Home Page   Contact Us    Service Times   Sermons   Are You Going To Heaven?

NOTICE:   THESE SERMONS ARE FREE TO BE USED BUT ARE NOT TO BE SOLD

 PEOPLE OF THE BIBLE

Introduction

We are continuing our study through the twelve Apostles of Jesus Christ. Thus far we have seen:

1. Peter – man of Zeal

2. Andrew the Soul-Winner

3. James the Hot-headed

4. John the Beloved

5. Philip, the Active Apostle

This evening we are going to examine the life of Bartholomew, or Nathanael as he is called in the Gospel of John.

We have two names for this Apostle:

1. Bartholomew –son of Tolmai, BAR (son of) THOLOMEW (Tolmai)

2. Nathanael – Gift from God

According to Jesus, Nathanael was a decent human being – and yet was a skeptic. How can that be?

Aren’t we just all supposed to have blind faith and just believe the Bible without question? No!

Why do you believe the Bible? I believe the Bible because I’ve tested it.

I totally trust Jesus Christ because I have seen that His promises are true!

Let’s look at Nathanael, the Spiritual Sceptic:

I.    NATHANAEL’S COMRADE. (John 1:38-45a)

            Nathanael had a friend who introduced him to Christ. That’s being a good friend!

Here in John 1 we see where John the Baptist baptized the Lord Jesus Christ– and afterward proclaimed that Jesus is the Lamb of God because of what He was told by God.

After His baptism, Jesus started His earthly ministry that lasted for about 3 ½ years and culminated with his crucifixion and resurrection.

We have seen how Jesus spoke to Andrew, and called him to leave everything, and follow Him. Andrew then quickly went and got his brother Peter, who also dropped everything, and began to follow Jesus.

            After that we saw last week how Jesus then found Philip as he journeyed back to Galilee.

Then Philip did just like Andrew did – he went and tried to get somebody else to meet Jesus!

            Thank God that Philip cared enough about his friend to share Jesus with him!

            Do we care enough about our friends and acquaintances to bring them to Jesus?

II.    NATHANAEL’S CONFLICT. (John 1:45)

            A .  The Promise Of The Messiah.

                        1.   Philip presented the facts.

                        2.      Moses had written about a coming Messiah.

                                    a.         Genesis 3:15–“And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel.”

                                                1)  God had promised a deliverer from the curse on this life, including death.

                                                2)  God had promised one who would conquer the devil.

                                     b.   Deuteronomy 18:15–“The LORD thy God will raise up unto thee a Prophet from the midst of thee, of thy brethren, like unto me; unto him ye shall hearken;”

                        3.   Isaiah had prophesied the same thing. (Isaiah 7:14; 9:6,7)

                        4.   There are over 300 prophecies made by God promising to come as the Messiah.

                        5.   Daniel prophesied the same. (Daniel 9:24-26)

                        6.  Most Jews KNEW these prophecies like the back of their hands.

It was the hope of Israel!

                        7.   Now, according to Philip, the Messiah had arrived and He had a NAME.

                                    1)  His name was Jesus.

                                    2)  And He was from Nazarerth.

                                    3)  And He was, the son of Joseph – nobody had surnames yet – their second name was their father’s first name

            B.    The Exploitation of People’s Expectation.

                        1.   There were a lot of religious leaders who used the people’s expectation of the Messiah to their own advantage. (Acts 5:34-37)

                        2.   That brought a lot of doubt, and destroyed a lot of people’s faith in the promises of God.

                                    The Bible says that the same thing would happen in these end times.

Matthew 24:24–“For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall show great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect.”

                        3.   What sometimes happens because of this is that some people turned to mocking, and scoffing at God’s word. 

                        4.   Often they would became skeptical whenever they heard of “miracles” and messianic events.

             C.   What Is Is Skepticism?

                        1.   Skepticism could be called:

                                    a.   Caution

                                    b.   Carefulness

                                    c.   Studiousness

                                    d.   Being Prudent

                        2.   Not all skepticism is necessarily bad – we need to be skeptical about some things:

                                    a.   Foods you eat.

                                    b.   Doctors and medicines.

                                    c.   Religious matters.

Folks need to be careful when presented with such things as apparitions, supposed miracle cures, “new” bibles, and emphasis on the wrong things.

                                    d.   Government leaders and promises!!!

                        3.   Most unbelievers who have heard the Gospel fall into one of two categories:

                                     a.    Scoffers – They don’t believe in the Bible anymore at all.

                                    b.   Skeptics – These folks have never been convinced, only disappointed.

III.    NATHANAEL’S CYNICISM. (John 1:46)

            Nathanael analyzed what Philip just said.

Nathanael was one who didn’t just believe everything that was told to him - The same ought to be true with us whether we hear a story, are reading the newspapers, and watching the news on TV, or listening to it on the radio and especially anything forwarded to us via the internet or e-mail!

            Nathanael knew all about Nazareth – he was from Cana, right next to it!

