Believe The First Things?
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John 1:50 The Context: Philip and Nathaniel were good friends. Jesus found and challenged Philip to follow Him. Philip became convinced that Jesus was the One that Moses and the Prophets wrote about. Philip went looking for Nathaniel and told him about Jesus and challenged him to “come and see.” When Nathaniel approached, Jesus told him that even before Philip had found him, Jesus had seen him under a fig tree. That Jesus could see and know him from afar amazed Nathaniel and convinced him that Jesus was indeed the “Rabbi, the Son of God, the King of Israel.”
God Asks Us: Jesus answered him, “Because I said to you, ‘I saw you under the fig tree,’ do you believe? You will see greater things than these.”
JNE: It was not a magic trick, with a planted informant. It was not a demonic spirit tracking Nathaniel. Jesus was beginning to be known since John baptized Him in the Jordan River. Nathaniel’s friends had been talking and now one of them, Philip, was convinced that Jesus was someone very special. And Jesus demonstrated to Nathaniel the reality of His uniqueness. And Nathaniel believed. It is very wise to be cautious regarding our beliefs. But how much does it take to convince me that Jesus really is Who He claims to be? We have much more evidence than Nathaniel had. Just think of all the miraculous things Nathaniel would have missed seeing if he had not believed the first simple demonstration of Jesus’ Divine identity. I wonder what difference it would make if we believed the plain things first, before stumbling over the hard things to believe. Such as: There is a GOD who is truly GOD. GOD is not silent, He reveals Himself in nature, and in the Bible. Nathaniel believed enough to take some steps to go check out this Messiah. Can you believe enough that there might be a GOD who is really GOD and that He has revealed Himself to us. What might you be missing if you refuse to believe the first steps?
Read "The Gospel?"
John 1:50 The Context: Philip and Nathaniel were good friends. Jesus found and challenged Philip to follow Him. Philip became convinced that Jesus was the One that Moses and the Prophets wrote about. Philip went looking for Nathaniel and told him about Jesus and challenged him to “come and see.” When Nathaniel approached, Jesus told him that even before Philip had found him, Jesus had seen him under a fig tree. That Jesus could see and know him from afar amazed Nathaniel and convinced him that Jesus was indeed the “Rabbi, the Son of God, the King of Israel.”
God Asks Us: Jesus answered him, “Because I said to you, ‘I saw you under the fig tree,’ do you believe? You will see greater things than these.”
JNE: It was not a magic trick, with a planted informant. It was not a demonic spirit tracking Nathaniel. Jesus was beginning to be known since John baptized Him in the Jordan River. Nathaniel’s friends had been talking and now one of them, Philip, was convinced that Jesus was someone very special. And Jesus demonstrated to Nathaniel the reality of His uniqueness. And Nathaniel believed. It is very wise to be cautious regarding our beliefs. But how much does it take to convince me that Jesus really is Who He claims to be? We have much more evidence than Nathaniel had. Just think of all the miraculous things Nathaniel would have missed seeing if he had not believed the first simple demonstration of Jesus’ Divine identity. I wonder what difference it would make if we believed the plain things first, before stumbling over the hard things to believe. Such as: There is a GOD who is truly GOD. GOD is not silent, He reveals Himself in nature, and in the Bible. Nathaniel believed enough to take some steps to go check out this Messiah. Can you believe enough that there might be a GOD who is really GOD and that He has revealed Himself to us. What might you be missing if you refuse to believe the first steps?
Read "The Gospel?"