REVEALED: Come and See

You confess it; He forgives it. You name it; He destroys it. You expose it; He removes it. You own it; He takes it out. You do not have to have a priest or a preacher, or a baptismal font or a river, or a course in theology; you just have to believe what I am telling you now. Behold the Lamb of God that taketh away the sins of the world.

And He Dwelt among Us: Teachings from the Gospel of John The Lamb that Was Slain

The Lamb of God, the seed of Abraham, David’s greater son, the Lamb that was slain—He specializes in hard cases and He takes away sin—yours and mine. He forgiveth iniquity and pardoneth sin. You confess it; He forgives it. You name it; He destroys it. You expose it; He removes it. You own it; He takes it out. You do not have to have a priest or a preacher, or a baptismal font or a river, or a course in theology; you just have to believe what I am telling you now. Behold the Lamb of God that taketh away the sins of the world. That is where to look, to the Lamb of God. To Jesus, the Lamb of God.

Looking at some words of Jesus from today’s text:

What are you seeking?

We come to Jesus originally for all sorts of reasons.

Purpose in life

Deliverance from hardship

Hope to get through a dark night

Restoration of relationship

Healing of life’s hurts

Salvation from destructive habits

Recovery from long held hangups

What brought you to Jesus? Even if you have always been at church …what brought you to Jesus?

Come and see

Three ways to becoming a follower of Jesus:

Andrew: told about Jesus

Rabbi’s were very protective of their students…but for JtB, he understood that when his successor showed up, he had to send his students to follow Jesus…they had heard about Jesus for some time now, and there he was.

Like for many of us growing up in church, only one day to find him.

Peter: brought by others

We were brought by others…someone told us the good news, someone told us about God’s love. Someone invited us to come and see…we came and we saw.

Come and see = evangelism anyone can do

Philip: called by God

Maybe you were moved to read God's word and felt God calling you to him

This happens…Gideon's have many stories of people finding Jesus reading his word.

Nathaniel: a miracle

Probably more rare…you were healed.

Not because of your faith, but because of His faithfulness.

accident - medical miracle - weather/nature

God got your attention with His supernatural authority

Nathaniel…honest with his doubts and questions…experienced a miracle

Many ways for us to get to Jesus…but Jesus is the only way to the father....we will get back to that in a moment.

First I want us to look at Jesus’s second invitation to those who some and see,

Follow me

Everyone follows someone…ourselves…a Jesus of our own invention.

But many are following Jesus, but how closely?

“close enough to be covered in the dust of your rabbi.”

This invitation is made to every person who encounters Jesus. We make this invitation every Sunday because we want to be clear, a disciple isn’t someone who came and saw…a disciple is one who follows Jesus

Follow me is an invitation to spend time with Jesus.

Faith is a journey…Jesus is referred to as they way. The way of salvation includes some things we see here in the passage today.

Brought others like Andrew or Philip

family…coworkers…Christianity is a relational experience it is shared with those important to us

most people bring others to Jesus in the first two years of their coming to faith…after that, we don’t know people who aren’t Christians…or we have told everyone in our circle.

That’s what makes come and see so practical. We can invite anyone. Have extra tickets to the game…invite your neighbor to come and see. Have some crabs…invite a neighbor to come and see. Your granddaughter is in a play…invite someone to come and see.

Who can you invite to come and see Jesus alive in you?

We were changed like Peter

Names had great meaning in their culture. To mark his life being changed…Jesus changed his name.

Maybe your introduction to Jesus brought about an equally dramatic change in your life

Dramatic or not however, when we experience the living God, we are changed.

Surrender like Nathaniel

Nathaniel was suprised…he wasn’t expecting much to come out of Nazareth…but what he found was the one who fulfilled a call from scripture

John 1:51

Spending time with Jesus, being close enough to Jesus to be covered in his dust, we realize that we can’t solely seek the things Jesus does....what Jesus revealed is that its who He IS that will sustain us…that will deliver us…that will give us hope…strength.

It’s not about what he does…it’s not that he heals…it’s that he is a healer. It’s not that he delivers…it’s that he is our deliverer. It’s not that he makes us strong…it’s that he is our strength. he is our hope. He is our future. He is our purpose.

Come and see…not what he “does”…come and see who he is!

we all come looking for Jesus to DO somethings....but if we stay with him…we will see that what matters isn’t what he does so much…it’s who he is

These became the 12…who also responded to Jesus’s invitation to follow

Because they remained with Him…they followed him.

Covered in the dust of Jesus…am I close enough to get dirty by Jesus

Christianity has not been tried and found wanting; it has been found difficult and not tried.

Gilbert K. Chesterton

What overwhelms the difficulty is the person of Jesus…This Lenten season, I invite you to join me in a new discipline…of remembering the lords supper.

On the first Sunday of the month, we share in a sacrament of holy Communion. Its communion because we share it in community with one another and with God. We can’t share communion as a sacrament outside of the gathered body, but we can practice the lords supper as an act of remembrance.

Come and see

join the 12…get close to Jesus this season of Lent, what your rabbi does, you do. Where he goes, follow him. Tell someone where he leads you to go and what he leads you to do. I bet he will surprise you just like he did Nathaniel.

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