Let’s look at a passage this morning about the beginning of the church of Jesus Christ. Some of you may be preparing to turn to Acts 2 which is where it’s commonly said we read about the beginning of the church and we do. But in my opinion, if you want to read about the very beginning of the church, you’ve got to go before Acts 2, even before the book of Acts. Because in Acts 2, when the 3000 on the day of Pentecost receive Peter’s message about Jesus and are baptized, it says they were added that day to an already existing  group (Acts 2:41). They were added to a group of 120 disciples of Jesus already there at the beginning of the book of Acts. By the way, in case you don’t know, that’s what Jesus’ church is in the Bible. It’s Jesus’ group of people; it’s Jesus’ disciples. The word “church” in the Bible never means a building for Christian worship as we often use the term. In the Bible it simply means a group, a congregation, an assembly, a company of people. The beginning of the group of Jesus’ disciples goes back to John 1. The latter half of John 1 tells us about the beginning and the first two days of Jesus having followers… John 1:35-51.

Three things strike me immediately about the beginning of the church here, as I would call it.

First, how low it started; at the lowest area of dry land on earth, the Jordan Valley where John the Baptist was baptizing, which goes down to the Dead Sea that’s over 1,300 feet below sea level. I hear that aircraft pilots can get a certificate here for flying below sea level. So the church started at the bottom of the earth. But now it extends from there to the highest heaven, where many of our brothers and sisters are reigning with Christ.

A second thing that strikes me is how small it started. It truly had a mustard seed beginning. It began with just two members. By the next day it was five members. And they were nothing big in terms of social standing or anything impressive. They were humble fishermen. But now that mustard seed has become the largest tree in the garden, and it will finish up, according to Revelation 7:9, “a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages…”

A third striking thing to me is how simply the church began and then started to grow, it began and grew simply by believers telling friends or family members what they’d come to realize about Jesus and encouraging them to check Him out for themselves.

Several years ago a massive study was done by the Institute For American Church Growth. They asked over 10,000 people this question: “What was responsible for your coming to Christ and your church?” The percentage of responses were these:

2% said it was due to a special need. Maybe they needed food or marriage counseling or something and came to the church for help with that need and that lead them to learning about Christ.

3% said they just walked in. Curiosity or seeking to know what it’s about.

6% said it was because of the minister’s influence.

1% said they came to their church in response to visitation from the church.

5% said it was due to interest in Sunday School.

0.5% said it was in response to a special crusade/evangelistic campaign, a gospel meeting kind of thing.

3% said it was because of interest in a particular program.

79% attributed their incorporation into a church to the influence of a friend or relative

The obvious point of the survey is that the greatest potential for church growth and making more disciples, lies with each of us individually doing the kind of thing we will see these first disciples of Jesus doing in our text. Gospel meetings, campaigns, programs, a booth at the fair, improving the preaching and the Sunday school and the worship experience are definitely worthwhile efforts, because you can reach people through those efforts. But the most effective method we could employ in this congregation, I believe, is each of us individually committing to influence our friends and family to look into Jesus.

Let’s read the text here first, and I’ll comment on it as we go. Bear in mind the author of this book says he’s an eyewitness of these things (John 21:24). Let’s look at…

The first day of the church (John 1:35-42)

(The first day Jesus had followers.)

“35 The next day again John [that is John whom the majority of the Jewish people were convinced was a true prophet of God and who was telling the Jewish people the King and the Kingdom we’ve been waiting for is at hand. But if you want to be a part of it you need to repent. You need to change how you’re living to be obedient to God, and express that commitment in being baptized, and you will be forgiven and you’ll be ready to trust and follow the King when He makes Himself known. (cf. 3:20-21)] was standing with two of his disciples…” [That is with two guys who hung out with him to learn from him and become like him.],

36 and he looked at Jesus as he walked by and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God!”  “There He is. That’s the one I was talking about yesterday. That’s the one I have been preparing people for.” Lambs in their history were commonly substitutionary sacrifices. Remember in place of Abraham’s son Isaac, a lamb or ram was sacrificed.. In place of the firstborn, that the firstborn might live when God was freeing the Israelites from Egypt, lambs were slaughtered and their blood applied to the door posts. Constantly at the temple, lambs were offered that people might obtain forgiveness. John says there’s the Lamb God has provided us. There’s the One who takes away our sins. There’s our Savior.

“37 The two disciples heard him say this, and they followed Jesus. 38 Jesus turned and saw them following and said to them, “What are you seeking?” [In other words, “Yes fellas, can I help you?”] And they said to him, “Rabbi” (which means Teacher), “where are you staying?” [In other words, “We’d like to spend some time with you. We want to get to know you. We want to learn about you and from you.”]

