What Are You Seeking?

John 1:35-51

What does it mean that John is the one calling out in the wilderness to make way for the Lord?

What does it have t do with us today?

Keep these two questions in your mind you see and hear the text this morning

Many have said that the Gospel account here in John cannot be reconciled with the accounts of the other 3 Gospel accounts of Matthew, Mark, and Luke. Not only do I disagree with them, I believe that this passage points straight to the awesome work of God in the life of every believer.

Here is the One that they have been waiting for

John again says “Behold the Lamb of God”

Just like we talked about last week

The Lamb of judgment who will cast away all sin either in cross or in hell

The Lamb who was slain for the sins of His people

Jesus is who John denied being

(v. 41) the Messiah

The Promised One

(v. 45) The One of whom the Law and the Prophets wrote about

Fulfillment of Deuteronomy 18:15- “The Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among you, from your brothers—it is to him you shall listen—

Jesus bore witness about Himself

(v. 42/47/48) He shows His supernatural knowledge

He is making it clear that He is truly the Son of God

(v. 51) an allusion to Genesis 28

Genesis 28:12-13a- And he dreamed, and behold, there was a ladder set up on the earth, and the top of it reached to heaven. And behold, the angels of God were ascending and descending on it! And behold, the Lord stood above it and said, “I am the Lord, the God of Abraham your father and the God of Isaac.

He is saying that man’s way of relationship with God is through Him

He is the only way

John 14:6- Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.

This is what it means to “prepare the way”

John has been preparing the way through his witness

He has been pointing beyond himself to another

This is what he came to do

John 1:23- Bible

These men have had the hills and valleys of their hearts prepared for Jesus

They turned and believed

They showed that they were seeking Him

When they turned He asked them what they were seeking

They made it clear that they were seeking Him

Pointer to the question: How is God’s Sovereign Will accomplished in people’s lives?

This is passage is hand-in-hand with Matthew and Mark’s account

Jesus is choosing His disciples

Matthew 4:18-22- While walking by the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon (who is called Peter) and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea, for they were fishermen. And he said to them, “Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.” Immediately they left their nets and followed him. And going on from there he saw two other brothers, James the son of Zebedee and John his brother, in the boat with Zebedee their father, mending their nets, and he called them. Immediately they left the boat and their father and followed him.

Mark 1:16-20- Passing alongside the Sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and Andrew the brother of Simon casting a net into the sea, for they were fishermen. And Jesus said to them, “Follow me, and I will make you become fishers of men.” And immediately they left their nets and followed him. And going on a little farther, he saw James the son of Zebedee and John his brother, who were in their boat mending the nets. And immediately he called them, and they left their father Zebedee in the boat owith the hired servants and followed him.

Luke 5:1-11- leave it to your own reading

In this passage, besides Philip, there is no call of Jesus, which points to this being an interaction leading up to the other accounts of when He called His disciples

John was preparing, and now Jesus is preparing these men to be His disciples because He has chosen them

God uses means to accomplish what He wills

He does not treat us as robots or exercise His will in a vacuum of circumstances

He uses people, events, words, pain, joy, and many other things to accomplish all that He wills to happen

Examples:

Paul with a thorn in the flesh to keep him humble

2 Corinthians 12:7-9a- So to keep me from becoming conceited because of the surpassing greatness of the revelations, a thorn was given me in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to harass me, to keep me from becoming conceited. Three times I pleaded with the Lord about this, that it should leave me. But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.”

God’s work in redemption through the Jews and Gentiles

Romans 11:7-12, 25-26- Bible

What are you seeking?

This is the question that you must ask yourself.

Specifically, why Jesus?

Are you seeking for Him to make your hardship go away?

Are you seeking Him because your parents taught you that it was the right thing to do?

Are you seeking Him because you want Him to help you get some things that you have been wanting?

Are you seeking Him because you simply don’t want to go to hell?

The only right response to this question is: “I am seeking Him because He is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world, He is the Son of God, He is the Christ.”

How should you respond?

For you who can say that they answer this last way,

Your response ought to be humble praise, rejoicing, and thanksgiving at the gracious work of God in your life to give you such a heart

Trust that what you are going through right now is the means of God in your life to accomplish His wise purposes in your life

But maybe you honestly search yourself and see that what you are ultimately seeking is not Christ Himself. What hope is there for you?

Know that you being here this morning is not an accident

Know that God is at work through everything that is happening in your life

Know that God is able to mighty and able to remove your hard heart of unbelief and give you a heart of belief that will seek after Christ

Repent of your sin and for seeking after other things and believe in Christ Jesus as the Lamb of God who was pierced and crushed for your sin and who reigns forever as Lord