The Wandering Shepherd

Knowing Jesus: "The Big Five" - John 1:19-51

In South Africa, the "big five" refers to five species that are indigenous to Africa that are carefully watched because of their endangered futures. In basketball, the "big five" refers to five important teams that are top ranked. Among psychologists, the phrase "Big Five" refers to five broad factors of personality - theoretically discerned and then rated for comparison by testing a subject. First mentioned in 1933, the five factors are Openness, Conscientiousness, Extraversion, Agreeableness, and Neuroticism (OCEAN, or CANOE if rearranged).
 
In our text, the “big five” refers to five men (Andrew, John the Disciple, Simon Peter, Philip and Nathaniel) that came to Jesus through the preaching of John the Baptizer. Like the other “big five” lists, all five of these men were unique. They didn’t come to Jesus the same way, because God reaches different people different ways for different purposes!
 
I want to take a simple approach this morning to some observations about their lives as revealed by the Spirit in John 1. In the text I see FIVE OBSERVATIONS ON GOD’S TRANSFORMATION WORK IN US – another “big five” if you will.
 
Before we jump in to the five observations, I want to offer a few words that I hope will penetrate our hearts…I have been a believer for a long time. I have spent time in half a dozen churches both on staff and in the chairs where you are. I have heard many a message on outreach and evangelism. I have been door to door in communities. I have shared Christ across a dining room table, in a train station, on an airplane, in a horse stable and over a dead body. I have stood before large numbers and proclaimed Jesus as Lord, and I have sat while a young man sobbed and gave his heart to the Lord…. and I am concerned today.
 
I am concerned because a great many preach and share Christ out of a sense of duty. Others share Christ out of fear that we are losing ground to a pagan culture. Some, I dare say, share Christ out of greed for money and lust for power. They want more people to come to their church and help them feel more significant… I am hearing fewer and fewer that are sharing out of brokenness for the lost world. Jesus taught that even something as holy looking as prayer can be used as a show … Our compulsion for importance and significance opens our hearts to a legion of sinful attitudes and actions.
 
We cannot truly reach people we do not care about – and today care is getting harder to find. We are very busy. So very busy. Can we see them anymore? We lose our Father’s heart when we don’t see the world through our Father’s eyes…
 
Key Principle: When we understand what God is doing in the people around us, we will see them as He sees them!
 
Observation 1: Some Believers are called to prepare and equip others both in pre-evangelism and early disciple training.
 
For this, let’s take a few moments to look carefully at the call and ministry of John the Baptizer, the cousin of Jesus in John 1:19-34.
 
 1. John lived out a testimony that invited questions by people (1:19). Here is one of the great truths about outreach: We must live in such a way that others see something in us they must know more about!
 
 2. John deliberately turned any focus on HIM to focus on Messiah – this is NOT ABOUT ME (1:20-23). Another great truth: We must live in such a way that others are directed to Jesus through our lives and lips. We cannot lead them to our talents, our purity, our decency. Short of an encounter with Jesus, they have failed to reach the destination necessary for every man’s heart!
 
 3. John knew his work was attracting the attention, but his words were the heart of all that he should accomplish (1:24-28). The truth: We need to care for people and offer real help to those around us. Our work cannot be just talk. At the same time, living a good life and caring for others will not bring them to Jesus. We must work, but we must witness. Out of balance in words and we become preachers with no substance. Out of balance with works and we become empty philanthropists.
 
 4. John shared the progression of his own transformation by Jesus with people (1:29-34). John spoke openly of three areas:
 
· Identity: He began with Jesus being the substitute for all of our sins, and the Lord above us all (1:29-30).
 
· Personal Journey: He honestly shared that he had missed the truth of Who Jesus is (1:31a) and as a result he changed his lifestyle to draw attention to the truth he found in Jesus (1:31b)!!
 
· Work: He made sure that the work of Jesus was his central message (1:32-34). He was approved of God (32), empowered by God (33), and the eternal Son of God (34).
 
Truth: God hasn’t left us with nothing to share. People need to know that God sent His Son, and that Son was empowered to care for man’s need. Apart from that message, we have no hope. We cannot earn God’s love, for we stand condemned -- whether claiming ignorance, independent morality or religiousity (Rom. 1:1-3:20). Yet God was rich in mercy and sent His Son (Rom. 3:21-5:21).
 
Remember our observation about John? Jesus came and met him and John shared openly about Jesus – but he didn’t leave with Him and follow Him. That wasn’t his call. He wasn’t going on the far flung adventure to distant places… he was to remain at home and do the work of pre-evangelism and early training of disciples…that was his call.
 
Don’t you wonder if John wanted to quit the baptism gig and take off with his cousin Jesus to see the great things that would happen? Not everyone is called to that adventure. Some are called to quiet places of the deserts where parched men and women come in thirst and meet the messenger that has the words of life.
 
