Come and See: Jesus Calls Us to Abide

Aug 24, 2026

Devotional

Day 1: The Question That Unlocks Your Deepest Longing

Jesus stops mid-stride, turns to face two curious followers, and asks what burns beneath their surface search. His question isn’t dismissive but inviting—a mirror held up to restless hearts. We chase relationships, success, and control to quiet our ache for meaning, yet these crumble like dry clay. True life begins when we name our hunger instead of numbing it. Jesus sees the real thirst behind our striving and waits with living water. [08:40]

“What do you want?” he asked. They said, “Rabbi, where are you staying?” “Come,” he replied, “and you will see.” (John 1:38-39, NIV)

Reflection: What temporary fix have you asked to satisfy your soul’s thirst this week? How might naming that desire aloud to Jesus shift your focus from chasing to receiving?

Day 2: The Chain Reaction of “Come and See”

Andrew’s first act after meeting Jesus isn’t theological debate but sprinting to his brother. No polished testimony—just four words: “We found the Messiah.” Faith spreads like wildfire through ordinary invitations, not expert arguments. Skeptics, seekers, and siblings all get the same offer: come close, stay awhile, let Jesus unravel their doubts. Discipleship starts not with answers but shared discovery. [14:20]

Andrew found his brother Simon and told him, “We have found the Messiah.” And he brought him to Jesus. (John 1:40-42, NIV)

Reflection: Who in your life needs to hear your simple “come and see” this week? What keeps you from sharing your unfinished story of following Jesus?

Day 3: Known Under the Fig Tree

Nathaniel’s skepticism melts when Jesus names his hidden moment of solitude. The Messiah sees beyond curated personas to the raw self—the late-night doubts, secret shames, and unvoiced hopes. Being fully known should terrify us, yet Christ’s gaze carries no condemnation, only recognition. His vision pierces fig-tree shadows to call out our true name. [19:45]

When Jesus saw Nathanael approaching, he said of him, “Here truly is an Israelite in whom there is no deceit.” Nathanael asked, “How do you know me?” Jesus answered, “I saw you under the fig tree.” (John 1:47-48, NIV)

Reflection: What part of your “fig tree” self do you still hide from God? How might living as fully known free you from performing for others?

Day 4: The Ladder That Bridges Heaven to Earth

Jacob’s ancient vision of angels ascending a ladder finds its fulfillment in a Nazarene carpenter. We exhaust ourselves building staircases to God through morality, busyness, or intellect—only to find the Divine already descending. Jesus becomes the living connection between our fractured earth and God’s unapproachable holiness. No climbing required. [26:12]

He then added, “Very truly I tell you, you will see heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man.” (John 1:51, NIV)

Reflection: Where have you been striving to “reach up” to God this month? How does Jesus’ downward movement redefine your approach to spiritual growth?

Day 5: Remaining in the Midst of Chasing

The disciples’ 4 PM decision to linger with Jesus becomes the hinge of history. Abiding isn’t passive—it’s choosing presence over productivity, intimacy over itinerary. While the world shouts “More! Faster! Further!”, Christ whispers “Stay.” True depth grows in the soil of unhurried connection, where roots drink deeper than achievements ever could. [10:22]

“Remain in me, as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me.” (John 15:4-5, NIV)

Reflection: What practical choice could you make today to “remain” rather than rush? How might staying interrupt your cycle of searching?

Sermon Summary

Life together starts with life in Jesus, no doubt about it. God has been forming a people from Genesis to Exodus to Ruth, and John 1 now shows that the center of that life is not a program, a feeling, or a place to belong, but Jesus himself. The restless human heart keeps asking relationships, success, control, pleasure, and goals to give what they cannot give. That restlessness may not be a flaw to fix, but a hunger from the God who made the heart for something deeper.

John the Baptist points away from himself and says, “Look, the Lamb of God.” Jesus then turns around, sees two men following, and asks the deep question, “What do you want?” Jesus does not shame their looking. Jesus sees them, receives their desire, and invites them close: “Come, and you’ll see.” Their question, “Where are you staying?” carries that rich word for remaining, abiding, staying with him. John’s Gospel begins to open a thread that will later become, “Remain in me.” Jesus is gathering people to himself and forming a people who come close, stay close, and get formed by him.

