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!
To win others to Jesus, we must know Him ourselves! He must have full control of our life if we are to bring our loved ones to Jesus. These two disciples call Jesus “Master” in verse 38.
Friend, you may feel like a nobody, but when you come to Christ you are a somebody! Andrew remembers the exact time that he met Christ, 10 AM
39 He saith unto them, Come and see. They came and saw where he dwelt, and abode with him that day: for it was about the tenth hour.
In Matthew 4:18-20 Jesus calls Andrew for service
18 And Jesus, walking by the sea of Galilee, saw two brethren, Simon called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea: for they were fishers.
19 And he saith unto them, Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.
20 And they straightway left their nets, and followed him.
Andrew was a big fisherman, but Jesus called him to fish for men. Now fishing takes some skill, and the same could be said when you are trying to catch men for Jesus Christ! I’ve been fishing with a couple of real fishermen, and I can tell if they are really good. They will take a tackle box that is as big as the kitchen sink. Now inside of that tackle box they will have spinner baits, plastic worms, crank baits, weights and lines, leaders and swivels, stringers and knives. And they will every color that you could dream of. Some even have electronic fish finders that will show them exactly what is below them in the water. If there is one fish or a school of fish, these fish finders will tell the fisherman exactly what is in the water. They have electronic oxygen and temperature gauges, and every gadget that you could think of. They have every color of bait that you could imagine in all shapes and sizes. If the fish do not like one kind of bait or color, they will try a dozen other combinations and sizes. They are going to catch a fish if there is any way possible!
Bringing people to Jesus is the same type of situation. You have to pray for that individual, and you have to plant the seed of the Word of God, and they you will have to present an invitation to come to Jesus!
A smart fisherman also has to be patient. He knows that the fish usually do not bite the very minute they throw the bait out into the water. They may have to wait an hour or two until the fish start to bite, unless you are with the preacher, and then you may have to wait a day or two. Every time that I go fishing, the fish get lockjaw and refuse to bite. Or they go on a hunger strike and you can’t budge them even with dynamite.
Tell the story about the man who fished with dynamite.
To win people to Jesus Christ, you have to be patient with them. The Holy Spirit has to work in their hearts and apply the seed of the Word of God. We can only sow the seed and water the seed, but God gives the increase.
I’ve seen some who tried to pluck green fruit and force people to get saved to early, before God has worked in their heart. One man told another man that he was going to fry in hell like that hamburger on the grill is frying if he did not listen to him and get saved immediately. Soul winning may require a little more patience with people than that.
II. Designate Time with Jesus! Verses 37-39.
To be able to win loved ones to Jesus, we must listen to what Jesus has to say.
37 And the two disciples heard him speak, and they followed Jesus.
Jesus is the Word of God who came to live on this earth.
John 1:1 says, In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
14 And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.
If we get the Word of God on the inside, it will come out! You may want to memorize a soul winning plan such as the Romans Road, or the Faith Outline, or even John 3:16.
Even though Andrew was an untrained man, he had a heart that was hot for God, and God used him because he listened to the words of Jesus.
We read in verse 37 “they followed Jesus.” That means they accompanied him. Verse 38 says that Jesus “saw” them, and they refers to a close examination, much like the doctor will see you, as he examines you. Jesus knows when we desire to follow him. He twisted around and inspected Phillip and Andrew. Jesus asked these men what they were seeking, and He asked the same to us today! People are seeking for love in all the wrong places.
Illustration about losing my keys and they were in the front door of the house the whole time. Most people really don’t know what they are searching for. Many are searching for fame, fortune, and power, not realizing that these never bring lasting satisfaction. Matthew 6:33 says to seek first the kingdom of God and all the other details of life will be provided for by God!
So we listen to what Jesus says, and next we go where Jesus goes. Look at verse 39, He saith unto them, Come and see. They came and saw where he dwelt, and abode with him that day: for it was about the tenth hour.
This was 10:00 am in the morning. I like to think of church as being the Lord’s house today! We meet together on Sundays and Wednesday Nights to get our spiritual batteries recharged. Friends if you are going to win your loved ones to Christ, stay in church and invite them to come with you. You will learn more Bible, and you will also have the prayers of your church family, and the worship of God to warm your heart as you walk daily in your Christian life. I encourage you be at church every time the doors are open for it will help you to gain God’s strength and power as you go out to witness for him.
