Rev. David Holwick H
First Baptist Church
Ledgewood, New Jersey
February 26, 1995
John 1:45-51
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Nathanael
I. Flies on the Sistine Chapel.
Dr. Paul Pearsall and his wife were attending a meeting in Rome,
Italy.
Their first stop was a tour of Vatican City.
Michelangelo's work in the Sistine Chapel had just been renovated.
Dr. Pearsall and his wife waited for hours in line for a glimpse
of this remarkable feat.
At a distance the paintings did not look all that impressive.
People chattered and joked about a paint-by-number replica of
Michelangelo's work for their own ceilings.
When they drew closer, however, they were overwhelmed.
The paintings seemed to engulf them.
Everyone became quiet.
Necks ached with the effort to keep looking up.
Now they were seeing the paintings as Michelangelo intended for
them to be seen.
The impact was unforgettable.
Then Dr. Pearsall noticed a fly crawling across the paintings.
He thought, "What a shame.
"That fly is right up there where I would love to be.
He's right on top of it...but he just can't see it."
Then Dr. Pearsall remembered reading the words of philosopher
William Thompson:
"We are like flies crawling across the ceiling of the Sistine
Chapel.
We cannot see what angels and gods lie underneath the threshold
of our perceptions...."
#2300
A. Much of reality is beyond our perception.
B. How many of us genuinely catch glimpses of the Divine?
II. Come and see!
A. A man named Nathanael.
1) Unknown disciple, not an apostle.
2) Same as Bartholomew.
a) Nathanael not in Synoptics, Bartholomew not in John.
b) Bartholomew is a second name.
c) Both are associated with Philip.
B. Few get saved by arguments.
1) Meeting Jesus works better.
William Barclay tells a story about how, at the turn of the
century, Thomas Huxley, the great agnostic, was attending
a party at a country mansion.
Rich people do parties different than us - the guests stayed
for several days.
Sunday came around, and most of the guests prepared to go to
church.
Very naturally, Huxley did not get ready.
Instead, he approached a man known to have a simple and
radiant Christian faith.
Huxley said to him, "Suppose you don't go to church today.
"Suppose you stay at home and you tell me quite simply what your
Christian faith means to you and why you are a Christian."
"But," said the man, "you could demolish my arguments in an
instant.
"I'm not clever enough to argue with you."
Huxley said gently: "I don't want to argue with you. I just
want you to tell me simply what this Christ means to you."
The man stayed at home and told Huxley most simply of his faith.
When he had finished there were tears in the great agnostic's
eyes.
"I would give my right hand if only I could believe that."
It was not clever argument that touched Huxley's heart, but
the simple story of a man's faith.
The best argument is to say to people, "Come and see!"
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2) Always be prepared to bring people to Jesus. 1 Peter 3:15
III. He's from New Jersey???!! 1:46
A. We like to label people.
1) Many of our labels (like race) break down under scrutiny.
2) But we get comfort in pigeon-holing people.
Rev. Patrick Pang gives this story about himself:
As he challenged his congregation in Columbus, Ohio, he asked
the audience, "How many of you here are Baptist?"
Many hands shot up.
"How many of you are NOT Baptists?"
A single hand in the back nervously went up.
"May I ask what religious group, if any, you belong to?"
She said, "I am a Methodist."
Pang continued, "And what makes you a Methodist?"
She said, "Well, my parents were Methodist, and my grandfather
was a Methodist preacher, and my cousins and uncles are
all Methodist."
Pang challenged her, "Ma'am, if your parents and grandfather
and cousins and uncles were all morons, what would that
make you?"
"A Baptist," she replied.
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3) Messiahs don't always come from big cities.
a) Many have rejected Jesus before even looking into him.
b) Superficial judgments are always dangerous.
B. Be skeptical, but open, too.
1) Some reject even the possibility of the supernatural
dimension to life.
This view is reflected in the Humanist Manifesto (II),
which was written in 1973.
The first paragraph of the Manifesto states:
"We find insufficient evidence for belief in the existence
of the supernatural;
it is either meaningless or irrelevant..."
It continues:
"We can discover no divine purpose or plan for human species.
While there is much that we do not know, humans are
responsible for what we are or will become.
No deity will save us - we must save ourselves."
Literally thousand of scientists, educators and political
leaders have put their signatures on this document.
#2478
2) Nathanael was more open. He went to see.
a) You cannot become a Christian without some curiosity.
IV. How Jesus sees a person. 1:47
A. Jesus knows Nathanael's character.
1) True Israelite, nothing false about him.
a) A genuine compliment for a Jew. Psalm 32:2
b) Unusual after his rude comment!
c) Straight-shooter: note how Nathanael questions why,
rather than accepting compliment.
2) Perhaps a sly reference to Jacob in Old Testament.
a) Jacob got over his deceptiveness and became a
genuine believer.
B. How does Jesus know?
1) It's not unusual to read someone's character.
a) We think we do it all the time.
1> But we are usually wrong.
b) Jesus sees a lot deeper, deeper than we can see ourselves.
1> His Word, the Bible, has the same effect. Heb 4:12
2) Jesus sees supernaturally.
a) He saw Nathanael under a fig tree.
b) Fig tree has no particular significance, but Nathanael
was impressed.
1> He must have been doing some deep thinking there.
C. Exclamation of faith. 1:49
1) Nathanael is one of first to believe in Jesus.
a) His emphasis is on Jesus the Messiah.
b) We also need to see Jesus as our King. Obey him!
2) Reveals Nathanael must have been anxious for fulfillment
of prophecies.
V. Stairway to heaven. 1:51
A. Jesus can do more than read minds. He can open heaven.
1) Jacob's ladder. Genesis 28:10-22
a) Jesus is focus.
b) He opens heaven to us.
2) Jesus is the only way to experience this.
a) We go to Father through him.
B. We yearn for a deeper spiritual experience.
1) Religious seeking.
a) Charismatic movement. Much genuine, some questionable.
b) New Age mysticism.
c) Emotional excitement grabs us, but is not the key.
2) Knowing Jesus.
a) Having a daily relationship with him gives us deeper
meaning in life.
b) Not everyone knows Jesus, even in a church.
C. Don't stop seeking the deeper life.
1) Too many stay superficial.
2) Jesus tells us "greater things" are available.
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