Come and See: Encountering Christ and New Identity

John tells the story with a drumbeat of “the next day,” moving quickly from one encounter to another so that anticipation rises and eyes look for what God will do next. After lifting the curtain on eternal realities in his prologue, John immediately brings Jesus into the lives of ordinary people. Philip and Nathanael stand there as young men who have longed for certainty, for truth, for something transcendent and truly transformative. Philip does not sell a personality. He names a promise. “We have found the one Moses wrote about in the law and about whom the prophets also wrote.” That line assumes shared hours with Scripture and shared hunger for the Messiah, perhaps kindled when a wee boy leaned forward in the synagogue and his imagination caught fire.

Nathanael’s first instinct is skepticism. “Nazareth? Can anything good come from there?” Philip’s answer carries a surprising calm and confidence. “Come and see.” That confidence rests not on Philip’s eloquence but on Jesus’ prior word to him. “Follow me.” In that summons the text locates the sovereign, regenerative, creative call of God, the same voice that once said, “Let there be light.” “Follow me” is not casual advice. It is a creating word that reorders desire, mind, soul, and imagination, and it births a steady certainty that now simply invites others to see.

Jesus then names Nathanael “a true Israelite in whom there is no deceit” and discloses knowledge of him “under the fig tree.” That knowledge is not secondhand. It displays the One who was “in the beginning,” the Word who knows, searches, cleanses, and renews. Nathanael recognizes Him and breaks into confession. “Rabbi, you are the Son of God. You are the King of Israel.” The point turns. The question is not what potential Jesus saw in Philip and Nathanael. The decisive thing is what they saw in Him. Sight of the Son reframes identity, expectation, and future. And Jesus promises still more. “You shall see greater things than that… heaven open and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man.”

The text then presses two prayers. First, let the church ask to see Him as He is, to encounter the transcendent and the miraculous in His sovereign omnipotence that shapes and changes a life. Second, let intercession spread wide, for the young mom in a surgical waiting room, the teenager bracing for loss, the couple aching for children, the saint nearing hospice, the graduate stepping into a new season. In this way, real ministry is conceived and birthed in prayer. There, empowerment and enabling take root.

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Key Takeaways

• 1. The next day stirs holy expectation The Gospel’s repeated “the next day” is not filler. It builds a cadence of watchfulness, teaching that God moves in quick succession and real time. Anticipation itself becomes faith’s posture, ready to notice grace as it arrives. Expectancy is not noise but the hallway where transformation walks in. [53:24]
• 2. Follow me is sovereign summons Jesus does not offer tips; He commands life into being. “Follow me” speaks with the same creative authority that once ignited light, and it remakes a person’s disposition from the roots. Discipleship begins where His voice breaks through and rearranges what a heart wants. Call precedes response and empowers it. [62:37]
• 3. Confident witness says, Come and see Philip does not argue Nathanael into the kingdom; he invites him into proximity with the King. Confidence grows where Christ has already called and settled the soul. Invitation trusts that Jesus is His own best evidence, and seeing Him does the convincing. Real evangelism sounds like that simple sentence. [60:49]
• 4. Conversion is seeing Him, not self The decisive turn is not that Jesus spotted potential but that Nathanael spotted the Son. Faith is awakened when Christ is seen as He is, Son of God and King of Israel. Vision of Him collapses objections and resets identity. That sight continues to nourish discipleship long after first belief. [66:56]
• 5. Real change is conceived in prayer Lasting ministry is not engineered; it is prayed into being. Intercession gathers the complexities of a congregation and places them under the hand of the One who enables and equips. Prayer aligns affections, steadies steps, and invites the transcendent into Tuesday afternoon. That is where empowerment begins. [70:42]

Youtube Chapters

• [00:00] - Welcome
• [41:18] - Hymn and series setup
• [42:25] - Scripture reading: John 1:43-51
• [44:17] - Cultural stirrings: church and Bible
• [48:20] - From 21st to 1st century longings
• [53:24] - John’s next day urgency
• [55:02] - Bethsaida and Nathanael-Bartholomew
• [56:07] - We found the one Moses wrote about
• [60:49] - Nazareth? Come and see
• [61:23] - Follow me and the call of God
• [63:08] - Transformed certainty and witness
• [64:26] - A true Israelite under the fig tree
• [66:56] - What they saw in Him
• [67:54] - Praying for empowerment and others
• [75:11] - Benediction

Bible reading
John 1:43-51 (ESV)
The next day Jesus decided to go to Galilee. He found Philip and said to him, “Follow me.” Now Philip was from Bethsaida, the city of Andrew and Peter. 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.” 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.” Nathanael answered him, “Rabbi, you are the Son of God! You are the King of Israel!” Jesus answered him, “Because I said to you, ‘I saw you under the fig tree,’ do you believe? You will see greater things than these.” 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.”

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Observation questions

1. What specific reason does Philip give Nathanael for following Jesus? How does Nathanael initially respond?
2. What does Jesus say about Nathanael’s character, and how does this reveal His knowledge of Nathanael?
3. The sermon highlights the repeated phrase “the next day” in John’s Gospel. What might this repetition emphasize about God’s timing? [53:24]
4. How does Jesus’ final promise to Nathanael (“you will see heaven opened…”) connect to the idea of “greater things” in their relationship with Him?

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Interpretation questions

1. Why do you think Nathanael’s skepticism about Nazareth shifts so dramatically after Jesus speaks to him? What does this reveal about the relationship between personal encounter and faith?
2. Philip’s invitation to Nathanael is simple: “Come and see.” Why might this approach be more effective than debating or arguing about Jesus’ identity? [01:00:49]
3. Jesus says, “Follow me” to Philip with the same authority as God’s creative command “Let there be light.” How does this comparison deepen our understanding of discipleship? [01:02:37]
4. The sermon states, “The decisive thing is what they saw in Him.” How does Nathanael’s confession (“You are the Son of God!”) redefine his identity and purpose? [01:06:56]

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Application questions

1. The sermon describes “holy expectation” as a posture of watching for God’s movement in daily life. Where in your routine could you practice looking for “the next day” moments of grace? [53:24]
2. Jesus’ call to “Follow me” is described as a creative, life-reordering command. What desires, habits, or priorities might need to shift in your life to respond more fully to this summons? [01:02:37]
3. Philip’s confidence in inviting Nathanael came from Jesus’ prior call on his life. Who in your circle needs a gentle “Come and see” invitation, and how could you rely on Christ’s work in you to extend it?
4. Nathanael’s doubts collapsed when Jesus demonstrated intimate knowledge of him. Are there areas where you struggle to trust that God sees and knows you deeply? How might this truth reshape those struggles?
5. The sermon urges prayer for specific needs (e.g., a young mom in a waiting room, a grieving teen). Which person or situation in your community most needs intercession this week? How will you commit to praying for them? [01:10:42]
6. Jesus promises Nathanael “greater things” beyond his initial encounter. What “greater things” do you long to see God do in your life or relationships, and how can you posture yourself to receive them?