The Men God Chooses and Uses: Philip

Let's pray together. Father, we thank you so much for the opportunity you give us this day to worship your great and glorious name. You truly are the King of Kings. You truly are the one who comes in the name of the Lord. And we know, Lord, that one day you will return, and one day you will set up your kingdom, and one day you will rule on this earth. Until that time, we pray that we would be the kind of people that manifest that you truly are our King, and we follow your kingship. In Jesus' name, Amen.

Luke chapter 6 is where we're at. Luke chapter 6 is our study of the apostles. And as we go through each of these men, we are reminded of the incredible study that we are embarking on. We realize that this has become a very insightful study for us. Very insightful. Why do we pause in Luke chapter 6 and examine each of these apostles? It's because it is a very insightful study. Why? Because these are the heroes of the faith. These are the men who began the early church. These are the men who gave us the foundation of truth.

And these men show us how it is that God used them in a great and mighty way. So this becomes a very insightful study for us. It also becomes a very needful study for us. Why? Not only because these men are the heroes of our faith, but these are the ones who give us hope amidst our lives. They give us hope because God transformed these men. These regular, ordinary, simple men, just like you and me, how God took these lives and made them great. Not that they were great in and of themselves, but because the power of God empowered them to accomplish the greatest mission man could ever know.

The spreading of the good news. So not only is this study insightful for us, but it's very, very needful for us. On top of that, it becomes very meaningful for us. Why? Because it talks about how God humbles the arrogant. And a lot of these men were arrogant people. And we find ourselves arrogant as well. We find ourselves following in their footsteps, always wanting to be a top dog, always wanting to be best, always wanting to be recognized. And how God humbles these men and they become the pillars of the church because of their service to the King.

This has become a very purposeful study for us. Why? Because it talks about the greatest of all purposes, the spread of the good news, the gospel. And our purpose is to somehow make known the truth of the gospel. These men would give their lives for the spreading of the truth. And we need to follow their example. It becomes a very wonderful study for us. Why? Because it accentuates the holiness of God. It accentuates the character and nature of God. It shows us Him. When we see these men, we see Jesus more than we see them.

Because it's God who does a great and mighty work in them. You see, none of them began at their best. They began in ways that were not so readily acceptable to God. But God would change them. God would make them into great men. Simon Peter was the leader of the twelve. He was the protoss. He was the chief among the twelve. But he was very impulsive. He was very arrogant. He was very strong. And yet amidst all that, God would break this man. And show him the true condition of his heart. That he might be used of God in a great way to be a leader as none else.

And then there was Andrew. The kind of behind-the-scenes guy. Very inconspicuous. Very humble. A kind of man who was more interested in people coming to Christ than him getting any kind of recognition. And he gave us a definition of what a true man was. A true man is one who points people to Jesus Christ. And that was Andrew. Then we looked at James and John, the sons of thunder. Strong men. Passionate men. Zealous men. Men with the kind of passion that we all need to have. But needs to be tempered so that it's under the control of the Spirit of God.

John was that man who was committed to the truth of God's Word and the compassion towards people. And God would use John and would use James. James became that first apostle martyred in Acts chapter 12.

And John would be the last one to die. He'd be exiled to the island of Patmos. But these men, all a part of the intimate circle. All a part of that circle that was closest to Jesus. Peter, James, John, and Andrew. Provide for us examples. Provide for us the kind of model that we see that God would change these men and make them into the kind of leaders, the kind of individuals, the kind of Christians that ultimately are the kind of people we need to follow. Today we come to the fifth apostle. His name is Philip.

Philip is the leader of the next section. Remember we told you that there were three groups of four. In each section, the leader in each group is always in the same position, but the three succeeding those are interchanged. Telling us that probably Philip was the leader of the next group of men. But also we realize that there is a descending amount of information about them until we get to Judas Iscariot. And Judas will be a fascinating study for most of you. Why? Because it helps us understand apostasy.

And how somebody who could be so close to Christ, be involved in the ministry of Christ, yet never a true believer in Christ. And you'll find that that's the way a lot of people are in the church. But we'll know more about that when we get to Judas Iscariot at the end of our study of the apostles. But Philip was a was the leader of the second group.

