Amen. Turn with me in your Bibles to the Gospel of John. We are continuing in our series titled The Son of God.

We have been going verse by verse through the Gospel of John, and now we are pausing as in chapter five, where we had come to, Jesus begins to use the name, the Son of God of himself. And so, we are gonna pause and see exactly what that name means. As we’ve seen, John’s purpose is to prove to us that we may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God. And so, we need to understand what the Son of God truly means.

And today, we are looking at the knowledge of the Son. The knowledge of the Son. The Bible reveals God to be infinitely beyond human understanding. Isaiah chapter 55, verses eight and nine say this, for my thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are my ways your ways, declares Yahweh. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts higher than your thoughts.” And in response to the amazing, unfathomable counsel of God, the Apostle Paul in Romans 11 responds in verse 33 by saying, The depth of the riches and the wisdom and knowledge of God. How unsearchable are His judgments and unfathomable His ways. Job is a book full of the wisdom of God and the unknowable nature of God’s knowledge. Job chapter 5 verse 9 describes God as the one who does great and unsearchable things, wonders without number.

Job 11 verses 7 through 9 ask these questions. Can you find the depths of God? Can you find the limits of the Almighty? They are as high as the heavens. What can you do? Deeper than Sheol. What can you know? Its measure is longer than the earth and broader than the sea. In Job 37 verse five, God thunders with his voice marvelously, doing great things which we do not know.

And in the Psalms you see, several confessions of the wisdom and knowledge of God. Just one, Psalm 40 verse 5. Many, O Yahweh my God, are the wondrous deeds you have done and your thoughts towards us. There is none to compare with you. I would declare and speak of them, but they are too numerous to recount. It is this unfathomable, unsearchable, innumerable knowledge of God that makes God, God. That is who He is. That is what makes Him trustworthy. I can trust Him because He knows far more than I can even understand that He knows. It is why He is worthy of our worship. And it is when this knowledge is revealed to mankind that mankind is humbled and awestruck and convinced that God is God.

Again, Paul’s response to this characteristic of God in Romans 11, 33. Oh, the depth of the riches in wisdom and knowledge of God. How unsearchable his judgments and unfathomable his ways. As he just got done explaining for 11 chapters how to fathom God’s ways. He says, how unfathomable are God’s ways? When God’s knowledge is revealed, the response is glory. And this is exactly what we see happen in our text this morning. Only instead of this revelation of divine knowledge attributed to the sovereign almighty God of Scripture, this time it’s revealed in a mere man. Or is it?

Again, we are continuing our series on the Son of God, and today we come to the second occurrence of that name in John’s Gospel. We are still in chapter one. As we will see, each of the uses of this name continue to reveal something about Jesus and builds John’s case about who he is. Last week, we saw that Jesus was the expected son of God. John the Baptist saw all of the evidence before him, everything that was revealed to him by God. And he concluded that Jesus was the one that God’s people had been waiting for. He was the fulfillment of all that the Old Testament had promised. And again, this name appears a second time in the final paragraph of John chapter one.

The final passage of this chapter that concludes a series of four consecutive days. We studied this as we, verse by verse, came through this chapter one, but following the initial confrontation of the Jews sent by the Pharisees and John the Baptist, and the baptism of Jesus the following day, which was day two, then John, the author, records for us the calling of Jesus’ first disciples. You see in verses 35 to 42, the calling of Andrew and Peter and John himself. And again, we walked through all of those passages and covered them more in depth. And that’s true of our series or our passage here this morning. And again, this as the second sermon in our series is a review of a passage we’ve covered and our third sermon will be as well. And that is part of my challenge in this series is covering these passages again without repeating what we’ve already done.

So this time I’ll summarize a lot of what we already studied in this passage. If you want to dig a little deeper into what I’m talking about here, you can go back and find those sermons. And then, but today we’re going to focus on specifically the use of the name the Son of God and what it reveals to us. But when we covered this passage the first time, we followed the story and we focused in on the followers of Jesus here, those who were called to follow him. And in these consecutive days of this story, we saw two types of Christ followers. And we looked at that. We saw what we called the come and see followers. And then we saw the follow me followers, or you could say those who sought out Christ after being prodded to, after hearing about who he was and seeking him all the more. And then you see those who were found by Christ and brought along with him.

And that’s what we see in our passage today. Again, verses 35 to 42, we see Andrew, Peter, and John. They were with John the Baptist, and after they were encouraged by John the Baptist, they did follow Jesus. But here in verses 43 through 51, which will be our text this morning, we see two more men, Philip and Nathanael. Today, we’re not going to go too in-depth into this passage, but we will focus on the what the use of the name, the son of God by Nathanael reveals to us about him. So allow me to read our passage this morning.

