If you have your Bible tonight, will you please turn with me to John's Gospel once again, the first chapter of the Gospel according to St. John. We're going to read the last number of verses together, beginning at verse 43. Men who met the Master. And that's what we're thinking about over these weeks entering into this new year, men and women as well who met the Savior and their lives were changed. Last week we considered Andrew and Simon and another disciple who's not named, but we're convinced that that was John. And tonight we're moving on a little bit to another day in the Lord's ministry, the conversion of Philip And then, just immediately after that, a man called Nathanael. So, John chapter 1 and verse 43. God's Word says, the day following, Jesus would go forth into Galilee, and findeth Philip, and saith unto him, Follow me. Now, Philip was off Bethsaida, the city of Andrew and Peter, 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. And Nathanael said unto him, Can there any good thing come out of Nazareth? Philip saith unto him, Come and see. Jesus saw Nathanael coming to him, and saith of him, Behold, an Israelite indeed, in whom is no guile. 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. Nathanael answered and saith unto him, Rabbi, thou art the Son of God, thou art the King of Israel. 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. 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. And we'll just end with the very last verse of the chapter, and we thank God for His precious Word, this inspired book that God has given, and we know that God will bless the reading of it to every heart. Let's pray very briefly, and let's invite the Lord to come and to speak to us. Let's pray. Father, we praise and bless thee tonight that the Lord Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, and today, and forever. And the same Savior that met men like Philip, and Nathaniel, and Andrew, and John, and Simon, is able to meet men, women, and young people tonight, and draw them out after himself, change their lives, and make them new creatures. And Father, we pray tonight that for Thy glory, according to Thy will and by the power of the Spirit, that that same miracle might happen in someone's life in this very place this evening. I pray for the anointing of the Spirit of God I pray for a fresh cleansing. I ask, O God, that you will hide me behind the cross. I pray, Lord, that thou wilt break me, melt me, and mould me and fill me. And for thy glory, may the Spirit of the living God fall afresh upon me and even upon this congregation. Lord, we need thee so much, and Lord, we want nothing more, and at the same time, nothing less. than for God to be magnified, exalted, and glorified, for his son to be high and lifted up, and for souls to be drawn to him. We ask these things in the Savior's name, and for God's everlasting glory. Amen. John's Gospel, chapter 1. concludes with the first few days of our Lord's earthly ministry. And it really does make for thrilling reading. For example, in verse 29, the verse opens with the words, And that immediately causes us, perhaps, to think about the previous day. The day that is inferred in the words, the next day, the previous day, some of the Jewish leaders had been listening to the earthly ministry of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, or the earthly ministry of John the Baptist, and the great passion and power with which John preached. And they came to him and said, are you the Messiah? And John said, No, I am not. There cometh one after me who is mightier than I, the latchets of whose shoes I am not worthy to stoop down and unloose. And John had pointed those religious leaders to another. And the very next day John seeth Jesus coming to him, and then said before a large company of people, Behold the Lamb of God which taketh away the sin of the world. You've been asking who the Messiah is, where the Messiah is, where he's coming from. Some of you have even asked, am I the Messiah? I am not, but now here he is. Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world. And there you have the Lamb of God identified. And you've also got the Lamb of God, as it were, crucified, going to a cross one day to die for the sins of his people and to deal with this age-old problem of man's separation from God. Verse 29, the next day. Then verse number 35, and again, the next day after, John stood and two of his disciples, and he preaches a very similar sermon the next day, and looks upon the Lord Jesus as he walked and saith, Behold the Lamb of God. And that led ultimately to the conversion of Andrew, And another disciple, we believe that that disciple was John. John is spoken about often in John's gospel, but he doesn't usually refer to himself by name. He's a humble, bashful sort of an individual, and he doesn't often name himself. And then in turn, Andrew goes off and he finds Simon and points Simon to the Savior. And there's all of these remarkable and wonderful conversions. And then again in verse number 43, and the day following. So this is now the fourth day that we're reading about in John chapter 1, and the third day of the Lord's earthly ministry. And the day following, Jesus would go