Finding Jesus Series

Journeying with John, It’s a Trip (JWJ-10)

Finding Jesus

John 1:43-51

I had to smile this week as I came across some cynical statements that I thought you would enjoy - a few of them I had not yet heard.

 If you think nobody cares about you, try missing a couple of payments.

 For every action, there is an equal and opposite criticism.

 He who hesitates is probably right.

 No one is listening until you make a mistake.

 Monday is an awful way to spend 1/7th of your life.

 Bills travel through the mail at twice the speed of checks.

 42.7 percent of all statistics are made up on the spot.

 Two wrongs are only the beginning.

Some people just have a way of seeing things that the rest of us miss. This morning I want us to read in the gospel of John about a cynic - a cynic that found Jesus.

Please open your Bibles with me to the Gospel of John as together we finish looking at the first chapter of that book. John, chapter 1, and I would like to read for us from verse 43 to 51.

This morning’s account is one of the most intriguing you will read in the Bible, and I believe as we open this passage together the Holy Spirit is going to give many insight into these Scriptures that you have never had before. This story is so personal and spontaneous that it must have been a story that Nathaniel told again and again about his first meeting with Jesus.

John 1:43-51 - Read - Pray

This morning I do not have any points that form an outline. I did at one stage during the prep - but they seemed too forced, so I dropped them. But I want to talk with you from this passage about “Finding Jesus”

Has it ever occurred to you that it appears if God is so random in His actions and selections – this passage certainly takes me there. I mean, stop and think about it.

• A sovereign God creates millions and millions of angels knowing that one third of them would rebel - and start a war that would ultimately cost millions and millions of soul eternity in Hell.

• He makes a world perfect by even His standards and then turns it over to humans that He knew would mess it up.

• He chooses a people to be His own and then has them crushed and taken off into captivity.

• He sends His Son whom He loves into a world knowing they will kill Him by the most painful death known to man.

• In our passage this morning Jesus walks down the street and randomly chooses disciples. These are 12 people that the entire church will grow from. Somebody said that would be like the President stopping his motorcade one day in the middle of Washington, pointing to some random person in the crowd and saying, “I would like you to be my finance minister.”

Have you ever looked at how random some of God’s ways are? It looked random from where we sat - did it not? How many of us when we look at our lives see the mess – it always looks random until we get to the end. In process, God’s ways often look random - and sometimes painful. But precious believer - in all things God is working for the good of those who love Him, who are called according to His purpose.

Not everybody is out looking for Jesus. The truth is that there are many Atheists who do not believe that this is a God, and many Agnostics who believe there is a God but that He cannot be known. Well those people are not out looking for God this morning. I would suspect that nobody here this morning falls into one of those two categories otherwise it would make no sense for you to be here - unless you really like the free coffee.

But over the years I have learned that those looking for God fall into a number of categories.

The Critics - you get the critics - these people believe there is a God but somewhere along the way the pain of life or the bad experiences of church life of religion just wigged them out - and they developed a critical spirit. Having a critical spirit is a terrible thing because it closes the door to value you may receive or change you may enjoy or revelation you may need.

The Skeptics - these people do not believe - it is not that the have a critical spirit - their problem is not in the realm of intellect, but their problem is in the realm of faith - they simply do not believe that you have the answers.