Today on the verdict with Pastor John Monroe. Jesus invites you to come. Jesus invites you to follow. And Jesus certainly invites you To see. Are you ready to come to Jesus?
Are you ready to follow? Jesus. Welcome to the verdict. featuring the Bible teaching of Pastor John Monroe. The Christian journey isn't about lip service, thanking God for what He's done as we continue in our old ways.
It's a journey of change. And today on the verdict, We'll see that with Christ, we have somewhere to go.
someone to follow. and something to do. To help equip us for following Jesus, Here's Pastor John Monroe with today's message. What does it mean to follow Jesus? Last time we began to look at the disciples of Jesus.
They certainly weren't exceptional in any way. No. These were ordinary men. Fisherman. tax collectors, even political extremists.
But there was something about Jesus which was so compelling So when he called them to follow him, they humbly obeyed. No matter who they were. It is true they didn't follow him perfectly. They sometimes argued. Their hearts were sometimes hardened, they sometimes struggled to understand.
and they had doubts and fears. In other words, They were just like you and me. But isn't it exciting to know? that Jesus calls us numb because of who we are, but because of what he will do in and through us when we have a personal encounter with him. Open your Bibles with me, please, to John chapter one.
That's the fourth. Gospel And we're going to read first of all verses 35 Through 39, where we will learn that Jesus invites you. To come. John 1 then. Verse thirty-five, I'm reading from the New American Standard.
version. The next day, John, that's John the Baptist. Was standing with two of his disciples. And he looked upon Jesus as he walked and said, Behold, the The Lamb of God. And the two disciples heard them speak.
And they followed Jesus. And Jesus turned and beheld them following, and said to them, What do you seek? And they said to him, Rabbi, Which translated means teacher. Where are you staying? He said to them, Come and you will see.
They came therefore and saw where he was staying. And they stayed with him that day. for it was about the tenth Our Jesus invites you to come. Secondly, Jesus invites you not only to come. Jesus today is inviting you to follow.
Let's read from verse forty. One of the two who heard John speak. And followed him was Andrew, Simon Peter's brother. He found first his own brother Simon, and said to him, We have found the Messiah. which translated means Christ.
He brought them to Jesus. Jesus looked at him and said, You are Simon. the son of John, you shall be called Cephas, which translated means Peter. The next day He purposed to go forth into Galilee and he found Philip, and Jesus said to him, Follow me.
Now, Philip was from Bethsaida, of the city of Andrew, and Peter. Philip found Nathanael and said to him, We have found him of whom Moses in the law and also the prophets wrote, Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph. Nathaniel said to him. And any good thing? Come out of Nazareth.
Philip said to him, Come and see. Jesus saw Nathanael coming to him and said, of him behold an Israelite indeed in whom is no Guile. Jesus invites you to come. Jesus invites you to follow. A disciple is a follower Of Jesus.
Verse 37, the two disciples. followed Jesus. Verse 38, Jesus saw them following. Verse 40, one of the two who heard John speak and followed him was Andrew. Verse forty three Follow me.
Jesus is saying to Philip, follow me. Being a disciple then involves. Following Jesus. The first one who follows Jesus is Andrew. The first thing that Andrew does When he meets Jesus, what does he do?
He brings His brother to Jesus. Verse forty one. Are you following like Andrew? Every one of us is to bring people to Christ. Andrew began at home with his brother.
Why not begin in your home? Who are you bringing to Jesus? Who are you introducing to Jesus? I want to challenge all of us here. to invite one person Think of the difference it would make to this city.
If each one of us Invited one person, not just the church, but to introduce them to Jesus. The goal is not just to bring them here Obviously, we want them to come here so they can hear the gospel message. But the ultimate goal is to introduce them to Jesus. Will you begin to pray? that God would place on your heart, perhaps just one person.
that you could invite Someone who doesn't normally come to church, someone who is not a follower of Christ. that each one of us could be And Andrew. But there's someone else who follows Jesus, not only Andrew, Peter. Andrew brings Peter to Jesus, verse 42. In the Gospels, no disciple speaks as much as Peter.
No disciple is rebuked by the Lord as much as Peter. Peter even rebukes the Lord. That's how bold he can be. He's the big fisherman. Presented in the Gospels as impetuous, outspoken, energetic, self-confident, ambition, but not the most sensitive of individuals.