39 He said to them, “Come and you will see.” So they came and saw where he was staying, and they stayed with him that day, for it was about the tenth hour [It was about 4 pm]. 40  One of the two who heard John speak and followed Jesus was Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother.” I have a hunch the other disciple was John the apostle and author of this book. We’ll find he doesn’t want to name himself in the book. And I think that’s why he doesn’t give us the other disciple’s name; it’s because it was him (John 21:24).And that’s why he can tell us all this in detail; he was there. He witnessed all this. Apparently the testimony of John the Baptist and one evening with Jesus was enough to convince Andrew and John that Jesus is indeed the One God has promised and sent for us.

41 He [Andrew] first found his own brother Simon and said to him, “We have found the Messiah” (which means Christ) [which means the Anointed One. We’ll talk more about that title in just a bit.]. 42 He brought him to Jesus. Jesus looked at him and said, “You are Simon the son of John [Maybe there had been no introduction, nobody told Jesus Simon’s name, so this was an amazing statement.] You shall be called Cephas” (which means Peter).” Cephas is an Aramaic term. Peter or Petros is Greek. It means a rock. In our culture, personal names are little more than labels that distinguish one person from another. Often parents choose names for their kids based on the sound of the name and making sure it doesn’t remind them of someone or something they don’t like. “Honey, what about naming her Jane?” “No I had a lunatic roommate in college named Jane.” “How about Patty?” “No, that sounds like what the cows make in the field.” “What about Jennifer?” “Yeah I like the sound of that. Let’s call her Jennifer…” Well, in biblical times person’s names had a much deeper significance. Children were given names that weren’t just labels to distinguish them, they were given names that described something about them or the destiny they would hopefully live out or a message they were to convey. So Jesus is claiming something about Simon’s future here when He says He will in some way have characteristics of a rock.

Second day of the church (1:43-51)

43 The next day Jesus decided to go to Galilee. He found Philip and said to him, “Follow me.” [I think the next verse explains why Philip would follow him.] 44 Now Philip was from Bethsaida [the little fishing village on the north shore of the Sea of Galilee], the city of Andrew and Peter. I think it’s suggesting that Philip was a friend or acquaintance of Andrew and Peter, and so likely he heard some things about Jesus before Jesus called him to follow.

45 Philip found Nathanael and said to him, “We have found him of whom Moses in the Law and also the prophets wrote, Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.” “The Law and the prophets” was a way of referring to all of the Jewish Scriptures, what we call the OT. “The Law, the Torah” is what they called the first five books written primarily by Moses – Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy. They’d say “the prophets” sometimes to refer to all the rest of the sacred writings. So Philip says we found the One that our Scriptures promise and describe.

46 Nathanael said to him, “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?” [Nazareth was a small isolated mountain town with a bad reputation for lacking morals and sophistication. We’ve got a few of those little unsophisticated, ill repute, mountain towns in our area. I won’t name any of them so as not to offend. Philip had a hard time imagining that the greatest King and Deliverer the world has ever seen would come from a place like that.] Philip [didn’t argue with him, he just] said to him, “Come and see.” There’s a great example for those of us who struggle with sharing our faith with people because we’re afraid if we do they’re going to have questions we can’t answer, or argument we don’t know how to handle, we feel we just don’t know enough or aren’t prepared to persuade them ourselves, and we don’t want to look like an idiot. Philip had only had a few hours with Jesus, if that. He didn’t know much. He didn’t have all the answers. But He told His friend, “I’m convinced.” And when his friend came out with an argument against his faith, he simply said, “Well, come and see for yourself. I know it seems weird that He comes from Nazareth, but don’t let that stop you. You’ve got to come see for yourself.” All of us can do that.

“Mom, brother, buddy, you know that guy who lived 2000 years ago who made quite a stir and was crucified outside of Jerusalem and His tomb was empty and people were saying He rose from the dead, well, I’m convinced Jesus actually is alive and ruling the world and able and willing to Save us from sin and death.” Or however you want to say it. And if you don’t feel prepared to answer their questions and arguments, invite them to come and see. Say, “Man, you have to look into Jesus. You have to read this stuff in the Bible or come hear about Him. His teachings, His life, it’s awesome. The beauty of it all… and all this evidence that He rose from the dead… I don’t know how to articulate it well, but you’ve got to see for yourself.”

