Bible Study - Neighbor (6) - Share CHRIST with Your Neighbor - John 1:40-49 - August 28, 2022

 

Bible Study – Neighbor (6) – Share CHRIST with Your Neighbor – August 28, 2022

This is our sixth and final lesson in our series entitled, “How to love your neighbor?”

Our focus scripture is John 1:40-49.

We love our neighbor when we tell them about JESUS.

Let’s read John 1:19-39: (introduction)

Here the Apostle John is writing about John the Baptist. John the Baptist was the herald or forerunner to announce the coming of the promised Messiah. If a king was entering a town or city a herald would run ahead of the king to alert the people of the area that the king was coming. GOD had called John the Baptist to be the herald or forerunner to announce that King Jesus, the Messiah had come to earth.

John the Baptist was the cousin of JESUS. In Mark 1:6, we read how John the Baptist dressed and what he ate, “⁶ John wore a camel-hair garment with a leather belt around his waist and ate locusts and wild honey.” He likely stood out as he walked about telling others about the coming of the promised Messiah. Now to our scripture ---

¹⁹ This was John’s (John the Baptist or Baptizer) testimony when the Jews from Jerusalem sent priests and Levites to ask him, “Who are you?”

²⁰ He didn’t deny it but confessed, “I am not the Messiah.”

²¹ “What then?” they asked him. “Are you Elijah?”

“I am not,” he said.

“Are you the Prophet?”

“No,” he answered.

²² “Who are you, then?” they asked. “We need to give an answer to those who sent us. What can you tell us about yourself?”

²³ He said, “I am a voice of one crying out in the wilderness: Make straight the way of the Lord^[l]—just as Isaiah the prophet said.”

²⁴ Now they had been sent from the Pharisees. ²⁵ So they asked him, “Why then do you baptize if you aren’t the Messiah, or Elijah, or the Prophet?”

²⁶ “I baptize with^[m] water,” John answered them. “Someone stands among you, but you don’t know him. ²⁷ He (JESUS) is the one coming after me,^[n] whose sandal strap I’m not worthy to untie.” ²⁸ All this happened in Bethany^[o] across the Jordan, where John was baptizing.

[Baptism is immersing a new believer under water. This is an example of that person dying to his or her old life and being resurrected to walk in his or her new life in JESUS. Baptism is a symbol of that person’s new life in JESUS.]

The Lamb of God (JESUS)

²⁹ The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, “Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world! ³⁰ This is the one I told you about: ‘After me comes a man who ranks ahead of me, because he existed before me.’ ³¹ I didn’t know him, but I came baptizing with water so that he might be revealed to Israel.” ³² And John testified, “I saw the Spirit descending from heaven like a dove, and he rested on him. ³³ I didn’t know him, but he who sent me to baptize with water told me, ‘The one you see the Spirit descending and resting on—he is the one who baptizes with the Holy Spirit.’ ³⁴ I have seen and testified that this is the Son of God.”^[p]

We read in Luke 3:21-22 about the baptism of JESUS:

²¹ When all the people were baptized, Jesus also was baptized. As he was praying, heaven opened, ²² and the Holy Spirit descended on him in a physical appearance like a dove. And a voice came from heaven: “You are my beloved Son; with you I am well-pleased.”

³⁵ The next day, John (the Baptist) was standing with two of his disciples. ³⁶ When he saw Jesus passing by, he said, “Look, the Lamb of God!”

³⁷ The two disciples heard him say this and followed Jesus. ³⁸ When Jesus turned and noticed them following him, he asked them, “What are you looking for?”

They said to him, “Rabbi” (which means “Teacher”), “where are you staying?”

³⁹ “Come and you’ll see,” he replied. So, they went and saw where he was staying, and they stayed with him that day. It was about four in the afternoon.^[q]

Let’s read John 1:40-42:

⁴⁰ Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, was one of the two who heard John and followed him. ⁴¹ He first found his own brother Simon and told him, “We have found the Messiah”^[r] (which is translated “the Christ”),  ⁴² and he brought Simon to Jesus.

Two of John the Baptist’s followers heard what John the Baptist said about JESUS. We know that Andrew was one disciple, who is the brother of Simon Peter but we do not know the name of the other follower. Notice that Andrew’s first response was to go find his brother, Simon Peter. Andrew’s message to Peter was, “we have found the Messiah.”

This is what happens when we find JESUS, we want to tell others about HIM. JESUS is The Promised Messiah Who takes away the sins of the world. Of course, most Jews were looking for an earthly ruler but JESUS is much greater than an earthly ruler. JESUS is the One and Only Eternal Ruler Whose Kingdom is eternal.

⁴¹ He (Andrew) first found his own brother Simon and told him, “We have found the Messiah”^[r] (which is translated “the Christ - When Jesus saw him, he said, “You are Simon, son of John.^[s] You will be called Cephas” (which is translated “Peter”^[t]).

JESUS gave Simon a new name, “Cephas,” which means rock. JESUS had plans for Peter but little did Peter know that he would deny JESUS three times before he would become that rock.

