John 1:43-51 “Come & See – Check Jesus Out”
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."
You have got to check out .............
· Have you ever had someone tell you there’s a great restaurant, vacation spot, car, a hairdo, an outfit, a movie, a TV show.
· I saw a sign in western Kentucky that I had to tell everyone to check out, it said "used cows for sale.”
o Strange.
o There is a sign at the Federal Correctional Institution in Waseca, Minnesota that says "Welcome & Have a Nice Day."
o Or the Dairy Queen sign that says "Scream until daddy stops the car."
o Or the billboard that said "Illiterate? Write for free help."
· There are some crazy things that make you do a double take.
· But there are also some things that are worth the time to make sure you see. The beauty of the ocean, the breath-taking majesty of the mountains, the warm artistry of the sunset are all worth a serious gaze as you savor a moment of creation.
· Well, if there was ever anything you should seriously check out, it is Jesus Christ.
o All I’m trying to say, is Check Jesus Out.
· Maybe you thought there couldn’t be anything to Jesus because you’ve seen the worst out of His followers -- you know the Crusades, televangelists, pick-pocket preachers, hypocrites, etc.
o But, don’t be too quick to write off Jesus because a few "pseudo-followers" made a disgrace of His teachings.
· Maybe you had some unanswered questions or doubts and no one could help you figure out the difficult questions, like "what will happen to all the folks from other religions that never hear about Jesus?"
o Well, unanswered questions are part of how God allows curiosity to draw us to search for Him, "you will find Me when you seek Me with all your hearts."
· Maybe you’re a little bit skeptical like Nathaniel. You’re thinking, can there really be all that to this religion thing?
o Welp, you’ve checked out some pretty crazy things cause somebody asked you too. Some of those things are what made you think things like "if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is"
· You checked out the scratch-offs on the Publisher’s Clearing house -- just cause there was a chance (however unbelievably tiny) that you could be the winner.
· You checked out the Amway, multi-level get-rich quick pyramid, just because a buddy badgered you into it.
· You checked out a restaurant, a girl, a guy, or Pat.
· And now, I’m just saying "Check out Jesus".
I. See that He is Forgiving & Merciful
a. Isaiah 1:18 “Come now, let us reason together," says the LORD. "Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red as crimson, they shall be like wool.
b. Luke 23:34 Jesus said, "Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing."
II. See that He is Helpful
a. I Peter 5:7 Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.
III. See that He is Powerful
a. Powerful to do amazing miracles
b. Powerful to heal the deepest hurts
c. Powerful to cleanse the darkest stain
d. Powerful to reach the furthest distance
IV. See that He is Personal
a. Matthew 11:19 The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and they say, ’Here is a friend of tax collectors and "sinners."
V. See that He is Hopeful
a. Jeremiah 29:11-13
i. For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.
ii. Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you.
iii. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.
b. Matthew 11:28-30
i. "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.
ii. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.
iii. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light."
VI. Check Him Out
a. Maybe you’ll find out there something to this. I don’t have to speak for Him, He can show you what He’s like.
b. Check Him out. Maybe you can have a real relationship with your Creator.
c. Check Him out. Maybe you can sense the presence of Jesus Christ guiding and empowering you.
d. Check Him out. Maybe you really know for sure that there is a God and that He gave His only Son.
e. Check Him out. Maybe you will find out, like Nathaniel, that He knows you better than you know yourself.
f. So here’s what I’m saying this morning.
i. I’m not saying "come & bow your knee and join the church." I’m just saying pray something like this to God, "Hey God, if you’re really up there I want to know. If you sent Jesus Christ to die for me, then help me know."
ii. We’re going to be having services regularly to allow you to Check Jesus out. These aren’t for folks that have figured it all out, but for folks who want to Check Jesus out to see if He’s for real.
g. Don’t just giving Him a passing glance, Do a double take and Come & See
