Following Christ
INTRODUCTORY WORDS
We delight in the study of John the Baptist. Christ said that he was the greatest man born of woman, yet he was not self-centered or proud. Had he been so, he had not been great.
1. John was a man who magnified Christ, and not himself. To the populace, as he preached, he never made any statements that would call attention to himself. His one passion seemed to center in magnifying the Lord. He plainly and positively told forth that he was not the Light. He just as emphatically said that the One who was to come after him was preferred before him. He confessed, and denied not, saying, "I am not the Christ." He claimed to be only a voice crying in the wilderness.
As we enter this exposition we would particularly stress that statement of John the Baptist: "He must increase, but I must decrease." Would that all of us would take this attitude of self-abasement.
We should never glory in men. Neither should we glory in the flesh. We should never mangify others, never ourselves.
2. Two of John's disciples left him to walk with Christ. When John saw Christ coming he bare record that He was the Son of God. The next day after he stood with these two disciples, and, as Jesus appeared, John said, "Behold the Lamb of God." This seemed to be, on John's part, a suggestion that these disciples should walk with the Lord. They certainly felt that way, for when they heard John speak they followed Jesus.
Is it not true that we should always be ready to leave all men, as well as all things, in order to follow our Lord?
Lord. I hear Thy loving call
To leave my all;
Gladly follow I Thy way,
Let come what may;
Father, mother, sister, wife,
And e'en my life
On Thine altar all are laid:
My vow is made.
All are subject now to Thee,
Thine own to be.
We can remember how our Lord said on one occasion, "Whosoever he be of you that forsaketh not all that he hath, he cannot be My disciple." We should be willing to say, "I am Thine, and all that I have is Thine." When we ponder who Christ is, and what He has done for us, we should be willing gladly to bow our head, and wear His yoke; immediately willing to be His bondslave, with no reservations whatsoever.
3. They followed Christ. Perhaps you will allow us to make a suggestive statement. As they left John to walk with the Lord, they did not know everything that lay ahead of Him. They did not know what following Christ might mean to them in the future. They followed one step at a time.
Perhaps, you remember this little verse:
"One step I see before me,
It is all I need to know
For o'er each step of my onward path
He makes new light to glow."
There is another suggestion that comes to us. They not only followed Him step by step, but they followed Him in step. That is. they kept step with Christ. This is what we need to do. Where He goes, we should go. If we were out of step with our Master, we would surely meet disaster.
I. JESUS SAW THEM FOLLOWING (John 1:38)
This statement in the first clause of our verse is worth more than a casual look. It suggests several things to us.
1. The eyes of the Lord are upon those who seek His face. Jesus read their minds. He knew they had followed Him, and He knew why they followed Him.
Somehow or other, we are sure that, to this hour, the eyes of the Lord are upon those who diligently seek His face. His eyes run to and fro throughout the whole earth to show Himself strong in behalf of those who seek Him, or who follow Him.
Christians who wander into bypaths bring sorrow to the Lord, and they make it impossible for the Lord to bless them. Christians who leave all to follow Him make it possible for the Lord to shower His best upon them.
2. What are the blessings which come to those who follow after the Lord? We might note a few of these.
(1) Christ said, "Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men." This was literally true in the disciples. It will be true of us. If we follow Him He will place us in definite and positive service for Him.
(2) When we follow Christ we have the promise of His best. This was no small thing to the disciples. They walked with Him, and the result was that they heard His messages; they saw His miracles. They had all those beneficent results which come to us from contact with those who are greater than we are.
(3) They were promised a wonderful inheritance. Christ said, "Ye which have followed Me, in the regeneration when the Son of Man shall sit in the throne of His glory, ye also shall sit upon twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel." They who followed Christ in the hour of His humiliation, are destined to follow Him in the hour of His glorification. "These are they which follow the Lamb whithersoever He goeth" (Revelation 14:4).
II. WHAT SEEK YE? (John 1:38, s.c)
The question which God asked in the Garden of Eden was, "Where art thou?" The question which the wise men asked at the birth of Jesus, was, "Where is He that is born king of the Jews?" The question which Christ asked in this study is "What seek ye?" Sometimes God is seeking us. Sometimes we are seeking Him. However, the Lord wants to know why we seek Him, and what we seek Him for.
1. What think ye of Christ? Jesus Christ was the Son of God, and God the Son. John had so heralded Him when he bare, record to Christ. Jesus now was seeking to know what the attitude of the two disciples was toward Him. The same thing is asked years later when He said, "What think ye of Christ? whose Son is He?"
