Come and See (John Part Five)
Text: John 1:35 – 42
In 2014 the Barna Study Group polled teenagers about lying, cheating, and illegally downloading music. 92% of teens admitted that they lied at least once a week, and out of that 92%, 90% of them said it was “no big deal”. 75% admitted to cheating on at least one test or quiz during the last school year, and again the majority said they would probably do it again. 86% said they saw nothing wrong with illegally downloading music. Polls show that adults aren’t much different. More than 60% of adults in SBC churches say that they don’t share the Gospel. In our world today, it seems like our practice doesn’t match our profession.
And part of the reason for that is because we are in a war against our sin nature. James 1:13 – 14 says, “Let no one say when he is tempted, ‘I am being tempted by God,’ for God cannot be tempted with evil, and He Himself tempts no one. But each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by HIS OWN desire.” But there’s another issue at work in our world today. What we are seeing is that there is no fear of God. We claim that we will all stand before Him, but most people aren’t actually living like they really believe that. What’s happened is that in today’s world, a lot of people, including Church people have become practical deists… they have this notion that there’s a “God” out there somewhere, but He has no real impact on life right here and now.
A while back there was a story in the newspaper of the US Naval Academy in Annapolis Maryland, about a group of ships on a training mission. They had been in maneuvers when a bad storm came upon them. Night fell and visibility was poor, it was foggy and raining, so the captain remained on the bridge keeping an eye on things. All of a sudden the lookout on the bow reported, “Light bearing steady on the starboard bow.” Which means that something was headed straight for the ship. The captain called for the signal man and said, “Signal that ship – ‘we are on a collision course, advise you change course 20 degrees.’” Back came the signal, “Advise you to change course 20 degrees.” The captain had the signal man send another message, “I am a captain in the United States Navy! Change course 20 degrees.” The reply came back, “I am a seaman, second class. You change course 20 degrees.” By now the captain was furious, he yelled to the signal man, “Tell them we are in a battleship. Change course 20 degrees.” Back came the reply, “I am in a lighthouse.” And the captain quickly changed course.
The Bible tells us that God is a lighthouse kind of authority, because He is unchanging. He is the same yesterday, today, and forever. So it really doesn’t matter how the world changes around us, and what becomes acceptable by the culture, or society. God is still the same. His commands are still the same. His character and attributes, are still the same. And what God calls evil, and what God calls good, doesn’t change with the times. That’s why Bob Dylan said, “The times, they are a changing…” The times change and cultures change, but God stays the same. And so we’ll either turn in obedience to God, or be crushed in our disobedience, because God does not change course.
And the whole reason I’ve brought this up is because I think it can apply to our text this morning.
We’re in John chapter 1 and we’ll be looking at verses 35 – 42 (READ TEXT).
So Jesus has entered the world that He has created, and He has begun His public ministry. And He immediately begins calling followers so that He can disciple them. And the principles that we see in this passage are the same as they were 2000 years ago. Because our God is the same. And the principles that we are going to specifically focus on this morning are the principles of witnessing.
Since I already mentioned polls and survey’s, I’ll mention 4 others real quick, The Ligonier State of Theology Survey, The 2018 Lifeway Survey, The 2016 Christianity Today poll, and the Malphurs Group survey all list personal evangelism as the command most neglected by Christians today. Bible reading and prayer are up there too, but witnessing is the most neglected. And when we consider that Jesus’ last words to His disciples were a challenge to go and spread the Gospel, it’s ironic that so many don’t do it today. Folks do a lot of interacting with others, but they don’t do a lot of Gospel sharing, or witnessing.
But what we see in our text here is a simple, but effective way to witness to other people. For a long time now, pastors have called this the “Come and See” method of personal evangelism.
Now our text starts out by saying, “The next day again…” What that means is that this from verse 19 all the way to verse 35, is talking about a period of three consecutive days. The first day is when the Levites come to John and ask him who he is. The Second day is when John points them to Jesus and says, “Behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world.” And verse 35 is the Third day, when John points Jesus out to his own disciples.
And the first thing we should realize here is that John the Baptist wasn’t just talking the talk. Remember, he’s said he’s just the forerunner… that he’s just a voice crying out in the wilderness. He’s said, “I’m not Christ, I’m just trying to point people to Him.” Well now he gets the opportunity to prove that. John’s got followers… he’s got disciples… he’s gained recognition, and now the question is – is he going to be able to let go of what he’s built and turn people away from himself and towards Jesus, or is he going to try to hold on to what he’s achieved? Well the first verse in our text answers that question. He sees Jesus and he points his own disciples to Him.
So immediately we see one of those principles I was talking about.
