SERMON: LOOKING FOR JESUS

 

25 November 2012

I. Introduction
-- turn in Bibles to John 1:19-31

John 1:19-31 (NIV)
19 Now this was John's testimony when the Jews of Jerusalem sent priests and Levites to ask him who he was.
20 He did not fail to confess, but confessed freely, "I am not the Christ."
21 They asked him, "Then who are you? Are you Elijah?" He said, "I am not." "Are you the Prophet?" He answered, "No."
22 Finally they said, "Who are you? Give us an answer to take back to those who sent us. What do you say about yourself?"
23 John replied in the words of Isaiah the prophet, "I am the voice of one calling in the desert, 'Make straight the way for the Lord.'"
24 Now some Pharisees who had been sent
25 questioned him, "Why then do you baptize if you are not the Christ, nor Elijah, nor the Prophet?"
26 "I baptize with water," John replied, "but among you stands one you do not know.
27 He is the one who comes after me, the thongs of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie."
28 This all happened at Bethany on the other side of the Jordan, where John was baptizing.
29 The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, "Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!
30 This is the one I meant when I said, 'A man who comes after me has surpassed me because he was before me.'
31 I myself did not know him, but the reason I came baptizing with water was that he might be revealed to Israel."

-- a couple of years ago, we watched the movie "Henry Poole is Here," starring Luke Wilson -- don't know if any of you happened to catch that movie or not -- it wasn't a big hit, but its message really touched my life
-- the movie focuses on the life of Henry Poole -- Henry has just been diagnosed with a terminal illness -- he has no family -- nothing to live for -- and is not in a good frame of mind -- he decides to go back to the only place that held any happy memories for him -- his childhood neighborhood in a working class suburb of Los Angeles -- there he plans to live out the rest of his days
-- when his childhood home is not available to purchase, Henry buys the only house for sale in the neighborhood and finds himself immediately plunged into a drama of faith and hope that contrasts sharply with his current life situation
-- as he is moving in, Esperanza Martinez, Henry's neighbor, drops by to visit him -- it turns out she used to be in love with the man who owned Henry's house before him -- and so she has taken this opportunity to revisit the memories of her time she spent with him in this place
-- while she is visiting with Henry, she goes into the back yard and "insists that she sees the face of Christ imbedded in the stucco wall of his home"1 -- Esperanza believes this is a miracle sent for her to comfort her in the loss of her lover -- and she only becomes even more convinced when the image begins to exude drops of blood from the eye of Jesus
-- before long, Esperanza is sneaking people into Henry's back yard to see the image and to experience this blessing from Jesus for themselves
-- Henry, on the other hand, sees nothing but a water stain from an inferior stucco job on his house -- and he becomes increasingly irritated with Esperanza's acceptance of this stain as a miracle from God in light of his own impending death
-- at one point in the movie he yells at her, "That is nothing but a water stain -- that is not the face of God" -- to which she replies, "You're not looking"

-- this scene in the movie reminded me of an old poem I once read of a child looking for God -- I probably have shared this with you in the past, but let me share it again this morning:

“The child whispered, "God, speak to me" -- And a meadow lark sang. -- But, the child did not hear.
-- So the child yelled, "God, speak to me!" -- And the thunder rolled across the sky -- But the child did not listen.
-- The child looked around and said, "God let me see you" and a star shone brightly -- But the child did not notice
-- And the child shouted, "God show me a miracle!" -- And a life was born -- but the child did not know.
-- So the child cried out in despair, "Touch me God, and let me know you are here!" -- Whereupon God reached down and touched the child. -- But the child brushed the butterfly away and walked away unknowingly.”

-- how often do we walk away unknowingly -- how often do we fail to see Jesus around us -- simply because we are not looking?
-- God tells us to seek His face -- He tells us to look for Him -- in fact, that's one of the four steps to revival from 2 Chronicles 7:14 we have been studying over the last several weeks -- as you remember, God told us in this verse that when we are confronted with trials and troubles -- when plagues and famines and hardships come upon us because we have turned away from Him -- that if we return to Him by humbling ourselves and praying and seeking His face and turning from our wicked ways, He will hear our prayers and forgive our sins and heal our land
-- in a very real way, our country is faced with the same issues that faced Henry Poole in that movie -- things look bad in America today -- we've experienced trials and troubles -- plagues and famines -- homelessness, hunger, hardships -- times are hard -- times are tough -- but what do we do about it?
-- Henry Poole looked at the world with worldly eyes -- with eyes of sadness and anger and defeat because of the hand he had been dealt -- because of the terminal illness he had been diagnosed with -- he looked and did not see hope -- he did not see God -- he only saw a water stain
-- Esperanza, though, looked at the world with eyes of faith -- in spite of her own deep suffering from the loss of her great love, Esperanza trusted in God -- she looked for God -- she sought His face and His presence in her life -- and when God showed up, even in the most unlikely of places, she saw Him and she knew Him
-- as Christians -- as God's people -- called by His Name -- we are commanded to do the same -- to seek God's face -- to look past our circumstances to the hope we have in Christ -- to look at life through the eyes of faith instead of the eyes of the world -- and to point this nation to the Jesus they so desperately need