You can say it indirectly sometimes, when you say, “Sorry man, I’m not going hunting with you tomorrow morning. I’m going to worship in the morning.” Last Wednesday evening I had some time before Bible classes so I took my boys to a park for a bit and we got into playing tag with some other kids at the park. And then I said, “Well, it was fun playing with you guys, we have to get going to Bible class tonight.” One of the older kids said, “Wait! You believe in God and the Bible and all that stuff?” I said, “Absolutely! Don’t you? I mean just think about, where did life come from?” I could see the wheels turning in his head. I just wonder if that boy will one day start to look at it for himself, especially if he has contact with a few more believers in his life who are, as far as he can tell, rational, intelligent, kind, respectable people, and they tell him, “I’m convinced Jesus is the living Lord and Savior.”

And Jesus really wants us to do that. Luke 12:8, He said, “And I tell you, everyone who acknowledges me before men, the Son of Man also will acknowledge before the angels of God.” If we tell people what we think about Jesus, then He will be saying of us in heaven, “Look at that man, look at that woman. That’s my servant, look how she’s trying to tell people who I am!” I think Jesus really wants us to do that. You don’t have to have all the answers, but it honors the Lord and it may give people some curiosity to look into Jesus themselves. And Jesus can work in their live and show them, if they are seeking.

47 Jesus saw Nathanael coming toward him and said of him, “Behold, an Israelite indeed [true Israelites are not just physical descendants of Israel, they are those who share the faith and character of Israel and Isaac and Abraham], in whom there is no deceit!” Nathanael was a straight up kind of guy. He didn’t wear a mask to pretend to be what he was not. He’s the same guy at church as he is at work and at home and with his buddies and by himself. He didn’t hide who he was.

48 Nathanael said to him, “How do you know me?” Jesus answered him, “Before Philip called you, when you were under the fig tree, I saw you.” So just the testimony of his friends and the fact that Jesus demonstrated this supernatural knowledge was enough to convince Nathanael.

49 Nathanael answered him, “Rabbi, you are the Son of God! You are the King of Israel!” 50 Jesus answered him, “Because I said to you, ‘I saw you under the fig tree,’ do you believe? You will see greater things than these.” Another purpose of this passage is to hook us to read the rest of the book. You will see greater things than these.

51 And he said to him, “Truly, truly, I say to you [in the Greek the “you” is plural, which is translated in Texan “y’all.” He’s talking to all these followers now.], you will see heaven opened, and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man.” If you’re like me, the first time you read that, you start thinking, “Now, when were angels ascending and descending on Jesus while the disciples were watching?” But I think when you start thinking in those terms you miss the point. I think this is an allusion to Genesis 28:12. Remember when Jacob was traveling away from home because his brother Esau wanted to kill him and he was on his way up to uncle Laban’s in Mesopotamia. And he stopped for the night and used a rock as a pillow. And he had a dream that night of a ladder or stairway connecting heaven and earth, and it says, “behold, the angels of God were ascending and descending on it.” Jesus uses that exact wording. I think His point is, hang around and you guys will see that I’m Jacob’s latter. I am the link between earth and heaven, I am the bridge between God and man. As He’ll put it in John 14:6, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but by Me.”

The primary purpose of this text is not to illustrate an effective method of evangelism, though it does that. It’s primary purpose is the same as the primary purpose of the whole book of John, stated in 20:31, “these are written so that you may believe [or so you may keep believing] that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.” Like the book as a whole, this passage in chapter 1 is to help us who read believe and keep on believing that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, to help firmly settle that faith in our hearts… so that we can attain more than just this little sample of life we’re tasting; it’s to help attain life in the age to come, life in the new creation, life with God, life in the sort of world God has always wanted, life without end. To have that life, we have to keep on believing that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God.

But what does that mean?

The Christ, the Son of God?

These, along with the titles “Son of Man” and “Lord,” are the most common titles in the NT for Jesus. That Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God is central to what the NT is trying to tell us about Jesus. Yet despite their familiarity and importance, these titles are often either mysterious to people or misunderstood.

So for the rest of my time here I want to talk to you about these. Our text actually helps us to understand them. Let’s start with…

Christ

John 1:41, “He first found his own brother Simon and said to him, ‘We have found the Messiah” (which means Christ).” Messiah is an Englishy way of saying a Hebrew word. Christ is an Englishy way of saying a Greek word. Messiah and Christ are the same thing just in two different languages. But that doesn’t help us much because we don’t speak Hebrew or Greek, at least most of us. In English the word is “anointed.” Messiah and Christ mean Anointed.