John chapter one, verses 43 through 51. On the next day, he desired to go into Galilee and he found Philip and Jesus said to him, follow me. Now Philip was from Bethsaida, the city of Andrew and Peter. Philip found Nathanael and said to him, we have found him of whom Moses and the law and also the prophets wrote, Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph. And Nathanael said to him, can anything good come out of Nazareth? Philip said to him, come and see. Jesus saw Nathanael coming to him and said about him, behold, truly an Israelite in whom there is no deceit. Nathanael said to him, from where do you know me? Jesus answered and said to him, before Philip called you, when you were under the fig tree, I saw you. Nathanael answered him, Rabbi, you are the Son of God. You are the King of Israel. But Jesus answered and said to him, Because I said to you that I saw you under the fig tree, do you believe? You will see greater things than these. And he said to him, truly, truly, I say to you, you will see the heavens opened and the angels of God ascending and descending on the son of man. This is the word of the Lord.

As I mentioned, Verse 43 marks the start of the fourth day in this sequence here. It introduces the calling of the fourth disciple so far, a man by the name of Philip who was from Bethsaida, the same town as Andrew and Peter. We read that in verses 43 and 44. Jesus purposely seeks out this man, Philip. And then after he follows Jesus and commits to him, he then goes and finds Nathanael, a man from Cana of Galilee. Then Philip tells Nathanael that, we have found the one of whom Moses and the law and the prophets also wrote. Nathanael, you got to come meet this guy. You won’t believe who I found. The one the whole Old Testament was telling us about. The one we’ve been waiting for, for centuries. It’s Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph. Here we see something important about these two men. They were well studied. They knew their Bibles. Philip’s description of Jesus shows us that he was a well-informed student of Scripture. He had an understanding of who the Messiah was, as he is described in the Old Testament. His appeal to the Old Testament as a way to convince Nathanael shows us that Nathanael knew his Bible pretty well, too. He, too, had been anticipating this one that the Bible speaks of. Both men were well acquainted with the scriptures and they were rightly looking for the Messiah.

So this reflects the idea from last week where we saw that Jesus was expected. He was the expected Son of God. But then Philip describes Jesus as the one found in the Old Testament and says it’s Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph. And some may wonder, well, why would he call him the son of Joseph? This is not intended to deny the miraculous virgin birth, but it’s to identify who Jesus’ family is. This is how men were introduced. They’re of this family, of the family of Joseph. Jesus was the legal son of Joseph, and that’s how he would have been described. Also, these new disciples, they probably weren’t aware of the virgin birth yet. Philip just met Jesus, and now he’s going to convince his friend to come meet him too.

Philip presents Jesus to Nathanael. He evangelizes him, if you will, presents to him who Jesus is, the Messiah, the one that we were told about, come and meet him. Nathanael meets him with skepticism. Nathanael said in verse 46, can anything good come out of Nazareth? Are you kidding me? The Messiah is from little old Nazareth? The son of Joseph? Philip, you can’t be serious. Philip just says, come and see. Come and see for yourself. Come and prove me wrong. So after being encouraged by Philip, Nathanael does come to see the one who he claims is the Messiah. And this is where Jesus reveals a glimpse of who he is in his supernatural knowledge. This knowledge of this man that he is meeting for the very first time.

He says in verse 47, as Nathanael approaches him, behold, an Israel in whom there is no deceit. Jesus describes the kind of person that he is. He describes his character. He describes something about Nathanael that only people who knew him well would know. Understandably, this comment surprises Nathanael. He has no prior knowledge of this man. He didn’t even know who he was. And so he responds in verse 48, from where do you know me? Have we met before? How do you know whether or not there’s no guile or no deceit in me? And Jesus responds, before Philip called you, when you were under the fig tree, I saw you.

So just in case Nathaniel missed it and didn’t understand exactly what Jesus was referring to here, what he was revealing to him, not only does he say the type of man that he is, the character of man that he is, that he probably could have heard from someone else, but he gets specific. And he says, no, no, before Philip called you, I knew exactly where you were. I knew the tree that you were standing under, Nathanael. I saw you. I know you. It would be impossible to explain how Jesus could know Nathanael in this way before ever having met him. And the obvious implication here is that Jesus had knowledge that surpassed human knowledge. Jesus knowing Nathaniel when he was under the fig tree reveals to us the omniscience of God in Jesus Christ. Omniscience means all-knowing, or that he knows everything. And this idea is somewhat debated or sometimes misunderstood. Did Jesus really have omniscience in his incarnation? And this is not an easy answer. This is not a question that’s got a simple answer to it. As we saw Throughout the book of John and the other gospels, we see a lot of descriptions of Christ.

