Come and See
John 1:43-48
John 1:43–46 (NLT)
The next day Jesus decided to go to Galilee. He found Philip and said to him, “Come, follow me.” Philip was from Bethsaida, Andrew and Peter’s hometown. Philip went to look for Nathanael and told him, “We have found the very person Moses and the prophets wrote about! His name is Jesus, the son of Joseph from Nazareth.” “Nazareth!” exclaimed Nathanael. “Can anything good come from Nazareth?” “Come and see for yourself,” Philip replied.
1. Look for Lost People
John 1:45 (NLT)
Philip went to look for Nathanael…
“went to look for” - heurisko which indicates “a purposeful act of looking for and going to a person”
John 1:43 (NLT)
The next day Jesus decided to go to Galilee. He found Philip and said to him, “Come, follow me.”
Found people find people
Luke 19:10 (ESV)
For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.
John 4:35a (NLT)
I say, wake up and look around. The fields are already ripe for harvest.
2. Tell Them What You’ve Found
John 1:45 (NLT)
Philip went to look for Nathanael and told him, “We have found the very person Moses and the prophets wrote about! His name is Jesus, the son of Joseph from Nazareth.”
John 1:46a (NLT)
“Nazareth!” exclaimed Nathanael. “Can anything good come from Nazareth?”
John 1:45 (NLT)
Philip went to look for Nathanael and told him, “We have found the very person Moses and the prophets wrote about!
1st Assume they’re interested
2nd Assume they know something is missing
Ecclesiastes 3:11b (NIV)
He has also set eternity in the human heart.
> Most men live quiet lives of desperation. ---Henry David Thoreau
3rd Assume God has been at work in their life
John 1:48b (NLT)
“I could see you under the fig tree before Philip found you.”
4th Assume you’re not the only person God is using
5th Assume they are hoping you’ll invite them
Over 80% of first-time church visitors say they came because someone personally invited them.
3. Invite Them to Come and See
John 1:46 (NLT)
“Nazareth!” exclaimed Nathanael. “Can anything good come from Nazareth?” “Come and see for yourself,” Philip replied.
John 1:38-39a (NLT)
Jesus looked around and saw them following. “What do you want?” he asked them. They replied, “Rabbi” (which means “Teacher”), “where are you staying?” “Come and see,” he said.
John 4:29 (NLT)
“Come and see a man who told me everything I ever did! Could he possibly be the Messiah?”
John 1:47–49 (NLT)
As they approached, Jesus said, “Now here is a genuine son of Israel—a man of complete integrity.” “How do you know about me?” Nathanael asked. Jesus replied, “I could see you under the fig tree before Philip found you.” Then Nathanael exclaimed, “Rabbi, you are the Son of God—the King of Israel!”
