The One Jesus Loves, Part 4: Come and See

THE ONE JESUS LOVES – 4

The Gospel of John

(John 1:35-46 ESV) The next day again John was standing with two of his disciples, 36 and he looked at Jesus as he walked by and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God!” 37 The two disciples heard him say this, and they followed Jesus. 38 Jesus turned and saw them following and said to them, “What are you seeking?” And they said to him, “Rabbi” (which means Teacher), “where are you staying?” 39 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. 40 One of the two who heard John speak and followed Jesus was Andrew, Simon Peter's brother. 41 He first found his own brother Simon and said to him, “We have found the Messiah” (which means Christ). 42 He brought him to Jesus. Jesus looked at him and said, “You are Simon the son of John. You shall be called Cephas” (which means Peter). 43 The next day Jesus decided to go to Galilee. He found Philip and said to him, “Follow me.” 44 Now Philip was from Bethsaida, the city of Andrew and Peter. 45 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.” 46 Nathanael said to him, “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?” Philip said to him, “Come and see.”

1.    Jesus calls us to “come and see.”

List of objections to “settling down”:

1.    Freedom.

2.    Commitment.

3.    Money.

4.    Other married people or people in serious relationships I know.

5.    I’m too young to be tied down.

6.    What if I meet someone else?

Why would you get married without having these obstacles worked out???

SEX.

LOVE.

(John 1:47-51 ESV) Jesus saw Nathanael coming toward him and said of him, “Behold, an Israelite indeed, in whom there is no deceit!” 48 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.” 49 Nathanael answered him, “Rabbi, you are the Son of God! You are the King of Israel!” 50 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.” 51 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.”

·      Christianity isn’t about having all your questions answered, it’s about a relationship that is deeply personal.

2.    Found people find people.

(John 1:41 ESV) He first found his own brother Simon and said to him, “We have found the Messiah”

(John 1:43-45 ESV) The next day Jesus decided to go to Galilee. He found Philip and said to him, “Follow me.” 44 Now Philip was from Bethsaida, the city of Andrew and Peter. 45 Philip found Nathanael…

“Throughout the life of Jesus, we see the tremendous love He had for people: a widow whose son was dead, a soldier with a dying daughter, a thief on a cross, a blind man in Jericho, ten lepers, a seeking Pharisee, children on the shores of Galilee. You cannot study the life of Jesus without seeing Him involved with an intensity beyond anything we usually practice. Jesus is in the people business.” – James B. Henry

·      A relationship with Jesus is life changing.

“Make no mistake. Jesus is unequalled. He does not compete. Every hope, every confidence, every ache in our soul demands Jesus is who He claims to be.” – Joe Stowell

Redemption

Justification

Forgiveness

Adoption

Reconciliation

(2 Corinthians 5:17 JBP) For if any man is in Christ he becomes a new person altogether – the past is finished and gone, everything has become fresh and new.

“Every preposition seems to have been exhausted by the Word of God in emphasizing the necessity of a fundamental relationship with Christ – “in Christ,” “through Christ,” “by Christ,” “unto Christ.” In every conceivable way Christ is proclaimed as the all-essential. – J.H. Jowett

·      A relationship with Jesus results in new priorities.

“The news was too good to keep to himself. So Andrew went and found the one person in the world whom he loved the most – whom he most wanted to know Jesus – and he led him to Christ.” – John MacArthur

2 Practical Steps:

You can invite others to a worship service or a life group.

You can invite others to Jesus by sharing your story.

“The privilege of every believer is to tell others of the Savior he has found. For this, no college training is required, and no authority from any church need be sought. Not that we despise either of these, but all that is needed to tell a perishing sinner of the Savior is a heart acquaintance with Him yourself. It was not that Andrew went forth as a preacher, for that work he needed training. But he set out to bear simple yet earnest witness of the Savior he had found.” A.W. Pink

A MISSIONARY HEART:

·      Cares than some think is wise

·      Risks more than some think is safe

·      Dreams more than some think is practical

·      Expects more than some think is possible