Title Nathanael the Honest/John 1:45-51
Today, we are going to look at Nathanael, following Philip last week, among Philip, Bartholomew, Thomas, and Matthew, the second group of disciples of Jesus. The second group consisted of smart people and thoughtful people.
Nathanael was a close friend of Philip and always appears together in the Bible. In verse 47, Jesus said that Nathanael was a man of integrity. He was sincere in his spiritual faith, he was a true Israelite, and he was a clear and transparent person without deceit.
In other words, what the church claims and what the church shows to the world are very different. In 1 Corinthians 1, even though the saints are called holy, they are full of envy, jealousy, pride, and sexual immorality. They say that they are saints, but they are not saintly, they say they are holy, but they are unholy.
We are no different from this. Our saints are beings in the middle of “already” and “yet”. “Already” we believe in Jesus and are completely saved. “Not yet” has not come to the sanctified form of Christ.
Truth doesn't mean 100% perfect. The Bible says, “There is none righteous, not even one.”
The truth is ① accepting change, not everything, ② acknowledging that I am lacking, and ③ acknowledging that I am a sinner.
Nathanael said in verse 46, “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?” Here we can see that he is a person who is caught up in prejudices and prejudices. We are no different from this. Nathanael is a being who follows the opinions and opinions of others. Yet Jesus said he was sincere. Because he had an open mind. I was able to accept change because I had an open mind.
Verse 48 “Nathanael said, “How do you know me?” Jesus answered and said, “Before Philip called you, I saw you while you were under the fig tree.” Then in verse 49, Nathanael answered, “Rabbi, you are the Son of God, and you are the son of Israel. It is the king,” he replied.
Although he had been prejudiced until now, he became truthful in the face of facts and accepted change. And he admitted he was a sinner.
Then we will see the reason why sincere people are strong
I. You must be truthful to be healed
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As a result of being truthful, his prejudices were also healed. In Mark 2:7, Jesus said to them, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. I did not come to call a physician, but sinners.”
In this way, we too will be healed when we go forward in the form of a sinner and a sick person. There is no growth unless you change yourself. If you don't face the truth, you'll be at a loss. When there is a problem, there is a cure only when it is honest and transparent.
After the riots in Los Angeles in 1994, our Koreans who suffered damage did not receive much compensation from the state government. As a result of deceiving and reporting small amounts of income in order to pay less tax, they received a correspondingly small amount of compensation. True, there is healing and restoration. If there is no truth, it is the same even if you believe it for 10 or 20 years However, if it is true, it can grow that much over the course of 1 or 5 years.
In the lyrics of hymn 349, "I pray to the Lord Jesus to receive your help ~~~~~~~~ Please accept me as I am." There is healing and recovery when we, too, go forward as we are, the lyrics of this hymn, “Lord, receive me as I am.”
Ⅱ. You can experience the open sky
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Verse 48 “Nathanael said, “How do you know me?” Jesus answered and said, “Before Philip called you, I saw you while you were under the fig tree.” are giving
Psalm 139:1 also sings, “You have searched me, O LORD, and you have known me.” God knows our sitting and standing and everything we think. That is why the true servant is upheld and guided by God. A sincere person can't win against people in the world who have gimmicks. But the strength of a true people is that God at some point opens the gates of heaven and pours out help and power upon us.
In verses 50 and 51, he said, “Do you believe because I said I saw you under the fig tree? You will see greater things than these. And truly, I say to you, you will see heaven opened and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man.” Sending helpers in the open sky.
In 2 Corinthians 4:8, it says, “We are oppressed in every way, but we are not crushed.” Even if we are tormented, we are not crushed because we can receive God's help through the open heaven. When Hezekiah was attacked by 135,000 Assyrians and prayed to God, God opened the gates of heaven and defeated them in one day.
Also, when Jesus was baptized, the gates of heaven opened and the Holy Spirit descended like a dove, and the moment Stephen was stoned to death, the gates of heaven opened and the voice of God's comfort was heard.
The heavens do not open except the truth. May you be a servant whose truth is proven through the open sky.
Ⅲ. Because of true comrades of faith
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Philip and Bartholomew always appear together throughout the Bible, including Matthew 10:3, Mark 3:18, and Luke 6:14. If you are sincere in this way, you will find a true good friend of mine like yourself. Does anyone not follow? because it's not true. The blessing of sincerity and suffering is to have friends.
Joshua and Caleb befriended each other in truth and suffering. David and Jonathan also became friends through the hardships of being King Saul. Have you ever had a co-worker in your faith while living your life of faith? If not, life can be said to be in vain. We need someone who can rejoice when we are happy and who can grieve when we are sad.
Not a drinking buddy or a world play friend, but a morning prayer friend and missionary friend. These blessings are given to you if you have a sincere appearance. In 2003, like Joshua and Caleb, David and Jonathan, I hope to pray, “Give me a morning prayer friend, a missionary friend, and a devoted friend.” When you do that, God will bless you and change you.