Come and See

Jul 12, 2026

Devotional

Day 1: Behold the Lamb: Following the First Disciples’ Gaze

Two men shift from following John to trailing Jesus after hearing “Behold the Lamb of God.” Their hesitant pursuit meets Christ’s probing question: “What are you seeking?” Their request to know where He stays becomes an invitation to linger with the Word-made-flesh. The tenth hour marks not just a time of day, but the moment their lives pivot from curiosity to conviction. [30:04]

The next day again John was standing with two of his disciples, and he looked at Jesus as he walked by and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God!” The two disciples heard him say this, and they followed Jesus. (John 1:35-37, ESV)

Reflection: What unresolved hunger or question might Jesus be inviting you to bring into His presence today? How could lingering with Him reshape your seeking?

Day 2: We Have Found the Messiah: Andrew’s Immediate Declaration

Andrew’s night with Jesus erupts into a dawn of urgent testimony. No theological treatise—just raw conviction: “We have found the Messiah.” His sprint to find Simon mirrors every believer’s call to bridge others to Christ. The renaming of Peter whispers that encountering Jesus always reshapes identity. [39:48]

He first found his own brother Simon and said to him, “We have found the Messiah” (which means Christ). He brought him to Jesus. (John 1:41-42, ESV)

Reflection: Who in your life needs to hear your “we have found” story? What keeps you from sharing it with Andrew’s immediacy?

Day 3: Under the Fig Tree: Seeing Beyond Nazareth’s Doubt

Nathaniel’s scoff—“Can anything good come from Nazareth?”—meets Philip’s unshaken “Come and see.” Jesus disarms prejudice by revealing His supernatural knowledge of secret moments. The fig tree becomes a symbol of God’s intimate gaze into hidden places, dissolving skepticism with personalized grace. [32:15]

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.” Nathanael said to him, “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?” Philip said to him, “Come and see.” (John 1:45-46, ESV)

Reflection: What prejudices or assumptions about God’s work need dismantling in you? Where might He be inviting you to “come and see” beyond your objections?

Day 4: No Deceit, True Sight: Nathaniel’s Transparent Encounter

Jesus names Nathaniel “an Israelite indeed in whom there is no deceit,” piercing pretense to honor raw authenticity. Their exchange moves from suspicion to stunned confession: “You are the Son of God!” True sight flourishes when we approach Christ without hidden agendas, letting His gaze refine ours. [32:01]

Jesus saw Nathanael coming toward him and said of him, “Behold, an Israelite indeed, in whom there is no deceit!” Nathanael said to him, “How do you know me?” Jesus answered him, “Before Philip called you, when you were under the fig tree, I saw you.” (John 1:47-48, ESV)

Reflection: What fig tree moments—private struggles or hidden longings—do you need to trust Jesus already sees and understands?

Day 5: Heaven Opened: The Greater Things Awaiting Believers

Jesus promises Nathaniel he’ll see “heaven opened,” evoking Jacob’s ladder bridging earth and divine. The Son of Man becomes the new stairway where God’s glory descends and human worship ascends. Greater things await those who move past initial revelations to behold Christ’s cosmic reign. [32:43]

And he said to him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, you will see heaven opened, and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man.” (John 1:51, ESV)

Reflection: How might viewing Jesus as heaven’s open door transform your daily struggles? What “greater things” do you need faith to anticipate?

Sermon Summary

John presents Jesus in John 1:35-51 from three clear angles: Jesus the Messiah, Jesus the prophesied one, and Jesus the Son of God. John the Baptist points his own disciples away from himself and toward Christ, saying again, “Behold the Lamb of God.” The text calls attention to that word “behold,” because Jesus is not someone to glance at and move past. Jesus is the Lamb who takes away sin, and John wants hearts and minds to stop, look, listen, and follow.

