DRAWN TO JESUS—IV—John 1:35-51
Attention:
My being drawn to the field of biological oceanography.—always fascinated with the ocean & with animals.
I had no desire to be a tax consultant or an accountant—I can’t even imagine how tediously miserable I would be as either of those!
Likewise those who are either tax consultants or accountants can’t even imagine how tediously miserable they would be as a biological oceanographer!
BUT there is One in whom all men of all time should equally find fascination...They should all be drawn to Jesus Christ!
We are drawn to certain actions by what we believe.
John recalled the manner by which Jesus’ disciples first became convinced that He was Messiah.
Some will be drawn to follow Jesus as Messiah/Christ.
What draws/attracts disciples to Jesus Christ?
Why are disciples drawn/attracted to Jesus Christ?
Jn. 6:41-45—“The Jews then complained about Him, because He said, “I am the bread which came down from heaven.” And they said, “Is not this Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father & mother we know? How is it then that He says, ‘I have come down from heaven’?” Jesus therefore answered & said to them, “Do not murmur among yourselves. No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him; & I will raise him up at the last day. It is written in the prophets, ‘And they shall all be taught by God.’ Therefore everyone who has heard & learned from the Father comes to Me.”
8 elements of a disciple’s draw/attraction to Christ Jesus.
We have already found that Disciples are drawn to Jesus thru their…
1. DIRECTION(:35-36)Discipleship
2. DISCOVERY(:37-39)
3. PRIORITY(:40-42a) Prioritize sharing
4. PROMISE(:42b)
5—Disciples are drawn to Jesus thru their…
INVITATION(:43-44)
Explanation:(:43-44)
:43—“The following day Jesus wanted to go to Galilee, & He found Philip & said to him, “Follow Me.” ”
The “following” events(:43-51) occurred the day after Andrew, John & Simon Peter had become anticipative followers/disciples of Jesus.
Jesus decided to go to “Galilee.” We are not told His reason for “wanting” to go there.
“Galilee” here could be either the actual political province of “Galilee”(West of the Jordan) or the entire northern area of Palestine, inclusive of Lake Huleh(north) as well as both sides of the Sea of Galilee itself(east & west), the western portion much greater than eastern, stretching nearly to the Mediterranean sea but not including the maritime plain.—ISBE
Jesus Himself invited “Philip” to “follow” Him as He had with Andrew & John. Jesus simply states “Follow Me” to Philip. This implies Philip had some previous knowledge of Jesus’ identity or that Andrew, John, & Peter were following Jesus & influencing Philip’s decision.
“Found”(See 41, 45)—euriskw—1) To come upon, hit upon, to meet with; 2) To find by enquiry, thought, examination, scrutiny, observation, to find out by practice & experience; 3) To find out for one's self, to acquire, get, obtain, procure. Strong—a prolonged form of a primary eurw; which (together with another cognate form eurew) is used for it in all the tenses except the present & imperfect; To find (literally or figuratively).
“Philip”—Filippov—Philip = "lover of horses.” Strong—from filov[properly, dear, i.e. a friend; actively, fond, i.e. friendly (still as a noun, an associate, neighbor, etc.)] & ippov; ‘Fond of horses’; Philippus, the name of four Israelites.
“Follow”(See :37, 38)—akolouyew—1) To follow one who precedes, join him as his attendant, accompany him; 2) To join one as a disciple, become or be his disciple—2a) Side with his party. Strong—from a(as a particle of union) & keleuyov(a road); properly--To be in the same way with, i.e. To accompany(specially--As a disciple).
:44—“Now Philip was from Bethsaida, the city of Andrew & Peter.”
North-east shore of the Sea of Galilee. Andrew & Peter were also from Bethsaida.
Bethsaida means ‘House of fishing’ or ‘Fisherman’s House,’ which is appropriate seeing that Andrew & Peter were fishermen as were James & John(Mat. 4:18-20).
“There were two Bethsaidas, one called Bethsaida Julias in Iturea(that in Lk. 9:10) or the Eastern Bethsaida, the other the Western Bethsaida in Galilee(Mk. 6:45), perhaps somewhere near Capernaum. This is the town of Andrew & Peter & Philip. Hence Philip would be inclined to follow the example of his townsmen.”—RWP
“Bethsaida” is generally considered to be located at the geographic top shore of the Sea of Galilee, though it is uncertain.—B&H Maps(The Ministry Of Jesus)
“Bethsaida”—Bhysaida—Strong—of Aramaic origin [compare tyb bah'-yith (a house) & dyu tsah’-yawd(a huntsman)]; Fishing-house; Bethsaida, a place in Palestine.