How would you like to go home with Jesus today? Wouldn’t that be a great day? I’d like to go to his house and mow his grass, or clean up and vacuum. I’d like to fix Him a meal, maybe bring Him a piece of chocolate cream pie.
Joke: The other day Wanda was going grocery shopping and she wanted some money to buy more groceries. I knew we had just bought groceries a couple of days before, and I asked, “Wanda, why are you going to buy groceries, we just bought them. Where did they go? She said, turn sideways, and stand in front of the mirror! Oh, that hurt.
I’d like to cut Jesus some firewood to keep Him warm. But most of all I’d like to sit at his feet and listen to Him teach me the Word of God. In verse 39 it says they abode at his house, and that word abode means “They remained, tarried, and dwelled there.” That gave them the inspiration to go out and want to get their loved ones to Jesus.
Always remember that fellowship and worship come before fishing and witnessing for Christ! The more time that you spend with Jesus, the better you get to know Him, and the better you will be at witnessing for Him.
III. Introduce Others to Jesus. 40-42
40 One of the two which heard John speak, and followed him, was Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother.
41 He first findeth his own brother Simon, and saith unto him, We have found the Messias, which is, being interpreted, the Christ.
42 And he brought him to Jesus. And when Jesus beheld him, he said, Thou art Simon the son of Jona: thou shalt be called Cephas, which is by interpretation, A stone.
Andrew’s heart must have been warmed by being with Jesus. When you’ve been with Jesus you will want to tell someone else. For Andrew, it was the first thing he wanted to do. In verse 41 “first” means “best, or first in order of importance.”
One man witnessed to a lady in a laundry mat, and she went home and told her husband about it. Her husband said, “You should have told him to mind his own business.” The wife replied, “If you would have heard him speak, you would have thought that he was minding his own business.” Soul winning is our main business! It will outlast anything that is going on in our world today!
Andrew went and found Peter and brought him to Jesus. It’s not always easy to witness to our family because they know every fault that we have. Also Simon had been known to cuss people out and Andrew stood the chance of being cussed out by his brother for witnessing for Jesus.
I witnessed to a man one time and he cussed and fussed and finally said that he had preached to more people than I had ever preached to. I asked him “Where do you preach?” He said, I have preached in every bar from Greensboro to Texas! Well, sometimes it does not work out exactly like we think it is going to work. But that is OK. God will give the increase if we will be faithful and try to bring them to Jesus.
Phillip calls Jesus the Messiah, which means the Anointed One. When Jesus beheld Peter it means that he “Gazed upon” or “Discerned Clearly.” He changes his name from Simon to Peter the stone cut out of the Rock! The Rock is Jesus, but Peter (the little stone) becomes a servant of Jesus (The Rock).
Who could you bring to Jesus? A mom or Day, or a brother or sister, or a wife or a husband, or a child or a friend. He will never refuse anyone who comes to Him. John 6:37.
Studies have revealed that 86 % of people came to church because a friend or relative invited them to come. Studies also revealed that over 80% of people say that they would like to come to church if only someone would invite them to come. That is something we all can do. We can invite them to come to church with us. You do not have to memorize 100 verses, or be able to preacher or sing; all you have to do is invite them to come with you.
We can bring our loved ones to Jesus by acknowledging the Lordship ship of Christ, by designating time with Jesus, and by introducing others to Jesus. Is He first in your life? Are you faithfully reading His word and talking with Him in a daily quiet time with the Lord. Have you a burden for a loved one? Give them a gospel tract and invite them to come to church with you this week. If you will invite 5 people, usually at least one will come and all 5 may come. Wouldn’t that be a great day when they come to church with you and trust Christ as Lord and Savoir? Imagine, 100 years from now you are both walking down those golden streets of heaven and that friend says, "Thanks for inviting me to come with you to Grace Baptist Church so that I could hear about Jesus." I would not be here had you not taken the time to invite me to come. I will be eternally grateful and you will have not only a friend, but also you will have a friend with you throughout all the ages!
