Welcome. Good to see everyone here this morning. If you would, please, in your Bibles, turn to John chapter 1. John chapter 1. We're going to continue in our series, Lost and Found. And we're going to work through an account in John chapter 1 in just a moment. Surveys tell us that people spend, on average, 17 hours per year searching for lost items. Can anyone identify with that? Did anyone already put in 30 minutes this morning getting ready for church? A lost child, maybe? U.S. households spend an average of $2.7 billion per year on replacing those lost items. On average, Americans lose 24 million phones each year. 20 million Americans lose, guess what? Their car keys every year. And we have a white cabinet in the lobby that is proof of that, that has some car keys in it. There's a key to a Buick I've been trying to give away for two years now. I can't find the owner. If it's you, see me afterwards. Over 60% of people misplace their glasses at least once a week. And funny enough, half of them find it sitting on top of their heads. You guessed it. And parents report that around 40% of toys are temporarily lost by children within the first month of receiving them. Things get lost. but what joy there is when they are found. As we continue in this series, let's turn like we have already to John chapter one, but I would ask you to scan down to verse number 43. And here we'll see a man who met Jesus and then went and found a friend to bring to him. So act one, scene one, begins in verse 43, and we'll read that verse in the following verse. The day following, Jesus would go forth into Galilee and findeth Philip and saith unto him, follow me. Now Philip was of Bethsaida, the city of Andrew and Peter. As we look at this intro to our story of Philip, we learn that he is from the city or village of Bethsaida, the same city as Andrew and Peter. Yes, the Andrew and Peter disciples that we are very familiar with. And since they were all God-fearing Jews, they probably knew each other, and it is extremely likely that they even went to synagogue together. And we first meet Philip in John chapter 1, the day after Jesus called Peter, Andrew, and John. That's why in verse number 43, the verse starts off the day following. That's the day after Jesus called Peter, Andrew, and John. This region that Jesus goes to is just a little fishing village, just on the northern shore of the Sea of Galilee. Jesus found Philip and said to him two simple words. We're not given any other details other than the words, follow me. And then this we know, Philip immediately responded to Jesus. So I don't know if Jesus said more prior to follow me or more afterwards. We only have recorded for us those two words. So we're certain that was at least said, but we don't have any detail if Philip said anything back to Jesus. He may have said, yes, sir. He may have said gladly. He just may have looked into the eyes of Jesus, recognized that he is the son of God. Something in him quickened and was made alive, recognizing he is the Messiah. And it could have been just a head nod. Knowing Jesus knew him already in a very intimate way, already knew his name, and all Philip had to do was, maybe within his heart, or maybe with his head, just a bow of, yes, I will do that. What I love in verse 43, we see the personal nature of Jesus' call. Jesus calls each of us individually. He meets us where we are, and he invites us into a relationship with him. And God desires so much to have a close, intimate relationship with each one of us in this room today. Yes, he knows our name, he knows every detail about us, but he wants us to come alongside him and humble ourselves, dropping all pride and allowing him to peer into our life and allowing him to correct us. And sometimes he just points to an area, he puts his finger on it and he simply says, in this area, follow me. In this area, follow me. And in that moment, when we hear God speaking into our life, we need to be a little bit more like Philip and just immediately respond. Jesus does not see us as a crowd. He sees us as individuals, each of us with unique stories and each of us with unique needs. I acknowledge that to the world, We're seen as a group. We're seen as many. But to Jesus, He sees us as one. And one that truly matters. Just as Jesus knew Philip's name, He knows our name. Isaiah chapter 43 verse 1 says, I have called you by name. Thou art mine. when God was creating all of His creation and putting the universe in place and hanging the stars and the sun and the moon. And as He allows creation to develop and to grow and continue on, He decided that He needed each one of the people that are in this room today. His creation would not be complete unless you were in it. He has formed us. And this personal approach is one of the most beautiful aspects of the gospel. And Philip's immediate response to Jesus' call is absolutely remarkable to me. Because it is without hesitation. Philip does not look at Jesus and say, hey, give me 24 hours. He doesn't stop and say, Let me think about this. No, he knew that when Jesus looked him in the eye and said, follow me, that that is what he was supposed to do with his life and that he could trust Jesus fully. He could jump in with both feet and be secure and be safe in Jesus. So what did Philip do following? Jesus is called to follow him. We don't know any words that he said, but as we read down through our text, we find out something Philip did. Look at verse number 45 with me. Philip findeth Nathanael