“City”—poliv—1) A city—1a) One's native city, the city in which one lives, 1b) The heavenly Jerusalem, 1c) The inhabitants of a city. Strong—probably from the same as polemov[from pelomai(to bustle); warfare(literally or figuratively; a single encounter or a series)], or perhaps from poluv[(singular) much (in any respect) or (plural) many]; A town(properly, with walls, of greater or less size).
Argumentation:
Isa. 55:6-7—“Seek the LORD while He may be found, Call upon Him while He is near. Let the wicked forsake his way, And the unrighteous man his thoughts; Let him return to the LORD, And He will have mercy on him; And to our God, For He will abundantly pardon.”
Rev. 3:19, 20—[to Laodicea]“As many as I love, I rebuke & chasten. Therefore be zealous & repent. Behold, I stand at the door & knock. If anyone hears My voice & opens the door, I will come in to him & dine with him, & he with Me.”
Mat. 11:27-30—“All things have been delivered to Me by My Father, & no one knows the Son except the Father. Nor does anyone know the Father except the Son, & the one to whom the Son wills to reveal Him. Come to Me, all you who labor & are heavy laden, & I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you & learn from Me, for I am gentle & lowly in heart, & you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy & My burden is light.”
Isa. 45:18-25—“For thus says the LORD, Who created the heavens, Who is God, Who formed the earth & made it, Who has established it, Who did not create it in vain, Who formed it to be inhabited: “I am the LORD, & there is no other. I have not spoken in secret, In a dark place of the earth; I did not say to the seed of Jacob, ‘Seek Me in vain’; I, the LORD, speak righteousness, I declare things that are right. “Assemble yourselves & come; Draw near together, You who have escaped from the nations. They have no knowledge, Who carry the wood of their carved image, And pray to a god that cannot save. Tell & bring forth your case; Yes, let them take counsel together. Who has declared this from ancient time? Who has told it from that time? Have not I, the LORD? And there is no other God besides Me, A just God & a Savior; There is none besides Me. Look to Me, & be saved, All you ends of the earth! For I am God, & there is no other. I have sworn by Myself; The word has gone out of My mouth in righteousness, And shall not return, That to Me every knee shall bow, Every tongue shall take an oath.[Php. 2:10-11] He shall say, ‘Surely in the LORD I have righteousness & strength. To Him men shall come, And all shall be ashamed Who are incensed against Him. In the LORD all the descendants of Israel Shall be justified, & shall glory.’” ”
Php. 2:10-11—... “that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, & of those on earth, & of those under the earth, & that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”
Jn. 6:37-38—“All that the Father gives Me will come to Me, & the one who comes to Me I will by no means cast out. For I have come down from heaven, not to do My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me.”
Jn. 7:37-38—“On the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood & cried out, saying, “If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me & drink. He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.”
Isa. 55:1-7—“Ho! Everyone who thirsts, Come to the waters; And you who have no money, Come, buy & eat. Yes, come, buy wine & milk Without money & without price. Why do you spend money for what is not bread, And your wages for what does not satisfy? Listen carefully to Me, & eat what is good, And let your soul delight itself in abundance. Incline your ear, & come to Me. Hear, & your soul shall live; And I will make an everlasting covenant with you--The sure mercies of David. Indeed I have given him as a witness to the people, A leader & commander for the people. Surely you shall call a nation you do not know, And nations who do not know you shall run to you, Because of the LORD your God, And the Holy One of Israel; For He has glorified you.” Seek the LORD while He may be found, Call upon Him while He is near. Let the wicked forsake his way, And the unrighteous man his thoughts; Let him return to the LORD, And He will have mercy on him; And to our God, For He will abundantly pardon.”
Illustration:
Carrabelle, FL’s welcome signs—“Carrabelle...Get Hooked”—An invitation to fish saying...’Welcome to Carrabelle...Now you can get fishing!’/INVITATION
Everything about FBCC is geared toward an ‘invitation’ to experience Christ Jesus personally/If we miss that purpose in anything we do, then the potential for tapping into God’s power is lost/INVITATION
Application:
?Your INVITATION drawn you to(or away from) Jesus?
?You Drawn to discipleship with Jesus?
6—Disciples are drawn to Jesus thru their…
SUPPOSITION(:45-46)
Explanation:(:45-46)Presumption
:45—“Philip found Nathanael & said to him, “We have found Him of whom Moses in the law, & also the prophets, wrote--Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.” ”
“Philip found Nathanael”
“Philip” knew “Nathanael.”
