Operation Andrew
Notes
Transcript
Sermon Tone Analysis
A
D
F
J
S
Emotion
A
C
T
Language
O
C
E
A
E
Social
358 - Far and Near the Fields are Teeming
George Sweeting, in his book The No-Guilt Guide for Witnessing, tells of a man by the name of John Currier who in 1949 was found guilty of murder and sentenced to life in prison. Later he was transferred and paroled to work on a farm near Nashville, Tennessee.
In 1968, Currier's sentence was terminated, and a letter bearing the good news was sent to him. But John never saw the letter, nor was he told anything about it. Life on that farm was hard and without promise for the future. Yet John kept doing what he was told even after the farmer for whom he worked had died.
Ten years went by. Then a state parole officer learned about Currier's plight, found him, and told him that his sentence had been terminated. He was a free man.
Sweeting concluded that story by asking, "Would it matter to you if someone sent you an important message -- the most important in your life -- and year after year the urgent message was never delivered?"
We who have heard the good news and experienced freedom through Christ are responsible to proclaim it to others still enslaved by sin. Are we doing all we can to make sure that people get the message?
What does it mean
to be a witness?
Someone who has
experienced something
that can share about it
with someone else.
Biography of Andrew
Biography of Andrew
Only 12 verse
speak about Andrew.
We will do
a harmony of the gospels
about Andrew.
Let’s see
what kind of man
he was.
Begining of the story.
Andrew was
a disciple of John.
following him.
by Jordan.
John answered them, “I baptize with water, but among you stands one you do not know,
even he who comes after me, the strap of whose sandal I am not worthy to untie.”
The next day...
The next day he saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!
This is he of whom I said, ‘After me comes a man who ranks before me, because he was before me.’
I myself did not know him, but for this purpose I came baptizing with water, that he might be revealed to Israel.”
And John bore witness: “I saw the Spirit descend from heaven like a dove, and it remained on him.
I myself did not know him, but he who sent me to baptize with water said to me, ‘He on whom you see the Spirit descend and remain, this is he who baptizes with the Holy Spirit.’
And I have seen and have borne witness that this is the Son of God.”
The next day again...
The next day again John was standing with two of his disciples,
and he looked at Jesus as he walked by and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God!”
The two disciples heard him say this, and they followed Jesus.
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?”
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.
One of the two who heard John speak and followed Jesus was Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother.
Very first verse
chronologically
that speaks about Andrew...
It tells
what he is like.
He first found his own brother Simon and said to him, “We have found the Messiah” (which means Christ).
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).
This it typical Andrew
What did he do…
“brought him to Jesus...”
Next few verses,
tell a parallel story.
And mentions Andrew
in passing.
The next day Jesus decided to go to Galilee. He found Philip and said to him, “Follow me.”
Now Philip was from Bethsaida, the city of Andrew and Peter.
Philip found Nathanael and said to him, “We have found him of whom Moses in the Law and also the prophets wrote, Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.”
Nathanael said to him, “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?” Philip said to him, “Come and see.”
Jesus saw Nathanael coming toward him and said of him, “Behold, an Israelite indeed, in whom there is no deceit!”
Nathanael said to him, “How do you know me?” Jesus answered him, “Before Philip called you, when you were under the fig tree, I saw you.”
Nathanael answered him, “Rabbi, you are the Son of God! You are the King of Israel!”
Jesus answered him, “Because I said to you, ‘I saw you under the fig tree,’ do you believe? You will see greater things than these.”
And he said to him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, you will see heaven opened, and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man.”
Notice he was from
Andrew’s town.
I wonder if
Andrew had already
talked to him…?
Either way,
I love the way
that he witnesses.
I have see
and experienced something
You have got to come
check it out.
His phrase,
“come and see...”
transition
Fast foreward
in the story...
Andrew and Peter had been
following Jesus for a while
but they had not
left their full-time jobs.
Until this story.
On one occasion, while the crowd was pressing in on him to hear the word of God, he was standing by the lake of Gennesaret,
and he saw two boats by the lake, but the fishermen had gone out of them and were washing their nets.
Getting into one of the boats, which was Simon’s, he asked him to put out a little from the land. And he sat down and taught the people from the boat.
And when he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, “Put out into the deep and let down your nets for a catch.”
And Simon answered, “Master, we toiled all night and took nothing! But at your word I will let down the nets.”
And when they had done this, they enclosed a large number of fish, and their nets were breaking.
They signaled to their partners in the other boat to come and help them. And they came and filled both the boats, so that they began to sink.
