Come and See

The next day John again was standing with two of his disciples, and as he watched Jesus walk by, he exclaimed, “Look, here is the Lamb of God!” The two disciples heard him say this, and they followed Jesus. When Jesus turned and saw them following, he said to them, “What are you looking for?” They said to him, “Rabbi” (which translated means Teacher), “where are you staying?” He said to them, “Come and see.” They came and saw where he was staying, and they remained with him that day. It was about four o’clock in the afternoon. One of the two who heard John speak and followed him was Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother. He first found his brother Simon and said to him, “We have found the Messiah” (which is translated Anointed). He brought Simon to Jesus, who looked at him and said, “You are Simon son of John. You are to be called Cephas” (which is translated Peter). 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 about whom Moses in the law and also the prophets wrote, Jesus son of Joseph from Nazareth.” Nathanael said to him, “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?” Philip said to him, “Come and see.” When Jesus saw Nathanael coming toward him, he said of him, “Here is truly an Israelite in whom there is no deceit!” Nathanael asked him, “Where did you get to know me?” Jesus answered, “I saw you under the fig tree before Philip called you.” Nathanael replied, “Rabbi, you are the Son of God! You are the King of Israel!” Jesus answered, “Do you believe because I told you that I saw you under the fig tree? You will see greater things than these.”And he said to him, “Very truly, I tell you, you will see heaven opened and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of Man.” (John 1:35-51, NRSV)

There is so much to this passage.

Can anything good come out of Nazareth?

How do you know me?

You will see greater things.

But to me, the best line is in the opening of the text.

Jesus turned and saw them following, he said to them, “What are you looking for?” They said to him, “Rabbi” (which translated means Teacher), “where are you staying?” He said to them, “Come and see.”
Come and see. Jesus says to John’s disciples, “Come and see,” They want to know where He is staying and rather than answering the question He offers an invitation to them and to us all.

God wants us to come and see where He is and what He is doing.

Are you ready to come and see?

The Joy of Forgiveness

Many are the torments of the wicked, but steadfast love surrounds those who trust in the Lord.

Be glad in the Lord and rejoice, O righteous, and shout for joy, all you upright in heart.

(Psalm 32:10-11, NRSV)

Many are the torments of the wicked. I have to admit that if that is the case I must be pretty wicked right now. I feel like I am being tormented all around. But I fret not in these torments because I trust in the Lord and know He surrounds me with love.

He helps me be the person He created me to be. I know no matter what happens that the Lord is always with me. And my trust is in Him.

Where is your trust?

The Joy of Forgiveness

I will instruct you and teach you the way you should go; I will counsel you with my eye upon you.

Do not be like a horse or a mule, without understanding, whose temper must be curbed with bit and bridle, else it will not stay near you.

(Psalm 32:8-9, NRSV)

The Lord will show you His ways and teach you how you should live. Listen to His good counsel and heed His teaching. For we are not like horses or mules who need a bit and griddle to follow directions. God has made us to discern His leading and to follow.

He will guide you and watch over you. Are you ready to heed His leading?

The Joy of Forgiveness

Therefore let all who are faithful offer prayer to you; at a time of distress, the rush of mighty waters shall not reach them.

You are a hiding place for me; you preserve me from trouble; you surround me with glad cries of deliverance. Selah

(Psalm 32:6-7, NRSV)

When you are in need turn to God. God will be a shelter for you in the storm and the waters will not overcome you.

God will be a place for you to hide away from the world to get a respite from your worries. God will hold you in His hand and deliver you from your troubles.

The Joy of Forgiveness

Then I acknowledged my sin to you, and I did not hide my iniquity; I said, “I will confess my transgressions to the Lord,” and you forgave the guilt of my sin. Selah (Psalm 32:5, NRSV)

When we come to God with all of the darkness that keeps our relationship from growing He doesn’t turn away from us and leave us yo die in our sins. God is faithful and just and already knows all of the blackness of your life. In fact God knows things about you you don’t even know a

God will listen and forgive. He will never leave you or forsake you.

The Joy of Forgiveness

While I kept silence, my body wasted away through my groaning all day long.

For day and night your hand was heavy upon me; my strength was dried up as by the heat of summer. Selah

(Psalm 32:3-4, NRSV)

When we bottle up the wrong things we do, those sins that keep us from God we are worse off than confessing them.

Here the psalmist says while I was silent my body wasted away. The sins needing to be confessed festered and rotted away at him so it was destroying him. But when we release our wrongs they are taken by God and removed from us and we are freed.

The Joy of Forgiveness

Happy are those whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered.

Happy are those to whom the Lord imputes no iniquity, and in whose spirit there is no deceit.

