Shattering Assumptions: Trusting God’s Call Over Our Plans

• Encounters with Jesus 00:30:21 ▶️ 📄
  > The pastor introduces a new sermon series titled 'Encounters with Jesus' consisting of 11 different encounters in the book of John, starting with Nathaniel.
• Blinded by Assumptions 00:36:08 ▶️ 📄
  > The pastor labels the first section of the sermon 'blinded by assumptions,' focusing on how Nathanael's skepticism and stereotypes prevented him from seeing Jesus' true identity until confronted.
• Nazareth and Bias 00:37:59 ▶️ 📄
  > The pastor discusses Nathanael's skeptical response 'Can anything good come out of Nazareth?' and compares it to modern biases against places like Troutman, illustrating how people build walls based on stereotypes.
• Evangelism and Witness 00:41:04 ▶️ 📄
  > The pastor argues that all believers are called to be witnesses by sharing their personal stories of transformation, rather than relying on spiritual gifts or arguments.
• Overcoming Bias and Skepticism 00:37:33 ▶️ 📄
  > The pastor discusses Nathanael's skepticism regarding Nazareth and uses modern analogies to explain how biases block people from seeing the truth.
• Divine Initiative in Salvation 00:44:03 ▶️ 📄
  > The pastor emphasizes that Jesus takes the initiative in conversions, knowing individuals intimately before they approach Him.
• Personal Revelation and Faith 00:45:18 ▶️ 📄
  > The pastor analyzes Nathanael's radical confession of faith triggered by Jesus' knowledge of his private moments under the fig tree.
• Surrender to God's Will 00:52:09 ▶️ 📄
  > The pastor describes his personal submission to God's plan despite not understanding it, leading to a new life path.
• Jesus as the Ultimate Ladder 00:53:26 ▶️ 📄
  > The pastor explains that Jesus is the 'ultimate ladder' and 'permanent bridge' between God and humanity, fulfilling the symbolism of Jacob's ladder.
• Faith vs. Works/Status 00:55:44 ▶️ 📄
  > The pastor emphasizes that salvation and relationship with God are based on faith in Jesus, not on human effort, location, or religious status.
• Breaking Rigid Assumptions 00:56:51 ▶️ 📄
  > The pastor challenges the congregation to identify and release their 'last places' or rigid assumptions that block trust in Jesus.

• Sermon Illustration 00:30:50 ▶️ 📄
  > The pastor shares a personal anecdote about his post-college graduation plans, where he intended to teach in Chicago and then attend seminary, but had previously dismissed California as a place he would never live due to stereotypes about cost of living and materialism, only to later realize his assumptions were wrong.
• Sermon Illustration 00:38:17 ▶️ 📄
  > The pastor uses a modern analogy comparing Nathanael's bias against Nazareth to the historical stigma against Troutman, North Carolina, noting that while it was once looked down upon, it has since grown with million-dollar homes, illustrating how biases can be outdated.
• Sermon Illustration 00:38:17 ▶️ 📄
  > The pastor compares Nathanael's skepticism of Nazareth to modern biases against places like Troutman, North Carolina, noting how perceptions change over time.
• Sermon Illustration 00:47:51 ▶️ 📄
  > The pastor shares a personal anecdote about receiving a job offer in California while planning to stay in Chicago, and how a series of coincidences (meeting an advisor and youth pastor from the same town) convinced him it was God's will.
• Sermon Illustration 00:50:35 ▶️ 📄
  > The pastor recounts a personal story of his college years where he prayed for guidance, then unexpectedly met his academic advisor and youth pastor who both came from Redlands, California, leading him to surrender his own plans and eventually move there to meet his wife.
• Sermon Illustration 00:53:49 ▶️ 📄
  > The pastor references the biblical story of Jacob's ladder from Genesis 28, describing how Jacob, while fleeing and tired, received a vision of heaven opening with angels ascending and descending, which the pastor uses as an analogy for Jesus being the ultimate thoroughfare between God and humanity.

• Pastoral Charge 00:43:21 ▶️ 📄
  > Invite skeptical friends to experience faith personally through invitations to Bible study or meals.
• Pastoral Charge 00:57:41 ▶️ 📄
  > Stop protecting personal plans and surrender one's life direction to Jesus Christ.

[00:03:09] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_03]
[00:03:09] My joy and pleasure, as always, to welcome you here today to worship at First Presbyterian Church, showing people and making disciples. If this is your first time today, your first time in a long time, I highly encourage you. Say hi to someone, connect with the greeters.
[00:03:26] They can point you over to the parlor where there's more information about our church.