Observation 2: Some believers follow someone to Jesus, then outgrow their first discipler, leaving on a great adventure of following Jesus personally (1:35-39).
 
For thousands of years, men were trained under an apprenticeship program. After their trainer felt they were ready, they joined a guild. When they gained all they could in the shop they were raised in, they were sent on the road and became “journeymen”, learning their trade in guild shops in other villages. After a number of years, they returned home with a broader knowledge of the trade. They began a special work that would mark their ability – called there “masterpiece”. When that piece was seen as worthy, they would begin training others, now called a “Maestro” or Master. The new Maestro was a reflection of his own master, but also a reflection of what he learned on the road as a journeyman.
 
John trained some men, including Andrew and John (implied) in John 1:35ff.
 * Note that the men were disciples of JOHN before they became disciples of Jesus (1:35).
 * It was John that pointed them to the Master of all (1:36).
 * John had to be prepared to let them go to Jesus and follow on their own (1:37-38) – a painful step for a trainer…
 * It was a credit to John’s training that made them persistent in their following of Jesus and desire to grow in their personal knowledge of Him…(1:39).
 
Note that the ends of the two followers – Andrew and John – play out differently: John became a Pastor of Ephesus and a writer of a number of important NT letters. Andrew became an activist – reaching out to his brother Simon almost in the next breath after meeting and talking to Jesus.
 
The motor home has allowed us to put all the conveniences of home on wheels. A camper no longer needs to contend with sleeping in a sleeping bag, cooking over a fire, or hauling water from a stream. Now he can park a fully equipped home on a cement slab in the midst of a few pine trees and hook up to a water line, a sewer line and electricity. One motor home I saw recently had a satellite dish attached on top. No more bother with dirt, no more smoke from the fire, no more drudgery of walking to the stream. Now it is possible to go camping and never have to go outside. We buy a motor home with the hope of seeing new places, of getting out into the world. Yet we deck it out with the same furnishings as in our living room. Thus nothing really changes. We may drive to a new place, set ourselves in new surrounding, but the newness goes unnoticed, for we’ve only carried along our old setting. The adventure of new life in Christ begins when the comfortable patterns of the old life are left behind.
 
Observation 3: Some confront a promise of God for them and it dramatically changes them, offering hope and utterly convincing them (1:40-42) – as in the case of Simon Peter.
 
Peter was initially led to Christ by his brother Andrew. Andrew brashly shared that Messiah had been found, and that was sufficient for the impulsive and boisterous Peter to follow (1:40-41). When Peter approached Jesus, the Savior offered a specific word of HOPE and PROMISE to Peter, and he was forever changed.
 
It is impossible to understand all that is involved in this, but I can say that what Peter heard marked a moment when he knew a decision had to be made…
 
For each of the disciples of Jesus there is a moment of challenge and surrender of our hearts. For some it is dramatic – like Simon Peter. A few words, but a big change. For others, they surrender their hearts in quiet Sunday School rooms as small children. Nothing dramatic, humanly speaking, but something eternally powerful nonetheless…
 
Observation 4: Some believers are called by God even when they weren’t looking for Him – chosen because He delighted to do something specific in them for His glory (1:43-44) – as in the case of Philip!
 
John 1:43 simply says that Jesus came upon Philip of Bethsaida and told him to follow Him. Philip did it! He heard the word of Jesus, the tone of His voice, and looking into His eyes… he followed the Master.
 
We don’t know what convinced Philip to follow. We know that he knew Andrew and Peter (and so did everyone else who lived in the village because they were loud mouths called “sons of Thunder”!) Whatever caused Philip to change his plans and begin to follow – it was compelling. I have met people who were called by Jesus in this way. They were living life without a thought of God, eternity, sin or anything of the sort. Yet, at a moment of God’s choosing, He popped into their lives in an unmistakable way… and they could not resist the love of God.
 
Paul had his DAMASCUS ROAD SMAKDOWN by God when he was on a personal witch hunt against the cause of Christ. You don’t have to be looking for Jesus to find Him, but you do have to submit to Him to follow Him!
 
Observation 5: Some will not follow until they take their time and challenge everything they hear concerning Christ. Yet, when they truly meet Jesus, they are forever changed! (1:45-51).
 
Nathaniel wasn’t quick to get on board. First, he had an issue with the origin of Jesus and His message – Nazareth wasn’t a source that he could identify as valid at first (1:45-46). The testimony didn’t make sense, and he wasn’t just going to run after anyone that offered hope!
 
