church

INI
Third Sunday after Epiphany
January 22, 2012
Ascension Lutheran Church, Tacoma WA
Paul Naumann, Pastor

A Call to Discipleship:
"COME AND SEE"
John 1:43-51

To Him who loved us and washed us from our sins in His own blood, and has
made us kings and priests to God and His Father, to Him be glory and
dominion forever and ever, Amen. This morning's text comes from the first
chapter of John's Gospel, beginning in the 43rd verse, as follows:

The following day Jesus wanted to go to Galilee, and He found Philip and said
to him, "Follow Me." 44 Now Philip was from Bethsaida, the city of Andrew
and Peter. 45 Philip found Nathanael and said to him, "We have found Him of
whom Moses in the law, and also the prophets, wrote-- Jesus of Nazareth, the
son of Joseph." 46 And Nathanael said to him, "Can anything good come out of
Nazareth?" Philip said to him, "Come and see." 47 Jesus saw Nathanael coming
toward Him, and said of him, "Behold, an Israelite indeed, in whom is no
deceit!" 48 Nathanael said to Him, "How do You know me?" Jesus answered
and said to him, "Before Philip called you, when you were under the fig tree, I
saw you." 49 Nathanael answered and said to Him, "Rabbi, You are the Son of
God! You are the King of Israel!" 50 Jesus answered and said to him, "Because
I said to you,`I saw you under the fig tree,' do you believe? You will see greater
things than these." 51 And He said to him, "Most assuredly, I say to you,
hereafter you shall see heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and
descending upon the Son of Man." So far the Holy Word.

In the Name of Christ the Crucified, Who manifests Himself as the Son of God
and Savior of the world, Dear Fellow Redeemed,

Some things you simply have to see with your own eyes to believe. In the early
hours of July 20, 1969, a human being did something no human being had ever
done before - Neil Armstrong walked on the moon. Many of us wouldn't have
believed it could ever happen if we hadn't been watching the live coverage on
our televisions at home. As it is, there are still some people who don't believe it;
some conspiracy theorists still argue that the moon walk was an elaborate hoax,
staged on a movie set somewhere in Florida! I guess some people can't be
satisfied unless they actually witness an event in person.

Seeing is believing. We human beings tend to be rather skeptical about things
we can't see with our own eyes. In many areas this can be a healthy attitude to
have - it keeps us from being taken in by outrageous advertising claims, for
instance. Unfortunately, this skepticism and doubt often extends to matters of
faith, as well. And that’s not so good. Doubts about God, and about His will for
our lives, are not healthy. They are very unhealthy, and they can interfere with
our discipleship. Thankfully, our Savior knows our doubts, and He doesn't call
us to be disciples without also giving us convincing evidence that what He says
is true. Even better than videotape, that evidence is seen in His Word, and in
how the Lord is working in our own lives! Have you had troubling doubts
lately? Are you maybe a little hesitant about giving your life over completely to
serving Christ? Then follow the advice Philip gave Nathanael in our text for
today. Our theme is:

A Call to Discipleship:
"COME AND SEE!"

I. Sometimes we are shortsighted,
II. But Jesus sees us coming,
III. And Jesus grants us heavenly vision.

I think it's safe to say that all of you in church this morning consider yourselves
disciples of Jesus. If you didn't, you wouldn't be here. But there are things that
get in the way of discipleship, and you should be aware of them. One of these
things is lack of vision -- or what you could call "spiritual shortsightedness." It's
an unhealthy skepticism about God, and what God can do for you, that keeps
you from realizing the full benefits of your faith. In our text, a young man
named Nathanael exhibits a bad case of spiritual shortsightedness.

As our text opens, Jesus has just called Philip to be his fourth disciple. Philip,
overjoyed at having found the Savior, does the most natural thing there is - he
immediately goes to find somebody he can share this Good News with. Philip
found Nathanael and said to him, "We have found Him of whom Moses in the
law, and also the prophets, wrote-- Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph." "We
have found the Messiah!" he said, "The promised Savior is right here in this
town!" But Nathanael was skeptical. He had doubts. Nazareth was in Galilee, a
land whose people were despised by the Jews of Jerusalem. Also, Nathanael
knew of no prophesy that said the Messiah would come from Galilee. So
Nathanael said unto him, Can anything good come out of Nazareth?