[00:03:30] You can always reach out to me or Pastor Dave, our senior pastor, for more information to get connected. Before we continue with our service today, I invite you now to stand to greet one another, and to welcome each other to church today. Friends, let us begin our worship
[00:05:34] together as it's already begun, but let us continue with our call to worship. You can read along in your bulletin or follow along on the screen. Lord, you have searched me out and known me. You know my sitting down and my rising up. You discern my thoughts from afar. Indeed, there is
[00:06:04] not a word on my lips, but you, O Lord, know it all together. And let us pray the prayer of invocation together. Almighty God, creator of the universe, we are awed by your wondrous works
[00:06:24] and overwhelmed by your infinite wisdom. For all your majesty, we praise you. Yet even more, we rejoice that you do not forget us, that you want to know us, that you come to care for us,
[00:06:39] sisters and brothers of jesus christ your son amen as you are able please stand as we sing our first hymn affirm our faith together using the apostles creed and i ask you oh christian what
[00:10:33] is it that you believe i believe in god the father almighty maker of heaven and earth and in jesus christ his only son our lord who was conceived by the holy ghost born of the virgin
[00:10:47] Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, dead, and buried. He descended into hell. The third day he rose again from the dead. He ascended into heaven and sitteth on the right hand of God the Father Almighty. From thence he shall come to judge the quick and the dead. I believe in the
[00:11:08] Holy Ghost, the Holy Catholic Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection

[00:11:16] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_01]
[00:11:16] of the body and the life everlasting. Amen. You may be seated. So just an announcement for us

[00:15:04] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_03]
[00:15:04] before our moment for ministry. It is there in your bulletin, but just as a friendly reminder, next Sunday, July 19th at two o'clock over in the fellowship hall, we will have the CPR and AED
[00:15:15] training. Some people have already spoken with me this morning, but as of earlier this morning, We only had about four or five signed up, and I don't see Al or Ginny here today.
[00:15:26] If you are here, please just raise your hand crazily so I can see you.
[00:15:30] But I just highly encourage you to still sign up.
[00:15:33] This is an invitation that we've been giving to the whole church.
[00:15:36] I've been sharing this at the first two services.
[00:15:39] And it's just helpful so that a wide range of people across our church body can be trained, and God forbid, in case of any emergency, how to operate an AED, as well as how to do to do cpr in the event of that is required and so again highly encourage
[00:15:55] this is hard on the church we they will provide all the um equipment to practice on there will be refreshments at that two o'clock hour and uh please come join be poured into be and if you
[00:16:07] have already been certified but you just need to be certified you can still do this if you've never done it before, again, come and do that. Melissa, please. Good morning. I have the pleasure of coming

[00:16:32] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_05]
[00:16:32] and speaking to you a little bit of this morning about the children's ministry. Starting tomorrow is our VBS week. We are going to have close to 250 people on the church campus throughout the week
[00:16:42] between campers and volunteers. The best thing I think I did last year was to invite you all to go on a prayer walk after the service is over and walk through the halls and in the classrooms and
[00:16:53] in the fellowship hall in the 143 space and just pray over that space for the children, the campers, the volunteers that are joining us. This past weekend, I had a little bit of a scare. I had
[00:17:04] about six volunteers tell me they were no longer able to serve, which put a little panic in my heart. But the Lord came through and provided all that we need. So we have more than enough
[00:17:12] volunteers and we are excited. We're going to Snowball Mountain Challenge where we will be learning about how we can do all things through Christ who strengthens us. And I'm sure some of you walked through our snowy hallways. There will be even more of that by the end of today.
[00:17:28] So we are excited for that. The other reason I'm here before you is to share with you about the children's ministry and Sunday school. Believe it or not, the fall kickoff is coming faster than
[00:17:39] I am prepared for. August 9th is going to be our pancakes and promotion. That is when our children will move up to the next grade level. And this year I decided to ask a few families to come and
[00:17:50] share with you about their experience with the children's ministry. So I would like to invite Courtney Mosley and Mary, it looks like, is going to be joining us to share a little bit about their

[00:17:58] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_00]
[00:17:58] experience with the children's ministry. Hi, everyone. My name is Courtney. My family has been coming to this church for, I guess, about a year and a half. And since we came, the children's ministry has just been such a blessing for our family. As far as the girls, we have three
[00:18:16] daughters all meeting new friends, getting to connect in with other families, getting to meet other families and other parents that we can be in the same walk of life. I've made great friendships through it. Mary and Eleanor and Margaret have made great friendships as well.
[00:18:32] We've had lots of play dates and just really got to really feel connected in with this church.
[00:18:39] When we came last year, I think about this time, there were several people that spoke about their experience getting to be teachers and what that's meant for them. And that really pulled on my heart
[00:18:50] and made me feel that that's something we've been looking for a way that we could serve the church, that we could use the gifts that Christ's given us, that he has called us to use.
[00:19:02] And so I talked to Melissa and volunteered, and it's just been such a blessing for my husband and I.
[00:19:08] We got to teach the fourth and fifth graders throughout the year.
[00:19:12] We alternate months, and so we'll do every other month.