and saith unto him, and I have this underlined in my notes because it's the words we have found him. of whom Moses in the law and the prophets did write, Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph." Philip himself could not contain the joy he felt in finding the Messiah. And his instinct was to immediately share this incredible news that he had with someone that he cared about. It just welled up in him. Did you ever receive such good news that you had to go and tell someone? Even if it was a stranger, you just want to tell them the good news, your good fortune. We are wired to share good news. We willingly share bad news. We want people to hear our woes. And we like to share good news. It's part of what we are. And Philip was so overwhelmed, he had to find an outlet. He had to tell someone. And his first response was to go and find his good buddy, to find his friend, Nathaniel. Friendships provide for us the most fertile soil for evangelism. Friendships. Sharing the gospel is not just informational. By nature it is relational. Why did Philip go to Nathanael? Was it the first person he crossed as he was walking away from Jesus? No, because he had a relationship already built in there. There was a friendship there. And it was ripe for evangelism. It was perfect timing for him to go and tell Nathanael about Jesus. The gospel is relationally connecting with those that are around us. It's helping them form a personal relationship with the God that you and I personally know. So as we get closer to God, the greater our desire is to share news about Him. The inverse is true as well. The further we drift from God, the less desire we have to share the gospel and the news of Him. So we could put a thermometer into our spiritual life, say, how are we doing? There are some tells, there's some red flags we can look at. If I don't have that strong desire to share the news of Jesus, maybe I don't know him as personally well as I need to right now in my life. A father of Christ first impulse is always going to be to find someone and introduce them to Christ. There are a lot of things in our life that we value and that we treasure. Some of them we get a special rider on our insurance. Some of it we're required to have insurance because it is such a treasure or such a precious thing or cost so much money we have to have insurance on it. But all of the great things that perhaps we own and the things that we treasure, there is nothing greater than salvation as being our most precious gift we have ever received. Do you agree with that? Recognizing the value of what we have found in Christ then compels us to share it. When we value it highly, we're more inclined to share it. We want those that we love to experience the same joy, the same peace, the same hope that we have found in Him. The gospel is not something for us to receive and not share and just keep it to ourselves. It is meant to be shared. After all, it means good news. What good is news if it is not shared? 2 Corinthians 5, verse 20 calls all believers ambassadors. That is not a title or a position that you have to apply for and hopefully get accepted for. At salvation, it is put on you as believers to be ambassadors, representatives of Christ. How would Christ speak in a situation? How would He act or react? You look to the ambassador. This isn't just a suggestion, but it's a divine mandate from God. Jesus commissioned his disciples in Matthew chapter 28 towards the ends of the chapter in verses 19 and 20. He commends the disciples to go and make disciples of all nations. So he tells his disciples to go and make disciples. Christians are to go and make Christians. Those who have received the good news are to share the good news. The Great Commission is our calling too. We must recognize the urgency of this mission. There are people around us who are spiritually lost. They're in need of finding salvation. And the most treasured thing they could ever have in their life is something that we possess and we can share if we're willing. Luke 19, verse 10, Jesus says that the reason of why he came He says, this is it, this is why I came to earth, to seek and to save the lost. His mission, priority number one, when he was down here on earth, is now our mission too, to seek and to save the lost. And Philip, when he heard this from Jesus, and he felt it, and he knew he was the Messiah, he could not keep it within himself. There was great joy, he had to share the news. So it was relational, he went to a friend, he already had a relationship with, named Nathaniel. Have you ever had somebody come up to you, and it's obvious they're very excited, they're very animated, and they're trying to tell you a story, but they're making no sense at all. And you just have to tell them, time out, stop, slow down, what are you saying? It would be kind of like a four-year-old looking up, all excited about something. You need to slow down so I can fully understand. They are so excited, they're having trouble getting it out. So imagine Philip going to Nathanael, having just found and met and called by the Messiah. And you're Nathanael, and Philip is in front of you just talking. How did Nathanael really respond? Verse number 46. Nathanael said unto him, Can there any good thing come out of Nazareth? Talk about cold water. Philip's all excited and Nathanael just has to come back with something negative. He has to come back with a question. Come back with some skepticism. And he asked, Can any good thing come from