This morning is the second message in our series “Near to His heart.” Last week we saw how our drawing near to the Lord is only possible because He drew near first—he put on human flesh and came to earth. This week we see the second thing that makes it possible for us to draw near—the fact that he makes the invitation. Watch with me.
Show video: John 1:35-51
Army Recruiting Slogans
I Want You
Be all that you can be
An Army of one
The army’s recruiting pitch has been evolving over the years as the needs and desires of the target population has changed. But Jesus hasn’t changed his pitch, in fact...
Proposition: Jesus made the same offer to the first disciples that he makes to us today.
Interrogative: So the question we hope to answer today is, "what is the recruiting pitch that Jesus uses? What does he ask of us and what does He promise in return?"
Transition: Well let’s take a look. Jesus begins not with a demand but with a very reasonable offer…
1. Come and See
vv. 35-39 The next day John was there again with two of his disciples. When he saw Jesus passing by, he said, "Look, the Lamb of God!" When the two disciples heard him say this, they followed Jesus. Turning around, Jesus saw them following and asked, "What do you want?" They said, "Rabbi" (which means Teacher), "where are you staying?" "Come," he replied, "and you will see."
I like oranges, but this time of year sometimes they’re sour. Now tell me is this one that I’m eating sweet or sour?
You don’t know do you? Why? Because you haven’t tasted it. The psalmist wrote taste and see that the Lord is Good. And Jesus said to these first disciples Come and see. They asked for information, "Where are you staying?" But Jesus understood that they wanted more than information and he offered relationship...come with me, be with me, find out about me.
Some time ago I spoke with someone who had been raised in a religious home and he said his impression had always been that he was being told "this is what you must believe and you must never question it." My response was that that wasn’t how Jesus pitched it. Jesus said, "come and see." A few verses later when Philip went to Nathanael with the good news about Jesus, when Nathanael raised doubts, Philip repeated the words of Jesus, "Come and See."
In fact the very same offer was made to shepherds on the hills outside Bethlehem 30 years earlier. The Angels said, "come and see the child born to be your savior." Three years later as two women named Mary went to the tomb of Jesus, the Angel said to them, "He is not here; he has risen, just as he said. Come and see the place where he lay (Matthew 28:6)."
Always the offer of Jesus has been an invitation to know the truth by knowing HIM. "Come and See" the Lord says.
And then he invites us further along the path to knowing Him. He says...
2. Follow Me
v. 43 The next day Jesus decided to leave for Galilee. Finding Philip, he said to him, "Follow me."
S. I. McMillen, in his book None of These Diseases, tells a story of a young woman who wanted to go to college, but her heart sank when she read the question on the application blank that asked, "Are you a leader?" Being both honest and conscientious, she wrote, "No," and returned the application, expecting the worst. To her surprise, she received this letter from the college: "Dear Applicant: A study of the application forms reveals that this year our college will have 1,452 new leaders. We are accepting you because we feel it is imperative that they have at least one follower."
In our society everybody wants to be thought of as a leader. I’ve heard it said if you want something funded in the Army all you have to do is put "leadership" in the title. Bookstores have shelves of books on being a leader. But I’ll bet you’d be hard pressed to find one about being a follower. Yet that is the invitation Jesus makes to Philip and to us, "follow me."
The name that we use to refer to this group of twelve reflects this invitation. We call them disciples--which simply means followers. In the early church this was the name applied universally to the believers. It was not for several years that the name Christian was applied. Followers of Jesus were called simply "followers" or "disciples"
Relationship requires that we walk in the same path. As I’ve said before, Christ doesn’t call us to nothing, he calls us to something--to follow Him. No longer to walk in the path of our own choosing but to walk in his path, a path of doing what is right. This is what the Bible calls repentance-- turning around. It is not how we are saved but it is how we respond to the good news that Jesus has died to pay the price for our sins.
