Why the very first believers were so drawn to Jesus

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Speaker: 
Andrew Fountain
Date: 
Sun, 2019-09-15

Video cover image from Kids on the Move (permission given)

  • Before Jesus even started doing miracles, John is very interested in the impact he had on people.
  • Some people didn’t care, but others were drawn to him powerfully.
  • We can engage with Jesus today like those those first followers did.

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Sermon Outline - Why the very first believers were so drawn to Jesus

Goal:
To engage with Jesus today like those those first followers did.

Themes in John

  1. The life of God has come down to earth, so we can partake in the divine
  2. This life is received by faith—believing in Jesus. How does that happen?

How should we respond to it?

  1. Jesus came that we could be “born of God”
    Grasp the difference between the Old and the New
    What is From Below and what is From Above
    Live with a focus on the New, not the Old
  2. Think of how precious Jesus is to you.
    He has come from the Father’s side, to you
    So that you might have his life

Outline

  1. The remarkable imagery of the passage
  2. People’s responses to Jesus
  3. Deeply seen
  • Things said about Jesus in red
  • Names of people in blue
  • Times and days in green

John 1:19–51

  1. Now this was John’s testimony when the Jewish leaders sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, “Who are you?”
  2. He confessed — he did not deny but confessed — “I am not the Christ!”
  3. So they asked him, “Then who are you? Are you Elijah?” He said, “I am not!” “Are you the Prophet?” He answered, “No!”
  4. Then they said to him, “Who are you? Tell us so that we can give an answer to those who sent us. What do you say about yourself?”
  5. John said, “I am the voice of one shouting in the wilderness, ‘Make straight the way for the Lord,’. as Isaiah the prophet said.”
  6. (Now some Pharisees had been sent. )
  7. So they asked John, “Why then are you baptizing if you are not the Christ, nor Elijah, nor the Prophet?”
  8. John answered them, “I baptize with water. Among you stands one whom you do not recognize,
  9. who is coming after me. I am not worthy to untie the strap of his sandal!”
  10. These things happened in Bethany across the Jordan River where John was baptizing.
     
  11. On the next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, “Look, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!
  12. This is the one about whom I said, ‘After me comes a man who is greater than I am, because he existed before me.’
  13. I did not recognize him, but I came baptizing with water so that he could be revealed to Israel.”
  14. Then John testified, “I saw the Spirit descending like a dove from heaven, and it remained on him.
  15. And I did not recognize him, but the one who sent me to baptize with water said to me, ‘The one on whom you see the Spirit descending and remaining — this is the one who baptizes with the Holy Spirit.’
  16. I have both seen and testified that this man is the Chosen One of God.”
     
  17. Again the next day John was standing there with two of his disciples.
  18. Gazing at Jesus as he walked by, he said, “Look, the Lamb of God!
  19. When John’s two disciples heard him say this, they followed Jesus.
  20. Jesus turned around and saw them following and said to them, “What do you want?” So they said to him, “Rabbi” (which is translated Teacher), “where are you staying?”
  21. Jesus answered, “Come and you will see.” So they came and saw where he was staying, and they stayed with him that day. Now it was about four o’clock in the afternoon.
     
  22. Andrew, the brother of Simon Peter, was one of the two disciples who heard what John said and followed Jesus.
  23. He first found his own brother Simon and told him, “We have found the Messiah!” (which is translated Christ).
  24. Andrew brought Simon to Jesus. Jesus looked at him and said, “You are Simon, the son of John. You will be called Cephas” (which is translated Peter).
     
  25. On the next day he [Andrew] wanted to set out for Galilee. He found Philip and Jesus said to him, “Follow me.”
  26. (Now Philip was from Bethsaida, the town of Andrew and Peter.)
  27. Philip found Nathanael and told him, “We have found the one Moses wrote about in the law, and the prophets also wrote about — Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.”
  28. Nathanael replied, “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?” Philip replied, “Come and see.”
  29. Jesus saw Nathanael coming toward him and exclaimed, “Look, a true Israelite in whom there is no deceit!”
  30. Nathanael asked him, “How do you know me?” Jesus replied, “Before Philip called you, when you were under the fig tree, I saw you.”
  31. Nathanael answered him, “Rabbi, you are the Son of God; you are the king of Israel!
  32. Jesus said to him, “Because I told you that I saw you under the fig tree, do you believe? You will see greater things than these.”
  33. He continued, “I tell all of you the solemn truth — you will see heaven opened and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man.”

John 2

  1. On the third day there was a wedding at Cana in Galilee,…

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Genesis 1

  1. In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.
  2. The earth was without form and void, and darkness was over the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters.

2. People’s responses to Jesus

John 1

  1. He came to his own,
    and his own people did not receive him.
  2. But to all who did receive him,
    who believed in his name,
    he gave the right to become children of God,
  3. who were born, not of blood nor of the will
    of the flesh nor of the will of man,
    but born of God.

People in the passage

  • Priests and Levites from Jerusalem
  • Pharisee delegation
  • John the Baptist
  • Andrew & (John)
  • Peter
  • Philip
  • Nathaniel
  • For each one:
    • What did they see and hear?
    • Was there a response of faith?
    • What effect did it have on them?
  • Faith is rewarded (e.g. the transfiguration)

John 1:50–51

  1. Jesus said to him, “Because I told you that I saw you under the fig tree, do you believe? You will see greater things than these.”
  2. He continued, “I tell all of you the solemn truth — you will see heaven opened and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man.”

3. Deeply seen

Jesus “sees” Simon Peter

  1. Andrew brought Simon to Jesus. Jesus looked at him and said, “You are Simon, the son of John. You will be called Cephas” (which is translated Peter)
  • Jesus can look into the core of our being
    See who we truly are, our essence, our longings
    And prophetically call out our New Creation identity

John 1:47–51 Nathaniel

  1. Jesus saw Nathanael coming toward him and exclaimed, “Look, a true Israelite in whom there is no deceit!”
  2. Nathanael asked him, “How do you know me?” Jesus replied, “Before Philip called you, when you were under the fig tree, I saw you.”
  3. Nathanael answered him, “Rabbi, you are the Son of God; you are the king of Israel!”
  4. Jesus said to him, “Because I told you that I saw you under the fig tree, do you believe? You will see greater things than these.”
  5. He continued, “I tell all of you the solemn truth — you will see heaven opened and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man.”

Jesus “sees” you and me

  • Jesus can look into the core of our being
    See who we truly are, our essence, our longings
    And prophetically call out our New Creation identity

Updated on 2019-09-15 by Andrew Fountain