What Are You Seeking?

Joseph Penner

John • Sermon • Submitted 10 months ago • Presented 10 months ago

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Pastoral Prayer

Psalm 4 ESV

1 Answer me when I call, O God of my righteousness! You have given me relief when I was in distress. Be gracious to me and hear my prayer! 2 O men, how long shall my honor be turned into shame? How long will you love vain words and seek after lies? Selah 3 But know that the Lord has set apart the godly for himself; the Lord hears when I call to him. 4 Be angry, and do not sin; ponder in your own hearts on your beds, and be silent. Selah 5 Offer right sacrifices, and put your trust in the Lord. 6 There are many who say, “Who will show us some good? Lift up the light of your face upon us, O Lord!” 7 You have put more joy in my heart than they have when their grain and wine abound. 8 In peace I will both lie down and sleep; for you alone, O Lord, make me dwell in safety.

Introduction

What are you seeking in your life?

What would you say you are pursuing that you think will make you happy/fulfilled?

Money?

Success?

Possessions?

If you’ve been in church before,

you’ve probably heard it said that those things won’t satisfy you,

which is why you should pursue God.

But what are you seeking in your relationship with God?

Are you pursuing Him because of who He is; OR

because of what He can do for you?

Opening Illustration - Israel demands a king

The Israelites had been saved by God from slavery in Egypt…

God brought them safely to the Promised land…

and established them as a nation…

His own people!

This whole time God had safely

led them

watched over them

cared for them

provided for them

loved them…

But Israel didn’t want God… they wanted a king.

They were seeking to be like the nations around them.

When the prophet Samuel heard this he was not happy so he prayed to God.

1 Samuel 8:7 ESV

7 And the Lord said to Samuel, “Obey the voice of the people in all that they say to you, for they have not rejected you, but they have rejected me from being king over them.

Even though Samuel warned them of how a king would rule over them, and have authority over them,

they still wanted a human king, instead of God.

Israel was seeking a king because they were looking at the nations around them who were doing it,

and it looked good from the outside,

and they thought it would be better than God leading them.

Instead, it turned out to be a disaster!

Israel’s history is littered with sinful, wicked kings,

who oppressed them and led them further away from God,

resulting in God’s judgement and discipline.

Summary

The Israelites were seeking something they thought would be good for them,

but turned out to be bad for them.

This is why we need to be so careful not to lean not on our own understanding,

but depend on God, and His wisdom.

So I ask you again…

Title

What Are You Seeking?

Is what you’re seeking in line with what God wants for you?

Or is it simply what looks and feels good from your perspective?

Billboard

This morning we are going to see that we should:

Seek to Follow Jesus

Seek to Point Others to Jesus; and

Seek Transformation Through Jesus

Prayer for Illumination

Lord, it is our desire to praise you,

not just with our lips,

but with a heart that is right before you.

Teach us your righteous rules…

Help us love and obey your statutes…

Keep our way pure, as we guard it according to Your word.

Give us the desire by the power of your Spirit to seek you with our whole heart,

and help us not to wander from your commandments.

May we store up your word in our hearts,

that we might not sin against you,

but bring glory to you by walking faithfully in your ways.

This we ask in Jesus’ name… amen!

Scripture

Announce

Open your Bibles with me to…

John 1:35-51.

Introduce

A few weeks ago we began a series through the Gospel According to John.

We learned from John that Jesus is the Son of God.

He is eternal; has always existed,

He was there when all things were created,

and he came to the earth He created and became a man.

John the Baptist also confirmed through his own testimony that Jesus is the Son of God.

He claimed that he had seen the Spirit descend on Jesus,

which was a sign that He was God’s chosen Messiah.

Transition

This morning we are going to see Jesus’s early followers

confirm that Jesus is the Messiah,

faithfully give their lives to follow Him,

and are transformed through Him.

Read

John 1:35–51 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!” 37 The two disciples heard him say this, and they followed Jesus. 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?” 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. 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). 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). 43 The next day Jesus decided to go to Galilee. He found Philip and 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 in the Law and also the prophets wrote, Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.” 46 Nathanael said to him, “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?” Philip said to him, “Come and see.” 47 Jesus saw Nathanael coming toward him and said of him, “Behold, an Israelite indeed, in whom there is no deceit!” 48 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.” 49 Nathanael answered him, “Rabbi, you are the Son of God! You are the King of Israel!” 50 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.” 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.”

