Introduction In Luke 6, we read Luke’s account of Jesus’ most famous Sermon on the Mount also found in Matthew 5. Today we take a look at the setting for this sermon and discover why we need Jesus. We can see that Jesus is extremely popular. There was a large crowd that wanted to listen to what Jesus said. They were drawn by four things Jesus provides: teaching, healing (spiritual and physical), and power. There might be rich and poor among the crowds, lowly and high, young and old, Jew and Gentile. One thing they all needed was Jesus. They desperately needed Jesus to the extent where they just wanted to touch His garment or hear his words in hope of being healed or saved. Nothing has changed today. Deep in the hearts of man we are still unsatisfied and unable to explain our lacking. What we need is Jesus Christ. Teachers, scientists or politicians are not dependable. Money, fame and accolades mean nothing. Only in Jesus Christ can we depend and He provides what we need most, Himself.

Jesus teaches Jesus is a universal figure and His teaching is for everyone. In this whole world there never has been or will be someone like Jesus. Gamaliel said if it’s man’s will then Jesus’ gospel will fail but if it is the will of God, then to go against Jesus is to go against God also (Acts 5). Gamaliel was right because Jesus is God incarnate, fully God and truly man. People from all ages and all across follow Jesus because we are made in His image and He speaks to all of us (Isaiah 1:2). He has power and authority over all things (Acts 1:8, Matthew 28:18-19). So it doesn’t matter where and when you were born, you are under Christ’s authority and teaching.

Jesus is sinless and everyone else is a sinner. As sinners, we will die one day and face judgement in God’s holy court (Romans 5:12, Hebrews 9:27). We are nothing but vain and vile. As Jonathon Edwards said, we need God’s help in everything. Everyone needs Jesus. Jesus not only teaches us how to be saved but became the propitiation of God’s wrath and the expiation of our sin (Hebrews 9:2). Jesus satisfies the punishment of God by suffering on the cross and takes away our guilt from us. This is God’s wonderful love. This is the joy of the Christian. Our sins are gone!

As a teacher, Jesus gets involved in our daily lives. He is not deistic, meaning only there at the beginning and watching from afar afterwards. Jesus teaches those who “come to hear him”. (Luke 6:18) Jesus came to earth as a man to teach and preach the gospel. Whenever he performed miracles, there was always teaching. Of course Jesus teaches, because He is the truth and true Christians will eagerly listen to His words (Luke 10:41). His teaching stirs up the land (Matthew 9:26) and draws the sheep who are without a shepherd. His words bring life and protection to those in need. Jesus teaches repentance, redemption and restoration to God. He calls everyone daily to surrender and follow Him as King and Lord. Those who follow His teaching will find the old life gone and the new life much better.

Jesus teaches through nature and through the Bible. From nature we know that God exists. (Psalm 19:1 ) If we know God exists then it is only natural that miracles and the resurrection is possible. (Acts 1:3) Jesus also teaches through the Word. How many great and revered books are there in the world. Many of their authors are dead and soon the others will die. Jesus, the author of the Bible, is still alive. He still works through His book and is still speaking today through the preaching of His word. We must place significant importance on the preaching of God’s word because it is necessary and a great benefit. Jesus uses the preaching of His word to teach His children, therefore pay attention when the Word is preached and take care to prepare for worship on Sunday.

Jesus heals People came not only to be taught but to be healed of their physical illnesses. Jesus healed every sickness that came to Him. (Matthew 4:23) God still heals today through prayer. He can deal with any problem we face. The purpose of healing was to authenticate His message and to prove he was Messiah. Healing not only proves who He is but shows His compassion. God is full of love and compassion and the greatest evidence is that He gave His only Son to save us.

Jesus heals our spiritual issues also. He freed them from unclean spirit/demons. Demons are real, however a Christian can no longer be demon possessed. We have been freed from the powers of this world and are in dwelt by the Holy Spirit. Demons influence a believer but cannot rule over them. A Christian in sin or a Christian who doesn’t know the Bible truthfully, or a Christian without peace is susceptible to demonic influence. Demons attack Christian by placing doubt in a believer’s heart, doubt about God’s word. So we are free, but we must put on the full armor of God to fight. (Ephesians 6:11)

Jesus has power Christian are powerful because they are empowered by Christ. Our fight is against demonic powers and you cannot fight with physical strength or money or education (Ephesians 6:12 ). We can only fight with the power of Jesus Christ. We are empowered by Him when we are ruled by Him. “Jesus is Lord” must not be limited to the words we speak but the actions we live. When we are weak (dependent on Jesus), then we are strong by the power of Jesus (2 Corinthians 12:9-10).

Sin is the primary reason Christian’s have no power in Christ. Sin is like kryptonite. Look at Samson, who lost his strength because of His disobedience. Therefore be diligent to walk with the Lord every day. We are also weak because we have little faith. Look at the disciples in the boat who were scared in the storm while Jesus was sleeping peacefully right beside them. Why were they terrified and helpless? Jesus rebukes those with little faith. In contrast, Apostle Paul also faced a storm and faithfully and firmly held on to Jesus’ words. This is the power of faith in Jesus.

Conclusion What we need, Jesus has. Therefore seek Him and surrender to Him everyday. Seek Him in prayer and read His word. There are so many people in the world who don’t know Christ. We are so blessed! How will the rest of the world know Jesus without a preacher? We must listen to God’s Word ourselves and then go out to the world and share.

Judas Iscariot was one of the original twelve disciples who would betray Jesus (Matt. 10:4; Mk. 3:19). The name Judas means “the one God leads”. It could have been that his parents desired Judas to follow God, but the opposite ended up happening.  Iscariot means “the man from Kerioth”, which was his birthplace. He was the only disciple that was not a Galilean. Judas Iscariot is most known for committing the highest crime of the civil nature of which a man can be guilty; that is, to commit treason and thus be known as the traitor. He would betray the Son of God. When looking at the story of Judas Iscariot, we cannot feel but sorrow and fear. Sorrow because Judas did not finish well although he was at the beginning of Jesus’ public ministry. Fear because we, too, can fall into the danger of unbelief and not truly repenting by failing to realize Jesus as Lord and Savior. Jesus gave all of Himself to Judas, but he still ended up betraying Him.

