Come and See
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· 2 viewsCome and see that you can confidently follow the Lord Jesus
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Come and See
John 1:35-51
BI: Come and see that you can confidently follow the Lord Jesus
1. Introduction:
Well in the world of marketing Word of mouth advertising is the most effective tool to get your product out. To grow your business. you know what it means. it’s when ordinary people like you and I tell other ordinary people about a business and its products. Did you know that almost 50% of businesses in the United States only use word of mouth advertising. it’s not about websites – I love a nice website, no leaflets or uniforms, no its one person telling another person about their product. Bit like those who own Thermomixes, they are taking over the world. We got ours as a wedding gift very thankful for it, but I remember my sister would be raving on about it back in the day. it’s so easy to make soup Brian! If you have babies, you can make all their baby food MSG free. Think about their health. It’s cooking for dummies. Even you can do it Brian. I was convinced. To be honest, I still can’t really cook.
Word of mouth is effective. It’s not surprising is it? People are more inclined to take advice from those they know and trust. People are less inclined to trust authorities. Especially today. It’s the most trusted media.
Is that your experience? You inclined to listen to friends and family?
As we come to todays passage, theres a lot of word of mouthing – unlike any business or product, this is of eternal importance.
2. Jesus calls his first disciples (1:35-42)
We’re in the first week of Jesus’ ministry. jesus calls his first disciples. Come to verse 35
The next day again John was standing with two of his disciples, and he looked at Jesus as he walked by and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God!” The two disciples heard him say this, and they followed Jesus.
We saw last week how John the Baptist was so humble, wasn’t he? He showed us how to respond to Jesus. He said, Jesus is the lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world. This is the promised Saviour. Forget me, follow him.
I love John the baptist. There’s no ego in him. He’s knows he is the main guy. He’s not jealous. There’s no envy. He knows his role. He prepares the way for Jesus, the Lord and Saviour and he gets out of the way.
So, if it is true of John the Baptist, how much more true is it of us? Your pastors, and elders are here to point you to Christ. Every time you hear a Bible talk, I hope you go away thinking praise the Lord Jesus, how great is God that he loves me. Not wow he’s a great preacher.
Friends, notice what happens next, bring your eyes to the passage, Jesus stops his two new disciples with a question. he is very abrupt. He keeps them on their toes. verse 38
John 1:38 (ESV)
Jesus turned and saw them following and said to them, “What are you seeking?”
It’s a great question isn’t it? What do you want? People come to Jesus with all sorts of agendas. They want healing, happiness, security, prosperity, how to get to heaven. They want something from him but not him.
So what do you want? Do you want to know me? or do you want something from me? It’s a great question. Notice what they say. verse 38 second half,
John 1:38 (ESV)
“Rabbi” (which means Teacher), “where are you staying?”
Here's the thing to understand about their response. John the Baptist has been saying the Messiah is coming. He has prepared his disciples for Jesus. So when they ask, where are you staying? They are not thinking about his swanky Airbnb accommodation. They are saying – we have so many questions to ask. Can we have time with you? Can we stay with you? They are seeking answers. verse 39 look at Jesus response.
He said to them, “Come and you will see.” So they came and saw where he was staying, and they stayed with him that day, for it was about the tenth hour.
This is 4pm in the afternoon. It’s getting late. So they stayed with Jesus, probably overnight.
Jesus says come and see. Come and perceive. Come and see that I am the light, I give life. Don’t come for just a 30 second sound bite. Come with patience, come and ask questions. so many people just assume Christianity is just like any other religion. do good, don’t do bad. It’s just simply not true. It’s coming to know Jesus, the messiah saviour of the world.
Now friends I want us Step back for a moment. notice this passage is different to the other gospels Of the same account. Here We actually get the back story. The other Gospels are short. They don’t go into much detail. we are in home group studying this passage in Mark, Jesus says. Come follow me. Immediately they follow him. That’s it, You’re thinking, wow that’s fast. They just drop everything and follow him. But here we get a backstory. It’s beautiful. They find out who he is and they cant help but follow him.
First you see Andrew and another disciple come to Jesus. That’s probably John who wrote the Gospel. Then Simon – called Peter the Rock. Rocky. Great name. Then there’s Philip and then Nathanael his mate. Each time they recognise another aspect about Jesus. Johns reveals it to us to show us Jesus glory.
So let’s get back in to the story. We come to Andrew. This is Jesus’ first disciple.
One of the two who heard John speak and followed Jesus was Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother. He first found his own brother Simon and said to him, “We have found the Messiah” (which means Christ).
I love Andrew. Andrew gets a lot done. he seems like the quiet disciple. He is only mentioned 3 times in this Gospel. But every time he is bringing people to Jesus. In John 6 – he brings a boy with loaves and fishes to Jesus, in John 12 he brings a bunch of Greeks to meet Jesus. But first here, he brings his brother. it’s family first. He says we have found the Messiah. Notice John gives the Jewish and Greek word. He wants the whole world – Jew and Gentile to know Jesus is the Messiah. He is the Christ.