“Nathanael “was from Cana of Galilee (Jn. 21:2), not far from Bethsaida & so known to Philip.”—RWP
It is deduced that “Nathanael” must have been his given name while Bartholomew’(Bar-Tholmai=‘son of Tolmai’) was his surname, given that “Nathanael” is nowhere mentioned in the Synoptics but a ‘Bartholomew’ is. “They are almost certainly two names of the same man.”—RWP/MNTC/ECNT
“We have found Him of whom Moses in the law, & also the prophets, wrote...”
Nathanael was also looking for the Messiah. The eventual arrival of Messiah was known thru Scripture & highly anticipated among the Jews(NAC).
“Nathanael” knew the Mosaic law. He also knew the prophets spoke of Messiah.
Deut. 18:15—“The LORD your God will raise up for you a Prophet like me from your midst, from your brethren. Him you shall hear,”
“Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.”
Everyone knew that Jesus grew up in Nazareth & was technically/legally the son of Joseph, though not his son biologically(Lk. 1:26-35; Mat. 1:20-25).
How did Philip know of Jesus’ specific heritage? Had He shared it with Philip? Was it commonly known regardless of acceptance?
Lk. 1:30-35—“Then the angel[Gabriel] said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. And behold, you will conceive in your womb & bring forth a Son, & shall call His name JESUS. He will be great, & will be called the Son of the Highest; & the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David. And He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, & of His kingdom there will be no end.” Then Mary said to the angel, “How can this be, since I do not know a man?” And the angel answered & said to her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, & the power of the Highest will overshadow you; therefore, also, that Holy One who is to be born will be called the Son of God.”
:46—“And Nathanael said to him, “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?” Philip said to him, “Come & see.” ”
Nathanael ‘presumed upon’ the evidence he would accept regarding the coming of Messiah. And neither Nazareth nor Joseph fit his frame of reference.
“Good”—agayov—1) Of good constitution or nature; 2) Useful, salutary; 3) Good, pleasant, agreeable, joyful, happy; 4) Excellent, distinguished; 5) Upright, honorable. Strong—a primary word; “Good” (in any sense, often as noun).
“Philip said to him, “Come & see.”
Philip’s is an invitation to Nathanael to overcome & override his prejudice, & see for himself what is involved. An invitation to ‘think outside the box.’
*No matter what we do, we must do it in order to be proper witnesses of Christ. We must invite others directly to Jesus Himself...To ’taste & see’ for themselves. They must experience a personal relationship with Jesus, which we cannot give them as they must be drawn by God Himself.
*Our call & equipping is only for baiting a hook. We must be responsible to bait it with an enticement that draws upon the deepest fears & joys of those invited—that only Jesus can fulfill. Just as I myself began reading the Bible because I had an gnawing, innate fear of by-passing or not knowing truth. There was another world about which I had remained ignorant...another component of life about which I had chosen to stay uninformed, but of which I had been made minimally aware thru secular music(particularly demonic awareness, spiritual stuff even though skewed).
*When we invite others to our Church, Worship, Sunday School, Bible Study, an outing, etc., we are inviting them to experience Jesus thru one or all of those means.
We want these to meet the God who existed prior to time, space, light, universe, sun-moon & stars, the earth, sand, water, grass, trees, animals—microscopic to megascopic, etc., Who embodies righteousness, love, justice, compassion, mercy & grace.....& yet also the One who offers you personally, life—meaningful & superior—& life eternal.
“Come & See”(See respectively :39 & :39, 47, 48)—ercomai & eidw—Jesus’ own words(:39)—
Argumentation:
Ezek. 12:1-2—“Now the word of the LORD came to me, saying: “Son of man, you dwell in the midst of a rebellious house, which has eyes to see but does not see, & ears to hear but does not hear; for they are a rebellious house.”
Ezek. 2:6-7; 3:4-11—“And you, son of man, do not be afraid of them nor be afraid of their words, though briers & thorns are with you & you dwell among scorpions; do not be afraid of their words or dismayed by their looks, though they are a rebellious house. You shall speak My words to them, whether they hear or whether they refuse, for they are rebellious.”.....“Then He said to me: “Son of man, go to the house of Israel & speak with My words to them. For you are not sent to a people of unfamiliar speech & of hard language, but to the house of Israel, not to many people of unfamiliar speech & of hard language, whose words you cannot understand. Surely, had I sent you to them, they would have listened to you. But the house of Israel will not listen to you, because they will not listen to Me; for all the house of Israel are impudent & hard-hearted. Behold, I have made your face strong against their faces, & your forehead strong against their foreheads. Like adamant stone, harder than flint, I have made your forehead; do not be afraid of them, nor be dismayed at their looks, though they are a rebellious house.” Moreover He said to me: “Son of man, receive into your heart all My words that I speak to you, & hear with your ears. And go, get to the captives, to the children of your people, & speak to them & tell them, ‘Thus says the Lord GOD,’ whether they hear, or whether they refuse.” ”
Prov. 26:12—“Do you see a man wise in his own eyes? There is more hope for a fool than for him.”
