Come and See

Hello my friends Michael use of here. I just wanted to thank you for connecting with leading the way. Our entire team is wholly committed to passionately proclaiming uncompromising truth of God's word and it cannot be done without you learn more about what God has charged us to do around the world by clicking around LTW.org that's LTW.org. Thank you and may God richly bless you as you see I know people in the world that have all kinds of marketing techniques try to sell the product in this people who market the product they're confident that somehow the product is good and that no is going to work and therefore they give it to you for free. Knowing that if you try to buy but isn't always the case. I regret about little boy whose mother was trying to give him some castor oil, and she started all the selling that she could to get them to take that castor oil and show you how many years ago that was discussed at all anymore and the boy just he encloses Megan going to buy is not buying it, and find that his mother symptoms of you know Wilbur if you said yourself. It taste good taste good taste good. Then you go to take it very easily.

Louisville was too clever for his mom and he thought about it and telling moment of inspiration. He said no mom I have a better idea. I just said to myself.

I've already taken it already taken. It already taken it well enough to take but trying a product or trying something that we know works also works in our Christian witness, comparing the seriousness of sharing Christ with others worth marketing technique, but I want to make the point because we know that Jesus is the truth the whole truth and nothing but the truth. Therefore, we are confident because we know that he is not just one among equals.

But here's the one we are confident because we know for sure that he is the only Savior and Lord, and therefore we don't have to market Jesus would not have to sell Jesus we don't have to entice people to come to Jesus. We don't even have to use smoke and mirrors.

Some people that we don't try to ram it down. Some people's throats like other religions do that some other religions were because they're not confident about their religious systems that manipulate they do all sorts of things and including killing you. If you don't convert to their religious system, but we don't do that because we have confidence not only that he is the only Lord and Savior, but we have confidence that is the only one who can convert the soul is the only one who can do that we can never convert anybody. We can only introduce people to Jesus and Jesus to people. Our job is like that. Some of those dear people standing there, the supermarket selling you to taste it based offer a taste experience and for yourself. Our task is so simple. It is like that of Philip, and see can you say that with me, and see that's it. And you know sometimes when you share Christ with a person. The ripple effect goes on and on and on and on and you really will never understand the complete results in the full fruit of it until you go to heaven. Our task is to just tell a person come and see you searching for the truth. Come and see how you are conscious so burdened with guilt and sin come and see if you hard bound with grief, and see. Have you tried everything else and have failed come and see you are uncertain if you died today you will be in heaven for sure.

Come and see if you have no peace or contentment in your life, see come to the only one that I know who could heal my broken heart. Come to the only one that I know who could have forgiven me all of my sins come to the only one I know who could remove all of my guilt and shame come to the only one that I know who could give me peace and joy even in the tough times in the dark times of life come to be only one that I know who could actually overturn the life with him in heaven come to the only one that I know who could make my life purposeful and meaningful and joyful and he can do the same for you. EC locomotion, no arm-twisting, no manipulation, why should we or should we we want nothing in return we got nothing to sell for our benefit. We are compelled by love where propelled by the desire to see people return that is saved. We have one desire and that is have others come and discover what we have discovered the greatest treasure of all.

And for that you don't have to be verbal. You don't have to be verbose. You don't have to be articulate. You don't have to be outgoing, you don't have to be extrovert. You don't have to be a scholar. All you have to say is what the Bible tells us about such a man. He was a quiet man.

He was a shy man.

He was an unassuming man I'm going to show you he really is the kind of man who would have been easily lost in the shuffle. Either got a manual be easily lost in a crowd is not the kind of man that stands out John chapter 1 as we look at this incredible man. This is the only place where we actually find him in the loop with more detail later on. John also tells us more about them. In fact John is the only one who tells us about fellow I'm going to tell you why. Verse 43 the next day Jesus decided to leave for Galilee, finding Philip he said to him, follow me.

Don't miss the I think most people do. Philip, like Andrew and Peter was with the two brothers was from the Middletown actually is a tiny little village little fishing village of Bethesda now before I get to that notice that it was Jesus who found Philip did you get that Philip did not find Jesus. Jesus found Philip and my beloved, listen to me regardless of the methods by which we come to Christ regardless of the way each of us come to Christ regardless of the instrument whom Christ uses to bring us to himself in the final analysis, Jesus finds us, not the other way around why John choose to give us a little bits of information. Why did he choose to tell us that fellow is from that tiny little village from which Peter and Andrew came BC when Andrew followed Jesus.

