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The Gospel of John: First Followers John 1:35–51

Join the Journey

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  1. First Followers

  2. John 1:35–51

    John 1:35–51

  3. Follow the Leader

  4. When you were a kid, did you ever play Follow the Leader?

  5. One person goes first. Everyone else lines up behind them. And whatever the leader does—whether it makes sense or not—you follow.

  6. That game works… until the leader doesn’t actually know where they’re going. And I think that describes a lot of life right now. People aren’t lost because they aren’t following anything. They’re lost because they’re following the wrong thing.

  7. The invitation of Jesus has always been simple:

  8. “Follow Me.”

  9. Not “have it all figured out.”

  10. Not “clean up your past.”

  11. Not “get all your theology straight.”

  12. Just—follow.

  13. In John 1, we meet the very first followers of Jesus. They don’t know everything. They don’t fully understand who He is yet. But they take a step. And what we see in their lives is the same journey Jesus still invites us into today—a journey of discovery, transformation, community, and mission.

  14. At Journey Church, we say it this way:

  15. Our journey is helping everyone discover their relationship with Jesus, living out our walk together, and equipping each other to share the gospel with the lost.

  16. That’s not just a statement on a wall. It’s a picture of what following Jesus actually looks like.

  17. We’ve already seen who Jesus is. He is the Word who became flesh. He is God—the Creator of life and the Light of the world. And last week, like John the Baptist, we talked about humility and pointing people to Jesus. We asked the question: Who are you pointing to Jesus?

  18. Today we are going to see that when we follow Jesus He will change your ID, because He knows you and Knows your heart, when we follow Jesus we will see amazing things, but lets start with…

  19. 1. Following Jesus Will Cause You to Tell Others

  20. (Going Out | Connecting with Each Other)

  21. If you have your bibles turn with me to John 1:35

    John 1:35

  22. John 1:35–41.

    John 1:35–41

  23. John the Baptist sees Jesus walking by and says, “Look, the Lamb of God.” Two of his disciples hear that—and immediately, they follow Jesus. Jesus turns around and asks a question that still matters today: “What do you want?”

  24. They don’t give a spiritual answer. They don’t pretend to know more than they do. They just say, “Rabbi… where are You staying?” In other words: Can we be with You? Jesus says, “Come and you will see.”

  25. And then notice what happens next. Andrew goes and finds his brother Simon and says: “We have found the Messiah.”

  26. He doesn’t start with a crowd.

  27. He doesn’t start with strangers.

  28. He starts with someone close.

  29. That’s how the gospel usually spreads—through relationships. That’s why one of our core values is Going Out.

  30. Not going out with a megaphone.

  31. Not going out with an argument.

  32. But going out to build authentic relationships with people who don’t yet know Jesus. For a lot of us, evangelism sounds intimidating. But for many of us, it’s as simple as: “Can I tell you what God’s been doing in my life?”

  33. I’ve been reading a book called They Like Jesus, But Not the Church by Dan Kimball, and it’s been deeply convicting.

  34. Because it forced me to ask:

  35. Who am I actually spending my life with?

  36. It’s easy to live in a Christian bubble.

  37. Christian friends.

  38. Christian conversations.

  39. Christian calendars.

  40. But if that’s all we surround ourselves with, then who are we reaching?

  41. In Matthew 9, Jesus is eating with tax collectors and sinners, and the religious leaders are offended. In fact he even invites one of the tax collectors to be a disciple with a simple invitation: Follow Me. And Matthew didn’t give excuses or make it complicated. He just got up and followed Jesus.

  42. But this is how Jesus responds to the religious leaders:

  43. Matthew 9:12

    Matthew 9:12

  44. It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick.

  45. Jesus didn’t isolate Himself from broken people. He moved toward them.

  46. Here’s the tension we have to wrestle with:

  47. People are often open to Jesus—but not always open to His followers.

  48. Bono once said,

  49. “Christians are hard to tolerate. I don’t know how Jesus does it.”

  50. Now—not all Christians are like that. I mean, look around.

  51. You’re here. You care. You’re trying to follow Jesus.

  52. But we have to be honest enough to admit that sometimes we’ve stayed in the bubble too long.

  53. That’s why Going Out matters. And that’s why Connecting with each other matters too. We build strong relationships—not just inside the church, but outside of it—walking side by side through the messiness of life with prayer, accountability, and encouragement.

  54. Following Jesus will always push us outward. Like Andrew, when we follow Jesus, we can’t help but tell others.

  55. 2. When You Follow Jesus, He Will Change Your Identity

  56. (Pleasing God | Growing in Scripture)

  57. Look at John 1:42.

    John 1:42

  58. Andrew brings Simon to Jesus. Jesus looks at him and says: “You are Simon son of John. You will be called Cephas” (which means Peter). Simon doesn’t ask for a new name. He doesn’t earn it. Jesus gives it to him.

