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Proverbs 8:13-24
13 The fear of the LORD is to hate evil; Pride and arrogance and the evil way And the
perverse mouth I hate.
14 Counsel is mine, and sound wisdom; I am understanding, I have strength.
15 By me kings reign, And rulers decree justice.
16 By me princes rule, and nobles, All the
judges of the earth.
17 I love those who love me, And those who seek
me diligently will find me.
18 Riches and honor are with me, Enduring riches and righteousness.
19 My fruit is better than gold, yes, than fine gold, And my revenue than
choice silver.
20 I traverse the way of righteousness, In the
midst of the paths of justice,
21 That I may cause those who love me to inherit
wealth, That I may fill their treasuries.
22 "The LORD possessed me at the beginning
of His way, Before His works of old.
23 I have been established from everlasting,
From the beginning, before there was ever an earth.
24 When there
were no depths I was brought forth, When there were no fountains abounding with water.
Father God, bless and guide our loved ones and us in our
daily walk. Open our hearts to your calling so that we can hear you voice. In Jesus name we pray, Amen!
Gospel of John 1:41-51 NKJV
This week’s lesson is about the
gathering of the Apostles. The way they responded tells us that they were
already followers of Jesus even before they found Jesus. They believed because
the Word of God told them what to watch for, they were students of the
scriptures. We are in the same situation today, we need to believe and be ready
for the Rapture that could happen very soon with the turmoil that is in the
Middle East.
41 He first
found his own brother Simon, and said to him, "We have found the
Messiah" (which is translated, the Christ).
He first found his own brother Simon,
and said to him; He
in this phrase is referring to Andrew. Did you notice another word that
signifies something in Andrew’s revelation of the Messiah? What about the word “first”.
It states Andrew first found his brother. I think it is safe to say that Andrew
was so excited that he was telling everyone he saw that they had found the
Messiah.
Andrew’s
action here is replicated by every Born Again individual. When a person repents
and accepts Jesus as their Saviour the Holy Spirit of God takes up residence
within the saint’s heart and each person is filled with the excitement of
telling people about their experience and what Jesus did for them. When a
person finds Jesus they automatically want to share Jesus; they want their family,
friends, and people around them to experience the truth, love, and saving grace
of God that they are experiencing. It is something that is beyond anything here
on earth, because it is spiritual and for eternity. I believe this is the zeal
that Andrew had and was exhibiting for Christ.
"We have found the Messiah"
(which is translated, the Christ); Messiah,
Christ, Anointed are all synonyms and can be use interchangeably.
42 And he
brought him to Jesus. Now when Jesus looked at him, He said, "You are Simon the son of Jonah. You shall be called
Cephas" (which is translated, A Stone).
And he brought him to Jesus; This is in reference to Andrew
bringing Peter to Jesus.
Now when Jesus looked at him He said,
"You are Simon the son of Jonah; When
Jesus looked at Peter what do you suppose He saw? Jesus looked past Peter’s
outward appearance into his soul, who and what he was, and what he would
become.
This
is how Jesus looks at us and sees who and what we truly are. There is nothing
we can hide from Jesus, He knows all that we have done and all that we will do
before we do it, but He is also merciful and will forgive and forget our sins
if we repent and ask Him into our lives.
You shall be called Cephas"
(which is translated, A Stone); Jesus
changed Peters name because He saw what Peter would become, a rock solid
follower of Himself that would not waver. This solid rock didn’t come into
effect until after Jesus ascended into Heaven and it was then and throughout
the formation of the early church that Peter lived up to his new name.
Before
Jesus death Peter was rebuked (Mark 8:33; Luke 22:34) by Jesus and we all know that Peter
denied Jesus three times in the garden, but after Jesus ascension Peter stood
up and spoke the Gospel boldly along with pointing out what the leaders of the
Jews did. (Acts 2:37;
Acts 3:12-15).
43 The
following day Jesus wanted to go to Galilee, and He found Philip and said to
him, "Follow Me."
The
following day Jesus wanted to go to Galilee; Here is one example of the differences of Matthew, Mark,
and Luke’s Gospels compared to John’s. This phrase states that “Jesus wanted to
go to Galilee” without any mention of Him going into the wilderness and being
tempted by the Devil right after His baptism. If you go back to Part One which
is the introduction to the Book of John you will see why John left out the time
spent in the wilderness. This phrase is a parallel phrase with Luke 4:14 with
verse 13 telling us where Jesus was. Luke
4:13-14 Now when the devil had ended
every temptation, he departed from Him until an opportune time. 14 Then Jesus
returned in the power of the Spirit to Galilee, and news of Him went out
through all the surrounding region.
