What are you looking for?
Notes
Transcript
Let’s start today with prayer and then look straight at our text for today.
The next day, John was standing with two of his disciples. When he saw Jesus passing by, he said, “Look, the Lamb of God!”
The two disciples heard him say this and followed Jesus. When Jesus turned and noticed them following him, he asked them, “What are you looking for?”
They said to him, “Rabbi” (which means “Teacher”), “where are you staying?”
“Come and you’ll see,” he replied. So they went and saw where he was staying, and they stayed with him that day. It was about four in the afternoon.
Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, was one of the two who heard John and followed him. He first found his own brother Simon and told him, “We have found the Messiah” (which is translated “the Christ”), and he brought Simon to Jesus.
When Jesus saw him, he said, “You are Simon, son of John. You will be called Cephas” (which is translated “Peter”).
The next day Jesus decided to leave for Galilee. He found Philip and told him, “Follow me.”
Now Philip was from Bethsaida, the hometown of Andrew and Peter. Philip found Nathanael and told him, “We have found the one Moses wrote about in the law (and so did the prophets): Jesus the son of Joseph, from Nazareth.”
“Can anything good come out of Nazareth?” Nathanael asked him.
“Come and see,” Philip answered.
Then Jesus saw Nathanael coming toward him and said about him, “Here truly is an Israelite in whom there is no deceit.”
“How do you know me?” Nathanael asked.
“Before Philip called you, when you were under the fig tree, I saw you,” Jesus answered.
“Rabbi,” Nathanael replied, “You are the Son of God; you are the King of Israel!”
Jesus responded to him, “Do you believe because I told you I saw you under the fig tree? You will see greater things than this.” Then he said, “Truly I tell you, you will see heaven opened and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man.”
So I want to ask the question...what are you looking for?
You will always find what you are looking for. Think about the difference between two birds: a vulture and a hummingbird. Vultures soar high in the sky, looking and searching. What does a vulture find? Dead things. The ugly oversized bird doesn’t stop until he finds lifeless, rotting road kill. Contrast the vulture to the tiny hummingbird. With wings flapping twenty beats a second, what does this small bird find? Not dead things and disgusting rancid meat, but instead, sweet, life-giving nectar.
Daily, each bird finds what he is looking for. The same is true for you. You can be on a road-kill diet or you can find nectar in each day. It’s up to you, because you will find what you search for. If you want to find things to be negative about or to worry about, it is not hard to do. If you plan to be critical, you don’t have to look far to find fault.
If you choose to be negative, you’ll easily accomplish your goal. But if you want to see the good in life, you can find it everywhere. If you choose to watch for places God is working, you’ll see his loving presence each place you look. If you decide to look for hope, faith, and a better future, you will discover these positive things and more countless times a day.
In our verse today, and throughout our lives, Christ asks...
What are you look for?
This world has a habit of telling us what we should be looking for, but as Christians we live in an upside down view that is opposite of what this world is telling us.
The points I will show you, they are really not bad. In fact, you may have heard great sermons on the good characteristics of them. What we are discussing is what are you really looking for?
What are you looking for?
World-Accolades
Jesus-Humility
As humans in this world, we desire accolades.
Accolades means expressions of praise or awards. It is a mark of achievement or acknowledgement. Which in itself is not bad, until it becomes a source of pride.
I am the best. There is no one better than I.
But Christ say just the opposite and John the Baptist gives us the example.
Let’s look back at the example in our text
The next day, John was standing with two of his disciples. When he saw Jesus passing by, he said, “Look, the Lamb of God!”
The two disciples heard him say this and followed Jesus. When Jesus turned and noticed them following him, he asked them, “What are you looking for?”
They said to him, “Rabbi” (which means “Teacher”), “where are you staying?”
“Come and you’ll see,” he replied. So they went and saw where he was staying, and they stayed with him that day. It was about four in the afternoon.
John the baptist understood his role. It wasn’t about his kingdom, it was about the kingdom of God.
John could have easily said, Hey yall are my disciples. Yes, He is the Lamb of God, but you two are mine. I have taught you, I gave you everything. Love, knowledge, baptism, exotic foods like locust dipped in honey, and now you want to leave me!
The reason there are so many churches without pastors is because churches have stopped being breeding grounds for disciples. They have become country clubs for the Sunday elect.
These two disciples wanted to see and stay with the true Rabbi, the true teacher of the Word. They knew there was something to learn from this man. They wanted to be his disciples
Churches in the past use to teach disciples to send them out. They would teach and be an example of the sending church.