Jesus knows that most people don’t really listen, but searching hearts are testing every word. The story is told of Franklin Roosevelt, who often endured long receiving lines at the White House. He complained that no one really paid any attention to what was said. One day, during a reception, he decided to try an experiment. To each person who came down the line and shook his hand, he murmured, “I murdered my grandmother this morning.” The guests responded with phrases like, “Marvelous! Keep up the good work. We are proud of you. God bless you, sir.” It was not till the end of the line, while greeting the ambassador from Bolivia, that his words were actually heard. Confused, the ambassador leaned over and whispered, “I’m sure she had it coming.”
 
Nathaniel came to see Jesus, but questioned Him before he would get on board. (1:47-48). Jesus made claims and Nate questioned how Jesus could make them. Jesus didn’t get upset – that isn’t His way. He is not afraid to be tested, because He knows what is a real test from a seeking heart, and what is mockery and deceit.
 
When Jesus addressed him on a personal and heart level (something only the two of them truly grasped) Nathaniel was moved in his heart – and it came out his lips! (1:49).
 
Jesus offered Nathaniel even greater hope and promise for the adventure of giving Jesus his life to control! (1:50-51).
 
When we understand what God is doing in the people around us, we will see them as He sees them!

Missed Opportunity: “Big Head, Big Mouth, Small Ears” - 2 Kings 14:1-14

The suspect has escaped… a brief description is given over the airwaves to find him. What does he look like? He has a “big head, big mouth and small ears! What? Amaziah took over the throne in the shadow of the coup that killed his father. With a good heritage, and initial pleasing steps - he moved forward. Sadly, his head grew, his ears shrunk and his mouth got bigger – and it became his undoing. I wonder… what would God’s description be if HE were describing what He sees in me?
 
Key Principle: God sees what we really are long before anyone else. We cannot hide from Him!
 
There are two passages on Amaziah that help really explain what God saw in his life. The first is found in 2 Kings 14:1-14. The second is found in 2 Chronicles 25:1-28.
 
When God recalled his life, he highlighted six features that tell the whole story, from the inside out:
 
1. His family (14:1-2): This is the place we get our first identity. His father was known, and his mother.

His dad is well known to us from 2 Kings 12. He was a "forger of the faith "- Joash followed Jehoida the High Priest from his early years and gained the closeness and connection from the relationship. He was related to the believer, but failed to have a heart connection to God that would stand up to the test of faith! When Jehoida died, Joash sought the affirmation and popularity and found the ones that would provide it were not among the priests – but among compromised and unbelieving civil leaders (24:17-18).  Do you recall why not turn to the leaders among the believers, the priest? Remember in 12:4-8 we saw compromising and undisciplined spiritual leaders in the Temple? Joash was exposed to half-hearted faith already – it didn’t satisfy. It wasn’t compelling in its weakness. Joash seemed to be a follower primarily because He possessed few personal convictions.
 
We know little of his mother beyond her name and the fact that her family was that of the High Priest Jehoida that was so close to Joash before his death. She had a godly dad, and that helps identify something of the expectation for Amaziah – his mother was from a great home.
 
2. His heart (14:3): God always looks here when He wants to truly see us. Amaziah was not fully yielded. 2 Chronicles 25:2 clearly shows how God saw him: “He did right in the sight of the Lord, yet not with a whole heart.” Don’t lose track here – God saw what men didn’t see. 2 Kings 14:3 says he DID RIGHT – he was compliant. Yet God was not happy, because compliance is not obedience and not full surrender. He did right on the outside, but the inside domain of his heart was not God’s property – it was his alone.
 
3. His neglect (14:4): Like his father before him, he compromised in a key area that kept his kingdom weak. He did what people wanted – what they had come to expect. He wasn’t courageous in his walk and bold in his faith – because he wasn’t yielded in his heart. The high places remained, but they were a SYMPTOM not the problem. Other altars are the overflow of the unsurrendered heart.
 
4. His relationships (14:5-6): He was incensed by the men that executed his father in 2 Kings 12:20-21. He grasped the scepter tightly, and he had them summarily executed. He also tempered his anger to stay within the law. This may have been from real respect, we cannot tell – but the text appears that he would not openly violate the law.
 
Isn’t that a funny thing? We can grasp our hearts and not surrender them to God, but live some resemblance of morality? We don’t want the world to see what we KNOW is going on in our unyielded heart.

5. His accomplishments (14:7-8): What? God took stock of what he did? Yes, but only because it affected what he became. God made us to BE what He desired before we can DO what He desires. When we are not inside yielded, our works become either a poor substitute for relationship, or an occasion for self affirmation. We are so easily impressed with ourselves!
 