What if you do know the first thing he did. He went and found his big brother Peter big brother Peter and your love. You just have to love. His larger-than-life see Andrew is very shrewd and he knew that Peter can become useful for the kingdom. I'm convinced that's why he's the patron saint of Scotland who else in the Bible can bring few loaves and fishes to Jesus and he can feed 5003 visit that guides our man so he's the patron saint Andrew assured he really was and he knew that Peter can become very useful for the kingdom. I'm in Tito's big mouth, verbose and he comes to the room in her mouth. First is the kind of guy who cannot get things done them and he is an important guy, Peter Wood would be a good person to enlist in the work of Jesus in him and he is a shake and a mover man and Andrew's new dad about his big brother you want to bring them to Jesus. So he brought him to Jesus. This is a tiny little village, everybody knew everybody. Everybody so everybody Philip is from that same town what any bring Philip I told you Philip is the kind of person who everybody overlooks. He's the one that nobody remembers to bring that's what Jesus found. In fact, the only records found about Philip is in John's Gospel, the other gospel just mention him as a disciple of Jesus. But if you read the other Gospels going to have to conclude that Philip was a nobody. In fact, some people read the other Gospels that Philip did nothing and do much. Listen to me if this heart of God. There is no one who is a nobody can I get a witness the fact John deliberately shows us how somebody who can be overlooked by others, and yet can be so effective for Jesus Christ. Someone said actually Philip is the patron saint of all the shy and quiet and unassuming people. Be that as it may, you might be a person who identify with your persons is man. I'm not the kind of person who did things done, quiet person on behind-the-scenes person.

Let me tell you something if you identify with Philip God can use you in a far greater way than you even thought possible.

You can be sure of one thing and that's this you know are important than the site of Jesus and he seeks you out to Jesus, you are not invisible to Jesus, you are of immense importance. I'm going to show you in a minute how Philip was so important to Jesus. Look at verse 45 of John chapter 1 as soon as Philip found by Jesus. This is Philip found Nathaniel and he told them we have found the one Moses wrote about in the law and about whom the prophets also brought Jesus of Nazareth. Before I get this I want you to know that if you read the accounts of the gospel. You don't have to conclude all of them, for that matter that Nathaniel was not one of the 12. The list of the disciples in Matthew, Mark, and Luke is not there.

That's because John uses his first name Nathaniel and the other writers of the gospel uses last name Bartholomew. That's his last name bar in Hebrew means son like bar mitzvah there. Some of the law far solid view is the son of someone you Philip, though quiet man is always a shy man in his own way.

He wanted to bring people to Christ and he succeeded in spades. This is quiet and shy people can invite friends and say to them what come and see. Don't ever think that you are too shy to bring somebody to Christ. Don't ever think that you not outgoing enough to bring something invite somebody to come to Christ. In fact, those are the most effective people for Christ. And so Philip goes to Nathaniel and says the Messiah is here. The one who insisted look forward to whom they long for is here who's in every book of our Bible. The Old Testament prophesied about coming is here now. The one whom God promised back in Genesis 315 is here now. The one who Moses said that God will raise somebody like unto myself is here, the one who redeems Israel is here to learn is the only Savior and Lord is here. The one who is the only way to heaven and to the father is here, the one who is the only son of God is here, the one was one true Messiah is here but notice Nathaniel's reaction. I'm sure if you ever had an experience you your say this not surprise you know this is an uncommon reaction among the snobs on the pompous people do not talk about Izzy.

Snobs have a hard time surrendering to Jesus, but when they do they do great things. Nathaniel hears the word Nazareth and he almost loses his cook now beginning to get it out. Nazareth, you kidding me know if you Nathaniel is from Cana of Galilee. A little down less than 2 miles away from Nazareth and he knew Nazareth only to weld another set fact that there are some people in certain regions of the country down to other people from another region of the same country that is a fact today Cana of Galilee is a tiny little town.

One street, one street and those of you traveled this road is seated there although shops selling icons and right at the end of the street as a church is built on the site where Jesus turned water into wine. I said Nazareth, on the other hand, because of Jesus's frame is now a huge metropolis is all the surrounding hills and got much, much bigger.

But back then, at the time of Jesus. It was the other way around. It was the opposite. Cana was a commercial center. Nazareth was a dusty town with very poor reputation. Listen to Nathaniel's reaction to the invitation.

Can anything good come out of their Taiwan companies voice drips with scorn. His reaction is loaded with contempt, and he his attitude is laden with sarcasm, but I love to quickly move into Phillips response to that kind of snobbery. Philip's reaction really blesses me. I don't about you.

