You've got your Bible with you this evening. We're taking our scripture reading from John's Gospel and the chapter 1. John's Gospel, chapter 1, and we will commence at the verse 29. No doubt the chapter will be familiar, yet it's important that we follow it together. John 1, verse 29, The next day John seeth Jesus coming unto him, and saith, Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world. This is he of whom I said, After me cometh a man which is preferred before me, for he was before me. And I knew him not. But that he should be made manifest to Israel, therefore am I come baptizing with water. And John, bear record, saying, I saw the Spirit descending from heaven like a dove, and it abode upon him. And I knew him not. But he that sent me to baptize with water, the same said unto me, upon whom thou shalt see the Spirit descending and remaining on him, the same as he which baptiseth with the Holy Ghost. And I saw on bare record that this is the Son of God. Again the next day after John stood, and two of the disciples, and looking upon Jesus as he walked, he saith, Behold the Lamb of God. And the two disciples heard him speak, and they followed Jesus. And Jesus turned and saw them following him, and said unto them, What seek ye? They said unto him, Rabbi, which is to say, being interpreted, Master, where dwellest thou? He saith unto them, Come and see. And they came and saw where he dwelt, and abode with him that day, for it was about the tenth hour. One of the two which heard John speak and followed him was Andrew, Simon Peter's brother. He first findeth his own brother Simon, and saith unto him, We have found the Messiah, which is being interpreted, the Christ. And he brought him to Jesus. When Jesus beheld him, he said, Thou art Simon, the son of Jonah. Thou shalt be called Cephas, which is, by interpretation, a stone. We'll end our reading there. God again will add his blessing to the public reading of his precious word. Can we just bow for a moment's prayer? Our Heavenly Father, we give you thanks again for the fellowship that we have in the gospel of Christ this evening. And we thank you, Lord, for your word, which is able to make us wise unto salvation through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. And we ask, Lord, that you'll help us to rightly divide the word of truth, that the words of my mouth and the meditation of all our hearts might be acceptable in your sight. For we ask this in our Saviour's name. Amen. In the verse of the reading of God's word, it says, One of the two which heard John speak and followed him was Andrew, Simon Peter's brother. Now I want to leave a thought with you upon Andrew, and there's a multitude of titles we could give to a sermon that relates to Andrew. He was, of course, a great soul winner. He was a great personal worker. He was a disciple with very little identity of his own because every time you read of Andrew, you read these words, Simon Peter's brother. And it was he who brought Peter to the Lord, and yet from that moment on he has to live in Peter's shadow and play second fiddle to him. Andrew, of course, was not the author of any book in the Bible. He was not the founder of any great church. He was not even one of the three most prominent of the disciples of the Lord. but he was a very humble individual. His life shines as one of the loveliest characters you'll read anywhere in the pages of Holy Writ. There's a special significance and importance about his life, and it's interesting that even four countries, they claim him as their patron saint. Scotland does, and Greece does, and Russia, and Romania. And when we look at his life, we see an example of what a Christian should be, especially in the realm of soul winning. Now, not everyone can be a Peter, not everyone can be a Paul, but I believe as we look at this, everyone who belongs to the Lord Jesus Christ can be an Andrew. He didn't have that charismatic personality of his brother Peter, nor had he the dynamic power of public preaching like the Apostle Paul, but he did have his own talent, and he used that talent in the bringing of others to the Saviour. Peter, his brother, why he was a leader, explosive and outspoken and gracious in his decisions. One moment he was denying the Lord, cursing and swearing, the next moment he was winning 3,000 people to the Lord in one sermon. But Andrew was that quiet follower who, as the Lord said of Mary, did what he could in the bringing of others to the Saviour. But though Andrew brought Peter to the Saviour, he then has to live in a shadow. He has to play second fiddle. The Bible tells us in John chapter 6 and verse 8, one of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter's brother. And there you have it again and again and again. He's always referred to as Simon Peter's brother. And folks, it takes a big person to be like an Andrew. It takes a humble person to be like an Andrew. He was the first to believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, then he went and he got his brother and he brought him to Jesus, and then he lives in the shadow of that brother for the rest of his life. Andrew never enjoyed Peter's privilege, like preaching as he did at Pentecost and 3,000 people were converted under one sermon. But you can never measure the potential of that one individual that you lead personally to the Lord Jesus Christ, that nobody knows anything about. After all, Susanna Wesley, she was the mother of 18 children, she saw her family as her mission field, she prayed, she witnessed, she worked, and she led the whole 18 of them to faith in Jesus Christ, and of course, she gave to England and to the world. They are the greatest servants that the world has ever seen in the persons of John and Charles Wesley. It was the same with that little pale-faced deacon on that cold, snowy, Sabbath morning. who climbed into his pulpit in a little primitive Methodist church and preached on, Look unto me and be ye saved, all the ends of the earth, for I am God and there is none else. He had no preparation made, the minister couldn't get to the pulpit because he was snowed in, and he just repeated the text, repeated the text, and then there was a young man sitting there, and there was only about a dozen people, but he knew them all, but he didn't know the young man, and then he sort of got exhausted, he couldn't say