Transition

The first example we see from the men in this passage,

is that we should…

1. Seek to Follow Jesus

Three times in this passage we find people who are seeking the truth.

They are seeking the fulfilment of God’s Word.

John the Baptist is seeking the Christ…

Andrew is seeking the Messiah…

Philip is seeking the fulfilment of the OT…

They find all these truths in Jesus,

so they all choose to follow Him!

EXPLAIN

The reason they seek to follow Jesus is because they came to realize…

a. The truth is found in Jesus

These men were Jews and had the OT Scriptures.

They knew that God had promised a Messiah,

and they were looking for Him.

This includes…

John the Baptist

John 1:35–36 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!”

John is repeating himself from the day before where he adds,

“who takes away the sin of the world.”

John understands that Jesus is the truth,

where we can find forgiveness from our sins.

Andrew

Who is one of the disciples who follows Jesus tells his brother…

John 1:41 ESV

41 “We have found the Messiah” (which means Christ).

“Messiah” and “Christ” both mean: “Anointed One”.

Andrew is highlighting the fact that Jesus is the “Coming One”…

He understood that the truth of the Messiah is found in Jesus.

Philip

Another early follower of Jesus said…

John 1:45 ESV

45 “We have found him of whom Moses in the Law and also the prophets wrote, Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.”

The Israelites had been given God’s Word,

and Philip is highlighting the fact that it’s all has been looking forward to this moment…

to Jesus!

Summary

All of these men had been seeking the truth,

and after meeting Jesus, they realized the truth was found in Him,

so they followed Him!

Transition

What they found in following Jesus is…

b. The truth will set you free

These men realized that Jesus was the truth the Scriptures were pointing to,

and He had come to set them free.

This is what Isaiah had prophesied,

and what Jesus quoted during His ministry…

Isaiah 61:1 ESV

1 The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me, because the Lord has anointed me to bring good news to the poor; he has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to those who are bound;

Jesus declared that this promise was fulfilled in Him.

Jesus brought the message of good news:

the truth that:

He was the Son of God…

that He came to make a way to the Father…

by forgiving their sin,

setting them free from the penalty of sin.

Summary

John the Baptist, Andrew, and Philip,

were all seeking God’s prophesied Messiah.

When they came to realize it was Jesus,

that He was the truth; and

that He was the One who was going to set them free…

they made a personal decision to believe and follow Him.

APPLY

What are you seeking in life?

You can answer this question by asking yourself:

Where do I spend the majority of my time?

Maybe you spend a lot of time at work, or building your business,

in order to be successful/make a lot of money,

thinking it will make you happy.

Maybe you spend a lot of time pursuing entertainment,

scrolling your phone, watching shows/sports,

chasing momentary happiness,

thinking it will bring you lasting joy.

The truth is that nothing in this world will satisfy!

The only thing that is good and true, is Jesus!

Jesus is the truth…

the Son of God who existed in the beginning,

who came down to His own people,

to set us free from chasing the things of this world that DON’T SATISFY!

Seek to Follow Jesus!

He is the truth,

and He will set you free!

Let’s not settle for simply saying that we believe in Jesus,

but let’s follow Him just like John the Baptist, Andrew, and Philip,

who were willing to surrender everything to follow Him.

(Following Jesus Seems Girly)

I want to speak to the men specifically for a minute…

I know it can be tempting for us to see following Jesus as… sissy/girly.

Sitting around reading, praying, memorizing Scripture, talking about feelings…

This doesn’t sound manly!

ILLUSTRATE - David’s Call to Be a Man

But look at what King David said before he died to his son Solomon.

1 Kings 2:1–3 ESV

1 When David’s time to die drew near, he commanded Solomon his son, saying, 2 “I am about to go the way of all the earth. Be strong, and show yourself a man, 3 and keep the charge of the Lord your God,

1 Kings 2:1–3 ESV

walking in his ways and keeping his statutes, his commandments, his rules, and his testimonies, as it is written in the Law of Moses, that you may prosper in all that you do and wherever you turn,

Did you get that? He said:

“Be a man… walk in God’s Word!”

