Come and See for Yourself

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. 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.” John 1:43-48 (NLT)

Have you ever had what you consider to be some good news but you seem to have difficulty convincing others to feel like you feel about it? Have you ever felt like, I wish I could explain things better so that I could be more persuasive when I talk to people? Then, imagine having what you believe to be the best news that you have ever come across and you found out before others did and so you wanted your friends to know but when you tried to tell them they just refused to believe you. I believe that those types of experiences keep many Christians from evangelism or just personal witnessing—especially to those that they know best. It’s funny that we can talk to our relatives and friends about anything but we stumble when we want to share our religious faith with them. To make matters worse, if we happen to be close to someone who is of a religious faith that is not Christian, they seem to go on and on talking about their faith until you walk away or someone asks them to be quiet. Why is it so difficult to tell people about Jesus? You finally start to grow in your faith and you feel really good about your vibrant spiritual life and yet you find yourself treating your Christianity like you are having an affair with the Holy Ghost. You know you are involved in it but you don’t want to talk about it. When others are talking about it you say a few things to strengthen their position but you don’t say a whole lot about your own situation. There seem to be a fear that you might get tested on it and flunk the test. Have you ever felt inadequate in your witnessing? I believe that the interactions that take place between Phillip and Nathanael can help us to see ourselves and perhaps at the same time allow us an alternative to feeling inadequate in our witnessing. Let’s look at today’s text.


I. Jesus Called Phillip to Follow Him
A. Jesus found Phillip while going to Galilee
B. Six of the Twelve Disciples were called Individually

II. Phillip found Nathanael (Jesus saw him while Phillip was looking for him.)
A. His Testimony was that They had found Jesus
B. He declared Jesus to be the long awaited Messiah
C. He identified Jesus as the Son of Joseph from Nazareth

III. Nathanael responded to Phillip’s Testimony
A. Because of Nazareth, Nathanael discredited Phillip’s Testimony (Why do others discredit your testimony?)


Phillip’s response to Nathanael’s statement is our topic today, Come and See for Yourself. Sometimes, words are not enough. Some people are determined to not be convinced by others of anything. You might as well go argue with a sign on the side of the road than try to get some people to change their minds. Therefore, sometimes witnessing can be stressful and even feel like a waste of our time. But yet Christians are admonished to spread the gospel or the good news of Jesus Christ. When we find ourselves torn between the call of discipleship and the fear of failure or disappointment, then we should just recommend that people would come and see for themselves. There are times that I would like to be a great statesman for the Lord but my words get all tangled up and sometimes they will just dry up on me. All I know to say is just come see for yourself. Phillip is not credited with writing a gospel account or a letter to a church. Phillip, however, was successful at getting Nathanael to come see a man who fulfilled the very prophesies of God. Nathanael didn’t go looking for Jesus because Phillip said something that convinced him of who Jesus was. But he followed Phillip’s advice and decided to check this Jesus out for himself. I don’t know if I will say anything today to change someone’s opinion about Jesus but I suggest that you just come and see for yourself. If you are confused and don’t know where to turn, I could tell you how Jesus has regulated my troubled mind at times but you might not be convinced. So why don’t you call upon Jesus for yourself. If you’re in trouble and can’t see your way out, I could tell you how Jesus rescued me time and time again but you might not believe me. Come and see for yourself. If you’re lonely and feel like you don’t have a friend in the world, I could tell you about times when Jesus had to keep me company but you might not believe me. Try him and see for yourself. I don’t know what’s going on in your life but I do know that life can be filled with ups and downs. I could tell you that the joy of the Lord picks me up when I’m down but you might have doubts about that. So try Jesus and see for yourself. I could tell you about the old story of a baby born in Bethlehem who was wrapped in swaddling clothes and laid in a manger; how he grew up to be a man named Jesus who gave sight to the blind, cleansed lepers, and raised the dead. I could go on to tell you how he was arrested and crucified on a Roman cross and died one Friday and was buried in a cave. He stayed there until Sunday morning when he rose and declared that he has all power in heaven and earth. I could tell you that he still heals the sin-sick soul, cleanses those filthy with immorality, and raises the spiritual dead to newness of life. I don’t want to try to convince you of all of that but rather suggest that you try him and see for yourself.

Robert C. Hudson
September 27, 2009