forth into Galilee, and then he finds Philip, and Philip goes and finds Nathanael, and all of these wonderful things are happening. Now it says in verse number 44, now Philip was of Bethsaida. That's where we believe the Lord had gone in this third day in verse number 43. He goes forth on to Galilee, and most people believe that Bethsaida was a city on the north coast of the Sea of Galilee. And the Lord commenced His ministry there, and out of that city the Lord called several fishermen to come and to follow Him. And wonderful things happened in the village or the town of Bethsaida. Later on in the Lord's ministry, He said to that same city, Woe unto thee, Bethsaida, and woe unto thee, Chorazin! For if the mighty works which had been done in thee had been done in Sodom and Gomorrah, they would have repented long ago. And He says, you have been exalted right up to the very gates of heaven. Brought to a prominent position, a privileged position. But because you haven't received me in all my fullness, thou shalt be brought down to hell. And that was fulfilled literally, because Beth said it was wiped right off the face of the map. right off the face of God's earth. So much so that historians find it difficult to pinpoint just exactly where the old city of Bethsaida was. With great privilege comes great responsibility. And I believe tonight that this nation of ours has been greatly blessed and has been highly exalted, maybe more so than the majority of nations upon the face of the earth, this little land of ours, very small, was once known as the land of saints and scholars, a land where God has moved and sent many great awakenings and many spiritual revivals, and many pastors and preachers and evangelists and missionaries have gone from this nation to other parts of the world. But tonight we stand as a nation who has rejected God, and we're in great danger of being brought very, very low under the chastening hand of Almighty God. Maybe tonight you're not yet a Christian, but you have been privileged as well. Maybe brought up in a Christian home, brought up under the prayers of godly parents and grandparents, brought up at a family altar, sent along to a faithful Sunday school, sat under an evangelical ministry, and you've sat maybe for years and years and years and you're not really walking with God this evening. I encourage you to repent of your sins and to put your faith and trust in the Lord Jesus Christ. But it was in this town of Bethsaida that the Lord found Philip. It was also the home of Andrew and Peter. And you've got these three remarkable days in the Lord's ministry when the ones and twos are taking up the crosses at wear and following Him. And many of these people knew each other well. They worked together and some of them were related. Can you imagine what it would be like in this locality, if you had three such days between two Lord's days, and the talk of the town was, did you hear that so-and-so has become a Christian, and then his brother has become a Christian the same day, and then the day after that another person sought and found the Lord, and they appointed somebody else? And then the day after that, there were others who have trusted the Lord to hear about such and such a person, such and such an individual, and the Spirit of God moving in the locality, and many entering into newness of life. I don't know about you tonight, but I long, I long and pray for such days in this town, in this district of ours, whenever the Lord will draw near, And people will behold the Lamb of God, and forsake their nets, the things that tie them and bind them, and hold them in their sin, and follow on to know the Lord Jesus Christ as their Savior. Tonight we want to think for a little while about the conversion of Philip And then Nathanael. And the circumstances are quite similar to that of Andrew and Simon that we considered last Lord's Day evening. And I trust tonight that you, if you haven't yet, that you might have a very similar experience even now, even tonight in this very meeting. that the Lord will meet you and that you will meet the Master and your life might be changed. Let's first of all look very simply at Philip's conversion before we think about Nathaniel. Verse 43 through to verse number 46 show us how Philip met the Master. And there are three very simple things in these verses. In verse number 43, you'll notice that our Lord Jesus Christ found Philip. It says there the day following, Jesus would go forth into Galilee and findeth Philip. He knew exactly who Philip was. He knew exactly where Philip was. He knew exactly how Philip was. And he went to this town and he searched and he made it his intention, I'm going to find this man Philip. and I'm going to call him, and Philip is going to follow me." The Lord was interested, we have said it so many times, interested in individuals. And he went to Bethsaida in part to find Philip, the son of man, is come to seek and to save that which is lost. You know, the good news of the gospel tonight is not so much about men seeking and finding the Lord, but the gospel is about the Lord seeking and finding men. The Bible says, really, if we're honest, there is none that understandeth. And there is none that