John 1:39-51 (KJV)  He saith unto them, Come and see.They came and saw where he dwelt, and abode with him that day: for it was about the tenth hour.  [40]  One of the two which heard John speak, and followed him, was Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother.  [41]  He first findeth his own brother Simon, and saith unto him, We have found the Messiah, which is, being interpreted, the Christ.  [42]  And he brought him to Jesus. And when Jesus beheld him, he said, Thou art Simon the son of Jonah: thou shalt be called Cephas, which is by interpretation, A stone.  [43]  The day following Jesus would go forth into Galilee, and findeth Philip, and saith unto him, Follow me.  [44]  Now Philip was of Bethsaida, the city of Andrew and Peter.  [45]  Philip findeth Nathanael, and saith unto him, We have found him, of whom Moses in the law, and the prophets, did write, Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.  [46]  And Nathanael said unto him, Can there any good thing come out of Nazareth? Philip saith unto him, Come and see.  [47]  Jesus saw Nathanael coming to him, and saith of him, Behold an Israelite indeed, in whom is no guile!  [48]  Nathanael saith unto him, Whence knowest thou me? Jesus answered and said unto him, Before that Philip called thee, when thou wast under the fig tree, I saw thee.  [49]  Nathanael answered and saith unto him, Rabbi, thou art the Son of God; thou art the King of Israel.  [50]  Jesus answered and said unto him, Because I said unto thee, I saw thee under the fig tree, believest thou? thou shalt see greater things than these.  [51]  And he saith unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Hereafter ye shall see heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of man.

Salvation is a mystery of God that some will never experience. It isn’t because God doesn’t want them to be saved, for the Scripture declares:

2 Peter 3:9 (KJV) The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.

1 Timothy 2:3-4 (KJV) For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Saviour; 4 Who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth.

God does not hide His salvation from any, but would love all to be saved. Yet Christ must be chosen. Jesus calls out through His Gospel:

Come and See!

The calledmust say “yes” to Him. What did Jesus say?

Matthew 22:14 (KJV)  For many are called, but few are chosen.

Jesus calls MANY but FEW come. Many will not hear the Lord because they are busy worshiping other idols. The Apostle said:

1 Corinthians 1:26-29 (KJV)  Forye see your calling, brethren, how that not many wise men after the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called:  [27]  But God hath chosen the foolish things of the worldto confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the worldto confound the things which are mighty;  [28]  And base things of the world, and things which are despised, hath God chosen, yea, and things which are not, to bring to nought things that are:  [29]  That no flesh should glory in his presence.

The Bible doesn’t say that God doesn’t call ANY who are WISE, MIGHTY, or NOBLE. Some of those people do answer the call to salvation. But there are not MANY in those categories who answer His call, for they have their gods.

Their god is their MIND,
their MIGHT,

their POSITION

or their POPULARITY,

their RELIGION

or their RITUAL.

They have a god that they employ, and Jesus need not apply for the position. Like Adam they refuseParadise by saying “yes” to self and satan and “no” to God.

But to those who will hear Jesus cries out:

Come and See!

When someone will walk with Jesus for a day chances are they will walk with Jesus for life. The only salvation available to man is through Christ. When someone says “yes” to Christ the Spirit of God comes to that person. Just as Jesus did with Saul of Tarsus on the Damascus Road, the feeble “yes” we utter causes God to cause the scales to fall from our eyes.

This is the story of the first five people who listen, who Came and Saw!

The First Two People Saved
Were Seeking Jesus In Church

The very first Church had no walls, no pews, no padding, nor air conditioning. It was a Church plant. A man named John the Baptistwalked away from the Temple and from the Synagogues of his day to do something radical. He established a Church in the wilderness. And this upset the religious crowd. We read:

John 1:19 (KJV)  And this is the record of John, whenthe Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, Who art thou?

The crowds were dropping in the Temple and in the Synagogues (the Old Testament local Churches), but a man named John came preaching a simple message, the same message that the Temple Priests and the Levites should have been preaching. The message that …

Acts 13:24-25 (NKJV) …. John had first preached, before {Christ’s}coming, the baptism of repentance to all the people of Israel. 25 And as John was finishing his course, he said, ‘Who do you think I am? I am not He. But behold, there comes One after me, the sandals of whose feet I am not worthy to loose.’

John preach and commanded the people to REPENT from their sins and turn to Jesus. There are many today who preach a HALF MESSAGE. They preach “Just believe on Jesus as you are”. That isn’t what the Scripture says. The Gospel preaches:

Matthew 3:2 And saying, REPENT ye: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.

Matthew 4:17 REPENT: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.

Mark 1:15 REPENT ye, and believe the gospel.

Mark 6:12 And they went out, and preached that men should REPENT.

Luke 13:3 I tell you, Nay: but, except ye REPENT, ye shall all likewise perish.

Luke 13:5 I tell you, Nay: but, except ye REPENT, ye shall all likewise perish.