2 Chronicles 25:5-13 Blows up the story in more detail.
 

• It shares that Amaziah took a census of 300,000 men who could fight (5)
• He hired from the Northern Kingdom another 100,000 men (6) by spending a huge wad of cash from the treasury.
• He wanted to retake some Edomite cities last years before. A prophet of God warned him not to take the men of Israel with him, and he dismissed them and sent them home (7-10).
• They got mad and plundered some of the Judean cities while Amaziah went off to war (13)
• Meanwhile, Amaziah DID defeat the Edomites and killed 10,000 men, while allowing his men to throw another 10,000 off a cliff to their death – an act of barbarity uncommon even in that day (12).

 
You can start to see his heart peaking through now. He gained affirmation and popularity by allowing his men to behave badly. He let baser instincts take over. He took cheap shots – cruelly killing captured and defenseless men. He wanted FAME. He was building a REPUTATION. He was demanding respect… He was breathing his own air! HIS HEAD WAS GETTING BIGGER!
 
When he came home, he started trying to push around other kings. Even they could see it! The words of King Joash of Israel summed it up when he called him out to fight…(2 Kings 14:8-10) “Your heart has become proud. Enjoy your glory and stay at home!”
 
Can you see what happened? He started out respectful on the outside and unyielded on the inside. Left to ourselves our inner condition will show through. Our bright coat of compliance will become threadbare and show the dark under garments of our hardened heart. It WILL happen. It is the reason we must yield now, and not wait. To wait is to invite the hardness to overtake us.
 
6. His rebellion (2 Chronicles 25:14-16): For this you must leave the 2 Kings passage to gain clarity. Amaziah had enough of his charade of life. He took off the mask and began to show openly what he had always been – an inner idolator. All the respect for God’s Word and for people was now openly set aside. His big head swelled, while his ears shrunk to the messenger of God. The prophet asked, “Why have you sought the gods of the people who have not delivered their own people from your hand?” (2 Chronicles 25:15) and Amaziah cut him off before he finished…”As he was talking..(25:16).
 
Amaziah rebellion swelled his head, shrunk his ears and enlarged his mouth. Listening to God’s warnings and messengers is of extreme importance throughout the Bible. We all make mistakes, but when we refuse to listen to His correction we harden to stone the problems that will crush us.
 
Every coach knows the heartbreak of a gifted player who would not yield to instruction from the bench. Every parent knows the pain of having a prodigal who must have his or her own way. God understands, because He lives with the same pain from us...
 
Wisdom instructs us to listen carefully and then obey. Personal righteousness does not happen because somebody requires and commands it of us. People do not live pure lives due to warnings and threats. Our walk is determined by our choices... Failure to pay attention, to heed the truth  will always cause difficulty and pain...
 
Eastern Air Lines Flight 401, operated by a four-month-old Lockheed L-1011 carrying 163 passengers and 13 crewmembers, left New York's JFK on Friday, December 29, 1972 at 9:20 pm, en route to Miami International Airport. The flight was routine until 11:32 pm, when the flight began its approach into Miami. After lowering the gear, First Officer Stockstill noticed that the landing gear indicator, a green light identifying that the nose gear is properly locked in the "down" position, did not illuminate. The cause, discovered after much investigation, was due to a 79 cent burned-out light bulb. The landing gear could have been manually lowered either way. The pilots cycled the landing gear but still failed to get the confirmation light. The plane flew in a large circle pattern while the crew checked out the light failure. The question was, Did the landing gear engage or not? The flight engineer fiddled with the bulb trying to remove it from the socket but it would not budge. Soon another of the cockpit crew began to assist. Before long the entire cock pit crew was eyeballing the light problem. All the eyes where on the .79 light bulb problem. No one noticed that the plane was loosing altitude. Not remembering and listening to the instructions the pilots knew so well, “Above all else, fly the plane.” The plane and many people were lost in the crash of flight 401. In all, 69 of the 163 passengers and 8 of the 13 crew survived the crash, with 99 initial fatalities.
 
Above all else, we need to listen to the Lord instructions for our life -- and truly surrender the ground of our heart before we crash the plane we are flying...
 

• We can be so busy correcting a small minor problem that we do not notice we are losing spiritual altitude. All of our attention can be so focused on the issue facing us right now that we will miss the more important instruction from God.
• We can even be respectful of the things of God and act as though He can’t see the willful and stubborn state within us.

Listen to Jesus' observation: (Matt 13:15) " …For this people’s heart has become calloused; they hardly hear with their ears, and they have closed their eyes. Otherwise they might see with their eyes, hear with their ears, understand with their hearts and turn, and I would heal them.’
 
It is a matter of choice:

God is looking at you. He is not unaware of what is going on inside. Your spouse may not know, but your God does… Your friends and family may have no idea, but your God does…  If God called out over the radio a description of you, what would He say. Angel 17, be on the lookout for the ….?  Remember, God sees what we really are long before anyone else. We cannot hide an stubborn and unyielded heart from Him!