THE REVELATION OF JESUS CHRIST - "Jesus, Life's Greatest Discovery"

THE REVELATION OF JESUS CHRIST
“Jesus, Life’s Greatest Discovery”
John 1:35-42
August 28, 2011

Now, I think that everyone would agree that salvation is from God. AMEN? Man could not save himself from his sin, God had to do that. Salvation is the work of God. But, it is also the activity of man responding to the work of God in his heart. We are saved by the sovereign act of God, but we are also saved by the act of our will.

Let me illustrate something to you that is probably an oversimplification of salvation. Kirk, would you just raise your right hand for me for a second? Thank you. Now whose will caused Kirk to raise his hand? His will, he didn't have to raise his hand, I hold no threat over him. He exercised his will in response to my will and apart from my will he wouldn't have raised his hand. And that is exactly in a very mundane sense what salvation is. It is my will responding to the will of God. This morning, we will see that displayed as we see the start of the public ministry of Jesus Christ. So let’s go to our text verses. READ The first disciple Christ called was Andrew. We want to talk about 5 areas concerning Andrew’s salvation through Jesus Christ. First, there was:

ANDREW’S EXPERIENCE - John 1:35-37 “The next day again John was standing with two of his disciples, and he looked at Jesus as he walked by and said, ‘Behold, the Lamb of God!’ The two disciples heard him say this, and they followed Jesus.” Let’s consider some elements of his discovery. First of all, Andrew:

WAS WHERE THERE WAS PREACHING -- John the Baptist was doing his ministry around the Jordan. Andrew apparently had a desire for the Word of God and came to John’s meetings and heard him preach. he soon became a disciple of John. The point is that by his actions, Andrew found the opportunity to hear the preaching the Word of God and he went there. Then Andrew:

HEARD THE WORD PREACHED -- He was listening to what John was preaching. His mind was not wandering. He was alert an awake so that when the announcement of the Messiah came, he was ready. That announcement was when John said, “Behold, the Lamb of God.” Andrew heard the Word of God. Finally:

HE FOLLOWED JESUS -- That word “followed” in the Greek carries with it the understanding that this was a “once for all act.” Andrew turned to Jesus and made a total commitment to be His disciple. Those same 3 steps must be taken by each of us as well – we must have a hunger to hear the Word of God being preached and be awake and alert – we must hear the Word and apply it – and we must follow Jesus and make a one time for all time total commitment. Jesus said in John 10:27 “My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me.”

There are two things that will cause a person to miss Christ – not being where Christ is preached – being in the flesh or in self and standing where others don’t care about hearing Christ being preached. Secondly, not hearing the Word being preached – allowing our minds to wander, being sleepy eyed, distracted, inattentive. Andrew had those experiences. Following that we see:

ANDREW’S CRITICAL HOUR -- John 1:38-39 “Jesus turned and saw them following and said to them, ‘What are you seeking?’ And they said to him, ‘Rabbi’ (which means Teacher), ‘where are you staying?’ He said to them, ‘Come and you will see.’ So they came and saw where he was staying, and they stayed with him that day, for it was about the tenth hour.”
Most Bible scholars believe that this 2nd disciple was John the Apostle. John never mentions his own name in his gospel. He and Andrew were both disciples of John the Baptist. So, these two followed along after Jesus and then Jesus did 3 things. First:

HE TURNED & FACED THEM -- That was a clear demonstration of the willingness and eagerness of Christ for these men to join Him. Secondly:

HE ASKED THEM A QUESTION -- He said, “What are you seeking?” That’s a basic question in life. What are you after in this life? Are you seeking wealth? Are you seeking significance & meaning in life or a religion of self improvement and human development? Are you seeking for deliverance from life’s hard times and struggles? Are you seeking for approval and acceptance of God and His blessings and care and provision?

