Trinity Baptist Church

Making a Difference in the World

Andrew -- The Master's Man

John 1:35-40

 

We are in a series of studies that focus on the Twelve Apostles, and we began by talking about the general calling and the personal characteristics of these men who were later accused of turning the world upside down.

 

Then last week we took a look at one of the greatest Christians who's ever lived, a fisherman turned preacher by the name of Simon Peter.  And if you'll remember I shared with you that "Peter" was the nickname that Jesus gave him and really it was Jesus' way of reminding Simon that he wasn't where he was supposed to be yet, but that Jesus was confident that as his faith was refined and his character was reformed he would possess the kind of faith that Jesus could build His church upon.

 

That's what Jesus told him right after he knocked the ball out of the park with that powerful statement concerning the Savior's person -- "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God."  To which Jesus said in Matthew 16:17, "Jesus answered and said to him, "Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah, for flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but My Father who is in heaven. 18  "And I also say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it."

 

Now, some, primarily our Catholic friends, say that what Jesus was saying was that He was going to build his church upon the person of Peter.

They believe that Peter was the first pope and all of the pope's from that day until now have come through what they call "apostolic succession" so that every pope, including whoever it is today is really a direct descendant, spiritually, of this fisherman turned preacher by the name of Peter.

 

Now, there are so many things there that are wrong or ignored or overlooked that I don't have time to go into it today, but let me just say this:  the name Peter means little rock, or little stone.  And in very start contrast to that, the word Jesus used for "rock" when He said “upon this rock I will build my church” is the word that pictures a great big gigantic mountain of granite.

 

So, the question is simple, “Is the foundational stone of the church a wobbly, wavering pebble like Peter or the Rock of Ages, the Lord Jesus Christ?

 

It’s very obvious, both grammatically and logically, that Jesus was talking about Himself, the chief Cornerstone and that Peter's faith, as it grew and was refined was going to stand upon that Rock and serve as an example to all believers of all the ages.

 

And by the way, the next time that one of your Catholic friends tries to pull this "Pope Peter" thing on you, just quote for them Matthew 8:14.  You say, "What does that verse say?" Here's what it says, "Now when Jesus had come into Peter's house, He saw his wife's mother lying sick with a fever."

 

Now, I know that Peter walked on water and I know that Peter raised a boy from the dead and I know that Peter preached a sermon where 3,000 people accepted Jesus on the spot and did a lot of amazing things, but not even Peter could pull off having a mother-in-law without having a wife. And by the way, even if you could, why would you?

 

I’ll tell you what you have in Peter:  Not the first pope, but a wobbling, wavering, worrisome fisherman that Jesus turned him into the preacher of Pentecost.  And as we saw last week, if Jesus can refine Peter's faith and restore His future, He can do the same in your life today.

 

Now, this morning, we're going to be studying the second disciple that's mentioned in the list that's found in Luke chapter 6, and that is Simon Peter's brother, Andrew.

 

Now, even though he’s mentioned second in this list, and even fourth in others, what you'll find as you study the scripture is that Andrew was the very first one of this group of 12 ordinary men to follow Jesus.

 

Listen to what the Bible says in

 

John 1:35-40

 

How would you like to go through life like that?  Can't you just see it, every time that the disciples were being introduced, and really even before they ever followed Jesus, it was always, "This is Andrew, Simon's brother."  That's normally and usually how Andrew was known and introduced.  He didn't even really have his father's last name like Simon Peter did.

He was simply known as "Simon Peter's brother."

 

But in spite of that, it's interesting, and even more than that, it's encouraging to look at these two brothers side-by-side, because when you put them together, you couldn't find two more opposite people for Jesus to pick to be his disciples.

 

On the one hand, Peter was bold and brash, while Andrew was calm and considerate. Peter would speak first and think later, while Andrew was always deliberate in his declarations.  Peter would strike out three times before he knocked it over the fence, while Andrew would always make a solid hit and get on base.  He was never flashy or forward like Peter.

