John 1:45-51

 

Introduction: We live in a very qualification-conscious society. There are qualifications for just about everything. For example, we have to qualify:

 to buy a house, to buy a car, to get a credit card, to apply for a job, to pursue a career to enroll in school, to train for a particular skill, to join a team, to do whatever else we want to do!

 It seems like everything we do requires that we become qualified. Somebody establishes standards that we have to meet because society has determined that it’s only going to use qualified people.

 What qualifications do you think God requires of people who serve Him? What kind of people did Jesus use in His ministry to advance His eternal Kingdom? Well, according to scripture nobody is actually qualified, therefore God has only one alternative, and that is to use the unqualified to do the impossible. That is essentially how God works. God uses unqualified people, moves into their lives with saving, sanctifying grace, and transforms them into useful instruments to perform His purposes. For a moment, let’s look at some Biblical examples of unqualified people that God has used: 

1. Noah got drunk and conducted himself in a lewd way.

2. Abraham doubted God, lied twice about his wife,and committed adultery.

3. Isaac sinned as his father had taught him, lying about his wife Rebekah to Abimeleck.

4. Jacob extorted the birthright from Easu, deceived his father, and raised a family of immoral children.

5. Moses was a murderer. Acting in pride, he tried to steal God’s glory by striking a rock to get water from it, instead of obediently speaking to it as God had told him to.

6. Samson was marked as a man with a lustful love for wretched women.

7. David was a ladies man, an adulterer, a murderer, a poor father, and a man with such bloody hands that God wouldn’t even let him build the temple.

8. Solomon was the world’s leading polygamist.

9. Hosea married a prostitute.

10. Jonah defied God in direct disobedience to Him and got terribly upset when the Gentile city of Nineveh was converted.

11. Paul was a former Christ hater and Christian killer. 

Remember God can take any raw human material available and transform it into what He can use because He’s in the business of making the most out of the unqualified. Now let’s again return to the list of the Disciples found in Matthew 10:1-4, ““And when he had called unto him his twelve disciples, he gave them power against unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal all manner of sickness and all manner of disease. (2) Now the names of the twelve apostles are these; The first, Simon, who is called Peter, and Andrew his brother; James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother; (3) Philip, and Bartholomew; Thomas, and Matthew the publican; James the son of Alphaeus, and Lebbaeus, whose surname was Thaddaeus; (4) Simon the Canaanite, and Judas Iscariot, who also betrayed him.”  Today we come to the second individual listed in the second group of Apostles in Matthew 10:3, Bartholomew. Now once we turn to and read our text we will discover this disciple’s name was Nathanael Bartholomew, his first name was Nathanael while his last name was Bartholomew. Nathanael means “gift of God,” and Bartholomew means “son of Tolmai.” 

As we will soon see, Nathanael was very different from his friend we studied last time, Philip. Nathanael was full of faith, meditative, and very much in awe of the supernatural. And unlike Philip, everything was crystal clear to him right from the very beginning. Only one passage in the Bible really tells us anything about this disciple found in John 1:45-51, “Philip findeth Nathanael, and saith unto him, We have found him, of whom Moses in the law, and the prophets, did write, Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph. (46) And Nathanael said unto him, Can there any good thing come out of Nazareth? Philip saith unto him, Come and see. (47) Jesus saw Nathanael coming to him, and saith of him, Behold an Israelite indeed, in whom is no guile! (48) Nathanael saith unto him, Whence knowest thou me? Jesus answered and said unto him, Before that Philip called thee, when thou wast under the fig tree, I saw thee. (49) Nathanael answered and saith unto him, Rabbi, thou art the Son of God; thou art the King of Israel. (50) Jesus answered and said unto him, Because I said unto thee, I saw thee under the fig tree, believest thou? thou shalt see greater things than these. (51) And he saith unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Hereafter ye shall see heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of man.” From this passage let’s focus upon FIVE truths that immerge about this SIXETH Disciple chosen by the Lord. 

FIRST: His study of scripture, verse 45, “Philip findeth Nathanael, and saith unto him, We have found him, of whom Moses in the law, and the prophets, did write, Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.” The way that Philip approached Nathanael implies that Nathanael was a student of Scripture, a searcher of divine truth and a seeker of God. He also must have had a knowledge of Messianic prophecy. When Philip found Nathanael he basically said, “We’ve found the One Scripture told us about!” This implies that the two had spent hours studying the Old Testament together looking for the Messiah.