  59. We live in a world obsessed with identity. We protect it. We insure it. We monitor it.

  60. I have an older brother, his name is Richard. A number of years ago he was pulled over and had his license run. The officer came back and said that he had a arrest warrant for him. Richard was terrified. But come to find out there was another Richard Hamilton that was born on the same day in St. Louis that had the warrant. I joked with him when we drove through St Louis last April not to get pulled over. Now it wasn’t identity theft but it was close.

  61. Identity theft is such a big deal that companies exist just to protect who you are. But here’s the truth: Before Jesus, our identity is already broken.

  62. We define ourselves by:

  63. • Our past

  64. • Our failures

  65. • What’s been done to us

  66. • What we’ve done

  67. And then Jesus steps in and says, “I know who you’ve been—but I also know who I will make you become.”

  68. Simon becomes Peter.

  69. The impulsive one becomes the rock. Paul explains this transformation in

  70. Galatians 3:26–29:

    Galatians 3:26

  71. So in Christ Jesus you are all children of God through faith, 27 for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. 28 There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. 29 If you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.

  72. That’s what it means to please God—not by earning His approval, but by trusting Jesus is all we need and being transformed by who He is and what He has done.

  73. When we by faith meet Jesus in baptism, we have our ID changed. We are clothed in Jesus Christ.

  74. And in Galatians 2:20, Paul says:

    Galatians 2:20

  75. 20 I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.

  76. Following Jesus doesn’t just make you a better version of yourself.

  77. It gives you a new self.

  78. That’s why Growing in Scripture matters.

  79. We don’t grow by vibes or opinions. We grow by anchoring our lives in the inspired and inerrant Word of God—and humbly obeying it in everyday life.

  80. Jesus doesn’t just change your behavior. He changes who you are. Like Peter, He gives you a new name and a new future.

  81. 3. Jesus Knows You—and Knows Your Heart

  82. (Connecting with Each Other | Pleasing God)

  83. Look at John 1:43–48.

    John 1:43–48

  84. Jesus calls Philip. Philip tells Nathanael. Nathanael is skeptical. “Can anything good come from Nazareth?” But when Nathanael approaches, Jesus says: “Here truly is an Israelite in whom there is no deceit.”

  85. Nathanael is stunned. “How do You know me?” Jesus answers: “I saw you while you were still under the fig tree.” Jesus knew where Nathanael had been. He knew what was going on inside him. This isn’t the only time Jesus does this.

  86. We see this again in Matthew 9:3–4, where Jesus knows the thoughts of the religious leaders before they ever say a word.

    Matthew 9:3–4

  87. Matthew 9:3-4

    Matthew 9:3–4

  88. 3 At this, some of the teachers of the law said to themselves, “This fellow is blaspheming!” 4 Knowing their thoughts, Jesus said,

  89. Jesus doesn’t just know about you.

  90. He knows you. He knows your thoughts. Your fears. Your doubts. Your wounds.

  91. And here’s the good news:

  92. He still invites you to follow. That’s the kind of community we want to be—a place where people are fully known and fully loved.

  93. We don’t pretend. We don’t perform. We walk together through the messiness of life. That’s Connecting with each other.

  94. And when we live that way, we please God—not because we’re perfect, but because we’re honest and dependent on Him. Jesus knows you—and He knows your heart.

  95. 4. Following Jesus, You Will See Amazing Things

  96. (Sacrificing Self | Going Out)

  97. Finally, look at John 1:49–51.

    John 1:49–51

  98. Nathanael declares: “Rabbi, You are the Son of God; You are the King of Israel.” Jesus responds: “You will see greater things than that.”

  99. Following Jesus doesn’t mean life gets easier. It means it gets deeper. You begin to see God at work in places you never noticed before. You begin to see lives changed—including your own.

  100. But it will cost you something. That’s why one of our values is Sacrificing Self. Jesus sacrificed Himself for the needy, the hurting, and the lost. And He calls us to put our faith into action—mobilizing to help our community and world, even when it costs us comfort.

  101. Where is this journey taking us? We are going to reach the lost—starting with our community—by multiplying disciples, leaders, and churches.

  102. We will be defined by our love. By our sacrifice. By our willingness to go.

  103. That’s the journey Jesus started with these first followers. And it’s the same journey He invites us into today. Following Jesus will cause us to tell others. He will change our identity. Even though He already knows us—and knows our hearts—He still invites us to follow Him. And if you choose to follow Jesus, you will see amazing things.

  104. Join the Journey. Not when you have it all figured out. Not when you feel ready. Just take the next step today.

  105. Come and see.