Usually I present expository sermons, which are messages that follow a text of the Bible verse by verse and I endeavor to explain the meaning of each verse and then show how the principles found in the text should be applied to our lives. Sometimes, I will present a topical message where I develop a topic found in the Bible and show a number of relevant verses that expand its meaning and then explain how that biblical topic is applied to life. I have often presented theological sermons that develop a biblical doctrine that enhances spiritual growth and deepens our understanding of God’s truth. Today, as I frequently do on Mother’s Day and Father’s Day, I will present a biographical sermon, that is, one based on the biblical information given about one Bible character. The purpose of this type of sermon is to reveal how God has used ordinary people to do extraordinary things, how the Lord changed their lives, and determine principles that can be applied to our lives. My premise is that God is continually in the process of changing the lives of His people so that they reflect His glory in the ordinary process of their lives. We can study how the Lord worked one person’s life and discover how He is working in our own life.
Today, I will focus on the life of one of our Lord’s twelve original disciples. This one is somewhat obscure in that this disciple did not write a book that is found in the Scriptures and we find no sermon he preached nor a lesson he taught. We see a man who rarely steps into the Bible’s spotlight and who typically remains in the shadows of others.
His name is Andrew and he is the first man to become a follower of the Lord Jesus Christ. The name “Andrew” is the English translation of the Greek Andreas which means “manly” since it comes from the primary word aner which means “man.” So, Andrew’s name meant “manly” and so we will discover principles of what makes a manly man. Our world presents models of what a man should be. It gives some examples of the model of a man physically, mentally, and even financially. But by what measure does the Bible declare a man to be successful?
As I stated moments ago, Andrew was our Lord Jesus Christ’s first disciple. Andrew had already chosen to follow John the Baptist; the herald of Jesus the Messiah, and he was present the day Jesus came to be baptized in the River Jordan by John. As Jesus was walking by, John the Baptist, Andrew’s spiritual mentor, pointed to Jesus and said, “Behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the whole world.” That declaration was intended to allow Andrew to begin to follow Christ. Jesus is the Messiah, God with us. It was God’s will for Andrew to be a follower of Christ.
Andrew’s father’s name was John and Andrew had a brother named Simon. Later renamed Peter by Jesus, Simon became the leading spokesman for the early church. Andrew was not like Peter in the sense that Andrew was not often in the spotlight. He was a quieter, behind the scenes leader. God used Andrew in mighty ways because he had character qualities God could use to display His awesome glory. Andrew was a manly man but subsequent to his salvation in Christ and the ministry of the Holy Spirit, the Lord transformed him into a godly man. This morning, we will look at Andrew the spiritual seeker, the soul-winner, the follower of Christ and the Apostle of the Lord.
SPIRITUAL SEEKER. John 1:35-40
Andrew Was a Disciple of John the Baptist. Andrew grew up in a Jewish world where there was high anticipation for the coming of the Promised Messiah. Andrew had become convinced that Messiah was coming and in order to prepare himself, he had become a disciple of John the Baptist. Earlier, the Pharisees had sent a delegation to ask John who he was. John declared that he was not the Messiah, but was the “voice of one crying in the wilderness, make straight the way of the Lord,” quoting from the Old Testament book of Isaiah.
John told them that the Messiah was soon to appear, and that when He came, He would “take away the sin of the world.” The Messiah would be of higher rank than John because “He existed before me.” Since we know John was born before Jesus, John was therefore pointing to Jesus’ eternal nature. The next day, Andrew was standing nearby when John the Baptist declared, “Behold, the Lamb of God!” Just then, Jesus appeared walking near the Jordan River. At that moment, Andrew realized that John had identified Jesus as the Messiah. Instantly, he turned and followed Jesus, the Messiah he had been seeking.
A Day with Jesus. The other disciple who was with Andrew was John who later joined Andrew as one of the Lord’s twelve disciples. As they followed Jesus, the first words He spoke to them was, “What do you seek?” This, of course, is the question all of us should be asked: what are we seeking? Are we seeking a deeper and more consecrated walk with the Lord Jesus or do we have some other and lesser goal? Jesus responded by inviting them to “come and see.” The text tells us it was about ten o’clock in the morning and that Andrew stayed to listen to Jesus the rest of the day. It was enough for Andrew to choose to follow Jesus.
