Sermon Central
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Your Purpose For Being Series
Contributed by Rick Stacy on Jan 19, 2004 (message contributor)
Summary: 3rd in series of 5 messages. Five humble men discovered their purpose because they were willing to understand that there is more to life than fish
Living the Good Life
Jesus came for one purpose
“…I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.”
Learning about Living the Good Life
Finding the Source of Significance – John 1:1-13
Satisfying the Hunger for Approval – John 1:14-34
Discovering Your Purpose for Being – John 1:35-50
Understanding the Root of Happiness – John 2:1-11
Focusing on the Valuable – John 2:12-25
John 1:35-50 (The Message)
That’s exactly what I saw happen, and I’m telling you, there’s no question about it: This is the Son of God.”
The next day John was back at his post with two disciples, who were watching. He looked up, saw Jesus walking nearby, and said, “Here he is, God’s Passover Lamb.”
The two disciples heard him and went after Jesus. Jesus looked over his shoulder and said to them, “What are you after?”
They said, “Rabbi” (which means “Teacher”), “where are you staying?”
He replied, “Come along and see for yourself.”
They came, saw where he was living, and ended up staying with him for the day. It was late afternoon when this happened.
Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, was one of the two who heard John’s witness and followed Jesus. The first thing he did after finding where Jesus lived was find his own brother, Simon, telling him, “We’ve found the Messiah” (that is, “Christ”). He immediately led him to Jesus.
Jesus took one look up and said, “You’re John’s son, Simon? From now on your name is Cephas” (or Peter, which means “Rock”).
The next day Jesus decided to go to Galilee. When he got there, he ran across Philip and said, “Come, follow me.” (Philip’s hometown was Bethsaida, the same as Andrew and Peter.)
Philip went and found Nathanael and told him, “We’ve found the One Moses wrote of in the Law, the One preached by the prophets. It’s Jesus, Joseph’s son, the one from Nazareth!” Nathanael said, “Nazareth? You’ve got to be kidding.”
But Philip said, “Come, see for yourself.”
When Jesus saw him coming he said, “There’s a real Israelite, not a false bone in his body.”
Nathanael said, “Where did you get that idea? You don’t know me.”
Jesus answered, “One day, long before Philip called you here, I saw you under the fig tree.”
Nathanael exclaimed, “Rabbi! You are the Son of God, the King of Israel!”
Jesus said, “You’ve become a believer simply because I say I saw you one day sitting under the fig tree? You haven’t seen anything yet! Before this is over you’re going to see heaven open and God’s angels descending to the Son of Man and ascending again.”
This is the story of five humble men
Here are exhibited to our view the infant church in its cradle, the petty sources of the River of Life, the earliest blossoms of Christian faith, the humble origin of the mighty empire of the Lord Jesus Christ.
Five humble men discovered their purpose because they were willing to understand that there is more to life than fish
I heard an interview by Brett Favre this past week. He talked about his father and football. The reporter asked, “How has your father’s death affected you and the others on the team?” (It was something like that.) Brett responded that he had always said that there is more to life than football. At least that he had always said that because he knew that he should - but now with his father’s passing he has begun to understand that it is true and there really is more to life than football.
For Brett Favre it’s about football and the Green Bay Packers. For Jack Nicholson it’s about making movies. For Andrew Fasdow it was about making money. For Andrew, John, Simon, Philip and Nathaniel it was about fishing.
It was about getting up every morning and going out onto the sea of Galilee when the mist was still on the lake and the overnight winds had calmed. While the horizon was just beginning to lighten they would find their favorite spot and toss the nets over the side of the boat and as the sun began to rise they would anticipate the first fish being pulled in.
In the afternoons it was about drying those same nets, mending the torn sections, and telling the stories of the day to their partners and friends. The catch would be taken to market and exchanged for handful of coins to take home.
In the evenings they would play with the kids and prepare for the coming day when they would do it all again. It was a good life. It was a great life. But there is more to life than fishing.
What is it for you? What is that life is more than? What is that demands your time and consumes your attention but fails to satisfy your soul? What is your purpose for being?