John preached REPENT.
When Jesus came He preached REPENT.
Jesus taught His disciples to preach REPENT.
Turn from your sin.
Realize your helplessness.
Turn to God and be healed!

There is no Church without repentance. The preachers of the Temple wondered why the Temple crowds were down and John’s crowd was up. They suspected skullduggery.

Who are YOU, John?
By what authority do you baptize in the wilderness?

The same thing happened at my son’s Church. My son and his pastor David Rogerswent out and started a Church in the wilderness preaching repentance and obedience to Christ. Now with a fellowship of over 2000 other Churches accuse them. “Who are YOU?”. “By what Authority do YOU do these things?”They asked John in He

are you ELIJAH?
are you the PROPHET Moses?

John the Baptist said “I am none of these. I am not the Christ.”Then he quoted Isaiah 40:3…

John 1:23 (KJV) …. I am the voice of one crying in the wilderness, Make straight the way of the Lord, as said the prophet Isaiah.

John preached REPENTANCE and the coming of Jesus the Messiah. He said “I am not worthy to tie the Messiah’s shoes”. Then one day Jesus came. John baptized Christ, and the next day Jesus came back. He came the first time to “fulfill all righteousness”, to be baptized of John. But He came the next day to win converts. We read:

John 1:34-35 (KJV) {John the Baptist said} And I saw, and bare record that this is the Son of God. 35 Again the next day after John stood, and TWO OF HIS DISCIPLES; 36 And looking upon Jesus as he walked, he saith, Behold the Lamb of God!

Jesus comes to Church when repentance is preached. Jesus comes to Church when His people gather together under His Gospel. The two disciples heard John introduce Jesus. John was filling the sermons with Himself, but like a good preacher he was heralding Christ. There is the Lamb of God Who takes away the sin of the world. There He is!

John 1:37-39 (KJV) And the TWO DISCIPLES HEARD HIM SPEAK, AND THEY FOLLOWED JESUS. 38 Then Jesus turned, and saw them following, and saith unto them, What  seek ye?They said unto him, Rabbi, (which is to say, being interpreted, Master,) where dwellest thou?39 He saith unto them, COME AND SEE. They came and saw where he dwelt, and abode with him that day: for it was about the tenth hour.

The two disciples heard John, then they followed Jesus.

They followed Jesus!

As a person follows Jesus He talks to them. Jesus asked them “What are you seeking?”Some follow Jesus looking for STUFF. Right after Jesus fed 5000 men with five barley loaves, and two small fishes (John 6:9ff)Jesus moved to Capernaum. The crowd He fed the day before followed Him to see if they could get another free meal. Jesus told them:

John 6:26-27 (NKJV) … you seek Me, not because you saw the signs, but because you ate of the loaves and were filled. 27 Do not labor for the food which perishes, but for the food which endures to everlasting life, which the Son of Man will give you, because God the Father has set His seal on Him.”

Many seek Jesus for the wrong reason. He did not come to give us a full belly nor a full bank account. He came to give us life, abundant life. These disciples understood that. Jesus asked “What do you seek?”and they replied:

We want to see where You dwell, Jesus!

Where does Jesus dwell?
He dwells with His people.
He dwells with love.
He dwells in our hearts if we live by faith in Him (Ephesians 3:17).

The Third Person Saved Had To Be Called Twice

John 1:40-42 (KJV)  One of the two which heard John speak, and followed him, was Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother.  [41]  He first findeth his own brother Simon, and saith unto him, We have found the Messiah, which is, being interpreted, the Christ.  [42]  Andhe brought him to Jesus. And when Jesus beheld him, he said, Thou art Simon the son of Jona: thou shalt be called Cephas, which is by interpretation, A stone.

Andrew was one of the unnamed two disciples of John that followed Jesus. Being convinced that Jesus was the Messiah he went to his brother Simon Peter. Simon came with Andrew, and many believe that Simon was saved that day. I don’t myself think he was. Why? Because Simon neither confessed Jesus to be Christ, nor did he as his brother Andrew did follow the Lord. The conversation here is all one sided. The Bible says:

Jesus BEHELD him.

Many are introduced to Jesus. They take a glance at the Lord, but there is no change in their lives. Yet we never know when or how the seed will take root. The Bible says:

Mark 4:14-20 (NKJV) The sower sows the word. 15 And these are the ones by the wayside where the word is sown. When they hear, Satan comes immediately and takes away the word that was sown in their hearts. 16 These likewise are the ones sown on stony ground who, when they hear the word, immediately receive it with gladness; 17 and they have no root in themselves, and so endure only for a time. Afterward, when tribulation or persecution arises for the word’s sake, immediately they stumble. 18 Now these are the ones sown among thorns; they are the ones who hear the word, 19 and the cares of this world, the deceitfulness of riches, and the desires for other things entering in choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful. 20 But these are the ones sown on good ground, those who hear the word, accept it, and bear fruit: some thirtyfold, some sixty, and some a hundred.”

