Verily - Come and See Who Jesus Is

John 1:43-51

Beginning this week we are going to look at 8 statements of Jesus where he says, “Verily, Verily.”

The Greek word that is translated Verily, is the Greek word that has been brought over from the Hebrew as Amen.

This is, of course, where we get our word Amen.

The Word means - Amen, to be firm, steady, truth worthy. Rendered also as “truth”

As we preach this year through various series dealing with Truth, and being set free from the Truth, I wanted to start with these eight sayings where Jesus Says “Verily, Verily” or Amen, Amen, or you could say Truth, Truth.

In today's passage we meet three individuals that bring about this statement from Jesus, “Verily, Verily.”

As we look at these three individuals we will learn some important truths along the way.

The first individual we meet is:

I. Philip

43 The day following Jesus would go forth into Galilee, and findeth Philip, and saith unto him, Follow me.

44 Now Philip was of Bethsaida, the city of Andrew and Peter.

45 Philip findeth Nathanael, and saith unto him, We have found him, of whom Moses in the law, and the prophets, did write, Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.

Just prior to this passage Andrew, who was following John the Baptist heard Jesus spoke.

He was so impressed by him, and realizing that Jesus was the Messiah, he and his friend (quite possibly John) began to follow Jesus.

Andrew then goes to get his brother Peter, and he begins to follow Jesus.

Jesus then, as we see in our passage, the next day goes into Galilee.

Here he finds Philip, we are told that Philip is from Bethsaida, the same city as Andrew and Peter.

We are left to assume that they all knew each other.

But one things is for sure, Jesus knew Philip.

The first thing we see about Philip is that...

A. Philip Was Found

43 The day following Jesus would go forth into Galilee, and findeth Philip, and saith unto him, Follow me.

This made me think of the song Amazing Grace.

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

Jesus found Philip specifically.

Can I tell you today that Jesus came and found you too!

There is no finding Jesus!

He finds you!

John 6:44 KJV

44 No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him: and I will raise him up at the last day.

The Father draws us by the Holy Spirit’s conviction and we come to Christ.

The second thing I see here about Philip is that once Philip was found...

B. Philip Followed

There is no argument, no questions recorded.

Philip heard the command - Follow Me, and he obeyed.

Jesus says later in John 8:31-32, as we saw last week...

John 8:31–32 KJV

31 Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on him, If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed; 32 And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.

We can only call ourselves Jesus’ disciples if we obey and continue in what he tells us to do.

Many blessings in the Bible are connected to us obeying God.

Isaiah 1:19 KJV

19 If ye be willing and obedient, ye shall eat the good of the land:

Philip heard the command and followed Jesus.

The third thing I noticed in these verses about Philip is that...

C. Philip Was a Friend

45 Philip findeth Nathanael, and saith unto him, We have found him, of whom Moses in the law, and the prophets, did write, Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.

Philips immediate concern was for his friend.

Philip was a soulwinner!

He met Jesus, and started following Him, then his next thing that he does is he goes to find his friend to tell him about Jesus too.

This ought to be our first thought when we begin following Jesus, and everyday after.

Who can I bring to the Savior?

Jesus has changed my life so drastically, he has been so good to me…Why would I not want my friends, my family to experience Jesus as well?

The Bible tells us in Proverbs 11:30

Proverbs 11:30 KJV

30 The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life; And he that winneth souls is wise.

Daniel tells us in Daniel 12:3

Daniel 12:3 KJV

3 And they that be wise shall shine as the brightness of the firmament; and they that turn many to righteousness as the stars for ever and ever.

this was my pastor’s life verse, the verse he wanted to live by, and everywhere he went he did his best to witness, and turn many to righteousness.

Oh that that would be our testimony as well!

Oh the joy, when we get to heaven and someone comes up to us and says - It’s because of you that I’m here too!

Philip is a great example in this passage of being obedient, and a good friend.

The next character, we want to look closer at is...

II. Nathanael

45 Philip findeth Nathanael, and saith unto him, We have found him, of whom Moses in the law, and the prophets, did write, Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.

46 And Nathanael said unto him, Can there any good thing come out of Nazareth? Philip saith unto him, Come and see.

47 Jesus saw Nathanael coming to him, and saith of him, Behold an Israelite indeed, in whom is no guile!

48 Nathanael saith unto him, Whence knowest thou me? Jesus answered and said unto him, Before that Philip called thee, when thou wast under the fig tree, I saw thee.

49 Nathanael answered and saith unto him, Rabbi, thou art the Son of God; thou art the King of Israel.

Most Bible students believe that Nathanael is his first name and that Bartholomew was his second name.

Nathanael is sometimes gets attacked because of his reaction to Philip’s invitation.

He appears to be prejudiced, but I do notice five specific things as we progress through the story here, First:

A. Nathanael Was Skeptical

Philip finds Nathanael, He tells him WE found Him!