 

As far as we know he never preached to great big crowds.  He was even excluded from some of the events that Peter, James and John were allowed to be a part of, and yet in spite of that, there was a consistent, conscientious walk in this man by the name of Andrew that would be good for us to follow, because let's just be honest, most of us have a better shot at being an Andrew than we do a Peter.

 

So, what do we know about this very ordinary, and really somewhat less than ordinary, disciple named Andrew?

 

Just by way of a little biographical sketch, we know:

 

He was Simon Peter's brother. (John 1:40)

He was from Bethsaida.  (John 1:44)

He was a fisherman.  (Matthew 4:18)

He moved to Capernaum and started a fishing business with Peter, James and John. (Matthew 4:13)

He was a disciple of John the Baptist. (John 1:35)

He was the first to follow Jesus. (John 1:41)

He had a very special relationship with Jesus. (Mark 13:3)

Every time he is mentioned in the gospel of John, he's bringing somebody to Jesus.

He was calm and considerate.

He was naturally helpful.

 

But there is one other characteristic I want to zero in on today, especially because it is Father’s Day and that is the meaning of his name.

 

The name Andrew means "manly."  When I read that this week, I was kind of shocked.  Normally when we think of a "manly man" we think of somebody like Pete who is big, bold and brash.  We think of a guy who doesn't say "excuse me" or wait for somebody else to go first; a guy who'll pull out his sword and take off the ear of the first one who gets near Jesus; a guy who wipes his mouth on his shirt sleeve and spits all over the place.  And yet the brother with the name that means "manly" wasn't Peter, it was Andrew.

 

Now here’s what caught my attention about that.  Jesus changed Simon's name to Peter in order to encourage him and remind him to become something he wasn't as of yet -- a man with a rock-solid faith.  But Jesus left Andrew's name alone because he already was a real man.

 

I heard about three rough and tough guys who pulled up to a highway café on their motorcycles where a truck driver, a little bitty guy, was perched on a stool quietly eating his lunch.

 

As these three fellows came in, they saw him, grabbed his food away from him and laughed in his face.  The truck driver didn't say anything.  He got up, paid for his food, and walked out.  One of the three guys, upset that they hadn't been able to provoke him into a fight, looked at the waitress and said, "Boy, he sure wasn't much of a man was he?"  The waitress looked back and said, "I guess not."  Then as she looked out the window she added, "I guess he's not much of a truck driver either because he just ran over three motorcycles."

 

Well, Andrew didn't need a big truck because He had a big God.  And even though he may not have been rough and tough like the world tells us a man has to be today, he was a real man.  And there are three things that I want you to see from the example of Andrew that can help you to be the real man, or woman for that matter, that Jesus desires for you to be.

 

Here's the first characteristic of a real man.

 

 

Think about the text we read just a moment ago and get this picture.  Andrew had become a disciple of John the Baptist.  Now there is proof enough that Andrew was a manly man.  Did you ever think about what it must have been like to be a disciple of John the Baptist?  You talk about a tough teacher.

 

The Bible says in Matthew chapter 3 that John the Baptist wore clothes made out of rough camel's hair. Try wearing that all day.  He had a big leather belt around his waist.  He ate locusts and wild honey.

 

Now I’m going to assume that wild honey comes from the hives of wild honey bees.  Think about that for a moment.

 

He preached a bold, strong message of repentance everywhere he went.  John the Baptist lived and ministered in the wilderness, cut off from all of the comforts of civilization.  So no doubt, if you were one of his disciples, you could hardly be a wimp.

 

And Andrew was a disciple of John.  But one day, as he was listening to John the Baptist preach, he heard John cry out, "Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!"  Andrew looked up and saw Jesus and he never looked back.  At that moment Andrew realized who Jesus was and followed Him the rest of his life.

 

He spent time that day getting to know Jesus better.  He gave up his fishing business to follow Him.  He gave up everything else that he had in this world to follow Jesus.  He endured hardship and hatred, ridicule and rejection, lack of comfort and the loss of companions all because of His great love for His Lord.