Did you realize the
greater part of Jesus ministry was carried out in Galilee? This was also foretold
in the OT by Isaiah some 800 years earlier. Isaiah 9:1-2 Nevertheless the gloom will not be upon her who is
distressed, As when at first He lightly esteemed The land of Zebulun and the
land of Naphtali, And afterward more heavily oppressed her, By the way of the sea, beyond the Jordan, In Galilee of the
Gentiles. 2 The people who walked in darkness Have seen a
great light; Those who dwelt in the land of the shadow of death, Upon them a
light has shined.
And He found Philip and said to him, "Follow Me."; It is unknown where Jesus found
Philip, but speculation is that it was in Galilee. He was the 5th
person to join the ranks of the Apostles.
The
two words uttered by Jesus, “Follow Me” tell us how much influence the Holy
Spirit had in these people following someone they didn’t or probably didn’t
know. If you were sitting by a roadside and someone walked up to you or drove
up and opened the vehicle door and said, Follow Me, what would you do? We would
no doubt run the other way, but the Holy Spirit was in complete control of this
encounter with Jesus and Philip.
44 Now
Philip was from Bethsaida, the city of Andrew and Peter.
This
town was located on the northern shore of the Sea of Galilee; it had been the
home of these men before they moved to Capernaum, which was about six miles away.
Bethsaida means literally a “house of hunting” or “a house of game,” and it was
probably situated on the banks of the Sea of Galilee, and supported itself by
hunting or fishing.
45 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."
Philip found Nathanael; Nathanael is also called “Bartholomew.”
We
have a domino effect of one person finding Jesus and then going and telling
someone else. No doubt these individuals had a desire and were seeking the
Messiah. They were obviously students of the scriptures by making quotes of
what was in the OT scriptures. It is likely they met and studies the Scriptures
together and were of like minds when it came to scripture. They no doubt
believed in what the prophets and Scripture stated. Just by what John is
writing here, you can tell they believed in what the OT stated and lived by it;
they knew it was God’s Word and not just some history writings to read for
enjoyment, which is how the majority of people view the Bible today. Most
people today view the Bible as being obsolete so they pick and choose what they
want to live by and not the complete Word of God.
And said to him, "We have found
Him of whom Moses in the law, and also the prophets, wrote; Here Philip is referencing the OT and
what Moses stated along with a statement from God. Philip also includes the
prophets, which tells us that he did indeed know the Word of God. Deuteronomy 18:15 "The LORD your God will raise up for you a
Prophet like me from your midst, from your brethren. Him you shall hear. Deuteronomy 18:18 I will raise up for them a Prophet
like you from among their brethren, and will put My words in His mouth, and He
shall speak to them all that I command Him.
Here
is a list of verses that can be looked up that came from the lips of prophets. Isaiah
53:1-12; Isaiah 9:6-7; Daniel 9:24-27; Jeremiah
23:5-6.
These
individuals that became Apostles knew the Word of God much better than the
educated Pharisees, because they could recognize Jesus the Messiah though
scripture. The Pharisees were supposed to be the go to leaders of the Jewish
people but they were blinded by their own interpretation, pride, arrogance, and
greed. It is sad that we still have this mentality today with denominations and
church leaders.
Jesus of Nazareth, the son of
Joseph."; Jesus wasn’t
the Son of Joseph, due to the Virgin Birth, but was referred to as his son for
obvious reasons.
46 And
Nathanael said to him, "Can anything good come out of Nazareth?"
Philip said to him, "Come and see."
And Nathanael said to him, "Can
anything good come out of Nazareth?"; Places carried much weight with the Jews of Jesus’ time.
Each famous place was linked with a great Biblical happening or person, which
gave it fame. As an example, although small, Bethlehem was famous because it
was the birthplace of David, the greatest King of Israel. Ramah was the
birthplace of Samuel. Shiloh was where the Tabernacle once stood. However,
“Nazareth” is not even mentioned in the Old Testament, much less being a place
of some prominence. Nathanael, aware of this, would have been startled by the
possibility of a carpenter’s Son, in a spot utterly undistinguished, being the
Messiah of Whom their sacred writers spoke (Reynolds).
Philip said to him, "Come and
see."; This was
the best way to answer Nathanael. He did not sit down to reason with him, or
speculate about the possibility that a good thing could come from Nazareth; but
he asked him to go and examine for himself, to see the Lord Jesus, to hear him
converse, to lay aside his prejudice, and to judge from a fair and candid
personal inquiry.
So
we should beseech sinners to lay aside their prejudices against religion, and
“to be believers,” and therefore make trial for themselves. If men can be
persuaded to come to Jesus, all their petty and foolish objections against God’s
Word will vanish. They will be satisfied from their own experience that it is
true, and in this way only, will they ever be satisfied.
