Andrew: The Determined Disciple

Andrew: The Determined Disciple

John 1:35-42

Lyman Beecher was a great theologian and scholar. In his day, he was considered to be one of the greatest thinkers and minds in the world. Someone asked Lyman Beecher one time, “Mr. Beecher, what is the greatest thing anyone could do on this earth. Mr. Beecher pondered that question for a long time, and he replied, “Friend, the greatest thing anyone could ever do is not to be a rocket scientist, or a medical doctor, or a world wide leader such as a president, but the greatest thing anyone could ever do is to bring another human being to the Lord Jesus Christ!”

Friends, if that be true, then Andrew may be the greatest of all the Apostles because every time you see Andrew, he is bringing someone to Jesus. Andrew was not the most well known or the most popular of all the disciples, for he was an everyday common man who fell in love with Jesus Christ, and God took him and used him in a mighty way.

Andrew dispels the myth that you cannot serve the Lord unless you are popular or multi-talented. Andrew is just an ordinary disciple with an extra ordinary Lord! Jesus spent time with ordinary people, for He met with Kings, and dignitaries, but Jesus called ordinary men as His disciples. Andrew was just such a man.

Someone once said, “God must love the ordinary people, for He made so many of them. Friends, you may not be a King David, who wrote many of the beautiful Psalms, or a Simon Peter who preached on the Day of Pentecost and 3000 were saved. You may not be a Moses, who led over 2 million Jews out of the Egyptian bondage into the Promised Land, but you can be an Andrew! For his trademark was that he was always bringing people to Jesus.

In the sight of the world, Andrew played second fiddle to Peter. He is known as the brother of Peter. He is always in the shadow of Simon Peter. And yet, it was Andrew who brought Peter to Jesus! If there were not an Andrew, there would never have been a mighty preacher called Peter.

Just as Andrew won his brother Peter to Jesus, we can win our loved ones to Jesus Christ!

How?

I- Acknowledge that Jesus Christ is the Lord!

Verses 35-36 say, Again the next day after John stood, and two of his disciples; And looking upon Jesus as he walked, he saith, Behold the Lamb of God!

If you will remember, John the Baptist was the forerunner of Jesus Christ. He was the cousin of Jesus, and he had started his ministry by baptizing people who had repented of their sins, and were looking for the coming Messiah. Phillip was one of those men who had followed John the Baptist. One day, Jesus came to John to be baptized of him, and John pointed out that Jesus was the Lamb of God!

Verse 36 says that John was “looking upon Jesus as he walked” which carries the idea of “discerning clearly, beholding, gaze up, and look upon intently.” The more you look at Jesus, the clearer he gets! You will see that Jesus is indeed the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. Friends, without the shedding of the blood of Jesus Christ there is no remission or forgiveness of sin. Hebrews 9:22. This is the second time that John declares Jesus to be the Lamb of God. He did so the day before in John 1:29 which says, 29 The next day John seeth Jesus coming unto him, and saith, Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world.

We must give John the Baptist credit, for he was not a selfish man. When all the people came to John asking him if he was the Messiah, all he had to do was reply “Yes.” And they would have bowed down to him and would have worshipped John. But John said, “No Sir, I am not even worthy to untie his shoe strings!”

Now John points out that those who had followed him should start following Jesus. Andrew was the first of John’s disciples to start following Jesus! He made Jesus Christ the Lord of his life!

Is Jesus Christ the Lord of your life? Are there any compartments that you’ve locked Jesus out of in your life? He wants to have full control over every area. Friends when you have found Jesus Christ, you’ve found the one you’ve been looking for. One man played the Cello, and he kept his fingers on the same spot. Others moved their fingers up and down the bar of the Cello, but this man kept his fingers at that one spot and never moved them. Someone asked him one day, “Sir, why do you keep your fingers on the same spot on the cello, don’t you know that you are playing the same notes over and over? He replied, “Well, I’ve found what are those others are searching for.” And when you find Christ, you’ve found the Messiah!