Come and See

"Jesus turned and saw them following and said to them, “What are you seeking?” And they said to him, “Rabbi” (which means Teacher), “where are you staying?” He said to them, “Come and you will see.” So they came and saw where he was staying, and they stayed with him that day, for it was about the tenth hour." John 1:38-39

"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

"I set myself on fire, and the people come to see me burn." John Wesley

John's Gospel is written as a witness to us, to behold the Christ, the Son of God, Jesus. It is a call for all to "come and see." And there is so much to see!

The first two disciples begin to follow Jesus at the prodding of John the witness. In response to His question, "What are you seeking?", they ask where He is staying. His answer, "come and see." I'm sure they thought they would go and see where this great Rabbi, as they called Him, was staying. But instead what they began to see was something so much greater. They began to see truth, life, God.

We come to Jesus for all kinds of reasons, most of them selfish. But once we do come to Him, His glory eradicates all of our superficiality. He destroys our concepts of ourself and gives us a passion for Him. We stop living for ourselves and begin to live for Him. It becomes our one desire in this life, to come and see Jesus.

But not only does He become our desire, but we are filled with a passion to prod others to come and see. Andrew went and got Peter. Philip went and got Nathanael. When we have found Him, or better stated when He has found us, we must spread the news to others to come and see.

Who have you invited to come and see Jesus lately? Who has looked on your zeal for Jesus and been inspired to come and see for themselves? Or maybe you are reading this and wondering what I am talking about. Then please, open up the Word of God and "come and see!"

Sermons For Sale!

And they came to Balaam and said to him, “Thus says Balak the son of Zippor: ‘Let nothing hinder you from coming to me, for I will surely do you great honor, and whatever you say to me I will do. Come, curse this people for me.’ ” But Balaam answered and said to the servants of Balak, “Though Balak were to give me his house full of silver and gold, I could not go beyond the command of the Lord my God to do less or more." (Numbers 22:16-18)

And Balak’s anger was kindled against Balaam, and he struck his hands together. And Balak said to Balaam, “I called you to curse my enemies, and behold, you have blessed them these three times. Therefore now flee to your own place. I said, ‘I will certainly honor you,’ but the Lord has held you back from honor.” And Balaam said to Balak, “Did I not tell your messengers whom you sent to me, ‘If Balak should give me his house full of silver and gold, I would not be able to go beyond the word of the Lord, to do either good or bad of my own will. What the Lord speaks, that will I speak’?" (Numbers 24:10-13)

Everybody remembers Balaam for being the guy with the talking donkey. But really, what we should remember him for is his integrity in proclaiming the word of the Lord. He is confronted by King Balak to curse the people of Israel. Now as far as we know, Balaam is some sort of a seer who Yahweh speaks through. This is amazing, considering that he is not found among the Israelites. But nonetheless he knows God's personal name, Yahweh, and speaks with Him directly.

But what astounds me as I read this account in Numbers is the integrity of a man who obviously lived at the mercy of those who gave him money. Balak, the king, offers to take care of his every need, silver, gold, housing. Without batting an eye, Balaam tells the king's officials right up front that receiving those things mean nothing, the only thing that matters is to accurately convey the word of the Lord.

Even while proclaiming the oracles that God gave to Balaam, he unflinchingly continues to follow after whatever God tells him to say. Balak the King is right there, I imagine waving money bags the whole time. But Balaam never turns to the left or right, he continues to prophesy whatever the Lord lays in front of him. With absolutely no concern for how it might lead to him receiving no payment, or possibly may even lead to his own death!

Oh that we would have preachers like Balaam! Men who would have no regard for their paychecks, housing allowances, or their popularity among the masses. Here is Balaam with no regard for his life or well being, proclaiming a blessing on Israel to their enemies! And yet, it seems that we sometimes water down the truth of the gospel for the sake of not offending someone.

I know the dangers and how terribly frightening it is to have to say things that are going to be difficult. But if God has revealed to us in His word what must be preached, then let us not shrink back in fear. "If God is for us, then who can be against us?" I long for preaching that is willing to proclaim the truth no matter what the consequences. I am so encouraged when I see men lifting up the truth about Jesus Christ in places where they could suffer the loss of reputation, support, or even their life.

Recently, I had to say some very difficult things as a result of a suicide in our church family. But after sharing that message, I was amazed at the impact that it had on people's lives. I was worried that people would not receive the message and be bothered by it. But I knew I had to speak what God had placed before me in His word. And for that moment, I know I was faithful to the task.

