Last week we began this brief series “I’ve entitled” The Apprentice: The Type of Person God Chooses. “The Apprentice” is of course the TV reality show centered around Donald Trump in which 18 candidates arrive on scene for a 15 week job interview. They are put through all kinds of challenges, situations and competitions so that Trump through the process of elimination—known as firing in the board room each week—selects one to be his apprentice to work with him in building his Trump kingdom. Last seasons show was such a big hit that they began a new season three weeks ago.
But we are not here to talk about a TV show or Trump’s huge empire or ego. We are here to talk about another man who has more power and influence than Donald Trump could ever dream of. Almost 2000 years ago Jesus of Nazareth began a three year venture of building a Kingdom here on earth that would alter the course of human history and would stand forever. And he began with a search for a team, an inner circle, apprentices. High level leaders who would take on the leadership of his Kingdom after he completed His mission here on earth.
We began last week by looking at the first “apprentice” or disciple Jesus chose. He is not the most well known, but he was the first. His name is Andrew. And what stands out about Andrew is that he was a very ordinary guy. His brother Peter was extraordinary, Peter was very quotable, he did things in a big way—he succeeded big and he failed big. He preached big sermons for big crowds, he wrote letters that became a books of the Bible named after him. Peter always appears first when the disciples are listed…Peter was extraordinary. None of us here can probably be another Peter…but every one of us can be an Andrew. An ordinary person who encounters Jesus Christ and chooses to follow after Him wholeheartedly. And then brings other people to Jesus. That’s the type of person God chose in Andrew.
This morning we want to look at another of the people Jesus chose to be His apprentice or disciple. We will look at Philip.
The name ‘Philip’ is a Greek name which literally means ‘horse lover’. Some of the disciples had both Hebrew and Greek names. But there is no reference to a Hebrew name for Philip. He appears to have always gone by this Greek name.
Like Andrew, Philip was not one of the most renowned of the disciples. When I took a poll last Sunday not one person mentioned Philip. So again we have to piece together an idea of what he was like from a few passages.
From the four appearances of Philip in the Gospels we see that he was a practical guy. If Andrew can be typified as an ordinary guy. Philip would be typified as a practical guy.
If you saw a Philip around town today he would be the young man who is a practical get it done kind of guy. He’s never been called a dreamer. Never been accused of living with his head in the clouds. He always has his feet firmly planted on the ground with a clear sense of what he wants to be doing.
He would have his Palm Pilot in his hand, with his schedule his objectives and his lists…He knows what he needs to accomplish this year, this month, this week and this day. Systematically checks them off as he goes through his day.
When he went to buy a car. It wasn’t an emotional decision or done on a whim. He carefully researched consumer reports to select the car he believed would be safest, most reliable, most economical, most fuel efficient, and hold it’s value the longest.
When he drives around town he always knows the shortest route. He seems to have studied all of the streets, intersections and traffic flows. He never wastes time. And when he gets to his destination, and gets out of his car, if a black cat should cross his path. He doesn’t bat an eye. Superstitions? That’s all nonsense. He wouldn’t care if 6 black cats walked in front of him on Friday the 13th while he walked under a ladder. You’ll never catch him with a good luck charm. None of that stuff is practical.
Ask him about religion? He’ll tell you that he was taken to church as a child. He believes that religion has some practical value. That children ought to go to church to teach them morals and keep them out of trouble. Does he believe in God? Sure. There couldn’t be a world or universe without a creator. He will tell you that his parents were faithful church goers. But that was their faith. He needs to find faith for himself. But all that stuff hasn’t been a high priority for him because it just didn’t seem to have that much practical value for him.
He is not opposed to religion but he has a very practical approach to it…Faith must be rooted in truth and proven in action. He won’t follow something just cuz everyone else is, he needs to test it, try it, see it, feel it, believe it, for himself. He has a very practical, common sense approach…but when he finds God, finds faith, you can be sure he will be a devoted follower. You can count on him.
What type of guy is Philip? He is a practical guy.
I want to spend the rest of our time looking at the accounts of Philip in the Bible to see what we can learn about the way God works in the life of practical people.