So we need to look at what does scripture say about Jesus in this regard. What we saw in John, in John chapter 2, at the cleansing of the temple, Jesus did not entrust himself to men because he knew all men. He knew what was in man. Again, in this passage where he reveals who Nathanael was before he ever met him, but later in John, in chapter 16, verse 30, the apostles confirm that Jesus knows all things. John 16, verse 30, now we know that you know all things and have no need for anyone to question you. By this, we believe that you came from God. John chapter 16 when he revealed it in John chapter one. But now we know, we finally know that you know all things and you have no need for anyone to question you. And the last phrase of that verse is important. By this we know that you have come from God. Or as Nathaniel will confess here in a moment, you must be the son of God then. Because of the knowledge that you have, you must have come from God.

Also in John 21 where Jesus is challenging Peter by continually asking him, do you love me? John 21 verse 17, he said to him a third time, Simon, son of John, do you love me? Peter was grieved because he said to him the third time, do you love me? And he said to him, Lord, you know all things. You know that I love you. And Jesus said to him, tend my sheep. Peter says to him, Lord, you know. You know whether or not I love you. You know all things. In Revelation chapters two and three, we see that Jesus knows exactly what’s going on in each of the churches he writes letters to. He knows. Colossians chapter two says, Christ himself, in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. In Christ are hidden all the treasures of knowledge.

I read earlier in the service that from 1 Corinthians, Christ is the very wisdom of God. Through revelation by the Holy Spirit, revealing to us what’s in his word, we too can have the mind of Christ, as 1 Corinthians goes on to say. That is what scripture reveals to us about the unlimited knowledge of Jesus. But the problem comes in, in that, that’s not all scripture has to say about it. Because some will challenge this idea that Jesus was omniscient by saying, well, if he was omniscient, then how could he not know the day or the hour of his own return? As we read in Matthew 24, 36 and Mark 13, 32. Where it says, but of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but the Father alone. So which is it? How can it be true that Jesus both knows all things, but he does not know the day or the hour?

This is where we must remember that during the incarnation, Jesus took on a genuine and fully human nature. As a man, he lived in complete submission to the will of the Father, but he has two natures. He is the only one who has ever had two natures. This is part of what it meant to take on the form of a servant, as we see in Philippians Apparently, it was the will of the father that during the incarnation, according to his humanity, that the son did not know the exact time of his return. There were times in which Jesus acted in accordance with his deity, and that’s when you see his omniscience revealed. And we know that this is a true revelation of God knowledge in Christ, omniscience, because of the response of Nathanael back in John chapter 1.

Nathanael appropriately responds in amazement. Amazement at the amount of knowledge that Jesus, the Son of God, has. And in verse 49 he says, Rabbi, you are the Son of God. In response to him knowing the character of this man and knowing that he was under the tree, Nathanael says, you must be the Son of God. Who else would know that? Rabbi, you are the Son of God. You are the King of Israel. Again, this response shows us that Nathanael was a student of Scripture. because his confession comes from Christ’s revelation, and it shows that, as is always the case, faith is created by the Spirit in response to the word of Christ. Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ. Nathaniel’s impression of who Jesus was has changed a lot, hasn’t it? Verse 46, he says, Can anything good come out of Nazareth? And moments later, Rabbi, you are the Son of God, the King of Israel.

You see, for Nathanael, only the Son of God could possess this supernatural knowledge. Jesus had knowledge that only God has, and it proved who he was. And not only does he use the term Son of God, he says, you’re the King of Israel. He uses these two titles, these two names in parallel and signifies their equality and importance. The Messiah had to be the King of Israel, the Son of God. You see later in his triumphal entry in John chapter 12, the crowd crying out because they see that he is the Messiah. They say, Hosanna, blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord, even the King of Israel.

You see, those who knew their Bible knew this. In the account of his crucifixion, Jesus is given the title, the King of the Jews. And the connection of these two names, the Son of God and the King of Israel, again, show that Nathanael knew his Bible. Because in Psalm chapter 2, as we saw last week, God reveals the coming King of Israel who would reign forever and who is also his son. Psalm chapter 2 verses 6 and 7, but as for me, I have installed my king upon Zion, my holy mountain. I will surely tell of the decree of Yahweh that he said to me, you are my son. Today I have begotten you. So any Israelite that knew his Bible would make this connection, that the son of God is the king of Israel.

And so after this confession by Nathanael, Jesus closes this encounter by not only commending his faith, but revealing more about himself. He tells him that he will see greater things than these. Nathanael, this is nothing. What you have seen in Jesus Christ and his supernatural knowledge of you, you’ll see greater things than these. Again, appealing to Nathanael’s knowledge of the Bible. He says, you will see the heavens opened and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man. This is an image from Genesis. Jacob’s dream where he had a dream where he saw angels ascending and descending from heaven on a ladder. And Jesus identifies himself as that ladder, that connection between heaven and earth, that connection between God and man. He himself is our access to God.