And remember that David was a man of war… a manly man…

What David understood was that…

It takes true conviction to:

believe in God’s Word,

which will lead to being mocked by others.

It takes true courage to:

follow God’s Word,

knowing you will look different from others.

It takes true understanding:

to obey the truth of God’s Word,

when it feels like the things of this world will be more satisfying.

You’re never more tough and manly,

than when you’re following Jesus.

Jesus is the only truth worth living or dying for!

When you come to Him and follow His ways,

He will set you free from your sin,

and the emptiness of chasing the things of this world.

Transition

The next thing we see is that we should…

2. Seek to Point Others to Jesus

This was the whole “point” of last week’s sermon.

We should follow John’s example of living our lives on mission to point to Christ.

This is the example we see from the men in this passage.

They were seeking to follow Jesus.

and recognized who He was,

Therefore they were willing to follow Him in light of that truth.

But what is their initial response to the Good News that the Messiah was here?

To go and tell others!

They have come to know Jesus is the Christ,

and now they are following Him,

and they are so excited,

they are seeking to point others to Jesus.

EXPLAIN

Through their example we are encouraged to:

a. Deflect others to Jesus

John the Baptist had a successful ministry,

and many people were following him,

including disciples that he was training.

But John is not interested in gaining a following for himself,

he deflects others to Jesus, the Son of God.

John 1:35–37 ESV

John could have been self-conscious about not having any followers:

Who would he be if nobody followed him anymore?

What would he do if nobody followed him anymore?

But that didn’t matter to John.

He knew his role was to point others to Jesus.

Even though people were following John,

he deflects them to Jesus, the Lamb of God.

Transition

The next example we see is that we should:

b. Bring others to Jesus

Andrew is one of the disciples who was following John,

who then began following Jesus.

After spending some time with him,

Andrew realized He was the “Anointed One”,

so he runs to tell his brother Simon…

John 1:41–42 ESV

41 He first found his own brother Simon and said to him, “We have found the Messiah” (which means Christ). 42 He brought him to Jesus.

Both Andrew and Simon had been seeking the Messiah,

and now that Andrew has found Him,

he doesn’t leave his brother Simon to fend for himself,

but goes to tell him, and

brings him to Jesus so that he can see and believe for himself.

Transition

The next example we see is that we should:

c. Invite others to follow Jesus

After being called by Jesus to follow Him,

Philip goes to find his friend Nathanael.

Philip is seeking to point Nathanael to Jesus.

Nathanael is a little skeptical,

but Philip invites him to come and see…

John 1:45–46 ESV

45 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.” 46 Nathanael said to him, “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?” Philip said to him, “Come and see.”

Philip is confident they have found the One the OT was pointing to,

but Nathanael is skeptical.

Nathanael was from Galilee,

and Galileans despised people from Nazareth,

which may be the reason for his question,

“Can anything good come out of Nazareth?”

Philip doesn’t seek to answer all his questions,

but simply invites him to “come and see” for himself.

Summary

Whether it’s

John the Baptist who deflects his disciples to Jesus…

Andrew who brings his brother Simon to Jesus… OR

Philip who invites Nathanael to Jesus…

we see the example of those who understand who Jesus is,

and are seeking to point others to Him.

APPLY

Is that your desire as well?

Do you seek to point others to Jesus,

or are you more interested in attracting a following for yourself?

I tell people all the time that when I prepare sermons and preach,

it always feels like I’m preaching more to myself than others.

I have to ask myself this question as well:

Is my motivation for preaching and being a pastor a desire to point people to Jesus,

or a desire to gain a following for me?

You should NEVER follow a pastor who is not pointing people to Jesus,

but pointing people to himself.

But I want us to understand…

THIS IS A TEMPTATION FOR ALL OF US!

If you have God’s Spirit in you,

He gives you a desire to point to Christ.

But in the selfishness and weakness of our flesh,

we try to gain followers to ourselves.