He had the same thing in mind when He said to the disciples, "Whom do men say that I the Son of Man am?" Afterward He asked, "Whom say ye that I am?" Before Christ would accept us as His followers He must know whether we faith Him as God.
2. What want ye of Christ? You believe that Christ is God, why do you want to follow Him? This is very vital. Some of those who followed Christ followed Him for no other reason than because they thought He was about to be a deliverer of Israel and a monarch on His throne.
You will remember how one said on one occasion, "I will follow Thee whithersoever Thou goest." The Lord, however, replied, "Foxes have holes, and the birds of the air have nests; but the Son of Man hath not where to lay His head." We must decide whether we want to follow Christ in His sufferings, or in His reign. If we would enter into the latter, we must be willing to follow in the former. "What seek ye" is still a vital question.
III. WHERE DWELLEST THOU? (John 1:38, l.c.)
There are so many avenues which come to our mind in this question, we would like to suggest them to you.
The two disciples, of course, who walked with Jesus and called Him "Rabbi" (which is to say, Master), did not mean everything that we suggest. We are taking the question out of its setting, and we want to ponder it step by step.
1. Christ first of all dwelt with the Father. He was with the Father from time immemorial. He spoke of the glory which He had with the Father before the world was. That is where He did dwell.
2. Christ dwelt among men. He came forth from the Father, and He came into the world. "Where dwellest Thou?" First, in Heaven, He dwelt in light; then on earth He dwelt in darkness. Formerly He dwelt with the Father; then He dwelt with men. In this we find that He humbled Himself. He became in fashion like as a man. Where did He dwell? His first earthly dwelling place was in a manger in Bethlehem; the second was in Nazareth, where as a lad He wrought in a carpenter's shop. Wherever He dwelt on earth He dwelt in humiliation with no place that He could call His own. He was among men as one who served. He ate with the publicans and with the sinners. He died between two thieves.
3. Christ now dwells at the Father's right hand. From the Mount of Olives He ascended, and sat down on the Father's throne. Stephen saw Him there as He stood to receive him. He now dwells in Heaven for us. He is our Intercessor. He is there managing our affairs.
4. Christ will dwell once more upon the earth as King. We love the expression: "The Lord thy God in the midst of thee is mighty." This speaks of the time of His Second Advent. It is then that He will radiate from Jerusalem the blessings and glory of His presence to the ends of the earth.
IV. COME AND SEE (John 1:39, f.c)
The disciples sought the Lord. He welcomed their search, and bade them to "Come and see."
1. "Come and see." The Lord Jesus was willing to bear inspection. He was not moving under false colors. He was not making a false claim.
Unto this hour, God, our Lord, is willing for us to put Him, and all that He is, everything that He says, to the test. Of old, He said, "Prove Me now herewith, saith the Lord of Hosts." We love the expression, "Come and see."
2. "Come * * and * * rest." Here is another cry which the Lord made on a different occasion. He said unto the multitudes, "Come unto Me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest." The two disciples said to Christ, "Where dwellest Thou?" He said to them, "Come and see." He seemed also to say, "Come * * and * * rest." "Come and abide." "Come and find in Me a Saviour, a Friend, a Keeper.
3. "Come and dine." When we go into a home, we may go on a visit to see and to learn more of a friend. We may go seeking closer contact with one we love. We may go to rest, or to relax in their dwelling, but "come and dine," is the sweetest statement of all.
This was made on the occasion when Christ, in risen glory, called to His disciples, "Have ye any meat?" They replied, "We have toiled all the night, and have taken nothing." Jesus said to them, "Let down your nets for a draught." We well know the story, and how when they at last came to shore Jesus said, "Come and dine."
We may come to see, or to rest, or to dine. To us the last of the three is the best. There is something around the "table" that surpasses any other contact that we have with our friends. "Come and dine" is also an expression which leads us to believe that in Christ is our abundant supply.
V. THEY CAME AND SAW AND ABODE (John 1:39)
Our text says, "They came and saw where He dwelt, and abode with Him that day." Let us take these three statements one at a time.
1. They came. Christ said, "Come," and they came. Christ still says, "Come," but many come not. We delight in the hymn, "Just as I am without one plea * * O Lamb of God, I come."
All day long Christ gave His invitation unto Israel. He asked them to come unto Him, but they were a disobedient and gainsaying people, and they would not hear His voice. We read in John 5:1-47 how Christ said, "Ye will not come to Me, that ye might have life." Almost the last call of the Bible is, "Whosoever will," let him come. Why is it that such a loving invitation is so often refused?
