Are you looking for Jesus or just going to Starbucks?

John 1:35-38

Amplified Bible (AMP)

³⁵ Again the next day John was standing with two of his disciples,

³⁶ And he looked at Jesus as He walked along, and said, Look! There is the Lamb of God!

³⁷ The two disciples heard him say this, and they followed Him.

³⁸ But Jesus turned, and as He saw them following Him, He said to them, What are you looking for? [And what is it you wish?] And they answered Him, Rabbi—which translated is Teacher—where are You staying?

 

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It doesn’t have to take long to find Jesus.  All we have to do is look for him.  All we have to do is open our eyes and we will find him.

Do you know that there are eyes in your soul, in your mind, in your spirit?   Yes, we have two eyes on our head that everyone can see, and we can see into the world with them, but did you know that there are eyes in your soul?

Have you ever heard the expression your eyes are the windows to your soul? Well to me that must mean your soul has eyes, not in the way that our faces have eyes but metaphorically speaking, our souls have eyes.  They have eyes to seek and to search.  They have eyes to look around and recognize the goodness that is around us and also the bad things that are around us.  When your soul is connected to your spirit, as we would all like for them to be, when you see someone with goodness and love in/on them we recognize it.  We want to know them better or to just be around them.

 I guess this could be the way that discernment works, or what the world calls a “gut feeling”.  When you have a “gut feeling” about something around you it doesn’t necessarily have to be about people.  Your “gut feeling” could be about a place or thing or even something you feel like you should do and aren’t doing or vice versa something you are doing that you shouldn’t be doing.  But this “gut feeling” as everyone so freely calls it, is in fact the Holy Spirit telling you something is not right or something is wonderful.

We need to listen to that feeling.  We need to pay attention to that feeling and allow it to lead us in the direction it wants us to go.  I have said for many years that I have been blessed with having an internal knowing or “gut feeling” about people, places and things.  I’ve come to know that it’s the Holy Spirit telling me to be aware of my surroundings. 

This leads me to back to John the Baptist.  There is something wonderful and not written enough about, with his interaction with Jesus in the Jordan River.  John was given a sign to know that Jesus was Jesus, but I believe that John’s Holy Spirit had already directed him to know who Jesus was, and identify him as the Son of God.  

 

 I find it oddly interesting that John didn’t stop what he was doing and just follow Jesus.  I think I probably would have.  I would have been too worried that I wouldn’t see him again, so I better keep him in my eyesight and soak in all the glory that is around him, but John didn’t do that.  He went about the work that he was sent to do.  I guess John had a knowing that he would see Jesus again and he rested in that. 

John did indeed see Jesus again, the following day and announced once again, here he is the Lamb of God.   This announcement sparked for people to follow Jesus, and when they did, it caused Jesus to stop and ask them what they were looking for, or what they wanted, almost like what is your wish?  And I believe in the most humbling tone possible John and the Disciples simply said… you.  This is the beginning of establishing the 12 Disciples. 

Do you know that you are or can be a disciple of God’s?  Do you know it’s a simple and easy decision to make?  It’s not one that will cost you anything.  It’s not a decision that you have to give something to get it.  It’s probably the easiest thing to attain, but yet for most people, it’s the most put off decision and hardest decision they ever make. 

For a few, very lucky people, they have had exposure to God growing up, and they don’t need their lives to fall around them to finally search for God and make this decision, but most people come to God on their knees in time of pure desperation.   

I think God is calling all of us to be his disciples.  I think God rejoices and has a mini party or dance off when someone comes to him. 

Just imagine for a second, the scene is Heaven.  Of course it’s a kind of beauty that no one could possibly imagine, there are colors that only exist in heaven, as earth could never understand the gloriousness of them.  I know it says that trumpets blow and angels rejoice but in my head there is a DJ playing God’s favorite song, which I think is I surrender all, because that’s what he wants us to do, but the remix of I surrender all and I think all of heaven dances and claps for the soul that was once lost that is now found.

I don’t think we understand the depth of this decision we make to accept Christ into our lives.  Personally, I think going to Starbucks should be a harder decision than deciding to surrender our lives to God, but yet, millions of people go to Starbucks every day, and give a five word order for a coffee. 

All we need to say to God is yes… yes… Yes!  Yes, Lord, I believe that you sacrificed your only son on the Cross for me.  Yes, Lord, I believe that your son.  Your magnificent son walked the many painful steps to that mountain top for my sins.  For MY sins!!  I believe that Jesus, my Christ and Savior sweated drops of blood over the pain and anguish he was about to bear so that the world, including me, could spend eternity with you. 

I believe that you, God of all men, resurrected Jesus three days later and he is in Heaven right now seated at your right side.  I believe that I am washed clean of my former sins, my current sins and the sins I will commit in the days to come.  I believe that I am made perfect by the Blood of Jesus and in confessing this with my mouth I get to, am privileged to, spend the rest of my days here on earth and in Heaven glorifying your name.

Now, how is it possible that this decision is harder than going to Starbucks?   It doesn’t cost you anything to make this decision, in fact it adds to you.  It gives to you.  This is a free gift.

No one is asking you to shed blood for anyone, including yourself.  No one is asking you to carry a cross for miles up a hill while someone is beating you with a whip.  No one is asking you to wear a crown of thorns that is piercing your flesh with every movement you make.  No one is asking you to have stakes driven through the palm of your hands and into your feet.  No one is asking you to cry out to God for forgiveness for everyone else… Yes, take a moment and Get this! 

 

Jesus did all of this, and more.   When he was on that cross with the sun beating down on him, the people around him mocking him and the pain that no one can understand, his thought was for you and me.  He took a moment and asked God to forgive us because we know not what we have done.   He thought of you!! He thought of me!! 

 

And what do we do... we think of Starbucks.  

 

The decision to follow God, to confess Jesus is, was and will forever will be, is simple.  It’s very small when you think about everything that was done for you.  

Jesus is asking you now, will you?  Will you believe in me?  Will you make the decision to confess I am your Lord and Savior and believe in me?  Will you give me the opportunity to let my blood wash you clean of your former shame and give you restoration of your life... oh and enter the Kingdom of Heaven?  Will you? 

When you say yes to all of this... the simplest question you will ever be asked, and you say yes... yes, I will! 

That’s when you become a disciple.  That’s when you, just like John the Baptist, and the countless others get to wear the badge in your heart, mind, soul and spirit that you not only belong to the one who created you, but you are a Disciple, of the one who created you!