Seek the Lord While He May Be Found. (Isaiah 55:6) Andrew sought the Lord and we can discover several areas of Andrew’s spiritual seeking. Obviously, Andrew sought to know the Messiah. And he found Him. In verse 41, Andrew said, “We have found the Messiah.” In essence, Andrew sought the Savior who would grant to him everlasting life. Andrew also sought to grow spiritually. Spiritual growth is not accidental. God wants us to diligently apply ourselves to spiritual growth. The Bible tells us, “Now for this very reason also, applying all diligence, in your faith supply moral excellence, and in your moral excellence, knowledge, and in your knowledge, self-control, and in your self-control, perseverance, and in your perseverance, godliness, and in your godliness, brotherly kindness, and in your brotherly kindness, love. For if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they render you neither useless nor unfruitful in the true knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. For he who lacks these qualities is blind or short-sighted, having forgotten his purification from his former sins” (2 Peter 1:5-9). The words, “applying all diligence, in your faith supply…” inform us that spiritual growth requires our diligent effort and we must endeavor to grow in these seven spiritual qualities.
Along with spiritual growth, another goal of our seeking is to become more like our Lord Jesus Christ. Romans 8 tells us, “For those whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son, so that He would be the firstborn among many brethren” (Romans 8:29). Continually seeking the Lord will transform our thinking, from worldly thoughts to spiritual thoughts. The Apostle Paul wrote, “Therefore I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect” (Romans 12:1-2).
The Apostle Paul also identified the means of spiritual growth which is continuously seeking the Lord. In Colossians 3, he wrote, “Therefore if you have been raised up with Christ, keep seeking the things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your mind on the things above, not on the things that are on earth. For you have died and your life is hidden with Christ in God” (Colossians 3:1-3). Andrew’s life showed that he indeed continued to seek the Lord and the Lord used Him in mighty ways.
SOUL-WINNER. John 1:41-42
Andrew Brought People to Jesus. Once Andrew found Jesus and accepted Him as the Messiah, God placed in him a passion for bringing others to Jesus. After his day with Jesus, the Bible tells us that the first thing Andrew did was find his brother, Peter, and brought him to Christ. Notice Andrew’s message to Peter, “We have found the Messiah.” Andrew spoke with conviction and his message centered on Jesus rather than on himself. Apparently, Peter was interested because he went with Andrew to meet Jesus himself. Andrew brought the man who became the leader of Jesus’ band of twelve disciples to faith in Christ.
Others Andrew Brought to Jesus. In fact, whenever the Bible tells us about Andrew, he was bringing someone to Jesus. In John 6, Jesus spoke to a crowd of over five thousand people and as the hour grew late, it became imperative for the people to eat before going home. Jesus asked where they could buy enough food. It was at this point that Andrew brought a small boy to Jesus and said, “There is a lad here who has five barley loaves and two fish, but what are these for so many people?” (John 6:9). I am sure you remember that with those five loaves and two fish, Jesus fed the entire multitude with twelve baskets of leftovers as well.
Some time later, a group of Greeks who were themselves seekers of the truth, came to see Jesus. It is likely that these were Gentiles who were God-fearers and who had attended Jewish synagogues and feasts. They came because they heard that Jesus was the promised Savior and Messiah. John chapter twelve tells us that it was Andrew who brought them to Jesus. Andrew’s actions identify an important aspect of evangelism. The aim of soul winning is not primarily to explain our doctrinal ideas but to bring people to Jesus. Andrew understood that lifting up Jesus as Savior would be the first step in drawing people to salvation in Christ. Later in John twelve, Jesus said, “And I, if I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all men to Myself” (John 12:32). Andrew understood his task of soul winning. There are some ways we can enhance our witness for the Lord Jesus.
Bringing Others to Jesus. Of the ways we can develop our reaching others for Jesus is using our personal testimony for Christ. In John 4:29, the woman Jesus met at the well persuaded others to “Come, see a man who told me all the things that I have done.” Her testimony brought dozens of people to encounter the Lord Jesus. Sometimes, God will use us to explain the Bible to a seeker of the truth. In Acts 8, a man from Ethiopia could not understand Isaiah 53, and God used Philip to explain the text to him and as a result the Ethiopian believed in Jesus (Acts 8:34-37). A third way to develop our evangelism is being prepared to answer questions people who are seeking the Lord might have. The Apostle Peter wrote, “Always being ready to make a defense to everyone who asks you to give an account for the hope that is in you, yet with gentleness and reverence” (1 Peter 3:15).