[00:19:15] And it's been amazing to see the growth in the kids, the spiritual depth of some of the questions they ask is amazing a lot of times we're just like wow that's you know we can't even we're like we've got to get back to you sometimes on that question
[00:19:28] um and it's just been amazing so I encourage if anyone has thought about serving even if you don't think you know you are you know you know everything or that you can um that you're not equipped
[00:19:43] Christ will equip you and I think that's just been the biggest blessing is is the growth that

[00:19:47] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_05]
[00:19:47] we've seen in ourselves through that development of being able to to teach these kids just checking just checking to Courtney's point that was one of the things that I wanted to share I made a joke
[00:20:05] when I first took over for Miss Ellen that Mark brought me one of her shoes and it was so big I couldn't fit it in my car and I could never fill Miss Ellen's shoes and the realization is that I
[00:20:16] was never called to fill Ms. Ellen's shoes. I was called to fill my own. And each and every one of you is called to fill your shoes in your own way, in your own unique way with your gifts that God
[00:20:26] has blessed you with. And I never want someone to say no out of fear, fear for not knowing what, like Courtney said, how to answer the question. Because believe it or not, they will ask you
[00:20:35] questions that you do not know the answer to. And a lot of times I'll say, that's a wonderful question. I'm not sure. I'll have to get back to you. And I go and I try and find the answer for
[00:20:43] them but not being afraid of those questions because it only helps us grow in our faith as well so I ask you guys to just pray over how you might be able to serve in the children's ministry
[00:20:53] and I want to leave you with this I'm in some some groups with other ministry leaders children's ministry leaders and someone else wrote this but I really enjoyed it so I'm going to share it with
[00:21:03] you somewhere along the way we settled for calling children's ministry a support ministry it's not It's one of the most strategic, sacred, and significant ministries in the life of the church.
[00:21:14] Because every Sunday, while many adults are worshiping in the sanctuary, another kind of holy work is taking place down the hall.
[00:21:21] Children are encountering the presence of God.
[00:21:25] They are learning the Bible is true.
[00:21:26] They are discovering that prayer changes things.
[00:21:29] They are hearing, perhaps for the first time, that they are deeply loved by a Savior who knows them by name.
[00:21:35] This isn't child care. It's not babysitting.
[00:21:37] It's disciple-making.
[00:21:39] And one day in eternity, we will discover that some of the greatest kingdom work was never done under the brightest lights, but it was done in the smallest chairs with the biggest hearts.
[00:21:48] Children's ministry isn't where we babysit the future.
[00:21:51] It's where the church disciples its present.
[00:21:54] So I ask you to prayerfully consider coming alongside and being a disciple maker with us in the children's ministry.
[00:22:01] I have Sunday morning, Wednesday night together, and I feel very called to start a Sunday school program for the 1115 service.
[00:22:08] we have more and more families coming to this service and with their small children joining us they don't always attend the 10 o'clock Sunday school hours so they're coming for child care but they're not receiving a bible lesson and I would like to change that but in order to change
[00:22:22] that I need volunteers who are willing to step in and and be the leaders and the teachers in that during that service time so we are seeking that so be in prayer in general for the children's
[00:22:33] ministry be in prayer for VBS week your prayers are coveted and one of my specific prayers is for the health and safety of leaders and children.
[00:22:40] And my second prayer request, silly as it might sound, is no rain from nine to one, Monday through Friday.
[00:22:46] That would be fantastic.
[00:22:48] So that's all I have for y'all.
[00:22:49] Thank you so much for your time.

[00:22:55] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_03]
[00:22:55] Thank you, Melissa.
[00:22:56] And thank you, Courtney, for speaking to this amazing ministry and of your experiences.
[00:23:01] Would you all please join me now for a word of prayer?
[00:23:09] Lord, we just lift up this church to you and to say thank you.
[00:23:14] Thank you, Father.
[00:23:15] And thank you, Christ and Holy Spirit for all the good that you have done throughout the years and until unto today.
[00:23:23] And Lord, we lift up VBS.
[00:23:25] We lift up all the leaders and the teachers and volunteers and the campers that they all not only would be in good health but in great spirits to have a joyful time, to have a memorable time
[00:23:37] and a deeply impactful time.
[00:23:39] Your presence would be felt all over this church campus, in all classrooms, and that not only your peace, but just your limitless joy would be present.
[00:23:52] Then all the campers and even the volunteers would walk away with something more of who you are and transformed into your likeness.
[00:24:01] We thank you that we get to do this.
[00:24:02] We are so grateful that we have the capability and the resources and the space to have this.
[00:24:09] And so we just pray, Lord, that it would all glorify you and exalt you.
