eyes, those of you that want to come to Jesus for the first time, or recommit to Jesus because you’ve been the prodigal son or daughter- raise your hand so i can pray for you.

Prayer