He too was from Bethsaida. Andrew was from Bethsaida. Peter was from Bethsaida. Andrew was probably a fisherman like, I mean, Philip was probably a fisherman like Andrew and Peter. But he becomes the kind of man that shows us all kinds of things about our life. And shows us how God works in your life, and in my life. Philip is not mentioned in Matthew, Mark, or Luke in any detail. But John gives us four times, four scenes with Philip in them to give us a little bit of a character sketch of this man.

So when we study Philip, we begin once again to see our lives. Maybe you've seen your life in Peter. Maybe you've seen your life in Andrew, or James, or John. Maybe you've seen your life in all four of those men. Hopefully today you'll see a little bit of your life in Philip and see what God does with this man. So I want to examine these four scenes with you, show you Philip, explain to you what God does in his life, and draw some applications for your life and for mine. So if you have your Bible, turn with me to John chapter one.

John chapter one. It says in verse number 43, the next day he purposed to go forth into Galilee, and he found Philip. Well, what's the next day? Well, it's the day after Andrew and John heard John the Baptist say, behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. And they would, or Andrew would go after the Messiah. And Christ would ask Andrew, what do you seek? And Andrew wanted to be with him, and learn from him, and spent the better part of the day with him. And he would immediately go and tell Simon, his brother, and bring Simon to Jesus.

And Jesus meets Simon and says, you're no longer going to be called Simon. Instead, you're going to be called Peter. The next day, the very next day, it says that Christ purposed to go forth into Galilee, and he found Philip. And Jesus said to him, follow me. Now, Philip is the first apostle to hear those words, follow me.

It would become the great evangelistic call of Christ to follow him. Christianity is about following Christ, right? Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men. Follow me, and I will make you into something that's so significant. But you got to follow me. Now, here's the unique thing about Philip. Listen to this. Now, Philip was from Bethsaida, verse 44, of the city of Andrew and Peter. Philip found Nathanael and said to him, we have found him of whom Moses in the law, and also the prophets wrote Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.

And Nathanael said to him, can any good thing come out of Nazareth? Philip said to him, come and see. Philip was a student of the Old Testament. He was a man who knew about the writings of Moses and the writing of the prophets. He was a man engaged in the study of the scriptures, so that when Jesus came and said, follow me, he was able to put two and two together and to understand that the Messiah had arrived. He would know verses like Genesis chapter 3, verse number 15, that speak to us about the coming Messiah being the seed of the woman.

He would know verses like Genesis chapter 22, which speak about the sacrificial lamb being the Messiah, the savior, the deliverer of the world. He would know verses like Genesis chapter 49, that speak about the Messiah being the one, Shiloh, the one to whom the scepter belongs. He would know verses like Numbers chapter 24, which speak of the Messiah as a great prophet, greater than Moses ever was. He would be a man, I'm sorry, Numbers would talk about the star that would arise out of Jacob. It would be Deuteronomy that would speak of the Messiah as the great prophet.

He would know verses like Ezekiel, which speak of the Messiah as the great shepherd of the sheep. He would know the verses in the Psalms that speak about the Messiah being the stone that the builders rejected. You see, he was a student of the Old Testament. And so he would go and talk to Nathanael and say, we have found the one that Moses spoke of. We have found the one that the prophets spoke of. He's Jesus of Nazareth. And Nathanael would say, well, can any good thing come out of Nazareth? Now, Nathanael was from Cana of Galilee.

I've been to Cana. Cana is not much better than Nazareth is. It's kind of a low life kind of place. But Nathanael was concerned about where this Messiah would come from. And Philip says to him, I want you to come and I want you to see. For us to understand Philip, we need to realize that this man followed the one whom he had studied and believed in. He knew there was coming a Messiah. He knew there would be one who would come to take away the sin of the world. And when he met Jesus, Jesus said, follow me.

Isn't it interesting that that the Bible says that Jesus found Philip? He said, follow me. And Philip says to Nathanael, we have found the Messiah. Well, who found who? Did the Messiah find Philip or did Philip find the Messiah? Well, from the divine perspective, the Messiah always finds you. From the human perspective, we find him. Now we know that Jesus came to seek and to save that which was lost, Luke 19 10. We also know that the book of Jeremiah 29 says verse number 13, and you shall seek me and find me when you search with me with all your heart.

