Sermon Notes - John 1:29-51 - Littleby Baptist Church - September 11, 2022

1.     Talking about John the Baptist has been a good refresher for us.

a.      We were reminded that we are to be God’s messengers to carry the Gospel to the world.

b.     Reminds us that it does not matter what the world thinks of us.

c.      People will question us.

d.     But what really matters is not what people think but what God Knows.

e.      He has said we are His children.

f.      He has said that we are His messengers, His royal priesthood.

g.     As we follow our Jesus, we need to trust in what Scripture tells us and let God use us as He has said He will.

2.     John 1:29

a.      Very early in the days recorded about Jesus’ ministry John see Jesus and recognizes Him as who He is.

b.     He states that Jesus is the Lamb of God.

c.      His words were prophetic in saying that Jesus was going to take away the sin of the world.

d.     Isaiah 53:7

e.      Jesus will be led to the slaughter like a lamb.

f.      Isaiah 53:12

g.     Jesus willingly submitted to death, being counted as a rebel by taking on our sin.

h.     He took our sin and died in our place.

i.       As John stated, Jesus takes away the sin of the world.

j.       He interceded for us as the ultimate perfect lamb, paying for our sin.

k.     ‘Behold the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!’

l.       Cannot imagine the peace and joy John the Baptist felt when he recognized Jesus for who He was.

3.     John 1:30

a.      John was older and would have been a priest like his father Zechariah before him.

b.     Jesus being the younger and a carpenter’s son, would have been seen as less than John.

c.      Anyone who knew both of them, would have placed a higher level of prestige on John.

d.     Yet, John says that Jesus ranks ahead or above him.

4.     John 1:31

a.      John and Jesus were cousins, but who knows what if any interaction they may have had growing up.

b.     They may have gathered at family picnics or they may have never seen each other before.

c.      The real point here is that is the day that the Holy Spirit revealed to John that Jesus is who he had been talking about.

5.     John 1:32

a.      Mark 1:9-11

b.     The Holy Spirit appeared and rested on Jesus.

c.      Isaiah 11:2

d.     ‘The Spirit of the Lord will rest on him’

e.      Prophecy was fulfilled with the Holy Spirit in the form of a dove resting on Jesus.

f.      John knew that Jesus was the Lamb of God.

6.     John 1:33

a.      The one who sent John, God.

b.     Told him to watch for the one who the Holy Spirit would descend upon.

c.      That is the one who is meant to follow John, the one who will bring true salvation.

d.     John was baptizing in water as a sign of repentance, but Jesus was going to baptize us with the Holy Spirit.

e.      Through Jesus we have access to the Holy Spirit who molds and shapes us.

7.     John 1:34

a.      If there was any doubt about what John the Baptist was saying, he makes it clear here.

b.     Jesus, the man who the dove descended upon, the one he has stated is the Lamb of God, is the Son of God.

c.      Not son, as in one of our children.

d.     But Son of God, One with God, as a way of reenforcing Jesus’ nature in that He is fully man and fully God.  

8.     John 1:35-36

a.      I can almost picture John the Baptist pointing out Jesus to those with him and saying, ‘Look, the Lamb of God.’

b.     I would expect a look of excitement on his face.

9.     John 1:37-38

a.      Jesus asked, ‘what are they looking for?’

b.     They answered with, ‘where are you staying?’

c.      On the surface Jesus was asking them why they were following Him.

d.     They unsure how to answer, focused on the here and now and asked where Jesus was staying in hopes to buy some time.

e.      If we look deeper, remembering that John is writing to reinforce that Jesus is not only fully man, but He is also fully God.

f.      Jesus may have been asking what they were seeking in their life? Why did they follow John the Baptist and why are they following Him now?

g.     Their response could easily be implying that they want to know or understand more.

h.     As we follow Jesus, we should seek to draw closer to Him, to know and understand Him more.  

10.  John 1:39

a.      Come and you will see….

b.     Follow me and your eyes will be opened…

11.  When we seek Jesus we will find Him.

a.      As we follow Him our eyes our opened to the truth that is before us.

12.  John 1:40-41

a.      Two disciples, one named Andrew and tradition tells us that the other is John the author of this Gospel.

b.     Scripture does not tell us what got Andrew so fired up about Jesus, but he goes off and grabs His brother and proclaims that Jesus is the Messiah.

13.  John 1:42

a.      This verse may be used to point out that Peter is special, but I think that is missing the mark.

b.     The main point is about who Jesus is.

c.      Jesus knew what would play out of the months and years that followed.

d.     He knew that Peter would be one of the key people that God would use after Jesus’ death and resurrection.

e.      Jesus being God knew what was to come.

f.      He knew that Peter was going to need some extra reassurance.

g.     Jesus made a point on that day to tell Peter that he was meant for something special.

14.  John 1:43-45

a.      Keeping our focus on Jesus.

b.     Philip talks about Jesus being the one Moses talked about.

c.      Deuteronomy 18:18-19, this is the Prophet we talked about last week that they asked John the Baptist if he was the one spoken about.

d.     Put another way, Philip was saying that Jesus is the Messiah.

15.  John 1:46

a.      Nazareth has a horrible reputation, so it is not surprising that Nathanael questioned if anything good can come from there.

b.     Philip gives us a great example on how to respond to questions with grace and kindness.

c.      He could have argued the point, he could have tried to convince Nathanael that he was wrong.

d.     He simply said, ‘come and see.’

e.      He invited Nathanael to come see for himself.

f.      Arguing with people does not help.

g.     Offering to share with them, to share what God has done in our lives, share with them how we have peace in times of uncertainty, share with them the what the Word of God says… arguing no, sharing yes.

h.     From thee it is up to God to work on hearts, not us.

16.  John 1:47-48

a.      Psalm 139:1-6, we could keep reading.

b.     God knows us.

c.      A man would not be able to know these things about Nathanael.

d.     Only one who is fully God would have known his character.

e.      God knows us, He knows the number of hairs on our head.

f.      He knows us better than we can know ourselves, trust in Him.

17.  John 1:49

a.      Nathanael understood that Jesus is the Son of God and the coming King of Israel.

b.     He may not have understood the details and what was still to come, but he saw enough to trust in Jesus.

18.  John 1:50-51

a.      That’s all it took!

b.     As you follow me you will see so much more.

c.      That is the same for each of us.

d.     When we choose to follow Jesus, it is normally based on Jesus taking care of all the garbage in our past. The wiping away of our sins.

e.      What we don’t realize is how much He is going to work in us as time goes on.

f.      Think about how much God has worked in your life since that first day.

g.     He has done so much more than forgive us, He has and continues to mold and shape us.

19.  In this first chapter of the Gospel of John we see two major themes.

20.  First, we see people making an effort to point people to Jesus.

a.      John the Baptist lived his life in a way that pointed people to Jesus.

b.     He even pointed Jesus out of the crowd and told his own disciples that Jesus is the Lamb of God.

c.      Andrew and Philip encouraged Simon and Nathanael to come meet Jesus.

d.     We need to live our lives in a way that points people to our King and encourages others to come meet our Savior.

21.  The other major theme in this Gospel is that there should be no doubt that Jesus is God.

a.      He walked this earth.

b.     He bled.

c.      He felt pain.

d.     But He also existed before time itself.

e.      He is our Creator, the giver of life.

f.      He knows us better than we may want to admit.  

g.     And that is only the tip of the iceberg.

22.  We need to tell people about the Jesus who created us, knows us, and died for us giving us a new life. A life eternal!

23.  Remember who Jesus is and tell people about what He has done for you!