Anointing with oil, pouring oil on somebody’s head, was commonly done in ancient Israel to signify that one has been chosen by God for a special role and that like this oil upon him the Spirit of God is uniquely upon him to help in this role God has chosen him for. Priests were anointed (Exodus 30:30). Sometimes prophets were anointed (I Kings 19:15-16). And kings were anointed. The Kings especially were called the Messiah, the Anointed. King Saul, King David and other kings over God’s people were called the Lord’s Messiah, the Lord’s anointed (I Samuel 24:6; II Samuel 19:21; Isaiah 45:1; Lamentations 4:20). But when the Jewish people of the first century A.D. spoke of this one they called “the Messiah, the Christ, the anointed,” they meant the King and Deliverer God had been promising and talking about through His prophets through all the past ages of history. It’s a theme of the ancient writings written by prophets of God throughout Israel’s history way before Jesus was ever born that we call the Old Testament. They promised one day God would raise up for us a king anointed with His Spirit, greater than any king ever before. He would lead His people in obedience to God and deliver them from all their enemies and rule over them righteously and justly. His people would multiply like the sand on the sea shore and His kingdom would take over the world. In His kingdom everyone will love God and love one another and enjoy peace and prosperity and abundant blessing from God, and that’s how it would be forever more. That’s what their Bible promised. The Great King and Deliverer would bring about that glorious eternal kingdom and that  is what they meant when they said, “The Messiah, the Christ, the Anointed.”

Another way of putting it, you can see in John 1:45, “Philip found Nathanael and said to him, ‘We have found him of whom Moses in the Law and also the prophets wrote…” That’s the same thing as saying, “We have found the Messiah.”

Now, what about the title…

The Son of God

How are we supposed to understand that? Today there are various ways people understand it.

Some, such as Mormons and Jehovah Witnesses, understand the title to mean that Jesus was the first offspring of God, the first one created by God. But I’m convinced that is not the sense in which Jesus is the Son of God. The Bible nowhere says that Jesus was created. We saw the beginning of John 1 calling Jesus God and saying there is nothing that has been created that was not created through Jesus.

Others would say “Son of God” means Jesus has the same nature as God. Like the phrase “son of man” can mean one who has the nature of man. So son of God, one who has the nature of God. Well, Jesus does have God’s nature. But is that what the NT usually means?

Others say Jesus is the Son of God in the sense that He didn’t have an earthly Father. He was born of a virgin. His conception was an act of God. So in that sense He is the Son of God. Well, that’s true (Luke 1:35). But is that the primary sense of the title in the NT?

I’m convinced that none of those ideas are the primary sense of the title.

The title has an Old Testament meaning that carries over into the NT. In the OT “the Son of God” was about the same thing as saying “the Messiah, the Anointed, the one that God has chosen to be King.” There are three OT passages where this is pretty clear.

First, in II Samuel 7 when David wanted to build God a temple or a house as he called it, but Nathan the prophet came and told him, “God appreciates the thought, but he’s going to have a son of yours actually build a house for Him. And in a sense God’s going to build you a house, David.” Picking up the message of Nathan the prophet to David at the end of verse 11 it says, “Moreover, the Lord declares to you that the Lord will make you a house. 12 When your days are fulfilled and you lie down with your fathers, I will raise up your offspring after you, who shall come from your body, and I will establish his kingdom. 13  He shall build a house for my name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever. 14 I will be to him a father, and he shall be to me a son. When he commits iniquity, I will discipline him with the rod of men, with the stripes of the sons of men, 15 but my steadfast love will not depart from him, as I took it from Saul, whom I put away from before you. 16 And your house and your kingdom shall be made sure forever before me. Your throne shall be established forever.’” So God told David that his descendant who sits on the throne will have a relationship with God like a father and son. Solomon, David’s next descendant to the throne, was the Son of God during His reign (cf. I Chron 28:6). And descendants of David who reigned as king after him were each the Son of God in their day.

A second key passage – Psalm 89 beginning with verse 20, “I have found David, my servant; with my holy oil I have anointed him, 21 so that my hand shall be established with him; my arm also shall strengthen him. 22 The enemy shall not outwit him; the wicked shall not humble him. 23 I will crush his foes before him and strike down those who hate him. 24 My faithfulness and my steadfast love shall be with him, and in my name shall his horn be exalted. 25 I will set his hand on the sea and his right hand on the rivers. 26 He shall cry to me, ‘You are my Father, my God, and the Rock of my salvation.’ 27 And I will make him the firstborn, the highest of the kings of the earth.” So David, the Anointed, the Messiah, the King, is described here as God’s firstborn son. But David actually was not literally and physically the firstborn in his family. He was actually the youngest of his brothers. But He was God’s firstborn son in the sense that that’s the status God gave Him. He was the one God helped and exalted over all the kings of the earth.