 

SECOND: His sin of prejudice, verse 46, “And Nathanael said unto him, Can there any good thing come out of Nazareth? Philip saith unto him, Come and see.” In verse 46 we find a weakness in his character. Nathanael was from Cana, which was even more obscure than Nazareth. But it’s very possible that the people from Nazareth were much more unrefined, wild, and uneducated than the people of Cana. Nazareth was the last stop before the Gentile world; it was out on the fringe. And I’m sure, from Nathanael’s perspective, the only thing that ever came out of Nazareth was trouble. “Nothing good could come out of Nazareth.” Nathanael was guilty of the ugly sin of PREJUDICE. Do you know exactly what PREJUDICE is? 

Prejudice is an uncalled-for generalization based on feelings of superiority. “I am better than you.”

Prejudice is ugly. It has stopped many people from hearing the truth of the gospel. It was prejudice that prevented the scribes and the Pharisees from responding to Jesus Christ, because He wasn’t from Jerusalem nor was He trained in their schools.

Prejudice is a device often used by Satan to blind people to the truth.

 

Blacks are prejudiced against whites as well as other blacks. Whites are prejudiced against blacks as well as other whites. You are not of my style, you are not of my color; you are not of my culture. And on and on we can go.  

It is so discouraging for me to see this prejudice in the church of Jesus Christ. Look my friends: 

Every person has the same needs in their human soul as you do.

Every person has the same need of a divine intervention in their lives for salvation as you do.

Every person has the same need in their lives for spiritual truth as you do.

In fact one day, bless your heart, you are going to be living in the same heaven as every other believer, walking on the same streets of gold and enjoying all the beauty and glory of Heaven regardless of your or their genealogy, race, or color. 

What a pity that many of our folks can’t see the mission field that is right in our back yard and right on our door step. 

THIRD: His sincerity of heart, verse 47, “Jesus saw Nathanael coming to him, and saith of him, Behold an Israelite indeed, in whom is no guile! (48) Nathanael saith unto him, Whence knowest thou me? Jesus answered and said unto him, Before that Philip called thee, when thou wast under the fig tree, I saw thee.”  

The Master knew he was a descendant of Jacob, “Behold an Israelite indeed.” Nathanael was a true Jew, a God-fearing, God-seeking, Messiah-oriented Jew.

The Master knew his character, “In whom is no guile.” He was an honest, sincere Jew who sought after God. But even a man as good as this was stained with the sin of prejudice. The Lord was always working with men who were unqualified at one point or another. Even the best of them had flaws.

The Master knew things about Nathanael that no one else knew, “Before Philip called thee when thou was under the fig tree, I saw thee.” 

You may be wondering what was so significant about the being under a fig tree. Well, fig trees grew to a height of 15 feet and would spread their branches as far as 20 feet. So, many people in Palestine would plant a fig tree next to their house to provide shade as well as an outdoor shelter. Since many of the houses only had one room, the fig tree became the only place where one could get away from the hustle and bustle of indoors.  Because of this, it became a place of retreat, a place to be alone, a place of prayer, meditation, and a place of communing with God and searching the scriptures. It may well have been that Nathanael was out under the fig tree meditating, praying, and seeking God in the quietness and solitude of its shade. 

So in effect, Jesus said in verse 48, “Nathanael, I saw you studying, meditating, and praying under the fig tree. It was there I also saw your open heart and your true desire to find the Messiah. Well, here I am!” That was all Nathanael needed to hear. 

FOURTH: His statement of faith, verse 49, “Nathanael answered and saith unto him, Rabbi, thou art the Son of God; thou art the King of Israel. Nathanael immediately knew who Jesus was. 

FIFTH: His special insight into the power of Jesus, verses 50-51, “Jesus answered and said unto him, Because I said unto thee, I saw thee under the fig tree, believest thou? thou shalt see greater things than these. (51) And he saith unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Hereafter ye shall see heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of man.” Nathanael did indeed see heaven and earth linked in Christ; as He performed miracle, after miracle, after miracle. It may well be that Nathanael understood the glory of Christ better than anybody else. 

By way of application, God did indeed use Philip to bring Nathanael to Christ. The landmark of the Bible believing Church has always been Soul Winning, which is a way of bringing people to Christ. Our song has ever been, "Rescue the perishing, care for the dying, Jesus is merciful, Jesus will save." 

Solomon said in Proverbs 11:30, "… he that winneth souls is wise."

Jesus said to His disciples in Luke 19:10, "For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost." 

 

 

1. Sinners are perishing. Psalms 9:17 "The wicked shall be turned into hell." Knowing that people without Christ are heading to hell, it behooves us to have compassion and show them the way.

