You Need to Encounter Jesus

Have you ever had one of those moments that changed your life forever? I’m not talking about small changes like switching toothpaste brands. I’m talking about big moments that change the trajectory of your life—like when you met the person you were going to marry, or when you held your first child, or when you heard that one piece of advice that changed you. Life can pivot on encounters like that, can’t it?

I’ve had several of those moments. One of those moments happened when I heard a lecture and read an excerpt of it in a book that completely changed the way I saw the world. The words spoke to me in a way nothing else had before. It was by Francis Schaeffer and is called No Little People, No Little Places. It wasn’t just information for me—it completely changed the trajectory of my life. I learned that there are no little people and no little places in the eyes of God. And so I would go wherever He wanted me to, even if it didn’t make sense in the grand scheme of getting ahead in life. I wouldn’t be here today if it wasn’t for the transformation that one encounter brought me.

What should we do with those kinds of encounters? We share them. When something impacts you deeply, you can’t help but tell someone else about it.

Today, we’re looking at a man named Andrew who had one of those moments. He didn’t just hear about Jesus—he encountered Him, and it changed everything for him. But here’s the key: Andrew didn’t keep Jesus to himself. He immediately went and told someone else. And as we look at his encounter, we’re going to see that encountering Jesus isn’t just about getting information. It’s about life change. It’s about receiving a new identity, a new purpose, and bringing others along to experience that same life-changing encounter.

John 1:35-42

You need to hear the truth about Jesus to encounter Him. (35-37)

Let’s start by looking at how Andrew first hears about Jesus. The scene opens with John the Baptist standing with two of his disciples. This is the day John had been waiting for. He had spent years preparing people for this moment—out in the wilderness, preaching repentance and baptizing. He was the forerunner, the one crying out in the desert, “Prepare the way of the Lord.” Then, suddenly, he sees Jesus walking by, and he seizes the opportunity. John points to Jesus and says, “Behold, the Lamb of God!” (36).

Now, the phrase “Lamb of God” might not hit us with the same intensity it would have for the people hearing it back then. In our world, we don’t often talk about lambs in our daily lives, much less in religious terms. But to a first-century Jew, this phrase was loaded with meaning. It carried with it the entire weight of the Jewish sacrificial system.

For centuries, lambs were sacrificed in the temple to atone for sin. Every year, during Passover, Jewish families would sacrifice a lamb to commemorate how God delivered their ancestors from slavery in Egypt. You remember that story: the final plague was the death of the firstborn, but God told His people to sacrifice a lamb and put its blood on the doorposts of their homes. When God saw the blood, He passed over their homes, sparing their families. From that day on, the lamb became a powerful symbol of God’s provision, protection, and deliverance.

But here’s the thing: those lambs were never enough. They had to be sacrificed year after year after year after year because the people’s sins were never fully dealt with. The lambs could cover their sins temporarily, but they couldn’t take them away for good. The sacrificial system was like a band-aid on a wound that needed deep healing. It wasn’t the solution—it was a sign pointing to something, or someone, greater. And that was Jesus.

The Lamb of God didn’t just come to cover sin. He came to take it away forever.

So, when John the Baptist declares, “Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!” (29), it’s not just a passing comment. He’s saying something monumental. This isn’t just another lamb in a long line of sacrifices. This is the Lamb, the ultimate sacrifice. Jesus isn’t going to temporarily cover over sins; He’s going to take them away forever. He is the fulfillment of all those centuries of sacrifices. This is who Jesus truly was. What John did was made known who Jesus truly was.

Think about this in terms of a relationship. Think about when you first got to know your spouse. Maybe you’d heard about them from friends or had seen them around, but there was that moment when you sat down and truly got to know them—what made them tick, what they were passionate about, who they really were. And that’s when you realized, “I want to spend the rest of my life with this person.”

That’s exactly what happened with Andrew. He followed Jesus once he truly understood who Jesus was—the Lamb of God, the one who would take away the sin of the world. That included his own.

Before you can encounter Jesus, you have to hear the truth about who He really is. Someone, like John the Baptist, has to point us to Jesus and say, “Look, that’s Him. He’s the one you’ve been searching for.” Romans 10:14 says, “How will they believe in Him of whom they have never heard?” People can’t encounter Jesus if they don’t first hear about Him. Who He truly is.