Why did Judas betray Jesus?

The reason why Judas betrayed Jesus in the end was because Judas had a greater love than Jesus. Judas loved money and other things more than Jesus. Judas also never referred to Jesus as Lord, but only called Him rabbi. The love of money is the root of all sorts of evil and serving wealth causes a person to despite God (1 Tim. 6:10; Matt. 6:24). Judas had rivals in his heart and did not wholly love and devote himself to Jesus.

Judas also did not live with transparency. Lack of transparency is what led Judas to do what he did and the shock that rippled through the other disciples. It is only through transparency that the world can see Christ’s church for what it truly is. Each church member also must live in transparency by confessing their sins to one another in order to be healed and grow (Jas. 5:15-16). Why is it difficult to live in transparency for so many?

Lack of transparency is primarily due to self-centeredness. If Christians remember we are one body of Christ, self is put away (1 Cor. 12:20, 26). Pride is another factor in lacking openness. Whether small or big, we must share with one another because anything can lead to destruction of one’s faith and the life of the church. Gossip is also inevitable when there is lack of sharing. When we understand that “living transparently is less about us and more about God and His work, loving and encouraging each other through transparency builds up the church body and glorifies God to a watching world” (Myeong Hong)!

Moreover, it was Judas’ choice (i.e. free will) to betray Jesus under God’s sovereignty. The Lord accomplishes His will while still allowing people to exercise their free will.

Most importantly, what caused Judas to betray Jesus was because he never believed in Jesus as Lord and Savior. Judas professed Christ without possessing the love of Christ. It is clear that Judas never grew in his personal sanctification as his sin remained and continued to grow (Jn. 12:6; 14:15; Matt. 7:21-22). As no one knew of Judas’ true heart and lack of faith, how do we know we are saved? To be saved, we must be crucified with Christ as Christ lives in us, living by faith in the life God give gave us, who loved us and gave Himself up for us (Gal. 2:20). And this is an ongoing reality in the Christian’s life as the self is increasingly put to death.

Believing in Christ is only possible by God’s gift of faith. Faith allows us to deny ourselves, take up our cross and follow Christ. In other words, Jesus rules as King in our lives, but so many do not truly believe.

Why couldn’t Judas be forgiven?

Although God is able to forgive all and Jesus’ death is able to cover everyone’s sin; however, Judas only felt remorseful but failed to repent and be restored. He only felt sorry and only saw Jesus as an innocent man, but nothing more. He still failed to realize Jesus is Lord and Savior. The difference between remorse and repentance is that remorse is more like despair over sin, but repentance leads to turning away from sin and growth in sanctification. “Repentance is a heartfelt realization of how dreadfully I have failed all through my life, to give His rightful place in my heart and daily walk” (A.W. Pink).

In order to not follow in Judas’ steps, we must be on the alert and follow Christ daily in true faith.

In conclusion of covering the twelve disciples, although they all fell short in one way or another, Jesus fulfills His will in the end. Our only responsibility is to practice our faith in obedience to His will until the end.

Today we will be covering three disciples who are not as well-known as the others. This is not because they are not inferior, it’s just that the Bible doesn’t say much about them, but they were with Jesus. They did what Jesus commanded, they were great preachers and followed Christ faithfully to the end. While the Bible is tight-lipped on Judas (also known as Thaddeus), Simon the Zealot and James the Less, based on their names and hints of other information, we can learn who they are and they are a powerhouse. Through Judas we learn salvation is priceless, through Simon we see the power of Christian passion, and in James the Less we see God working through the small and unknown.

Salvation is priceless. Salvation is not cheap but priceless. You can’t buy salvation with money. Even the richest man in the world cannot buy salvation. While your worldly possessions will fade, your salvation remains with you forever and not everyone will be saved, as demonstrated by Judas’ question.

Judas was also named Thaddeus or Levius. His name means ‘nursing child’ which was a child who was still drinking their mother’s milk. It shows that Thaddeus was tender, soft and maybe even naive. In John 14:22-23 Judas, not Iscariot, asks a question, “Why do you only show who You are to us and not to the world?” In John 7:3-4, other people asked a similar question to go to Judea, because if Jesus did, he would gain fame and popularity and political power through His miracles. While those people may have had selfish motives, Thaddeus was sincerely curious because he knew Jesus was the Son of God and the miracles proved it, yet why was Jesus only revealing himself to them? At that time there were over 600,000 people in Jerusalem. Thaddeus was confused as to why Jesus was limiting himself to the few disciples, the few chosen.

In John 14:22 and John 7:3-4, people kept asking Jesus to show himself to the world. Those people only sought to gain fame and popularity and power by his miracles. Thaddeus, on the other hand, was sincerely curious because he knew who Jesus was and what He was doing, yet why was Jesus only revealing himself to them? At the time there were 600,000 people in Jerusalem but they only had a few true followers. Thaddeus, knowing how amazing Jesus was, he was confused as to why Jesus was limiting himself to a few chosen. In essence, this question shows that salvation is for the chosen. Salvation is narrow. This doesn’t mean that God is limiting the potential of His salvation. The Bible is clear that God tells all sinners to repent and be saved (Eph 2:8-9, John 3:16, Romans 10:13, 1 Timothy 2:4, Ezekiel 33:11). The reality is, even though God opens the way of salvation, people take their own way (Luke 13:24).