Andrew finds Simon, and Philip finds Nathanael. The gospel moves person to person, relationship to relationship, with a simple witness: “We have found the Messiah,” and “Come and see.” Andrew does not need all the answers before bringing his brother. Philip does not argue Nathanael out of skepticism. Jesus gathers the enthusiastic, the skeptical, the brother who just comes along, and the one directly called. Different paths come to the same Savior.

Jesus sees Nathanael before Nathanael ever sees him clearly. The beautiful reversal is that people have been looking, but Jesus has already been looking at them. The deeper longing underneath all the searching is the longing to be known, not the curated self, not the dressed-up self, but the real self. Jesus says, “I saw you,” and that seeing is not rejection. Jesus knows, loves, calls, and changes. Grace loves a person as that person is, and grace is too wide, too great, too high to leave that person there.

Jesus then points Nathanael back to Jacob’s ladder. The ladder between heaven and earth is a person, and that person is Jesus. Nobody climbs to God through goodness, intelligence, achievement, or religious achievement. God has come down in Jesus and lifts sinners up to himself. The one the Scriptures taught Israel to look for is here: the Lamb of God, Messiah, Son of God, King of Israel, Son of Man. Jesus still says, “Come and see,” and that invitation is not just a moment, but a life.

Key Takeaways

1. Restlessness may be holy hunger [05:03] The ache that keeps looking for more may not be merely emotional noise. God may be exposing the limits of created things that were never meant to carry the weight of life itself. The heart becomes honest when it stops demanding life from relationships, success, control, or pleasure and begins to hear the deeper question Jesus asks. [05:03]
2. Jesus sees before anyone arrives [19:34] Nathanael comes with skepticism, but Jesus has already seen him under the fig tree. The real comfort is not that a person finally manages to understand Jesus, but that Jesus already knows the whole story. Being known by him strips away performance, yet it does not strip away love. [19:34]
3. Simple witness can start pillars [14:20] Andrew’s words to Simon are small, plain, and not polished: “We have found the Messiah.” That little beginning becomes part of Peter’s road toward becoming a pillar of the church. Faithful witness does not need to sound impressive; it needs to bring someone to Jesus. [14:20]
4. Grace changes those it gathers [23:37] Jesus receives Simon as Simon, then names him Peter. Jesus receives Nathanael with questions, then opens his eyes to greater things. Grace is not shallow acceptance that leaves the soul untouched; grace is the love of Christ that sees truly, calls personally, and transforms deeply. [23:37]
5. Jesus is Jacob’s ladder [26:12] The ladder to God is not built out of goodness, intelligence, achievement, or religious effort. Jesus himself is the meeting place of heaven and earth. The gospel is not that sinners climb high enough, but that God has come near in Christ and lifts them to himself.

## [26:12]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[00:23] - God’s Design for Life Together
[01:12] - Life Together Starts in Jesus
[02:27] - The Restlessness of Wanting More
[05:51] - Listening to John Chapter One
[08:15] - Jesus Asks, What Do You Want?
[10:04] - Staying, Remaining, Abiding
[12:48] - Andrew Brings Simon to Jesus
[15:08] - The Gospel Moves Person to Person
[16:24] - Nathanael Comes with Skepticism
[19:18] - Jesus Already Sees Nathanael
[23:09] - Jesus Gathers and Changes People
[24:39] - Heaven Opened on the Son of Man
[26:12] - Jacob’s Ladder Is Jesus
[31:15] - Jesus Calls Into a Life
[34:18] - The Spirit Draws Hearts Deeper

