This is my story: Philip and Nathaniel

John 1:35-51

 

Opening Words: We have one thing in common. The Master has touched each one of our lives. However, each one of us came to Christ in a different way. In other words, each one of us has a different story. Some stories are quite dramatic, like the Apostle Paul‘s on the Damascus Road. Some stories are quite simple, like mine. This is the truth. The details of the story really doesn’t matter. The only thing that matters is that at point in your life you accepted Jesus as your Lord and Savior. On this third Sunday of Lent we hear how Philip and Nathaniel came to know Christ. May God give you ears to hear these words from the first chapter of the gospel of John, verses forty-three through fifty-one.

 

John 1:43-51 43The next day Jesus decided to leave for Galilee. Finding Philip, he said to him, "Follow me." 44Philip, like Andrew and Peter, was from the town of Bethsaida. 45Philip found Nathanael and told him, "We have found the one Moses wrote about in the Law, and about whom the prophets also wrote—Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph." 46"Nazareth! Can anything good come from there?" Nathanael asked. "Come and see," said Philip. 47When Jesus saw Nathanael approaching, he said of him, "Here is a true Israelite, in whom there is nothing false." 48"How do you know me?" Nathanael asked. Jesus answered, "I saw you while you were still under the fig tree before Philip called you." 49Then Nathanael declared, "Rabbi, you are the Son of God; you are the King of Israel." 50Jesus said, "You believe because I told you I saw you under the fig tree. You shall see greater things than that." 51He then added, "I tell you the truth, you shall see heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man."

 

In September of 1985 a celebration was held at the New Orleans municipal pool. For the first time in memory the city went an entire summer without a single drowning. In honor of the occasion, 200 people gathered at the pool, including 100 certified lifeguards. As the party was breaking up and the four lifeguards on duty began to clear the pool, they found a fully dressed body in the deep end. They tried to revive Jerome Moody, 31, but it was too late. This is the sad fact. He had drowned surrounded lifeguards.

 

Could that be the story of our world today? On nearly every corner there stands church building. Every church represents a different denomination. Some of those churches are Lutheran or Presbyterian. Some of those churches are Orthodox or Roman Catholics. Some of those churches are Episcopalians or United Methodists. Some of those churches boldly boast they are Independents. Let us be honest. There are no shortages of church buildings. How many church buildings did you pass on the way to Western Reserve this morning? So why is it so many are still ignorant about Jesus? Why is it so many people are perishing without knowing Jesus? It is like drowning in a swimming pool that is filled with lifeguards.

 

Today, I do not want to talk about church buildings or programs. I do not wants to talk about budgets or goals. I want to talk about my favorite topic, Jesus! If you have forgotten, he is the reason we gather here every week. I don’t just want to talk about Jesus. I want to encourage you to talk about Jesus. When was the last time you told someone what Jesus means to you? Our scripture lesson for today comes from the very first chapter of John. It is the calling of Philip and Nathanael. However, it is more. It is a wonderful model of evangelism. They come in the form of three things you must remember. I hope you don’t just remember these principles. I hope you use them so you can tell some what Jesus means to you. So if you are ready to begin say, “Amen!”

 

Experience Jesus

This is the first divine truth you must remember. You must experience Jesus for yourself. God has no grandchildren, only children. In the scripture lesson for today, we learn that Jesus started a new day and on that new day Jesus decided to leave Galilee. That fact is important because Jesus was extremely important because Jesus was extremely popular in Galilee. As he travels along he comes across Philip. Verse 43 says, “Finding Philip, he said to him, "Follow me.” Don’t just jump over that line. Think about it! If you are going to tell someone about Jesus then you must know Jesus first. That is just logical. This is the phrase that always fills my head. If you want to make a disciple then you must be a disciple. That simple phrase is simple to understand. Philip experienced Jesus on the day that the Master was headed out of Galilee. When did you first experience Jesus?

 

When I was in seminary I had a friend by the name of Duke. He wasn’t a student. He was my apartment manager. He had worked on the shrimp boats in Florida and moved to the Blue Grass State when he married his wife, Diana. Duke had a wonderful servant’s heart. He worked on the church bus at the local Methodist Church. He gave us poor seminary students free furniture when people skip out on their rent. He hosted a monthly picnic for the seminary students. If I close my eyes I can still see him. He was tall and thin with wild hair and an ungroomed beard. We would say, “Duke, why don’t you get a hair cut and trim that beard?” He would say, “No way! This way I look more like Jesus. I know because I have seem him.” Each one of us starving students had heard his testimony. It went like this…

 

When Duke was a young man, he was a wild man. His past was filled with drinking and drugs. I am sure entertained a few wild women. His lifestyle was self destructive. According to Duke, one night he was out drinking. He got in his car as drunk as a skunk and started to drive. In a few seconds Duke was driving at a high rate of speed. Suddenly he heard a voice in the car. It startled him because he thought he was a lone. When he looked over he saw Jesus sitting in the passenger seat. According to Duke, the Master looked at him and said sternly, “Duke, pull over. He are going to kill yourself and others.” He said, he pulled over, got out of his car and fell asleep in the weeds. He said that short discussion with Jesus changed his life. She left the wild life and accepted Jesus. He said he would serve Jesus the rest of his life because Jesus literally saved his life. Duke told his story at every opportunity. Do you believe Duke say Jesus that night? It does matter if you do, he did!

