We Want to See Jesus

The sermon opens with the claim that obedience unlocks the supernatural -- in what areas of your life might disobedience be hindering you from experiencing the movement of God?

The Greeks in John 12 pressed through a crowd simply to see Jesus -- what does it reveal about your own spiritual life when you consider how urgently you pursue an encounter with Him versus simply attending religious gatherings?

Jesus told Nicodemus in John 3 that no one can see the kingdom of God unless they are born again -- how would you describe the difference between knowing about Jesus intellectually and truly seeing Him through the new birth?

The sermon draws a contrast between the scholars who could cite scripture about where the Messiah would be born and the shepherds who actually encountered Him -- how does this challenge the way you approach Bible knowledge and theological learning in your own faith journey?

Peter witnessed the Transfiguration and spent the rest of his life testifying that he had seen the glory of Christ -- how does a genuine encounter with the glory of Jesus change the way a person speaks, lives, and worships?

The pastor describes the miracle of Christianity as God taking an unholy person, making them holy, placing them back in an unholy world, and keeping them holy -- where do you see evidence of this miracle, or its absence, in your own life?

The sermon uses the image of wind in John 3 to describe the sovereign, unpredictable movement of the Holy Spirit -- how does this understanding of God's sovereignty shape the way you pray for unsaved family members and friends?

The pastor says that if you struggle with pride or self-worship, the only real solution is to see Jesus -- why do you think a genuine vision of Christ's glory is more effective at dealing with pride than self-discipline or moral effort?

The sermon emphasizes that salvation is entirely a work of God's grace and not the result of human willpower or decision -- how does this truth change the way you approach your own spiritual growth and the way you share the gospel with others?

The pastor describes believers as mobile temples who carry the presence of God into every space they occupy -- how does this reality, if truly believed, change the way you think about your everyday environments such as your home, workplace, or school?

Small Group Guide
"We Want to See Jesus"
Based on 1 Corinthians 15 and John 3
Key Takeaways
1. Seeing Jesus changes everything. The Greeks in John 12 pressed through the crowd with one request: to see Jesus. This is the heart of genuine Christian faith. Encountering Jesus is not merely an emotional experience but a transforming reality that reshapes desire, affection, and obedience.
2. The new birth is a sovereign work of God. As Jesus explained to Nicodemus in John 3, being born again is not the result of human willpower, religious achievement, or moral effort. It is a miracle of the Holy Spirit, as sovereign and uncontrollable as the wind.
3. Obedience flows from seeing Him. The sermon opened with a reminder that our obedience unlocks the supernatural. When we genuinely see Jesus for who He is, our hearts naturally respond in faith, repentance, and obedience. Religion is rules; encountering Jesus is transformation.
4. Grace is the beginning and the end. As the pastor said: "You started in the Spirit, you finish in the Spirit. You started with the gospel, you finish with the gospel. It started with the grace of God, and you finish with the grace of God. It's all Him."
5. You are a mobile temple. Believers carry the presence of God wherever they go. The Holy Spirit is not confined to a church building. He is with you in every room, every relationship, and every circumstance of life.
Discussion Questions
Opening Question

• When you first arrived at this church, or when you first began attending church in general, what were you actually looking for? Looking back, would you say you were looking for Jesus specifically?

Digging Deeper

1. The pastor described the child who refused to drop the offering in the bucket because he wanted to give it directly to Jesus. What does that kind of childlike sincerity reveal about how we can sometimes approach worship and church life as adults?
2. Jesus told Nicodemus in John 3 that no one can see the kingdom of God unless they are born again. Nicodemus was educated, religious, and morally serious. Why was none of that sufficient? What does that say about what we sometimes trust in for our standing before God?
   
3. The pastor said: "I have a good news for you. Jesus is stronger than our sin. He can save you. He can heal you." Is there an area of your life where you have struggled to believe that Jesus is actually stronger than your particular sin or struggle? What has that struggle looked like?
4. The sermon described Moses coming down from the mountain with the glory of God reflected on his face, and then the Transfiguration where Peter, James, and John saw Jesus in His eternal glory. Both moments produced awe and even fear. When, if ever, have you experienced a moment in your walk with God where the weight of who He is became very real to you? How did it affect you?
   
5. The pastor described the miracle of Christianity using the words of Leonard Ravenhill: "The miracle of Christianity is for God to take unholy man from unholy world and make him holy and put him back in the unholy world and keep him holy." How does that definition challenge or expand the way you normally think about salvation?
6. The sermon noted that people are seeing Jesus in mosques and Hindu temples, and then asked: "How can we be in His house and not see Him?" What are some things that can prevent someone who regularly attends church from genuinely encountering Jesus?
   
7. Obedience was connected directly to seeing Jesus. The pastor pointed to baptism as one example. Are there areas in your own life where you know what Jesus has asked of you but have not yet obeyed? What is standing in the way?

