Follow Jesus. For Discussion FOLLOW JESUS TAKING STRIDES - LIFE NOVEMBER 17-23, 14

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1 Follow Jesus God is still powerfully at work! Here is an account from a sister in Christ: In the midst of all of that God has been squeezing every free minute I have for Kingdom purposes. In fact, just Monday night I was invited over to the home of a high level Tunisian judge. They had quite the spread laid out for me, pretty overwhelmed by their hospitality. I was told, however, that they don't invite people over often and that having me over was quite the exception (God's favor!). Anyway, we ate from 7:30-10:00 PM and from 10:00 PM until 2:30 AM (not kidding) we sat in the living room drinking mint tea and talking about Jesus. It was unbelievable! When I left, the old man grabbed my shoulders, brought be in close, kissed my cheeks, and said - "This Jesus, I need to learn more about Him, there is something to Him and I don't know the whole story, I must keep searching for Truth!" I continue to be overwhelmed by the doors God has opened for me to simply share the Good News. I'll fill you in on the story sometime! I slept four hours that night and then last night spent the evening with missionaries who I had the privilege of praying over and encouraging - great things God is doing through them. D. and N. had me over for dinner with some friends Sunday night. Roasted lamb shank. Delicious. He also asked me to pray for the meal, something he said he never does. What a privilege to invite Jesus to the table! I think I mentioned to you that I have joked with D. about teaming up with us in what Jesus is trying to do in Chicago. Well, Sunday night D. mentioned that he was laying in bed the other evening and kept thinking about creative, meaningful ways to engage the violent youth of Chicago! That is the God I serve! One war battered, atheist Serbian wrestling with the things that matter to the heart of God! Sunday morning I was able to preach at the French West African house church I've been attending. So much to fill in here, but the Holy Spirit commissioned 50 missionaries that morning - part of the percent of the Church that exists in this country. They are His instruments, they are the light and presence of Jesus and I believe an incredible Holy Spirit movement will ignite from this tiny remnant. Thursday night I've been invited over to M.'s home one last time. Last time I was there we spent two hours pouring over the Word of God. I am praying God will again use this space to usher in restoration and reconciliation in these beautiful lives. Neat side note - I have been able to connect one of the missionary couples I met here with M. and his family! Excited to see how the Spirit will continue to road of discipleship in their lives. Needless to say, I am exhausted - feeling like poured out wine - but am finding strength in the Living One. For Discussion This account sounds just like something from the book of Acts! God can still do the same things! Why do we sometimes doubt that? If we are not seeing God do these things, why?

2 Encounter Read God s word so He can speak to you. John 1: This all happened at Bethany on the other side of the Jordan, where John was baptizing. 29 The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, "Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world! 30 This is the one I meant when I said, 'A man who comes after me has surpassed me because he was before me.' 31 I myself did not know him, but the reason I came baptizing with water was that he might be revealed to Israel." 32 Then John gave this testimony: "I saw the Spirit come down from heaven as a dove and remain on him. 33 I would not have known him, except that the one who sent me to baptize with water told me, 'The man on whom you see the Spirit come down and remain is he who will baptize with the Holy Spirit.' 34 I have seen and I testify that this is the Son of God." 35 The next day John was there again with two of his disciples. 36 When he saw Jesus passing by, he said, "Look, the Lamb of God!" 37 When the two disciples heard him say this, they followed Jesus. 38 Turning around, Jesus saw them following and asked, "What do you want?" They said, "Rabbi" (which means Teacher), "where are you staying?" 39 "Come," he replied, "and you will see." So they went and saw where he was staying, and spent that day with him. It was about the tenth hour. 40 Andrew, Simon Peter's brother, was one of the two who heard what John had said and who had followed Jesus. 41 The first thing Andrew did was to find his brother Simon and tell him, "We have found the Messiah" (that is, the Christ). 42 And he brought him to Jesus. Jesus looked at him and said, "You are Simon son of John. You will be called Cephas" (which, when translated, is Peter). 43 The next day Jesus decided to leave for Galilee. Finding Philip, he said to him, "Follow me." 44 Philip, like Andrew and Peter, was from the town of Bethsaida. 45 Philip found Nathanael and told him, "We have found the one Moses wrote about in the Law, and about whom the prophets also wrote-- Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph." 46 "Nazareth! Can anything good come from there?" Nathanael asked. "Come and see," said Philip. 47 When Jesus saw Nathanael approaching, he said of him, "Here is a true Israelite, in whom there is nothing false." 48 "How do you know me?" Nathanael asked. Jesus answered, "I saw you while you were still under the fig tree before Philip called you." 49 Then Nathanael declared, "Rabbi, you are the Son of God; you are the King of Israel." 50 Jesus said, "You believe because I told you I saw you under the fig tree. You shall see greater things than that." 51 He then added, "I tell you the truth, you shall see heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man." Examine what the passage says before you decide what it means. Read it carefully three times. Underline anything you see as important. Write any questions you have.