The first thing we learn from the Bibles accounts of Phillip is to
1. Let God satisfy your practical concerns
John 1:43-44
Philip was from the same town as Andrew and Peter. Bethsaida a little town along the Sea of Galilee. Note that Jesus finds Philip. Last week we saw that Andrew sought out Jesus. Not Philip. Andrew had been a follower of John the Baptist before He became a follower of Jesus. Not Philip. He was too practical. Think about it. John the Baptist was a religious leader who wore clothes made of camel’s hair and ate locusts and wild honey and spoke out against the religious leaders of the day…
Philip was not the kind of guy to follow after religious zealots or be swept away by the next preacher or teacher that came along. So when he encounters Jesus and Jesus invites him to follow I’m sure Philip had some questions for Jesus. And what Jesus said to Him. What He saw in Jesus satisfied his practical concerns. And you can see how thorough his search was in what he does next.
We saw last week that after Andrew encountered Jesus he went to get Peter. And his words were few. “We have found the Messiah”. Look by contrast at Philips words. He has encountered Jesus and now he goes to Nathanael. V. 45
Historical, meticulous, planned, almost scientific statement. It is clear that Philip was somewhat educated in the Old Testament.
When Nathanael objects (46) Philip gives a practical answer. “Come and See”
He is not going to try to convince or sway Nathanael with emotions or facts. Philip had come to see for himself. He wants Nathanael to do the same.
47-50
Jesus: “You aint seen nothing yet!” Will show them the power, the truth, a faith that works, that transforms.
Jesus satisfied Philip, “Mr. Practical,s” practical concerns. And He will satisfy yours.
2. Move beyond your practical limitations
The next time we see Philip is the same scene we saw Andrew in last week in John 6. Jesus has 5,000 men plus women and children who have followed him out away from any town to listen to his teaching. They have been mesmerized and now it is late and there is no McDonalds or Wendy’s in sight. Before Andrew brings the boy with the loaves and the fish to Jesus, Jesus asked Philip a question.
John 6:5-6
One thing you can see right here is there is one significant difference between these early followers of Jesus and the church today. We won’t go anywhere without food!
Jesus and Philip are standing on the hill surveying this great crowd of hungry people. Jesus turns to His apprentice and asks him a question, “Philip how do you suppose we are going to feed this hungry mob?” The question is for Philip’s benefit. Jesus doesn’t need any help here. Jesus knows He is going to perform a miracle. But Philip didn’t have the luxury of reading ahead to verse 11 like we do. Philip is the practical guy. He’s a problem solver. So he pulls out his pocket calculator and does some quick figuring. READ V. 7
5,000 men
+1000’s of women
+1000’s of children
=a lot of hungry people
Multiply that number by the price of bread and even a bite of bread for each person is going to cost 8 months wages!
What did Jesus want his practical disciple to learn here? While Philip is using his calculator to figure out how many days of work it would take to feed these people, God’s already got it figured out. Philip says, I’ve done the math and it’s not possible. Philip needed to see that his equations did not account for the unlimited supply of the power of God.
Philip needed to lift his eyes from the limited resources they had to see the unlimited resources of God. Jesus wasn’t worried about where the food would come from. His question wasn’t because He needed Philip to fix something for Him. He wanted to do something in Philip.
Where was Philip’s focus? On what they didn’t have. On the problem
Andrew’s focus was on what they did have, but that it was meager, limited. Doubt.
Isn’t that where our focus goes so quickly. On the problem. On what we don’t have. On our insufficient resources… God tests our faith in order to increase it.
I think about where we were as a church 2 years ago. There was a desire to see God work, to reach the community, to reach children, reach youth, reach adults…
But there were all these limitaions…
-we had a debt
-we didn’t have enough room in our buildings to expand our kids ministry and we certainly didn’t have enough money to think about building a new building.
-we didn’t have a youth pastor to grow a ministry to JH-HS and we certainly didn’t have enough money to think about hiring one.
-we didn’t have a choir director…
God has tested our faith and we have seen Him increase it!
Jesus knew Philips thoughts. Jesus put Philip in a position where the numbers didn’t add up so that He had to step out in faith. The real issue that day was not feeding the people, but growing their faith. Growing our faith.
Mark 11:22-24
22"Have faith in God," Jesus answered. 23"I tell you the truth, if anyone says to this mountain, ’Go, throw yourself into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart but believes that what he says will happen, it will be done for him. 24Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.
Hebrews 11:6
6And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.
The life He calls you to. The life He calls me to. The life of faith is not just a sum of all the facts and figures. It won’t always add up, it won’t always make sense. But when we bring what we do have and put it in His hands he can do the impossible!
The last story in the Gospels that gives us a window into the character of Philip and how God worked in his life is during the Last Supper in the upper room in John 14:5-10. Jesus has told the disciples he will be leaving them soon. He is trying to comfort them.
