Greetings! Welcome to the show! It’s good to have you with us. Our passage today comes from the book of John; chapter 1, verses 43-44. It reads…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 me...
Greetings! Welcome to the show! It’s good to have you with us. Our passage today comes from the book of John; chapter 1, verses 43-44. It reads…
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.[b] 40 One of the two who heard John speak and followed Jesus[c] 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).
Last week we got to meet three of Jesus’ first disciples. First we met Andrew and John; as John the Baptist pointed them to Jesus as the one they needed to follow. And so they began to follow Him. And Andrew then goes and tells His brother Simon all about Jesus. And so (because of Andrew) Simon Peter also comes, meets, and begins to follow Jesus.
Simon Peter’s Brother-- I heard of one person who, when asked what Bible character they could relate to the most, their answer was Andrew. And, kind of surprised by the answer, this person was asked why. And that person’s response was, “Because when Andrew is mentioned, he is known as “Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother.’” How does it feel to always be known by “Oh yeah, you’re so and so’s brother (or sister or son or daughter).”? What is it like to always be living in the shadow of someone else? Sometimes that is difficult. Those kinds of people often get overlooked. And Andrew is one of those overlooked disciples.
Andrew Always Bringing Someone To Jesus-- And yet I think that Andrew is one of the great unsung heroes of scripture. Because if you look at every passage in which his name pops up, you will discover that every time he is mentioned, he always seems to be bringing somebody to Jesus. Here in John 1 he brings his brother Simon. In John 6:8 he is the one who brings a young boy with five small barley loaves and two small fish, with which Jesus feeds the five thousand. In John 12:22 both Andrew and Philip are instrumental in bringing some Gentiles to see Jesus. [Each time we meet Andrew in the Gospel he is bringing someone to Jesus (6:8; 12:22).] How great it would be if that element could characterize every one of our lives. Because that is the greatest thing that could be said of any person. And those are the kinds of people that Jesus uses to further His kingdom. The method Jesus most uses to call people to Himself is (interestingly) other people.
How The First Disciples Were Called-- We see this principle at work when we look at how most of the first disciples became followers of Jesus Christ. We always think that Jesus was the one who sought out the first disciples. Actually, when we look at Scripture, we tend to find the exact opposite. Of the first six disciples that were called, only one was approached directly by Jesus. And that was Philip; and we will learn more about him today. But all the other five came as a result of somebody else's ministry; somebody else's pointing them to Jesus. Andrew and John became followers of Jesus because of John the Baptist’s pointing them to Jesus. And of course Peter came to Jesus as a result of Andrew’s witness. It says in…
John 1:41 (ESV)-- 41 He {(Andrew)} first found his own brother Simon and said to him, “We have found the Messiah” (which means Christ).
Protos-- Now that word “first” in Greek is usually proton. But here there is a special form, protos. And whenever this form appears it means that after that first, there must be a second. So what most scholars agree is that this implies that John also went and found his brother, which would be James (not the brother of Jesus, but James the disciple). So you have another person coming to Jesus as the result of someone else. And then of course Nathaniel later comes because of Philip. And this should tell us something remarkable about the way that Jesus chooses to build his kingdom. Yes, His disciples were all divinely called. For Jesus says in…
John 6:44 (NIV)-- 44 “No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws them, and I will raise them up at the last day.
Through Somebody Else-- But while this is true we find that the disciples were led to Jesus through the ministry of somebody else. And the same is true even today. The way that most people come to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ is through the ministry of another person.
Our Witness-- So what should challenge us is this. If Jesus chooses His disciples through the ministry of somebody else (through our ministry), what happens when you or I fail to be that witness? Just think of this: the main disciples that you and I think of as being the most important disciples (e.g. Peter and John) were not first approached by Jesus but came through the ministry of somebody else. And Peter was the one Jesus said would be his primary instrument in the building of his Church. Now that is amazing to think about; what a difference one person who is brought to Jesus by another person; what a difference that one person can make for the Kingdom of God.