3 Explore God's Word by asking questions of what you saw. The notes that follow may help you think through these questions. 1) 2) When these men began to follow Jesus, what did they know about Jesus? (include John the Baptizer) What didn t they know about Jesus? What didn t they know about the path of following Jesus and what it would require and where it would take each of them? John the Baptizer Andrew, Philip, Nathanael Peter 3) 4) 5) Though they knew so very little about Jesus, what compelled them to begin to follow? And what kept them following later? Tell your story with Jesus when and how did it begin? What did you know about Him? Where has the path taken you? What has kept you following Him? Many people haven t even had a spiritual thought in years, yet alone be interested in Jesus. How does someone become curious about Jesus? Notice how two began to follow Jesus because somebody else invited them. How can you invite someone to follow Jesus to at least come and see? Have you?

4 The very next day, John "saw Jesus" approaching him they had been together before (vv. 26, 32-33) and publicly identified Jesus as the Messiah. The title "Lamb of God" presented Jesus as the Lamb that God had provided as a substitute sacrifice for people's sins (Isa. 53:7; cf. Gen. 4:4; 8:20; 22:8, 13-14; Exod. 12:3-17; Isa. 53:12; 1 Pet. 1:19) John had not known that Jesus was the Messiah before God revealed that to him, even though they were relatives (cf. Luke 1:36). John learned who Jesus really was when he baptized Jesus (Matt. 3:13-17; Mark 1:9-11; Luke 3:21-22). The Apostle John did not record Jesus' baptism, which happened before the events he recorded here. John the Baptist further explained that he carried on his "baptizing" ministry with Messiah's public identification (manifestation "to Israel") as a goal (cf. Mark 1:4). The symbolic descent of the Holy Spirit, "as a dove" that "remained on" Jesus, identified Jesus to John the Baptist as the Messiah, who was predicted to baptize "with (in) the Holy Spirit" (cf. Isa. 11:2; Ezek. 36:25-26; Mark 1:10; Acts 2:3) John fulfilled his purpose by witnessing that Jesus was "the Son of God" (cf. 2 Sam. 7:14; Ps. 2:7). This is a title that unambiguously claims deity. The title "Messiah" did not imply deity to many who heard it in Jesus' day. They thought only of a political deliverer. Even the Twelve struggled with this. However, John the Baptist testified that Jesus was God, though doubts arose in his mind later. "Son of God" does not mean anything less than deity. It means full deity (v. 18) Notes On The Passage (Adapted from Thomas Constable, Expository Notes) "Two" of John the Baptist's "disciples" started following Jesus because of John's witness. This was perfectly proper since John's ministry was to point others to Jesus. They were not abandoning the Baptist for a more popular teacher. They were simply doing what John urged his hearers to do. They began following Jesus in person to learn from Him. They also took the first steps toward genuine discipleship. This was no tentative inquiry, but a commitment of themselves to Him as disciples. 38 There is a two-level or dual intention in Jesus question (common in John s Gospel). Jesus' question gave the men the opportunity to express their desire to become His disciples. However, they may not have been quite ready to make that commitment. They replied by asking "where" He was "staying." This careful (or non-committal) response may have implied that they simply wanted to have a preliminary interview with Him. Or they may have been expressing a desire to become His disciples Jesus responded by inviting them to accompany Him ("Come"), not just to "see" where He was staying, but to visit Him. They first had to "come" with Him, and then they would "see." This statement was also highly significant spiritually. Only by coming to Jesus could they really comprehend what they were seeking spiritually "Andrew" was important for two reasons. He became one of the Twelve, and he provided an excellent example of testifying for Jesus by bringing his brother to Him (v. 41). John introduced Andrew as "Simon Peter's brother" because when he wrote his Gospel, Peter was the better known of the two. We do not know who the unnamed man was. Some students of John's Gospel have suggested that it may have been the writer himself Obviously both Andrew and Peter wanted to discover the Messiah, whom the Old Testament prophets had predicted, and whom Daniel's timetable encouraged them to believe would appear soon (Dan. 9:25). We should not conclude, however, that because Andrew believed Jesus was the Messiah, that he also believed He was God. All the evidence in the Gospels points to the disciples learning of Jesus' deity after they had been with Him for some time (cf. Matt. 16:16; Mark 8:29; Luke 9:20). Probably Andrew thought of Jesus as a great prophet who was the messianic deliverer of Israel. Every time we meet Andrew in this Gospel, he is bringing someone to Jesus (cf. 6:8; 12:22).

