Main Point: Jesus is the one who calls. Main Application: Follow Jesus out of sin and into a relationship with Him.

Transcription

1 Week 3, John 1:35 51 Hook Main Point: Jesus is the one who calls. Main Application: Follow Jesus out of sin and into a relationship with Him. Current Event: 2014 is a big year for the inhabitants of the small Italian island of Elba. The community celebrates the 200 th anniversary of the arrival of Napoleon Bonaparte. The Emperor of France abdicated his throne under great distress in 1814 and was exiled to rule an island of 110,000 people. 1 For perspective, the population of Plano, Texas, in 2012 was 272, The fall for the once powerful emperor of France was hard but something remarkable happened. After only 10 months in exile, Napoleon sneaked back into France. With a small number of men in his command, Napoleon encountered a regiment of French soldiers. The five-foot-six-inch man stood before the force and declared Soldiers, if there is one among you who wants to kill his General, his Emperor, here I am. 3 Instead of firing, the men burst into a celebration of Napoleon and joined his ranks. In less than one month, Napoleon raised an army of 340,000 men. 4 Two hundred thousand of the troops were not regular army; the bulk of the force was volunteers, average men who saw something in 1 Richard Moore, Elba

2 Napoleon worth following. The volunteers would risk everything for a man, for a movement. Discussion Questions: What would motivate so many men to follow a leader who had failed once before? What do people desire in a leader? What do people desire in a movement? What kind of commitment level did it take for the volunteer soldiers to follow Napoleon? What kind of commitment level does it take for someone to follow Jesus in America today? Personal Story: Share your testimony with your class. Highlight the things that you left to follow Jesus, include aspects of your former life that the world would view as desirable. For instance, you may have been called to leave behind a pursuit of money, a lavish lifestyle, relationships, etc. Describe how the introduction of Jesus illuminated the fact that these other pursuits were worthless compared to a pursuit of Him.

3 John 1:35 51 Book Main Point: Jesus is the one who calls. Main Application: Follow Jesus out of sin and into a relationship with Him. John 1:35 42 (Read) Sub Application: Understand the value of Jesus. John the Baptist points out Jesus, and two of John s disciples leave to follow Him. Andrew finds his brother Simon and brings him to Jesus. Simon is renamed Peter. This section of chapter 1 begins with the third day of Jesus ministry. These verses tell the account of Jesus first disciples. The men, upon hearing the proclamation and witness of who Jesus was, left what they knew and followed Him. John heralds Jesus as the Lamb of God, just as he did a few verses earlier, but this time it s different. We see in verse 37 that this time people respond. The men who follow Jesus aren t just any two men. These men were followers of John the Baptist. If that s the case, why did they leave? Was John the Baptist offended by this? Did John think that they had abandoned him? Some friends they must have been, right? Not at all. John the Baptist wasn t betrayed or abandoned in the slightest by the two disciples leaving him. Taking into account what we have learned up to this point about John the Baptist and what he believed to be true about himself, he knew that Jesus was greater. He understood that proclaiming Jesus as the Messiah and bringing people to Jesus was his mission. He knew that to be his purpose. Moreover, John s disciples understood that he was constantly directing their attention to one who was more important and more worthy and ultimately supreme. Here, D. A. Carson notes, To recommend disciples to a greater teacher was rare, and required great humility and denoted confidence in the other teacher s superiority. We know that following Jesus, for these first disciples, wasn t just walking behind Him and traveling where He led. These men were doing more than that. They were becoming true followers and learning what it meant to be a true disciple of Christ. One of the results of this was professing the truth about Him and telling others to leave all else behind and follow Him. This is what Andrew does in verse 40 with his brother Peter. Believing in Him and following Him mean telling others about Him. Each time throughout John s gospel that Andrew is mentioned [6:8; 12:22], he is described as bringing someone to Jesus or referring them to Him. What a great descriptor of someone.

4 Finally, when Peter is brought to Jesus, his name is changed. This new name is less about Peter and more about Jesus. Jesus knows Peter. He knows Peter s purpose and call and this name will reflect the call Jesus gives. We see this to be true in the Old Testament with Abraham. When Jesus gives Peter a new name, this is representative of his authority and his power. How do you share Jesus with lost family members? Is it easier or more difficult to evangelize your family? John the Baptist helped his disciples understand the significance of Jesus, making it easy for them to leave his side and follow the Savior. How does someone, through words and actions, communicate the value of Jesus? An individual s name is often viewed as the most personal and base possession one owns. What is conveyed in a name? In Scripture, what is a name change meant to accomplish? Note that Jesus renamed Simon. How has Jesus renamed or repurposed you? What are some things that Peter would go on to accomplish for Jesus? What are some things that Andrew would go on to accomplish for Jesus? Was Andrew s ministry less significant than Peter s? Why or why not? Another Perspective: The Bible Knowledge Commentary V 38 The first words the disciples heard from Jesus were, What do you want? In one sense Jesus was asking a simple question and the disciples responded with a request for information as to where He lived. But the author seemed to imply more. Perhaps Jesus was also asking, What are you seeking in life? The word translated staying (menō) is a favorite word of John s. This Greek word occurs here in his writings for the first time. Of the 112 New Testament passages in which it occurs, 66 are in his writings 40 in the Gospel of John, 23 in 1 John, and 3 in 2 John (William F. Arndt and F. Wilbur Gingrich, A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1957, pp ). Sometimes, as here, it means to stay or dwell in a place; a few times it means to last or continue ; but more often it has a theological connotation: to remain, continue, abide (e.g., John 15:4 7). 5 Discussion: 5 Edwin A. Blum, "John" in The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures, ed. J. F. Walvoord and R. B. Zuck (Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1985), Jn 1:38.