[00:24:12] friends as we are as we continue in prayer let us now take this moment to silently confess our sins before god jesus christ son of god have mercy on me a sinner forgive us when we have
[00:24:48] chosen to exalt ourselves rather than you lord jesus forgive us when we had a moment to love our neighbor, but instead we harbored that love for ourselves. Forgive us, God, when we know what your will is, what the Bible says, but we cared more about what our greed or pride or our flesh
[00:25:13] told us to do. In all these things, we need your mercy to restore us, to comfort us, to encourage us that we are not without hope and that shame, the shame of the enemy is not the final
[00:25:30] word over us. Help us to fight this battle so that we can partake of your glory. And so Lord, we rest and we lean into the assurances and promises of the gospel of Christ that by your blood shed on the cross
[00:25:49] we are washed and cleaned. But more than that, as according to the words of Romans 8, we have been adopted by the holy spirit that we might cry abba father children of god restored given a new
[00:26:05] identity and may we have open eyes and ears and an open heart to see that to hear it and to receive it and to live into it i pray over this church oh god that you would be glorified in every branch
[00:26:19] of ministry taking place here in each of our committees in each of our elders in each of our families, that every person that steps foot into this place may encounter you, and when they step
[00:26:31] foot out of this place, they would encounter you all the more. Equip us, Lord, to be your disciples, to be your hands and feet in every place and in every time, so that in fulfillment of the words
[00:26:43] of Christ, that the world may know you and your love. As Pastor Dave will bring the word for us here in a moment. I pray over him that he would be blessed and that the Holy Spirit would work
[00:26:56] through him those words that you have for us. May our hearts be open. May our ears be attuned to what you have to say and that we may receive. Fill us, Holy Spirit. Thank you, Jesus, for your
[00:27:12] grace and mercy that is new for us every single morning, and may you be glorified. We pray all these things in his most holy name amen as you are able please stand as we sing our next hymn

[00:27:24] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_04]
[00:27:24] congratulations to the kirklands you know with little baby bennett here we've been praying for him and it's good to see him healthy and with us also wanted to mention i don't know if becky deal
[00:30:01] is here this morning but her sister passed last week so keep her in prayer and uh phil good to have you back you had a knee replacement so uh you've been finally working your way into the
[00:30:14] building again, so that's great. So our passage this morning is John chapter 1, verses 43 to 51.
[00:30:21] We're starting a new sermon series. It's entitled Encounters with Jesus, and there'll be 11 different encounters in the book of John. I'll be curious to see if any of them resonate with you.
[00:30:35] Today we're going to take a look at Nathaniel, and I open by sharing the summer after my college graduation, I had my three to five year map planned out. Any planners in this room that do
[00:30:50] that? You have your short-term, long-term goals. So I was going to do two years of teaching in Chicago, secondary school, and then I felt called to seminary, three years of a Master of Divinity. That was the plan. I was already putting my package together. I had placed in the mail
[00:31:08] 50 resumes. This dates me, some of many of you can relate with this, but I had to take 50 hard copies of my resume, stick them in a big envelope, postmark it, and send it, I sent it out to 50
[00:31:21] schools. In the midst of the summer, I recall being with friends in a coffee shop, and we were all sharing our dreams and the perfect scenario we felt in life, what that might be. And one of my
[00:31:37] friend said, given the perfect circumstances, he would love to live in California. And I laughed out loud, and I said, are you serious? I'm like, California is the absolute last place I would ever live. You know, I was raised in central Florida. My mother had a brother in California. I was always
[00:31:57] hearing how challenging it was to raise children in that environment, the cost of living, the materialism the the coastal cities and how image is so important that just so i had always heard that that was my stereotype and uh that was the last place i would ever live we all have our last
[00:32:19] places don't we are those are there those places in your life the last places you'd ever live or maybe the last things that you would ever do. We all carry categories of what's good, desirable,
[00:32:36] acceptable. Sometimes we even place the type of people that we would be with or interact with, yes, relationally, where we would draw the line or build a wall. This morning as we turn to scripture, we're going to walk back 2,000 years to a religious man by the name of Nathanael.
[00:33:01] And he had his own last place. And he had an encounter with Jesus that challenged his assumptions in life. And Jesus not only turned those assumptions upside down, but he revealed a calling nathaniel had never imagined nor could he have predicted big idea this morning from the
[00:33:26] passage is this jesus can shatter our most basic or biased assumptions to open the heavens to his calling on our lives he can take us to places we never thought we would go he can open our hearts
[00:33:44] to things that we thought we would never do.
[00:33:48] I'm going to say a prayer.
[00:33:49] We'll read the passage together.
[00:33:51] Please join me, Heavenly Father.
[00:33:54] Thank you for the gift of your word as we approach it this morning.
[00:33:59] Please speak to our hearts and our minds through your Holy Spirit.
[00:34:04] Enlighten this passage.
[00:34:07] May we gain a deeper understanding and through that, Lord, may we draw closer to you.
[00:34:11] We give this time to you now and we pray these things in Jesus' name.
[00:34:16] Amen. John chapter 1, beginning with verse 43. The next day, Jesus decided to go to Galilee.
[00:34:25] It's the beginning of his call, that the 12 disciples were being called into his intimate circle of disciples for ministry. The next day, Jesus decided to go to Galilee. He found Philip and said to him, follow me. Now, Philip was from Bethsaida, the city of Andrew and Peter.
[00:34:44] Philip found Nathanael and said to him, We have found him about whom Moses and the law and also the prophets wrote, Jesus, son of Joseph, from Nazareth.
[00:34:55] Nathanael said to him, Can anything good come out of Nazareth?
[00:35:00] Philip said to him, Come and see.
[00:35:02] When Jesus saw Nathanael coming towards him, he said of him, Here is truly an Israelite in whom there is no deceit.
[00:35:10] Nathanael asked him, Where did you come to know me?
[00:35:14] Jesus answered, I saw you under the fig tree before Philip called you.
[00:35:20] Nathanael replied, Rabbi, you are the Son of God.
[00:35:24] You are the King of Israel.