Why is this so important? What does Messiah mean? It means anointed one. In the Old Testament people are anointed for a particular purpose. To be set apart and rule on behalf of God. For example, priests were anointed to speak on God’s behalf. Out of this word anointed one comes Messiah. He will not just be any anointed one. God will send the anointed one. He will come as God’s King to save his people. The Jews are have been waiting for the Messiah. There’s expectation. There’s hope.
Andrew meets Jesus and comes away convinced. I’ve found the Messiah – God’s promised anointed one! The king. The one who will save his people.
This news is so good. He tells his brother. I don’t want to be saved, I want my brother Simon to know Jesus! I can’t keep it to myself. Friends, when you hear such good news, you can’t help but share with others. He has found the messiah! All these years waiting, he has come!
But here’s the thing
Not everyone is so confident.
3. You can confidently follow Jesus (1:43-51)
Notice Nathaniel’s response.
Verse 43
The next day Jesus decided to go to Galilee. He found Philip and 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 in the Law and also the prophets wrote, Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.”
Nathanael is not like Andrew Or Simon Peter. He does not follow right away. He is a sceptical straight shooter.
Nathanael said to him, “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?” Philip said to him, “Come and see.”
Why does Nathanael respond this way? Well, there’s rivalry. He’s from Bethsaida. Jesus is from Nazareth. A bit like Melbourne Vs Sydney – of course Melbourne’s better. Or old Epping vs New Epping. I’ll leave that for you to decide. Or for me it’s like growing up in Altona. What good could come out of Altona? I grew up watching the horrible refinery light up the night sky each and every night. But actually it turns out our former Prime Minister Julia Gillard comes from Altona! And They have redone the beach it’s quite beautiful now Altona. But her Nathanael says, it’s a small town, what good could come out from Nazareth?
But Philip is not defensive. He doesn’t explain it. he says come and see. Jesus Sees Nathanael. it awesome what happens next. Verse 47
john 1:47-49
Jesus saw Nathanael coming toward him and said of him, “Behold, an Israelite indeed, in whom there is no deceit!” Nathanael said to him, “How do you know me?” Jesus answered 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!”
In less than a minute he goes from disbelief to belief: you are the Son of God! What a change! All because Jesus said I saw you under the fig free, even before Philip called you!
It’s amazing right, how can he know Where Nathanael was? There’s no phone tracking device. nathanael knew this is something supernatural. Nathanael turned from cynic to believer. His conclusion? He must be the son of God! That’s a true disciple. You find out the truth and Confess Jesus is the son of God.
John tells us so we can be confident about our faith. Here is eye witness testimony. Here is the Messiah, here is Jesus the Son of God!
Friends, why do you feel like you have to know everything before you say anything? Why worry if someone is sceptical? Philip goes come and see. we can say just come and see in the Scriptures. it’s not our job to convert people. that’s God’s Work. He does the heavy lifting. He changes hearts by His Spirit.
Just tell others you have found the one! not husband or wife. But the Lord and saviour. Come and see! I’ve found the one we’ve all been waiting for.
Philip says : I’ve found the one who Moses – that great prophet – the one he was talking about
John the Baptist says I’ve found the one – the lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world
Andrew says I’ve found the one - the Messiah!
nathan says I’ve found the one - you are the son of God!
What do you say?
I’ve found the one who gives me hope
I’ve found the one who gives me joy in hard times
I’ve found the one who made me gives me meaning
I’ve found the Lord Jesus Christ
What would you say to this ‘I’ve found the one?’
It’s not about learning a line.
Its about telling people to come and see. He’s the one. point to Jesus.
You need him to have life
Now you might be thinking, Brian these are people waiting for Jesus to come. These are people trained by John the Baptist. They know their bibles
They are keen.
God is already working in them.
The people I talk to have no clue about Jesus.
But how do you know? How do you know God is not working in them by his Spirit? How do you know the last 2 years in COVID all the security and comfort we’ve all held so tightly hasn’t been pulled under their feet as well? How do you know people aren’t praying for your friends and family to come to know Jesus? how you know they won’t come to church? how do you know they don’t feel guilty about their own life? Maybe they do want to talk about Jesus. How do you know they will reject Jesus?
It's not about us and our worries. Or then and their doubts. It’s about Jesus and his glory.
Invite.
Come and see Jesus from the Bible
Come and see that you can be confident in following the Lord Jesus.
Now in this chapter, what has really struck me is Jesus is given so many titles. have you notice it?
look at the titles he is given From the last few weeks.
1. He is the Word, was with God and is God (1:1)
2. He is the Creator of all things (1:3)
3. He is the Light of the world (1:4)
4. He is the Son who makes the Father known (1:18)
In this passage. what do His followers call him?
1. He is the lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world (1:29)
2. He is a Rabbi (which means teacher) (1:38)
3. He is the Messiah (the Christ) (1:41)
4. He is promised one by Moses and the prophets (1:45)
5. He is the Son of God (1:49)
This gives us confidence as believers. look at who he is. now All those titles were given to him from all these other people
But now, in the climax of the passage from verses 50-51 Jesus gives himself a title did you notice it?