Here Philip after 3 years of being with Jesus, still struggles with seeing Jesus as more than a teacher, a prophet, a man. Thomas, doubting Thomas, says, “Jesus show us the way.” Philip, ever practical. Forget the way. Just show us the father!” That will do it”.
And as you read, you can just hear the disappointment in Jesus’ voice as He says, “Look at me. You’ve been with me all this time. Don’t you see, when you’ve seen me, you have seen the Father.”
Philip did see. It took some time. But Jesus met Him. On that first day… On that hillside…As they walked and Jesus taught and healed…In that Upper Room…On the cross…As He conquered death and appeared to Philip and the others…
Philip was changed by the Resurrection. When you read the book of Acts you see a different Philip.
Jesus moved Philip beyond his practical limitations. He wants to move you too.
Where have you put limits on God?
Let Him satisfy your practical concerns and move you beyond your practical limitations…
3. Invite others to come & see
This is what Philip did.
-with Nathanael. The most practical of the disciples gives the most practical invitation “Come and see for yourself”. He saw for himself and invited others to do the same.
-We see Philip again in John 12:20. Maybe came to him because of his Greek name? Unsure what to do. But Philip is practical. And he knew the right guy to go to. To invite them to come and see.
-Acts 8
Philip was willing to be impractical to invite people to come & see.
In 8:4—Stephen has just been stoned to death for proclaiming Jesus. Philip goes to Samaria… Jew to Samaria…
Then we see that a great revival is breaking out there. Many people are coming to faith in Jesus. Peter and John come. Big guns!
v. 26 Now he is asked to leave all that. To go off in the dessert. That’s not practical. I’ve got speaking engagements, all of these people to follow up with…He didn’t question, he went!
Notice God doesn’t tell Philip why He wants him to go south along the road into the Desert. He just tells him to go. (He doesn’t have the luxury of reading the rest of the chapter to see how it will turn out).
Also the words towards the south also mean to go at high noon. This makes God’s instructions even more impractical. This was the road going through the desert from Jerusalem through Hebron to Gaza.
No one would be on the desert road at noon. No one in their right mind that is. They didn’t have air conditioners. It would be hot, and even deadly to go in the heat of the day.
Philip doesn’t question God, His direction, or even God’s timing. He simply obeys.
As you follow after God you will reach this place some time. When God calls you to go, or follow, and He doesn’t spell out to you where it will lead. He wants to move you beyond your limitations. Your practical side. To step out in faith.
27-28
He met this man along the way. He happens to be from Africa and would have been used to the heat. You will meet people along the way if you are following and obeying. This Ethiopian was a practical guy. Seeking God. Had come to Jerusalem to worship, and he may very well have been turned away from the temple. As a Eunuch Old Testament law would not allowed him to enter the temple. But as he returns home he is still searching the scriptures.
29-40
God asked Philip to do the impractical to reach this man for Christ.
God can use a practical, analytical realist like Philip to do more than was humanly possible. More than Philip ever dreamed of. And He wants to do the same in and through you…
Are you a practical person? Do you need to be shown answers to your concerns? Do you need to be moved beyond your limitations? Jesus wants to meet you here this morning and lead you to the life He created you to experience.
And when He has met you, has God satisfied your concerns and moved you beyond your practical limitations to show you His mighty hand at work in your life. If so, then invite others to “come and see”. Be willing to be impractical. To be obedient when He calls you to follow. To step out and trust look for those He will put in your path along the way.
Dr. Thomas Watson once did an experiment in which he placed caterpillars on the rim of a large pot that contained several of their favorite plants for food inside. The caterpillars began to move long the rim of the pot—each one following the one in front, every caterpillar thinking the one ahead of him knew where he was going. Around and around the rim they went until they all died of starvation.
Do you feel like you are starving in your walk as a follower of Christ? Maybe you missed out on what God has for you because you’ve been limited by looking at it only from a practical perspective. Maybe God has been speaking to you but you’ve ignored it thinking, “that can’t be God.” Maybe you were too intent on following where everyone else was going to pay attention to God’s direction.
Philip, Mr. Practical, discontinued following after the crowd. The crowd that was spiritually going in circles on the rim. He left them to go and see Jesus. He was changed by Him and spent the rest of his life feasting on the Bread of Life and drinking from the fountain of living water. Being filled to overflowing. He went right to the center of God’s will and invited others to come and see what he had seen.
Will you accept Jesus’ invitation to do the same? Jesus is here inviting you to join Him too.
And Jesus is here inviting you to meet with Him too.