But when Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus’ knees, saying, “Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord.”
For he and all who were with him were astonished at the catch of fish that they had taken,
and so also were James and John, sons of Zebedee, who were partners with Simon. And Jesus said to Simon, “Do not be afraid; from now on you will be catching men.”
And when they had brought their boats to land, they left everything and followed him.
Finally committed to full-time witnessing
Desire of Ages Chapter 25—The Call by the Sea
It was after Peter had been led to self-renunciation and dependence upon divine power that he received the call to his work for Christ.
Until this time none of the disciples had fully united as colaborers with Jesus. They had witnessed many of His miracles, and had listened to His teaching; but they had not entirely forsaken their former employment. The imprisonment of John the Baptist had been to them all a bitter disappointment. If such were to be the outcome of John’s mission, they could have little hope for their Master, with all the religious leaders combined against Him. Under the circumstances it was a relief to them to return for a short time to their fishing. But now Jesus called them to forsake their former life, and unite their interests with His. Peter had accepted the call. Upon reaching the shore, Jesus bade the three other disciples, “Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men.” Immediately they left all, and followed Him.
This is where
we pick up the story
in Matt and Mark
While walking by the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon (who is 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.
parallel passage
Passing alongside the Sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and Andrew the brother of Simon casting a net into the sea, for they were fishermen.
And Jesus said to them, “Follow me, and I will make you become fishers of men.”
And immediately they left their nets and followed him.
Finally,
they leave everything
to follow Jesus.
Jesus,
through the large catch
teaches the disciples
He can provide.
They decide to trust Him,
and become
full-time disciples.
Later,
the story of the
Rich Young Ruler.
He goes away sorry.
Jesus comments,
Peter,
getting nervous,
wondering
who will be saved
asks:
Then Peter said in reply, “See, we have left everything and followed you. What then will we have?”
They start their lives
as full-time missionaries.
They start seeing
the power of God
immediately.
First,
Goes into synagog
in Capurnium
teaches with authority.
Cast out demon
from guy at church.
Next he goes to
Andrew’s house.
And immediately he left the synagogue and entered the house of Simon and Andrew, with James and John.
Now Simon’s mother-in-law lay ill with a fever, and immediately they told him about her.
And he came and took her by the hand and lifted her up, and the fever left her, and she began to serve them.
That is not all.
Jesus does not stop
with Andrew’s mom.
That evening at sundown they brought to him all who were sick or oppressed by demons.
And the whole city was gathered together at the door.
And he healed many who were sick with various diseases, and cast out many demons. And he would not permit the demons to speak, because they knew him.
I’m sure they
were glad they
decided to give up
everything to follow.
At some point after,
Jesus decides to
make it official.
Ordination Service
for the 12.
And he called to him his twelve disciples and gave them authority over unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal every disease and every affliction.
The names of the twelve apostles are these: first, Simon, who is called Peter, and Andrew his brother; James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother;
Philip and Bartholomew; Thomas and Matthew the tax collector; James the son of Alphaeus, and Thaddaeus;
Simon the Zealot, and Judas Iscariot, who betrayed him.
parallel passage
He appointed the twelve: Simon (to whom he gave the name Peter);
James the son of Zebedee and John the brother of James (to whom he gave the name Boanerges, that is, Sons of Thunder);
Andrew, and Philip, and Bartholomew, and Matthew, and Thomas, and James the son of Alphaeus, and Thaddaeus, and Simon the Zealot,
and Judas Iscariot, who betrayed him.
parallel passage
And when day came, he called his disciples and chose from them twelve, whom he named apostles:
Simon, whom he named Peter, and Andrew his brother, and James and John, and Philip, and Bartholomew,
and Matthew, and Thomas, and James the son of Alphaeus, and Simon who was called the Zealot,
and Judas the son of James, and Judas Iscariot, who became a traitor.
Andrew was there
for all the
important moments
in Jesus’ ministry.
He was there at
the feeding of the
5000 men.
People followed Jesus
middle of nowhere.
not many packed lunch.
Lifting up his eyes, then, and seeing that a large crowd was coming toward him, Jesus said to Philip, “Where are we to buy bread, so that these people may eat?”
Jesus was testing
their faith.
Andrews seems to
respond in faith.
One of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, said to him,
“There is a boy here who has five barley loaves and two fish, but what are they for so many?”
Jesus said, “Have the people sit down.” Now there was much grass in the place. So the men sat down, about five thousand in number.
This is special
for two reasons.
Not only is
this a response of faith.
It is his
“modus operandi.”
He is always,
bringing people to Jesus.