seeketh after God. The natural reaction of man is to run from the Lord and to get away from the Lord and to go his own way. All we like sheep have gone astray. We have turned everyone to his own way. The first thing that happened whenever Adam and Eve took of that fruit of the tree of knowledge of good and evil was they were filled with fear. And they were also filled with shame and they were filled with guilt. And rather than running into the infinite and eternal arms of love and grace and mercy, they ran from the Lord and they tried to cover themselves and they tried to hide themselves. But in loving kindness, the Lord came and went into that garden and went into the shadows of the garden and began to call out, Adam, where art thou? And the Lord sought. And the Lord found Adam. Maybe for many years you've been running from the Lord, and you find yourself in this meeting tonight, and you've come in just ordinary, without thought or without prayer. And you're suddenly conscious of an atmosphere of eternity, and you're maybe conscious somehow of something opening up your heart, or someone opening up your heart. And you're maybe conscious tonight that the Lord is looking for you, and maybe you've been hiding from Him for years. Many tonight can look back to a time in their life whenever the Lord sought them and found them. And you might be able to take individuals to the very place where you found the Lord. I can think back in my life to a time as a lad of 13 years of age, more than any other time whenever for the first time I was conscious that the Lord loved me. And the Lord was interested in me with all of my faults and all of my feelings and all of my sin. As a young teenager, the Lord coming and opening up this heart just as a flower opens to the sun and receiving his love and his mercy and his forgiveness. The Lord Jesus Christ found Philip. It's a very simple thought. And then whenever you go on a little bit further as well in verse 43, not only did the Lord Jesus find Philip, But Philip followed the Lord Jesus Christ. The call was very simple, follow me. And that is the call of Jesus Christ. He didn't come into this world of ours to get decisions. He came into this world of ours to make disciples. And true discipleship, to be a real Christian, a real disciple, is to become a follower of the Lord Jesus Christ. A follower, yes, of His teachings, a follower, yes, of His example, but to follow after Him with love and devotion and fellowship and surrender and commitment, the cross before me and the world behind me, no turning back, no turning back. I have decided to follow Jesus. Hosea the great prophet says, then shall we know if we follow on to know the Lord. That's what salvation is. It's coming to know the Lord intimately and following after him. Before the Son of God went to the cross in John 17, prayed that great prayer. This is life eternal, that they might know thee, the only true God and Jesus Christ who now sent. Whenever the Lord calls a person to become a disciple, He calls them to know Him intimately and personally and follow after Him. And John's gospel is full of this great truth of discipleship. For example, in John 8 and verse number 12, again, the Savior said, I am the light of the world. He that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life. There will be a light turned on in your soul, and you'll be translated out of the kingdom of darkness and into God's marvelous light, and to be a disciple is to be a follower of the Son of God. In John 10, the Lord said, My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. In John 12 and verse 26, the Son of God said, If any man serve me, let him follow me. And where I am, there shall also my servant be." Can I challenge you tonight? Are you following the Savior? Are you walking daily by the Savior's side? Are you washed in the blood of the Lamb? Many tonight can testify and say, I'm a Christian. But the reality is we need to show that we're Christians by really following after the Lord. And it was evident that Philip followed the Lord, because it goes on to say in verse number 45 that Philip found Nathanael. So the Lord found Philip, and then Philip followed the Lord. And then Philip found Nathanael. It was the very first thing that he did in his new life of discipleship, to seek out one of his best friends, Nathanael, somebody he'd grown up alongside, and they'd walked together, and played together, and grew up together, and now in all likelihood working together as fishermen, and he immediately finds Nathanael. Verse 45, Philip, findeth Nathanael. And as with Andrew finding Simon, Philip wants to introduce others to the Lord Jesus Christ. You know, so often whenever individuals get up and give their testimony, and they talk about how they were converted, it's not always, and sometimes it's not even all that often, that they were converted in or at the end of a gospel meeting. It was maybe through a quiet personal witness or testimony of a friend that first introduced them to the Lord Jesus Christ. Maybe a friend or a loved one coming into the home or into the workplace and saying, I have become a Christian. And their life was changed and they saw something different in their lives. It's