When Simon Peter heard of the Christ through his brother he came to the Lord, but nothing seemed to happen. Jesus looked at Peter and said:

Thou art Simon the son of Jona: thou shalt be called Cephas,
which is by interpretation, A stone

Simon is stony ground, but the seed is sown. It is much later that Jesus comes to Peter and his brother Andrew fishing:

Matthew 4:18-20 (KJV)  AndJesus, walking by the sea of Galilee, saw two brethren, Simon called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea: for they were fishers.  [19]  And he saith unto them,Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.  [20]  And they straightway left their nets, and followed him.

Andrew followed Jesus the day he met Him. But Christ planted the seed. If you have told a loved one about Christ, do not give up on them. Do not cast them away. Keep telling them. Andrew did not abandon is brother, but continued to fellowship with him, to love him, to help him in his business. Then Jesus came again and said “Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men”. Immediately BOTH Peter and Andrew left their business, walking away from their nets. Peter and Andrew followed Jesus.

What is even more interesting about this is that Peter, the one who had to be called TWICE, became the leader of the Apostles. The hardest won are often the hardest workers for His Kingdom, praise His Holy Name!

The Fourth Was Easily Saved

John 1:43-44 (KJV)  The day following Jesus would go forth into Galilee, and findeth Philip, and saith unto him, Follow me.  [44]  Now Philip was of Bethsaida, the city of Andrew and Peter.

Every person who is saved by faith in Christ must meet Christ. In the case of the first three souls saved they were introduced to Christ by a friend or a brother. But in our text it seems to me that Jesus Himself went out and found Philip, saying “Follow Me”.

Christ can save whosoever He wants to save. Philip lived in the same city that both Andrew and Peter lived in, but there is no indication that they introduced Jesus to Philip. Why is this significant?

I have often been asked the question “What of those who have never heard of Christ? Shall they die and go to hell?” My response – and I believe it is a good response – is that God is always in control. God will reach out to whosoever will. If a person seeks God they will find God. Now this doesn’t mean that we as Christians should not share our faith. A Christian who will not share the light of God with another is disobeying the Christ. We shine for God, and we share Christ as God gives us opportunity. Jesus told us in Acts 1:8:

“But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnessesin Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”

Pastor John Stott said:

“We can no more restrict the command to witness
than we can restrict the promise of the Spirit.”

The Apostle told us:

2 Corinthians 5:18-20 All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation; that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation. Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God.

We share Christ. But what of the uinreached? We reach who we can, and trust God in Christ to reach the rest. I am convinced that every person ever born will receive at least one opportunity to follow Christ. Our God, Who exemplifies love, will ensure that this happens.

The Fifth Saved Had To Be Convinced

Once Philip was saved he did not hesitate – he went to find his friend Nathaniel. Many people do not tell others of Christ because they think they will be asked a HARD QUESTION. They are afraid to do so. But Philip went to Nathaniel:

John 1:45 (KJV)  Philip findeth Nathanael, and saith unto him, We have found him, of whom Moses in the law, and the prophets, did write, Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.

The name “Nathaniel”means “Given of God”. You would think a man named “Given of God”would easily find God. But when Nathaniel was told about Jesus his immediate response was:

John 1:46 (KJV)  Can there any good thing come out of Nazareth?

Now HOW is Philip going to answer this question? HOW will you answer the hard questions when you tell people about Jesus? Do it just the way that Philip did:

John 1:46 (KJV)  Philip saith unto him, Come and see.

Come with me and see Jesus. Go to Him in prayer. Seek His face. Talk it over with Him. When Nathaniel went with Philip to see Jesus the Lord spoke to him.

John 1:47-48 (KJV)  Jesus saw Nathanael coming to him, and saith of him, Behold an Israelite indeed, in whom is no guile!  [48]  Nathanael saith unto him, Whence knowest thou me? Jesus answered and said unto him, Before that Philip called thee, when thou wast under the fig tree, I saw thee.

Nathaniel had been seeking God in the privacy of his prayer closet, a little out of the way place “under a fig tree”.When Adam sinned he tried hiding “under a fig tree” (Genesis 3:7-8). Nathaniel wasn’t sinning under the fig tree. He was looking for God – and God found him. When Jesus said:

Before Philip found you while you were under the fig tree
I saw YOU!

Jesus hears our cries, our prayers. He sees us in our need. Nathaniel replied:

John 1:49 (KJV) … Rabbi, thou art the Son of God; thou art the King of Israel.

Jesus, YOU are the Messiah sent from God. What does the Scripture say?

Romans 10:9-10 (NKJV) … that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.

Jesus is Lord. Jesus replies to Nathaniel:

John 1:50-51 (KJV)  Jesus answered and said unto him, Because I said unto thee, I saw thee under the fig tree, believest thou? thou shalt see greater things than these.  [51]  And he saith unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Hereafter ye shall see heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of man.

Jesus is God’s Door to Heaven. We Who are His see this, know this, and live this. May God draw you deeper into your walk with Christ by faith.