Audio:
2007-10-21 AM Come and See.mp3

Come and See

Psalm 66:1-20; Colossians 3:1-25 / Psalm 11:1-7

I. Invite People to God

A. Honor God out loud so everyone knows; make it obvious to everyone. “To the chief Musician, A Song or Psalm. Make a joyful noise unto God, all ye lands: Sing forth the honour of his name: make his praise glorious.” (Psalm 66:1-2)

B. Invite the world to come and see what God, has done; it will be scary for some people. “Come and see the works of God: he is terrible in his doing toward the children of men.” (Psalm 66:5)

C. When people understand and find peace in God they want to share what they have found. “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. 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.” (John 1:43-46)

II. What Will People Find When They Come and See?

A. God does wondrous things; the humanly impossible never stops God. “He turned the sea into dry land: they went through the flood on foot: there did we rejoice in him.” (Psalm 66:6 )

B. God settles large accounts across the sweep of history. “He ruleth by his power for ever; his eyes behold the nations: let not the rebellious exalt themselves. Selah.” (Psalm 66:7)

C. Jesus knows people better than they know themselves. “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.” (John 1:47-49)

D. People will not find what tantalizes the world. “For he shall grow up before him as a tender plant, and as a root out of a dry ground: he hath no form nor comeliness; and when we shall see him, there is no beauty that we should desire him. He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not.” (Isaiah 53:2-3 )

E. Christ brings comfort and consolation to the dark places of our hearts. “Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted.” (Isaiah 53:4)

F. Christ overcomes the penalties of sin in both body and soul. “But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.” (Isaiah 53:5)

G. Jesus willingly does what sinful people cannot do for themselves. “All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the LORD hath laid on him the iniquity of us all. He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth: he is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so he openeth not his mouth.” (Isaiah 53:6-7)

III. Be Personal and Specific

A. Give a testimony. “Come and hear, all ye that fear God, and I will declare what he hath done for my soul.” (Psalm 66:16)

B. Teach the next generation. “Come, ye children, hearken unto me: I will teach you the fear of the LORD.” (Psalm 34:11)

C. Publish the story of God’s mighty works and wonders; circulate the testimonies throughout the family of God. “Then they that feared the LORD spake often one to another: and the LORD hearkened, and heard it, and a book of remembrance was written before him for them that feared the LORD, and that thought upon his name.” (Malachi 3:16)

D. Organize life around the study of God. “And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart: And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up.” (Deuteronomy 6:6-7)

E. Believers have received mercy that they might become instruments of mercy. “This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners; of whom I am chief. Howbeit for this cause I obtained mercy, that in me first Jesus Christ might shew forth all longsuffering, for a pattern to them which should hereafter believe on him to life everlasting.” (1 Timothy 1:15-16)

F. Make the invitation personal. “Come and hear, all ye that fear God, and I will declare what he hath done for my soul.” (Psalm 66:16)