Sermon John 1 29-42 Bringing People to Jesus

Rev. Jeffrey T. Howard

Pitts Creek and Beaver Dam Churches

Sermon John 1 29-42 Bringing People to Jesus

January 19, 2014

This is the second Sunday of Epiphany, and we are looking at the manifestation of God on earth in the person of Jesus Christ. Last week we saw that Jesus began his ministry on earth with his baptism. His ministry was to bring people from the darkness of their ordinary lives into the bright light of faith. And at the end of his ministry he gave this task to the church. Our ministry is to bring people into the light of faith. Today we will see how this is done, but first let's pray.

“Grant unto us, O Lord, to be occupied in the mysteries of thy heavenly wisdom, with true progress in piety, to thy glory and our own edification. Amen.” (John Calvin)

John 1:29-42 ²⁹ The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, "Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world! ³⁰ This is the one I meant when I said, 'A man who comes after me has surpassed me because he was before me.' ³¹ I myself did not know him, but the reason I came baptizing with water was that he might be revealed to Israel." ³² Then John gave this testimony: "I saw the Spirit come down from heaven as a dove and remain on him. ³³ I would not have known him, except that the one who sent me to baptize with water told me, 'The man on whom you see the Spirit come down and remain is he who will baptize with the Holy Spirit.' ³⁴ I have seen and I testify that this is the Son of God."

Notice that in John's gospel the baptism of Jesus is not told as a story the way Matthew did last week. In this gospel the baptism of Jesus is a remembered event in the life of John the Baptist. John saw an extraordinary event. Jesus was baptized. A dove symbolizing the Holy Spirit came down from the sky. John the Baptist saw this and recognized God in it.

This is the first step in evangelism. We see God at work in the world around us. God is constantly doing things for us and for our families and friends. These things are going on all the time, but we usually miss it. It is hard to see God at work in the world. So what can we do to help us recognize that God is actively doing things around us? The best thing we can do is to be in small group Bible studies. The stories in the Bible are records of the interactions between God and people throughout history. As we read these stories we learn how to recognize God at work. Our study of the Word of God helps us to see God working in the world. So the very first thing we do in evangelism is to study the word of God with a group so that we will recognize God when he does things for us. Though Bible study we begin to notice God working today. And this becomes the content of our testimony. So, attend a Bible study and then start looking for evidence that God is a work in the world. Let's go back to the gospel of John.

³⁵ The next day John was there again with two of his disciples. ³⁶ When he saw Jesus passing by, he said, "Look, the Lamb of God!"

This is the second step in evangelism. Once we recognize God at work in our world then we share this with someone else. We tell our testimony of what God is doing in our lives to our friends and families. The American church has been very good at telling our testimony to our children. We want our kids to be nurtured in the faith. And so we tell them about God working in our lives and we bring them to Sunday school where they learn Bible stories. This is a wonderful ministry and we are very good at it. But it is not enough. We can no longer sustain the church just by evangelizing just our kids because the culture is against us. There are many things pulling our children away from the church. And many of them are growing up in the darkness of unbelief. Today there are many people, right here in Pocomoke, who to not regularly study the Bible in groups and therefore are unable to see God at work in their lives. They desperately need you to share your testimony to release them from the darkness of unbelief.

It is hard to share your testimony with others, but this is a skill you can develop. As you attend Bibles studies you have the opportunity to talk about your faith with other people in the group. By doing this regularly you develop the skill of sharing your testimony with others. So continue to attend Bible studies, look for God in the world around you, and share your testimony with others who cannot see God for themselves drawing on the skills you have developed in your group. Let's get back to the gospel of John and see what happened after John shared his testimony.

³⁷ When the two disciples heard him say this, they followed Jesus. ³⁸ Turning around, Jesus saw them following and asked, "What do you want?" They said, "Rabbi" (which means Teacher), "where are you staying?" ³⁹ "Come," he replied, "and you will see." So they went and saw where he was staying, and spent that day with him. It was about the tenth hour.

The third step in evangelism, after you have recognized God at work in the world around you, and after have shared your testimony, is to invite people into a relationship with Jesus. I know that this is the hard part. We find it very difficult to invite people to come to church, or study the Bible with us, or even to pray with us. We are not very good at this. John the Baptist wasn't good at this either. All he could do was share his testimony. The invitation to follow Jesus had to come from Jesus himself. All we need to do is to recognize God in the world around us and share our testimony with others. Jesus will invite them into a relationship. Let's go back to the gospel and see how all this works.

⁴⁰ Andrew, Simon Peter's brother, was one of the two who heard what John had said and who had followed Jesus. ⁴¹ The first thing Andrew did was to find his brother Simon and tell him, "We have found the Messiah" (that is, the Christ). ⁴² And he brought him to Jesus. Jesus looked at him and said, "You are Simon son of John. You will be called Cephas" (which, when translated, is Peter).

So Andrew spent an evening studying scripture in a group with his Bible teacher, Jesus. He was enabled by this to recognize that Jesus himself was the Messiah that was promised. So he shared this testimony with his brother, and brought him to Jesus. Jesus initiated a relationship with his brother calling him “Peter”, the “rock”, because Simon would become the rock upon which the church would be built.

So what should we do to fulfill our mission to bring people from the darkness of unbelief into the bright light of faith? Study the Bible in groups. Recognize God in the world around you. Share your testimony with others, introducing them to Jesus. And let Jesus initiate a relationship with them bringing them from the darkness of unbelief into the light of faith.

There is a interesting story that illustrates all of this going around the internet as I speak. There is a dog in Italy named Tommy. Tommy was a stray German Shepherd, but he found a good home. And he formed a strong relationship with the woman who cared for him. She went to church every day for prayers and took Tommy with her. Recently this woman died and Tommy went to the church to find her. He arrived during her funeral and walked down the center aisle to lie down in front for the ceremony. Since then every time the church bell rings, Tommy, the German Shepherd comes to church. The church feeds and cares for him while they pray for him to find a new human. I think Jesus has adopted him. Let's pray.

http://www.theblaze.com/stories/2013/01/18/loyal-dog-continues-to-attend-mass-every-day-at-church-where-his-owners-funeral-was-held/

Father in heaven, help us to see you at work in our world. Gife us the skill of sharing our testimony with others. And invite our friends and families into a relationship with your son, in whose name we pray. Amen.