a vital way to reach the lost, the word of personal witness. It indicates that Philip had a concern. Christian tonight, are you concerned about your friends and families and peers that are living and dying in this world without Christ? Philip had a concern. Philip as well showed great courage. He was just a young convert. He'd only been converted that very day and immediately with courage and with conviction and with concern he goes and finds Nathaniel and bravely speaks to him about the gospel. And then of course there was counsel. So Philip was fervent. Philip was faithful and Philip was fresh. There's something about the zeal that a new convert has in winning and reaching others. Sadly for many, we can get dry and stale and dusty and indifferent. And as one old song says, O Lord, my eyes are dry. My heart is cold, my faith is weak, and my prayers are old. Lord, what can be done for a poor heart like mine? Soften it up with oil and wine. The oil is you, your spirit of love. Come wash me and you in the wine of your blood." Maybe tonight we need the love of God, a fresh shed abroad in our hearts, a fresh cleansing and a fresh anointing to get a fresh vision to reach a world that is lost. Philip's conversion. And then the greater weight of the portion we've read together tonight deals with the conversion of Nathanael. I believe tonight that Nathanael started this particular day just as he started any other day. Maybe no thought of God at all. And he didn't know that before the sun would go down that night that we would be a new creature and would have new dreams and new desires and new ambitions. Notice in verse 45 Nathanael's privilege. Philip findeth Nathanael. He had a friend who loved him enough and cared about him enough to share the gospel with him and point him to the Lord Jesus Christ. You'll notice there, as you think about Nathanael's privilege, that as Philip comes to him, Philip testifies of his own salvation. He says, we have found him. I have found someone today, Nathanael. My life has been changed radically in a moment of time. I have been introduced to the Lord Jesus Christ. I have found him, but really the truth of the matter is that it was the Lord who found Philip. And he's just articulating his experience the very best way that he can, and he says, we have found him. Surely tonight every Christian who's really converted and really saved could say similar words like that to your friends or workmates, our fellow students, wherever we are, Monday to Friday, and simply say, listen, I have become a Christian. I wasn't always a Christian, and I have found a wonderful friend and a wonderful Savior in the Lord Jesus Christ. You mightn't have all of the answers, you mightn't be able to divide hairs over theological issues, but if you're converted tonight, you've got a testimony to give. And it might be a very simple testimony. I have found the Lord, the Lord has found me, and I want to introduce you to my Savior. Philip testified of his salvation, but more importantly than that, Philip pointed him to the Scriptures. Everything that Philip wanted to say about the Lord Jesus Christ in his testimony tallied with the Word of God. Verse 45, we have found him of whom Moses in the law And also the prophets did write, Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph." Now, Philip's learning very fast here, isn't he? We have found the one that the law speaks about. That's the Pentateuch, the books of Moses, the first five books of the Bible. And the law of God shows us our need of a Savior. All have sinned and have come short of the glory of God. Sin is breaking God's law. And the books of Moses, the law of God, show us that we need a Savior, but the law of God also shows our Savior in type. The Passover lamb, the great high priest, the tabernacle, the feasts, and all of the offerings all pointed to the Lord Jesus Christ, the Lamb of God. And so he pointed him to the Pentateuch, and then he pointed him as well to the prophets, maybe men like Isaiah, who said in chapter 53, he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities, the chastisement of our peace was upon him, and by his stripes we are healed. Now, many have the idea that the Old Testament has little or nothing to say about the person and life and ministry of our Lord Jesus Christ. I beg to differ. Hebrews chapter 10 and verse 7 says, in the volume of the book it is written of me. The great weight of Old Testament scripture and Old Testament story and Old Testament history and Old Testament prophecy, it all points to the Redeemer, the Lord Jesus Christ. The Son of God is the center and the circumference of biblical revelation. And Philip, as a young convert, seems to understand that. He gives his testimony, and he points him to the Scriptures. And that was a great privilege for Nathaniel. You're maybe not yet a Christian tonight. Can I tell you that one of the greatest privileges in life is to have somebody that knows you, and somebody that loves you, and somebody that cares for you enough to speak to you about your soul, and about the Savior, and to try to get you to listen to the Word of God. Nathanael's privilege. Notice in verse 46 Nathanael's problem. Philip has testified