5 Discuss with your class Jesus interaction with the disciples in their first meeting. What were you seeking when you came to Jesus? Compare this conversation with the discussion that Jesus had with the rich young ruler in Matthew 19: Describe the differences in what the rich young ruler was seeking and what the disciples were seeking in verses 37 through 42. How does a body of believers begin to strip away pretense? John 1:43 51 (Read) Sub Application: Leave the ordinary to follow the extraordinary; encourage others to do the same. Jesus calls Philip. Philip brings Nathanael to Jesus. Jesus shares with Nathanael where he has come from and what he will see. Verse 43 shows Philip s call to be a follower of Jesus. Right after Philip s call, he finds Nathanael in verse 45 and tells him that they have found the one prophesied about and foretold from the Old Testament. Again, we see men follow Jesus and then run to tell others about Him who later become disciples themselves. This process repeats and this is what we should do with our lives. Concerning verse 45, the fact that Jesus is the fulfillment of the Old Testament is a theme that runs throughout John s gospel. For these early disciples, Carson points out that they could not have identified Jesus as the promised coming one without believing also that the Old Testament Scriptures point to Him. As Philip brings Nathanael to Jesus, Jesus calls out to him that he is an Israelite with no deceit. Nathanael doesn t understand how Jesus can know that about him. They ve never met before. How can he know such things? Jesus goes on to say that before Philip called Nathanael, Jesus saw him under the fig tree. Jesus knows all this because He is the Son of God. He is all-knowing and supremely divine. This knowledge that He displays concerning Nathanael shows this. For Jews, this kind of knowledge was seen as divine revelation and the sign of a true and great prophet. Here in the case of Nathanael, Jesus shows this sign to enforce that He is in fact the Messiah. It wasn t that Jesus was simply a prophet. He was the one, true prophet, high priest and eternal king. Showing these few disciples His supernatural knowledge was a small sign for Jesus. He explains in verse 50 that they will see greater things than they have just seen. This last verse of chapter 1 points to Jesus death and glorious Resurrection. This act will be the most powerful fulfillment of this promise that they will see Him do greater things. Nathanael was sitting under a fig tree at the beginning of the day and by the day s close, he was following the one who would transform his life. The man was confronted by the divinity of Jesus and chose to leave his world behind to follow Christ into an incredible tomorrow.

6 Like Nathanael, what other people throughout Scripture did Jesus show the breadth of His knowledge to? How did they respond? What is Jesus reason for displaying His divinity to His disciples? What are ways in which you can follow Philip s example and bring people to Jesus? Why would Jesus have to be careful with the ways in which He showed His disciples signs and wonders? What could be a negative result of these acts for the hearts and minds of the disciples?

7 Week 3, John 1:35 51 Took Main Point: Jesus is the one who calls. Main Application: Follow Jesus out of sin and into a relationship with Him. Historical Event: Charles Colson was a self-described hatchet man for Richard Nixon. Claiming that he would walk over my own grandmother to get Nixon reelected, Colson was a ruthless strategist for the former president. In addition to compiling an enemies list of potential threats to the White House, Colson would be tied to the Watergate scandal and convicted for obstruction of justice. During this time in his life, Colson underwent a dramatic transformation. The hatchet man became a follower of Jesus and his entire life changed. Instead of fighting the obstruction of justice charges, Colson pled guilty claiming the decision was a price I had to pay to complete the shedding of my old life and to be free to live the new. 6 After his seven-month incarceration, Colson gained fervor for prison ministry and founded a ministry to reach inmates. At the time of his death in 2012, Colson s organization had a presence in more than 1,000 correctional institutions. 7 Lesson Conclusion: Jesus calls sinners to follow Him. One must understand the value of Jesus, the emptiness of sin, and repent; an extraordinary life is waiting for those who will surrender to Christ. A component of following Jesus is telling others about Him. Challenge: Jesus knew where Nathanael came from and where he was going. Much like the example Nathanael, the Lord is not ignorant of your past. He knew your mistakes and all of your shortcomings and yet He chose to call you. Not only does Jesus know where you come from, He knows where He wants to take you. Jesus shared with Nathanael the wonders that he would 6 Michael Dobbs, Charles Colson, Nixon;s dirty tricks Man, Dies at /2012/04/21/gIQAaoOHYT_story.html 7 Michelle A. Vu, Chuck Colson Dies at remembered-for-dramatic-faith-conversion-life-73496/

8 see; the Lord knew where He wanted to take Nathanael. Jesus had a purpose for Nathanael, a journey that the disciple would take. Jesus calls us from something and to something. He has called you from the depths of your own sin to a new life in Him. You must be willing to follow Jesus in both areas, out of sin and in to holiness. If you attempt to be obedient in only one area, you will miss your purpose. Each morning you must decide to follow Jesus, the One who has called.