Jesus turns to the two disciples and asks, “What are you seeking?” The question presses deeper than curiosity. The disciples want time with him, so Jesus says, “Come and you will see.” John does not record the whole conversation, but the result is plain. Andrew goes straight to Simon Peter and says, “We have found the Messiah.” Jesus is the Christ, the anointed one, the Savior promised from Genesis onward. The Old Testament is not a disconnected set of religious stories. God’s redemptive plan has been moving toward Christ from the beginning.

Jesus the Messiah means the Savior has come and everything necessary for justification has been accomplished. Christ lived the perfect life, satisfied the law, went to the cross, paid for sin, and cried, “It is finished.” There is no plan B, no alternate route, no other name that reconciles sinners to God. The narrowness of Christ is not cruelty. The grace is that God made a path at all.

John then presents Jesus as the one Moses and the prophets wrote about. Philip finds Nathaniel and says, “We have found him.” The law, the prophets, the whole Old Testament, all of it is one unified testimony pointing to Christ. Moses wrote of him. The prophets foretold him. The Scriptures were written across centuries, by many authors, in different places and languages, yet God gave one perfect story: God redeeming sinners through his Son.

Jesus also reveals himself as the Son of God. Nathaniel begins skeptical, saying, “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?” Yet Jesus sees him, knows him, and speaks to what no ordinary man could know. Nathaniel answers, “Rabbi, you are the Son of God. You are the King of Israel.” John’s point is not that Jesus is merely a teacher or prophet from God. Jesus is God in flesh, the one who knows the heart, saves sinners, and demands a response of trust, love, allegiance, and worship.

Key Takeaways

1. The Messiah has already come Jesus is not waiting to become the Savior. The promised Christ has come, and God’s redemptive plan has been completed in him. The Christian life rests on a finished work, not on a nervous attempt to add what Christ left undone. [45:33]
2. Christ finished what sinners could not Jesus satisfied the law that fallen people could never keep. His cross was not a partial payment, and his cry, “It is finished,” leaves no room for self-made righteousness. Justification stands on what Christ has accomplished, not on what a person can improve. [46:21]
3. All Scripture points to Jesus Moses, the prophets, and the whole Old Testament form one unified testimony. The Bible is not a telephone game that fell apart through centuries, but a tested and tried word from God. Its unity strengthens faith because its center is God redeeming sinners through his Son. [52:16]
4. True beholding becomes witness Andrew found Peter, and Philip found Nathaniel, because seeing Christ rightly could not stay private. The pattern in John is simple and searching: those convinced that Jesus is the Christ tell others to come and see. Real faith does not merely admire Jesus from a distance. [57:17]
5. Jesus knows the hidden heart Nathaniel’s encounter shows that Jesus sees what ordinary human beings cannot see. The fig tree remains unexplained, but the point is clear: Christ knows the heart, the secret place, and the real condition of a person before God. Such knowledge is terrifying apart from grace and deeply comforting in the hands of the Savior. [64:49]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[28:26] - John 1 Reading and Context
[33:02] - Beholding the Lamb of God
[34:10] - Jesus the Messiah
[39:20] - Andrew Finds Simon Peter
[40:11] - The Meaning of Messiah
[45:33] - The Savior Has Come
[48:30] - Jesus the Prophesied One
[49:43] - Moses Wrote of Christ
[54:20] - One Unified Bible Story
[57:17] - Come and See
[59:15] - Jesus the Son of God
[62:49] - Nathaniel Meets Jesus
[67:30] - God in Flesh Demands Response

Bible Study Guide

Bible Reading
John 1:35-51 (ESV)
The next day again John was standing with two of his disciples, and he looked at Jesus as he walked by and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God!” The two disciples heard him say this, and they followed Jesus... [read through verse 51].