The third key passage is Psalm 2. This one also gives us some “so what.” So Jesus is the Anointed, the King, the Son of God, what’s that have to do with us? How are we to respond to that? Psalm 2, “Why do the nations rage and the peoples plot in vain? 2 The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the Lord and against his anointed, saying, 3 “Let us burst their bonds apart and cast away their cords from us.” [Do you see the situation the Psalm envisions? The world is rebelling against God and His anointed, His king. The nations and their rulers are saying, “Let’s not let God and His king rule over us and tell us what to do. Let’s do our own thing, who cares what God and His Messiah say.” Sound a little like our situation today? Aren’t people saying today, “Let’s toss out the Bible. Let’s quit listening to what God and His Messiah have to say.”?] 4 He who sits in the heavens laughs; the Lord holds them in derision [contempt]. 5 Then he will speak to them in his wrath, and terrify them in his fury, saying, 6 “As for me, I have set my King on Zion, my holy hill.” The sense is, you can rebel and fight against God and His Messiah all you want, but He will remain king over you whether you like it or not. You are rebelling against the one who will ultimately decide what happens to you.

At verse 7 in Psalm 2, the King, the Anointed One, speaks. 7 I will tell of the decree: The Lord said to me, “You are my Son; today I have begotten you.” He’s talking of the day God appointed him to be king. On that day God said to him, “Today I have become your father and you have become my son.” What kind of privileges come with being the Son of God, at least in the case of the king in this Psalm? Well, verse 8 God says to His King, “8 Ask of me, and I will make the nations your heritage, and the ends of the earth your possession. 9 You shall break them with a rod of iron and dash them in pieces like a potter’s vessel.” “The world is yours. The nations you want to shatter, shatter. Those you want to bless and exalt, bless and exalt. The ends of the earth are yours.” Do you believe that about Jesus? If we believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, then we believe that world is His, America is His, that He determines who stands and who falls, what happens with all of us.

So here’s how we should respond? Psalm 2:10-11, “10 Now therefore, O kings, be wise; be warned, O rulers of the earth. [All the more us who are less than kings.] 11 Serve the Lord with fear, and rejoice with trembling.” If you have good sense then you are afraid of displeasing God, because He is the Almighty and you are breathing His air and walking on His earth and eating the food He causes to grow and He’s aware of what you’re doing. So there should be that fear of displeasing Him. But at the same time you can rejoice as you serve Him, because in serving Him you’re really blessing yourself and everyone around you and it will lead you into a future of incomparable happiness and glory. So serve Him with fear, rejoice with trembling.

Psalm 2:12, “12 Kiss the Son…” The Son is the King, the Anointed One. I don’t think it’s saying literally physically kiss Him. But it was a way to express to a king submission and reverence. That’s really what it’s saying, “Show the King that you are His servant.” We do that in worship and obedience to Him in our lives.

Psalm 2:12, “… lest he be angry, and you perish in the way, for his wrath is quickly kindled [Or as the NASB has it, “his wrath may soon be kindled”]. Blessed are all who take refuge in him.”

That I’m convinced is primarily what the NT means when it calls Jesus “the Son of God.” It means the One God exalts over all others, God’s chosen King. He’s the one to whom God gives the world, the one who decides what happens to us. We will live and be blessed if we are right with Him. We will perish if we are not right with Him.

And you can see this sense of the title in our text in John 1. John 1:49, “Nathanel answered him, “Rabbi, you are the Son of God! You are the King of Israel!” I think that’s saying the same thing two different ways.

Do you believe that about Jesus of Nazareth who walked the streets of Palestine 2000 years ago, made quite a stir, was crucified outside of Jerusalem, but His body was soon missing from the tomb and many were claiming to have seen Him alive again? Do you believe He rose and still lives? Do you believe He’s ruling the world right now? Do you believe He’s the one God promised to send us? Do you believe when we die He decides what happens to us? Do you believe if you are right with Him you are safe and blessed? But if you’re not right with Him you have no hope?

If your heart is filled with doubts about Jesus, you need to take Philip’s advice and “come and see.” Get a closer look, spend some time with Jesus, investigate. And I would love the opportunity to guide you to a closer look at Jesus if you’re up for it. Come talk to me and we will set up a time. You will find great things when you look into Jesus and I think you’ll find, as many have, Jesus is all of that and He’s so worthy to be followed in your life.

And if you believe, tell your friends and family so they may live with us in the age to come.

-James Williams