Introduction

Greetings, dear friends, and welcome. We gather here today, not as mere spectators, but as active participants in the grand narrative of God's love. As we gather in this sacred space, we are reminded of the profound words of the esteemed preacher Aiden Wilson Tozer, who once said, "If I am to wholly follow the Lord Jesus Christ, I must forsake everything that is contrary to Him."

Indeed, we are all travelers, seeking to understand and to be understood, to love and to be loved, to serve and to be served. We are all on a path, a path that leads us closer to the heart of God, a path that shapes us into the image of Christ, a path that calls us to a life of faith, hope, and love.

Discovering the Divine

In the Gospel of John, we find an intriguing encounter between Jesus and two men, Philip and Nathanael. This encounter is an invitation for each of us to experience a personal encounter with the divine. When Jesus calls Philip to follow him, Philip's response is immediate and enthusiastic.

Philip doesn't just accept the invitation for himself; he rushes to share the good news with Nathanael. The divine is a living, breathing reality that we can encounter in our daily lives. The divine is Jesus, the Word made flesh, who dwells among us and invites us to follow him. This is the heart of the Christian faith: a personal relationship with God through Jesus Christ.

The second aspect is the transformative power of this divine encounter. When Philip shares the good news with Nathanael, Nathanael is skeptical. He questions whether anything good can come from Nazareth. But Philip doesn't argue with Nathanael or try to convince him with logical arguments. Instead, he invites Nathanael to come and see for himself.

When Nathanael meets Jesus, his skepticism is replaced with faith. He declares, "Rabbi, you are the Son of God; you are the king of Israel." Encountering the divine isn't just about gaining new information or learning new facts. It's about transformation. It's about having our doubts replaced with faith, our skepticism replaced with certainty, and our questions replaced with awe and wonder.

Next is the inclusivity of the divine encounter. Jesus doesn't just call the religious elite or the morally upright to follow him. He calls ordinary people like Philip and Nathanael. He calls people from different backgrounds and different walks of life. He calls the skeptic and the believer, the insider and the outsider, the saint and the sinner. This is a reminder that the divine encounter is for everyone. No one is excluded or left out. Everyone is invited to come and see, to experience the transformative power of God's love.

Delving into Discipleship

As we continue to reflect on the passage from John, we see Philip's encounter with Jesus as an invitation to discipleship ... View this full PRO sermon free with PRO