Sermon Series Blog: Come and See Pt.2

Come and See… and Stay

Following Jesus Is Relational, Not Religious

Seeing Jesus Is Only the Beginning

In John 1, Jesus is revealed as the Lamb of God. But revelation is never the end of the invitation. When John the Baptist points to Jesus, he doesn’t give a long sermon or a list of instructions. He simply says, “Look.” And something powerful happens: two disciples begin to follow Jesus—not because they were commanded to, but because they saw Him clearly.

That’s how discipleship begins. Not with pressure. Not with performance. But with revelation. You don’t fall in love by decision alone—you fall in love because something captures your heart.

Presence Before Instructions

When Jesus notices the two disciples following Him, He asks a surprising question: “What do you want?” Their answer is even more surprising. They don’t ask for teaching, clarity, or direction. They ask, “Rabbi, where are You staying?”

They weren’t looking for information—they were looking for proximity.

Religion asks, “What do I need to do?”
Relationship asks, “Where can I be with You?”

That question exposes something many of us wrestle with. We often treat our relationship with God as conditional. We’ll love Him, serve Him, and worship Him—as long as life goes well. But the gospel flips that logic upside down. “We love because He first loved us” isn’t a condition; it’s a confession. God’s love came first—before obedience, before understanding, before transformation.

Desire Comes Before Devotion

Augustine of Hippo understood this deeply. Before becoming one of the Church’s greatest thinkers, he lived restless, chasing pleasure, success, and meaning. Even when he believed in God, he famously prayed, “Lord, make me pure—but not yet.”

What changed Augustine wasn’t discipline—it was desire. He finally saw Jesus clearly and wrote, “Our hearts are restless until they rest in You.” His transformation didn’t come from trying harder, but from seeing clearer.

Jesus doesn’t start with rules. He doesn’t say, “Fix yourself and then follow Me.” He simply says, “Come and see.” Because when desire is awakened, obedience follows naturally.

Staying Changes Everything

Jesus responds to the disciples’ question with a simple invitation: “Come, and you will see.” And Scripture tells us they didn’t just visit—they stayed. They spent the day with Him.

Throughout the Bible, God forms people through proximity. Moses met God face to face in the Tent of Meeting. Joshua lingered there even after Moses left. Centuries later, Brother Lawrence learned to practice God’s presence while washing dishes in a monastery kitchen. Different eras, same truth: transformation happens through closeness.

God has always been after people who don’t just show up—but who stay.

Fruit Grows From Proximity

Before the disciples preached, healed, or led anyone, they were simply with Jesus. And when Andrew finally spoke, he didn’t have a sermon—just a conviction: “We have found the Messiah.”

That’s how the Kingdom spreads. Not through hype, but through overflow.

Religion produces activity.
Relationship produces fruit.

Jesus isn’t forming workers; He’s forming witnesses. Who you become matters more than what you accomplish.

From Moments to Rhythms

Moments with God matter—but they’re meant to start rhythms, not replace them. A powerful Sunday encounter is important, but it’s the daily habit of staying with Jesus that shapes a life.

So maybe the real question isn’t, “Did you feel something?”
It’s, “What kind of rhythm is God forming in you?”

Jesus isn’t asking for more effort. He’s inviting you into more nearness.

Come and see.
And then choose to stay.

Because you don’t follow Jesus through religion—
you follow Him through relationship.