Churches got to a point that the people in the pew stopped being disciples and have become dollar signs.
Now do not get me wrong, every church needs the full support of the congregation (spiritually, physically and financially), but what they give, they should get back with the full word of God in their lives.
I know I get into that rut thinking that these are my people, my sheep, my disciples...how dare they leave me?
That is when the Holy Spirit slaps me back into reality and says “David you couyon! They are mine! I called you to shepherd them and teach them, so they can become my disciples...not yours. It is my kingdom, not David’s.”
But Lord I want the accolades. Look the size of my church. Look what we doing on facebook. Look what I created.
That is where we see today the fall of so many churches, because either the pastor, the elders, the deacons, even the strong willed congregates start to think...this is my church, and they do not humbly step back and say Look the Lamb of God! Follow Him.
Accolades...Humility
What are you looking for?
Accolades/Humility
World-Assurance
Jesus- Trust
We do not take a step today unless we are assured that it is right. We see what is right with our eyes and our hearts, but we do not always walk in trust. We need to make sure before we move. This world have cultivated a generation of distrust. Everyone is afraid to be catfished.
Now Philip was from Bethsaida, the hometown of Andrew and Peter. Philip found Nathanael and told him, “We have found the one Moses wrote about in the law (and so did the prophets): Jesus the son of Joseph, from Nazareth.”
“Can anything good come out of Nazareth?” Nathanael asked him.
“Come and see,” Philip answered.
Come and see!!
David, a 2-year old with leukemia, was taken by him mother, Deborah, to Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston, to see Dr. John Truman who specializes in treating children with cancer and various blood diseases. Dr. Truman's prognosis was devastating: "He has a 50-50 chance." The countless clinic visits, the blood tests, the intravenous drugs, the fear and pain--the mother's ordeal can be almost as bad as the child's because she must stand by, unable to bear the pain herself. David never cried in the waiting room, and although his friends in the clinic had to hurt him and stick needles in him, he hustled in ahead of him mother with a smile, sure of the welcome he always got.
When he was three, David had to have a spinal tap--a painful procedure at any age. It was explained to him that, because he was sick, Dr. Truman had to do something to make him better. "If it hurts, remember it's because he loves you," Deborah said. The procedure was horrendous. It took three nurses to hold David still, while he yelled and sobbed and struggled. When it was almost over, the tiny boy, soaked in sweat and tears, looked up at the doctor and gasped, "Thank you, Dr. Tooman, for my hurting."
This little boy had no assurance that what they were doing would help, but he had trust.
This world tells you that you can not be sure that this mystical book is real. Matter of fact, they get angry when it goes against what they feel is sure. They trust only their eyes, so they can never be sure of anything.
I say I have that blessed assurance because I trust what I can not see. Why? Because what I can not see has shown me more than anything that is physically in front of me.
accolades....humility
assurance...trust
Come and see!!
What are you looking for?
Accolades/Humility
2. Assurance/Trust
World-Affirmation
Jesus-Faith
My love language is words of affirmation. I desire to know that I made the right moves. That I made the right decisions. That I did it all well.
I have to watch that I am not doing any of it to pat myself on the back, but to give glory and honor to the one who really did it. Jesus Christ.
I must lean on my faith more than the affirmation I get here on earth.
Then Jesus saw Nathanael coming toward him and said about him, “Here truly is an Israelite in whom there is no deceit.”
“How do you know me?” Nathanael asked.
“Before Philip called you, when you were under the fig tree, I saw you,” Jesus answered.
“Rabbi,” Nathanael replied, “You are the Son of God; you are the King of Israel!”
Nathanael is just like us. We hear about the Lord, we look for Him, and when we get to that point, we need affirmation that we made the right decision.
There is a fine line between affirmation and faith.
If you notice throughout all of this message is the difference between our pride and our faith in God.
Between feelings and faith.
When we lean more on our feelings than our faith, we miss out on the greater things Christ has for us.
Jesus responded to him, “Do you believe because I told you I saw you under the fig tree? You will see greater things than this.” Then he said, “Truly I tell you, you will see heaven opened and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man.”
accolades...humility
assurance...trust
affirmation...faith
What are you looking for?
Are we looking for Jesus or our version of Jesus? Do we seek the awards? Do we seek for only what we see in front of us?
Do we seek the affirming words given by man?
Or do we look for the greater things Christ has in store for us? The Things He wants to show us?
What are you looking for?
If it is the things of the Lord, it starts and ends with humbly looking for Him in faith and trust.
Come and see!