The Messiah is here!

Now notice, first of all they knew the prophecies…they knew the Word of God!

But Philip says, we found Him!

It’s Jesus of Nazareth.

All though Nathaniel's reaction may seem prejudiced, we must understand the situation.

Nazareth was an obscure village in Galilee.

Galilee bordered Gentile or heathen nations; therefore it was sometimes even called Galilee of the Gentiles.

The Jews were deeply prejudiced against the Gentiles that they considered anyone or anything touched by a Gentile to be unclean.

Nazareth itself was despised by the Jews because it was right on the border of Gentile country and was so commercially connected to the Gentiles.

So event he Galileans were looked down upon as being close to Gentile Country, but then Nazareth was even considered as unclean, because it was the closest part to the Gentiles.

We would consider it the hood, in our society.

We might say, Can any good thing come from Detroit?

So it is understandable how Nathanael would be skeptical, considering how he grew up.

I think we need to be careful about our skepticism!

Do we see young people trying to serve the Lord, and think…oh they are too young to really do anything.

Do we see someone of a different background and think…oh no one will really listen to them.

Do we allow our prejudices prevent God from working in our lives?

But even though Nathanael was skeptical we also see that ...

B. Nathanael Was Searching

The fact that Philip said, “We have found him, of whom Moses in the law and the prophets did write...” shows that they had been searching for the Messiah.

This was the long awaited Messiah, not only for Israel, but for Philip and Nathanael specifically.

Jesus came to find Philip, and He knew that Philip would go find Nathanael.

Why? Because Jesus knew they were searching.

Matthew 7:7 KJV

7 Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you:

What are you searching for today?

Are you searching for Jesus?

Oh, you may have found Him already....or rather He found you…but are you searching for a closer relationship with Him?

Even though Nathanael was skeptical, his saving grace was that He was searching for the Truth.

thirdly we see that...

C. Nathanael Was Sincere

Jesus himself saw Nathanael and declared, “Behold an Israelite indeed, in whom is no guile!”

What a declaration!

Jesus knew not only who Nathanael was, but what he was from the inside out!

Israelite indeed, spoke to the fact that he was the very epitome of an Israelite, everything an Israelite should be.

He believed the promises of God.

and Jesus declared that there was no guile in him!

Jesus knew his character.

This means that he did not deceive or mislead people.

He was straightforward, open and honest.

Very few are straightforward and open and honest today.

You have to check up on everything!

When you hire someone to do work for you, you have to almost stay on top of them to even show up, much less do quality work!

May that never be said of any of us!

May the world around us see our Christian Character and declare - “Behold a Christian indeed, in whom there is no guile!”

After Jesus’ declaration, Nathanael in confusion questions him...

48 Nathanael saith unto him, Whence knowest thou me? ...

You knew my name?

How would you know if I have guile or not?

that is because...

D. Nathanael Was Seen

48 Nathanael saith unto him, Whence knowest thou me? Jesus answered and said unto him, Before that Philip called thee, when thou wast under the fig tree, I saw thee.

Nathanael was confused, but Jesus wasn’t!

Jesus saw Nathanael, even before Nathanael saw him.

We don’t know how far away Jesus was from Nathanael, but it was apparently it was far enough that Jesus seeing him under the fig tree was enough to convince Nathanael that Jesus was the Messiah!

You can almost hear the chuckle in Jesus’ voice when he answers him

50 Jesus answered and said unto him, Because I said unto thee, I saw thee under the fig tree, believest thou? ...

What seems impossible to us, is nothing for God!

He knows where we are.

An opportunity has opened for us to buy a house that my parents and sister can live in.

I don’t know if it’s going to work out.

We don't’ have enough money, but someone has offered to help us, and we can pay them monthly.

There are many things that have to fall into place before this happens.

And things seem to change not daily, but by the hour!

There are so many moving parts that I have just had to take a step back and say, “God it’s yours! I can’t do this! I can’t make this happen!”

At one point things weren’t falling into place exactly how I imagined and I began to spiral out of control.

I just said…I can’t do this! We’ll just have to find something else!

But as I tried to lay down to sleep the Lord convicted me with this sermon.

“I see you! This situation has fallen in your lap, you don’t have control here so stop trying to control it!”

Can I tell you today…God sees you!

He know more about you than you know about yourself

Although it’s getting easier to count the hairs on my head, Jesus and God already know!

Luke 12:6–7 KJV

6 Are not five sparrows sold for two farthings, and not one of them is forgotten before God? 7 But even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear not therefore: ye are of more value than many sparrows.

God knows everything about us, He know everything about your situation…He sees you!

Just give it over to God!!!!

So we see that Nathanael was skeptical, but he was searching and sincere…but most importantly…he was seen!

Then fifthly...

E. Nathanael Was Settled

Once He heard what Jesus had to say...

Once he heard that Jesus saw him...