Jesus answered him, “Because I said to you, ‘I saw you under the fig tree,’ do you believe? You will see greater things than these.”
You ain’t seen nothing yet Nathanael! You think that’s impressive. Watch what I will do soon.
And he said to him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, you will see heaven opened, and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man.”
what title Jesus gives himself? He is the Son of Man.
Jesus says, I am the heavenly ruler of the universe. Go back to Daniel 7:13-14
Jesus is the one given authority, glory and sovereign power; the one all nations and peoples worshipped. his rule is everlasting. His kingdom will not be destroyed.
That’s who he is
And this is what he will do – he says to all his disciples, including us.
You will see heaven opened, and the Angels ascending and descending on me.
That’s weird you say.
But you go back to Genesis 28 – the first book of the Bible. Jacob, remember him. his father is Isaac, Grandfather Abraham. Jacob has a dream. Jacob sees a stairway to heaven. – way before Led Zeppelin Stairway to Heaven. Genesis 28: 12
And he dreamed, and behold, there was a ladder set up on the earth, and the top of it reached to heaven. And behold, the angels of God were ascending and descending on it!
There’s a bridge from earth to heaven. no human can cross that bridge. angels were ascending and descending on it. when Jacob wakes from the dream. This is what he thinks of the dream.
And he was afraid and said, “How awesome is this place! This is none other than the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven.”
Friends, do you see what Jesus is saying? That dream 2000 years ago. That dream will be fulfilled in my death and resurrection. Keep reading John you will see this. You will see that only Jesus’ death and resurrection opens up a way heaven. Jesus has come to make a way from heaven to earth, earth to heaven.
Friends this is what divides a holy God from sinners like us. this is the bridge we cannot cross. Jesus has come to bring us back to God.
Jesus says, remember that ladder of Jacob? Well, I am is the bridge between heaven and earth. Jacob was in awe after the dream. Jesus says to his disciples. Just you wait. Come and see. You are a going to see a way to be right with God. it’s going to blow your mind.
He is the mediator, the go to person between us and God. He connects heaven and earth. Trust in him if you want life. If you want to be right with God.
Billy Graham the evangelist got this so right. He said “Some day you will read or hear that Billy Graham is dead. Don’t believe a word of it. I shall be more alive than now, I would have just changed my address. I would have gone into the presence of God. Why? Jesus is the gate of heaven. No one comes to the Father except through me he says. He is the way the truth and the life. Jesus’s death and resurrection is the way to life. Have you come to believe in Jesus? don’t linger in on the outer, he is the only way to God. Have you trust in Jesus? He is the gate of heaven. come and see and taste that he is good today.
Friends, I hope you got the big idea. Come and see that you can confidently follow the Lord Jesus. John gives us eye witness testimony, the disciples say Jesus is the lamb of God, the messiah, the son of God, he is the son of man.
And as we come to implications, Can I encourage you to have a chat about this over morning tea today?
4. Implications
1. Invite to come and see
Invite your friends and family to come and see Jesus from the Scriptures. We share about the things we care about. I see it on facebook all the time. I got a new job. i’m on holidays. i’m engaged - congrats are in order to Jack and Naomi. we share all sorts of things we’re excited about. why don’t you share Jesus? The source of life. The Son of God? The Son of man?
Yes God works, prayer is vital, he can use any means he wants, but ordinarily he uses us in our weakness to share the Gospel. it’s ordinary people sharing it from one person to another, it’s Word of mouth. like Paul’s brother Edmond shared it with Paul. We’re not very special. We don’t have to be amazing at it. we’re just beggars pointing other beggars to the source of water. Just ask them to come and see.
i know you want your family to come to know Jesus. i know you want your friends to come to know Jesus. do you know the best way? this is the best way. Prayerfully, the words of your mouth. the word of the Gospel spoken from your mouth. Word of mouth.
2. Be confident because of Jesus
Second thing. if the first thing is to invite people to come and see Jesus in the Bible, then You can be confident because of Jesus. Do you notice there’s no command to preach the Gospel in this passage. No one commands anyone to talk about Jesus. There’s no nagging. No one is being paid. There’s no impure motives. There’s no bait and switch. why do people do it? Why is it just so immediate? these disciples are confident about Jesus? Why? They are eye witnesses who have seen his glory. They know he is the Messiah, the Christ, the one Moses and the prophets talked about, the Son of God, the Son of Man. they are confident in who Jesus is. they have seen his glory and are confident to share it.
Are you someone who can’t stop talking about him? or has someone silenced you? Why do you reckon you are silent? I can’t help but ask myself; is it because I have failed to perceive the glory of Jesus? I have forgotten who he is. forgotten about what he has done. I’m worried. I’m afraid About the consequences of speaking about him.
Oh friends, I pray that we will see the glory of Jesus. his surpassing excellence. He is the son of man, the only way to life. How can I be anything else but follow Jesus wholeheartedly when this is who Jesus is. I pray we will grasp more and more how great Jesus is, so that nothing can shut us up.
Come and see that we can confidently follow the Lord Jesus. Let’s pray