He was a bit shortsighted, to say the least. Sometimes we are shortsighted, too,
when it comes to matters of faith. Certainly we confess Jesus with our lips. But
do we really trust Him in our day-to-day lives? When it comes to the crunch,
when a problem comes up and we need help NOW, do we come to Jesus first?
Do we always place our needs before Him in prayer, and trust in Him to help us
sort out our problems? I'm afraid that sometimes we don't even give a thought
to Jesus - to our Almighty Savior, who is able to solve our worst problem
without moving His little finger!

Is it because we doubt who Jesus is? Do we doubt His power to help and save?
Nathanael did. But Philip had an answer ready. The answer Philip gave to
Nathanael's shortsighted doubts was the very best answer possible: COME
AND SEE! Notice he didn't try to reason with him. He didn't try to explain,
and answer Nathanael's doubts logically point by point. Philip simply said,
"Come and see!" Philip knew that once his friend met Jesus, all doubts would
disappear. He knew that all he had to do was get Nathanael to come to Jesus,
and Nathanael too would become His disciple. And it worked – that approach
was very effective!

And it’s still the most effective approach. You know, you and Philip have
something in common. Just like Philip, Jesus has told you to "go and make
disciples." Well, what's the best way to do that? What's the surest method to
reach your shortsighted friends and relatives, and call them to discipleship?
Don't expect to convert them with logic. Don't depend on human reason to
convince them that Jesus is their Savior. One of the best ways is simply to say,
"COME AND SEE!" Did you know that nearly 90% of new members – in any
denomination – come not from newspaper ads or radio spots or door-to-door
advertising, but from friendship evangelism. From people who are already
church members bringing their friends and acquaintances to hear God’s Word.
Bring your friends to Jesus. Bring them along with you to Sunday School, to
information class; include them in your family devotions if they happen to be
visiting in your home. Especially, bring them here to God's house, where the
Bible is read and the Gospel is preached, and where Christ crucified is clearly
presented, every Sunday, as the only way of salvation. Don't depend on your
own power; just say, "COME AND SEE," and let the mighty power of the
Holy Spirit take over.

Will it work? It sure worked on Nathanael. Jesus saw him coming a mile away.
In fact, the Lord knew all about him before he even opened his mouth! Our text
says, Jesus saw Nathanael coming toward Him, and said of him, "Behold, an
Israelite indeed, in whom is no deceit!" Jesus knew very well the guile, the
deceit and hypocrisy of Jews like the scribes and Pharisees. But as Paul said,
"They are not all Israel who are of Israel." -- Rom 9:6. The real Israelites - the
true people of God - were those few Jews who were waiting in faith and hope
for the Messiah to arrive. Nathanael was one of those true Israelites, and Jesus
recognized it immediately. But on his part, Nathanael was still skeptical. Jesus
was a perfect stranger, someone he'd never met before, and here was Jesus
talking to him as if He knew all about him! Nathanael said to Him, "How do
You know me?"

How did He know? Perhaps you've read the Sherlock Holmes stories, by
Arthur Conan Doyle. It seems like magic the way Holmes can take one look at
a perfect stranger and tell him his background, his occupation, and even what
he had for breakfast that morning. But later the detective always explains how
his conclusions are the result not of magic, but of pure deductive reasoning.
Jesus saw Nathanael coming and was able to tell him all about himself. It wasn't
magic -- but neither was it deduction. Nathanael was soon to realize that Jesus
had powers far beyond those of any mere mortal! Nathanael said to Him, "How
do You know me?" Jesus answered and said to him, "Before Philip called you,
when you were under the fig tree, I saw you." 49 Nathanael answered and said
to Him, "Rabbi, You are the Son of God! You are the King of Israel!"

A big part of your call as a disciple is realizing that your Lord already knows
everything about you. Just like with Nathaniel, Jesus sees you coming. What the
Psalmist confessed is true about every one of us: "O Lord, You have searched
me known me. You know my sitting down and my rising up; You understand
my thought afar off. You comprehend my path and my lying down, and are
acquainted with all my ways. For there is not a word on my tongue, but behold,
O Lord, You know it altogether." -- Ps 139:1-4. This is your call to discipleship:
COME AND SEE JESUS, the One who knows you even better than you know
yourself! Your thoughts, your words and your actions - everything about you is
open to Him. It’s somewhat disconcerting to think that Jesus is looking over
your shoulder whenever you commit a sin. But think of what a comfort it is as
well! For there is no doubt, no sorrow or pain in your life that your loving Lord
Jesus doesn't know all about. You can be sure that He's well aware them all,
and that He knows the best way to overcome your doubts, alleviate your sorrow
and soothe your pain.