That’s why you have to be careful to believe what is right. What differentiates cults and different religions from Christianity is what they believe about Jesus. Many will say of cults like Mormonism that they are Christians and follow Jesus. Mormonism and any other belief that has a low Christology doesn’t follow the same Jesus that John the Baptist pointed Andrew to. Jesus is God in the flesh who is the Lamb of God that takes away the sins of the world.

The same John who wrote this book also wrote Revelation (by the way, many people think the unnamed “other disciple” is the Apostle John who is writing this). When Jesus comes into John’s sight in Revelation, you know how He is introduced? “I saw a Lamb standing, as though it had been slain…” (Rev 5:6). This is who Jesus is. The Lamb of God to take away your sin once and for all. And He calls you to follow Him.

You need to respond to Jesus’ personal invitation. (37-39)

Once Andrew and the other disciple hear John the Baptist’s powerful declaration, “Behold, the Lamb of God!” they take action. They don’t just hear the truth and walk away—they respond. Verse 37 says, “The two disciples heard him say this, and they followed Jesus.” They leave John the Baptist, the one they’ve been following, and begin to follow Jesus.

Notice John the Baptist’s role here. He doesn’t try to hold on to his disciples. He doesn’t say, “Wait, don’t leave me just yet!” John’s mission was always to point people toward Jesus, not to himself. That why he says in John 3:30, “He must increase, but I must decrease.” John understood his role as a witness. His humility and willingness to let go of his disciples for the sake of Christ is a key part of his ministry. True gospel ministry is about pointing people to Jesus, not drawing them to ourselves.

That’s my desire for this church. I believe it’s God’s desire, too. Our mission isn’t to see how many people we can fit in a building. It’s how many people we can send outside the building. You’re going to receive a “Kingdom Vision” at the November God at Work meeting, and as you walk through it, I pray that’s what you see. We should be a church, a people, that equips and sends out to make an impact for the kingdom of God.

We’ve been talking a lot about John the Baptist, but it is Andrew who has the encounter with Jesus we are looking at today. As Andrew and the other disciple respond and follow Jesus, Jesus turns to them and asks, “What are you seeking?” (38). This question goes beyond curiosity—it’s a question that digs deep into their hearts. Jesus is essentially asking, “What do you truly want out of life?”

That’s a question each one of us must ask, and it decides the trajectory of our life. It’s the same question Jesus asks of us today. Are you looking for peace? Purpose? Security? Happiness? Jesus cuts through the surface-level motivations and goes straight to the heart. Jesus doesn’t want shallow followers—He’s looking for those who are genuinely seeking to follow the Truth.

Andrew and the other disciple respond, “Rabbi, where are you staying?” (38). At first glance, this may seem like a logistical question. When I was growing up, there was a popular show on MTV called Cribs. It would take you to a famous person’s house, and they would walk you through their “crib.” Do you think this is what they were asking? Jesus is like, “Yo, welcome to my crib! Come check out this chair with imported wood from Bethlehem. This right here is my sandal collection. Those are vintage Air Moseses. This is my pool…then He just walks right across the water.” 

No, asking “where are you staying” is far more than that. They aren’t just asking where Jesus is physically located—they are expressing a desire to know Him, to spend time with Him, and to learn from Him. This is the language of discipleship: they want to be with Him, to dwell in His presence, and learn from Him. 

Jesus responds with, “Come and see” (39). His invitation isn’t just to visit a place, but it’s to experience a person. “Come and see” is Jesus’ way of inviting them into relationship. It’s not about checking out where Jesus lives. It’s even more than just discovering who Jesus is. It’s about following Jesus. To truly encounter Jesus, they would have to respond to this request. They would have to follow Him and experience for themselves who He is.