concerning Jesus of Nazareth. And as soon as Nathanael hears about Nazareth, there's a problem in his mind and his heart and in his thinking. He asks the question, can any good thing come from Nazareth? Philip, are you serious? You have found the Savior, you have found the Messiah, and you're telling me that he comes from Nazareth? Now, anybody that knows anything about Nazareth in the day and times of our Lord Jesus Christ knows that Nazareth was a despised backwater town that didn't have a good reputation at all. It was a place that was known for sin and uncleanness, a place that was just on the wrong side of the tracks, if you like, it had got a bad reputation. And as far as Nathanael is concerned, the Savior, the Messiah, could never come from such a place as Nazareth. You know, it seems as you look at the life and ministry of our Lord Jesus Christ that virtually everything about him was just not what the natural man would have expected. Who would have thought, for example, that Israel's Messiah would be born of a virgin? Who would have thought that he would be born the son of a peasant woman? That he would be born into the home of a man called Joseph who was a simple carpenter? That he would be born outside of Bethlehem and laid in a manger? That as he would grow up he would have no place to lay his head and he would be despised and rejected of men? And he had been kneeled to a cross and crucified and virtually stripped naked and crowned with thorns and spat upon by this world. And then buried in a borrowed tomb of a rich man called Joseph of Arimathea. Everything about the Lord's birth and life and death and ministry and resurrection seemed to fly in the face of what the natural man thought. Philip spoke to Nathanael about the Lord, but Nathanael had a problem. He couldn't understand maybe the Lord's humanity. He couldn't understand as well the Lord's humility. But I love the fact that Philip does not begin to argue. Nathanael's got a problem. But Philip doesn't argue. Philip doesn't say, now here, just a minute, Nathanael, Nazareth isn't just as bad as you thought it was, and there's every reason why he could come. Is there something wrong with Nazareth? Nathanael, why have you got such a problem? He doesn't argue, he doesn't debate, he doesn't split hairs, he doesn't get sidetracked. He just says, Nathanael, come and see for yourself. Let me lead you, Nathanael, and let me take you to him." And that's just the same thing that was said a few verses earlier. Come and see. That's what the Samaritan woman said whenever she found the Lord in John 4. She said to the people of her city, come and see. It's the free offer of the gospel. You know, some people from a different theological persuasion have a problem with ordinary men and women inviting people to come to the Lord Jesus Christ. They say it's not the Christian's prerogative or it shouldn't be the preacher's ambition or aim to tell people very loosely, just come to the Lord Jesus Christ. But friends, tonight the Bible is full of ordinary individuals, sinners saved by grace, inviting and calling others to come. Philip did it. The Samaritan woman did it. In fact, the Bible says in the book of the Revelation that the Spirit, the Holy Spirit, and the bride, the church, made up of sinful men and women saved by grace, the bride is invited and encouraged to say to a lost world, come, come to the Lord Jesus Christ. I'm inviting you, I'm calling you, I'm asking you tonight to come to the cross and come to the Lord Jesus Christ. Nathanael's privilege, Nathanael's problem. Look then at verse number 47, Nathanael's personality. Jesus saw Nathanael coming to him, and said of him, Behold, an Israelite indeed, in whom is no guile. An Israelite indeed, in whom there is no guile. Before Nathanael came to the Lord, the Lord saw Nathanael and the Lord saw right into his heart. And the Lord saw that Nathanael was an Israelite indeed. He was a very nationalistic thinking man. He loved his nation. He loved his country, that's what he was outwardly, externally, but the Lord saw beyond that. And the Lord saw into the heart of Nathanael that he was a man without guile. The word guile, it literally means deceit, or bitterness, or trickery, or twistedness. Nathanael was a very upright individual. He wasn't twisted and crooked as far as his day-to-day living was concerned. Nathanael was a man who was honest. Nathanael was a man who was upright. You know the name Jacob, it means twister or supplanter. And I believe the Lord is giving a play on words here. He's saying, here is an Israelite indeed in whom there is no Jacob. Nathanael was an honest, upright individual. with integrity of personality and character, and yet he still needed a savior. Many could have looked at a man like Nathanael and thought, there's a man that doesn't need God's salvation. He's not like the man of the Gadarenes, or he's not like twisted, crooked Zacchaeus. Nathanael was a man without guide, without deceit, and without bitterness. He would give many modern Christians a red face because of his integrity of character. but he still needed a Savior. And maybe in this world of ours, you have got that type of reputation in the world that you're honest, you're