John 1:35–51 — The First Followers
In this sermon, Andy explored the closing section of John chapter 1, where the first disciples began to follow Jesus—Andrew, Peter, Philip and Nathanael. He framed the passage around a simple but searching question: what does it really mean to follow Jesus?
Before entering the text, Andy invited the congregation to consider what people follow today—sports teams, influencers, celebrities, news cycles, the weather forecast. Following is a familiar idea in modern culture. But following Jesus, he explained, is profoundly different.
Drawing from the passage, Andy highlighted six key dimensions of true discipleship:
Jesus asks probing questions.
Following Him involves cost.
We move from knowing about Jesus to knowing Him.
Jesus speaks identity and future into our lives.
The Gospel must connect meaningfully with culture.
Following Jesus positions us to see greater things.
Throughout, he contrasted superficial, comfortable Christianity with Jesus’s radical call to wholehearted commitment, concluding with the vivid analogy of Olympic skeleton racing.
Key Themes from the Sermon
1. Jesus Asks Probing Questions
Andy began with the striking fact that the first recorded words of Jesus in John’s Gospel were a question:
“What do you want?”
Or more precisely, “What are you seeking?”
Two disciples of John the Baptist began to follow Jesus after hearing John declare, “Look, the Lamb of God!” Rather than ignoring them, Jesus turned and asked this searching question.
Andy observed that this already set following Jesus apart from following anything else. Sports teams do not question our motives. Influencers do not probe our hearts. But Jesus does.
He suggested that if we claim to follow Jesus yet never sense Him questioning our motives, priorities or desires, that in itself is revealing.
Jesus already knew their answer—He is God—but He asked for their sake. Andy imagined them hovering cautiously, like pupils sitting at the back of a classroom hoping not to be noticed. Yet Jesus turned and brought their motives into the open.
Andy applied this directly:
Why are we following Jesus? Habit? Family background? A nice church community? The hope He will improve our circumstances?
Jesus was not passive about being followed. He sought clarity in the human heart.
2. Following Jesus Involves Cost
Andy reminded the congregation that one of these first followers, Andrew, was later crucified. Peter was crucified upside down, not considering himself worthy to die in the same manner as Christ.
Following Jesus has always carried a cost.
He illustrated this powerfully through the story of Richard Wurmbrand, the Romanian pastor who publicly refused to align the church with the communist regime after World War II. When urged by his wife Sabina to stand and speak for Christ—despite knowing it would cost him his freedom—he did so. He then endured fourteen years in prison, including years of solitary confinement and torture.
Andy also referenced the five American missionaries killed in Ecuador in the 1950s, reminding the church of the famous words:
“He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain that which he cannot lose.”
He contrasted such costly discipleship with the relatively minor grievances that can dominate Western church culture. While we may not face imprisonment, there remains a call to live set apart, to belong to Christ regardless of personal cost.
The underlying question remained:
Are we following Jesus for comfort—or because we belong to Him wherever He leads?
3. From Knowing About Jesus to Knowing Jesus
Andy then turned to Andrew’s transformation.
At the start of the day, Andrew addressed Jesus as “Rabbi”—Teacher. After spending the day with Him, he told Simon:
“We have found the Messiah.”
That shift—from teacher to Messiah—marked a profound transition from information to revelation.
Andy emphasised that this is the journey of faith. Courses like Alpha matter not because they transfer information, but because they create space to encounter Christ. Spending time with Jesus changes our understanding of who He is.
He asked the congregation:
Where are you on that journey? Knowing about Him—or knowing Him?
4. Jesus Speaks Identity and Future
When Simon met Jesus, Jesus immediately renamed him:
“You are Simon… you will be called Cephas” (Peter — the Rock).
Andy explained that names in that culture carried prophetic meaning. Jesus was not commenting on Peter’s current stability—he was speaking into his future.
At that moment Peter was an ordinary fisherman from Galilee. He had no idea he would preach at Pentecost, lead the early church, and be remembered two millennia later.
Jesus saw beyond his impulsiveness, his weaknesses and even his future failures.
Andy emphasised that when Jesus looks at us, He sees more than our past, personality, history or limitations. He sees calling. He sees who we will become.
Peter would have much to go through before becoming “the Rock.” But Jesus already saw it.
5. The Gospel Connects with Culture
Andy observed how Jesus found Philip, and Philip found Nathanael.
Philip explained Jesus in language Nathanael would understand:
“We have found the one Moses wrote about.”
In their Jewish culture, the Scriptures were the natural connection point.
Andy pointed out that in today’s context, quoting Moses may not resonate. Instead, we might speak of Jesus as:
The one who makes sense of life’s chaos
The one who brings moral clarity
The one who understands suffering
The one who anchors us in a shifting world
When we find Jesus, we do not keep Him private. Disciples become inviters. Philip’s simple response to Nathanael’s scepticism—“Come and see”—became Andy’s model for evangelism. Not argument, but invitation.
6. Jesus Knows Us — and Promises Greater Things
Nathanael initially responded with scepticism:
“Can anything good come out of Nazareth?”
Jesus met him honestly and personally, revealing that He had seen Nathanael under the fig tree before Philip called him.
In that moment Nathanael realised: this man knows me.
Andy stressed the depth of this truth. Jesus knows our thoughts, failures, hidden struggles, language and history. And still He says, “Follow me.”
Then came the promise:
“You will see greater things than these.”
Following Jesus is not static. There is always more—more transformation, more fruit, more evidence of God at work.
Andy invited the congregation to consider what “greater things” they longed to see: lives changed, people restored, deeper holiness, community transformation, the fruit of the Spirit flourishing.
7. The Call to Full Commitment — The Skeleton Analogy
Andy concluded with the image of Olympic skeleton racing.
In skeleton, an athlete runs, dives face-down onto a sled, and hurtles down an icy track at around 80 miles per hour. The defining moment is at the top. Once they push off, there is no stopping mid-run.
Andy used this as a picture of discipleship.
There comes a moment when Jesus calls us to push off—to commit fully. Not to hover at the start line. Not to analyse every corner in advance. But to say, “I’m in.”
It requires courage. It feels risky. But it is in that commitment that we begin to see greater things.
Andy ended with a simple invitation:
Perhaps today is the moment to say,
“Jesus, I’m in. I don’t understand every turn ahead. But I am following You.”
This is about Him.
Amen.
Thanks Andy, powerful message!