Here in verse 42, Jesus looked. At Peter. What did he see? in this brash, outspoken fisherman. Notice what Jesus said to him.
Verse 42, you are Simon. You shall be called Cephas Cephas means A rock. Peter This rather unstable character As he is going to follow Jesus, he's going to be supernaturally transformed into a rock-like figure. That's not how it is in the Gospels. No, three times he's going to deny Christ.
But in the history of the early church, as we read the book of Acts, no individual is used as greatly as Peter in the formation of the New Testament church. Peter is the outstanding disciple, outstanding leader of the disciples. In the list of the disciples throughout the Gospels, Peter is always listed first. He is the project leader type. If he entered into Donald Trump's apprentice, I think Peter probably would win the prize.
He's that kind of individual. On the day of Pentecost, we're not surprised But although there are Twelve apostles, it's Peter who stands up. And preaches, and three thousand are saved. What a transformation. You say, Well, I'm not like Peter.
Well, I don't know. Maybe you are, maybe you're not. But I want to say this: that every single follower of Jesus, everyone who follows Jesus, is transformed. Let me ask you, what does Jesus see when he looks into your heart today? What does he see?
Instability. Like Peter? Doubts like Thomas What does he see? I want to encourage you. Not discourage her.
Jesus, as he looks at you and me today, He sees not only who we are now, today, but what in His grace we will become. in the future. Isn't that encouraging? If I follow Jesus, if I walk closely to Jesus, I will be transformed. If you're happily married, If you've got a healthy a friendship with someone, you know that that friendship At a human level, Is transformative We are changed by the people we interact with.
If we are following closely to Jesus, We are supernaturally changed. Jesus never leaves us where we are. He meets us at our point of need with all of our inadequacies, with all of our failures, like Peter. But he never Leaves us there. He changes us from the inside out.
Those who follow Jesus, as I say, are transformed. And the closer you follow, the greater the transformation. If you're one of these kinds of professing Christians that say, I love Jesus, but you keep Jesus away there, all right for now on Sunday, all right for the emergencies of life, but let's face it, the way you conduct your business. The way you live, your priorities, the way you handle your resources are not much different from the unbeliever. Don't be surprised.
when you're not being transformed. Don't be surprised when you wonder, I don't seem to be making much progress in the Christian life. The closer we are to Jesus, The more we commune with him, The more we hear from him, the greater the transformation. And the crucial issue. It's not your background.
I hear Over and over again, Christians say, Well, John, you know, you come from a good Christian background, and yes, praise God, I do, but my background was different from. From yours. I come from a real hellhole. You don't know my background. You don't know all that I've gone through.
Let me tell you something. The crucial issue is not your background. The crucial issue is not your personality. The crucial issue is not your intelligence or your education. The crucial issue From a spiritual dimension is your relationship with Jesus.
The crucial issue is, are you following closely to Jesus or are you following far off? If you follow closely, Christ will transform you. That's what He's here for. That's what it means to be a disciple. That's why we are to follow.
I don't know where he will lead me, Lord, but I'm here. It is life-changing. Andrew, Peter, now Philip. Philip also followed Jesus. Verse 43, Jesus found Philip, and Jesus said to him, Follow me.
Then Philip finds Nathaniel and says, We've found him. Of whom Moses and the law, and also the prophets, wrote, Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph. Verse forty-five. Philip, this man knows his Bible. He recognizes from the Old Testament that Jesus is the one whom Moses and the prophets were writing about.
And he says, We have found him. Oh, he's going to discover that ever before he found Jesus, Jesus found Him. He'd come to seek and to save those who are lost. This is Philip. Throughout the Gospels, Philip is often portrayed as being a bit out of his depth.
Remember at the feeding of the five thousand when Andrew's getting the little boy, Philip is saying to Jesus, you know, two hundred denarii worth of bread isn't sufficient for them, for everyone to receive a little. He looks at the crowd, he makes a few calculations. Maybe he's an accountant type of individual, he's good at details, he's practical, he's common sense down to earth. Not necessarily the best. at seeing the big picture.
But he does know the word of God. And he finds Nathaniel. And in answer to Nathaniel's question, Verse forty-six, can any good thing come out of Nazareth? Notice verse forty six. Phillips answered.