Jesus responds to Judas, “If anyone loves me”. Do you desire the privilege of salvation? If you love Jesus, that privilege is yours. Loving Jesus is believing Jesus as Lord and Savior. Those who love Jesus are a part of his family (John 1:12, Matthew 4:17). To receive the privilege of salvation, to believe and love Jesus, you must repent (Romans 10:9). The reason many sinners reject salvation is not because of a lack of evidence but because they refuse to surrender to Jesus as Lord. They hate Jesus telling them what to do. People do not believe because they reject the Lordship of Jesus Christ, even though they have no answers themselves.

Those who have Jesus as Lord, love Jesus and treasure Jesus above anything else (Luke 16:13). Obedience is the fruit of such treasuring (John 14:23). Obedience is loving Christ and enjoying the privileges of salvation. Jesus continues in His response, “and my Father will love him”. What a statement! Whatever happens, God loves. We sin, we struggle, we go through good and bad times, yet God loves him. His love is infinite and never changing. We might not realize or feel God’s love because of our sin, but God loves at all times to the utmost (Romans 8:32). His love is not based on our merit or anything of us, but because of Jesus.

Another privilege of salvation is that God comes to us. We live in the presence of God and experience Him! Like the faithful men who turned to God in their time of trouble, wherever we go, God comes to us. Also God says we “make Our abode with him”. God is within you, staying with you, walking with you (2 Corinthians 6:16 ). Consider who you would want with you, any person in the world or the Almighty God? Christians enjoy this amazing privilege everyday. Jesus is saying to Judas (Thaddeus), this is your privilege and not the world’s. Salvation is truly a priceless gift from God.

The importance of Christian passion. The next disciple, Simon the Zealot shows what Christian passion looks like. Passion is so important, like a car without fuel, so is faith without passion. Simon was called the zealot. Zealot means passion or fiery. He was also Simon the Canaanite. Canaanite doesn’t mean he was born in Canaan but that he was zealous. Simon was probably part of a political group that was active in that area. They would steal or murder to try to bring independence from the Roman empire. Essentially Simon belonged to an extremist terrorist group. They were known for carrying daggers with them at all times in case they ever needed to assassinate anyone. The zealots resisted the Romans until 70AD and did a three year stand in the mountains until they eventually killed themselves rather than surrendering. They were a rough group with extreme passion.

Christians, too, must be zealous. To be zealous is to be concerned with only one thing, to please God. A Christian’s zeal comes from Jesus. He risked his life to cleanse the temple. When Jesus saw what the people had done to His Father’s temple he was so upset. He gave His life to redeem the sinner and fulfill God’s saving work. As Jesus is zealous, so are we. You can see Simon’s zeal for Jesus above all else is evident because of Levi’s presence among the disciples. In the view of the zealot political party, the tax collector Matthew was enemy number one, a traitor and slave of the Romans. Yet Simon did not hate Matthew but loved Matthew because Simon loved Christ. Like Apostle Paul, his pharisaic zeal turned into a Godly zeal (Acts 9:1-3, 2 Corinthians 11:27-28).

A strong Christian zeal is important because it measures your spiritual health. Remember the lukewarm church of Laodicea in Christ’s letter to the churches (Rev 3:16). Jesus despises those who are lukewarm, without passion, and he spits them out which ultimately means you are not a believer. Those who are without passion are Christian pretenders, their faith is only on the outside and not within. Passion doesn’t depend on personality but a supernatural internal desire which comes from Christ (Revelation 3:18). Jesus says those who come to him are changed and made passionate (Rev 3:18). Like Isaiah we cry out, “Here I am, send me!” because our sin is gone (Isaiah 6: 7-9).

How to be faithful. The last of the powerhouse is James the son of Alpheus. His nickname is James the Younger or James the Less. Nothing else is known about James besides his name. We only know him because he is in the list of the twelve apostles. He is someone who doesn’t stand out and was never famous. His name was literally defined relative to the other James. Do you think God only uses the famous or powerful? Do all Christians go to a mega church? No, God uses the small local churches to reach every neighborhood in all parts of the world. Zaccheus was a small man, yet Jesus called out to him. No one knows who Obed-edom was, yet God chose His house as the dwelling place of the Ark of Covenant after King David tried to move it improperly (2 Samuel 6:11). Jesus remembers you and blesses you no matter how small you are.

And on James’ side, even though he was called James the Less, he was still faithful. Why is it important to be faithful? Because God will judge you, and to those who are faithful, God will give a crown of righteousness. To be faithful, always clarify your conscience. Secondly, always have more intimate communion with God through word and prayer. Thirdly, be a man of conviction, if you believe then you must act. This is how Joshua and Caleb lived (Numbers 14:24) and were faithful for many years until they received their promise from God. Being faithful means disregarding the ways of the world but seeking the will of God. Like Daniel’s three friends, they knew and trusted God and were faithful even in the fiery furnace. No matter if you are great or small, you are to be faithful.

These three apostles encourage a small church like ours. Through them we see our privilege, the passion we need, and how to be faithful.

Thomas the Apostle, also called Didymus (meaning twin) was one of the Twelve Apostles of Jesus. Thomas is famously known as Doubting Thomas. In his case, the doubting implied unbelief primarily because his slowness to believe. In other words, Jesus said it best when he said those who are slow to believe as a foolish man. Christians are able to practice unbelief, not as in no faith in Jesus as Lord and Savior, but rather is the root of unbelief that remains in the flesh that hides God’s countenance.

The atrocity of remaining in unbelief results in the following:

• Denying Jesus’ sovereignty over death and life
• Denying the reliability of God’s word
• Denying the resurrection of Jesus Christ

Denying Jesus’ sovereignty over death and life

God’s sovereign plan cannot be thwarted. Under His sovereignty, death is in control according to His timing and will. One of Jesus’ well-known demonstration over death and life is the raising up of Lazarus. Scripture tells us that Lazarus was dead for several days, undergoing decay, but Jesus powerfully raised him up instantaneously. Another example is when the Jews continued to find reason to stone Jesus to death, but He was able to escape as it was not His time yet to die (Jn 11:7-8). Thomas isn’t alone when it comes to minimizing or doubting God’s sovereignty. All of us are susceptible to this temptation; therefore, we must daily meditate on God’s word (Ps. 1:1-2) in order to live a life of repentance resulting in sanctification. Not only did Thomas deny Jesus’ sovereignty, but he also disregarded the words of Jesus.