II. Scripture Lesson (John 1:19-31)

-- in this passage we opened with this morning, we can learn a lot about what it means to seek the face of God -- to look and see and to point others to Christ's presence among us

-- this passage is about John the Baptist -- for quite some time, John has been preaching in the wilderness of Judea -- proclaiming to the world that the Messiah was coming and that the kingdom of God was at hand -- he has been calling the people to look with eyes of faith -- to repent of their sins and to prepare their hearts for the coming of the Lord

-- in a parallel passage in the gospel of Mark, we read that all the country of Judea and all of Jerusalem were going out to listen to John and to be baptized by him in the Jordan River -- well, it wasn't long before the organized church became aware of what was going on
-- they noticed that many in their congregation -- both men and women -- rich and poor -- young and old -- were leaving the confines of the synagogues -- were turning their backs on the temple -- and were seeking God in the wilderness
-- this worried the religious leaders -- why were these people not happy with doing church in the same old way? -- why were these people looking outside the walls of the church for God when everyone knew that was the only place He showed up? -- why were these people forsaking the tradition of the synagogue and the temple to seek God in the wilderness?
-- and, so, they went to the wilderness to see John and to find out what was going on

-- look back at verse 19-22

19 Now this was John's testimony when the Jews of Jerusalem sent priests and Levites to ask him who he was.
20 He did not fail to confess, but confessed freely, "I am not the Christ."
21 They asked him, "Then who are you? Are you Elijah?" He said, "I am not." "Are you the Prophet?" He answered, "No."
22 Finally they said, "Who are you? Give us an answer to take back to those who sent us. What do you say about yourself?"

-- in John Chapter 5, Jesus gives us an important spiritual principle -- He tells us that the Father is always at work -- and that He, too, is working and has joined His Father in this work
-- the principle for us here is that we should look to see where God is working, and join Him there -- regardless of whether that's in the church or outside the church -- regardless of whether it's in the traditional way or in a new way
-- but that's not why the priests and the Levites came out to John in the wilderness -- they didn't come looking for God -- they didn't come looking for a miracle -- they certainly didn't come to join in John's work -- instead, they came to find out who he was and why he dared minister to others even though he was not a priest or a Levite himself
-- in their minds, only certain people could minister the grace of God to others -- John obviously wasn't a priest or Levite -- so who was he? -- what gave him the authority to do what he was doing?
-- was he the Christ? -- no
-- was he Elijah? -- no
-- was he the Prophet promised by Moses? -- no
-- then who was he?

-- verse 23

23 John replied in the words of Isaiah the prophet, "I am the voice of one calling in the desert, 'Make straight the way for the Lord.'"

-- in other words, "I am someone who has seen the Messiah -- and I have come to point Him out to you -- I have come to open your eyes -- so that you may see Him, too"
-- this passage confirms the truth of 2 Chronicles 7:14 -- when God is getting ready to reveal Himself and His ways and His purposes to the world, He puts it on the heart of His people to seek revival -- to seek renewing -- to seek His face
-- John's purpose was not to bring glory to himself -- John's purpose was to get the nation ready for the coming Messiah -- to point them to the One who could restore the nation spiritually and renew their hope in God
-- he called the people to join him at the Jordan River -- to humbles themselves and pray and seek God's face and turn from their wicked ways by confessing their sins and being baptized -- that was how John was preparing the way for the coming of the Messiah -- that was how he made straight the way for the Lord

-- verse 24

24 Now some Pharisees who had been sent
25 questioned him, "Why then do you baptize if you are not the Christ, nor Elijah, nor the Prophet?"
26 "I baptize with water," John replied, "but among you stands one you do not know.
27 He is the one who comes after me, the thongs of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie."

-- don't miss what is going on in this exchange between John and the Pharisees -- picture this in your mind -- on one side you have John standing there, dressed in camel skins with a rope for a belt -- wild and untamed and unkempt
-- and on the other side you have the religious elite -- dressed in their flowing robes -- with their prayer shawls hanging down and the tassels touching the dirt -- with their phylacteries -- their little boxes -- containing the word of God tied around their forehead or bound on their wrist
-- of the two, who would you have expected to have seen and tasted God? -- who would you have expected to recognize the presence of God in their midst?
-- certainly the Pharisees -- but their question to John shows their blindness and ignorance -- standing there, immersed in the trappings of religion -- surrounded by their tradition and authority -- they are unable to see because their eyes have not been open -- they are unable to see because they are not looking -- they are unable to see because they won't look
-- John tells them, "I am not the One -- but I know the One I am looking for -- He is standing right here among you -- but you just won't see Him -- you refuse to see because you won't look"

-- verse 28-31

28 This all happened at Bethany on the other side of the Jordan, where John was baptizing.
29 The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, "Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!
30 This is the one I meant when I said, 'A man who comes after me has surpassed me because he was before me.'
31 I myself did not know him, but the reason I came baptizing with water was that he might be revealed to Israel."