Observation Questions

In John 1:36-37, John the Baptist repeats, “Behold, the Lamb of God,” and his disciples begin following Jesus. What does the word “behold” imply about how we should respond to Jesus?
When Jesus asks the disciples, “What are you seeking?” (John 1:38), they respond by asking where He is staying. What does their request reveal about their initial motives for following Him?
After meeting Jesus, Andrew immediately tells Peter, “We have found the Messiah” (John 1:41). What does this declaration suggest about the urgency of sharing Christ with others?
Nathaniel initially doubts Jesus because of His hometown (John 1:46). How does Jesus’ supernatural knowledge of Nathaniel’s character under the fig tree change his response?

Interpretation Questions

Why does John emphasize that Jesus is the fulfillment of both “Moses in the law and also the prophets” (John 1:45)? How does this connect to the unity of Scripture? [52:16]
Jesus tells the disciples, “Come and you will see” (John 1:39). What does this invitation reveal about the relationship between seeking Christ and truly knowing Him?
Nathaniel calls Jesus “the Son of God” and “King of Israel” (John 1:49). How does this confession contrast with his earlier skepticism, and what does it teach about Jesus’ identity?
The sermon states, “Christ finished what sinners could not” [46:21]. How does Jesus’ declaration, “It is finished” (John 19:30), redefine our understanding of salvation?

Application Questions

Andrew and Philip both told others about Jesus immediately after encountering Him (John 1:41-45). Who in your life needs to hear, “We have found the Messiah,” and how could you share this with them this week?
The sermon emphasizes that “Jesus knows the hidden heart” [01:04:49]. Are there areas of your life where you’ve tried to hide from God? How does Jesus’ knowledge of your heart bring both conviction and comfort?
The Bible is described as “one unified testimony pointing to Christ” [52:16]. How could you study the Old Testament differently to see Jesus more clearly in its stories and prophecies?
Nathaniel’s doubt about Nazareth was overcome by encountering Jesus personally. What doubts or cultural biases might hinder you from fully trusting Christ, and how can you “come and see” Him more deeply?
The sermon states, “Real faith does not merely admire Jesus from a distance” [57:17]. What practical step could you take this week to move from admiring Jesus to actively following Him?
Jesus’ finished work means there is “no room for self-made righteousness” [46:21]. In what areas of your life do you still try to earn God’s approval instead of resting in Christ’s sacrifice?

Sermon Clips

54s

#ChristPaidItAll

“A second point of application here under the point number one is simply this, that Jesus, our messiah, has accomplished everything necessary for our justification. There is nothing that you need to do in order to be a sinner that has been forgiven and has eternal life. Jesus has done it every bit of it. He lived a perfect life. He satisfied the law that you couldn't keep, that I couldn't keep. He went to a cross and he paid for your sin. done. Remember Easter, the last words of Jesus. It is what? Finished. How many of you have one of these on? It's done.”

68s

#GodInFlesh

“Now here is Nathaniel bearing witness testifying this is the son of God. This is confirming and driving the point further home that Jesus is no mere teacher from God. He is no mere prophet with a message from God. This is God in flesh. He knows the hearts of people. This truth demands a proper response. Beloved, Jesus is God in flesh. I hope and pray that you hear that. Jesus is no good teacher. He's no good prophet. He is those things, but he's much more. He is God. And if you understand that, it demands a response. If you understand Jesus is God, it demands for you to say, I behold him, I savor him, I love him, I trust him, I follow him, I will devote my life to him because he's God.”

57s

#GodRedeems

“Beloved, this should impact us deeply this morning. It should call us to see the bible as a book that is unified with one major theme and that is God after man sins against him. By the time you come to Genesis chapter three that's recorded creation, Adam and Eve, their rebellion, the entrance of mankind into sin from Genesis three fifteen to the to the rest of the book, there's one unified theme and that is God redeeming a people for his own possession accomplished how? By his son who he foretells over and over and over. I am sending him to save you.”

