Storytellers: Andrew

Storytellers: Andrew

Introduction:

I want to introduce you to someone this morning.  This is Amber. Amber works at Waffle House.  She served me breakfast on Wednesday.  I don’t know much about Amber but I do know one thing, Jesus loves Amber.  As I gave Amber my order, a waffle and double covered hash browns, I felt led to pray with her.  

“Amber, how can I pray for you this morning?”

A small question that led to a big conversation.  Amber immediately began to cry.  She was holding a pot of coffee and crying.  She told me about her story.  It was quite a story.  She asked that I pray for her husband.  She asked that I pray for her son.  She asked that I pray that God help her to hold her family together.  

I took out the Peace of God tract that our church produces and I asked Amber the most important question that can ever be asked. 

“Amber, do you know Jesus as your Savior?”

Amber, still crying, responded by telling me that she needed Jesus.  She needed joy.  She needed peace.  She was missing all of these things.

I walked her though the tract and right there, in Waffle House of all places, Amber gave her heart to the Lord.  As a church, we are helping Amber and her family today.  Helping them put the pieces of their life together.  

Friends, let me tell you something, telling our Jesus story transforms lives.  It does.  It really does.  People need to hear the Gospel narrative.  They need to know that there is a Savior. Peace is available.  They can have it…if we share it.  

Telling Your Jesus Story Transforms Lives!

Illustration: Don’t Miss The Opportunity

I heard a story about a 3 year old little girl.  She went to her mother one day and stuck out her hand.  In her hand was huge dead horse fly.  Her Mom noticed that she was also eating a big fat juicy pickle.  Quickly, her mother sprung into action.  She cleaned her hands and even put antibacterial soap on them.  

They sat back down and the mother asked with a touch of awe, ““How did you kill that fly all by yourself?”

Between bites, she said, “I hit it with my pickle.”

Point:

There is something to be said for this little girl’s attitude.  She was not going to let a pickle get in the way of getting that fly.  She was not going to miss that opportunity.  

Point:

Friends, there are lots of opportunities around us aren’t there? We have opportunities to improve our lives.  We have opportunities to climb the latter of success at work.  We have opportunities to better our marriages.  

Let me tell you, we have so many opportunities to build the Kingdom of God.  Everyday we let these Jesus moments slide by.  Well today we are going to read about a man who did not pass up on his opportunity to both follow Jesus and share Jesus.  His name is Andrew.  This is what we know about one of the first disciples of Jesus.  

His name is actually Andrew bar Jonah or Andrew son of Jonah.

His brother is Peter.  

Andrew is regularly mentioned after Simon Peter, which suggests that he was Peter’s younger brother.

Like his brother Peter, and their partners James and John, Andrew was initially a fisherman on the Sea of Galilee.

The name Andrew (Greek, Andreas) is related to the Greek word for “man” (Aner, or, in the genitive, Andros). It originally meant something like “Manly,” expressing the parents’ hopes for their baby boy.

Andrew is considered to be the very first follower of Jesus.  

Background:

Before we read about Andrew, let’s talk briefly about today’s text or context.  The Gospel of John introduces us to Jesus.  Jesus was both divine and man.  Jesus was God in flesh.  God sent Jesus to earth, not to condemn the world, but rather to save it.  In John 1 we see this beautiful introduction to Jesus and then we are hearing the testimony of Jesus from his cousin John The Baptist.  It was John The Baptist who baptizes Jesus kicking off His earthly ministry.  Following the baptism, Jesus begins to grow His core group of disciples.  One of the first people to hear and respond to the call of Jesus was one of John The Baptist’s disciple’s, Andrew.  Andrew followed Jesus.  That is where we are picking up our story today.  

Let’s read together.  

John 1:35-42 ESV

35 The next day again John was standing with two of his disciples, 36 and he looked at Jesus as he walked by and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God!” 37 The two disciples heard him say this, and they followed Jesus. 38 Jesus turned and saw them following and said to them, “What are you seeking?” And they said to him, “Rabbi” (which means Teacher), “where are you staying?” 39 He said to them, “Come and you will see.” So they came and saw where he was staying, and they stayed with him that day, for it was about the tenth hour. 40 One of the two who heard John speak and followed Jesus was Andrew, Simon Peter's brother. 41 He first found his own brother Simon and said to him, “We have found the Messiah” (which means Christ). 42 He brought him to Jesus. Jesus looked at him and said, “You are Simon the son of John. You shall be called Cephas” (which means Peter).

Lesson’s From Andrew’s Story

I. Andrew Surrendered vs. 37

John 1:37 ESV

The two disciples heard him say this, and they followed Jesus.

Illustration: The Story of the White Flag

Most historians believe blank banners first caught on because they were easy to distinguish in the heat of battle. Since white cloth was common in the ancient world, it may have also been a case of troops improvising with the materials they had on hand. The white flag later became well established in Western warfare, but evidence shows it also arose independently in China during the Eastern Han dynasty in the first three centuries A.D. The color white has long been associated with death and mourning in China, so its soldiers may have adopted white surrender flags to show their sorrow in defeat.

Point:

No matter when it began, the white flag meant, “I give up”.  Surrender.  When an army surrenders, they surrender to the authority of the opposing force.  They surrender their arms, their wills, their desire to fight to the opposing force.  

Let me tell you what happens in John 1:37. Andrew surrenders.  Andrew says “enough”.  Andrew, instead of going his way, goes another way. Andrew surrendered his desire, his personal authority, his dreams and his personal fight to follow Jesus.

Andrew had a life.

Andrew had a job.

Andrew had family.