Denying the reliability of God’s word

Thomas said to him, “Lord, we don’t know where you are going, so how can we know the way” (Jn. 14:5)? This questioning, in a way, is challenging Jesus’ words. In the previous verse, Jesus said “You know the way to the place where I am going”. In the Greek, it is in the perfect sense meaning Jesus ‘has known already where he is going”. Therefore, Thomas paid no attention to the words of Jesus. However, hearing and paying attention to God’s word is fundamental to the faith (Rom. 10:16-17). As saving faith comes from hearing through the word about Christ, it implies that we hear, believe and trust in the word of God, and this continues in the believer’s life. Do we believe that God’s word is trustworthy? This is the question Thomas wrestled with. Our answer to this question paints a clear picture of where we stand in our faith.

Scripture itself reveals its reliability.  God’s word states itself as being flawless, pure, and perfect (Prov. 30:5-6; Ps. 12:6). This is the reason why the word of God has the power to save and sanctify. But for those that do not see change reject the word of God. In addition, science also proves the reliability of Scripture as the curse of the Fall is evident in many ways. Further, during Jesus’ time on earth, He quoted the Old Testament countless times and also referencing specific prophets and other people. Although the Bible had already made a myriad mentions of people and places, archeologists continue to confirm one thing after another, furthering evidence of the reliability of God’s word. The only way to defend ourselves against distrust of God’s word is daily meditation and obedience to it. Our attitude must be this way: “How then will the Scriptures be fulfilled, which say that it must happen this way” (Matt. 26:54)?

Denying the resurrection of Jesus Christ

But the denial of denials Thomas demonstrated was rejecting God’s plan of Jesus’ death and resurrection. Unbelief prevents us from realization that Christians are not tomb dwellers. Resurrection is the highlight of Christianity as it goes hand in hand with dying to self (i.e., dying with Christ and being raised up in Him). Even though Thomas doubted that Jesus indeed rose from the dead and asserted that he had to see for himself, his unbelief turned to true faith in Jesus as he believed in him to be his Savior and God. Unbelief is for tomb dwellers, but those who believe in the risen Lord no longer remain in the tomb. Do you believe in the resurrection of Jesus Christ? Without believing in Christ’s resurrection, we remain in our unbelief and sin. Christ’s message to those that do not believe in his resurrection is to grant peace by offering forgiveness and life.

Do you remain in your unbelief as Thomas was or do you believe that Jesus Christ is risen and seated at the right hand of the Father? Saving faith is rooted in trust of the sovereignty of Christ, trustworthiness of his word, and believing that he is risen and walking with those that believe in him. It is only through Jesus Christ that we are reconciled and have everlasting peace with God.

One of the notable things about the Apostle Matthew is the abrupt and stark change from his former life, which is also highlighted in Luke 5. Matthew, who was also called Levi, shows the supremacy of Jesus through his life change. Coinciding with his own conversion, the Gospel of Matthew focuses on Jesus as the King and the Messiah, for example the genealogy starting at Abraham and centering around King David. Matthew declares that Jesus is the King of the kingdom of Heaven.

Matthew used to have a very unique job before following Jesus. He was a tax collector. In Jesus’ day, tax collector had the worst reputation for a job. They were rich but they were scum. Matthew specifically was part of a group of tax collectors that collected more than they should for their own greed. Tax collectors were traitors who worked for Rome and abused their power against their own people. He was the lowest of the low. He was not allowed in the synagogue and deemed unredeemable (John 9:22).

But there was a sudden change in Matthew. Jesus, the light of the world, entered and transformed the black heart of Matthew. Matthew’s conversion demonstrates the supremacy of Jesus Christ. We see the impact Jesus has on a hopeless life. Jesus alone can change the outcome of our hellbound life. Levi was sitting in the tax booth doing his dirty work (Mark 2:14). In some sense, he was stuck, with no way out because of his job. That is until Jesus came and called to Him. Matthew was addicted to his money and was spiritually dead. Like Jesus did to Lazarus in the tomb, Jesus called out to Matthew (John 11:43).

Jesus is Sufficient
Everyone has a specialty but everyone also has a weakness or shortcoming. To put it plainly, they are insufficient. To cover their insufficiency, man creates religion or philosophy (Colossians 2:8). But no religion or philosophy can overcome man’s insufficiency. Our destiny is still judgement (Hebrews 9:26) We can pretend or try really hard but we will always end up short because our sin is real. We are under the wrath of God, but it is Jesus who covered our insufficiency with His blood as a propitiation for our sins (Romans 3:23-25). God’s wrath was satisfied by the perfect sacrifice of Jesus. This was proven by His resurrection by which we know we are fully justified (Romans 4:25). Jesus offers what we need most, grace for our sin (John 1:14). It is by the gospel of grace we receive the blessing of Christ. God is well-pleased with His Son, therefore Jesus and His gospel are completely sufficient for our salvation.

Those who know the gospel will know that self is the enemy. By the gospel, we deny ourself and we love God. This is why we always repent. Repentance is not a sad or bad thing for a Christian. Repentance is actually our means to grow (Galatians 2:20) in our faith.

Jesus is Preeminent
Before Jesus called Matthew, Matthew loved money. The world values money because money provides self worth and power. Money’s influence over man is so strong that even until the very last day people will be consumed by money (Rev 18:3). In Mark 2:15, Matthew shows two aspects of Jesus’ superiority. First, after following Christ, Matthew spends his money for Christ by holding a large gathering for many people to come and see Jesus. His joy was not in his wealth but in Christ and so he uses it for his new master (Matthew 6:24). Matthew knew Jesus is better and worth more than his wealth or anything else. (Hebrews 13:4).