Nazareth? Now Nathanael's reaction It's like someone today saying, can any good come out of New Jersey? I was born in Englewood, I'm allowed to say that. It's interesting here because Nathanael was from a little town called Cana, a much smaller village, much more insignificant compared to Nazareth. So this tells me that there might have been some local rivalry between Nazareth and Cana. And the people of Cana looked down at Nazareth, the people at Nazareth looked down at Cana. When Philip says, hey, I have met him, he is from Nazareth. Immediately Nathanael was saying, what? I've been to Nazareth. I would never live there. I would just walk through there. I would never eat there. Nothing good, nothing good has ever come out of Nazareth. Nathanael was not impressed. Maybe if he heard that the man Philip met who claimed to be the Messiah was from Jerusalem, that would make much more sense, but not Nazareth. He didn't believe the Messiah would come from such a lowly village. So there's Philip, who started off very excited, talking to Nathanael. Nathanael just has skepticism coming out of his mouth. What does Philip say? It's something so simple. Let's read it. The second half of verse number 46. Philip saith unto him, Come and see. Philip's response to Nathaniel's doubt was not to argue, but it was to invite. And simply say those two words, come and see for yourself. Imagine you're recommending a new restaurant to a friend that you really enjoy and you liked. And they're hesitant about checking out this restaurant that you enjoyed. So instead of pulling out your phone and pulling up the website of that restaurant and looking at the menu and seeing what entrees that they would enjoy and seeing which ones that you enjoyed and you're telling them about, instead you just look at them and say, hey, anything I tell you about the food, anything I tell you about the experience and the service that you get at that restaurant is gonna not be the same level as I'm able to tell you, so why don't you do this next Friday, why don't you just come and see with us yourself? because you know once you get them into the restaurant and they taste the food and they experience it, they will love it just like you. You don't provide an argument about the restaurant. You don't pull up the Google reviews. You just say, I liked it and I think you will too. Lee Strobel is an author and he wrote a book called The Case for Christ. If you haven't read it, it's one of those books I can highly recommend. He was an atheist and also an investigative journalist. He set out on a mission to disprove Christianity. He was a good investigator, so he had those skills. He was also a journalist, so he knew how to communicate with the written word. And he wanted to combine those two skills. to go ahead and finally once and for all disprove Christianity, and anyone who would read his works would understand why they should not have any part of being a Christ follower. But after examining all of the evidence, he collected it, he poured himself over it, he used his inbuilt skills that he had to go over it, and his conclusion was, it's true. And he was converted and accepted Christ. But get this, It was his wife's simple invitation to attend church that was the beginning of the journey of his faith. His wife no doubt saw him in his office with books laid out, a hundred tabs on Google Chrome open, toggling back and forth, writing his thesis against Christianity. And his wife just came in, not with arguments, not with proofs, not with more books, but simply said, come with me to church. Come and just see. Sit under the preaching of God's Word. Hear the Bible for yourself. And that marked the beginning of that investigative journalist turning his life around. The woman at the well invited her entire village to come and meet Jesus. And all she simply said was, come on, meet him. He told me everything that I've ever did. She didn't debate. She did not explain the theology. She simply invited him to experience Christ. So as believers, I want to encourage us, listen, we don't need to have all of the answers. Our job is to extend the invitation like Philip did, and just ask people to come and see. Philip did not need a master's level in understanding a discourse of scripture. He just said, come. It's because the gospel isn't a plan of salvation. The gospel is a person of salvation. And we need to invite people to that person. Our role is to use the Bible to introduce others to Jesus. It's then the Holy Spirit's job to take the Scripture, which is alive and is quickened, to convince and to convict them of their lost state. And Nathaniel hears everything that Philip is telling him. And Philip actually only says, come and see. Nathaniel, though skeptical, decides that he's going to go and he's going to see what all this commotion and all this excitement is about in Philip's life. So he decides to go. In verse number 47, we see something that happens. I love the first three words of verse 47. It says, Jesus saw Nathanael coming to him and saith of him, behold, an Israelite indeed in whom is no guile. Jesus notices first Nathanael approaching. Jesus saw Nathanael before Nathanael saw him. This tells me of Jesus' awareness and his attention to people. Even before they reached Jesus, Jesus knows all about them and loves them in the condition that they're in. When Nathanael came up to Jesus, he did not have to extend his hand and say, Nathanael. Jesus already knew. And then look what Jesus says to him. Jesus