And yet we know that it was Philip who had been seeking the Messiah. He had been looking in the Old Testament knowing some of the characteristics of the Messiah. So when Jesus found him, he said, follow me and Philip followed. He was a man who was a student of the scriptures. And so this is Philip's call, but I want you to notice Philip's concern.

The very first thing he did was what? Go tell Nathanael. Just like Andrew, when Andrew found the Messiah, had been with him the better part of a day, he went to go tell his brother Simon. Philip, having found the Messiah, went and told Nathanael. Listen, the excitement when you understand Jesus is Messiah is uncontainable. When you know Jesus as Savior, when you know Jesus as Lord, when you know that Jesus Christ is King, there's something that moves you that you have to tell those closest to you.

I mean, Andrew did it. Philip did it. There was something about a compulsion inside that says, I gotta tell somebody else. He goes and tells Nathanael. He says, I want you to come. I want you to see this one, Jesus of Nazareth. There was an excitement. Remember what the angels said to the shepherds? I bring you good tidings of great joy. The good news is that which brings great joy. And how do you know you're a recipient of the good news? You experience great joy. And Philip experienced that joy.

He had been looking and longing for the... He's like Simeon. Remember Simeon? He was longing for the consolation of Israel. And the Holy Spirit had given him the promise that he would not die until he saw the Lord's Christ. He's a lot like Anna in Luke chapter 2. Anna was the one who was preaching about the coming of the Messiah to all those who longed for the redemption of Jerusalem. He was just like those people, devout Jews, committed to the integrity of the scripture, looking and longing for the coming of Messiah.

When Messiah shows up, he says, Philip, I want you to follow me. Philip follows because he knows that Jesus of Nazareth is the Messiah. He goes and realizes he's the one that Moses spoke of. He's the one the prophets spoke of. He is the son, S-U-N, of righteousness that rises with healing in his wings. He goes to Nathanael. Nathanael, come, see, we have found the one in whom the prophets spoke of and Moses spoke of. You know, is it not true that that's the kind of compulsion we should have as Christians?

And so you got to ask yourself, are you the kind of person that speaks to those closest to you about the good news of great joy? Is there that excitement about, hey, listen, I want you to come and see Jesus of Nazareth. I want you to come and understand that this one, Jesus, is the Messiah who will take away all your sin. I want you to come and see that Jesus is the King, the Lord of the universe. There needs to be that kind of joy in our hearts that's contagious that we want to tell other people.

You got to ask yourself, where are you when it comes to telling others about Christ in an exciting, enthusiastic kind of way? That was Philip. Turn to John chapter 6. John chapter 6. This is the second scene in which Philip is mentioned.

We know it. We've already read this concerning Andrew and what happens with him. But let me review for you the story, set the scene for you so you understand.

Remember now, Philip has already seen the miracle in Cana of Galilee. He's already seen the water be turned into wine. He's also seen Christ perform other miracles. Why do we know that? Because the Bible tells us in John 6 in verse number 2, and a great multitude was following him because they were seeing the signs which he was performing on those who were sick. So Philip has already been to the wedding in Cana of Galilee. He has seen the water turned to wine. He knows the miracle working power of the Messiah.

He has seen sick people made well. He has seen the power of the touch of the Messiah. All that is in his mind. He sees it, he knows it, but does he really grasp it and understand it? That's important. Because you see he had first-hand information about the Messiah.

He had seen the miracle worker do his thing. And so the Bible says this, verse 3, And Jesus went up on the mountain and there he sat with his disciples.

Now the Passover, the feast of the Jews was at hand. Jesus therefore lifting up his eyes and seeing that a great multitude was coming to him said to Philip. Now, why would Jesus single out Philip above all the other disciples? Why would he speak to Peter? Peter was the leader. He was the the chief of the twelve. Why would Christ single out Philip? What is it about Philip that would cause Christ after seeing the multitude coming to him look to him and say, Philip, where are we to buy bread that these may eat?

Stop right there. Why would he look to Philip? Could it be that Philip was the one in charge of the distribution of food among the disciples? We know that Judas was in charge of the money. He was the one entrusted with all the finances of the twelve. He was the one, listen, most trusted of the twelve. That's why he had all the money, see? You don't want to give the the money to to James and John, man. They're the sons of thunder, man. They'll spend it sporadically, okay? You don't want to give it to Peter.