Secondly, Matthew believes Jesus is holy God (Matthew 26:63-65, John 20:28). Jesus was sinless and completely fulfilled the law, unlike no man. Since Jesus is God, we must worship Him. Do you really worship Jesus? Ask yourself, what do you pursue, what worries you, what gives you joy? Worship is giving to God what is rightfully His. We can worship Jesus by being thankful. We are thankful to God for His many good deeds but chiefly for our salvation. All other blessings in life are extra but to be thankful in all circumstances we must be thankful for our salvation, which is our sincere worship to the Lord. Our thankful worship enables trusting Jesus when we are in distress. When things go bad, we must hold on to Christ. Instead of blaming God, we bow down in worship before Him. Worship is also praising God. Praise is hard work. As long as a Christian has breath, they sing to the Lord. It doesn’t matter if it’s out of tune but we sing with our heart which pleases the Lord.

Jesus is Central
To Matthew, Jesus is central. Matthew held the party for one person, Jesus. Matthew emphasizes the centrality of Jesus in Matthew 17:3-6. Moses and Elijah are important but God focuses on Jesus. This is because Jesus is the way, the truth and the life (John 14:6). Our salvation is up to Christ and no one else. He is at the center of our lives and all of history. Whatever happens, Jesus is central. If you understand this then God will be larger and your circumstance becomes smaller. Therefore consider Jesus as Lord and follow Him. He is in control and in command (Acts 9:6). Jesus is your Lord when you practice obedience and follow Him.

To clarify, simply a better understanding is not worship, but a better understanding with the view of Jesus as Lord is true worship. If Jesus is sufficient, superior and central in your life then you know Jesus. If you know Jesus then you must share Jesus with the world.

Nathanael is the sixth disciple Jesus chose when He began his earthly ministry. Nathanael (Greek name meaning “God has given” or “gift of God”) was also known as Bartholomew (Aramaic name – meaning son of Talmai).

Certainty is very important especially when it is accompanied by faith. After Philip started following Jesus, he found Nathanael and shared the gospel with Nathanael that Jesus of Nazareth was the promised Messiah with absolute certainty (v 45). Although Philip was undoubtedly firm in his faith, Nathanael had his doubts that anything good can come out of Nazareth (v 46). Anyone’s name associated with Nazareth was a derogatory term because of its insignificance, especially having anything to do with the prophesied Messiah.

Nathanael’s response is met with his own prejudice as a fellow Galilean. He lived in the town of Cana in the region of Galilee. It is widely known that Judeans despised Galileans, but even Galileans themselves despised those from the village of Nazareth. Despite Nathanael’s relationship with Philip, his first response hearing about Jesus is deterred by this prejudice. Another deterrence was due to his ignorance of Scripture. Ignorance of the Word makes God little, but the more we read and treasure the word of God, God becomes larger and more apparent. So, we see that prejudice and ignorance prevents Nathanael from believing in Jesus.

After Nathanael met with Philip, “Jesus saw Nathanael coming to him and said of him, ‘Behold, an Israelite indeed, in whom there is no deceit’ (v 47)! Nathanael was surprised because Jesus knew him better than himself. Jesus knew exactly who Nathanael was and even saw him even before Philip called him. In other words, Jesus knew him already because he was one of the elect (Eph. 1:4). God’s election is what allows believers to have assurance of their faith. This certainty comes with full conviction and power by the Holy Spirit (1 Thess. 1:4-5). Certainty comes from knowing the Lord personally and action that follows suit.

Nathanael’s response to Jesus is, “Rabbi, You are the Son of God; You are the King of Israel” (v 49). Nathanael immediately believes that Jesus is God and Lord. Certainty about Jesus is believing that He is God and Lord in the heart. This assurance of who Jesus is enables us to apply our faith in Him under all circumstances. As God and King, Christians are sure of one thing; that is, to surrender and obey Him no matter what. And it is only by certainty of knowing who Christ is and believing in Him that we are able to put Him above all else.

Nathanael was a man of uncertainty that comes around to believe that Jesus is the Lord by the power of the gospel. Nathanael, a changed man from the inside out, is now known as the apostle of certainty because his faith in the Lord was sure (v 49). Do we also have this kind of assurance of faith that is fixed on Jesus Christ and the gospel? It is the certainty of faith gifted by the Holy Spirit that propels a Christian into a life of obedience and sharing the gospel to others that they might also receive the gospel with the full assurance witnessed in Nathanael’s life.

Philip is a Greek name which means ‘one who loves horses’, but unlike his name, Philip was a fisherman like Peter and the others. Interestingly, his Greek name does suggest that Philip was heavily influenced by Greeks in Jerusalem and their world views. He was close to the other disciples Peter, James, John and Andrew and initially followed John the Baptist. The gospel of John is the only one of the four gospels that mentions Philip. In John 1:43, Philip follows Jesus after Jesus teaches and shares the gospel with him. Today we will see three key mistakes that Philip makes due to his pragmatism, which can be attributed to his Greek influence and earthly philosophy.

One thing that must be emphasized from the beginning is that Philip the Apostle was a genuine believer. In John 1:45, just two verses after Jesus said to follow Him, Philip was full of conviction and sure of who Jesus was. He confidently declares to Nathan, “We have found Him of whom Moses wrote in the Law, and the prophets also wrote: Jesus the son of Joseph, from Nazareth!”. However, being a believer and a great start doesn’t necessarily mean the rest of your walk will be the same. Christians can be genuine and believing while also being a work in progress, this process being called sanctification.

Due to certain reasons or circumstances there can be some impurities mixed into a believer’s faith, and frequently it is pragmatism. Pragmatism is not biblical and very harmful. The church in America may have seemed strong on the outside due its pragmatism but on the inside it is rotten and weak. How can you tell? Look at how the church responded to COVID-19 and the lockdown. The churches crumbled to the mandates of the governments, reacted with fear and panic instead of strength and faith. Now a year later, the members don’t come back, churches are shutting down, and the world is telling the church what to believe instead of the church sharing the salvation of Christ. This is due to pragmatism.