Once he heard that Jesus knew Him…he was settled.

49 Nathanael answered and saith unto him, Rabbi, thou art the Son of God; thou art the King of Israel.

He was ready to follow and serve Jesus.

And he did!

Not a lot is said in scripture about Nathanael or Bartholomew, except he was there with the disciples anytime the role was taken.

History tells us that he was martyred in Armenia.

Historical documents show that he served as a missionary in Ethiopia, Mesopotamia, Modern day Iran, Modern day Turkey and then finally in Armenia.

It is believed that he was killed for converting the king of Armenia to Christianity, the king’s brother ordered his death.

There was no doubt that it was settled in Nathanael’s mind who Jesus was, and that he was going to serve Him!

What about you?

Have you not just accepted Jesus as your Savior, but have you settled your role as the servant of God in your mind and life?

What will history tell of your commitment to Christ?

The third person in our story answers the title…Come and see who Jesus Is.

III. Jesus

Who is this Jesus, this man from Nazareth?

First we see that He is the...

A. Revelation

He is the one who reveals, and the one who is revealed.

We see first of all that:

1. Jesus Reveals You to You

Nathanael came to Jesus not expecting much…after all he was only a man from Nazareth.

But Jesus revealed who Nathanael really was to himself.

David said in Psalm 139:1-4

Psalm 139:1–4 KJV

1 O Lord, thou hast searched me, and known me. 2 Thou knowest my downsitting and mine uprising, Thou understandest my thought afar off. 3 Thou compassest my path and my lying down, And art acquainted with all my ways. 4 For there is not a word in my tongue, But, lo, O Lord, thou knowest it altogether.

Jesus knows and can reveal us to ourselves.

But secondly, and of course it is most important that:

2. Jesus Reveals Himself to You

Without God drawing us to him, we will never see who Jesus really is.

Jesus is the perfect revelation of God.

We had a partial revelation of who God is through his handiwork in creation.

We had a more clear revelation through Scripture from Moses and the prophets.

But the perfect revelation of God has been made through the person of Jesus Christ.

Colossians 1:15 speaking of Jesus, says...

Colossians 1:15 KJV

15 Who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature:

Colossians 2:9 tells us

Colossians 2:9 KJV

9 For in him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily.

So who is this Jesus?

He is God revealed to us as our perfect Example, our perfect Savior, and our perfect Master and Lord.

Secondly He is our...

B. Mediation

51 And he saith unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Hereafter ye shall see heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of man.

This is a picture of Jacob’s ladder.

It is a picture of open access into the very presence of God.

The door of heaven is open and the angels are ascending from earth to heaven.

Jesus was saying that He is Jacob’s ladder; the ladder is a symbol of Him.

He is the one who opens Heaven.

He was saying that He is the one who reaches from earth to heaven.

He is the One by whom man has his communication carried up into heaven.

We can only approach God and enter heaven through Christ

John 14:6 KJV

6 Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.

Not only does Jesus the revelation to us of who God is....

but he is the mediation between Heaven and man…between God and man.

Thirdly we see in this passage, Who is Jesus?

He is the...

C. Incarnation

That is He is God in the flesh.

He is the Son of God as Nathanael declared in verse 49.

He is the Messiah, the King of Israel who has come to save all man kind!

This is who Jesus is!

This is my challenge to you today - Come and See Who Jesus Is!

Only Jesus can inspire twelve men to follow him, to serve him, to die a martyrs death for him…as well as thousands others since them.

Only Jesus can inspire the spread of the Truth throughout the world by humble servants and missionaries and disciples.

Verily Verily - of a truth! Amen and Amen - Jesus is the very Revelation of God...

Jesus is the Only Mediation between God and Man

Jesus is the very incarnation -the very Son of God

Only a man like Jesus could inspire people to follow Him like he does.

From boyhood, one of my favorite stories has been the forty martyrs of Sabaste. These forty soldiers, all Christians, were members of the famed Twelfth Legion of Rome's imperial army.

One day their captain told them Emperor Licinius had sent out an edict that all soldiers were to offer sacrifice to the pagan gods. These Christians replied, "You can have our armor and even our bodies, but our hearts? allegiance belongs to Jesus Christ.'

It was midwinter of A.D. 320, and the captain had them marched onto a nearby frozen lake. He stripped them of their clothes and said they would either die or renounce Christ.

Throughout the night these men huddled together singing their song, "Forty martyrs for Christ.? One by one the temperature took its toll and they fell to the ice.

At last there was only one man left. He lost courage and stumbled to the shore, where he renounced Christ. The officer of the guards had been watching all this. Unknown to the others, he had secretly come to believe in Christ. When he saw this last man break rank, he walked out onto the ice, threw off his clothes, and confessed that he also was a Christian.

When the sun rose the next morning, there were forty bodies of soldiers who had fought to the death for Christ.