Help More People Meet Jesus Christ! Series

God Wants Us to Help More People Meet Jesus

The Gospel of John

John 1:43-51

Sermon by Rick Crandall

Grayson Baptist Church - April 27, 2016

(Revised June 21, 2019)

*If you are a Christian today, let me ask you: How did you meet Jesus?

*I know a lady who has an unusual salvation story. Her name is Sherryl, and she didn't get saved until she was thirty. One day she was at home laying on the couch. And Sherryl was as lost and miserable as she could be.

*Then she changed the channel on the TV, and it landed on a TV preacher. Sherryl was just about to change the channel again, but the preacher said: "There you are, laying on the couch. You are 30 years old, and you are just as miserable as you can be. All you've ever wanted is to be happy. But you will never be happy until you receive Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior."

*Sherryl got saved right then and there, and that is a wonderful story. Many people have been saved through radio, television and internet ministries. The very evangelistic, well known Presbyterian Pastor D. James Kennedy was saved through a radio ministry. (1- Details at the end of this sermon)

*And we can thank God for all of those wonderful stories! But media ministries are not the most common way for people to meet Jesus. Probable eighty percent of Christians in our churches today were saved in part because somebody invited them to church. But they weren't just inviting them to church. They were inviting them to come and meet Jesus Christ! (2)

*Here's how it usually went for us: A Christian got concerned about us. It was probably someone we know, maybe someone in our family, or a friend, a neighbor, or someone at work. They got concerned about us and began to pray for us. Somehow, they shined the light and love of Jesus Christ before us. Then, as we were willing to listen, they told us about what God had done in their life. And they invited us to come to church. Then we heard more of God's Word, and God's Holy Spirit continued to work in our hearts. Then one glorious day, we believed in Jesus Christ and received Him as our Lord and Savior!

*Invitations make a difference! I am standing here tonight, because of an invitation Georgia Savoie gave to me over 40 years ago. Georgia simply invited a new co-worker to church, a lost co-worker, one who by the grace of God was seeking the truth. She invited someone who was almost ready to receive Jesus Christ, and I did get saved less than two months later.

*How did you happen to come to this church? A few of us are here because God led us by the still, small voice of His Spirit, but the majority of us are here because one day, someone who cared about us invited us to come. And one of the best reasons why we should invite people to church is because it works.

*But tonight's Scripture gives us some even better reasons to invite other people.

1. THE FIRST REASON IS BECAUSE JESUS IS OUR MODEL.

*Our perfect Lord and Savior is the model for every good and decent thing we ought to do, and that includes inviting people to come and see Him.

*Back up in vs. 36-37, John the Baptist told two of his disciples that Jesus was the Lamb of God. They began to follow Jesus to find out more about Him, and in vs. 38-39:

38. . . Jesus turned, and seeing them following, said to them, "What do you seek?'' They said to Him, "Rabbi'' (which is to say, when translated, Teacher), "where are You staying?''

39. He said to them, "Come and see. . .''

*Jesus gave them an invitation, and in tonight's Scripture, He gave another invitation. In vs. 43: "The following day Jesus wanted to go to Galilee, and He found Philip and said to him, 'Follow Me.'"

*Jesus Christ found Philip. That's because Jesus is not only the sacrificial Lamb of God who died to take away the sin of the world. Jesus is also the Good Shepherd who came to find His lost sheep. He came to seek and to save that which was lost. Jesus found Philip.

*Christians: Aren't you glad that Jesus found you? And what does He say when He finds us? "Follow Me." Follow Jesus. Walk in the footsteps of the Lord. Walk in the ways of the Lord.

*That's what Jesus told Philip: "Follow Me." And Philip said, "I will!" But not only did Philip say it. He did it! So, in vs. 45-46, we see Philip finding Nathanael:

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.''