54s

#OTPointsToJesus

“The law here, you'll notice he says that we have found him of whom Moses in the law. The law here is a reference to the Pentateuch, the first five books of the old testament. Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy, the the writings of Moses. They all predict the coming of Jesus, the Messiah. Here's what that means. Somebody could take out every book after the first five books of the bible and you would have enough to know of the promise of a savior. That's amazing to me. I hear people today say, we don't need the old testament. We need to unhitch from the old testament. I'm thinking, you insane? Think about it. Again, Genesis three fifteen, the seed of the woman who will crush the head of the serpent. This is Jesus.”

80s

#WitnessLikeAndrew

“And I and I think this is a pattern that the apostle John expects us to catch. Part of the intention of his gospel is to understand that those who understand who the Messiah is, it is an expect it's an expectation of you to tell other people, of me to tell other people. John chapter 20 verse 31, we've said this is the theme of this entire gospel. Look what John writes. These things are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the son of God and that by believing you may have life in his name. Andrew is convinced. Jesus is the Christ. He is the promised Messiah. But what's the first thing he does? He beelines for his brother, Simon Peter, and declares to Peter, we have found the messiah. The next day, Jesus calls Philip to follow him. Philip comes to the same conclusion. This Jesus is the Christ. He's the one that all Moses and the prophets said was coming.”

78s

#BeholdAndFollow

“I think this is an implication of the apostle John's gospel is for us to to spend some time thinking about these encounters and what is going on. For one person to hate him, reject him, demand that he be killed, and somebody else saying, this is him. This is the savior of the world. I trust him. I love him and I will follow him all the days of my life. I hope and I prayed this morning that every one of us here can say, have beheld Jesus. I have stopped. I have seen who he is. I have acknowledged that he is the son of God. He is the savior. He is the only one that can wash my sins away. And that beholding him, giving him your attention, you have trusted him personally. Your faith is in Christ. Your love for anything and everything pales in comparison to your love and your allegiance to Jesus. That you have committed to living out your days for his glory and you look forward above all things to the day you will be in his presence forever.”

53s

#PropheciesFulfilled

“Genesis chapter 49 verse 10, the ruler that will come from the tribe of Judah. This is Jesus. Numbers chapter 24 verse 17, the star from Jacob. Again, this is Jesus. Deuteronomy chapter 18 verse 15, a very important verse. You need to have that tucked into your mind where Moses says that God has told him a prophet like Moses is going to come and when he comes, you better listen to him. Who's the prophet? There you go. Jesus. All of this from the first five books of our old testament. When you read these passages, you and I are to see the predictions that God is giving, that Jesus fulfilled in his incarnation.”

83s

#SeedCrushesSerpent

“After spending the evening with Jesus, asking questions and listening to Jesus' responses, Andrew beelines for his brother Simon Peter and declares to him, we have found the anointed one. What does that mean? Where does that even come from? Well, the Old Testament, what we call the Old Testament, it would be the only scriptures that they had at this time. The Old Testament makes numerous references to a Messiah. The New Testament or the Old Testament refers to a coming savior, an anointed one, a Christ. Passages like Genesis chapter three verse 15. We're going through Genesis on Sunday night and we've we've gone back to this passage multiple times. But in Genesis chapter three verse 15, after Adam and Eve sinned, God declares to the serpent that he will raise up the seed of the woman who will ultimately crush the head of the serpent. Genesis three verse 15, the gospel is being presented of one who is coming who's going to defeat the enemy.”

Ask a question about this sermon

FBC Holton This sermon · AI assistant

How does the Old Testament point to Jesus?

What does the Messiah accomplish for our justification?

Why did Nathaniel recognize Jesus as Son of God?

Come and See

Devotional

Day 1: Behold the Lamb: Following the First Disciples’ Gaze

Day 2: We Have Found the Messiah: Andrew’s Immediate Declaration

Day 3: Under the Fig Tree: Seeing Beyond Nazareth’s Doubt

Day 4: No Deceit, True Sight: Nathaniel’s Transparent Encounter

Day 5: Heaven Opened: The Greater Things Awaiting Believers

Sermon Summary

Key Takeaways

Youtube Chapters

Bible Study Guide

Sermon Clips

Come and See

Share