Come And see. That's a good answer. Philip, is not the time to get into an argument over the truths of the Christian faith. He wisely gives his own testimony. This is what I understand from reading of Scripture.
I believe that Jesus is the Messiah. You seem to be in doubt about that, Nathaniel. I'm not going to argue with you. Just come and see. Check it out yourself.
Why don't you experience what I experience? Come and meet Jesus, and you will see for yourself that He is the Messiah, that He is the Son of God. Isn't that an excellent approach for evangelism?
Sometimes we think We can't talk to people about Jesus, we haven't been to seminary.
Someone says I haven't been through a course in apologetics But if you've if you have a personal encounter with Jesus, If you're following Jesus, you can tell your friends. What Jesus has done in your life. You can Tell your friends what is taught in Scripture like Philip. And then they ask questions, and you say, Well, I'll be embarrassed. I won't be able to answer all their questions.
That may well be true. There will be questions they ask that you can't answer, but you can give the response of Philip. which was come and see. Check it out yourself. Why don't you read the Bible for yourself?
Why don't you come to church with me? Why don't you come and see and investigate for yourself? And you will find that soon as you meet Jesus, your life too. Will be transformed. All Christ's followers can say.
Come and see. The fourth disciple is Nathanael. Philip and Nathaniel are always listed together in the New Testament. His other name is Bartholomew. He's initially very skeptical about Jesus.
Can any good thing come out of Nazareth? But he accepts the invitation from his friend Philip to come And see. When he meets Jesus, verse forty-seven, Jesus says, Behold an Israelite indeed in whom is no Guile. Who was the original Israelite? Jacob.
He was a real schemer, wasn't he? A real deceiver. Jacob, but Nathaniel is an authentic, sincere. follower of Jesus. He is seeking the truth.
And Nathaniel is amazed that Jesus knows about him. Jesus says, you know, before Philip called you, before Philip ever told you about me, I saw you under the fig tree. And he is amazed. In that culture, individuals who wanted to read and reflect and meditate often sat under the fig tree, which, with its low branches, would provide. uh a good Uh shade But faced with a supernatural disclosure, Nathaniel now understands.
as he himself says In verse forty nine, You are. The Son of God. You are the king. of Israel. How wonderful.
Bia Nathaniel. Perhaps you're here as an authentic seeker. And you're not sure about the Christian faith, we say, come and see. And you will see that Jesus is the Son of God. That he is the king not only of Israel.
by the King of Kings and Lord. of Lords. Jesus invites us to come. He invites us to follow thirdly very quickly He invites you to see verse forty eight. Or verse forty-nine.
Nathaniel answered to him, Rabbi, you are the Son of God, you are the king of Israel. Jesus answered and said to him, Because I said to you that I saw you under the fig tree, do you believe? You shall see. Here it is. You shall see greater things than these.
And he said to him, Truly, truly, I say to you, you shall see The heavens opened. And the angels of God ascending and descending on the sun. of man. Jesus invites you to see these four disciples come to Jesus. They follow Jesus, but they're going to see much, much more.
Verse thirty nine Jesus said to Andrew and John, Come and you will see. Verse forty-six, Philip says to Nathaniel, come and see.
Now Jesus says to Nathanael, You will see greater things. These disciples Andrew, Peter, Philip and Nathaniel are about to embark on the most unbelievable adventure of their life, the most stretching experience of their life. They came to Jesus. They followed Jesus.
Now we have so much to see. And the eyes of their heart are going to be opened. And Nathaniel is impressed that Ever before Philip spoke to him about Jesus. Jesus saw him under the fig tree, and Jesus, in effect, says, You think that's a big deal? That's nothing.
Nothing. you are going to see much Greater than that, in fact. Your eyes are going to be opened. Nathaniel and you're going to see the heavens open And the angels ascending and descending on the sun of man. That's it.
Disciples, have an insatiable desire to see and to learn. I sometimes hear people say, well, I find the Christian faith boring. Preaching is boring, Bible study is boring, worship is boring, church is boring. Really? If you talk like that, it's obvious.
that your spiritual eyes are not open. Do you know what I find boring? I find it boring when I'm told I've got to be interested whether Britney Spears shaves her head or not. With all due respect, who cares? That's boring.
to be told of people who are held up to us as celebrities. And the more we see of them, And the more I read of them and the more I see about them, I see such hollow. Immoral. desperate Lives. checking in and out of rehab.