Jn. 3:20-21—“For everyone practicing evil hates the light & does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed. But he who does the truth comes to the light, that his deeds may be clearly seen, that they have been done in God.”
Jn. 9:39—“And Jesus said, “For judgment I have come into this world, that those who do not see may see, & that those who see may be made blind.”
Mat. 13:13-15—“Therefore I speak to them in parables, because seeing they do not see, & hearing they do not hear, nor do they understand. And in them the prophecy of Isaiah is fulfilled, which says: ‘Hearing you will hear & shall not understand, And seeing you will see & not perceive; For the hearts of this people have grown dull. Their ears are hard of hearing, And their eyes they have closed, Lest they should see with their eyes & hear with their ears, Lest they should understand with their hearts & turn, So that I should heal them.’ ”
2Cor. 4:3-4—“But even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing, whose minds the god of this age has blinded, who do not believe, lest the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine on them.”
1Cor. 1:18—“For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.”
**2Thes. 2:9-12—“The coming of the lawless one is according to the working of Satan, with all power, signs, & lying wonders, & with all unrighteous deception among those who perish, because they did not receive the love of the truth, that they might be saved. And for this reason God will send them strong delusion, that they should believe the lie, that they all may be condemned who did not believe the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness.”
Rom. 11:5-8—“Even so then, at this present time there is a remnant according to the election of grace. And if by grace, then it is no longer of works; otherwise grace is no longer grace. But if it is of works, it is no longer grace; otherwise work is no longer work. What then? Israel has not obtained what it seeks; but the elect have obtained it, & the rest were blinded. Just as it is written: “God has given them a spirit of stupor, Eyes that they should not see And ears that they should not hear, To this very day.””
Gal. 2:2-6—“And I went up by revelation, & communicated to them that gospel which I preach among the Gentiles, but privately to those who were of reputation, lest by any means I might run, or had run, in vain. Yet not even Titus who was with me, being a Greek, was compelled to be circumcised. And this occurred because of false brethren secretly brought in (who came in by stealth to spy out our liberty which we have in Christ Jesus, that they might bring us into bondage), to whom we did not yield submission even for an hour, that the truth of the gospel might continue with you. But from those who seemed to be something--whatever they were, it makes no difference to me; God shows personal favoritism to no man--for those who seemed to be something added nothing to me.”
**Gal. 6:3-7—“For if anyone thinks himself to be something, when he is nothing, he deceives himself. But let each one examine his own work, & then he will have rejoicing in himself alone, & not in another. For each one shall bear his own load. Let him who is taught the word share in all good things with him who teaches. Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap.”
will not see
presume to know
Cannot see though equipped to
‘Taken for granted’
Illustration:
Faulty Instrumentation/Multiple net system at Skidaway Institute/Made on site—Always troubleshooting minor problems/Seemed either the depth gauge or the salinometer would go out/Without these or one of them there is no reference point for opening & closing the nets & thus no reference for the samples taken/take the samples & interpolate between the previous sample & the next sample/This ‘assumes’ & presents a smooth unchanging gradient between the two known points, which may or may not be true/Thus the evidence is ‘presumed upon’/SUPPOSITION
The ‘Titanic’/It(along with the Britannic & Olympic) was designed to be the largest & most luxurious vessel in the world/It was built by White Star Line to compete with the Lusitania & Mauretina built by the rival shipyard, Cunard Line/Completed in 1912 after 3yrs. at a cost of $7,500,000/882’ long, 92’ wide, 59’ high from water level(175’ high from keel to stacks), had 9 decks/Taken for granted that the ship was unsinkable/SUPPOSITION
Cannot see though equipped to
‘Taken for granted’
Application:
?Your SUPPOSITION drawn you to(or away from) Jesus?
?You Drawn to discipleship with Jesus?
CONCLUSION:
Visualization:
Action:
Disciples are drawn to Jesus thru their…
5. INVITATION(:43-44)
6. SUPPOSITION(:45-46)
1. DIRECTION(:35-36)Discipleship
2. DISCOVERY(:37-39)
3. PRIORITY(:40-42a)
4. PROMISE(:42b)
Presented 10/05/2014pm to:
FBC CBelle
206 Storrs Ave. SE
Carrabelle, FL 32322