So in this second instance of the use of the name, the Son of God, we see the supernatural knowledge of Christ revealed. We see it revealed in his knowledge of Nathanael’s character before they ever met, and his knowledge of even where Nathanael was. Nathanael rightly recognized who he was. He recognized he is the son of God. He is the one the Old Testament told us about, the one who would be coming, and this Israelite in whom there is no deceit. spoke truthfully. So what is this passage of scripture, this revelation of Jesus, how does it inform how we are to function as Christians? As you remember in this series, we’re specifically focusing on three areas of application, our worship, our evangelism, and our discipleship.

Well, this passage informs the worship of the church because worshiping Christ requires understanding who he is. We worship through our singing and preaching and reading scripture and partaking in the ordinances he gave us. And like Nathanael, we ought to worship Jesus in response to who he is. When we see him revealed in scripture, when we see the supernatural knowledge of God revealed in Christ, it ought to provoke a response of worship. We too ought to say, you are the son of God. You are the king of Israel. Because when our worship is biblically accurate, It leads us to a deeper knowledge of who He is. This should stir a worshipful response in us. And when God’s knowledge is revealed, it always provokes awe and wonder. It is this unfathomable, unsearchable, immeasurable knowledge of God that proves to us who He is. I don’t want a God who’s limited in knowledge. Thankfully, that’s not the God revealed to us in Scripture. His knowledge is what makes Him who He is. It’s why He’s trustworthy. It’s why He’s worthy of worship.

As we saw in this text today, when this knowledge is revealed in Jesus, we should be just as awestruck as anyone ever has been. of the knowledge of God. He is our connection between God and man. And whenever we worship him, as he said, we see the heavens opened. Whenever we partake of the means of grace that he gave us, in the word, in baptism, in the Lord’s supper, in singing his praises, in our prayers, and even in our obedient living, is through those things that we have access to God through Christ.

We also see the evangelistic mission of the church shaped by this text. We see a lot of evangelism in John chapter one. Andrew, Peter, John, Philip, Nathanael, all men who were given the gospel, given the good news of who Jesus is and they responded correctly. We see there are several ways God works to gather his sheep. He called Philip, who invited Nathaniel. We see the divine and human aspects in evangelism. Yes, God called them and drew them to himself, but he used humans to do it. That’s what evangelism is. It’s not up to us to win hearts or convince or convict. We present the gospel. We give the good news. We tell them who Jesus is. And we trust God to draw them to himself. God is sovereign and he works through faithful means. He works through our obedience. And we ought to echo Philip and invite believers to come and see who Jesus is.

And lastly, this passage teaches us about our life of following Jesus. Because Jesus’ call of follow me is personal and it’s sovereign and it’s for all of us. We are all to follow Jesus. And just like Nathaniel, we recognize who Jesus truly is as he reveals himself to us. and he still invites us into fellowship with him. And since Christ knows and sees everything, as disciples, as we progress in our following Christ, true obedience requires honesty before him and living with no deceit. What are we trying to hide from him? You can’t hide anything from Him. He knows everything. He saw Him under the tree. He sees you everywhere. He knows everything, so what are you trying to hide from Him?

We must confess Jesus as the Son of God and live openly in His sight, obeying Him in all things. And this passage also shows us how our faith is strengthened. It’s through a knowledge of him. Because Nathanael’s confession was not driven by emotion. It wasn’t him responding emotionally. It was by reason. By rationally thinking about what was before him. By seeing the divine revelation and responding correctly to it. We are called to follow Jesus with our heart, soul, mind, and strength. Christianity is not an unthinking religion. We are called to be renewed in our minds.

And faith is not irrational. It’s not. Sometimes faith is thought of as the absence of ration and reason. It’s not. Faith is the only logical conclusion to the Word of God. the only logical conclusion to who Jesus is. And our confidence is not based on our feelings, but on the objective revelation of God. And trusting in his word results in a firm trust in who he is, the son of God. Faith starts with a response to His revelation and it grows through our ongoing encounters and revelations of who Christ is through His word, through passages like this.

So if you do not yet know Christ, come and you will see. You need to come to Him today. Like the men in this text, Jesus came He really came and He was born of a woman. He died a sacrificial death, but He did not stay dead. He rose again the third day and He conquered sin and death for us. And He is now seated at the right hand of the Father waiting for that day when He will return. So come to Him and you will see greater things than these.

Let’s stand and close in a word of prayer. God, we thank you for your word. We thank you for how your word reveals to us who you are, how you’ve revealed yourself in Jesus Christ. And as we see the unfathomable knowledge of God in the person of Jesus Christ. Lord, allow us to respond correctly in worship of the immeasurable, unfathomable God of the universe. Lord, we pray this in Christ’s precious name. Amen.