Think of it like this: It’s like hearing about a free ice cream stand. I went on a date with my wife the other day and we went to Handel’s Ice Cream in Hendersonville. I got a delicious pumpkin pie ice cream (don’t judge me). Imagine if it was free! That would have been nice. You hear it’s amazing, and people are talking about it, and you can’t beat the price of free. But unless you go and taste it for yourself, you’re just hearing about it from a distance. You’re not experiencing it. You can’t have a true encounter from afar. Jesus invites us to “come and see”—to experience Him personally, to taste and see that the Lord is good (Psalm 34:8). Jesus doesn’t want you to follow Him just because someone told you to; He wants you to experience Him firsthand.

Jesus doesn’t just want us to know about Him—He wants us to know Him. There’s a big difference. But, like Andrew, we have to respond to the invitation. Andrew could have admired Jesus from afar, but instead, he took that first step and followed. Jesus doesn’t just ask, “What are you seeking?” He invites you to find the answer in Him. The question is, Will you respond to His invitation? Jesus is still saying, “Come and see,” to you and me, but the invitation only means something if we act on it. And once you do, you must share the good news you have experienced for yourself.

You need to share your encounter with others. (40-41)

So far, we’ve seen Andrew hear the truth about Jesus and respond to His personal invitation. But the story doesn’t end there—because when you truly encounter Jesus, you can’t keep Him to yourself. You’re compelled to share Him. That’s exactly what Andrew did.

In verse 40, we learn that Andrew was Simon Peter’s brother. And what’s the first thing Andrew does after spending time with Jesus? Verse 41 says, “The first thing Andrew did was to find his brother Simon and tell him, ‘We have found the Messiah’ (which means Christ).”

Andrew doesn’t wait. He doesn’t hesitate. He doesn’t overthink it or spend hours crafting the perfect gospel presentation. No, the first thing he does is find his brother and say, “We’ve found the Messiah!” Andrew’s response shows us something important: when you encounter Jesus, sharing Him is the most natural thing in the world. You can’t keep Him to yourself. We naturally share good news.

Let’s unpack the significance of Andrew’s words here. “Messiah” is a loaded term. For centuries, the Jewish people had been waiting for the Messiah—the Anointed One. He was the promised deliverer, the one who would restore Israel and bring salvation to God’s people. The entire hope of Israel was wrapped up in the coming of the Messiah. So, when Andrew says, “We’ve found the Messiah,” he’s not making a small declaration. He’s announcing that the long-awaited Savior has come. The fulfillment of centuries of prophecy and hopeful waiting. 

Andrew is a perfect example of quiet but effective evangelism. He didn’t preach to thousands or lead large movements. Instead, he found his brother and simply shared what he had found. And yet, his simple act of sharing led to something huge. Andrew brought Simon Peter to Jesus, and Simon would go on to become one of the most influential leaders in the early church.

Think about that for a second: Andrew’s willingness to share Jesus with just one person—his brother—had a ripple effect that changed the world. You never know how God is going to use your simple act of sharing. Andrew didn’t know that Simon would become Peter, the “rock” on which Jesus would build His church (Matthew 16:18). He just knew he had found the Messiah, and he had to tell someone.

Sharing Jesus doesn’t have to be complicated. We often overthink it, don’t we? We think we need to have all the right answers or be experts in theology before we can share our faith. But Andrew shows us that sharing Jesus is simple. He went to the person closest to him—his brother—and said, “We’ve found the Messiah.” That’s the essence of evangelism: sharing what you’ve found in Jesus.

It’s like discovering the cure for a deadly disease. Imagine you found the cure for cancer. You wouldn’t keep it to yourself, right? You’d tell everyone you could, as quickly as you could. That’s what happens when we encounter Jesus. We’ve found the cure for our deepest problem—the problem of sin. Remember, Jesus is the Lamb of God that takes away the sins of the world. (36) And when we realize that, we can’t help but share Him with others. He is the Lamb of God and He really takes away your sins.

Andrew didn’t know everything about Jesus yet, but he knew enough to share Him because He had experienced Jesus for himself. He didn’t wait until he had all the details figured out. He just knew that he had encountered the Messiah, and that was enough.

Who is your Simon Peter? Who is the person in your life who needs to hear about Jesus? Don’t wait for the perfect moment or the perfect words. Share what you know. Share what Jesus has done in your life. You don’t have to be a theologian to tell someone about Jesus—you just have to be willing to say, “I have found the Messiah.”