Andrew left it all to follow Jesus.  He had no idea that he was going to change the world.  He had no idea that he would be a part of the birth of the church.  No idea.  He had no idea what the future had in store for him.  All he knew was that he had to follow Jesus.  Jesus was his central focus.  His main priority.  

Points:

Friends, Andrew waved the white flag.  In order to know Jesus, in order to tell a Jesus story, we must surrender to him completely.  For some, this is easy, for others, this takes time.  

Point:

For Amber, surrendering to Jesus was easy.  For Stuart, it may be harder.  

Point:

Andrew left John The Baptist for Jesus.  He had a good thing going with John.  Big crowds.  He was a part of something.  Yet, Jesus was more.  So much more.  

Question:

Have you surrendered to Jesus this morning? Have you waved the white flag?

Song: All To Jesus I Surrender 

All to Jesus I surrender,

All to Him I freely give;

I will ever love and trust Him,

In His presence daily live. 

I surrender all,

I surrender all.

All to Thee, my blessed Savior,

I surrender all. 

All to Jesus I surrender,

Humbly at His feet I bow,

Worldly pleasures all forsaken;

Take me, Jesus, take me now. 

All to Jesus I surrender,

Make me, Savior, wholly Thine;

Let me feel Thy Holy Spirit,

Truly know that Thou art mine. 

All to Jesus I surrender,

Lord, I give myself to Thee;

Fill me with Thy love and power,

Let Thy blessing fall on me. 

All to Jesus I surrender,

Now I feel the sacred flame.

Oh, the joy of full salvation!

Glory, glory to His name!

Luke 9:23-24 ESV

And he said to all, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will save it.

Lesson’s From Andrew’s Story

I. Andrew Surrendered vs. 37

II. Andrew Stayed vs. 39

John 1:39 ESV

He said to them, “Come and you will see.” So they came and saw where he was staying, and they stayed with him that day, for it was about the tenth hour. 

Point:

So Andrew surrenders.  The next thing we discover about this new relationship is that after Andrew follows Jesus, he stays with Jesus.  Andrew spends a day with Jesus.  

Imagine what that must have been like?  

Imagine the questions that must have been asked.  

Imagine the details of Andrew’s life that Jesus must have known and what He must have illuminated to Andrew. 

Imagine that peace that Andrew felt from being in the presence with Jesus.  

The comfort.  

The joy.  

The power.  

Being with Jesus must have been so transformative for Andrew.  

I can see it now, Andrew sitting at Jesus’ feet just listening to Him.  What we will discover is that this time spent with Jesus, abiding with Jesus, ignited a fire within Andrew.  His heart was set on fire to share what he had found in Jesus.  We will see that in a minute.  

Question:

When is the last time that you felt your heart was on fire because of Jesus? When is the last time you just sat at the Savior’s feet and just listened to Him? When is the last time you were so in awe of Jesus that you just had to share Jesus with your world? You had to tell someone about Him!

This is a hard truth.  Look at this equation.  Andrew surrenders His will to Jesus.  Andrew abides with Jesus.  Andrew tells someone about Jesus.  

Is it possible that the church today is not telling people about Jesus because we have not fully surrendered to Jesus?  We are not fully abiding with Him.  Our hearts on are not on fire! 

A cold heart tells no stories.   

Jeremiah 20:9 ESV

But if I say I'll never mention the LORD or speak in his name, his word burns in my heart like a fire. It's like a fire in my bones! I am worn out trying to hold it in! I can't do it!

Lesson’s From Andrew’s Story

I. Andrew Surrendered His Lifevs. 37

II. Andrew Stayed With Jesusvs. 39

III. Andrew Steered Peter To Jesus 40-42

John 1:40-42 ESV

One of the two who heard John speak and followed Jesus was Andrew, Simon Peter's brother. 41 He first found his own brother Simon and said to him, “We have found the Messiah” (which means Christ). 42 He brought him to Jesus.

Point:

Do you remember last week?  We talked about Jonah.  Jonah was called to go to Nineveh. It was a 3 day journey.  A long way in the ancient world.  Jonah had to go and take the message of repentance to the people.  He did.  They accepted.  

Remember I compared Nineveh to a fishing hole.  Sometimes to fish, we have to travel great distances.  Other times, the fishing hole is not to far away.  

For Andrew, the fishing hole was close.  Close as a brother.  Perhaps my favorite verse in the entire Bible is John 1:42, “He brought him to Jesus”.  There is no more powerful sentence anywhere in Scripture.  

Friends, when is the last time you went fishing in your family?  Perhaps you have a brother, sister, aunt or uncle who needs to be brought to Jesus today, right now.  Perhaps the greatest mission trip is not around the world, but around the corner.  

Notice Andrew with fishing.  Andrew knew a thing or two about fishing.  He was a fisherman after all.  Yet, this time, he is using a different lure.  

Andrew went to his brother Peter and told him, let me tell you about this guy Jesus.  At first I thought He was a teacher, but now I believe Him to be the Messiah.  

Friends that is a huge jump by the way.  The jump from teacher or Rabbi to Messiah.  Do you know that Messiah means? 

Messiah in Greek is Χριστός or Christos.  It means anointed one, the Messiah or the Christ.  

To call someone the anointed one meant that you considered Him to be the King.  Greater than Caesar.  A King was to be revered, respected and venerated.  Jesus must have done some pretty powerful things on that day that Andrew spent with Him. Andrew was convinced that Jesus was more than just a teacher.  He was and is a King.  The King of Kings.  The message had to get out and the first person that Andrew told was Peter.  

So, where are you going to take the King this morning?  Who will you steer His way?

Mark 16:15 ESV

And he said to them, “Go into all the world and proclaim the gospel to the whole creation.

Take Someone To Jesus Today!