The Divine Invitation to Men

FROM: APRIL 14, @ APRIL 20, 2020

TOPIC: "The Divine Invitation to Men" John 1:43-51 & 4:16-26 We can know that Jesus is calling, and not from now, but is in that eternity of Him. We do not know eternity, but Jesus has always been there for ever and ever!

I. Nathanael, one of the twelve disciples, was called by the Lord (John 1:43-51).

A. With his life, Jesus teaches HOW OUR WAY SHOULD BE.

1. When Jesus called us, he did not require a fully developed faith at first.

2. He takes you with the faith you can offer him!

3. He is content with the faith at the beginning when you came to Him, with the step that one takes when we respond to him when he calls us. And on the basis of this he leads us forward, as he led the first group of disciples.

4. Step by step, to the most central secret of who He is and to the full glory of discipleship!

5. Nathanael had a knowledge of history, it shows when he speaks of Nazareth, as a city, of Galilee, despised. That was for him a prejudice against Jesus.

6. The Messiah could not be in a town of so much misery!

7. He expels that question from his mind, this makes us understand that he expected the Messiah as the King of kings.

8. Philip already had his faith active because he had seen and heard Jesus and did not argue with him.

9. He wanted to take him directly to Jesus, and says, "Come and see." (Vs. 46)

10. JESUS KNEW OF NATANAEL, HE KNOWS EVERYTHING!

11. No one had spoken to Jesus about Nathanael, yet he said, "Here is a true Israelite, in whom there is nothing false."

12. Nathanael felt evidently surprised that a STRANGER spoke to him as if he had met him before! "How do you know me?" (Vs. 48)

13. He had been totally alone when he was sitting under the fig tree and Jesus said to him, "I saw you while you were still under the fig tree before Philip saw you." Although he was hidden there.

14. Jesus knew when Philip went to look for Nathanael. There was His gaze! Or in eternity He had already seen him! What do you think? And you, had Jesus looked at you before? In eternity?

15. Nathanael was surprised, amazed, and now pierced with an exceptional look given by someone TOTALLY STRANGE who spoke to him as if he had met him before.

16. Jesus lets Nathanael see that He had seen him where other eyes could not have seen him.

17. He indeed saw him, under the fig tree in a supernatural way, because Jesus was there as the Almighty Son of God on earth.

18. Those words revealed to Nathanael that Jesus was Rabbi (Teacher, abundant, distinguished), (Vs. 49) “…and declared to Him: Rabbi, you are the Son of God; you are the King of Israel.”

II. JESUS WITH THE TRUTH! John 4:16-26

A. Here Jesus speaks to the Samaritan woman, "...said to her: Go, call your husband and come back." (Vs. 16)

1. The Lord showed Nathanael that he knew him well when he told him that he was a true Israelite in whom there was no deception, and now he meets the Samaritan woman and wants to make her confess about her life.

2. She replies: "I have no husband."

3. In a legal sense her statement was true, but she wanted to deny the damnable fact that she was then living in sin with a man who was not her husband.

4. “Then she talks to him about religion, discusses theology, uses a bit of irony and pretends to be amazed. She says whatever it takes to prevent Christ from seeing her runaway soul in disarray (confused and without order) running away from herself.” (Biblical Union Commentary)

5. THE LORD JESUS, AS GOD, KNEW EVERYTHING ABOUT HER!

6. (Vs. 17) He said to her: “You are right when you say I have no husband…” Jesus knew everything about her, just as he knew everything about Nathanael! This is how he knows everything about you!

7. What she had said to Jesus would deceive anyone else, but she could not deceive Him!

8. It was not to embarrass, but it was to deliver a person from the SLAVERY OF SIN.

9. How shocked she must have been to hear Him recite her past history! Indeed, she had five husbands, and the man with whom she now lived with was not her husband!

10. THE SAMARITAN WAS CONVINCED OF HER SINS!

11. Her life remained out in the open, the woman realized that the One who was talking to her was not a common person. SHE THOUGHT HE WAS A PROPHET, A SPOKESMAN OF GOD! (Vs. 19)

12. (Vs. 25, 26) She mentions that she knows that the Messiah is coming and Jesus says to her: "I who speak to you am He."

13. (Vs. 28) Then she left her pitcher, she didn't mind leaving it there. She forgot to get the water and went to the city to testify and tell everyone about Jesus.

14. (Vs. 29) She said to them: “COME, SEE A MAN WHO TOLD ME EVERYTHING I EVER DID. COULD THIS BE THE CHRIST?”

15. (Vs. 39) "Many of the Samaritans from that town believed in Him because of the woman’s testimony: HE TOLD ME EVERYTHING I EVER DID."

16. Like Nathanael and the Samaritan woman, JESUS KNOWS EVERYTHING ABOUT YOU, IN ETERNITY HE ALREADY KNEW IT AND CALLS YOU (THE SUBLIME INVITATION) TO LOVE YOU AND TEACH YOU WITH HIS LIFE HOW YOUR WALK SHOULD BE FOR HIM! Amen.