 

This is the question everyone in the life of the church must answer. Have you experienced Jesus? For once you experience Jesus, everything changes. It isn’t just true of Duke. It is also true for you and me. And all of God’s people said, “Amen!” Maybe the reason you have never shared Jesus, is that you have never experienced Jesus!

 

Share Jesus

As the story goes the world famous violinist Fritz Kreisler (1875-1962) discovered an exquisite violin on one of his trips. He wanted buy it. However, he didn’t have enough money. In time he acquired enough money but discovered the prized violin had been sold to a collector. Kreisler went to the collector to purchase the instrument. The problem was the collector said he would never sell it because the violin was his prized possession. Keenly disappointed, Kreisler was about to leave when he had an idea. "Could I play the instrument once more before it is consigned to silence?" he asked. Permission was granted, and the great virtuoso filled the room with such heart-moving music that the collector's emotions were deeply stirred. "I have no right to keep that to myself," he exclaimed. "It's yours, Mr. Kreisler. Take it into the world, and let people hear it." It isn’t just true of prized violins. It is also true of Jesus! You shouldn’t keep him to yourself. You must share Jesus with the world, your world.

 

This is the second divine truth that you must remember. Once you experience Jesus, you must share Jesus. Look at the story with me. Jesus is leaving Galilee and invites Philip to go with him. Philip doesn’t just go. First, he tells Nathaniel about Jesus. To say the least Nathaniel is a little skeptical about the Master. But once he experiences Jesus for himself, everything changes in his life! When was the last time you shared Jesus?

 

One of the basic functions of the church is to simply share Jesus. Throughout the season of Lent, we have been gathering on Wednesday nights for dinner and communion. The food is good but the worship is better. People are telling their stories about how they came to know Jesus. Never underestimate the power of sincere words. The first week we heard about how a spouse who prayed for his wife’s salvation. At the age of 42 she accepted Jesus at a camp meeting. Last Wednesday a young college student stood up and told how this church cultivated her spiritual maturity. They were comforting words for every parent, Sunday school teacher, youth group advisor and pastor. Her words were powerful for many reasons. Her words were welcomed because she reminded us that we are making a difference in people’s lives. Why? Because we are sharing Jesus! And all of God’s people said, “Amen!”

 

Trust Jesus

This is the third divine truth that you must remember. Once you experience Jesus then you must trust Jesus. Return to the story with me one more time. Philip tells Nathaniel about Jesus but Nathaniel must experience Jesus for himself. In their first discussion Nathaniel is impressed with Jesus. Why? Because Jesus knew about Nathaniel personally. In verses 50 and 51 Jesus warns Nathanael about his future. Once he experienced Jesus everything changed. His future changed. Tradition tells us Nathanael told the people of Turkey, Iran, Iraq and India about Jesus. I am also sad to report that tradition tells us that Nathanael (also called Bartholomew) he was skinned alive and beheaded. If you are going to experience Jesus and share Jesus then you must trust Jesus. And all of God’s people said, “Amen!”

 

History tells us President and Mrs. Benjamin Harrison were so intimidated by the newfangled electricity installed in the White House they didn't dare touch the switches. If there were no servants around to turn off the lights when the Harrisons went to bed, they slept with them on. That is a silly story but it makes a point. Fear has a way paralyzing.

 

In the life of the church we are to trust Jesus. So why is it we spend so much time being paralyzed by fear. I hear it all the time. People are afraid to go on a volunteer in missions trip because they are afraid of flying, eating strange food or being outside of the United States. They are afraid they wouldn’t be able to leave the orphans. They would have to take one home. People are afraid to send our youth on a mission trip because the highway are unsafe and they may fall off a ladder. We are afraid to help people outside of our community because we don’t know them. We are afraid to give money to the people of Chile and Haiti because we don’t trust the organization that will handle it. We are afraid to start a new ministry because we are afraid the money won’t come. People are afraid to try something new because everyone my not like it. We are afraid to tell people about Jesus because we are afraid we may offend someone. Or worse yet they might laugh at us or think we are strange. Do I have to go on? You have heard those paralyzing words from frightened people. If you really trusting Jesus then why are you afraid? Can I tell you the truth? I am tired of sleeping with the light on. I am tired of being afraid. Our time has come as a church. It is time that we trusted Jesus! And all of God’s trusting people said, “Amen!“

　

I end today with the challenge I gave you on Ash Wednesday. I want you to tell your story. How did you came to meet Jesus? You won’t just be telling you story to entertain people. You will be throwing someone in your life who is spiritually drowning a life preserver. Philip told Nathaniel about Jesus. Who are you going to tell? And all of God’s people said, “Amen!”