He's the top dog. He'll make all the decisions that he wants to have, but Judas was the trusted one of the twelve. So he was the keeper of the money. Could it be that all the disciples had different responsibilities and Philip was the one in charge of the distribution of food? We don't know, but he goes to Philip and says, hey Philip, listen to what he says. Very important to what Jesus says.

He says, where are What's the next word? We. Doesn't say where are you? Hey, where are you guys going to get the food? He says, where are we going to buy the food? It's not all your responsibility, Philip. I'm with you in the search for food. Now that should be a key right there, right? Listen to the next phrase. It says this, verse six, and this he was saying to test him for he himself knew what he was intending to do. I want to come back to that verse. That's a great verse. I love that. For he himself knew what he was intending to do.

Jesus always knows what he's going to do. So he asks Philip, this is Philip's challenge. In John 1, we see Philip's call. We see Philip's concern that others hear the gospel. Now we see Philip's challenge. The Lord tests him. Philip, where are we going to buy enough food for all these people? Now, we know that this is traditionally the feeding of what is called the 5,000, literally the 25,000. That's lots of people, okay? So he asked Philip, listen to Philip's response. Verse seven, Philip answered him, 200 denarii worth of bread is not sufficient for them for everyone to receive a little.

This is the second scene in which Philip said, Christ goes to Philip, sees all these people, says, Philip, tell me where are we going to buy food enough for all these people?

And Philip is, you know, he's getting into his pocket and counting all the money and saying, well, we got 200 denarii. That's, a denarii is one day's wage. So we have 200 days wages. And if we were to buy barley cakes for everybody, it would not be nearly enough to be able to feed all of them. Very pragmatic, very analytical is Philip. He's the kind of guy that says, listen, I'm not sure we can do this thing. Now, why would Philip say that? He's already seen the miracle worker do what the miracle worker does.

He doesn't think in the realm of the supernatural. He thinks in the realm of the natural, just like you and me. Just like you and me. For the Lord says to us, what are we going to do about your mortgage payment? And we say, well, I don't have enough money because I don't make enough. We think in realms of the natural and not the supernatural. The Lord says, what are we going to do about your physical condition? And we say, well, I've been to this doctor and I've been to that doctor and I've been over here and I've been there and this is what they say.

See? We think in the realm of the natural and not the supernatural. And here is Philip having experienced firsthand the greatest miracles ever in the land of Israel, in the world for that matter. And Christ says, Philip, what are we going to do?

And Philip says, I don't know. We don't have enough money. I've counted it up. It's not going to work. It's not going to happen. Send them away. It's not going to happen, Lord. We don't have enough food. We don't have enough money. Very pessimistic. But yet the Lord did this. To test him. Do you know that the Lord is in the practice of testing you every single day? The Lord asks you many questions, not verbally, but just like Philip, what are we going to do about your situation? What are we going to do?

What are we going to do about your family? What are we going to do about your children? What are we going to do about your lack of work? What are we going to do about your physical condition? What are we going to do about your church? What are we going to do, Philip? What are we going to do, Sue? Bill? Bob? Joe? What are we going to do? And we say, well, it doesn't look really good right about now, Lord. I'm not sure anything can be done about it. And yet we begin to think on the natural plane, don't we?

We don't think from a supernatural perspective. And God did this, the text tells us, to test him, because he himself knew what he was intending to do. You see, God knows what he's going to do with your family. God knows what he's going to do with your children. He knows what he's going to do with your finances. He knows what he's going to do with your health. He knows exactly what he's going to do. The question is, will you trust him? Will you trust him? Do you think Jesus knew what he was going to do with Abraham when the Lord God spoke to Abraham and said, go to such and such a journey, take your son, your only son, to Moriah, take him up on the mountain and slay him?

Do you think that the Lord knew what he was intending to do with that day? Of course he did. Of course he did. Did Abraham know what the Lord was intended to do? No. He did not know. But it was Abraham's test, right? It was his test. And God would test him and do a great and mighty work in him. Just in the very next story in John chapter 6, if you read Mark's account, it says, John tells us that they wanted to take him forth and make him king. Why? Well, here is Christ performing this miracle feeding all these people.