upright, you're straight, your yea means yea, and your nay means nay, and you're a person who people could trust. But there's still sin in your life that needs to be forgiven and cleansed. And then in verse 48, you've got Nathaniel's past. Nathanael saith unto him, Whence knowest thou me? He can't understand this. I have never seen or met this man before, but he knows my name, and he knows my nature, and he knows all about my nationality. And he says to the Lord, How do you know who I am? Whence knowest thou me? And Jesus answered and said unto him, Before that Philip called thee, when thou wast under the fig tree, I saw thee. Nathanael, I saw you long before Philip saw you. Before Philip spoke to you, I have had my eye upon you for a long, long time. We don't know what was happening under the fig tree, but the Lord saw him there. It might have been something good in his life. It might have been some secret sin that he was guilty of. It might have been some great trial that he was passing through. But the Lord sang, Nathanael, I knew all about your past. I knew all about your despair, perhaps. Maybe that's what the Lord's saying to you. I knew all about your past. I knew about your despair. I knew all about your disappointments. I knew all about your discouragements. I knew all about your depression. I knew all about your disobedience, perhaps. I knew all about your defilement. I knew everything about you. The Samaritan woman said, come and see a man that told me all that I ever did is not this to Christ. The Lord knows all about her guilty, shameful past and maybe all of her faults and feelings and her heartaches and her discouragements and the problems and the trials and the burdens of life. All that you've been through tonight, God knows all about it. And yet he loves us with a love that can hardly be described at all. And then as you go on a little bit further, verse 49, Nathanael's perception. Nathanael answered and saith unto him, Rabbi, thou art the Son of God, thou art the King of Israel. There's Nathanael's response, his perception. His heart, you see, and his eyes are being opened. Here's a man who knows all about me. And whatever went on under the fig tree all of those weeks or months or years perhaps ago, the Lord knows all about it. And Nathanael perceives this man as no ordinary individual, because whatever happened that day, nobody knew about it at all. But this man knows about it. He knows what I am secretly. He knows what I am privately. And this surely must be the great rabbi, the great master, the great teacher. It's a confession of true discipleship. And then he says, thou art the Son of God. Now many people tonight believe that Jesus Christ was a great teacher. Some might say that he's a great leader. Some might say that he was somehow a little bit divine and he did great things and he had great wisdom and great insight. Others might acknowledge that he went to a cross and died. But only a true child of God can say within their hearts, not just intellectually, within their hearts, I believe that Jesus of Nazareth is the Son of God. And I believe that He died in that cross for me. John, 1 John chapter 4 and verse number 15. Whosoever shall confess that Jesus is the Son of God, God dwelleth in him, and he in God. Thou art the Son of God. Have you ever confessed that tonight? Do you believe that tonight in your heart? That yes, I believe that Jesus of Nazareth is the Lord of glory. I believe He's the Messiah. I believe He's the Son of God, God manifest in the flesh. And Nathanael goes on to say, Thou art the King of Israel. And I believe tonight, I don't know about you, I don't know what your eschatology is tonight, but I believe there's a day that's coming whenever Jesus Christ will be seen to be the King of Israel. and will reign on David's royal throne. One last thing and we're finished. Notice not only his privilege, his problem, his personality, his past, his perception, but the closing verses, verse 50 and verse 51, his promise, the promise that the Lord gives him. Jesus answered and said unto him, because I said unto thee, I saw thee under the fig tree, believe us now. Whatever had happened, because the Lord said, Nathanael, I saw you under the fig tree. Nathanael came to believe that Jesus Christ was the Messiah, the King, the Son of God, the Savior of Israel. And he believed in the Lord Jesus Christ that day. The Savior said to him, thou shalt see greater things than these. What does that mean? I believe it means that the Lord is saying, you have seen a little snippet of the proof of my Messiahship, my omniscience, that I knew all about you. But Nathaniel, you come and follow me and you will see many greater things than these. You're going to see the miraculous, you're going to see the supernatural, you're going to see People healed, and people delivered, and people set free, and people cleansed, and people raised from the dead. You're going to see a resurrected, glorified Savior someday. You will see greater things than these. In His earthly ministry, you'll see greater things than these. Verse 51, He saith unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto you hereafter, Ye shall see the heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of