Jesus demonstrated His power to Nathanael in a very simple way – He told him
where he'd been a few minutes earlier, sitting under a fig tree on the other side
of town. My Christian friends: hasn't He done the same thing for you? Hasn't
He demonstrated His power in your life, over and over again, by giving you just
what you need at just the right time? The hymn writer put it well: "Chief of
sinners though I be, Christ is All in all to me; All my wants to Him are known,
All my sorrows are His own." Yes, Jesus sees us coming. And when we view the
evidence from our own lives, we can't help but confess with Nathanael, "Lord,
You are the Son of God!"

Obviously, Nathanael was impressed with what Jesus told him about himself.
Impressed enough to recognize Jesus as the Messiah promised in the Old
Testament. But Jesus had news for Nathanael -- he hadn't seen anything yet. As
Jesus' own disciple, Nathanael would get to see a vision of heaven itself! Jesus
answered and said to him, "Because I said to you, `I saw you under the fig tree,'
do you believe? You will see greater things than these." 51 And He said to him,
"Most assuredly, I say to you, hereafter you shall see heaven open, and the
angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of Man."

Jesus used a little miracle to convince Nathanael who He was, but He had a
much bigger miracle in store. Ever since Adam and Eve's first fall into sin, sin
has stood as an impassable barrier between God and man. All through the Old
Testament, believers looked forward in faith to the far-off day when the
promised Messiah would arrive. They yearned to see the One who would break
down that barrier and open wide the doors of heaven once again.

Jacob was one of those Old Testament believers. You heard in this morning’s
Old Testament reading how, as a young man, all alone and fleeing for his life
from his brother Esau, Jacob was given a vision from the Lord. "And behold, a
ladder was set up on the earth, and its top reached to heaven; and there the
angels of God were ascending and descending on it." -- Gen 28:12. Jacob's
ladder was a vision of how the coming Savior would one day bridge the gap
between sinful man and almighty God. Now, Jesus said, that promise was about
to come true. Jesus Himself would be the One to break through the barrier of
sin once and for all. Heaven would be opened, and He Himself would be the
"ladder" by which all sinners can reach it. And - just think! Nathanael would
see this with his own eyes! He would learn firsthand the truth of Jesus' words, "I
am the Way, the Truth and the Life. No one comes to the Father except
through Me."

Philip told Nathanael to "COME AND SEE." He did. And did he get an
eyeful! As Jesus' disciple, he saw the way to heaven opened. And you know
what? That same gift is given to us, as well. Jesus grants us heavenly vision!

True, our vision is sometimes clouded. We look around us in our daily lives,
and we see the same old routine: the same pressures, the same troubles, the
same financial woes and worldly frustrations. But when we take the time to
look up from these petty details - when we come to Jesus - He opens up a
whole new world for us! The Bible says, "There is one God, and one Mediator
between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus, who gave Himself a ransom for
all." -- I Tim 2:5-6. That's not a fairy tale; that's a historical fact. Jesus' death on
the cross has released us from the heavy, hopeless burden of our sins. The
blood He shed on our behalf has become a fountain within us, springing up
unto eternal life. His resurrection from the dead is our guarantee that no charges
will be brought against us at the throne of God on Judgment Day, and that we
will live forever with Him in heaven!

Now, those things are true -- about me, and about every one of you here today
who trust in Jesus as your Savior from sin. We ARE going to win out in the end!
Christ HAS done everything necessary to deliver us to heaven, and for His sake
that's where we're going! Keep that vision of an opened heaven before your
eyes. I guarantee it will help you put your worldly problems in a better
perspective! If you find those doubts and worries troubling you, well, you know
where to come. Come to Jesus. In His Word, in your family devotions, in your
personal Bible reading, and especially here in God's house. It's the call that
went out to Nathanael, and it's a call that still goes out to you and me, lo these
many years later. It's the call to discipleship: "COME AND SEE!" AMEN.