[00:35:26] Jesus answered, Do you believe because I told you that I saw you under the fig tree?
[00:35:31] You will see greater things than these.
[00:35:34] And he said to him, Very truly, I tell you, you will see heaven opened and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of Man.
[00:35:45] This is the word of the Lord. Again, Jesus can shatter our most biased assumptions to open the heavens to His calling on our lives, taking us places we never dreamt, leading us towards things we perhaps have set walls up against.
[00:36:08] I want to start by labeling this first section blinded by assumptions.
[00:36:14] Philip has this discovery as the moment unfolds in the opening week of Jesus' ministry.
[00:36:20] Jesus had been baptized by John the Baptist in the wilderness.
[00:36:25] And then he had 30 days in the wilderness where he was tempted by Satan.
[00:36:31] And that's all taken place.
[00:36:32] he's now on the move to Galilee he's gathering his first disciples and on the road he finds Philip and he calls him to follow Philip come follow me Philip was from a fisher a fishing community
[00:36:50] same place where Peter and Andrew was from we're not sure exactly what he did but he could have been a fisherman as well he responds immediately and then with urgency and excitement he tracks down Nathanael, his close friend, and he exclaims to him. He announces, quote, we found the one
[00:37:10] Moses and the prophets wrote about, Jesus of Nazareth. He's appealing to what he knew about Nathanael. He's a man of the word. We found, he's saying in other words, we found the Messiah, the chosen one. Now, how does Nathanael respond? I love how scripture is just very straightforward,
[00:37:33] a very honest. We see this honest response from a religious man who's skeptical, cynical, maybe even a bit snarky. Yes, how he responds. How does he respond? Can anything good come out of Nazareth? Do you see the wall that's built up, his stereotype of Nazareth? You're talking about
[00:37:59] the Messiah, the Son of God. Really? Can anything good? I'm trying to compare Nazareth to anything today there has been so much growth in Charlotte in the surrounding areas especially the Lake Norman so it's hard to give a comparison but it would have been maybe like 50 years ago saying
[00:38:17] someone was from Troutman it's hard to say it now because you have million dollar homes you know on the lake in Troutman but it would have been similar that back then we find this through not
[00:38:27] only history but recent excavations that the town there of Nazareth may have only held two to four hundred people dirt poor farmers there was only maybe five to ten acres of land that covered the
[00:38:43] entire community that held the entire community and nathaniel was from the next town over he was from canaan cana so he he was familiar and and again he's he's perplexed you know so part of
[00:38:59] the cynicism he knows nazareth really the the king the promised messiah and perhaps it was theological perhaps because he knew his bible and micah said that the messiah would be born in bethlehem he wasn't aware that jesus was born in bethlehem jesus was from nazareth the son of
[00:39:18] joseph perhaps because of that he's thinking no no scripture tells us it's bethlehem not nazareth whatever the case his mind is closed to this concept there's no way the messiah is coming to us you didn't find the messiah in nazareth i'm sorry he had that wall built up and it's
[00:39:43] understandable from a human standpoint his biased assumption built this wall philip's discovery of the promised Messiah could not possibly be true in his mind, at least not according to Nathaniel's self-determined map. Now, there's one verse I want us to focus on, and there's an invitation
[00:40:06] from Philip to his friend for discovery. Notice how Philip responds to Nathaniel's assumption.
[00:40:13] He doesn't get defensive. He doesn't start arguing. He doesn't start making a case for the virtues of Nazareth or try to win a biblical argument. That's not where he goes. He simply offers a three-word invitation. Remember what he says? Come and see. Come and see. This isn't an
[00:40:35] argument. It's an invitation. Come experience for yourself. He points his friend towards Jesus. He bypasses this wall of bias by shifting from conversation or shifting to conversation or an argument to just simply come and see, see for yourself. Now, when I think of evangelism
[00:41:04] today, Acts 1 chapter 8 makes it pretty clear that you and I, we are all called to be a witness, yes? We're all to share our faith, and we can't cop out. Some people might try to say, well, you
[00:41:19] know, evangelism is just not one of my spiritual gifts. Jesus, before ascending into heaven, said to all of his followers that you are called to be witnesses. You have a unique story of how the Lord has touched your heart, how he's transformed your life, and we're to witness
[00:41:39] to what God has done. What we see here in this story, Philip gives us permission. He's telling us, hey, let the Holy Spirit do His work. You just tell your story. Share how the Lord has
[00:41:53] transformed your life and let God do the changing when it comes to someone's heart.
[00:42:00] And I ask you a simple question. Have you ever seen someone argued into the kingdom of heaven?
[00:42:06] Today, I can promise you this.
[00:42:08] I've never unfriended someone on Facebook.
[00:42:12] You know, when I look at social media, there are a lot of arguments on social media.
[00:42:16] Have any of you on Facebook or Instagram, do you see that?
[00:42:19] Have you ever seen someone argued from, you know, someone makes a big statement from the Democratic platform or maybe the Republican, and they make such a convincing statement, you think, you know what?
[00:42:29] I think I'm going to shift over to the other, the party.
[00:42:32] That was so convincing.