It’s often hard to know our own motives,

but one way we can see it more clearly is:

When we are pointing people to Jesus…

we use God’s Word as a guide,

calling out to Him for wisdom.

When we are pointing people to ourselves…

we use our own opinion as a guide,

trusting our own wisdom.

ILLUSTRATE - Solomon Asking for Wisdom

I mentioned earlier King David charging his son Solomon to be a man

as David was about to die and passing on the throne.

After Solomon became king,

the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said,

“Ask what I shall give you.”

God is giving Solomon a chance to ask for whatever he wants,

and we learn a lot about his humble heart by his response…

1 Kings 3:6–9 ESV

6 And Solomon said, “You have shown great and steadfast love to your servant David my father, because he walked before you in faithfulness, in righteousness, and in uprightness of heart toward you. And you have kept for him this great and steadfast love and have given him a son to sit on his throne this day.

1 Kings 3:6–9 ESV

7 And now, O Lord my God, you have made your servant king in place of David my father, although I am but a little child. I do not know how to go out or come in. 8 And your servant is in the midst of your people whom you have chosen, a great people, too many to be numbered or counted for multitude.

1 Kings 3:6–9 ESV

9 Give your servant therefore an understanding mind to govern your people, that I may discern between good and evil, for who is able to govern this your great people?”

Summary

Solomon humbly admits he is only a king because of God’s promise to David, his father...

Solomon humbly calls himself a servant of God…

Solomon humbly admits he doesn’t know much,

and needs wisdom to govern God’s people.

Solomon wants to govern God’s people well, according to God’s Word,

so that he can point them to God!

APPLY CONT.

We all need to acknowledge, like Solomon,

that we are God’s children because of His grace and mercy through Jesus…

that we are servants, and don’t deserve anything…

that we have limited knowledge,

and need to rely on God,

as we point people to Jesus the truth!

Deflect (Discipleship)

Maybe you’re involved in discipling/leading other Christians…

Don’t try and make disciples of yourself!

Like John the Baptist… Deflect them to Jesus!

Teach them to follow His ways/commands,

and seek His glory.

Bring (Interested)

Maybe you know people who are open to talking about spiritual things.

You can even see a difference in their life recently,

they’re asking more questions/seeking the truth…

Like Andrew, bring them to Jesus so that they will believe in Him!

One practical way you can do this is by,

encouraging them to read the Gospel According to John with you,

so they can understand that Jesus is the truth, and follow Him!

Invite (Evangelism)

Maybe you know people around you who don’t know Jesus.

They’re seeking joy/happiness in all the wrong things.

Invite them to Jesus!

Like Philip, invite them to come and see for themselves.

Did you know:

47% of those who haven’t attended a religious service in the past six months,

say they would discuss religious beliefs freely with someone.

Around 4 in 5 (79%) say they don’t mind a friend who really values their faith talking about it with them.

Point them to Jesus…

and invite them to “come and see”.

Invite them to church/event.

Invite them to read the Bible.

For anyone who may be interested,

I want to let you know about the…

Evangelism Ministry at Good News Church

Great ministry that shares the gospel at Seacliffe Park every Thursday evening.

Anyone who is interested is welcome to attend.

You don’t have to say anything at first! Come, watch and learn.

If interested, reach out to us at: info@goodnewschurch.ca

Summary

If we truly understand that Jesus is the Son of God,

who came to set us free from our sin,

like the men in this passage,

we should have a desire to point others to Jesus!

Transition

The next thing we see is that we should…

3. Seek Transformation through Jesus

We have been encouraged by the examples of John/Andrew/Philip to:

Seek to Follow and Point Others to Jesus…

because He is the Son of God,

who came to the world as a fulfilment of God’s promises.

When we follow Jesus and commit our lives to Him,

He will transform us.

As we look more closely at those in this passage who follow Jesus,

we’re going to see how Jesus responds and transforms them.

EXPLAIN

First we see…

a. Jesus Transforms as Teacher

After hearing John the Baptist say

“Behold the Lamb of God”,

John’s disciples followed Jesus.

And then…

John 1:38–39 ESV

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?” 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.