The Importance of One
Who's Your One? • Sermon • Submitted
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Intro
The Importance of One - Endorsements
When it comes to endorsements, Michael Jordan is synonymous with Nike.
Matthew McConaughey - Lincoln
Brook Shields - Calvin Klein
Kylie Jenner - Beauty Products
Peyton Manning - Nationwide Insurance
Unlike the million-dollar athlete endorsing an inexpensive car he’ll never drive, the endorsement of the people around us means something.
If you know anything about me, I’m kind of a foodie. You can tell I really like to eat.
We respond to endorsements of regular people like you and me when we hear them talk about something that is important to them or that has changed their lives.
Here in we see four men who give an endorsement of Jesus Christ.
They’re not celebrities
They’re not spokesmen
They are simple, ordinary men whose lives have been transformed by Jesus
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 the Baptizer believed everything he said. He goal and purpose in life was to prepare men and women for the coming Christ.
So when Jesus steps on the scene, John willingly passes his disciples on to Jesus. John wasn’t trying to build his kingdom or make himself look important.
John the Baptist gives his endorsement of Jesus by giving up everything he had worked toward.
30 He must increase, but I must decrease.”
31 He who comes from above is above all. He who is of the earth belongs to the earth and speaks in an earthly way. He who comes from heaven is above all.
Point 1: Our first point this morning is that we must:
Commit to Being an Intentional Witness
John the Baptist spent his life living on purpose knowing that his job was to prepare the way for the Messiah.
In a similar way, as Christians, we must be very intentional about how we live our lives.
Go and Tell
Let’s review the great commission or the instructions Jesus gave to us just before he ascended into heaven.
19 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,
20 teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”
matt 28:
This is what we call the Great Commission.
The only direct command is “make disciples”. As Christ followers that is our aim. That is our goal. Make Disciples.
Couple with the direct command of “make disciples” we are told how we do this by the following indirect commands.
Go
Baptize
Teach
Going, baptizing and teaching are the means by which we fulfill the command to “make disciples”.
Point 2: Go and Tell
Go and Tell
Andrew Endorses Jesus to His Brother
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).
The text says Andrew “found” the Messiah. The word that is translated as found more literary means “someone who was diligently searching for something and then joyously discovers it.
What I find interesting about this is that both Andrew and Peter are seeking to be taught. They want to learn more about Jesus and learn more from him.
Question: We not only need to ask the question about who we are discipling but also are WE seeking to be discipled?
Let’s review the great commission or the instructions Jesus gave to us just before he ascended into heaven.
19 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,
20 teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”
This is what we call the Great Commission.
The only direct command is “make disciples”. As Christ followers that is our aim. That is our goal. Make Disciples.
Couple with the direct command of “make disciples” we are told how we do this by the following indirect commands.
Go
Baptize
Teach
Going, baptizing and teaching are the means by which we fulfill the command to “make disciples”.
Each disciple or Christ follower (church member) should invite unchurched (unsaved) people to breakfast, lunch or dinner this year. While you’re with them, share your testimony and have a gospel conversation.
Invite one family in your neighborhood to your home. Choose one of your family members to tell his/her story of coming to Christ.
Invite one unchurched (unsaved) person to attend church with you like Andrew invited Peter to come meet Jesus.
Philip Endorses Jesus
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.”
john 1:
john 1:43
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.”
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.”
JOhn 1:43-
This is the endorsement of endorsements. Philip identifies Jesus as the one who is the fulfillment of the Old Testament promises. The one who was testified about through the Law and Prophets.
Nathanael Endorses Jesus as the Son of God
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.”
This doesn’t start out as any kind of endorsement.
Can anything good come out of Nazareth?
When hearing that I’m STL, many of you may have asked, “Can anything come from STL?”
Nathanael was a true student of the scriptures and
Just like the sports rivalry between Chicago and St. Louis, there was a bit of a rivalry between Nazareth and Cana where Nathanael was from.
The only thing Nathanael knew about Jesus up to this point was that he grew up in Nazareth. Being a student of the scriptures, he recognized that there was no reference to Nazareth in the Old Testament. The prophets identified that the Messiah would be from Bethlehem.
Jesus then reveals something to Nathanael that nobody could possibly know. At that moment nathanael knew Jesus could see into his soul.
As soon as Nathanael understood Jesus was Messiah, he testifies that Jesus is the Son of God.
This section ends with Jesus preparing Nathanael for what was to come. It’s important to know that when Jesus says this, he’s speaking to more than just Nathanael.
In our translations it says “You will see...” but in the original language it is actually plural. We might “y’all” or “you all will see...”
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.”
This statement takes Nathanael back almost two thousand years to the time of Jacob.
If you think back to when Jacob falls asleep and has a dream known as Jacob’s Ladder.
In this dream Jacob sees a ladder that extends from heaven to earth. Angels are using this ladder to move between the two. Above the ladder stood the Lord God.
Jesus is the ladder to God.
He IS the way
He IS the truth
He IS the life
He is the only way into God’s presence and he promises Nathanaelhe will
45 “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant in search of fine pearls,
46 who, on finding one pearl of great value, went and sold all that he had and bought it.
Jesus asks, what are you looking for?
Acceptance?
Position?
Influence?
Excitement?
Escape?
Love?
Security?
Experience?
Approval?
After asking the question, Jesus offers an invitation.
v. 39 - “Come and See”
v. 50 - Jesus makes a promise to his disciples “You will see...”
Jesus invites us to come and see what we really need.
We all seek something. Jesus invites us to come and to discover in him all we’ll ever need.
Only Jesus can fill the emptiness inside us.
90% of the people that will ever come to faith in Christ will be people that are invited to “come and see”.
Your friends… your relatives… your work coworkers… your neighbors...
They will come, simply because someone said, “Come and see”.
There are statistics that say 20% of believers will invite another believer to church. Only 20% of professing Christians will invite another professing Christian to church. That’s 1 in 5 people.
2% of professing Christians would invite a nonbeliver or unsaved person.
Nathanael was one.