[00:42:34] Do you see that happening?
[00:42:36] Now, who are the people on social media, what do we call them, the people that have like a million followers? Influencers. Do they become influencers through debate and argument or through inspiration?
[00:42:56] Let me show you something here. Let me get you excited about something. When it comes to our faith, Philip models it beautifully. I'm not going to argue with my friend. I respect my friend. Just
[00:43:11] come and see. We could debate about Nazareth. Just come and see. It's a lesson for us today.
[00:43:21] You know, maybe that friend that's really skeptical, just say, hey, hand them a book, you know, the Gospel of John, or invite them to a Bible study, or during the school year, Wednesday night together, come have dinner, come check out for yourself. You know, tell them your
[00:43:36] story. Point them towards Jesus. You and I, we don't have to play the role of the Holy Spirit.
[00:43:43] He's about the business of, we're just to be faithful.
[00:43:45] He's about the business of changing hearts and lives.
[00:43:49] True conversion is tied to Jesus changing a person.
[00:43:55] Philip says, come and see.
[00:43:56] As we move through this passage, we see his friend then transformed by the presence of Jesus.
[00:44:03] Jesus takes initiative.
[00:44:04] You know, with 100% of conversions, it's Jesus taking the initiative.
[00:44:11] there are many seekers in life you know that go on pilgrimages and and ask the question and say the prayers jesus knew you and me before we were even born he knows the number of hairs on your
[00:44:26] head and he knows your intimate thoughts better than you can express in words so we see here as Jesus sees Nathanael coming towards him. Jesus essentially says to him, I know you. And he makes
[00:44:45] a subtle reference talking about, he says, you're a man with no, you're an Israelite without deceit.
[00:44:50] You know what he's subtly referring to? Jacob, the patriarch known for deceit. How was he deceitful?
[00:45:01] He cheated his brother out of his birthright. Remember that story? And then he fled because his brother wanted him dead. He's alluding to that story. And we'll see that at the end of the passage here. Jesus sees Nathanael coming towards him. He says, I know you. Nathanael responds as
[00:45:18] if to say, yeah, I don't think we've ever met. And then Jesus absolutely blows his mind by saying, I saw you under the fig tree before Philip called you. Now, when I was a child and I'd hear this
[00:45:35] story i think i don't get this so jesus sees someone under a fig tree and because he says that the person's all excited and they come to faith like there's got to be something more to
[00:45:45] this so jesus says this and and sure enough he says you know i saw you under he he evokes a radical confession of faith he says rabbi you are the son of god you are the king of israel
[00:46:00] Why does he respond radically?
[00:46:05] I spent some time this week in scripture and there are some scholars that treat the fig tree reference as something symbolic.
[00:46:13] Because in rabbinical literature, to use that phrase actually is a way to describe meditation on the law.
[00:46:22] So to say, oh, I saw you under the fig tree, I saw you studying God's word.
[00:46:28] And so some will say maybe when Jesus said that phrase, when nathaniel was studying god's word maybe he had come he was reading at that very moment genesis 28 so as he's speaking of deceit and as he's talking about angels ascending and descending
[00:46:44] he's like oh my goodness i'm reading my bible i'm reading the holy scriptures and and jesus knows my heart oh my god my the son of god the messiah you're him now that's all speculative. It's more likely, and this is my position on this, Nathaniel was literally, had
[00:47:06] been literally sitting under a fig tree. And maybe he was reading the Holy Scriptures. Maybe he was in prayer. But something was intimately happening in his heart. It was a private moment. Jesus would have been miles away. And Jesus is saying, I saw you under the fig tree. And that just hit him
[00:47:24] like a ton of bricks. Oh my goodness, you must be God. Whatever was happening in that moment, it was convincing. This is God. This is the Son of God. This is the promised Messiah. Which takes
[00:47:39] me back to my coffee shop story. I want to share this with you, and I want to make a case that you and I today, there are these fig tree moments, and sometimes we ignore them. Sometimes we say,
[00:47:51] oh, that's just coincidence. Remember my coffee shop moment? Where was the last place that I would ever go where I'd ever live? California. Maybe that resonates with some of you. Last place I'd ever go. Two days after that conversation, I'm in my apartment and I get a phone call from the
[00:48:11] principal of Arrowhead Christian Academy in Redlands, California. Someone had given him my name. He heard that I had a teaching degree. He said that we have an opening here. Would you be interested in applying for the position in our school? So my immediate response was kind of a
[00:48:32] thanks, but no thanks, but you need to understand I have my next three to five years pretty much planned out. It's mapped out. I'm going to teach for two years in Chicago. I've already flooded
[00:48:45] the schools there. You know, I had a noble reason that I needed to be in Chicago. And then I said, and after two years, I'm going to pursue, I feel called to seminary. And that takes us a three-year
[00:48:57] degree, master of divinity. So I'm explaining this all to this principal and he says, that's wonderful you're just the type person we're looking for for this role you could teach for two years and you know maybe a third or fourth but then we have wonderful seminaries out here in
[00:49:14] California we're near Fuller Seminary and Talbot Seminary and he he's selling me on this and and again I'm being very hesitant in my tone he said you know what you don't need to answer I will call
[00:49:24] you tomorrow night same time but would you please pray about this and I said sure hung up the phone I didn't even wait 10 seconds and I'm calling my mom in Florida saying you won't believe what just
[00:49:38] happened you know and I'm counting on her to affirm my hesitancy because nothing there there's nothing good about living in California according to my mother you know whose family a brother lives So I call my mother, and I explain everything that just happened,
[00:49:54] and my mom says, sir, are you going to pray about it?