Jesus Christ knows the honest searching soul because that searching soul has already been prompted by God the Father and convicted by the Holy Spirit and Jesus knows that. So, if you’re honest in seeking Christ, He sees that and will bless that.
They said, "Rabbi, where are You staying?" They wanted to join Him in the privacy and quietness of His home where He could become their Teacher. They were exemplifying Jeremiah 29:13 which says, “You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart.” Thirdly, Jesus:

EXTENDED AN INVITATION -- His invitation to “Come and you will see.” was immediate. He didn’t say “ I'll have an opening on my calendar next Tuesday at three.” Jesus said in Matthew 11:28 “Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” Jesus never put anybody off.

You can stand around and have a lot of theological discourse about who the Messiah really is, but you just better go and see who He is. How do you do that? You sit down with Him and you have some time to find out who He is. Jesus said in Revelation 3:20 “Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me.” You want to get to know Him, meet Him. Invite Christ to be real to you and He will be. Now let’s look at:

ANDREW’S GREAT DECISION -- John 1:39-40 “He said to them, “Come and you will see.’ So they came and saw where he was staying, and they stayed with him that day, for it was about the tenth hour.” There are 3 things here. First:

ANDREW WENT TO JESUS -- He accepted the invitation of Jesus in order to see just where Jesus did live. He had to be “willing” to see where Jesus was staying and he had to let Jesus lead him there. Secondly,

ANDREW RECEIVED A PROMMISE -- Jesus said “Come and you will see.” He was talking about seeing the truth and learning of Him. He was assuring Andrew that if he would come he would most definitely see and learn the truth about life. Thirdly:

ANDREW & HIS FRIEND SPENT THE DAY THERE – The whole day they were in the presence of Christ and they received from Him and He met their needs. This confrontation with Christ changed their lives. After his time with Christ and learning from Him we see:

ANDREW’S FIRST CONCERN – John 1:41 “He first found his own brother Simon and said to him, “We have found the Messiah” (which means Christ).”

As soon as he could, Andrew rushed out to find his brother, Simon. Andrew had met Christ personally, and Christ had met the need of his heart and he could not contain his peace and joy. He just had to tell his loved ones. So, we see that Andrew was a great witness and personal worker for Jesus. He had a conviction that Jesus was the Messiah that they had been waiting for. As a result of his commitment to Christ we see:

ANDREW’S FRUIT -- John 1:42 “He brought him to Jesus. Jesus looked at him and said, ‘So you are Simon the son of John? You shall be called Cephas’ (which means Peter). We see that Simon was reached for Jesus because of Andrew’s witnessing. That word “looked” in the Greek is “emblepo” and it means to stare and gaze upon with intensity.” Jesus, by the Holy Spirit, looked into the innermost being of Peter to see what he was and what could be made of him. He does the same to us when we come to Him.

Jesus said that Simon’s name would be changed to Cephas or Peter. That was a prediction that he would be converted and changed from a self centered, defensive, overbearing and carnal man into a strong, solid, immovable and unbreakable rock for God.

CALL -- We have seen in these verses, the beginning of the work of Christ. But it's one thing to see the beginning of the work of Christ, but are you experiencing it in your own life? If you're really honest and you want Jesus Christ and His peace, joy and forgiveness for all of your sins and you want to leave here with a new life just come and stand with me and we’ll pray together to invite Christ into your life. Start that love relationship with Him and leave here knowing that if you were to die today, heaven would be your eternal home.

My friends, Jesus wants us to be committed to him as was Andrew and John and hunger for Him. He is eager for us to be with Him, learning from Him and being fruitful for Him. Is that your desire? Do you want to be a person that is strong, immovable and an unbreakable rock for God? I do. We can be if we will come to Christ, spend time with Him and let the Holy Spirit change us. So, as a church, let’s come and ask the Holy Spirit to continue that work in our lives and change us. Ask Him to fill you with His presence and power. If you need the baptism in the Holy Spirit, just ask for it. Jesus wants you to have it so that you can be a bolder witness for Him.

Father, thank You for this time together today as we continue to have a deeper and clearer understanding of who Jesus Christ is and what He has done. May we leave here this morning, not just having heard a sermon, but having heard the Word of God. Father, I pray that our level of commitment to Jesus will grow so that we will know Him. In Jesus’ Name I pray. Amen.