2. God is commanding us. Jesus said to the disciples in Mark 16:15, "Go ye into all the World, and preach the gospel to every creature." This is God’s clear-cut command to every believer to be a soul winner. Therefore, not to be winning-souls is to be guilty of the sin of disobedience of His command. "The great commission is a PERSONAL COMMAND TO EVERY CHRISTIAN TO GO INTO EVERY CORNER OF HIS OWN PERSONAL WORLD AND WITNESS IN THE POWER OF THE HOLY SPIRIT TO THE GOOD NEWS OF GOD’S SAVING GRACE THROUGH THE SHED BLOOD OF CHRIST IN ORDER TO SEEK AND TO WIN EVERY LOST SOUL TO CHRIST."

 

3. Responsibility is pressing us. Romans 1:14, “I am debtor both to the Greeks, and to the Barbarians; both to the wise, and to the unwise.” Paul says, "I am debtor" which means we also have a debt to all races and classes of people to share with them the gospel of Christ. We ARE responsible for the lost around us.

 

4. Hell is requiring us. Luke 16:27, "The rich man cried, I pray thee father, that thou wouldest send him to my father’s house: For I have five brethren; that he may testify unto them, lest they also come into this place of torment." Think about the doomed souls in Hell crying and begging us to warn their loved ones on earth not to come there. There is no hope for them, but there might be a little satisfaction in their knowing a loved one will not follow them to hell.

 

5. Heaven is encouraging us, Luke 15:15, "There is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner that repenteth." A camp meeting breaks out in heaven every time a sinner is won to the Saviour. Rejoicing and shouting actually takes place among the residents in Heaven.

 

6. Joy is awaiting us. Psalms 126, "They that sow in tears shall reap in joy. He that goeth forth and weepeth  bearing precious seed, shall doubtless come again with rejoicing bring,ing his sheaves with him." Soul winning produces joy in the life of a Christian. Someone said, “In a very real sense, the solution to all of the problems, which we might find in our Church ministries, is found in an intense soul winning activity and in an intense soul winning atmosphere. Pettiness, selfishness, prejudices, and bitterness all seem impossible in the presence of the miracle working God, whose power and presence are frequently demonstrated in the greatest of all miracles the regeneration of souls.”

 

7. Jesus set the example for us, Luke 19:10, “For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost.” Matthew 9:36, "But  when he saw the multitudes, he was moved with compassion." Jesus, our divine example, led the way in soul winning. Saving souls was his primary reason for coming to the earth.

 

8. The early New Testament Christians adopted it.

 

John 1:45, “Philip findeth Nathanael, and saith unto him, we have found him of whom Moses in the law spoke."

Acts 8:30, "And Philip ran thither to him (Eunuch) and opened his mouth, and began at the same scripture and preached unto him Jesus."

John 1:41,  "Andrew first findeth his own brother Simon, and saith unto him, we have found the Messias."

John 4:28, "The Samaritan woman then left her waterpot, and went her way into the city, and saith to the men, Come, see a man, which told me all things that I ever did. Is not this the Christ?"

Acts 5:42, "And daily in the temple, and in every house, they ceased not to teach and preach Jesus Christ."

Acts 8:4, "Therefore, they that were scattered abroad went every where preaching the word."

 

This was the spirit of the early church, all witnessing and preaching the gospel to everyone. They adopted soul wining as their way of life. Folks, time is definitely running out. The coming of our Lord Jesus Christ is just around the corner. May God help us to adopt soul winning as the theme of our church activities! I close with this statement and verse:

 

Humanly speaking, the greatest thrill that can come to a human being is knowing that under God you have been responsible for bringing someone to Jesus Christ for salvation.

 

The Psalmist tells us in Psalms 126:6, "He that goeth forth and weepeth, bearing precious seed, shall doubtless come again with rejoicing, bringing the sheaves with him."

 

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If God has spoken to your heart after reading the sermon, Nathanael (Bartholomew), “The Skeptic Disciple,” then right now talk to God about what He has spoken to you.

 

Do you have the assurance that one day you will go to heaven? If you have no assurance that you know Jesus Christ, then I trust you will decide to accept Him as your personal Savior. The Bible tells us in

 

                Acts 16:31, “…Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved…”

                Romans 10:13, “For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.”

This prayer is here for those who need to ask Jesus to be their personal Savior: “I do want to go to Heaven. I know I am a sinner, and I do believe Jesus Christ died for me. I realize I cannot buy this great salvation, nor can I earn it. Knowing Jesus died on the cross and arose from the grave to pay my sin debt and to purchase my salvation, I do now trust Him as my Savior, and from this moment on I am completely depending on Him for my salvation.”

If you made the decision to accept Jesus Christ as your personal Savior, would you please let me know? Please send me an e-mail to pdmikBBM@aol.com. and in return I will send you some literature that will help you in your Christian life.

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