Making Disciples Series

Making Disciples

Text: John 1:35-42

Introduction

1. Illustration: A story is told – by Fredrick Beuchner I believe – called "The Happy Hypocrite." It is a story about a man who was born with an awful facial deformity. He grew up alone and lonely. When reaching adulthood, he decided to move from his town to begin a new life. On his way he discovered a beautiful mask that fit his making him look handsome. At first the mask was uncomfortable and he was afraid that people would find out who he really was, but he continued to wear the mask everyday.

In his new hometown, he made many friends and fell in love. But one day a wicked woman from his old home came to his town and discovered this man’s true identity. In front of his friends and fiancé, she forced him to remove his mask. When he removed the mask, it revealed a handsome face. His face had conformed to the mask.

Becoming like Christ is a lot like this story. Go ahead and put on Christ. At first it may feel unnatural or uncomfortable, and maybe you may think, "who am I trying to fool?" But everyday just keep putting on Christ and everyday you will grow to look more like him.

2. This is what our goal is; getting people to look like Jesus. We call that process discipleship.

3. I can't think of a better person to learn how to do this from than Jesus himself.

4. In order to make disciples we...

a. Point them to Jesus

b. Teach them to follow Jesus

c. Teach them to allow Jesus to change their destiny

Proposition: The way we make disciples is by showing them how to look like Jesus.

5. Let's stand together as we read John 1:35-42.

Transition: The first step in helping people become a disciple is to...

I. Point Them To Jesus (35-37).

A. Look!

1. The first, and most important, thing to do is point them to Jesus.

2. Look with at vv. 35-36. It says, "The following day John was again standing with two of his disciples. As Jesus walked by, John looked at him and declared, “Look! There is the Lamb of God!”

a. One of the two disciples (i.e., "learners"; the word meant those who had attached themselves to a given teacher) is subsequently named Andrew, but the other's name is not given.

b. From early times it has been thought that he was the beloved disciple John, and, while this is not proven, it may well be the case.

c. It would accord with this that we have some touches of an eyewitness, the picture of John "standing," and the look he gave Jesus as he walked (Morris, The New International Commentary on the New Testament – The Gospel According to John, 136).

d. Both these men had followed John the Baptist until he pointed them to the Lamb of God, Jesus Christ.

e. Why did these disciples leave John the Baptist? Because that’s what John wanted them to do—he was pointing the way to Jesus, the one John had prepared them to follow.

f. This was the second time that John declared that Jesus was the Lamb of God (Barton, Life Application New Testament Commentary, 377).

3. Now look at the result of John pointing his disciples to Jesus. It says, "When John’s two disciples heard this, they followed Jesus."

a. The Baptist on this occasion said nothing about following Jesus.

b. But his whole ministry was forward-looking, and he had instructed his disciples well.

c. Thus when this pair heard Jesus acclaimed as "the Lamb of God" they knew what was expected of them.

d. They immediately left John and followed Jesus. The verb "followed" is in the tense appropriate for once-for-all action, which may indicate that they cast in their lot with Jesus.

e. They did not mean to make a tentative inquiry but to give themselves to him.

f. We should also notice that the verb has both a general sense of "follow" and a more specific sense of "follow as a disciple."

g. They walked down the path after Jesus and thus followed. But they also symbolically committed themselves to him (Morris, 136).

h. This was a great tribute to John the Baptist’s preaching—they heard John and followed Jesus (Barton 377).

B. Showing Them Jesus

1. Illustration: Many years ago, an evangelist by the name of Jakov arrived at a village in Serbia. He met an elderly man there named Cimmerman, and Jakov began to talk to him of the love of Christ. Cimmerman abruptly interrupted Jakov and told him that he wished to have nothing to do with Christianity. He reminded Jakov of the dreadful history of the church in his town, where church leaders had plundered, exploited, and killed innocent people.