[00:49:58] I said, what do you mean?
[00:49:59] She said, you told this fellow you'd pray about it, right?
[00:50:02] I said, well, I guess so.
[00:50:05] And then she said, do you have anyone in the area that you would consider a spiritual mentor?
[00:50:08] And I said, I do.
[00:50:10] And she goes, why don't you pray about it tonight in the morning?
[00:50:13] Go seek out counsel from others and tell them what's happening.
[00:50:17] See what they say.
[00:50:18] next morning. I did pray that night, but it was a very, it was tempered, it was cautious, it was, you know, Lord, you know, if this is, you know, you know, may this be your will, not my, you know,
[00:50:35] I'm praying my, you know, not my will, but thy will be done, but I'm really thinking, you know, Lord, this isn't, you know, this is crazy, isn't it? And next morning, I walk across the street,
[00:50:44] I'm a block away from my college.
[00:50:49] My academic advisor is in his office.
[00:50:52] I don't understand why I was a history major and they gave me an English professor as my academic advisor, but he was my advisor, Dr. Martindale.
[00:50:59] I share everything that had happened and he starts smiling.
[00:51:04] And I said, why are you smiling?
[00:51:06] He says, you know where I'm from.
[00:51:09] I said, I don't.
[00:51:10] He said, Redlands, California.
[00:51:13] I'd never heard of, you know, and so my gut reaction was, what a coincidence.
[00:51:17] that's crazy it was still coincidence so then he prayed with me I go across the street college churches across the street from the campus my youth pastor is there Randy Grundyke he's the college pastor he's in his office I'm like you won't believe what happened last night
[00:51:36] and then what happened this morning with Dr. Martindale and I'm sharing all this and he's smiling at me? I'm like, why are you smiling? And he's like, you do know where I went to college.
[00:51:49] I'm like, please tell me you didn't go to college in California. He goes, I went to the University of Redlands. You know, there's a certain point where you can't explain things away as coincidence, and it's just like, okay, Lord, you're talking to me. And that was my fig tree moment. It's like,
[00:52:09] the Lord knows my heart, but he knows what's best for me better than I know myself. I did not understand the plans he had for me, and I submitted. I surrendered. I'm like, okay, Lord, you got my
[00:52:22] attention. Long story short, a month later, I'm a teacher in Redlands, California. I had a free summer. I started working in a summer camp. That's where I met my wife, Jodi. We eventually got married and we spent 10 years in California doing church ministry. Last place I would ever live in
[00:52:42] my life. But I was in the center of God's will. Not my will, but thy will be done. God used a miraculous geographical breakthrough to completely reroute my life. He dismantled my assumptions.
[00:53:03] And now as we look at this last section, just these last couple of verses, we will see Jesus with nathaniel and he's going to look to him and he's going to essentially say you think a sign about a fig tree is a big deal you haven't seen anything yet so let's look at
[00:53:26] these last couple verses i've labeled this uh heaven opens the ultimate ladder jesus shifts from a strong earthly sign the fig tree to a vision or he alludes to angels ascending and descending from heaven. You see that in those last couple of verses. You know what he's alluding to?
[00:53:49] Genesis chapter 28. You know the story of Jacob's ladder? Most of you do. You know, we are climbing Jacob's ladder. You know the song in Sunday school we learned as young children. Jacob had squindled his brother's birthright. His brother wanted him dead. He was on the run. He was scared.
[00:54:07] he was tired he was felt lonely perhaps disillusioned he was so tired as he he found a place to sleep he used a rock as a pillow and as he went to sleep the lord gives him a vision
[00:54:24] through a dream the heavens open up angels are ascending and descending a ladder if you translate that term for ladder it's not simply a ladder you think of a rope ladder climbing it's not that
[00:54:36] it's like a highway it's a thoroughfare where armies of angels are coming and going from heaven and the Lord gives Jacob this gift Jacob known at that point in his life for deceit the Lord's
[00:54:50] showing him grace the Lord's giving him this beautiful moment where heaven opens so that the insight that Jesus gives to Nathaniel you think the fig tree is big just wait he's saying I'm the ultimate ladder. He's telling this to Nathaniel. I am the true thoroughfare. I am the
[00:55:14] permanent bridge between God and humanity. And you know Nathan's going to witness this. He's saying there's far greater things you're going to see. What he's referring to is the death and resurrection.
[00:55:27] His death on a cross. Mind-blowing. Heaven's open, curtain torn. Through faith in Jesus, you and I have a path in which we can have a relationship with God.
[00:55:44] Not anything we've done.
[00:55:46] We can't climb our way.
[00:55:47] We can't climb Jacob's ladder to heaven.
