Today, I am continuing the daily Just Jesus Evangelistic Campaign sermon series, which is aimed at sharing the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ with unbelievers and reminding Christians, in this important election year, to keep the main thing the main thing — and that is reaching unbelievers with the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ and praying for their salvation, for the problem in America is not only disobedient presidents and politicians but disobedient pastors, preachers, and parishioners who have refused to obey God’s Great Commission and who have refused to obey God’s repeated commands to pray without ceasing for unbelievers, believers, and political leaders. This campaign is inspired by 1 Corinthians 2:2: “For I determined not to know anything among you, save Jesus Christ, and him crucified.” As well as Acts 5:42 which says, “And daily in the temple, and in every house, they ceased not to teach and preach Jesus Christ.” This is message number 13.
John 1:40-42:
40 One of the two which heard John speak, and followed him, was Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother.
41 He first findeth his own brother Simon, and saith unto him, We have found the Messias, which is, being interpreted, the Christ.
42 And 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.
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Greg Laurie said, “To not share the Gospel is criminal. To not bring the Gospel message to others can even be a sin – a sin of omission. It would be like finding the cure for cancer but not sharing it with others. We have something even more significant than a cure for cancer. We have the cure to sin, and guilt and the cure for hell and the hope for heaven. How much more urgently do we need to get this message out?”
Yesterday, we learned about two of the disciples of John who left him to follow Jesus after they heard John’s testimony. Today, we learn that one of those men is named Andrew. The other disciple is not named, but it is believed to be John, the writer of this Gospel.
These verses focus on the action of Andrew and the results thereof. As soon as Andrew began to follow Jesus, we are told that “he first findeth his own brother Simon, and saith unto him, We have found the Messias, which is, being interpreted, the Christ.” Now, this would have been big news to any Jew in first-century Israel. It would have been far bigger news than if you were lying on your deathbed in the hospital stricken with cancer and the doctor and the nurse ran in shouting with joy that they had just found a cure.
The term “Messiah” means “anointed one”; “Christ” is the Greek equivalent of this word, also meaning “anointed one.” The anointing referred to the Old Testament practice of pouring oil on the heads of kings and priests before they took office. It symbolized the pouring out of God’s Spirit on the person. Andrew, who likely saw the Spirit descend on Jesus in the form of a dove, went to tell his brother, Simon Peter, that he had found the anointed one of Israel — the Saviour of the Jewish nation and of the world. Evidently, after Andrew trusted Jesus Christ as Saviour, God gave him a soul-winner’s heart. He is only mentioned two other times in the Gospels, and, each time, he is shown bringing someone to Jesus.
Dear Christian, may I ask, how often have you brought someone to Jesus? You don’t have to reach the masses to be obedient to the Great Commission. There are people around you right now who need to meet the Savior. Do like Andrew did and bring your brother to Christ, bring your sister to Christ, bring your spouse to Christ, bring your children to Christ. If you can go out and sign people up to vote, knock on doors, and put signs in your yard and bumper stickers on your car for the candidate of your choice in 2016, surely you can tell someone that the Savior has come into the world and want to save them from their sins and give them eternal life.
Now, as we noted, Andrew is only mentioned three times in Scripture. But, Peter is mentioned 158 times in Scripture. He and what he did for the kingdom of God is far more well known than Andrew. But, we may have never known Peter if it had not been for Andrew bringing him to Jesus. One commentator said, “In bringing his brother Simon Peter to Christ, no man did the church a greater service than Andrew.” This is one reason why we ought to faithfully evangelize: because we never know who God wants to use mightily for His glory.
Now, hear what Jesus said when He met Peter: “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.” Jesus knew what the future held for Simon Peter. He knew what God had planned for his life. He knew that despite his brash and rough nature, Peter would become a rock, a part of the solid foundation for the building of the church against which the gates hell would not prevail.
If you are not saved, you have no idea what God wants to do with your life. The first step to fulfilling the plan God has for you is to give your life to Jesus Christ. If you do not know Jesus Christ as your Saviour, John 3:16 states, “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”
The Bible also says in Romans 10:9 and 13: “That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved…. For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.”
If you believe that Jesus Christ died on the cross for your sins, was buried, and rose from the dead, and you want to trust Him for your salvation today, please pray with me this simple prayer: Holy Father God, I realize that I am a sinner and that I have done some bad things in my life. I am sorry for my sins, and I want to turn from my sins. For Jesus Christ sake, please forgive me of my sins. I now believe with all of my heart that Jesus Christ died for me, was buried, and rose again. I trust Him as my Savior and follow Him as Lord from this day forward. Lord Jesus, please come into my heart and save my soul and change my life today. Amen.
If you just trusted Jesus Christ as your Saviour, and you prayed that prayer and meant it from your heart, I declare to you that based upon the Word of God, you are now saved from Hell and you are on your way to Heaven. Welcome to the family of God! I want to congratulate you on doing the most important thing in life and that is receiving Jesus Christ as your Lord and Saviour. For more information to help you grow in your newfound faith in Christ, go to Gospel Light Society.com and read “What To Do After You Enter Through the Door”. Jesus Christ said in John 10:9, “I am the door: by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture.”
Until next time, May the Lord Bless You!
Daniel Whyte III has spoken in meetings across the United States and in over twenty-five foreign countries. He is the author of over forty books. He is also the president of Gospel Light Society International, a worldwide evangelistic ministry that reaches thousands with the Gospel each week, as well as president of Torch Ministries International, a Christian literature ministry which publishes a monthly magazine called The Torch Leader. He is heard by thousands each week on his radio broadcasts/podcasts, which include: The Prayer Motivator Devotional, The Prayer Motivator Minute, as well as Gospel Light Minute X, the Gospel Light Minute, the Sunday Evening Evangelistic Message, the Prophet Daniel’s Report, the Second Coming Watch Update and the Soul-Winning Motivator, among others. He holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Theology from Bethany Divinity College, a Bachelor’s degree in Religion from Texas Wesleyan University, a Master’s degree in Religion, a Master of Divinity degree, and a Master of Theology degree from Liberty University School of Divinity. He has been married to the former Meriqua Althea Dixon, of Christiana, Jamaica for over twenty-seven years. God has blessed their union with seven children. Find out more at www.danielwhyte3.com. Follow Daniel Whyte III on Twitter @prophetdaniel3 or on Facebook.
BCNN1 WP 