Practical Applications
This week, practice intentional seeking. Set aside time each day, even ten minutes, to ask the Holy Spirit specifically to open your eyes to see Jesus more clearly. Use a passage from the Gospels as your starting point and read it slowly, asking, "What does this reveal about who Jesus is?"
Examine your motivations for coming to church. Honestly ask yourself: am I coming to fulfill a habit, to see people I know, or to encounter Jesus? Let that question shape how you prepare for worship each week.
Identify one area of delayed obedience. The sermon connected obedience to the supernatural movement of God in our lives. Identify one thing you know Jesus has asked of you that you have not yet done. Bring it before God in prayer this week and take a concrete step toward obedience.
Pray for someone who has not yet been born again. Think of one person in your family or circle of relationships who does not know Jesus. Commit to praying for them daily this week, trusting that the Spirit, like the wind, moves as He pleases and can open any heart.
Carry your awareness of God's presence into ordinary moments. The pastor reminded us that the Holy Spirit is with us in every room, every car ride, every conversation. Choose one routine part of your day and practice acknowledging God's presence in it. Let that awareness reshape how you speak, act, and respond.
Closing Prayer Focus
Close your group time by praying together along these lines:

• Ask the Holy Spirit to open the eyes of every person in the group to see Jesus more clearly.
• Pray for anyone in the group who is still asking the question Nicodemus asked: "How can this be?"
• Pray for the specific people each group member identified who have not yet been born again.
• Thank God that salvation is entirely His work, from beginning to end, all grace.

5-Day Bible Reading Plan and Devotional Guide
We Want to See Jesus
Day 1: Born Again — The Miracle of New Sight Reading: John 3:1-8
Devotional: Nicodemus came to Jesus under cover of night, carrying religious credentials but lacking spiritual sight. Jesus did not congratulate him on his knowledge. He told him plainly that without a new birth, no one can see the kingdom of God. This new birth is not something you manufacture through willpower or moral effort. It is the sovereign wind of the Holy Spirit moving where He pleases, doing what only He can do. If your heart has grown cold or your faith feels like routine, return to this truth: salvation is God's work from beginning to end. Ask Him to open your eyes again.
Day 2: The Word Made Flesh — God Within Reach Reading: John 1:1-18
Devotional: The eternal Word, who existed before all creation, took on human flesh and walked among ordinary people. John 1:14 describes how those who witnessed this beheld His glory — the glory of the one and only Son, full of grace and truth. God did not remain distant. He drew near. He ate meals, touched lepers, and spoke to outcasts. He made the invisible God visible. Whatever distance you feel from God today is not caused by His absence. He has already come close. The same grace that became flesh for you is the grace that sustains you now. Draw near to Him, and He will draw near to you.
Day 3: The Transfiguration — You Cannot See His Glory and Remain the Same Reading: Matthew 17:1-9
Devotional: On the Mount of Transfiguration, Peter, James, and John saw Jesus as He truly is — not merely a traveling rabbi, but the eternal Son of God radiating divine glory. Peter did not know what to say. The experience overwhelmed him. For the rest of his life, he pointed back to that mountain as proof that the gospel is not a clever story but a firsthand encounter with majesty. Many believers settle for information about Jesus when God is offering transformation through Jesus. Ask the Holy Spirit today to move your knowledge of Christ from your head into your heart. You were not made for religion. You were made for His glory.
Day 4: The Lifted-Up Son — The Gospel That Saves Reading: John 3:14-21
Devotional: Jesus pointed Nicodemus back to a strange moment in Israel's wilderness history, described in Numbers 21, when God instructed Moses to lift up a bronze serpent so that anyone bitten by a snake could look at it and live. Jesus said that in the same way, He must be lifted up, so that everyone who believes in Him will not perish but have eternal life. John 3:16 is perhaps the most recognized verse in Scripture, yet its depth is inexhaustible. God did not send His Son to condemn a broken world. He sent Him to save it. Look to the lifted-up Savior today. That single act of looking in faith changes everything.
Day 5: The Spirit Among Us — Carrying His Presence Everywhere Reading: 1 Corinthians 6:19-20; 1 Corinthians 15:1-8
Devotional: The resurrection of Jesus Christ is not a footnote in history. It is the foundation of everything. Paul reminds believers in 1 Corinthians 15 that Christ died, was buried, and was raised on the third day — and that He appeared to hundreds of witnesses. This same risen Christ now lives in those who belong to Him. You are not merely a church attendee. You are a dwelling place of the living God. His presence goes with you into every room, every relationship, and every difficult moment. The gospel that saved you is the gospel that keeps you. Hold firmly to it. Walk in the reality that the risen Christ is with you always.

