What Are You Seeking?
The Gospel of John at Roy Walker • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
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Roy Walker Study #2
Roy Walker Study #2
AI Generated Prayer (I got the idea from a pastor named John Piper):
Can you type out a prayer for me-- to begin our Bible study in the Gospel of John at a local community center?
Opening Prayer for Bible Study in the Gospel of John
Heavenly Father,
We come before You today with thankful hearts, grateful for the opportunity to gather in this place and open Your Word together. Thank You for the gift of Scripture and the truth revealed to us in the Gospel of John.
As we study this Gospel, we ask for the guidance of Your Holy Spirit. Open our eyes to see Jesus more clearly, open our hearts to receive His truth deeply, and open our minds to understand what You are teaching us. Help us to not only learn with our heads but to be transformed in our hearts.
May this time draw us closer to You and to one another. Let this community center be a place where light shines, lives are changed, and Your love is known. We commit this study to You, Lord—be glorified in all we say and do.
In Jesus’ name we pray,
Amen.
What do you think— is this AI generated prayer genuine praise? Is this heartfelt prayer?
From the AI bot? Absolutely not. From us? It depends.
And the Lord said:
“Because this people draw near with their mouth
and honor me with their lips,
while their hearts are far from me,
and their fear of me is a commandment taught by men,
Jesus echoed this Himself:
“ ‘This people honors me with their lips,
but their heart is far from me;
in vain do they worship me,
teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.’ ”
AI is better at words than us. It just is. But the whole intention behind our time together— and any Bible reading, worship, and praise— is that we would have hearts near to God Himself. What would it mean for all your heart, soul, and mind to seek Him?
So this is a question we will carry throughout our time: What are you seeking?
Read John 1:35-42
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).
35 — “The next day” — What happened the day before? Why is that significant?
36 — John repeated this. Why is this worth repeating?
Not the Lion. Not the King. Not the Son of Man, nor the Son of God. But the Lamb of God. Who takes away the sin of the world.
37 — “The two disciples heard him say this, and they followed Jesus”
“There is something about Jesus that peaks our interest. Even from a secular standpoint there is a lot of history and time spent trying to understand who this person is. It was no different for John’s followers. When they heard John the Baptist’s testimony concerning Jesus they immediately went to investigate. There is something that draws us to the person of Christ. For these followers of John it was more than just a curiosity. There was a desperation. Is this really the promised Messiah? We don’t want to just hear it from John, we need to see it for ourselves.”
38-39 — The two men start following Jesus around. Yet, Jesus doesn’t ask, “Why are you following Me?”
He asks, “What are you seeking?”
As God Himself, Jesus knows why they follow Him, but He asks anyway. The question is for us as well: What are we seeking?
You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart.
O God, you are my God; earnestly I seek you; my soul thirsts for you; my flesh faints for you, as in a dry and weary land where there is no water.
And those who know your name put their trust in you, for you, O Lord, have not forsaken those who seek you.
I sought the Lord, and he answered me and delivered me from all my fears.
For thus says the Lord to the house of Israel: “Seek me and live;
The young lions suffer want and hunger; but those who seek the Lord lack no good thing.
I was ready to be sought by those who did not ask for me; I was ready to be found by those who did not seek me. I said, “Here I am, here I am,” to a nation that was not called by my name. I spread out my hands all the day to a rebellious people, who walk in a way that is not good, following their own devices;
Seek the Lord, all you humble of the land, who do his just commands; seek righteousness; seek humility; perhaps you may be hidden on the day of the anger of the Lord.
What are you seeking?
38 — They don’t know much about Jesus. They hadn’t been with Him long. But they do know they want to know Him more, and they want to be with Him.
39 — Jesus: “Come and you will see”
Jesus is extending an invitation. God came down and took on flesh. And what did He prioritize? What did He spend His time doing?
Setting up an earthly government? Making money? Building things? No— He came, seeking people. He came, healing and helping others. He came, paving the way for rich relationship.
41 — Andrew finds his brother, Simon. He doesn’t know everything there is to know about Jesus, but he knows that he needs to introduce others to Him.
42 — “He brought him to Jesus”
Are you being brought to Jesus? Are you bringing others to Jesus?
Read John 1:43-51
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.”
43 — “The next day”
43 — “Follow Me” — Seeking people.
45 — Philip is the second person we have seen go and find someone to tell them about Jesus. There is something about intimacy with Jesus that we can’t help but to share it with others.
46 — Nathanael is skeptical
Are there any things that make you skeptical about Christianity?
47-51 — Nathanael’s skepticism is silenced only by meeting Jesus Himself.
“Under the fig tree” #1 — he was sitting alone. How cool!
“Under the fig tree” #2 — this was a euphemism for deep meditation on Scripture
Either way, Jesus does something that only He, being God, could ever do.
We end where we began:
And the Lord said:
“Because this people draw near with their mouth
and honor me with their lips,
while their hearts are far from me,
and their fear of me is a commandment taught by men,
therefore, behold, I will again
do wonderful things with this people,
with wonder upon wonder;
and the wisdom of their wise men shall perish,
and the discernment of their discerning men shall be hidden.”
PRAY IT OUT