It just blesses me. I learned from Philip reaction. It's a wonderful example wonderful model of reaction coming. This would've been an opportunity for Philip man to suck up to Nathaniel Wheeler ignorant. You don't understand it in the Bible certainly tell you the Old Testament, and I would've really got into a real humble dingo of an argument with, but he didn't. Minimizing I meant this was a temptation for every bottle on the part of Philip, but he refused to do that. I love Phillips response 11.

What was excellent come and see beloved firmament or something.

Heated arguments and prolonged debates. Other people often brings very little results. I can win an argument. I know that but I don't want to win the argument and lose the person learn from Philip. Our response must always be like that of fellow. What is common. See Philip was self-confident of the truth. Philip was so short of the Messiah ship of Jesus Christ. Philip was so certain that Jesus is Lord, regardless of what he can from so he said what ultimately that's all we can do really in the final that's all we should do. Ultimately, that's all we need to do. Jesus will do the rest. Now doesn't mean that we should be prepared and answered questions and so forth.

But I'm just saying in the ultimate analysis Jesus is the one who does the converting Jesus is the only one who can see through people enter their character.

Only Jesus can bring a person into conviction and repentance and faith. Only Jesus can exercise divine omniscience. Only Jesus can see past the output veneer. Only Jesus can see behind the hard mask. Only Jesus can see beyond their appearances into their desperate need.

Only Jesus can read their body language. Only Jesus can understand the inflection in their voices. Only Jesus can read the demeanors and looked deep into the hurting.

Only Jesus can do that and that is why our testimony must be very simply, what you see Jesus on the Faneuil before Philip ever invited he saw him, he saw his desperate need. He saw the big veneer is putting on.

He knows that hiding behind all this kind of attitude to farm bigger than you, better than you are no more than you do this all before. Philip ever invited Missy. When Jesus sees Nathaniel, he says here to Israelite and say you tell me good to know what they said.

His after Israelite, he saw that his has zeal for his religion is a true Israelite and who there is nothing false. It's amazing to me.

I mean Nathaniel at that moment melts like butter. He put compass help them so that Jesus is response. How do you know Jesus knows everything. Look at verse 48 I saw you while you are still under the fig tree before Philip invited you my in the center of the major concerns Rabbi you are the son of God, the Messiah will be waiting for you the king of Israel. Now I know you're the Messiah. Now I know that you are the one that had passed generations of my ancestors, hoping, waiting for I'm longing for the privilege to see but I see Jesus said you believe because I told you. Verse 50. You believe because I told you I saw you under the fig tree, you shall see greater things than that nothing will urine Israelite you know your Bible you know that in Genesis 27, 28, your ancestor Jacob Israel.

That's what you are Israelites, you are the descendent of Jacob you're the descendent of Israel and you remember back then in Genesis that Jacob and the wilderness had a dream and a vision of heaven's door open and the Son of Man is sitting there on the throne and the Angels were ascending and descending. Do you remember that Nathaniel immediately gets it together.

He immediately's eyes are open.

Nathaniel, the one that Jacob saw in the wilderness, was me Nathaniel, I'm the one through whom all things were created, I am the one who said, let there be light on the stars and the sun and the moon sprang into their orbits. I am the one who knew his mama before she bore him. I am the one who appeared to Abraham 2000 years before my incarnation. I am the one who wrestled with Jacob. I am the one who guided Israel out of Egypt.

I am the one who is the commander of the house of the Lord who gave just what victory I am the one who guided David, I am the one for whom David sung his songs. I am the one I am the one side of the one in the previous generations have long for and waited for, but did not see, but you do.

All we need to say is what Jesus said to every disciple follow me.

A lot of people use the word I'm a follower of Jesus Christ. Lots of politicians, follower of Jesus Christ present me see, to follow Jesus is me just to admire Jesus.

Some people really think is just you try harder to be like Jesus will best of luck without God the Holy Spirit. You can try all you want to make it politicians allies in shambles on a follower of Jesus. The policies demonic, follower of Jesus. Listen to me. When Jesus said to the disciples follow me, means that you go when he takes you and whatever he gives you unquestionable obedience. That's what it means unquestionably follow him.

And when you do that he will accomplish whatever he sets to do through you and through me, including preparing the people who were gonna invite and say come and see. It is my prayer that even now in with a prayer on the… Lord help me to bring people until incumbency father was so grateful we are so thankful that you are the Lord of all, since your only son, for whom and through whom you created the world. The one in whom all of the Godhead bodily dwells to be born in a dirty little manger like the worst of us, so that he can redeem all of us. Father I pray hi strong or weak today. Somebody will give the last year and above all father for the rest of the congregation on help us to purpose in our hearts to make internal difference in the lives of four. I pray this in Jesus name, amen