[00:55:51] Jesus descended to earth, born in the humble beginnings of his state, born in Bethlehem as prophesied, but then raised in Nazareth.
[00:55:59] Not a place that people look to very fondly of.
[00:56:02] And the Lord from humble beginnings rose Jesus.
[00:56:05] He ended up with his ministry and his death and resurrection, conquering death so that you and i can have life through faith in him we are children of god here's the gospel challenge jesus shattered nathaniel's assumptions not with the fig tree
[00:56:23] moment but well partially with that but even more so with the cross the ultimate revelation it's not nathaniel's location the ultimate revelation is the opening of heaven jesus making our relationship with God possible. So here's the challenge this morning. What is the Nazareth
[00:56:51] or maybe what is the California in your life right now? What rigid assumptions or self-determined maps are you gripping so tightly that it's blocking you from trusting Jesus or surrendering to His call? We have our own ideas of where we should go and what we should do.
[00:57:15] have you surrendered and trusted Him?
[00:57:21] Stop protecting.
[00:57:22] I see here, stop protecting your last places.
[00:57:25] That's the last place the Messiah would come from.
[00:57:28] That's the last place I would go.
[00:57:29] That's the last thing I would do.
[00:57:31] Stop protecting your last places and prayerfully trust the Son of Man, Jesus Christ, the true ladder.
[00:57:41] Surrender your map to His calling on your life today.
[00:57:46] As we approach the table, I'm going to say a prayer so we can get our hearts in the right place. Heavenly Father, I thank you for the gift of your word. I thank you that you give each one of us a unique testimony. You reach
[00:58:02] us in different ways. I thank you for the friendship of Philip, the friendship Philip had with Nathaniel.
[00:58:11] And Lord, in his faithfulness to you, he's just simply showed him the way, pointed to your son Jesus. Lord, may that be a good example for us. Lord, as we open our hearts to you, heaven open
[00:58:24] and your son came here to earth. And Lord, as we approach the table, we're celebrating what he has done on our behalf, making the path to eternal life possible. Lord, words cannot express our gratitude. We ask your blessing upon the bread representing his body broken for us. We ask your
[00:58:48] blessing upon the cup representing his blood shed for the forgiveness of our sins. And Lord, may we not lose sight that when we partake, when we serve one another, that you promise to be right there
[00:59:03] with us. We pray all these things in Jesus' name. Amen. And before giving you an invitation to communion, I just want to briefly give you instructions. And we will have three stations up front. The outside stations will have a plate with bread. The bread's been cut up for you and a
[00:59:32] cup with grape juice. And as you come forward, you can simply step forward, take the bread and dip it into the cup and partake right up front or go back to your seat and partake. There'll be a middle
[00:59:45] section. I'll be in the middle with gluten-free bread. So if that's a preference of yours. And then there's also behind me packets, if that's what you would prefer, a packet that has grape juice and wafers inside. And as we start communion, if there's someone that needs assistance, just
[01:00:07] raise your hand and someone can either bring you a packet right to your seat. Just raise your hand and we'll make sure to assist you in that. And the invitation goes out to those who've placed
[01:00:20] their faith in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. You do not need to be a member of this church.
[01:00:24] If you have children with you and they've professed faith and received Jesus as their Savior, you can guide a child through this. But again, it's faith in Jesus that qualifies you.
[01:00:35] It doesn't matter if you're Baptist or Presbyterian, whatever your background may be, non-denominational, it's your faith. Not your good works, not your membership status, but faith in Jesus that qualifies. Come because you may, not because you must.
[01:00:52] we don't view this as a obligation or a duty or a ritual this is actually a an act of worship so again the invitation is there and i want to remind you on the night of his arrest jesus was
[01:01:07] with his disciples breaking bread it was leading in to his death and the the day he'd be executed and then we know the outcome on the other side of the cross his death and resurrection he broke
[01:01:22] bread with the disciples he says this is my body which shall be broken for you the same way he took the cup he said this represents my my blood which will be shed for the forgiveness of your sins
[01:01:34] whenever you eat from the bread and drink from the cup be reminded of my death until I return and you and I those people of faith we live each and every day expectantly because he could return
[01:01:46] today or it could be a thousand years from now but when he comes he will establish his kingdom there'll be a new heaven and new earth and everything else anything pain toil will be put
[01:01:59] to rest so come eat drink in remembrance of him this moment i would like to invite the elders assisting to come forward again come eat and drink in remembrance of him in our hearts and prayer
[01:08:04] lord we thank you for the sacredness of this moment as a church family you look to your son as our Lord and Savior and express gratitude for what he has done on our behalf.
[01:08:18] Lord, we glorify you in this moment and pray these things in Jesus' name.
[01:08:23] Amen.
[01:08:25] As we leave this place, may the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, the Father, the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with each and every one of you now and forever.
[01:08:35] Amen.
[01:08:37] I encourage you this week to be praying for VBS.
[01:08:39] If you're not partaking or volunteering, you can pray for our people that are involved, that the Lord will touch hearts and lives.
[01:08:47] And David, would you lead us in the closing Lord's Prayer?