-- the very next day, the writer tells us that Jesus came to John by the Jordan River as he was baptizing near Bethany -- don't forget, John was not alone -- he was surrounded by the crowds of people from Judea and Jerusalem who had come in response to his call for revival and restoration and repentance -- and, without a doubt, those same Pharisees who had questioned him were probably still there watching and judging
-- all those people were there with John when Jesus walked by -- but look at verse 29 -- this makes all the difference -- John saw Jesus
-- John looked up, with eyes of faith, and saw Jesus -- not just another man responding to the call -- not just his cousin coming to visit -- but Jesus, his Lord and Savior
-- we're not told that anyone else saw Jesus that day -- sure, they saw the man -- but very few saw their God -- simply because they were not looking

-- John looked up and saw Jesus approaching and proclaimed, "Look -- there He is"
-- as Christians, we are called to do just what John did -- we are called to first seek out the face of God -- to look for Him in our midst -- and then to point out the presence of the living Christ to those around us -- to everyone who doesn't see -- to those who aren't looking
-- we are to point to the wall and say, "That's more than just a water stain -- that's the face of God"

-- John goes on to say that he recognized Jesus as the Son of God because God had revealed it to him -- all we can do is point people to Christ -- all we can do is tell them that Jesus is here
-- it's not our place to open their eyes -- it's not our place to open their hearts -- that is the work of the Holy Spirit -- Jesus said that the Holy Spirit would reveal all things, even Himself
-- our job -- as God's people, called by His name -- is to seek God's face and to pray for revival in this nation -- not that our nation would be made great -- but that God's name would be magnified above all

III. Closing
-- I want to close by sharing with you a story that I read on the internet that I think speaks quite well to our topic today -- it's called "Seeing Jesus"2

-- "I wanted to see Jesus today. -- [Instead] I saw the old man instead standing by the pump at the gas station. -- We said hello to each other as we shared our smiles and left on our way.
-- I wanted to see Jesus today. -- [Instead] I saw the most delightful little child with his mother and she was so sweet to him at the Wal-Mart. -- I smiled at each and the little fella reached out to touch my arm and my heart as I said, "Hello, little one." -- He laughingly fled away -- I stood there smiling and beaming from the purest and sweetest touch of innocence.
-- I wanted to see Jesus today. -- [Instead] I saw the old lady, a bent figure with curved spine holding two very heavy shopping bags -- She looked so tired -- I watched as she tried to cross the street -- I was afraid she wouldn't make it -- so I said, 'let me carry those things for you' and she did -- We made it across the street and I carried those bags up 3 full blocks right to her doorstep -- She thanked me and I felt so good.
-- I wanted to see Jesus today. -- [Instead] I saw the man at the train station, he asked for spare change and I looked at him. -- Without thought of what he would do with the change, I gave it to him -- I did so with a prayer and blessing -- Then I left and caught the train home.
-- You see I really wanted to see Jesus today and He really wanted to see me too.
-- It was then that I realized that we had seen each other all throughout the day -- He was inside a different shell each time that I saw Him, but it was He -- His face and expressions would be different each time, but He was always the same -- He wanted to see me and know what I would do each time that I met Him.
-- You see, I really did want to see Jesus today -- and I did"

-- the Pharisees and the Levites and the priests missed the first coming of Jesus -- not because He wasn't there -- but because they weren't looking and because they refused to see when God revealed Jesus to them -- in their minds, they thought they knew how the Messiah would come -- and so they refused to see Him in a manger in Bethlehem -- they couldn't see Him as a boy teaching in temple -- they wouldn't see Him as a Savior on the cross
-- they didn't see Jesus because they didn't look -- and, so, they missed the miracle in their midst

-- as we close this morning, I want to ask you to think about three questions as you leave this place and go back to the world
-- first, "When was the last time you saw Jesus?" -- not in a church service -- not in a religious text -- but in the midst of your day -- in the midst of your busy lives
-- second, "Are you truly looking for Jesus?" -- are you seeking Him and His presence everyday?
-- and, finally, "When is the last time you pointed Jesus out to others? -- when is the last time you told someone, "Look, there He is!"?"

-- let us pray


1 "Henry Poole is Here," http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henry_Poole_Is_Here
2 "Seeing Jesus," Maria Carey, http://www.sermonillustrator.org/illustrator/sermon2c/seeing_jesus.htm