November 17 2024 He Has Found Us

Intro

The original people of this book, the Israelites, were for a long time nomads. They would travel from place to place, carrying with them only what they could—livestock, food, and clothing. Even after settling in the Promised Land, they continued this tradition. Wool became one of Israel’s chief exports, and shepherds were a familiar sight in the fields outside the cities.

Shepherding wasn’t just a job; it was a way of life. These shepherds would often be out in the fields for weeks at a time, moving their flocks from one grazing ground to another. Sometimes, they would meet other shepherds around a campfire, gathering together to rest after a long day.

Now, imagine the chaos at dawn. Hundreds of sheep from different flocks would be mixed together in a tangled mess. At first glance, it would look like total confusion. But here’s where something remarkable happens—something Jesus tells us about sheep.

Sheep, as simple as they are, have a unique ability: they can recognize their shepherd’s voice. Without fully understanding how or why, they know when their shepherd calls them, and they follow. As soon as the shepherd speaks, the flocks are separated, and each sheep knows where it belongs.

Now, think about this: we, like those sheep, can often seem lost and wandering. But when we hear the call of our Shepherd, we are drawn to Him. We may not fully understand why, but in His voice, we recognize life, safety, and everything we need.

If you are a Christian, or if you are moving toward Christ, it’s because you have heard your Shepherd’s call. That call has stirred something deep in your soul. Just like the sheep, when we hear the voice of our Shepherd, we come to Him.

In our text today, John 1:35-52, we will see that Jesus begins His ministry in this very way. He doesn’t just wait for disciples to come to Him—He actively seeks them out. Even when they come to Him, He already knows their names, and He already has a plan for their lives.

Today, after this sermon, we will be baptizing Owen, who came to Jesus just this way. On Sunday he approached me and recognized that God was calling him. We had a meeting on Tuesday and Owen repented of his sins and asked Jesus to be his Lord! That may sound normal, but it’s actually a miracle. According to Ephesians 2, Owen, like all of us, was once spiritually dead, following the desires of his flesh. Yet, something has changed—he has turned away from sin, he’s reading Scripture, and he’s pursuing God. Those actions are not the behavior of someone spiritually dead. No, they are the steps of someone who is born again—a sheep who heard his Shepherd’s voice and responded.

The truth is, we didn’t find Jesus. He has found us.

John 1:35–42 ESV

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. 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?” 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. 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).

Lets pray:

Pray

1. In the Fields

Jesus finds His sheep in the crowds

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!”

This is John proclaiming “There goes the Messiah who takes away the sins of the world.”

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

Why do these men follow Jesus? Because He takes away sin. John doesn’t so they leave.

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?”

“What are you looking” for” “Where are you staying” Their question implies, “We want to follow you, to talk with you, to learn more about you—where are you headed?

Matt Carter and Josh Wredberg, Exalting Jesus in John (Nashville, TN: Holman Reference, 2017), 38.

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.

That is, around 4 o’clock. Imagine this conversation it had a huge impact on the two disciples.

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).

Here we see the links beginning to happen. John told Andrew and Andrew told Simon Peter. Who is responsible for Peter hearing about Jesus? We’ll visit more of that later. This word Messiah means anointed one- literally the one who has oil poured on his head.

That talk must have convinced Andrew- he has no hesitation. Not “I've got a feeling this is the messiah”.

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).

Jesus knows Peter, He knows Nathaniel. Read the Gospels- He knows everyone. He never asks a person who they are for his benefit, since He knows them.

Jesus is the Shepherd, and everyone who truly comes to Him does so because they have heard His voice.

Our whole life is that of a sheep. We never graduate. You never become a shepherd, all of us, myself included are sheep.

All these men hear there is a messiah and they follow Him.

John Piper says “‘we don’t follow Jesus like a david’s soldiers follow david. We’re going to protect him, if he wants something we’ll do it for him’”

That’s not the way you follow.

You follow Jesus like sheep follow a shepherd.

I’m hungry, feed me Lord. I’m needy, I’m desperate, I’m a sinner. Wolves abound- save me!”

If that’s too little for you, you’re not ready yet. You’re too big.

Psalm 23 “A Psalm of David. The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.

He makes me lie down in green pastures.

He leads me beside still waters. He restores my soul.

He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.

Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.

You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; you anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.

Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever.”

2. Alone by the Fig Tree

John 1:43–51 ESV

The next day Jesus decided to go to Galilee. 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.” 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.”

Jesus finds us alone.

how does John 1:48 prove anything?

Your Fig Tree

If you look up “under the fig tree” to try to understand this text I promise you, you’ll get nowhere. Bible teachers love a good reference that helps us to say “aha! see- the fig tree means this...” but there is nothing like that. In fact, among commentators there isn’t even a slight agreement on what a fig tree symbolizes. Actually in our story the fig tree doesn’t represent anything at all. Jesus refers to a an actual recent event that Phillip went through.

What Jesus says sounds a lot like Jacob, who saw angels ascending and descending from heaven.

Genesis 28:16–19 (ESV)

Then Jacob awoke from his sleep and said, “Surely the Lord is in this place, and I did not know it.” 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.”

So early in the morning Jacob took the stone that he had put under his head and set it up for a pillar and poured oil on the top of it. He called the name of that place Bethel, but the name of the city was Luz at the first.

Just picture this, Jacob goes back home and gets his friends and says “you have to see this”. They walk in the arid desert saying, what could be so great? Then they arrive and Jacob shows them… a rock. “This is where I met God.” Yet to them, it’s just a rock.

When Jesus sees Phillip, He reminded him of the time Phillip had spent time with God under a fig tree. A totally unremarkable tree that likely only Phillip remembered...

This is something you can only understand if you actually pray on your own. When we are on our own, we find Him and He sees us. Have you ever prayed earnestly before in a place?

I can remember a few places that I have prayed and those places have become strong in my mind: In my friend’s room at 17 praying out loud for the first time. In my car outside of work. In the cemetery near my home. In my sons room as I rocked him to sleep.

Nathaniel had a fig tree experience, have you? If you met Jesus would you recognize Him by the times you’ve already spent with Him?

Psalm 139:1–4 ESV

O Lord, you have searched me and known me! You know when I sit down and when I rise up; you discern my thoughts from afar. You search out my path and my lying down and are acquainted with all my ways. Even before a word is on my tongue, behold, O Lord, you know it altogether.

These are things you only understand by spending time with God.

I spoke with Owen this week and one of his closing questions as we finished talking were how do I know what His plan is for my life?

What an awesome question. Have you considered such a thing? Are your prayers a meeting where you keep God in the loop and tell Him what you’ll do?

I told him to yes read the Bible and pray, but I also said you’ll just have to walk with Him. He’s not a topic or a helpful resource He is a person you can know.