I remember hearing of a man at sea who was very sea-sick. If there is a time when a man feels that he cannot do any work for the Lord it is then -- in my opinion. While this man was sick he heard that a man had fallen overboard. He was wondering if he could do anything to help to save him. He laid hold of a light, and held it up on the port-hole.
The drowning man was saved. When this man got over his attack of sickness he was up on deck one day, and was talking to the man who was rescued. The saved man gave this testimony. He said he had gone down the second time, and was just going down again for the last time, when he put out his hand. Just then, he said, some one held a light at the port-hole, and the light fell on his hand. A man caught him by the hand and pulled him into the lifeboat.
It seemed a small thing to do to hold up the light; yet it saved the man's life. If you cannot do some great thing you can hold the light for some poor, perishing drunkard, who may be won to Christ and delivered from destruction. Let us take the torch of salvation and go into these dark homes, and hold up Christ to the people as the Savior of the world.
What John did may seem
insignificant.
What you do
may seem insignificant
But it means a lot
to the one
who is saved
because of your invitation.
He was also there
during another sermon.
The apocalypse of Jesus.
And as he came out of the temple, one of his disciples said to him, “Look, Teacher, what wonderful stones and what wonderful buildings!”
And Jesus said to him, “Do you see these great buildings? There will not be left here one stone upon another that will not be thrown down.”
And as he sat on the Mount of Olives opposite the temple, Peter and James and John and Andrew asked him privately,
“Tell us, when will these things be, and what will be the sign when all these things are about to be accomplished?”
It was in response
to their question
that this sermon
was born.
Andrew was always
learning
inquisitive
ready.
In the last few days
of Jesus life.
After
resurrection of Lazarus
triumphal entry
Something happened.
Now among those who went up to worship at the feast were some Greeks.
So these came to Philip, who was from Bethsaida in Galilee, and asked him, “Sir, we wish to see Jesus.”
Philip went and told Andrew; Andrew and Philip went and told Jesus.
Jesus preaches
to these Gentiles.
A sermon
about his death.
Notice though,
Andrew is always
in the middle of the action.
And,
He is always doing
something specific.
What is that?
Witnessing...
Inviting...
Guiding
people toward Jesus.
What next?
maybe skip some
Andrew was with those
who were ready for
the early rain
Then they returned to Jerusalem from the mount called Olivet, which is near Jerusalem, a Sabbath day’s journey away.
And when they had entered, they went up to the upper room, where they were staying, Peter and John and James and Andrew, Philip and Thomas, Bartholomew and Matthew, James the son of Alphaeus and Simon the Zealot and Judas the son of James.
All these with one accord were devoting themselves to prayer, together with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus, and his brothers.
Andrew’s Death
It is believed that he was martyred by crucifixion in the city of Patras which was on the northern coast of Peloponnese which was in Greece. Given the fact that he was likely crucified there, he must have, like many of the other apostles, went well beyond Judea to bring the gospel into all the world as Christ had commanded (Matt 28:19-20).
pick up here.
Lieghton Ford was speaking at an open-air crusade in Halifax, Nova Scotia. Billy Graham was to speak the next night and had arrived a day early. He came incognito and sat on the grass at the rear of the crowd. Because he was wearing a hat and dark glasses, no one recognized him.
Directly in front of him sat an elderly gentleman who seemed to be listening intently to my presentation. When I invited people to come forward as an open sign of commitment, Billy decided to do a little personal evangelism. He tapped the man on the shoulder and asked, "Would you like to accept Christ? I'll be glad to walk down with you if you want to." The old man looked him up and down, thought it over for a moment, and then said, "Naw, I think I'll just wait till the big gun comes tomorrow night."
Billy and I have had several good chuckles over that incident. Unfortunately, it underlines how, in the minds of many people, evangelism is the task of the "Big Guns," not the "little shots."
Final Appeal
Andrew - Normal
brother of boisterous Peter
Not called evangelist like Phillip
Not considered “the beloved disciple”
Just a normal follower
lived in the shadow
of his brother, Peter.
Didn’t need to stick out.
He was dependable.
always there.
Most of all,
he was always witnessing.
Always bringing people to Jesus.
simple
personal
invitations.
Today,
God needs more Andrews!
People,
who don’t need
accolaids or recognition.
to be up front.
People willing
to witness
to make a personal
invitation
“come and see...”
Today,
I have the perfect
opportunity.
Invitation cards.
1000 cards!
We need to do some
door to door
personal invites
to your friends
posting them everywhere.
369 - Bringing in the Sheaves