speaks first and Jesus says, behold, an Israelite indeed. Now we don't use that word behold a whole lot in everyday English, am I right? Has anyone used it this past week? Behold. Somebody just scratched their head. I thought I actually had one. Behold simply means pay attention to what I'm about to say. Behold means pay attention. So wives, next time you're talking and you don't feel like your husbands are paying attention, just throw out the word behold. And you're like, what? See, yeah, it means pay attention. If Trish used the word behold on me, it would get my attention for sure. So Jesus says, behold, behold what? Behold, pay attention to what I'm about ready to say. I see in front of me coming this way an Israelite indeed. What Jesus is saying, he says, Nathanael is a true Israelite. Someone who's been genuinely faithful to God. And then Jesus goes on and he says, in whom is no guile. Jesus is saying, Nathanael, he is honest. In him, there is no deceit. He's the kind of person who speaks with integrity. He acts with integrity. He doesn't try to manipulate or hide the truth. How does Nathanael, who came into the scene skeptical, respond to this? This man from Nazareth, nothing good comes out of Nazareth. Verse number 48 tells us Nathanael's reaction, look at it. Nathanael saith unto him, whence knowest thou me? Well, Jesus is going to answer that. Jesus answered and said unto him, Behold, or before, I like to use the word behold obviously, before that Philip called thee, when thou wast under the fig tree, I saw thee. So Nathanael's question, how do you know me? Now we sit here as believers. God knows your name. He knows everything about you. For Nathanael is skeptic. He's saying, wait a second, time out. I'm calling your bluff. What makes you think that you know me? And this is where the conversation turns. This is the plot twist in Nathanael's life. Nathaniel is surprised and he's curious. He's wondering how Jesus could know anything about him since they have never met before. And his question shows that he's skeptical, but yet at the same time he is open to understanding what Jesus has to say next. And Jesus simply says, before Philip called you, before Philip went, and I know it was Philip, before he went and even said something, this I know about you, you were under a fig tree, and I saw you. What does Jesus mean by that? Under the fig tree, in Jewish culture, sitting under a fig tree was often a place of prayer, of study, and of meditation. Fig trees offered a lot of shade from the intense heat. The roots of a fig tree would sometimes even come up out of the ground and form comfortable places to sit. Rabbis would bring their followers and their students under the fig tree and would teach them. So if someone in Jewish culture was under the fig tree, it meant they are studying the Old Testament. They are studying scripture, or they are learning, or it's even a place of prayer. And Jesus is telling Nathanael, look, before Philip came and got you, you were under the fig tree. Eye contact is made. And Jesus looks into Philip's life or Nathanael's life. Nathanael knows that Jesus knows what he was doing under the fig tree. And that was perhaps studying about the Messiah coming, God sending his son. And when we get down to verse number 49, we see a break in Nathanael. We finally see a yielding. We see the skepticism falling to the ground. Verse number 49, Nathanael answered and said unto him three things. Number one, rabbi. Thou art the number two, son of God. Thou art the number three, king of Israel. Jesus, or after Jesus reveals his supernatural knowledge, Nathanael immediately recognizes something extraordinary about this man. The first thing out of Nathanael's mouth is, Rabbi. That was a term of respect. It was recognition of authority in Jesus, but then he goes on, he goes, no, no, no, not just Rabbi. He goes, Son of God. He recognizes that divinity is in this man standing in front of him. And this is a declaration for Nathan, Nathanael. He goes from skeptical to now a believer. And he says, you're not just a teacher, you are God's son. And then he calls him King of Israel. He recognizes this is the man that we've been looking for. And he places his belief in Jesus in this moment. Once Jesus revealed himself, Nathanael's heart was open and willingly accept Jesus as his divine king. Our role, like Philip's role, is so simple, but we are masterful at complicating it. When it comes to inviting others to Jesus, it's real simple. One, you go out. Two, find people. Three, invite them in. Go out, find, invite. I have two applications I would like for us to take away this morning. Number one, evangelism begins at home. Philip's first action after meeting Jesus was to find his friend. Someone that he already knew. He already had a relationship with him and that's who he went to, to bring him to Christ. This shows us that evangelism starts with the people that are closest to us. Our family, our friends, our loved ones, our neighbors, our co-workers. We believe in a sovereign God that orchestrates all things. And we should not discount why God has planted us where He has. Why did God give me the co-workers that I have? Or the neighbors that I have? Or the family that I have? It's not an accident. God planted us as believers there to be a light, to spread the word to those that are around us. We don't need to go far to share the gospel. Studies show that personal invitations are highly effective. According to Outreach Magazine, 82% of unchurched people would attend if invited by a close friend or family member. 