47 Jesus saw
Nathanael coming toward Him, and said of him, "Behold,
an Israelite indeed, in whom is no deceit!"
What
is Jesus actually saying here? An Israelite; no deceit/guile?
An Israelite; One who is really an Israelite, not
by birth only, but one who possesses the spirit, the piety, and the integrity
which turns the heart of a man to fear God and obey his law? This is what
Nathanael was, a Jew inside and out. He had the faith in what the scripture
said and placed his faith in the deeper meaning of scripture. He went below the
surface and lived by faith in the coming of the Messiah. Paul makes similar statements in Romans
9:6 and Romans
2:28-29 pertaining to
being a Jew and loving God with a heart knowledge. Many of the Jewish people focused
on the law and not faith. Many times people display Christianity on the
outside, but inside are full of guile.
No
deceit or guile; meaning no
deception, no fraud, no hypocrisy. He is really what he professes to be, a Jew,
a descendant of the patriarch Jacob, fearing and serving God. He makes no
profession which he does not live up to. He does not say that Nathanael was
without guilt or sin, but that he had no disguise, no trick, no deceit, he was
sincere and upright. Jesus saw Nathaniel’s heart when He looked at him.
48 Nathanael
said to Him, "How do You know me?" Jesus answered and said to him, "Before Philip called you, when you were under the fig
tree, I saw you."
Nathanael said to Him, "How do
You know me?"; Nathanael’s
response to Jesus statement in the previous verse is one of curiosity, mystification,
perplexity, etc. We can assume that Nathanael and Jesus did not personally know
each other in a humanistic way.
Jesus answered and said to him, "Before Philip called you, when you were under the fig
tree, I saw you."; It
is not improbable that Nathanael was accustomed to retire to the shade of a
certain tree someplace for the purpose of meditation and prayer. Where this fig
tree was is not recorded. The Jews were much in the habit of selecting quiet
and peaceful places for private devotion. Our Saviour also worshipped in such
places. This verse also tells us that Jesus knows our every move, and thought,
and we can’t keep any secret from Him.
49 Nathanael
answered and said to Him, "Rabbi, You are the Son of God! You are the King
of Israel!"
Here
is a bold claim by Nathanael that Jesus was the long awaited Messiah. This
revelation was no doubt brought about by the Holy Spirit within Nathanael’s
heart. This is just one of John’s many examples and proof that he is
communicating that Jesus is the Son of God; King of Israel.
50 Jesus
answered and said to him, "Because I said to you,
'I saw you under the fig tree,' do you believe? You will see greater things
than these."
Greater
things Nathanael did see in the next three years. This type of faith that
Nathanael displayed is the type of faith we need to display.
51 And He
said to him, "Most assuredly, I say to you,
hereafter you shall see heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and
descending upon the Son of Man."
This
is a reference to Jacob's dream recorded in Gen_28:12. As the unique God-man, Jesus would
be the ladder between heaven and earth. Jesus is not saying that this would be
a physical experience (that they would see the ladder with their eyes) like the
Transfiguration, but that they would have spiritual insight into Jesus' true
nature and purpose for coming. Jesus opened the doors to Heaven and only
through faith in what Jesus did for us can we obtain our Heavenly Fathers
abode.
Next week we will learn about the
beginning of Jesus ministry and the first miracle at the wedding feast in Cana.
Colossians
1:16
For by Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth,
visible
and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers.
All things were created through Him and for
Him.
Romans
3:23 for
all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,
Romans
6:23
For the wages of sin is death,
but the gift of God is eternal
life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
John 3:3 Jesus answered and said to him, Most
assuredly, I say to you,
unless
one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God."
The
Lighthouse Full Gospel Church
Sinners Prayer; Pray this, and if you believe
it with your heart, Jesus will save you!
“Lord
Jesus I know I am a sinner. I confess my
sins to you; I am sorry for my sins; I repent (Meaning, desiring to turn from a
sinful lifestyle.) of all my sins, and I am asking for your forgiveness. I believe that only you can forgive sin. I commit my life to you and ask you to come
into my heart, direct, and take charge of my life. I believe that you died to set me free from
my sinful lifestyle and you rose from the dead to give me eternal life, and
right now you are seated at the Right Hand of God Almighty. I believe you are
the Son of God; the only Way, the only Truth, the only Life, and my
Savior.” I believe this and have faith
you will make a new person out of me, by sending the Holy Spirit to dwell in my
heart and lead me in a new life. In Jesus name I pray Amen.”
(John 3:16,17; Romans
3:23; 6:23; 5:8; 10:9-13; Ephesians
2:8-10; 1 John 5:11-14; 1:6-10)
(Sin: Rom. 1:22-32; Gal. 5:19-21; Eph.
5:3-7)
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