Our Sunday morning message was brought by our senior pastor, Dr. Larry Crawford: "The Man Under A Tree."
We stood for opening prayer and the reading of God's word taken from John 1:43-51.
43. The day following Jesus would go forth into Galilee, and findeth Philip, and saith unto him, Follow me.
44. Now Philip was of Bethsaida, the city of Andrew and Peter.
45. Philip findeth Nathaniel, and saith unto him, We have found him, of whom Moses in the law, and the prophets, did write, Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.
46. And Nathaniel said unto him, Can there any good thing come out of Nazareth? Philip saith unto him, Come and see.
47. Jesus saw Nathaniel coming to him, and saith of him, Behold an Israelite indeed, in whom is no guile!
48. Nathaniel saith unto him, Whence knowest thou me? Jesus answered and said unto him, Before that Philip called thee, when thou wast under the fig tree, I saw thee.
49. Nathaniel answered and saith unto him, Rabbi, thou art the Son of God; thou art the King of Israel.
50. Jesus answered and said unto him, Because I said unto thee, I saw thee under the fig tree, believest thou? thou shalt see greater things than these.
51. And he saith unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Hereafter ye shall see heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of man.
Dr. Crawford then gave a very short recap of previous Sunday messages, because this week's lesson is tied in with them. The first in the series was, Adam, a Man Shamed, the man behind the tree, in the garden of Eden.
Last week we found a man up a tree, and his name was Zaccheus, and he was rich, but empty.
This week, a man is under a tree, a fig tree to be exact, and he is named Nathaniel, and this Man was lonely. Nathaniel lived and worked in a thriving, bustling area, Bethsaida, yet he was alone. Nathaniel had his family near, yet he was alone. Nathaniel had friends there, yet he was alone.
"We move now to the four important days in the life of a man under a tree -- Nathaniel!
"The 1st day: John 1:19-28, John the Baptist is revealed (verses 22-23). To Nathaniel and to us."
"The 2nd day: John 1:25-34, Jesus is revealed! The Christ, The Lamb of God! (verses 25,29,34). First to Nathaniel and then to us."
"The 3rd day: John 1:35-42, Two disciples (Andrew and Philip) were asked to, "Come and see," and the Lord Jesus received them. Just as the Son of Man still receives the shamed, the empty, and the alone."
"The 4th day: John 1:43-51, The man under a tree: Nathaniel. In verse 43 Jesus found Philip. My friend, has Jesus found you?"
John 14:23 -- Jesus answered and said unto him, if a man love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him.
"John 1:41 includes the phrase, 'We have found,' and folks, you only find something you are looking for!"
"No doubt Andrew and Peter had been talking about this John the Baptist; and his preaching about Messiah, the Christ! Could it be true? Was He nearby? Andrew received Jesus and spent time with Jesus. He then found his own brother Simon, 'I've got to tell Simon, I've got to tell my loved one about the most loving, forgiving, personal Jesus Christ! And he brought him to Jesus. Andrew is saved, and immediately reaches out to get Simon saved also."
"Let's say, for the sake of argument, you are all Christians here. So how are you going to enjoy the Rapture with one of your children left behind? Will your joy in Heaven be complete knowing that one, very special friend is not there with you, to share in all God's riches and glory?"
"Just as Jesus found Adam, behind a tree, shamed. Just as Jesus found Zaccheus, up a tree, empty. Jesus found Nathaniel, under a tree, alone. Today Jesus is still seeking those who are lost."
John 15:16 -- Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in my name, he may give it you.
I John 4:19 -- We love him, because he first loved us.
Philip, just like his friend Andrew brought his brother Simon to Jesus, found his friend Nathaniel and shared the Good News with him.
"Can it be that someone accepts Christ's forgiveness, acceptance, love, promise of Heaven, and knows that Jesus came and searched for the sin-sick to be the great physician to, and never, ever, find a Nathaniel, under a tree, alone, before they die, and meet that Savior? Philip, 'We have found him! Just the man we've been looking for! It's not a bunch of laws, it's a man! It's not a bunch of do's and don'ts, it's a man! It's not a denomination, it's a man! It's not baptism, communion, confirmation, church membership, it's a man! The man Jesus. (What if they ask me a question I don't know the answer to? What if I freeze up? What if I can't remember those verses? Just tell them what you personally know about The Man.)"
"Can any good thing come out of Nazareth, Nathaniel asked in good faith? GOOD is the absence of any EVIL."
Mark 10:18 -- And Jesus said unto him, Why callest thou me good? there is none good but one, that is, God.
Romans 3:12 -- They are all gone out of the way, they are together become unprofitable; there is none that doeth, good, no, not one.
Acts 10:38 -- How God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Ghost and with power: who went about doing good, and healing all that were oppressed of the devil; for God was with him.
And verse 46 above begs ALL to 'Come and see'."
Psalm 14:8 -- O taste and see that the LORD is good: blessed is the man that trusteth in him.
"Some things you just have to find out for yourself. Some things you MUST find out for yourself."
John 1:48 -- When thou wast under the fig tree, I saw thee.
"Nathaniel, when you were under the tree ... alone ... I saw thee!"
"And I'm so eternally glad that on that fall Sunday in 1973, in a little town of Jerseyville, at the State Street Baptist Church, of about our size church here today, on the third pew, Jesus saw me!"
"As verse 50 above says, "You ain't seen 'nuttin' yet!"
In verse 51 Jesus saw Nathaniel a day before meeting him.
Genesis 28:10-12:
10. And Jacob went out from Beersheba, and went toward Haran.
11. And he lighted upon a certain place, and tarried there all night, because the sun was set; and he took of the stones of that place, and put them for his pillows, and lay down in that place to sleep.
12. And he dreamed, and behold a ladder set up on the earth, and the top of it reached to heaven: and behold the angels of God ascending and descending on it.
Genesis 28:16-17:
16. And Jacob awaked out of his sleep, and he said, Surely the LORD is in this place; and I knew it not.
17. And he was afraid, and said, How dreadful is this place! this is none other but the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven.
"Nathaniel found his gate to Heaven, the ladder that day, in the Son of Man! So who do you seek this day? Today is the day of your Salvation."
All verses quoted above are from the KJV, the King James Bible.
If you have no church home of your own, we would love for you to join us (off the northeast corner of Pineville square, just behind U.S. Bank) in ours. No friendlier, down home church, can be found anywhere in the four-state area.
Religion on 10/08/2015