5 Andrew "found Philip" (a Greek name meaning "lover of horses") somewhere along the way or, most likely, in Galilee. Having come to Jesus on Andrew's invitation, Philip accepted Jesus' invitation to follow Him. These men were all undoubtedly acquaintances, if not friends, before they became Jesus' followers. Philip then brought his friend "Nathanael" to Jesus. Some commentators identify "Nathanael" with "Bartholomew" (cf. Matt. 10:3; Mark 3:18; Luke 6:14). The witness continued to spread through the most normal lines of communication, namely, friend to friend, as it still does. The prophecies to which Philip referred may have included: Deuteronomy 18:15-19; Isaiah 53; Daniel 7:13; Micah 5:2; and Zechariah 9:9. Philip described Jesus as Joseph's son, which is how people knew Him before they learned that He was the Son of God (v. 49) "Nazareth" had an insignificant reputation, at least for Nathanael, who came from Cana, a neighboring town (21:2). Nathanael doubted that the Messiah could come from such a lowly place as that. Philip wisely did not argue with Nathanael. He just invited him to "come and see" Jesus (cf. v. 39) Notes On The Passage (con t) Nathanael was the opposite of the original Israel, namely, Jacob, who was very deceitful (Gen. 27:35-36; 28:12; cf. John 1:51). Therefore Jesus virtually said that Nathanael was an Israelite in whom there was "no Jacob." Jesus evidently knew about Nathanael before Philip brought him to Him, as He knew the other men whom He later formally called to be His disciples. Jesus' simple statement elicited a most dramatic reaction from Nathanael. He concluded that the only way Jesus could have seen him when he was under the fig tree was if Jesus had supernatural knowledge. Evidently Nathanael knew that he was completely alone, and that no one (except God) could have seen him when he was under the fig tree Going Further Jesus replied that Nathanael had not seen anything yet. This straightforward Jew had believed that Jesus was the Messiah because of very little evidence. Jesus would give him a more solid basis for his faith in the future (cf. 20:29). Jesus then made a very important statement that He identified as such with the phrase "Truly, truly, I say to you" or "I tell you the truth." Jesus used the imagery of Jacob's dream at Bethel to describe the greater revelation that Nathanael and his fellow disciples the "you" in the Greek text is plural would receive. The "opening of the heavens" pictures the insight that people on earth receive into what God is doing in heaven (cf. Acts 10:11; Rev. 4:1; 19:11). Jesus would reveal heavenly things, a theme that John developed throughout this Gospel. The role of the "Son of Man," Jesus' favorite title of Himself that He used over 80 times (Dan. 7:13), was to make this contact possible. Jesus would be the key to access to God and communication with God (cf. 14:6; 1 Tim 2:5). One thing we can do to train ourselves to remember, is to memorize a part of what our Father has said to us. The Holy Spirit can use this to change our thinking so that our heads are more like Jesus. This week, memorize John 1:29.