 

Now I realize there are a lot of guys around who think they are really something.  Their arms won’t lay down at their sides.  They are the King of the Castle and you better get out of the way when they come around. If that describes you, you better come all the way awake and look me right in the eye and get what I’m saying. The greatest thing you could ever do in your life to demonstrate your manliness is love Jesus.

 

 

Somehow or another society has sown this idea in our minds that church and Christianity is something that's good for women and children but not for men.  Sundays have become the time when women and children go to church and the men go to the couch; women and children go to Sunday school and the men go to the deer stand or the garage or the yard.

 

It's alright for women to depend upon God, but daddy doesn't need all that kind of kid stuff.  It's alright for mom to get up and read her bible, but daddy's got really important, manly things to read like the sports page or the funnies.  "It's alright for everybody else to love Jesus, but that's not “masculine” enough for “real men”.  That's what society says, and it's dead wrong.  And we’ll see how masculine you are in hell someday.

 

The most manly, masculine and mature thing you could ever do is love Jesus with all of your heart; to follow Him and learn from Him and to give your life to Him and for Him.  As a matter of fact, I'm going to show you at the end of this morning's message how much of a man Andrew was and how much he loved His lord.  But for now, you get this truth down and get it down real good -- real men love Jesus!

 

Here’s the second thing:

 

 

Andrew's love for the Lord compelled Him to lead others to love Jesus as well.  That's why I told you at the beginning of this message that every time that you find Andrew in the gospel of John, he's doing the same thing -- he's bringing people to Jesus.

 

That's what loving Jesus and knowing Jesus loves you will compel you to do.  It will make you want to see others come to love Jesus the way that you do.  I mean, if He's changed your life; if He's met your deepest need; if He's shown and shared His love with you, then you are just going to normally and naturally want to see others experience that life changing love that can only be found in Jesus.

 

Now, since we're going to be talking here about witnessing and evangelism, let me tell you one of the tremendous truths that I learn from Andrew, and really it’s an indictment from the lips of a quiet man.

 

The reason why more Christians aren't bringing people to Jesus like they ought to is because they don't love Jesus like they ought to.  You see, bringing people to Jesus is not a matter of knowing how as much as it is a matter of knowing Him, because to know Him is to love him and to love Him it to want others to love Him.

 

Andrew loved Jesus and Andrew loved those around him and it was just a natural thing for him to take the hand of his family member or friends and bring them to Jesus.

 

Years ago there was an emphasis on evangelism in churches that grew out of a book written by Oscar Thompson called "Concentric Circles of Concern."  The basic premise of the book was that the most effective way of bringing people to Jesus is by starting right where you are and moving out in what he calls "concentric circles."  As a matter of fact, listen to what Oscar Thompson says, "The most important word in the English language is relationship.

In the new testament the Gospel always moved on lines of relationship. . .in seemingly out-moving waves."

 

I don’t suppose Andrew ever read that book, but he certainly believed and practiced that premise.  He started where he was by telling his family about Jesus.

 

verses 41-42

 

You know, we all think about Peter as being the spiritual father of Pentecost, and that's true.  But if Peter was the spiritual father of Pentecost, then Andrew was its spiritual grandfather, because he's the one that the Bible says brought Peter to Jesus.

 

Now, I want you to think about the fact that Andrew brought Peter to Jesus.  Do you realize how selfless and gracious that was?  All of his life he's lived in Simon's shadow.  All of his life he's had to play second fiddle to the louder, bolder one of John's sons.

 

But Andrew doesn't get bitter, he develops a heart for spiritual things.  He even takes a sabbatical of sorts from the fishing business to become a disciple of John the Baptist.  He's out there learning about spiritual things while Peter's making a fortune catching fish.

 

And then one day, Andrew runs into the Lamb of God Himself.  He asked Jesus if he could spend some time with Him, spends the afternoon and evening learning from Jesus himself, commits his life to Him and for the first time in his life he becomes first -- the first disciple of Jesus.

Do you realize how important that must have been to Andrew?  No longer was he in second place. No longer was he taking the back seat to Simon.  No longer was he playing second fiddle.  He was the first disciple of Jesus -- but that wasn't enough.