Bible Study Guide

Bible Reading

John 1:35-51
“The next day John was there again with two of his disciples. When he saw Jesus passing by, he said, ‘Look, the Lamb of God!’ When the two disciples heard him say this, they followed Jesus. Turning around, Jesus saw them following and asked, ‘What do you want?’ They said, ‘Rabbi’ (which means ‘Teacher’), ‘where are you staying?’ ‘Come,’ he replied, ‘and you will see.’ So they went and saw where he was staying, and they spent that day with him. It was about four in the afternoon. Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, was one of the two who heard what John had said and who had followed Jesus. The first thing Andrew did was to find his brother Simon and tell him, ‘We have found the Messiah’ (that is, the Christ). And he brought him to Jesus. Jesus looked at him and said, ‘You are Simon son of John. You will be called Cephas’ (which, when translated, is Peter). The next day Jesus decided to leave for Galilee. Finding Philip, he said to him, ‘Follow me.’ Philip, like Andrew and Peter, was from the town of Bethsaida. Philip found Nathanael and told him, ‘We have found the one Moses wrote about in the Law, and about whom the prophets also wrote—Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.’ ‘Nazareth! Can anything good come from there?’ Nathanael asked. ‘Come and see,’ said Philip. When Jesus saw Nathanael approaching, he said of him, ‘Here truly is an Israelite in whom there is no deceit.’ ‘How do you know me?’ Nathanael asked. Jesus answered, ‘I saw you while you were still under the fig tree before Philip called you.’ Then Nathanael declared, ‘Rabbi, you are the Son of God; you are the king of Israel.’ Jesus said, ‘You believe because I told you I saw you under the fig tree. You will see greater things than that.’ He then added, ‘Very truly I tell you, you will see heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man.’” [06:10]

Genesis 28:12
“He had a dream in which he saw a stairway resting on the earth, with its top reaching to heaven, and the angels of God were ascending and descending on it.” [25:15]

John 15:4
“Remain in me, as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me.” [10:04]

Observation questions

In John 1:35-39, what do John the Baptist, the two disciples, and Jesus each say and do when Jesus passes by? [08:15]
What simple words do Andrew and Philip use when they bring someone else toward Jesus, and how are their approaches a little different? [15:08]
What details in John 1 show that people come to Jesus in different ways—through a friend, by direct call, with eagerness, or with skepticism? [17:28]
In John 1:47-51, what does Jesus say about Nathanael before Nathanael fully understands who Jesus is? [19:18]

Interpretation questions

Jesus asks, “What do you want?” In this passage, what makes that question deeper than a question about curiosity or information? [08:17]
The two disciples ask, “Where are you staying?” and the language carries the idea of remaining or abiding. What does that suggest about the kind of relationship Jesus is inviting people into? [10:32]
Philip answers Nathanael’s skepticism with “Come and see.” What does that reveal about how a person can invite others to Jesus without needing to win every argument first? [16:47]
Jesus speaks about angels ascending and descending on the Son of Man, echoing Jacob’s ladder. How does that picture help explain that access to God comes through Jesus, not through human effort? [26:12]

Application questions

Many people keep asking relationships, success, control, or pleasure to give them life. Where has that been happening most clearly lately, and what has that pursuit actually produced in the heart? [03:44]
Restlessness may be a holy hunger instead of just a problem to silence. When has a lingering dissatisfaction exposed that something deeper is needed from Jesus? [05:03]
Jesus sees the real person, not the curated version. Where is there a temptation to manage appearances, and what might it look like to live with more honesty before Jesus and trusted believers? [20:30]
Jesus invites people not just to visit him, but to remain with him. What helps a person actually stay close to Jesus during an ordinary week, and what tends to pull that person away? [12:14]
The gospel often moves person to person through simple witness. Who might need to hear a plain “come and see” invitation right now, and what makes that invitation feel easy or difficult? [14:20]
Jesus gathers people as they are, but his grace does not leave them there. Where is change needed right now, and what would it look like to welcome both his love and his transforming work? [23:37]
Jesus calls people into a life, not just a moment. What would going deeper with him look like in this season in one practical area—prayer, repentance, Scripture, community, or witness? [31:15]

Sermon Clips

65s

#GodCameDown

“And maybe you're saying, okay, still don't get it. Look, what what Jesus wants Nathaniel, what Jesus wants us clearly to see is this, that what we are looking for has come near to us in Jesus. That's what he's saying. What are you looking for? What do you want? And he says, hey, what you're looking for is right here. The latter thing. You don't climb your way to God. That's not the way it works. You don't climb up through your goodness or your intelligence or your your achievement, even religious achievement. That's that's not it. There's no ladder that you could build that would be high enough. We don't climb our way up to God. You don't have to climb a ladder though because here's the picture. The God has come down to us and he lifts him us up to himself.”