Oh, that we would be faithful to the task week in and week out, regardless of the opinions of the masses. That we would join with Balaam in saying, "What the Lord speaks, that will I speak!"

Let US Choose A Leader?

While in the Wilderness, the Lord spoke to Moses and told him to send one man from each of the 12 tribes of Israel to spy out the promised land. The men went and came back. 10 of the 12 men gave a fearful report and spoke against treading into unknown territory. They were afraid of the tall people that inhabited the land and all of the unforeseeable dangers. But the Lord was not asking for their opinion on whether to go or not.

The people heard the report and were afraid. They began to speak out against Moses and the plan to enter into Canaan. Here is what is recorded in Numbers 14:1-4:

Then all the congregation raised a loud cry, and the people wept that night. And all the people of Israel grumbled against Moses and Aaron. The whole congregation said to them, “Would that we had died in the land of Egypt! Or would that we had died in this wilderness! Why is the Lord bringing us into this land, to fall by the sword? Our wives and our little ones will become a prey. Would it not be better for us to go back to Egypt?” And they said to one another, “Let us choose a leader and go back to Egypt.”

It is also interesting to note that in Numbers 12 Aaron and Miriam had also questioned the leadership of Moses. And the Lord rebuked them as well. The people here are so angry that when Joshua and Caleb speak up and warn the people, the people pick up stones to kill them. But then God shows up in power. Numbers 14:11-12:

And the Lord said to Moses, "How long will this people despise me? And how long will they not believe in me, in spite of all the signs that I have done among them? I will strike them with the pestilence and disinherit them, and I will make of you a nation greater and mightier than they."

But Moses, just like in the golden calf incident, chooses to turn down God's offer and pray on behalf of the people. He begs forgiveness for a people who had rejected his God given leadership. What a powerful testimony of leadership. God listens and instead punishes the rebellious adults above the age of 20 to wander for 40 years and then die.

There are a couple of powerful lessons here. One is that we should trust a leader who has been given spiritual authority by God. Now understand me, this is not measured in terms of positions, titles, or claimed authority. Spiritual authority is handed out only by the Lord Himself. The greatest in His kingdom are actually those who become least, and that's why Numbers 12 says that Moses was the meekest man in all the world. Those who imitate Christ in being servant leaders have this spiritual authority.

But so often I see churches rejecting Godly leadership out of fear. Fear of change, fear of the unknown, fear of losing something, or fear of other people. Notice that the vast majority of people were against Moses, Aaron, Joshua, and Caleb. In our churches today in America we would have settled this with a vote. And we would have been the ones wandering in the wilderness! We must understand that in God's kingdom we do not follow the wants of the people but the commands of our king, Jesus. As Isaiah 2:22 says, "Stop regarding man in whose nostrils is breath, for of what account is he?" Our only fear is of the Lord and we must follow Him and listen carefully when leaders who have a track record of following Him point in the direction that they feel God is leading us.

The second thing to notice is the heart of Moses. Rejected, despised, and ready to be killed by the people, he never ceases to pray for them. They wanted to KILL him. I have been disliked and kicked in ministry, but to my knowledge no one has attempted to murder me. Slander maybe, but not physically take my life. And yet Moses prays that the people might be spared from the wrath of God. This is a Godly leader.

If you are in leadership in a church, you must have a heart like this. A heart that says no matter what the odds or difficulties, you won't tuck your tail and run. You trust in God for vindication and pray for the souls of the people entrusted to you. They are sheep and are in need of the Good Shepherd. Our primary work is to seek out the face of God and pray that He might bring forgiveness and healing one at a time. And those that need to suffer His wrath, we must allow Him to bring the punishment, not us.

What a lesson this is for me. I must pray for those who persecute me. I must pray for those who are my enemies. I must pray for those who betray trust. I must pray for those who attempt to injure me. I must pray for any and all that hate me. This is compassion. This is mercy. This is Godly leadership.

The sad thing is that people will rarely choose leaders like this. They will choose Aaron's who give them up in the hard times. They will choose Saul's who rule harshly. They will choose Eli's that don't know how to control their own homes. They will choose kings that let them do whatever they want.

But pray with me now that God will send His leaders. Spiritual men with His anointing. Men ready to call His people to repentance and will pray for their souls. Men who are not trying to be Savior, but lamps pointing to the Morning Star. Men who will not quit when they are rejected, but will fall down in mourning and pray for the people.