Pragmatism is a philosophy most easily summarized by the phrase “whatever works”. The central idea of pragmatism is that truth is proved by whether or not the idea in question “works,” meaning it produces the expected or desired results. As it turns out, however, pragmatism itself “does not work,” and so it needs to be viewed with considerable skepticism… Christians cannot follow both pragmatism and the Bible. Scripture indicates that truth is not defined by our experiences or our opinions… What ‘works’ for us in our limited human minds, in the end, is not necessarily what’s true or what ‘works’ from an eternal perspective. – Beckwith

Pragmatism always looks at the result, not the means. This is not how God works. For example, in Luke 8:22-23 Jesus planned them to cross the lake but they encountered a storm! Pragmatism would have determined that crossing the lake was not the will of God because the storm was blocking their way. Of course it was the will of God because it was what Jesus commanded them to do.

Pragmatism takes many forms, such as materialism. Its ways are always earth bound and worldly. Pragmatism asks how can we get the outward result we want in the most efficient or effective way. This is mostly applied to church growth and engagement and accomplished through topical sermons or entertaining programs. The Bible says the church grows by prayer and the word. It is sad to see what is happening in the church today. There’s so many personal opinions being championed instead of God’s truth.

So why is pragmatism so bad? Pragmatism belittles and discounts faith. It says find the practical solution instead of overcoming by faith. They replace the high spiritual principles of loving by faith with human solutions. Christians must be people of faith first! Faith must be our first response to any problem or need. For example, in John 6:5-7 Jesus particularly focuses on Philip because He knows Philip’s heart. Jesus tests Philip by presenting this impossible situation of feeding thousands of people. Philip’s response is completely pragmatic, saying they need 200 denarii. In contrast, Andrew brings a small meal seeing if Jesus could do anything. While there is an earthly way to feed all of them, the believer turns to Christ in faith to seek the Lord’s will.

Similarly, do you know God tests you every day? He doesn’t tempt but he tests. He wants to see if you are faithful. If you are not faithful you’ve fallen to temptation. If you are faithful then you’ve been faithful through the test (Genesis 2:17). To be faithful we must know who God is. God says ‘I am’. He is the self-existent God. We can take refuge in Him. We can trust Him because He is Immanuel (God with us). Faith needs wisdom. Faith needs prayer. These three together work effectively to overcome trials (James 1:2-3,5)

Faith is not blind or ignorant, because Christians live by revelation. We have the written Word, inspired by the Holy Spirit. We read, we study and we hold fast to the promises of God. We must be like the Apostle Paul, while in the storm when they are about to be shipwrecked, Paul declares he believes what he’s been told from God and by his words, the rest of the crew are saved from drowning (Acts 27:25). Paul was not a sailor or a meteorologist but he held on to God’s word. This is how we practice faith. Whatever your situation, big or small, be encouraged to go through by faith in God’s word.

Pragmatism also belittles the gospel. Pragmatism finds other solutions to the problems only the gospel can solve. Do you believe the gospel is enough? Do you really believe that what we need most is Jesus Christ? Think of the dying cancer patient, do they need Christ or the best doctor? Philip failed to realize that gospel is enough. In John 12:20-21, some Greeks came up to Philip because they wanted to see Jesus. There were lots of Greeks in Jerusalem and some of them were even God-fearing. They wanted to see Jesus because they had a curiosity or perhaps a desire for salvation (Acts 16:30). How did Philip respond? He went to Andrew and they both went to Jesus. Why did Philip not share the gospel with them directly? In contract, Jesus responded to the Greeks with the gospel. Philip, too, could have shared the message of salvation. Instead, he was pragmatic and was waiting for opportunity instead of leading with the gospel.

Are you ashamed of the gospel? Do you turn to other means before the gospel. Whatever situation, in all circumstances, what we need most is the gospel. We cannot mumble the gospel. We must make it clear as can be. We preach the gospel of Jesus who died and rose again on the third day for the salvation of sinners (1 Corinthians 15:3-4). It is the most important and powerful thing in our lives. We have been called to share it. The pragmatic is the coward who is ashamed of it.

Finally, pragmatism denigrates Jesus. How do you treat Jesus in your daily life? Is Jesus at the forefront of your work or is Jesus relegated only to Sundays and church gatherings. This is what pragmatic Philip did. He said to Jesus, Lord show us the Father and it is enough for us (John 14:8). In essence, Philip said that seeing is believing which was a very Greek-like thought supported by Aristotle. Like the people mocking Jesus as he hung on the cross, they wanted proof in order to believe (Mark 15:32). They belittle the words and work of Christ. This is not true faith.

How did Jesus respond? How long have I been with you (John 14:9)? Just being at church a long time doesn’t mean your faith is strong and true. Jesus says I am the Father and I am in the Father and the Father is in me. He is God on earth in the flesh. After all the miracles, how can Philip not know who Jesus is? He did so many miracles over three years to prove who He is God. The Trinity is perfect union of God the Father, the Son and Holy Spirit. Not only is Jesus God but one with the Father. If you don’t believe His words, believe his works. Believe His miracles, His atoning death, His triumphant resurrection, His complete work of salvation. Jesus is sufficient. If you are pragmatic then you deny his sufficiency and try to replace or supplement the work of His salvation.

In conclusion, repent if you put faith in something else besides Jesus. Being pragmatic is not wise or faithful. It chooses the earthly over the Biblical. We follow only one person, that is Jesus Christ. We practice faith, we believe the gospel and we trust in Christ.

John 13:34 – I am giving you a new commandment, that you love one another; just as I have loved you, that you also love one another.

In today’s text, we explore the person and faith of the Apostle John. Apart from the Apostle Paul, who wrote 13 books in the New Testament, John wrote the second most books in the Bible: the dominant theme being God’s love. Three major loves of John were for Jesus, the truth, and the church.