 

Andrew loved Jesus and Andrew loved Peter and in that moment he made one of the greatest personal sacrifices ever made.  Knowing how Peter was and what Peter would do, he still went and got his brother and brought him to Jesus.  And from that day on he faded into the background of the 12, but he's still one of the greatest soul-winners this world has ever known.

 

And he didn't stop with Peter.  He continued to move out to further and further circles.  He started at home, but he just kept moving out, telling people about Jesus.

 

If you'll turn over to John 6 you'll see that Andrew has an important part in one of the greatest miracles that Jesus ever performed.  And in reality he wasn't trying to be a part of a miracle, he was just trying to bring somebody to Jesus.

 

The miracle is the one we call "the feeding of the 5,000."  The 5,000 is just the men in the crowd.  If you put together all of the women and children there could have easily been 15 to 20 thousand people out there.

 

But notice what the Bible says in verses 8-9

 

You know what I love about this story?  Oh, the miracle's great, but just to be honest, they could have missed a meal.

What I love about this story is that while all of the other disciples are arguing over how they are going to feed these folks physical food, Andrew's bringing this little boy to the Bread of Life Himself.  I love the fact that Andrew had time for this little boy.  And while Peter was moving with the movers and shaking hands with the shakers, Andrew's over there bringing this little boy to Jesus.

 

I love to see people using their gifts for God's glory.  I love to hear people sing and I love to see people perform and I love to hear gifted teachers teach the Word, but I'll tell you what impresses me as a person is when somebody takes an interest in a little boy or a little girl or some hardened man or some calloused woman and says, "I may not get to be on stage, I may not have my name in lights, but I'm going to love this person with the love of the Lord and at try and bring them to Jesus.

 

But Andrew didn't stop there.  He began with his family.  He moved out through his family and friends, his neighbors and those he worked with, to his acquaintances and then finally in John 12 he reaches that farthest circle.

 

Listen to verses 20-22

 

They had tried the dead formalism of religion and it didn't satisfy their soul and so they came to Philip and Philip came to Andrew and Andrew went to Jesus.

 

Do you know what Andrew was doing, even though he hadn't heard it yet?  He was simply following the pattern of Jesus' Great Commission.

 

"But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth."

 

He didn't start way out there with person x that he didn't know.  He didn't hop on a boat and go all the way around the world to tell somebody he'd never met about Jesus.

 

He simply went back home, went across the street, went to where he worked and lived and played and said, "Let me tell you about the One who's changed my life." And if you're going to be a successful and satisfied soul-winner that's exactly how you'll do it too.

 

Here’s the last thing:  Real men love Jesus.  Real men lead others to Jesus, and

 

 

Now, for the sake of time, let me boil this last point down into its essence.  Andrew never looked to live in the limelight.  Andrew never preached to great crowds.  He never wrote a book of the Bible.  He never founded a church.  He never had his own television show on the Palestinian Broadcasting Channel.  As a matter of fact, after the Day of Pentecost, we really don't hear anything else about Andrew in the scripture.  Whatever role he played in the early church was very much behind the scenes.

 

Some say that he went back to fishing.  Some say that he traveled around telling others about Jesus.  Tradition tells us that he took the gospel north.

 

Eusebius was an early church historian and he says that Andrew traveled up into what would be present day Russia.  He was finally crucified in Achaia.  The story goes that he led the wife of a local governor to Christ, which infuriated her husband.  He demanded she renounce this new religion, but she refused.

 

So, the governor had Andrew crucified him by tying his hands and feet to what is known as a transverse cross, (it would look like a big X).  Tradition tells us that he lasted for two days, and all the while, as people walked by, and he hung there dying, he never stopped telling them about Jesus.

 

He spent his life in the shadow of his more famous brother.  He served Jesus from the moment he met Him.  And even as he was dying, he was doing what he had done for many, many years, still trying to bring men to Jesus.

 

Do you know what I learn as I look at the life of Andrew?  Most of the time, it's the little things that count; the individual people, the insignificant gifts, and the inconspicuous service to Jesus.  We may not all be able to be a Peter, but praise God we can all be an Andrew.

 

Let’s pray