INTRO: What type of Christian are you today? If I were to ask your children or your spouse, what would they say? I don’t want anyone to fall under condemnation but it’s important to know where you are to get a starting point.
This morning we’re going to look at 3 stages of Christianity to help you see where you are. TITLE: Following Jesus 3 Ways
TEXT: John 1:35-42
When people gather together for church, they usually represent at least three levels of faith and Christian commitment. We can see these levels in the life of Peter.
TS: The first level can be seen in the text this morning.
I. Level one – those who are curious.
A. The 2 disciples who followed Jesus were John the writer of this gospel, and his friend Andrew.
1. When these 2 began to follow - Jesus asked them, what do you want, the Lord was forcing them to focus on what they wanted. The Lord was forcing them to define their purpose.
: If they were looking for a revolutionary leader they should maybe join the zealots.
2. John and Andrew decided to stay. They were so impressed with Jesus that they went out and found their brothers and brought them to Jesus.
-Andrew found Simon and John brought James.
B. Andrew in the gospels was always bringing someone to the Lord.
1. You might ask who he brought. He brought his brother Simon (Peter). -He brought a lad with loaves and fish (John 6:8)
-The Greeks who wanted to see Jesus (John 12:20-21).
2. We have no recorded sermon from Andrew, but he preached great sermons by his actions as a personal soul winner.
Side note: How many want an exciting Christian walk? Those I find who consistently share their faith with others are excited about what God’s doing. They are all around healthier happier people. What I mean by healthier is not necessarily physical. (Remember Shirley Eastling’s tremendous physical ailments but she was always sharing the Lord with others.) I’m speaking about an emotional healthiness, youR view on life.
3. The text tells us the first thing Andrew did was to find his brother Simon. We have found the Messiah. So Andrew brought him to Jesus.
C. Peter (Simon) came to see Jesus because he was curious.
I. Andrew his brother was so excited about his encounter with Jesus that he made it his first priority to tell his brother, which brought about a level of curiosity.
2. Our witness should attract those that are seeking.
-In other words does our lifestyle or our witness attract people to Christ to repel them? Do we strive to live such a life that draws people to Christ?
-Understand the Lord has left us here to be his representatives.
3. Look what happened to Simon in his encounter with Jesus. Jesus called him Peter which means rock.
-His life was changed.
TS: This brings us to the second level of faith and commitment.
II. Level two – those who are convinced. Matthew 16:13-17 [Read]
A. This is Peter’s confession of Christ. The Pharisees and Sadducees were demanding a sign from Jesus.
1. The Lord warns his disciples about their false teaching.
-It is in this backdrop we see Jesus ask his disciples, who do people say the Son of Man is.
2. Peter pipes up: You are the Christ the Son of the living God. Peter understood that Jesus was the one.
a. How did he come to realize this? It was revealed to him by God.
-Peter moved from listening to what others said about Jesus, to what does Father say?
B. In the church we see those who are curious. They come in and see what it’s like, they sing and listen to the sermon. They are sitting and watching what others are saying about Jesus. And what eventually happens they encounter God. They move from hearing about God to listening to God.
1. It’s one of those divine moments - God’s real, I mean he is really real.
-Moms and dads this is what we strive for. This is a critical step to pass on to your children to hear from God, that they serve more than the God of mom and dad but they serve a God that they have encountered.
2. In Christianity - realize something if someone can talk you into Christianity then someone can talk you out of it. That’s why people have to have divine encounters with God. Because when that happens (divine encounter) it does not matter what anyone else says.
-Because you know he is real, because you have met the God of the Bible.
Question: Today have you experienced the God of the Bible or are you just serving the God of your parents or your friends? Is God real to you today?
-I can tell you God wants to have an encounter with you. Just as he reveled himself to Peter he wants to reveal himself to you.
Summary: The 3 levels of commitment and faith are
1. those who are curious
2. those who are convinced
III. Level three – those who are crucified. John 6:66-69 [Read]
A. The 3rd level of faith are those who will lose their lives in order to gain it.
1. Jesus early in his ministry the crowds followed.
-Why did the crowds follow? Because he did something for them, whether he was healing them, performing miracles, preaching and teaching powerful truths of God. He drew crowds because they wanted or needed something.
2. Jesus has now been around for a while in his ministry. He now wants to take them to a deeper level or help them understand what it means to be a disciple.
B. Jesus begins to teach what it means to be a follower of his.
1. He’s moving people to a transition from taking to giving. He is telling these Jewish followers he is the bread of life.
2. He gets radical and teaches them to be by follower you must eat my flesh and drink my blood to have eternal life.
-The Jewish people have a hard time accepting this (cannibalism is against their beliefs) the way they were brought up.
3. Disciples begin to grumble, Jesus responds, "Does this offend you?"
-John 6:66, what every Christian leader hates, "From this time many of his disciples turned back and no longer followed him."
Notice: Jesus didn’t lose a minority but a majority of people.
C. Why did the Lord lose so many?
1. Because these folks wanted to follow Christ as long as he was giving them what they wanted!
2. The truth is, you can only go so far on the Christian journey when you do it your way. It eventually comes to a point, you have to do it his way.
-I believe what the Lord was teaching these folks is you have to be a "partaker." You have to follow me, I’ll show you the way.
3. That way is the way of the cross, death, sacrifice.
-It’s living a lifestyle that submits to the lordship of Christ.
Example. Parable of the sower - seed fell on hard soil, it was eaten by birds, seed fell on rocky soil, it sprouted but soon died because the sun came out and scorched it because it could feed itself.
-It could not take the heat, trouble or trials just like the crowds who followed Jesus because he was blessing them. But as soon as Jesus was expecting something from the obedience (that’s too much trouble, hardship).
Some other seed fell among thorns, this plant grew up and was choked out and did not produce any fruit. The plant still lived and grew with all the other plants but it didn’t produce any fruit.
: Why didn’t it produce any fruit? The worries of this life, deceitfulness of wealth, desire for other things.
-Simply put, it could not following the way of the cross because its main purpose in life was its desires and wants rather than the kingdom of God.
Today the question is, are you following Jesus for what you can get from him or for what you can give him?
-This was Judas’ problem. He served the Lord for what he could get, he even tried to box Jesus in a corner, if I set it up where his life is in jeopardy he’ll step up and set up his earthly kingdom (which I get to be a part in).
In Conclusion:
It’s good to know what level you are so you can track your growth. The important thing is not where you’re at, it’s are you growing.
-Because at one time we were all at
1. the curious stage
2. the convinced stage
3. the crucified stage.