#1. It’s never about us… IT’S ALL ABOUT JESUS! It’s about pointing people to Jesus. Later on John says it very well when he says, “I must decrease, and He (meaning Jesus) must increase.” The Apostle Paul also deals with this later on. He says’ “It’s not about Paul, or Apollos, or Peter… It’s about Jesus. He’s the one who saves you. He’s the one who forgives you.” So we’re not trying to build a bigger name, a bigger brand… we’re trying to point people to Jesus. John does that. He’s standing there talking with 2 of his disciples (we know one of them is Andrew, and the other one is probably John the Beloved), and he points out Jesus, and those two disciples leave John and start following Jesus. So… John the Baptist was actually successful in what he was trying to do…
That brings us to our second principle (#2), and that is: Make sure you’re seeking Christ for the right reason… it’s in verse 38… and this is so important. Jesus notices that they are following Him, and He asks them, “What are you seeking?” What do you want? Why are you following me?
Now the reason I say this is so important is because it’s not only the first recorded words of Jesus in John’s Gospel, but because it’s a question that gets right to the heart of the matter. What is it you seek? Is it wealth and health? That’s the prosperity Gospel Jesus… not the Jesus of Scripture
What about a savior who doesn’t convict you of sin, call you to repentance, or judge you in any way? That’s the new age Jesus… not the Jesus of Scripture. What are you looking for? What do you expect from following Jesus? “What are you seeking?” It’s a great question because it gets to the motivation of the heart.
Of course the answer is – YOU JESUS! I WANT YOU! ALL DAY, EVERY DAY! Not just when I’m struggling with financial troubles. Not just when my marriage is going through a rough patch. Not just when sickness strikes my home. I want you all the time. When the sun is shining, and when it’s pouring rain. When life is good, and when life is hard. The world looks for answers in money, power, drugs, sex, and all sorts of other idols… but Jesus is the answer!
But He’s still asking the question today as well. What are you seeking? What are you hoping to get out of this? Do you love Him with ALL your heart, soul, mind, and strength? Or do you love Him half-heartedly? Are our minds distracted by other things? Does our time, and effort, and energy go toward knowing Him and serving Him, or to other things?
So Jesus asks them – What are you seeking? And they answer the question, with a question. “Where are you staying?” But their answer /slash/ question shows their motivation… they’re saying, “Jesus; we want to spend a little time with you, and get to know you better.”
So Jesus says, “Come and see.” And they go and stay with Him for the rest of the day. Now it was the 10th hour, which means that it was about 4 PM… and they stayed the rest of the day with Him.
And this brings us to our third principle from this passage (#3)… And it’s in verses 40, 41, & 42 (READ). When you encounter Jesus, you can’t keep it to yourself!
So Andrew… one of these two men who have previously been following John the Baptist, spends one evening with Jesus, and he immediately goes out and tells his brother Peter, and then brings him to Jesus. In-fact; every time we see Andrew in John’s Gospel, he’s bringing someone to Jesus. He does it here in chapter 1. He brings a young boy to Jesus in chapter 6. He brings Greeks to Jesus in chapter 12… Why? Why does Andrew do this? Because Jesus transforms lives. Jesus transforms desires. He changes us. Andrew can’t do anything BUT tell people about Jesus. He’s been impacted. He’s been changed. He’s encountered the Word who became flesh and has become the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world.
NOTHING CAN COMPARE!
Tom Brady’s going to his 9th Super Bowl… ok… Jesus created the world! Donald Trump is President… Jesus is King of Kings and Lord of Lords, and by Him all things are held together. North Korea has nukes… Jesus will rain fire down on this earth by the word of His mouth. Of course Andrew has to tell Peter… how can he not? The text tells us that Andrew brought Peter to Jesus… that’s all he knew to do. Just get him to Jesus. Come and see. We’re not told of any kind of fancy evangelism techniques, and it didn’t require a light show and music… just a genuine excitement about Christ, and a genuine love for his brother.
Andrew isn’t the most famous of the disciples, and there are probably very few people out there when naming the 12 start their list with him… but can you just imagine how Andrew felt on the Day of Pentecost when his brother Peter stood up and preached a sermon and 3000 people were saved?
So let me ask you… how do we point people to Jesus today? How do we show them Jesus? Well the first, and most important way is through the Word. The Book of Romans asks us, “How shall they believe unless they hear?” Church don’t get me wrong. We should strive to live godly, Christ-like lives, but at some point, we have to open up the Word… And maybe you’re here and you’re thinking… “I don’t know if I can do that? I don’t know if I would be able to answer all their questions…?” Well, it’s true, we get better at evangelism the more we practice it… but for starters we can invite folks to gather with us here on Sundays… we spend between 30 and 45 minutes every Sunday just going through the Word… and even more if you make it to Sunday School. If you know someone who’s got questions about God and the Bible… or if you know someone who is going through a hard time… struggling with something. Invite them to come and see. Why not come and see what it’s about for the next few Sundays. Why not come and encounter Christ? It doesn’t hurt to ask, and it can make an eternal difference.
CLOSING