FOLLOWER. Matthew 4:18-19
Called to Follow Jesus. Andrew was a seeker of truth and one who brought others to meet the Lord Jesus. He was also a devoted follower of Jesus. In my opinion, everyone who comes to the Lord Jesus to receive Him as Savior, is also one who is called to follow Jesus. I don’t think these are two separate issues. If you asked Jesus to save you and forgive your sins, then you are automatically called to follow Him in every aspect of your life.
It is true, however, that God calls people uniquely into leadership roles in the church. In Matthew 4, the Lord called four men, including Andrew, into the role that would bring him ultimately into leadership in the church. We read, “Now as Jesus was walking by the Sea of Galilee, He saw two brothers, Simon who was called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea; for they were fishermen. And He said to them, “Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men.” Immediately they left their nets and followed Him. Going on from there He saw two other brothers, James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother, in the boat with Zebedee their father, mending their nets; and He called them. Immediately they left the boat and their father, and followed Him" (Matthew 4:18-22).
The Cost of Following Jesus. Andrew’s devotion to following Jesus was immediate and complete. He left everything behind and gave himself entirely to the Lord’s work. God still seeks commitment of this kind. But this kind of commitment comes at a cost. Being committed to Jesus means denying ourselves and our ambitions and taking up our cross and following Him. Jesus said, “If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross and follow Me. For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake and the gospel’s will save it” (Mark 8:34-35). Andrew was willing to count the cost and follow Jesus. He chose to live in dependence on the grace of God for his life. Are we willing to take up this challenge to deny ourselves and follow Jesus?
APOSTLE. Matthew 10:2
Andrew’s Personal Appointment. Andrew’s commitment to the Lord Jesus and his training qualified him to be called as an apostle. This designation is found in Matthew 10:2, “Now the names of the twelve apostles are these: The first, Simon, who is called Peter, and Andrew his brother; and James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother.” Of course, the rest of the Twelve are list here as well. An apostle is one who has been sent forth on a special mission and given unique authority from the Lord. They were our Lord’s special representatives and, with the exception of Judas Iscariot, carried that designation for the rest of their lives.
Andrew’s Commission. Along with the ministry of apostleship, Andrew was also commissioned by the Lord Jesus. After His resurrection, Jesus met with His disciples in Galilee. There, Jesus told them, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age” (Matthew 28:18-20). With the other apostles, Andrew did indeed become a fisher of men. He continued his ministry of bringing people to the Lord Jesus Christ, proclaiming the message of grace and salvation, and helped to establish local churches.
Andrew’s Lifetime Ministry. (Acts 2:42) After this, Andrew’s name is not mentioned directly in the Bible. But we do know a few things about him. He is mentioned in Acts 1:13, where he is included in the list of apostles present in Jerusalem just before the Day of Pentecost. He joined the others in devoting himself to prayer. After the Day of Pentecost, Andrew was a designated leader in the Jerusalem church and with the other apostles, continually taught the new believers who had come to Christ. Church members devoted themselves to his teaching. Andrew was a guardian and teacher of the truth.
Church history tells us that Andrew continued to travel and lead people to Jesus Christ, establishing churches along the way. There is evidence he was in Asia Minor. There is credible testimony that Andrew journeyed to Scythia which is modern-day Russia, and won people to Christ there. He is still noted as the patron saint of Russia. He is also called the patron saint of Scotland. All this from a man who did not enjoy being in the spotlight. A man who worked behind the scenes but who was dedicated to bringing people to the Lord Jesus Christ.
God is still calling spiritually-minded men to follow Him and assist in leading His local church. He calls men to stand and proclaim the gospel message and He calls other men to work behind the scenes to continue this great mission.
Many years ago, there was a man like this whose name was Dave. Dave and his family lived in Miami, Florida and worked as a mechanical engineer. He was a member of a local church and dedicated his life to bringing people to Christ. He met my father, who was also a mechanical engineer, and began talking to him about receiving the Lord Jesus into his life. For well over a decade, my father continued to decline Dave’s offer to join him at church. But then, for some reason, my father finally agreed to attend a church service and for the first time in his life, heard a clear presentation of the gospel message. Several weeks later, my father gave his life to the Lord Jesus Christ. This simple act of inviting a friend to join him at a church service had far reaching implications. Only the Lord knows how many people came to know Jesus Christ as a result of my father’s ministry, my ministry, my son’s ministry, and that of the rest of our family. How about you? Will you, like Andrew, accept the call of the Lord Jesus to follow Him? Why don’t you make that commitment right now?