The Most Unlikely-- Now Peter (who we talked about last week) was not an ideal person to be chosen to be a disciple. He was outspoken; he was rash; he never seemed to be able to say the right thing. His mouth must have been in the shape of a shoe because of how many times he ended up putting his foot there. And yet God chose Him. Like always, He chooses the most unlikely; the people we think the least likely to be able to do anything substantial for His Kingdom to come follow Him; and then He fills them with His Spirit as he did with Peter and uses them to change the world. Peter was so inept, when faced with danger following Jesus’ arrest, he denied three times that he even knew Jesus. Yet when Christ got through with Him and filled him with His Spirit, Peter preached fearlessly and boldly at Pentecost, pronouncing all the people guilty of having slain the Messiah. He boldly proclaims the Gospel in a way that can only be explained by the infilling of the Holy Spirit; and when he is done preaching, three thousand people convert on the spot and the Christian Church is born. Every day you and I run into people like Peter; people who may be rough around the edges; but people who, if we lead them to Jesus, can make a lasting and tremendous impact on the Kingdom of God.
Geemo’s Believing Praise-- My Grandmother (we call her Geemo) is a very remarkably encouraging person. Even today, but especially when I was growing up, whenever she talked to me, my siblings, or anyone else for that matter, she would always praise us and say things like, “Oh what a warrior for Jesus you are; Oh how you are taking a stand for Oh name; Oh how the Lord is using you.” Now, looking back, I know that in many cases I wasn’t those things she was praising me for being. And you know what, I think she may have known that too. But I tell you what. Because she chose to believe in us, we wanted to be those things that she praised us for being. Now this wasn’t some kind of deception or lying, but rather she was believing God for the plan she knew He had for us.
Their Biggest Fans-- And I wonder if that is not how we should be with other people, especially non-believers. We need to be their biggest fans, cheering them along in every stage of their journey. And if they know that we believe in them, they will want to be all that we think they can be and eventually will want to be all that God wants them to be. But we have to believe in them and be instruments of encouragement in their lives. And if we do, there is no telling what they might become.
The Next Billy Graham Might Be Drunk Right Now-- Some time ago I read an article that said this:
[The next Billy Graham might be drunk right now.
The next Jonathan Edwards might be the man driving in front of you with the Darwin Fish bumper decal.
The next Charles Wesley might currently be a misogynistic, profanity-spewing hip-hop artist.
The next Charles Spurgeon might be managing an abortion clinic today.
The next Mother Teresa might be a heroin-addicted porn star this week.
The next Augustine of Hippo might be a sexually promiscuous cult member right now, just like, come to think of it, the first Augustine of Hippo was.
But the Spirit of God can turn all that around. And seems to delight to do so. The new birth doesn't just transform lives, creating repentance and faith; it also provides new leadership to the church, and fulfills Jesus' promise to gift his church with everything needed for her onward march through space and time (Eph. 4:8-16).]
Someone You Touch-- The next Billy Graham may be someone you touch with the Gospel of Christ! Someone who, experiencing that life in you, responds to your pointing; your call to come and see Jesus. They are important; the lives we touch for Jesus.
Geempa's Dash-- Whenever I am able to visit my family on the east coast, I usually have an opportunity to visit my grandfather's grave. And on the gravestone, just like on most gravestones, are two dates; one representing that person's birth and the other representing that person's death. And in between those dates is a tiny little dash; a dash representing the entirety of that person's life. What is it that makes that dash mean something; that makes this brief life we live count on an eternal scale? My grandfather left a clue to the answer to that question. Below those dates on my grandfather's grave are three very simple words that defined his life: "Behold The Lamb." Living with his eyes fixed on Jesus and with the mission of pointing others to Jesus was the central focus of his life. And it was because of that vision that that dash means something. Because of that dash lived for that purpose, his life was richer and the kingdom of heaven is more populated.
C.T. Studd-- It's as C.T. Studd once said:
Only one life, ’twill soon be past,
Only what’s done for Christ will last. (C.T. Studd)
And that is why I want to encourage you today to (in whatever context you are in) to point people to the Lamb of God. It will change their life, but it will change yours to. Point somebody to Jesus this week. Amen.
