Nathanael - Come And See Series

The Disciples of Jesus

Sermon: Nathanael – Come and See!

Philip (John 1:43-51) from Bethsaida, introduced Nathanael to Jesus!

Scripture Text: John 1:43-51

Jesus Calls Philip and Nathanael

43 The next day Jesus decided to leave for Galilee. Finding Philip, he said to him, “Follow me.”

44 Philip, like Andrew and Peter, was from the town of Bethsaida. 45 Philip found Nathanael and told him, “We have found the one Moses wrote about in the Law, and about whom the prophets also wrote—Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.”

46 “Nazareth! Can anything good come from there?” Nathanael asked.

“Come and see,” said Philip.

47 When Jesus saw Nathanael approaching, he said of him, “Here is a true Israelite, in whom there is nothing false.”

48 “How do you know me?” Nathanael asked.

Jesus answered, “I saw you while you were still under the fig tree before Philip called you.”

49 Then Nathanael declared, “Rabbi, you are the Son of God; you are the King of Israel.”

50 Jesus said, “You believe because I told you I saw you under the fig tree. You shall see greater things than that.” 51 He then added, “I tell you the truth, you shall see heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man.”

Introduction:

The Role of the Twelve Disciples is an important point for us to know!

Jesus entrusted the twelve disciples with the responsibility of spreading His message of salvation and redemption. He empowered them to perform miracles, heal the sick, and cast out demons (Matthew 10:1, Mark 3:13-15, Luke 9:1-2). See Acts 2!

The disciples played a crucial role in the spread of the Kingdom of God:

Spreading the Gospel: They preached about The Kingdom of Heaven specifically Jesus' teachings, death, resurrection and ascension. They were empowered by the Holy Spirit and established the early Christian church.

Performing Miracles: They demonstrated God's power through healings, exorcisms, and other miraculous acts.

Providing Leadership: After Jesus' ascension, the disciples, particularly Peter, James, and John, provided guidance and leadership to the early Christian community.

Lessons from the Twelve Disciples

The lives of the twelve disciples offer valuable lessons for us Christians today- we find ourselves today living in a society which accepts the teachings of Jesus and those who hate the teachings of Jesus – it’s a spiritual war – don’t be fooled – it’s not the people but a spiritual war:

The apostle Paul said it well:

Ephesians 6:11-13 - Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. Therefore, take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm.

In this spiritual and cosmic battle – spirits both good and evil battle over the control of your mind and heart! Evil spirits seek to plant doubt in your heart and mind whereas good spirits seeks to encourage you to have faith and be obedient to the teachings of Jesus.

The disciples were in this same battle in their day – same spirits by the way! I see a pattern in the lives of the disciples which I think is a pattern for most believers today:

Pattern 1: The disciples go from doubt to faith and then to obedience: The disciples did not start out as great men of faith, they doubted a lot. Just think of Nathanael in our text today saying “What good can come out of Nazareth” or think back to what Thomas said “I won’t believe until I touch the wound of Jesus” or Peter denying Jesus three times. We also have Philip saying to Jesus in the Gospel of John, Philip asks Jesus, "Lord, show us the Father, and it is enough for us". This request, made during the Last Supper, reveals Philip's desire to see God directly and his difficulty understanding Jesus's relationship with the Father. Jesus responds by explaining that seeing him is the same as seeing the Father, emphasizing their unity. Jesus, with a hint of gentle rebuke, points out that Philip has been with him for a long time and should already understand their unity. He states, "Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father". Philip was still doubting who Jesus was three years into traveling and doing ministry with Jesus. So, we see doubt fighting against faith in the lives of the Disciples. But notice all of them grew see the book of Acts and demonstrated unwavering faith and obedience to Jesus, even in the face of adversity. Except one Judas. They left their livelihood behind to follow Jesus! This takes faith and obedience! Question - Would you do that?