The Apostle John’s love for Jesus Christ
John’s love and affection for Jesus was clear and it is no wonder that he was known as the disciple whom Jesus loved (Jn. 13:23). The scene played out for us in Luke 6 describes the intimacy between John and Jesus. The context demonstrated the contrast between John and Judas who would betray Jesus. Another example of John’s love for Jesus is shown at the news of Jesus disappearing from his tomb (Jn. 20:4). John and Peter were the first to run towards the tomb, John outrunning Peter, which implies his passion and interest in the Lord. Further, even though the risen Lord looked different in his outer appearance, John is the first disciple to realize it is Jesus when He appears before the disciples by the sea (Jn. 21:7). John’s love for Jesus was superior to his love for anyone else because he believed in his heart that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God (Jn. 20:31).

Do we love Jesus in the same way John demonstrated? Do we personally recognize Jesus is God and love him with a supreme love having believed (Phil. 3:7-8)? In other words, do we have value and treasure Christ above all else? Love for Christ is following and obeying Him as a result of treasuring the Lord in our hearts.

The Apostle John’s love for truth
John emphasized love and truth in his writings. John learned truth from Jesus as He was full of grace and truth (Jn. 1:14b). The best way Jesus showed grace and truth was showing who God the Father was, the law, and His atonement (i.e., Jesus’ death on the cross – propitiation of our sins). Jesus, being God, is the truth and clearly stated, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father except through Me” (Jn. 14:6). As John loved Jesus, he loved truth. We, too, must love God and love truth. Truth is the difference between salvation and perishing. Therefore, Christians must stand up for the truth at all costs for the glory of God and the gospel of Christ.

The Apostle John’s love for the church
The third major love that is evident in John’s life and his writings is his love for the church. John loved the church as he showed his love to the church by commanding them to love Christ above all. John instructed the church to love God, not love the world or the things in the world, and to demonstrate their love for God in a life of ongoing obedience and sanctification.

Biblical love is not sentimental, but it is rather willingness. Therefore, the church should grow in love for the Lord and one another. Of the many ‘one another’ commands Jesus gave to the church; love is supreme as the church was built on love. The way church members love each other is the way Christ loved. Jesus’ love was ongoing, practical and unconditional. Christians are able to love the way Jesus loved because the Spirit enables us to do so.

What drove John to love Christ, truth and the church? “We love because He first loved us (1 Jn. 4:19)”. Without Jesus no one knows what love is.  God did not spare His own Son but delivered Him for us all (Rom. 8:32). What we can take away from John’s life revealed in the pages of Scripture is that he kept on loving until the very end.

What is Christian zeal? Zeal is eagerness or desire for something and for a Christian, that one thing is to please God. The Apostle James demonstrated to the fullest a zeal for our Lord that we should all try to mimic.

Like some of the other apostles, James was also a fisherman. We also can assume he had connections with Jewish elite, possibly through his fishing business, which he used to help Peter get into the court of the trial. The sons of Zebedee, James and John were Jesus’ cousins and were very close to him. An example of their closeness, their mom even lobbied to have James and John sit at the right hand of Jesus.

The Zeal of James

In the New Testament, there are three men named James. James the lesser, James the brother of Jesus and the apostle James, also called James the greater. James was a passionate man and it showed in moments like wanting to sit at the right of Jesus and claiming to be able to drink the cup he drinks, meaning they were willing to go anywhere with Jesus (Mark 10:25-39). Also in Luke 9:54 James shows why he is called a son of thunder, as he is so upset at the Samaritans for not allowing Jesus to pass through, that he asks if he can call down fire from heaven to destroy them. He was fiery and full of emotion. Again in Mark 13:3 you see James is with Peter, John and Andrew asking Jesus questions throughout the night about what is to come. Finally, James zeal can be summed up in Acts 12:1-2 where James became a martyr. Herod was a new ruler and he wanted to appeal to the Jews, so he was imprisoning the Christians, which the Jews hated because the was growing by the grace of God. Out of all them, James was chosen as the example and executed by the sword. James was chosen because he was most likely the most active and full of passion. They didn’t choose Peter or John, but James was chosen because of his zeal.

The Zeal of Christ

Every Christian must have the same DNA of Jesus Christ, meaning we should follow His example, should we have the same passion He had. The week before He died on the cross is called Passion Week. What Jesus did and went through demonstrates His unending zeal for God the Father and His will. The disciples rightly connected Psalm 69 to Jesus when He cleansed the temple. (John 2:17) Jesus cared so much about the Father and His house. We must not forget the justice and wrath of God. Oftentimes, we only remember the love of God but God is full of justice and anger towards sin. He is an active and violent God towards evil. Jesus fervently desired to obey God even at the cost of his life. (Luke 22:42)

Why is passion so important?

Without passion nothing will happen. Without passion we cannot bear fruit. The Christian life is not about waiting around. The church is not a hotel waiting for guests. To save the lost, Christians must be active and action is preceded by passion. Apostle Paul was also passionate and labored tirelessly to spread the gospel across the world. (Acts 20:24)

The father of modern missions, William Carey was not an educated man yet he worked diligently to translate the Bible into different local languages while ministering in India. After 20 years, a fire happened that destroyed all 20 years of their work. He wrote “We are not discouraged; indeed the work is already begun again in every language. We are cast down but not in despair.” Such passion for the Lord’s work. John Macarthur said, “If I have to choose between a man of burning, flaming, passionate, enthusiasm with a potential for failure on the one hand, and a cold compromiser on the other hand, I will take the man with passion every time.” Passion is so important for the Christian. Without it, we would despair, we would be stagnant and we would not obey.

Where does passion come from?

First, you must know God. Knowing God will never make you silent. In Psalm 18:1-2, we see how David knew God as His strength and fortress. This is how David was able to go out and fight against Goliath after he heard the insults Goliath made against god. The apostles remembered who God is and how Jesus rose from the dead just as He said he would (John 2:22). They knew God and so they passionately obeyed.