2. They saw. Had they not come they never would have seen, but they came, and they saw where He dwelt. We can almost hear the shepherds after the angels left them, saying one to another, "Let us now go even unto Bethlehem, and see * *." So they came. They saw the Babe lying in the manger. They saw Mary, His mother, and they departed with great joy, declaring His glory. If we only come, we will see in Him the One altogether lovely.
3. They abode with Him that day. To come is good; to see, is better; to abide, is best. So many of our earthly fellowships are but for a day, but here is a fellowship which may be, and should be, forever. The Lord said, "Abide in Me, and I in you." We rejoice in the word of I Thessalonians for "ever be with the Lord." They abode with Him for a day. That was just the first step. These same two abode with Him for three and a half years until He went to be with the Father, and by and by they went to abide with Him forever.
VI. HE BROUGHT HIM TO JESUS (John 1:40-41)
John 1:40 tells us, "One of the two which heard John speak, and followed him, was Andrew, Simon Peter's brother." John 1:41 says, "He first findeth his own brother Simon, and saith unto him, We have found the Messias, which is, being interpreted, the Christ."
He first went and sought him,
To Jesus he brought him:
'Twas Andrew brought Peter that day;
When Jesus hailed Peter,
He then detailed Peter,
And called him to service that day.
1. He sought his brother. In after years Christ said, "Go home to thy friends, and tell them how great things the Lord hath done for thee." One of the first things we should do when we are saved is to find our brother, or our sister, father, or mother, and bring them to Christ.
2. He brought his brother. It is not enough to seek. We must bring. Christ said, "Go, * * and compel them to come in." In the Book of Mark we read of a young man who was borne of four who brought him to Jesus. We must go out where they are, and then we must bring them in. He found the sheep that went astray. He placed it upon His shoulders and brought it home.
3. He testified concerning Christ. First he sought, then he brought, but that is not all. He said to his brother, "We have found the Messias, which is, being interpreted, the Christ."
Here was Andrew's announcement as to whom Christ was. It gives us an inside view of Andrew's faith.
VII. THOU ART * * THOU SHALT BE (John 1:42)
"And when Jesus beheld him, He said, Thou art Simon the son of Jona: thou shalt be called Cephas, which is by interpretation, A stone."
1. Christ's knowledge of what is in man. As Christ beheld Peter He knew him, knew him far better than Peter knew himself. He could look at him, and say to him, "Thou art Simon the Son of Jona." There is no doubt but that Christ played upon the fact of Peter's characteristic willfulness. God does know us altogether. There is not a thought in our mind, nor a word upon our lips, but that He knows them all.
2. Christ's knowledge of what we shall be. To Peter Christ said, "Thou shalt be." "Thou art Simon * * thou shalt be called Cephas, which is by interpretation, A stone." The Lord took Peter for better, and not for worse.
It was a long stretch from Simon to Cephas, from the rugged, rough, and willful son of Jona, to the settled, established Cephas, the son of God. Thank God, our Lord undertakes in our behalf.
3. Changed like unto his Lord. Jesus Christ is spoken of continually in the Word of God as a stone. He was the "Stone which the builders rejected." He is now the chief Cornerstone, the Stone which is the head of the corner. When He speaks of the Church, He says, "Upon this Rock I will build my Church." When we come to Christ we come to Him, "a stone disallowed" indeed of men, but chosen of God and precious.
The Holy Spirit is changing us from glory to glory into the image of our Lord and Master, changing us into a "stone."
AN ILLUSTRATION
John Baptist knew that his life would be brief. Yet, how filled it was with service.
CLOSE WRITING
"When men have much to say in a letter, and perceive that they have little paper left, they write closely." Looking at the shortness of life, and the much that has to be written upon its tablets, it becomes us also to do much in a short space, and so to write closely, "No day without a line," is a good motto for a Christian. A thoroughly useful life is multum in parvo: it is necessarily little, for it is but a span; but how much may be crowded into it for God, our souls, the Church, our families, and our fellows! We cannot afford wide blanks of idleness; we should not only live by the day but by the twenty minutes, as Wesley did. He did not keep a diary, but a horary; and each hour was divided into three parts. So scanty is our space that we must condense, and leave out superfluous matter; giving room only to that which is weighty, and of the first importance.
Lord, whether I live long or not, I leave to Thee; but help me to live while I live, that I may live much. Thou canst give life more abundantly; let me receive it. and let my life be filled, yea, packed and crammed, with all manner of holy thoughts and words and deeds to Thy glory.
Chas. H. Spurgeon.