            Nazareth had a poor reputation.

He probably had in his mind that surely that wouldn’t be the place where THE Messiah would grow up.

He would expect the Messiah to come from Jerusalem, Hebron, or some other prominent city, but not Nazareth!

            He never knew of ANYTHING good coming out of that place!

            I believe Nathanael was just being pragmatic–i.e. he was not into this “blind faith” thing.

            Just the fact that someone said that the Messiah had arrived didn’t impress Nathanael.

IV.    NATHANAEL’S CHALLENGE. (John 1:46b) “Come and See!”

            A.  The JOB of the Christian is to react like Philip did.

                         1.   Philip could have just given up on Nathanael, but he didn’t.

                        2.   Or he could have gotten frustrated with Nathanael, but he didn’t.

                        3.   But instead, he did what every soul-winner needs to do, he challenged him!

We Christians need to start challenging a lost world with something worth looking into.

We need to challenge folks to come and check Jesus out – not the Jesus Christ, Superstar of Hollywood, but the Jesus of the Bible.

            B.  JESUS is the Person that needs to be lifted up for all to see and examine. John 12:32–“And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto me.”

C. God the Father, The Lord Jesus Christ, and God the Holy Spirit are completely open for examination

John 5:39–“Search the scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me.”

Malachi 3:10–“Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat in mine house, and prove me now herewith, saith the LORD of hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it.”

Isaiah 1:18–“Come now, and let us reason together, saith the LORD: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool.”

1 Samuel 12:6-7–“And Samuel said unto the people, It is the LORD that advanced Moses and Aaron, and that brought your fathers up out of the land of Egypt. 7Now therefore stand still, that I may reason with you before the LORD of all the righteous acts of the LORD, which he did to you and to your fathers.”

Acts 17:2–“And Paul, as his manner was, went in unto them, and three sabbath days reasoned with them out of the scriptures”

Acts 18:4–“And he reasoned in the synagogue every sabbath, and persuaded the Jews and the Greeks.”

Acts 24:25–“And as he reasoned of righteousness, temperance, and judgment to come, Felix trembled, and answered, Go thy way for this time; when I have a convenient season, I will call for thee.”

Jesus allowed Himself to be crucified publicly, and publicly humiliated – so that people like the Centurion could see, and conclude, “Truly this was the Son of God!”

             D. Every Christian’s life also needs to be open for examination.

                        1.   Is your life any different than it was before you were saved?

                                    If not, something is wrong!

                        2.   Are you hungry and thirsty for righteousness? You should be if you are saved!

                        3.   The world often ignores those who have the tag of Christian because so many with that tag offer them NOTHING to examine – they only see the same old same old.

                                    a.   No great courage to stand for God in the face of harsh opposition.

                                    b.    No great faith to trust God IN and THRU the storms.

                                    c.         No godliness in our conversation or our lifestyles!

V.      NATHANAEL’S CONVERSION. (John 1:47-51)

            Jesus spoke first. Jesus saw in Nathanael what a true Israelite was.

Jesus saw Nathanael as a careful sceptic, who, when presented with the truth, would follow the truth!

THAT is what Jesus meant by saying that Nathanael was “an Israelite indeed.”

            By the way, that’s the way WE should be too!

“No guile” meant that Nathanael did not have a hidden agenda, or ulterior motive in checking out Jesus – no guile, meant, no lie, no tricks up his sleeve.

            Don’t you think that Nathanael had to be surprised that Jesus already knew him!

            Jesus simply mentions one thing – that He saw Nathanael under the fig tree.

            I think that Jesus is speaking of having seen him in a supernatural way.

We would do well to understand the truth that we are never unobserved by Jesus Christ.

            He witnesses all our feelings, and is acquainted with our whole character.

That one revelation was enough to convince Nathanael that this Man standing in front of him, even though He was from Nazareth, was indeed the Messiah, the promised Son of God, and the King of all Israel!

Jesus was pleased that that was all it took to convince Nathanael – Jesus promises that Nathanael would see greater things than this.

                        Lazarus raised from the dead

                        Blind eyes opened

                        Deaf ears unstopped

                        The empty tomb

                        Jesus ascending to heaven

If you are born again, and have a desire to know the truth, and are careful about what you believe, then it is just going to get better, and better, and better, and better! AMEN!

One of these days we will hear a Trumpet, and see heaven open, and Jesus come and get us in The Rapture! AMEN!

Conclusion

The Promise of the Messiah has been fulfilled – Jesus has really come! But 2,000 years later, the conflict rages – was he REALLY the Son of God, and CAN He really save sinners?

The Exploitation of People’s Expectation still goes on – false religions and religious leaders, and even science falsely so-called.

Skeptics are all around us! We need to invite the skeptics to “Come and See!”

Home Page   Contact Us    Service Times   Sermons   Are You Going To Heaven?

NOTICE:   THESE SERMONS ARE FREE TO BE USED BUT ARE NOT TO BE SOLD