35Again the next day after John stood, and two of his disciples;
36And looking upon Jesus as he walked, he saith, Behold the Lamb of God!
37And the two disciples heard him speak, and they followed Jesus.
38Then Jesus turned, and saw them following, and saith unto them, What seek ye? They said unto him, Rabbi, (which is to say, being interpreted, Master,) where dwellest thou?
39He saith unto them, Come and see. They came and saw where he dwelt, and abode with him that day: for it was about the tenth hour.
40One of the two which heard John speak, and followed him, was Andrew, Simon Peter's brother.
41He first findeth his own brother Simon, and saith unto him, We have found the Messias, which is, being interpreted, the Christ.
42And he brought him to Jesus. And when Jesus beheld him, he said, Thou art Simon the son of Jona: thou shalt be called Cephas, which is by interpretation, A stone.
Introduction: Here we have Andrew's discovery of Jesus.He discovered Jesus was the Messiah,the Christ.
[1] (1:35-37) Andrew:there was his experience,his experience was simple,somewhat like that of many of us who come to the knowledge of Christ.Andrew stood where preaching was(vs.35) John had been holding his campaign around the Jordan.Andrew,who had an ache for the word of God,had become interested in what was happening and had attended the meetings,and at some poit became a follower of this preacher of righteousness.The point to see is that Andrew hungered for righteousness;therefore, he availed himself of the opportunity to hear preaching.He "stood" right in the midst of preaching.He was there to hear the Messiah proclaimed.Andrew "heard him (the preacher) speak." He was listening to the message,not allowing his mind to ramble elsewhere.He was alert and awake; therefore,when the announcement of the Messiah came, he was ready.Note also the message:"Behold the lamb of God".It was the message of the Messiah's sacrificial death.Andrew then followed Jesus.The word followed (ekolouthesan) is in the greek aorist tense,meaning a once and for all act.Andrew was turning to Jesus, ready to make a commitment to him.He wanted to become a disciple of Jesus.
These same 3 steps must be taken by each of us:1) We must stand where the word,Christ himself is preached.Hunger and thirst for the word.
2) We must hear the word; the announcement,the lamb of God who taketh away the sins of the world
3) We must follow Jesus.
[2] (1:38-39) Andrew seeking Christ, Invitation:There was Andrew's critical hour.This is the most graphic picture;it shows the great eagerness of Jesus to reach men.Jesus longs for men to come to him, and He longs to reach out to help them in their coming.Note: Jesus was walking some distance away and Andrew and his friends were following behind Jesus.Jesus did three things that shows His great eagerness.(1) Jesus turned to face them.This is a clear showing of His open arms,His willingness, and His eagerness for them to join Him.(2) He asked a basic question "what seek ye", they asked where He lived,they wanted to join Him in the quiet of His home.They wanted Him to meet the crying need of their hearts and to do such in the quiet confines of His dwelling.(3) Jesus extended the invitation: He said "come and see".The invitation was immediate,they were invited to Jesus while they sensed their need.
[3] (1:39-40) Decision:there was Andrew's great decision.He came and saw and remained with Jesus. Andrew came to Jesus,he accepted the invitation.Andrew and his friends took Jesus at His word" Ye shall see",this word was a promise that if they followed Him they would see and learn the truth of life. They received of Him and He met their needs.
[4] (1:41) Witnessing-Family:Andrews first concern was his brother Peter.As quickly as he could, as soon as he met Jesus for himself,Andrew rushed to find and tell his brother Peter.There was conviction "We have found the Messiah",Andrew was a great witness, he was always seen bringing someone to Jesus(John 6:8,-12:22).
[5] (1:42) Bearing fruit:Andrew's witness bore fruit,Simon was reached for Jesus and reaped. Andrew saw his brother Simon come to Jesus.We too, who have come to know Christ as our personal savior, should also bring our families that they too might be reaped of the Lord.Let ur life also bear fruit and fruit that will last.