They're thinking, wow, if this guy can feed all of us this way, he's king. This is the guy. I mean, if anybody can take care of the welfare problem in Israel, it's Jesus. Let's make him king. And because they wanted to take him by force, he would escape. And it says that he put, he made his disciples get into the boat and go to the other side. He went up into a mountain to pray and a great storm came and he would walk to them on the sea. Do you think that Christ knew what he was intending to do with his man?

Of course he did. Of course he did. He always knows what he's intending to do because he's omniscient. He knows everything. He knows it all. Do you think when Israel was led out of Egyptian bondage that the Lord knew what he was intending to do when he brought them to the Red Sea and there was no place to go? And the Lord God said to Moses, stick your rod into the sea, stand back and watch the power of God. And that's what happened. The waters separated and Israel went through on dry land and Pharaoh and his army was drowned.

And in Exodus chapter 15, we've got the great song of Moses, right? The great song of Moses led by Miriam the prophetess as she would lead the nation of Israel in the great and glorious praise of God. And then you come to Exodus chapter 16. Exodus chapter 16. Then Moses led Israel from the Red Sea and they went out into the wilderness of Shur and they went three days into the wilderness and found no water. And when they came to Marah, they could not drink the waters of Marah for they were bitter.

Therefore it was named Marah. So the people grumbled at Moses saying, what shall we drink? Then he cried out to the Lord and the Lord showed him a tree and he threw it into the waters and the waters became sweet. There he made for them a statue and regulation, statue and regulation. And there he what tested them. Do you think the Lord knew what he was intending to do with them after he led them out of bondage part of the Red Sea and led them to a place in the wilderness where there was no water and the only water there was bitter?

Of course he knew. He led them there to test them. He wanted to see whether or not they would believe in him and they had just seen the miraculous work of God in the separation of the water and three days later, what do they do? They grumble and they complain because they have no water. As if to say, God, you can part the Red Sea, you can part the water, but you can't give us any water. A lot like us in the book of Deuteronomy, it says this, eighth chapter, verse number one, all the commandments that I am commanding you today you shall be careful to do that you may live and multiply and go in and possess the land in which the Lord swore to give to your forefathers.

And you shall remember all the way which the Lord your God has led you in the wilderness these 40 years that he might humble you, here's the next phrase, testing you to know what was in your heart whether you would keep his commandments or not. Now did God test them to see what was in their hearts or did God already know what was in their hearts? God knew what was in their hearts. God tested them so they would see what their hearts were really like, see? And Moses says to them, listen, when it's all said and done, God led you in the wilderness to test you to see whether or not you would humble yourself before him and you would keep the commands of God.

Do you think God knew what he was intending to do with his nation? Of course he did. The Lord did this to Philip to test him because the Lord knew what he was intended to do. The Lord knew he was going to do a great miracle. The Lord knew that. He understood that. Philip didn't and neither did the other disciples. They didn't get it. And you know what? The same is true in your life. God is testing you and God knows what he intends to do. He wants you to trust him. Many years ago in my first marriage before my wife died and she contacted cancer, we realized that God was doing a great work.

I was 24 years of age and Sandy had contacted cancer and she was given just a few short months to live and she was pregnant with our first child and it was on the anniversary the fourth anniversary of our marriage was the day after her surgery.

She had a mastectomy the day after her surgery. It was a day of our fourth anniversary and I sat down with her and I said, I just want to let you know that the doctors only give you a less than 10% chance to live over the next five years. By the way, happy anniversary. You don't much longer to live. And the tears welled up in her eyes. I can remember this as if it was yesterday. The tears welled up in her eyes. She said, what are we going to do? And I said, 2nd Chronicles 20 verse number 12. Jehoshaphat said, Lord, we don't know what to do but our eyes are upon you.

Jehoshaphat was surrounded by a great army more than he could count, more than his men and he says, Lord, we don't know what to do but our eyes are upon you. And I told Sandy, I said, you know, Sandy, I don't know what God's going to do. I have no idea. I don't know whether the chemotherapy drugs, the radiation treatment you're going to receive is going to kill the baby or allow the baby to live. The doctors told us you need to abort your child. If you abort your child, the chances of your wife living are greater than if she keeps the child.