Second, you must know what is most valuable in your life. Paul writes in Philippians 3:7-8,12 “But whatever things were gain to me, these things I have counted as loss because of Christ. More than that, I count all things to be loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them mere rubbish, so that I may gain Christ” We don’t realize what’s most valuable and cling on to what’s not valuable. Instead we must hold on to Jesus Christ who is the most valuable. Nothing and no one is superior to Jesus. He must consume and is worthy of our pursuit.

Thirdly, you must know the gospel. The gospel is what we are the most proud of (Romans 1:16). Before the gospel, we used to be proud of our selves and our lives but there’s nothing to be proud of because it’s all wicked and hopeless. We are proud of the Gospel because it is the power of God for salvation. The gospel is the only way for people to be saved.

People excuse themselves from being passionate and sharing the gospel. They claim they are introverted. But sharing the gospel is not about personality but knowing who you are and who God is. The gospel is exciting because by the gospel we have been changed from death to life. A Christian never tires of the gospel until the day we die. I believe therefore I speak (2 Corinthians 4:12). It is silly to think that the gospel can overcome your sin and death and give you eternal life but can’t overcome your shyness. The Gospel not only comes in word but in power and conviction.

One more thing you must know is that you will be rewarded. Hebrews 12:2 Jesus also knew that there was joy after the crucifixion. Same with apostle Paul (Philippians 3:14). There is a prize at the end of the race. To know there is a reward fuels our passion.\

Wrong passion

Not all passion is good. Sometimes passion goes without wisdom and that can be dangerous. Passion without compassion can be brutal. Passion with ignorance can be blind, like the Pharisees. (Romans 10:1-3). Our passion must have God’s word at the center. Only then can it be truly for the Lord and not for ourselves. Therefore submit to God’s word under the grace of God and by the grace of God your passion will grow (1 Corinthians 15:10). When you follow the Word of God, you grow closer to Christ and receive grace which sustains and nourishes our passion.

Conclusion

Jesus already warned us 2000 years ago what would happen to the church, that it would lose its passion. The church of Laodicea is very similar to the 21st century American church, like them, we are lukewarm. Jesus is standing outside the church but he should be in the church, within the center, at the head of the church (Revelation 3:20). He has been pushed outside, therefore there is no zeal. Jesus says, “Therefore be zealous and repent” because He still loves you. (Revelation 3:19). We must look at the church in North Korea, China, Libya and other countries where Christians are active. Even under persecution, they have so much passion, because without it they would not survive. We must look at the early church. They met together constantly, praying for one another and then going out to share the gospel. That’s how churches can grow today.

CH Spurgeon’s testimony regarding a faithful woman of faith, who served the Lord and the church faithfully, was unknown to most because she was faithful in the small things. In the same manner, Andrew, one of the Twelve, was similar to this woman in many ways but mostly because he was faithful unbeknownst to most. Andrew was the brother of Simon Peter.  He was “bold decisive and deliberate. Nothing about him is feeble or wimpish. He was driven by a hearty passion for the truth, and he was willing to subject himself to the most extreme kinds of hardship and austerity in pursuit of that objective” (John MacArthur). His name means manly. His manliness was defined in his work as a fisherman prior to becoming Jesus’ disciple. He would transfer his manliness from fishing to being faithful in his service to the Lord Jesus Christ.

Before Andrew followed Christ, he was a disciple of John the Baptist. Being a disciple of John, he fully understood repentance and demonstrated true conversion when he became a disciple of Christ. Andrew also had a deep understanding of the gospel that was fulfilled in Jesus as he was the long-awaited Messiah and Lamb of God. As a demonstration of his true conversion to Christ, Andrew’s faithfulness resulted in much fruit especially in his boldness to preach the gospel, trust in Christ and thankfulness.

Andrew’s faithfulness was shown in his evangelism.
In Scripture, Andrew was characterized in bringing people to faith in Christ. His conviction of the gospel made it the highest priority to share the gospel of Jesus Christ to as many people as he can. His conviction led to his repentance and faith in the Lord, and the same conviction directed him to preach Christ. Andrew was a great example of not withholding the gospel from anyone he met in his life jut as the Apostle Paul (1 Cor. 9:16). What Andrew and Paul shared was possessing a sense of urgency when sharing the gospel; therefore, they shared the gospel as often and to as many as possible. What these two also had in common was their personal holiness that naturally led them to be intimate with Christ and preaching Christ to all. The duty of the disciple is not to convert sinners, but to share the gospel to the lost.

Andrew’s faithfulness to trust Christ in all circumstances.
No matter the circumstance, Andrew trusted in the Lord Jesus. An example of this we see in Scripture is when Jesus fed the large crowd with just five barley loaves and two fish. Andrew believed that Jesus could make more out of the few food they had to sufficiently feed the hungry crowd. In other words, Andrew’s faith did not see limitations because he understood Jesus was God in flesh in whom all things were possible.

Andrew’s faithfulness and gratitude in small matters.
Andrew was exemplary in his faithfulness of the little things that God entrusted him with (Lk. 16:10-11). Why was he this way? He understood God paid attention to the very little things for his pleasure (Lk 19:16). God even considered Israel to be his people in the O.T. because they were few (Deut. 7:7).  The omnipotent God fulfilled his purposes throughout history and will continue to do so no matter how small or insignificant they might be.

God loves the small things because more often than not, the Lord sees the faith of people and not what is on the outside (Lk. 21:4; Rom. 14:23). In the Old Testament, we know the story when God used David when he went against the great Goliath (1 Sam. 17:17). God is pleased with those that deal with faith even in the direst circumstances because he will deliver them because of their faith in him.Therefore, as exemplified in Andrew’s life of humility and faithfulness we, too, must be humble and faithful in our obedience and passion for the gospel all the while trust in the Lord alone with a heart of thanksgiving.