82% polled saying, if a close friend or a close family member invited me to church, I probably would go. 82% is very high. Why aren't the churches fuller than they are? Because they're not being invited. Evangelism begins at home, and secondly, simple invitations have a profound impact. Think of Philip's invitation for Nathaniel. He said three words. He went to him and just simply said, look, I hear your questions. I can't answer them. I don't know. He just said, just come on. Come and see for yourself. I can't give the words to fully describe this Jesus Christ. So I'm just begging you, just come and see for yourself. This illustrates that sometimes the most powerful thing we can do is offer an invitation. and then trusting God to go ahead and to do the rest. Do not underestimate the power of a simple invitation for someone to come and see. I wanna close with a story of Louis Zamperini. Louis Zamperini was a former U.S. Olympic athlete and World War II bomber. In the Olympics, he ran the mile. In World War II, he was a bomber who endured incredible hardships. His plane crashed over the Pacific Ocean and he survived for 47 days on a raft out in the open water before he was rescued. Unfortunately, his rescue was by the Japanese. He spent more than two years as a prisoner of war, and while a POW, he was brutally tortured. When the war ended, Zamperini returned home, and he returned home a hero, though he himself did not feel like a hero. And that's because he was deeply scarred and had a lot of trauma. He suffered from severe PTSD. He had nightmares that would wake him up quite often of his tormentors. And he turned to alcohol to cope with his pain and just to be able to go another day and just to numb the sensations, Lord, that he had in him. His life spiraled out of control. His marriage, that too was on the verge of collapse. He was lost in anger and bitterness. And he had no hope in his life at this point. But then in 1949, his wife did something. She invited him to attend a Billy Graham crusade in Los Angeles. At first he was very reluctant, but she kept persisting. The first night that he went to that Billy Graham crusade, he actually walked out in the middle of it. She invited him back for the next night and compelled him to do so. He doesn't understand why he went back, but for some reason he says, I returned the next evening to that crusade. On that second night, during the service, as he was listening to this man named Jesus, who could forgive of all and who could restore broken lives, if you just turn to him, Mr. Zamperini said something inside of him broke. And there was an aisle. And when the invitation was given, he walked down that aisle and he gave his life to Christ. Zamperini's transformation was dramatic. He immediately gave up drinking. His life now had hope. The marriage was getting better. And inside, he forgave his captors, who had him as their hostage for two long years. He then decided that was not enough, and he flew to Japan. And he was able to meet his captors eye to eye. And he expressed to them that he forgave them. And that Jesus forgave him and forgave him of all of his sins. And that they too can know Christ if they just turn to him. He extended grace in sharing his story of forgiveness all over Japan. And then he spent the rest of his life sharing the message of Christ's love and his forgiveness and literally reached thousands with his testimony. Lewis' story shows us the incredible power of a simple invitation. His wife's persistent love and her encouragement To just come and see. She didn't have all of the answers that he had questions to. If he ever asked, why did I have to go through what I did? She did not have answers for those. But what she could say, she could look at her broken husband and just say, come and see Jesus. Just come and hear the Bible being preached. And when he did, that's what changed his life. It led him to a place where he could encounter Christ and truly be set free. Just as Philip invited Nathaniel to come and see, the invitation to Mr. Zamperini was also, come and see, and that changed everything. It's also a reminder to me that no one is beyond the reach and the love of God. If you're here this morning and you have never accepted Christ and you're even wondering can God forgive me for some things in my past, I again repeat myself and I say no one is beyond the reach of God's love and His forgiveness. And I remind us again, a simple invitation can lead to a transformed life. And I know what it's like passing out hundreds of invitations. And you don't know how far reaching those invitations are. But this I know, one day, on the other side of heaven, we will know. What is our job? It's simple. Do not overcomplicate it. It's to go out and just say, come and see. Would you bow your heads with me, please? Thanks for listening this week to the Graceway Baptist Church Podcast. For more information about our church and our ministries, head on over to our website at gracewaycharlotte.org. We are a church located in South Charlotte. We are growing and our ministries are doing big things for Christ. If you're looking for a way to get plugged into what we're doing, email us at info at gracewaycharlotte.org. Also, stay in the loop with everything happening by following us on Facebook and Instagram. Our handle is GracewayCharlotte. Thanks again for listening to the Graceway Charlotte Podcast. We'll see you next week.