We said, well, we know God is sovereign. God's in charge of all things. God caused her to be pregnant at this time at the same time she contacted cancer. Therefore, God is testing us to see what it is we will do. And we're going to trust him. They said, well, if you don't abort the child, the child could have the chance of being severely deformed because of the the dosages of chemotherapy. You've got to be very, very careful. We said, you know, the Lord has given us this opportunity. We are going to trust him because we don't know what to do.

But our eyes are upon him. And folks, let me tell you something. That has been my life from that point to today. On Sandy's gravestone, we have that verse, 2 Chronicles 20, verse number 12. I don't know how many people have said to me, what is that verse? 2 Chronicles 20, verse number 12. What's that say? You know, people usually have those familiar verses on on gravestones. What does 2 Chronicles 20, verse number 12 say? What a great testimony. They say, well, this is what it says. King Jehoshaphat said, Lord, we don't know what to do, but our eyes are upon you.

It was a humble admission that, Lord, we need you in our lives amidst this great and terrible trial, this test. Because we know, we know what you are intending to do. And let me tell you something.

God was so good to me. God was so good to me. I look at my life and I sit around the table with my wife and my children today, Lori and my children, and I think to myself, God is so good to me because God knew exactly what he's going to do.

And I would have never planned it that way. I would have never gone about it the way he did, but I would never change one thing that he did in my life. Not one. Why? Because God did it that he might test me. Because he knew what he was intending to do. How about you? What test are you going through today? What trial are you facing that you have no idea what's going to happen next? And God says, what are we going to do?

Now, God knows what he's intended to do. But he asks you, what are we going to do? The we is there because he says, you need me, Philip. You can't make it without me. You've got to think in the realm of the supernatural and not the natural. See, the problem with us is, is that we are so busy thinking on the horizontal plane instead of thinking vertically and looking up toward God and asking him, Lord, we don't know what to do but our eyes are upon you. That was Philip's challenge. Philip's challenge.

You've been given a challenge. Maybe it's today. Maybe it'll come this week. Maybe next week, next month, next year. I don't know. Maybe you've already been in a challenge and you've passed it because you have given everything over to the Lord. Folks, listen, you don't know what to do but your eyes are upon him. Claim 2 Chronicles 20 verse number 12. Let God do what God does. And just step back and watch him work. And I have learned just the greatest lesson in all the world is that, you know what, when I get involved, I usually mess everything up.

It's just best for me to step back and let God do what God does because he can always do better than me. That was Philip's challenge. That's your challenge as well. You got two more scenes. Let me get them to you real quick.

John 12. John chapter 12 verse 20. I'm going to call this Philip's caution. We've seen Philip's call. We've seen Philip's concern. Philip's challenge. Those would be Philip's caution. It says, now there were certain Greeks among those who are going up to worship at the feast. These therefore came to Philip who was from Bethsaida of Galilee. He began to ask him saying, sir, we wish to see Jesus. Philip came and told Andrew. Andrew and Philip came and they told Jesus. Now if that was Peter, Peter would have taken him right to Jesus.

But Philip didn't do that. Why didn't Philip just take him to Jesus? Well, he knew that if anybody could get to Jesus, Andrew could. But maybe in Philip's mind, he's thinking of Matthew chapter 10 where it says that Christ, when he quoted these words, go not into the way of the Gentiles but go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. Maybe he was stuck in that rut thinking, you know, these are Greeks and I'm supposed to be going to the lost house of Israel and these guys are Greek. I'm not sure I should do this.

I better go see Andrew. Take him to Andrew. Let Andrew make the decision. And if Andrew wants to take him to Jesus, let him take him to Jesus. But this is Philip's caution. Whether it's right, whether it's wrong, I don't know. But he was cautious as to what he should do next because he knew what God said already. He knew what the Lord had already said but he didn't understand the total ramifications of how it is the Gentile world would be embraced with the gospel. And then I want you to see Andrew's, I mean, Philip's confusion.

Turn with me to John 14. This is the last, the last one. This is a page over John chapter 14. This is the eve of the crucifixion. Christ's whole concern is to comfort them amidst their confusion. See, the disciples always had a hard time with the fact that their Messiah would die. I mean, if you're truly the king, you're the Lord of lords, you're the king of kings, and you rule this earth, how is it you can let a hostile nation overtake you? If you're truly the Messiah, how is it you can let one of your own deny you?