He calls us to come and see if He is trustworthy and those who trust in Him he calls to follow.
Thirdly he invites us to invite others, saying...
3. Bring Your Friends
vv. 41-42 The first thing Andrew did was to find his brother Simon and tell him, "We have found the Messiah" (that is, the Christ). And he brought him to Jesus.
v. 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."
Although it isn’t explicit in the text, from the actions of Andrew and Philip it’s pretty clear that Jesus invited these first disciples to invite those close to them. And it’s equally clear that they were excited to do so. The good news that a savior had come was too good to keep to themselves and they wanted to tell others. Before he left them for the final time on this earth Jesus gave them what’s known as the great commission, we could call it instead rule #1: "Go and make followers"
And notice how simply it’s done, they simply say to their loved ones "We’ve found the messiah" we’ve found the answer, come and see.
A story is often told about a young salesman who was disappointed about losing a big sale. As he talked with his sales manager he complained, "I guess it just proves you can lead a horse to water but you can’t make him drink." The manager replied, "Son, take my advice: your job is not to make him drink. Your job is to make him thirsty." (Preaching, November-December 1985.)
So it is with evangelism. We are called simply to call others to "Come and see."
Invite them to see the change in your heart and life, invite them to experience the presence of God when His people come together to worship. Share the story about the one who died for our sins and rose again, about the one who called you to follow. Make them thirsty for what Jesus has to offer and then invite them to "Come and See."
The final phrase of Jesus recruiting pitch is the most exciting of all. Jesus says to Nathanael and to us...
4. You Ain’t Seen Nothin’ Yet! (vv. 50-51)
vv. 47-51 When Jesus saw Nathanael approaching, he said of him, "Here is a true Israelite, in whom there is nothing false." "How do you know me?" Nathanael asked. Jesus answered, "I saw you while you were still under the fig tree before Philip called you." Then Nathanael declared, "Rabbi, you are the Son of God; you are the King of Israel." Jesus said, "You believe because I told you I saw you under the fig tree. You shall see greater things than that." 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."
I’m told that It was customary in those times for devout Jews to pray under fig trees. We don’t know of course if that’s what Nathanael was doing when He was called by Philip, certainly we don’t know what he might have been praying about. But it’s not inconceivable that he was praying for the coming of Messiah, as was also customary for devout Jews of that time. Whatever he was doing He was startled and amazed at Jesus’ revelation of His knowledge about him. Jesus responds, as we would say today, "If you think that’s something, wait ’til I get warmed up!"
In fact three years later, just before He went to the cross, Jesus made an even more shocking statement: "I tell you the truth, anyone who has faith in me will do what I have been doing. He will do even greater things than these (John 14:12)."
Life following Jesus is meant to be an exciting life, a life of miracles. Some of them are all around us and we just need to open our eyes to see them--the providence of God that we dismiss as coincidence. Others are there for the asking. The greatest of all is the miracle of Grace that saves us from sin, that of which slave trader turned pastor, John Newton wrote "Amazing Grace How sweet the sound, that saved a wretch like me, I once was lost but now I’m found, was blind but now I see."
As Nathanael discovered, life with Jesus begins amazing and it’s meant to get more amazing, for the author of grace is amazing!
Conclusion
I began with the proposition that Jesus’ recruiting pitch--his invitation has remained the same. He says to us come and see--experience Him in relationship, his presence, his power. And then he invites us to follow, and to invite others to follow in what he promises will be a supernatural journey.
That simple invitation to come and see, that the angels made to the shepherds at Bethlehem, that Jesus made to the disciples, the same one that the Angel made to the ladies at the empty tomb of Jesus. That same invitation echoes to the very last page of the book:
The spirit and the bride say, "Come!" And let him who hears say, "Come!" Whoever is thirsty, let him come; and whoever wishes, let him take the free gift of the water of life. (Revelation 22:17)
And still to us today Jesus is calling, "Come and See!"