44s

#ComeAsYouAre

“And and what I am hoping is this, is that there is a hunger inside of you to go deeper, to go deeper with Jesus. Don't dismiss it. Don't push it off. And the good news is this, when you come, you will not come as a stranger. That's not how you come. You are coming to the one who already sees you. He sees you. He knows you. And he's already given himself. He's given himself on the cross for you. So come, come with your questions, come with your searching, come with your doubts, come with your failures. Yeah, come with your failures and come then ready to turn away from your sin.”

40s

#FormedByLove

“We're talking about life together, and life together is all about being formed by love with a capital l. And if you're going to be formed by love, then you have to know where love begins. Where does love begin? Love begins with God coming near. He doesn't send us love from a distance. He doesn't send us instructions for climbing our way toward him and toward his love. No, he comes to us Jesus. This is the wonder of the gospel.”

62s

#BeKnown

“I think underneath, like, we talk about looking and searching and longing. I think underneath all of that is something way deeper. And the deeper thing is this, I wanna be known. I wanna be known, you know. We we can be good. We can be really good, actually. I think people are increasingly good at showing others what we want them to think we are, who we want them to think we are. We're really good at that. But what you really want, what you really want deep down is this, you want someone who knows the real you. Not the curated you, no. Not not the successful you. Not the one who who maybe even dresses up a certain way on Sunday mornings, not that you. You want someone who knows Someone who knows you. Someone that you don't have to perform for.”

55s

#ShareJesus

“And then there's another chain reaction we read about here. And that chain reaction is with Philip, okay? And Jesus, what's he do? He calls Philip directly. And then Philip goes and he finds Nathaniel, right? And then Philip tells him that they have found the one that Moses, the one that the prophets wrote about. This this chain reaction deal, this is how the gospel moves. We're seeing it play out right from the jump, okay? And Jesus reaches one person, right? And that person reaches another and another. It's person to person. It's relationship to relationships. When pastor Ed says, hey, you gotta be willing to speak about Jesus. it's exactly what the Lord points us to. So if you know Jesus, you tell others about Jesus.”

38s

#JesusCommunity

“This is the beginnings of the Jesus community. Think about this community. Think about the community that Jesus is building. On one hand, you have Andrew. He's enthusiastic. Let's go. Let's go see Jesus, right? Simon, he comes along just because his brother brought him. He's just coming because his brother said, well, gotta you gotta meet this guy. Philip, he is actually called directly by Jesus as we said, and Nathaniel, he shows up skeptical, and he needs some more time. So, there's different people, there's different paths, but there's the same savior, there's the same messiah, there's the same Christ.”

56s

#DrawnByTheSpirit

“You know, as I say this, here's here's the activity that's going on. The Holy Spirit is present with us, and He's moving, and He's touching, and He's He's turning hearts to Himself, and there's there's likely something stirring in you. And there are some of you you're thinking, I want that. wanna go deeper. I wanna find what I'm looking for. That that is what I'm looking for. I wanna know Jesus. I wanna follow him. I wanna go deeper. Right? Don't don't dismiss that desire. Don't speed past it. Because that hunger that's in you, you haven't manufactured that yourself. What's happening is the spirit of God is drawing you near to Jesus. This is what's happening in your heart right now.”

50s

#NothingElseSatisfies

“Maybe what what we need to do is to recognize that what we've been asking these things to give us, they they just can't give to us. Think about it. Think about relationships. You look to relationships to make you feel lovable. Or think about, you know, even success in your life. You you convince yourself that if you have success, well then your life will have meaning. Then you'll be okay. We convince ourselves that if we belong somewhere, the fact gives us a sense of security. And so we lean into pleasure, and we lean into goals, and we even will lean into our our own sense of control just to get a little bit of peace.”

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