How can you let one of your own betray you? If you're truly the sovereign king of the universe, how do you let these things happen? And Christ was concerned that his men get their confusion clarified. That they understand who he really is. Now remember, they had already confessed in Matthew 16, thou art the Christ, the son of the living God. Peter would speak for the twelve. They were in Caesarea Philippi, and Peter would say, well, thou art, who do men say that I am? And, and they would say, well, some say you're Elijah, some say you're Jeremiah, some say you're one of the prophets, but who do you say that I am?

And Peter said, well, thou art the Christ, the son of the living God. And we know that Christ says, blessed are you Simon of Arjona, because flesh and blood did not reveal that to you, but my father who is in heaven.

So the father in heaven revealed to Simon that Jesus was God in the flesh, that Jesus was the Messiah. And yet the disciples had a hard time grasping that, because he always talked about his death. They had a hard time with that. Well, how have you, if you're God in the flesh, how do you die? How is it you, if you're the Messiah, how can you give your life away? And so every time Christ talked about his death, the brutality surrounding it, the necessity of it, they would change the subject, or they would argue about who was the greatest in the kingdom.

They didn't want to face reality. And I'm convinced that the reason they didn't want to face reality was because they were totally self-absorbed. Totally self-absorbed. They didn't get anything out of his teaching, because they were always thinking about them. A lot like maybe some of you are today. You're here today, and you're hearing me preach, but you're not getting anything out of it, because you're totally self-absorbed. You're thinking about lunch. You're thinking about this afternoon. You're thinking about your life, tomorrow, your conflict, your problem.

Instead of thinking about your call, as Philip was called, follow me, and thinking about Philip's concern to share Christ with those closest to him, because that's the highest priority. Instead of thinking about the challenges that you face every single day, that God is saying, trust me, because I know what I'm intending to do. See? We become self-absorbed, thinking about our own lives, our own situation, our own problem, instead of realizing I am called by God to follow him. I am called by God to share him, and I am called by God so that I can learn to trust him through every trial that comes my way.

See? And so, these disciples are a lot like us. We become self-absorbed. We become so distracted during the sermon, so distracted during devotional times, so distracted during Bible reading. Why? Because we are self-absorbed. We're always thinking about me, my situation, my health, my concerns, my family, my marriage, my money, or lack thereof. Always thinking about those things, instead of looking to Christ and thinking about him. And these disciples were so self-absorbed that every time Christ talked about his death, burial, and resurrection, they went to nothing to do with it.

They had a hard time understanding the identity of the Messiah. So Christ says, let not your heart be troubled.

He wants to comfort them. You believe in God, believe also in me. In my Father's house are many dwelling places. If it were not so, I would have told you. And I go and prepare a place for you. And if I go and I prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you unto myself, that where I am there you may be also. It's amazing to me that those verses have never left my mind. They were the first verses I learned in Bible Memory Association when I was in seventh grade.

You believe that? They're always right there. They're always right there. And so I can quote those verses to you as if I was learning them for the first time this week in BMA.

That was 30... That was a long time ago. A long time ago. But see, God embeds those scriptures into your mind. And so Christ is comforting the souls of the apostles. He's getting ready to die. See, he knows tonight's the night. He knows that when the shepherd is smitten, the sheep will scatter. And so he knows they need to be comforted. He knows he needs to console them. So how does he do that? He identifies himself to show them that he's God. And so in verse number five, Thomas said to him, Lord, we do not know where you are going.

How do we know the way? We're confused. Where are you going? You're going to leave? And how are we supposed to know the way? Christ says what?

Verse six. On the way, the truth and life. I'm the way to God. I am the truth of God. I am the life of God. Verse seven. If you know he had known me, you would have known my father also. From now on you know him and have seen him. He says I'm not only the way to God. I'm not only the truth of God. I'm not only the life of God. I am God. That's who I am. Now we understand that, right? Philip's been with him for two years, 24 seven. Two years. Here's Philip's question. Lord, show us the father. It is enough for us.

What? What? And Christ says, have I been so long with you and yet you have not come to know me, Philip?