Many of us who start off well as a follower of JESUS, at some point in our journey, get into the weeds or mirey clay doing life. Once we, who have placed our faith in JESUS, are Spiritually born into GOD’S Family, we are never Spiritually unborn. GOD is very clear that once a person has accepted JESUS as his or her Savior, that person eternally belongs to GOD.

The parable of the prodigal son/daughter is so precious. Those who have been Spiritually born into the family of GOD never become Spiritually unborn. You are GOD’S Child eternally. If you have been in the weeds of sin, wake up and confess what you have done and come home to JESUS. HE waits with open arms.

JESUS was building HIS group of twelve disciples. Notice that JESUS called HIS disciple from various walks in life. Yet, it seems that they had been seeking to walk with GOD and were looking for the coming of the promised Messiah. JESUS still calls all to walk with HIM as the Holy Spirit searches and seeks those who will follow HIM.

As followers of JESUS, the Holy Spirit still prompts us to seek those who JESUS seeks as HIS followers. Keep in mind Satan does not want us to speak to others regarding salvation and eternal life. Know that once we belong to JESUS, we are an enemy to Satan but greater is HE that is in us than he who is in the world. (1 John 1:4 - ⁴ You are from God, little children, and you have conquered them, because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world. )

Let’s read John 1:43-46:

Philip and Nathanael

⁴³ The next day Jesus^[u] decided to leave for Galilee. He found Philip and told him, “Follow me.”

⁴⁴ Now Philip was from Bethsaida, the hometown of Andrew and Peter. ⁴⁵ Philip found Nathanael and told him, “We have found the one Moses wrote about in the law (and so did the prophets): Jesus the son of Joseph, from Nazareth.”

⁴⁶ “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?” Nathanael asked him.

“Come and see,” Philip answered.

This gives us a clue that those JESUS was calling knew the scripture and had been looking when the promised Messiah would come. Jewish boys began their study of the Hebrew scripture at about the age of five. It is likely they had studied Deuteronomy 18:15-18:

¹⁵ “The Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among your own brothers. You must listen to him. ¹⁶ This is what you requested from the Lord your God at Horeb on the day of the assembly when you said, ‘Let us not continue to hear the voice of the Lord our God or see this great fire any longer, so that we will not die!’ ¹⁷ Then the Lord said to me, ‘They have spoken well. ¹⁸ I will raise up for them a prophet like you from among their brothers. I will put my words in his mouth, and he will tell them everything I command him. 

On Mount Sini, GOD wanted to speak directly to the Israelites like HE did to Moses. What prevented them from having a personal relationship with GOD? Let’s read Exodus 20:18-21:

¹⁸ All the people witnessed^[a] the thunder and lightning, the sound of the ram’s horn, and the mountain surrounded by smoke. When the people saw it^[b] they trembled and stood at a distance. ¹⁹ “You speak to us, and we will listen,” they said to Moses, “but don’t let God speak to us, or we will die.”

²⁰ Moses responded to the people, “Don’t be afraid, for God has come to test you, so that you will fear him and will not^[c] sin.” ²¹ And the people remained standing at a distance as Moses approached the total darkness where God was.

GOD sent JESUS for all who place their faith in HIM can approach GOD’S throne of grace with full confidence and without fear that GOD listens to us. GOD listens to HIS Children and those who cry out to HIM for salvation through faith in JESUS. JESUS is our mediator and Savior.

Let’s read John 1:47-49:

⁴⁷ Then Jesus saw Nathanael coming toward him and said about him, “Here truly is an Israelite in whom there is no deceit.”

⁴⁸ “How do you know me?” Nathanael asked.

“Before Philip called you, when you were under the fig tree, I saw you,” Jesus answered.

⁴⁹ “Rabbi,” Nathanael replied, “You are the Son of God; you are the King of Israel!”

The watchful eye of GOD seeks those who are searching for HIM. JESUS is the connector to GOD through the miracle of Spiritual Birth. GOD sent JESUS to remove the barrier of sin. This opened the path for all who place their faith in JESUS to have an intimate, personal relationship with GOD. There is no other way to GOD except by placing your faith in JESUS. JESUS connects all humans to GOD through the miracle of Spiritual birth or being “born-again.”

GOD’S Spirit, The Holy Spirit, joins the human spirit to bring about Spiritual Birth into GOD’S Family. JESUS willingly gave HIS sinless life upon the cross. HE shed HIS sinless blood to pay the sin debt, in full, for each person. However, every person must accept what JESUS did for him or her. Doing so, results in a person being eternally, Spiritually born into GOD’S Family, never to be Spiritually unborn.

What does this mean? It means spending eternity in Heaven with GOD and JESUS.

True Christianity is not a religion but a relationship with GOD, through faith in JESUS.

How to ask JESUS to come into your heart:

Dear JESUS, thank YOU for giving YOUR life to abolish sin. I ask YOU to forgive me for my sins and for YOU to come into my life now that I might experience eternal life through the miracle of Spiritual birth. Thank YOU and thank YOU for confirming YOUR presence in my life by the eternal presence of the Holy Spirit.

Blessings!!!

 

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