Come, Follow Me - Jan 21st to Jan 27th

Monday – The Word was with God – John 1:1-14

In the beginning “was the gospel preached through the Son.”

Jesus preached the plan of salvation to us in the pre-mortal life.

Jesus created all things.

Jesus created the world, but the world didn’t recognize him.

Jesus came to his own people, and they didn’t recognize him.

 

Why did John begin his account with Christ’s pre-mortal life?

How did Jesus create all things? (with Heavenly Father’s guidance)

 

Tuesday – John the Baptist – John 1:15-19

John the Baptist came to earth to prepare the people for the coming Messiah

John testified that Jesus “cometh after me, is preferred before me; for he was before me.” (Because Jesus was the first spirit Son of God, he’s before John.)

John testified of the plan of salvation and that “as many as believe on his name (Jesus) shall receive of his fullness… even immortality and eternal life, through his grace.”

John taught that “the law was given through Moses, but life and truth came through Jesus Christ” meaning that the law of Moses taught of Jesus and that Jesus was in charge of the law of Moses.

John taught that any time anyone has ever seen God, God testified of Jesus.

 

When has God appeared to people? How did he testify of Jesus?

Why is Jesus so important to the plan of salvation?

 

Wednesday – Pharisees – John 1:20 - 28

The Jewish leaders don’t like that John is teaching things to the people so they send out some men to ask John questions.

They asked John is he was “Elias” or the Messiah and he said “no.”

They asked John is he was “Elias” who was prophesied to “restore all things” before the great and terrible day of the Lord. John said “no”, but that prophesy has been fulfilled in our day when Elijah appeared in the Kirtland temple and restored the sealing keys to the prophet Joseph Smith.

John said “I am the voice of one crying in the wilderness, Make straight the way of the Lord, as said the prophet Esaias.” 

 

* Why didn’t the Jewish leaders like that John 

 

Thursday – John 1:29-34

One day John sees Jesus and testifies, “Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world.”

John also testifies that it was made known to him by the Spirit that “upon whom thou shalt see the Spirit descending, and remaining on him, the same is he which baptizeth with the Holy Ghost.” 

 

* Why would the Spirit tell John how to recognize the Messiah?

 

Friday – John 1:35 – 42

Again John calls Jesus the “Lamb of God”

Some of the men who had been following John and listening to him teach saw Jesus as the man who John called the Lamb of God and followed him

Jesus asked the men, “What seek ye?” and they asked him “where dwellest thou?” And Jesus answered “come and see.”

These men spent the day with Jesus and knew that he was the Messiah that they were looking for.

One of the men’s names was Andrew and he went and told his brother Simon “we have found the Messias,” and they both went to Jesus.

Jesus tells Simon “Thou art Simon the son of Jona: thou shalt be called Cephas, which is by interpretation, a stone.”

 

Why did John’s followers start following Jesus?

What does Jesus mean that Simon will be “a stone”?

 

Saturday – John 1:43- 51

The next day Jesus saw a man named Philip and said, “Follow me.”

Philip was friends with a guy named Nathanael and he told him, “we have found him, of whom Moses I the law and prophets, did write, Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.” Philip tells his friend “come and see.”

When Jesus sees Nathanael, he says, “Behold an Israelite indeed, in whom is no guile!”

Nathanael is confused and asks, “whence knowest thou me?” Jesus answers, “Before that Philip called thee, when thou wast under the fig tree, I saw thee.” Jesus had seen Nathanael, in a vision, sitting under a fig tree before Philip found him.

Nathanael knew immediately that Jesus “art the Son of God; thou art the King of Israel.”

Jesus was surprised that Nathanael was convinced so quickly and promised him “thou shalt see greater things than these… 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.” 

           

Do you think you would have recognized Jesus if we had lived during this time?

What were these men looking for and how were they convinced that Jesus was it? (For years, faithful Israelites, including Andres, Peter, Philip, and Nathanael, had waited and prayed for the coming of the promised Messiah. When they met Him, how did they know that He was the One they had been seeking? The same way all of us come to know the Savior- by accepting the invitation to ‘come and see’ for ourselves. We read about Him in the scriptures. We hear His doctrine. We observe His way of living. We feel His Spirit. Along the way, we discover, as Nathanael did, that the Savior knows us and loves us and wants to prepare us to receive ‘greater things.’”