And this is being a celebrity. These are kind of models to us. To me, what a boring empty. Pitiful. Life.
That our world portrays in front of us and says, This is interesting. You must be interested in this. And then someone tells me that. Knowing Jesus. And having my eyes open to Jesus is boring.
And the church is boring. and that reading the eternal word of God is boring? No. We pray, open the eyes of my heart, Lord. I want to see that which is eternal, that which is spiritual.
That which will last forever. I want to learn, as we were singing, more of your amazing grace that changes us and transforms us. That those who have a personal encounter with Jesus. are characterized as his disciples. Of wanting to see and to learn and to be transformed by God's truth, meeting the eternal God.
Following the King of Kings and Lord of Lords is anything but boring. It's a life of faith. an exciting life of faith. Finding our satisfaction and joy in God Himself. Wondering in the future where God will lead us, having our ears open to hear His word, our eyes open to learn more and more truths about Him, because Jesus still says, Come.
He still says follow. He still says, see, and central to the mission of church is to make authentic. followers, authentic disciples of Jesus. And you say Well, that's okay for some people. But I don't need that.
I've got my own philosophy of life. I really don't need Jesus. Did you not notice verse fifty-one? Jesus says, You will see, Nathaniel, the heavens opened, and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man. The original Israel, Jacob in Genesis 28, falls asleep and has a dream, and in that dream, there's a ladder from earth to heaven.
and as Jacob, to his amazement, looks at that ladder, he sees the angels. ascending and descending.
Now says Jesus, look, You, Nathaniel, are going to see the heavens opened. And you're going to see angels descending and ascending, but now it's not on a ladder.
Now it is on The very sun. of God. Jacob said in Genesis twenty eight, this is the gate of heaven. Jesus is now saying, I am the gate of heaven. I'm the contact between heaven and earth.
I am the door. I am the way. The truth and the life. People say, How can you say that Jesus is the only way? He's the only one who came from heaven to earth.
And he's the only one. Who can let you into heaven? He is the only contact Between Heaven. and earth. Without Jesus, you'll never get into heaven.
He brings divine blessings to us now as he transforms our life, and when we die, he will bring us. To heaven. And through his death on the cross, Jesus makes it possible for sinful people like you and me, like Nathaniel, and Philip, and Peter, and Andrew, and John Monroe, and you. To get to heaven and to commune with heaven. He is the meeting point between heaven.
and the earth. In Jesus, heaven comes to earth. In Jesus we go. from Earth. to heaven.
So today Will you listen? to his voice. Do you hear him say to you? Come. Do you hear him say?
Follow me. Do you hear him say? Come and see. And I will open your eyes and transform your horizons. If you have heard the voice of Jesus through His Spirit and His Word, Will you come?
Some of you need to come to Jesus. and receive him as your saviour.
Some of you need to come and rededicate your life because you have not been following very closely. You've been playing at being a Christian. You want Jesus, but you want to live your own life, and Jesus says, No, you've got to come and follow me. And some of you have fallen into a dull, routine cultural Christianity. And your faith has got stale.
Yes, and boring. Will you come? And humbly kneel and say, Lord, open the eyes of my heart. I'm coming. I'm following.
Help me. To see. This is the verdict with Pastor John Monroe. and a message called Following Jesus. If you missed any part of this lesson, you can find the complete message by visiting us online.
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Now, here's Pastor John Monroe.
Well, what's your verdict? What do you think of these disciples, these ordinary men? It's easy to criticize others who are not perfect. But each one of us must look at ourselves. Have you encountered Jesus personally?
Do you know him? as your Saviour and Lord. Are you following him? Has it made any difference in your life? Are you telling others about Jesus?
To follow Jesus is to be touched and changed by the Master's hand. Make sure you join us next time. as we encounter Jesus and think of shattered dreams at a wedding. Thanks for joining us today on The Verdict. I'm Michelle Davies.
Today's program with Pastor John Monroe was produced and sponsored by Calvary Church in Charlotte, North Carolina. Mm.