Man. Now if Nathanael was an Israelite indeed and he knew about the history of the nation of Israel as he would have, he would have known exactly what the Son of God was speaking about here. That time Jacob left home as a young man in Genesis 28 to get away from his brother Esau and to go and find a wife. And he took a stone for a pillow, and he couldn't sleep very well that night. And then he saw this great vision of a ladder stretched up into the heavens. Its feet were on the earth. The top of the ladder reached up into the heavens. And he saw the angels of God going up and down this ladder. And he recognized, this is the way to God. And it spoke about the Savior. It was typical of the Messiah, and that's what the Lord is indicating here in verse 51. I am that way, I am that ladder that Jacob saw going up into heaven. I am the one mediator between heaven and earth, the one mediator between God and man. Nathanael, you have acknowledged that I am the Son of God. But then he also says in verse 51 that he was the son of man. He was God and man, two natures together in one person forever. And therefore, he is the one mediator between God and man. A mediator has to have an interest and a characteristic of two estranged parties. And the son of God became the son of man that he might be that mediator between lost men. and a holy God. There's evidence of the Lord's earthly ministry, and I believe we will see a greater fulfillment of this at Christ's return. Hereafter, ye shall see the heaven opened and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of Man. Friends, there's coming a day, and you need to be ready for it. whenever the heavens will be ruled apart as a scroll. And the Son of Man shall descend from heaven with a shout, and with the trump of God, and with the voice of the archangel. And the Bible says that the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with His mighty angels taking vengeance upon all them that know not God and obey not the gospel. Every eye shall see Him, and He's coming in clouds of glory. Be ye also ready, for in such an hour ye think not, the Son of Man cometh." Two men who met the Master, Philip and Nathaniel. But can I ask you tonight in the closing moments of this meeting, what about you? Have you ever met the Master? Have you come to know the Savior? Have you come to believe that He's the Son of God, that He's the way to heaven? Have you seen Him as the Lamb of God, your Lamb, taking away your sins upon that cross? Quite a number of years ago, there was an awful tragedy in our family circle. I remember a number of us going to the family home, and we felt, in a sense, sorry for the minister who had the job of trying to comfort that family. He was connected with the family. He was an old, retired Presbyterian minister, and he was a very godly man. And just as a young Christian, I wondered, I wonder what this man will say to this poor family. I believe he had a word from the Lord. He opened God's Word in the book of Job. He turned that grieving family to Job chapter 22 and verse 21. Acquaint now thyself with him, and be at peace. Thereby good shall come unto thee. What a beautiful invitation. Acquaint now thyself with him, with Christ, and be at peace. Thereby good shall come unto thee. Philip became acquainted with Christ. Peace flooded his heart, and good things came to him. Same with Andrew. Same with John. Same with Simon, same with Nathanael, same with many others in this meeting tonight and thousands and millions more outside of it. But what about you tonight as an individual? Have you ever made this great acquaintance? Have you ever come to the cross and beheld the Lamb of God? and said within your heart, I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God. I believe that He died for me and rose again. I believe that He's able to save me, and I believe tonight that He's calling me, and I'm responding in my heart, and I'm going to come to Christ, and I'm going to follow Him. I'm going to leave this meeting a new person. You can do that tonight with God's grace and God's help. I encourage you. Come to the cross. Acquaint yourself with Him. Come and meet the Master and enter into newness of life. Let's just pray together and call upon the name of the Lord before we sing just a verse or two of a closing hymn. Maybe in the quiet moments as this meeting draws to a close, you're conscious. that God has been speaking to your heart, maybe not tonight especially, but at other times. And God's calling you now to decision. Why not come and follow Him and believe in Him? Confess your sins and give Him your heart and give Him your life. If we can help you at all, let that be known. We'd love to point you to the cross, bring you to the Savior's feet as He's revealed in the Word. Let's pray together. Heavenly Father, we thank Thee for a Savior who meets men and women at the point of need, meets them just where they are. We pray, Father, tonight that as in John chapter 1, the Savior met these young men, that Lord, tonight in this meeting, You will meet young people and older people as well and bring them through for Thyself. Hear and answer prayer. We ask it with thanksgiving in the Savior's name. Amen.