We Want to See Jesus
There is a moment in the Gospel of John, chapter 12, verses 20 through 22, that is easy to overlook. A group of Greeks approaches Philip with a single, urgent request: "Sir, we would like to see Jesus." That is all they want. Not a theological lecture. Not a religious ceremony. Not a performance. Just Jesus. Philip goes to Andrew, and together they bring the request to Jesus himself. These men had traveled, pressed through crowds, and navigated unfamiliar territory, all because something in them burned with one desire. They wanted to see him.
That same desire is either alive or dormant in every human heart. The question worth sitting with today is this: is it alive in yours?
The Problem With Religion Without Jesus
It is entirely possible to attend church, sing songs, give offerings, and participate in every available religious activity while never truly seeing Jesus. Religion, stripped of a living encounter with Christ, becomes nothing more than a system of rules and expectations. Do this. Do not do that. Earn this. Avoid that. It is exhausting and ultimately hollow.
But something happens when a person actually sees Jesus. Not sees him in the casual, intellectual sense of knowing facts about him, but sees him in the way that changes everything. The Greeks in that crowd were not asking for information. They were asking for an encounter.
This is the difference between knowing about someone and knowing them. You can study a person's biography and never have met them. Many people have studied the Bible and never met the one the Bible is about.
Born Again: The Miracle That Opens Your Eyes
In John chapter 3, a respected religious leader named Nicodemus comes to Jesus in the middle of the night. He is educated, devout, and holds a position of authority. He has observed the miracles and reached a reasonable conclusion: no one could do these things unless God were with him. But Jesus does not congratulate Nicodemus on his theological reasoning. Instead, he cuts straight to the heart of the matter.
He tells Nicodemus that unless a person is born again, they cannot see the kingdom of God. Nicodemus is confused. He is thinking in physical terms, asking how a grown man could re-enter his mother's womb. But Jesus is describing something far more profound. He is describing a spiritual rebirth, a transformation that only God himself can initiate and complete.
This is the miracle at the center of Christianity. God looks at a human heart, a heart that may be full of pride, darkness, selfishness, or indifference, and declares light into it. Not because the person earned it. Not because they were clever enough or devoted enough or morally consistent enough. But because God is sovereign, and he moves as he pleases, like the wind that bends the trees in whatever direction it chooses.
You cannot manufacture this new birth. You cannot will yourself into it. You cannot attend enough services or serve on enough committees to produce it. It is a gift. And like all gifts, it is received, not earned.
What Happens When You See His Glory
When Moses came down from the mountain after spending forty days in the presence of God, something had changed. He did not know it, but the glory of God was reflecting off his face. The people around him could not even look at him directly. The radiance was too much. And that was simply from being near God.
Consider then what the disciples experienced on the Mount of Transfiguration. The Jesus they had walked with, eaten with, and traveled alongside suddenly revealed his eternal glory. His appearance was transformed before them. Moses and Elijah appeared. A cloud descended and the voice of the Father spoke, declaring his pleasure in his Son. Peter began speaking without knowing what he was saying, because the glory of God overwhelms human composure. When the cloud lifted, Moses was gone, Elijah was gone, and only Jesus remained.
You cannot see that and remain unchanged. You cannot encounter the glory of Jesus Christ and walk away bored. You cannot witness his worth and withhold your worship. The apostle Peter spent the rest of his life and ministry anchored to that moment, insisting that what he proclaimed was not clever human philosophy but something he had witnessed with his own eyes.
This is the power of truly seeing Jesus. It does not leave you where it found you.
Grace From Beginning to End
One of the most liberating truths in scripture is that the same grace that opens your eyes to see Jesus is the same grace that sustains you, transforms you, and carries you through your entire life of faith. You did not begin this journey by your own strength, and you will not finish it that way either.
The work of salvation, the work of making you holy, the work of changing your desires, your loves, your habits, and your character, all of it belongs to God. This does not make you passive. It makes you dependent, which is exactly where God wants you. Dependence on him is not weakness. It is wisdom.
John 1, verses 16 and 17, describes the fullness from which every believer receives grace upon grace. The law came through Moses and revealed what God required. Grace and truth came through Jesus Christ and provided what God required on our behalf.
An Invitation That Still Stands
The request those Greeks made has never expired. The invitation to see Jesus is still open. It does not require a particular background, level of education, moral track record, or religious resume. Nicodemus had all of those things and still needed to be born again.
What it requires is honesty. An acknowledgment that you are a sinner who needs a Savior. A willingness to stop trying to fix yourself and instead trust the one who has already done what was necessary. A simple cry to the Holy Spirit: open my eyes.
The wind blows where it pleases. You cannot predict it or control it. But you can position yourself in its path, open and waiting.
So the question remains. Do you want to see Jesus?

What does it mean to truly see Jesus -- not just attend church, not just go through religious motions, but actually encounter Him? This Sunday's message brought us face to face with that question, drawing from John 12:20, where a group of Greeks approached Philip with one simple request: "We would like to see Jesus."
Like Nicodemus in John 3, many of us come with questions, religious background, and even sincere intentions -- yet still miss the transforming encounter that changes everything. Jesus told Nicodemus plainly: you must be born again. Not a decision, not a ritual, but a sovereign work of the Holy Spirit that gives you a new heart, new desires, and new life.

The miracle of Christianity is that God takes an unholy person, makes them holy, places them back in an unholy world, and keeps them holy. That is the power of grace. If you have not experienced this, come seeking Him. He is not far.

#SeeingJesus #BornAgain #TheGospel #GraceAlone #John3



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"You cannot see His glory and remain the same. You cannot see His glory and be bored. You cannot see His glory and not deny Him worship."

We want to see Jesus -- not just religion, but HIM.

#SeeJesus #BornAgain #Gospel