(Psalm 32:1-2, NRSV)

Is your sin covered?

Not do you have it covered up so no one can see it because even if you think you have it hidden, it is not hidden from God?

And you will not be happy or blessed if you are hiding sin from God.

The best way to cover your sin is to lay it at the foot of the cross and allow Him to take it all away.

The Lord will take it and see your contrite heart and open spirit and remove your sin from you and it will be covered forever!

So be forgiven and give it all to God.

What will you do this year?

It is a new year! 2017 is gone and 2018 is here and now is the time we think about what we will do this year.

So what are your resolutions this year?

Do you want to lose weight?

Do you want to quit smoking?

Maybe it’s to quit drinking.

Maybe you want to save more money.

Or maybe you want to get into shape. Let me remind you that round is a shape.

How many of

us will make resolutions and do our best to keep them and seem to fall short come January 15, or maybe if we’re lucky February 1?

How about we look at resolutions this year a little different?

How about if everyone here focuses on God rather than ourselves?

What if we look at the Holy Trinity instead of the unholy trinity (that is me, myself, and I).

You see 1 Corinthians 10:31 says, “So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do everything for the glory of God.” Whatever you do do it for the glory of God. Make everything you do this year, not about yourself, but

about God.

Make your resolution to live your life for God, even if no one else does.

If we all focus our lives on God, then we will also have happier healthier lives and all of society will benefit. Who is with me?

A Voice in the Wilderness

This is the testimony given by John when the Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, “Who are you?” He confessed and did not deny it, but confessed, “I am not the Messiah.” And they asked him, “What then? Are you Elijah?” He said, “I am not.” “Are you the prophet?” He answered, “No.” Then they said to him, “Who are you? Let us have an answer for those who sent us. What do you say about yourself?” He said, “I am the voice of one crying out in the wilderness, ‘Make straight the way of the Lord,’” as the prophet Isaiah said. Now they had been sent from the Pharisees. They asked him, “Why then are you baptizing if you are neither the Messiah, nor Elijah, nor the prophet?” John answered them, “I baptize with water. Among you stands one whom you do not know, the one who is coming after me; I am not worthy to untie the thong of his sandal.” This took place in Bethany across the Jordan where John was baptizing. The next day he saw Jesus coming toward him and declared, “Here is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world! This is he of whom I said, ‘After me comes a man who ranks ahead of me because he was before me.’ I myself did not know him; but I came baptizing with water for this reason, that he might be revealed to Israel.” And John testified, “I saw the Spirit descending from heaven like a dove, and it remained on him. I myself did not know him, but the one who sent me to baptize with water said to me, ‘He on whom you see the Spirit descend and remain is the one who baptizes with the Holy Spirit.’ And I myself have seen and have testified that this is the Son of God.” (John 1:19-34, NRSV)

I am not a prophet.

I am not the Messiah.

I am not Elijah.

I am not any of these. I am merely a voice crying out in the wilderness, trying to prepare for the coming Messiah.

I baptize with water to clean you and allow you to see the need for the coming Messiah. He will baptize you with fire and the Holy Spirit and I am not worthy to untie his sandals.

Now that sandals thing might seem a little weird. But you must know that in Jesus day, the lowest of servants would untie sandals of guests in houses and wash the feet of the guest.

And John is saying he is not worthy to untie Jesus’ sandals. Means he is below the lowest servant.

Could we untie His sandals?

The Boy Jesus in the Temple

Now every year his parents went to Jerusalem for the festival of the Passover. And when he was twelve years old, they went up as usual for the festival. When the festival was ended and they started to return, the boy Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem, but his parents did not know it. Assuming that he was in the group of travelers, they went a day’s journey. Then they started to look for him among their relatives and friends. When they did not find him, they returned to Jerusalem to search for him. After three days they found him in the temple, sitting among the teachers, listening to them and asking them questions. And all who heard him were amazed at his understanding and his answers. When his parents saw him they were astonished; and his mother said to him, “Child, why have you treated us like this? Look, your father and I have been searching for you in great anxiety.” He said to them, “Why were you searching for me? Did you not know that I must be in my Father’s house?” But they did not understand what he said to them. Then he went down with them and came to Nazareth, and was obedient to them. His mother treasured all these things in her heart. And Jesus increased in wisdom and in years, and in divine and human favor. (Luke 2:41-52, NRSV)

Why did you have to look? Did you not know I would be in my Father’s house?

Jesus was teaching in the temple at age 12 with authority the Pharisees did not have or understand. He was amazing everyone with His grasp on who God is.

Do we want to know all of the answers?

Or can we live in the knowledge that our Father has all the answers?

Do we look for Jesus?

Or do we think we know where to find Him?