Yo, Philip, man, get a grip, buddy. Where you been all these days, all these months, all these last few years? Don't you know that if you've seen me, you've seen the father? Why? Because I am God in the flesh. That's who I am. But you know what Philip had? Philip had the same problem we have. We want a visible manifestation, not an audible message. Give me some kind of vision. Show me the father. So we can know that where you're going truly is where you're going and we know the father wants you to go there.

Give us some kind of vision. Show us the father. Now, can you imagine Christ? Here he is about to die. He's been with these guys 24 seven. It's like, oh, Philip, how long have you been this way? What is wrong with that? That's why Christ kept saying to his men, oh ye of little faith. Why you don't believe what I say? And I read that about the apostles and I kind of realized, look folks, we come to hear a sermon once a week, maybe at best. Once a week we hear a sermon and if God is lucky, we'll spend a couple of days in the word throughout the rest of the week.

And these men were with Christ 24 seven and they couldn't grasp it. How do we grasp it? That's why Christ says of us, oh you little faith.

Why don't you believe what I have said? That's what Christ says. He says, look, have I been so long with you and yet you have not come to know me, Philip? He who has seen me has seen the father. How do you say show us the father? Come on, Philip. And then he says, do you not believe that I am in the father and the father is in me? The words that I say to you, I do not speak on my own initiative, but the father abiding in me does his works. Believe me that I am in the father and the father in me otherwise believe on account of the works themselves.

Timothy, listen, I mean, Philip, listen, you got to believe my words. You got to believe what I said. I am the way. I am the truth. I am the life. I and the father are one. He's already made the profession that he is the great I am in John chapter eight, right? He's already made the great proclamation that he is the messiah. He's already given us the great perception that he's able to see into the heart of man and know what's there before man knows what's there. He's demonstrated through his words and through his work that he is the messiah and now he says, Philip, come on, give me a break.

Don't you get it? I and my father are one. He's in me and I am in him. Philip, you must believe what I say. I think about that and I think about us and I think how many times have we heard messages or how many times have we read the bible and yet we don't believe in what Jesus has said about himself and about our lives and about his plan for our lives. We need to believe what Jesus says that he is God in the flesh.

That's how he was going to comfort his men. Now he says later in John chapter 16 that he was going to send them the spirit, another helper, another of the same kind, the same kind as he is. The spirit is God. The spirit would indwell them and the spirit would lead them into all truth. See, we have the spirit in us. When the spirit came in Acts chapter 2, these men were changed men. They experienced the power that you and I are able to experience today because the same spirit that indwelt them indwells us.

The spirit is not schizophrenic. Same spirit. He indwells us. He empowers us and leads us into all truth that we might understand the God who is truth. That's Philip. Many lessons to learn from that man because we're a lot like him. If you're here today and you're born again, you've been called by God, right? It says follow me. Are you following Christ every step of the way? And Philip had a concern. I've got to tell others about Christ. Nathanael, come see we have found the one in whom Moses and the prophet spoke of.

Philip was challenged because Christ says, what are we going to do? He said that in order to test him so that Philip would understand that Christ had a plan for his life. And amidst all of his confusion there was clarification. Ultimately, there would be consolation in the life of Philip. He says, listen, the ultimate comfort comes when you understand my identity and who I am. When you understand me, you'll be at peace with me. And being at peace with me allows you to live a life of great tranquility.

So much so that history tells us that when Philip died he was hung upside down, pierced through his ankles and his thighs, that he might slowly bleed to death. He did. And the only request he had was that his body would not be wrapped in linens like his Lord because he was so unworthy. He would bleed to death. Why? Because you know what? He had the great consolation of the spirit of God. He had the great joy of knowing that Jesus is king. And you know what? He came to finally realize that Jesus knew what he was intending to do all along.

Let's pray. Father, thank you for this great day. In the great man Philip, the man with the Greek name. We don't even know his Jewish name. We know he's Jewish, but we don't even know his Jewish name. But he's called Philip. A man who learned his lessons. I pray, Lord, that we would follow in his footsteps. We too would learn the lessons of our Lord. Learn to obey you and follow you and serve you with all of our hearts. Knowing that through every test and trial that comes, you know what you're intending to do.

That when we need comfort and consolation, you explain to us I am the way, the truth, and the life. No man comes into the father but by me. I am in my father and my father is in me. You are God in the flesh. You can do anything. So we trust you to accomplish great things in our lives. In Jesus name. Amen.