any more, so he focused on the young man, and he said, Young man, you look miserable. and you will always be miserable. You'll be miserable in life. You'll be miserable in death. You'll be miserable in eternity if you do not look unto Christ and obey the words of this text." And then he said, young man, look! Look to Christ now! Testifying later that young man said, that moment I looked to Christ instantly and was saved. That boy was only 15 years of age. He died when he was 59. But in between he had led thousands and thousands to faith. That young boy was sage virgin. The fruit of the righteous, the Bible says, is a tree of life. And he that winneth souls is wise. You know, the very name Andrew, who was a fisherman by trade, means manly. And I tell you, folks, it's a manly thing to give your life to the Lord, and a manly thing then to serve Him. His name appears about 13 times in the New Testament as John, who actually speaks much about him. And for a moment or two, we want to consider the significance, the importance of Andrew's life. Let me draw your attention, first of all, to Andrew and his belief, because we have it there recorded in the verse 35, right through to verse 40. Jesus has suddenly appeared. John the Baptist standing on the banks of the River Jordan preaching his message of repentance, when suddenly the Saviour appears and John lifts up his hand that day and finishes his sermon like every sermon ought to finish by crying, Behold the Lamb of God that taketh away the sin of the world. And Andrew immediately left John and followed Jesus, and we can trace his conversion to Christ. Friend, I trust you're sealed, and if not, this can be the greatest night in your life. Now, thinking about Andrew here, his conversion, the man and his belief here, we see the message that he heard. Behold the Lamb of God. And the Bible says there, in verse 37, the two disciples heard him speak and they followed Jesus. So they heard about the Lamb of God. And that's the soul-saving message. The Lamb of God that taketh away the sin of the world. That sinless Lamb. the one who could stand before all the hostile leaders of his day and say, which of you can convince me of sin? There wasn't one of them could open their mouth in honest condemnation against him. Even Pilate said to that bloodthirsty mob who ganged up against Christ and wanted to crucify him, he said, what evil has he done? He said, I find no fault in this man. And friend, there's not a fault in the Lord Jesus Christ. Many people are forever pointing the finger and picking holes in God's people, but I'm always on the side of God's people. But listen, Jesus said, look unto me, and if you look to Christ, there's not a flaw, there's not a fault in him. He never spoke a wrong word. He never... He took a wrong decision. He never was once out of step with the will of God. He was never once too early or once too late. His life was such an absolute marvel of holiness that Paul said of his life, it was a condemnation of sin in the flesh. And he was, of course, the smitten lamb, smitten of God, Isaiah says, and afflicted, wounded for our transgressions, bruised for our iniquities. The chastisement of our peace was upon him and with his scribes. And folks, we never understand this side of eternity, the wounding and the bruising and the smiting of the Lord Jesus Christ. He says, I give my back to the spiders, my cheeks to those who plucked out the hair, I hid not my face from shame and from spitting. He was numbered with the transgressors. He poured out His soul unto death, even the death of the cross. And that is a sufficient Lamb, able to save to the very uttermost all who come unto Him. John preached this message, Behold the Lamb. That was the message that Andrew heard. That was the message through which he was converted to Christ. And the Bible tells us in John 5 in verse 24, Jesus speaking said, Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my words, and believeth on him that sent me in. That's exactly how it was with Andrew. He heard God's Word, the Lamb of God, and he heeded God's Word. And the Bible says, he that believeth in everlasting life shall not come into condemnation, but is passed from death unto life, because faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God. That's how it was for Sander. That's the biblical principle. God has chosen to see him through the foolishness of preaching. Not through foolish preaching, but the foolishness of preaching. And preaching is foolishness to people. But it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth. So that was the message that he heard. Then there was the man that he followed, because it says in verses 36 and 37, where John cried out, Behold the Lamb of God, Then it says the two disciples heard him speak and they followed Jesus. Now Andrew was not being disloyal to John the Baptist, but he realized that day that salvation is in following a man. I'm sure you've all heard the statement, don't quite follow a man. And we know what they mean by that. If you want to be saved, you've got to follow a man, the right man. And Andrew realized that there was but one, the Lord Jesus Christ Himself, and what a man! And when Andrew stepped out to follow Christ, he did so with all his heart and soul in mind, such as Peter then, and Nathanael, and the others. Friend, have you heard God's message? The Lamb of God that takes away the sin of the world? But have you heeded that message? Have you let hold upon eternal life? Or could it be you're still without the soul? But there was not only Andrew in his belief here, but then Andrew and his brother, because the Bible tells us in verse 41 and verse 42, He first findeth his own brother, and saith unto him, We have found the Messiah, which is being interpreted to Christ. And he brought him to Jesus. Now he's just saved himself, and he has immediately become a soul winner. That was his first task after his conversion, to bring his brother to Christ. You know, originally, folks, stained glass windows were put in for this purpose. They were called the poor man's Bible. People couldn't afford Bibles, so often a picture was put on, and the minister would explain, maybe there was a lamb, and what the lamb meant, and all the rest of it. And this wee boy was sitting in church, wasn't at all interested, totally bored out of his mind, And he was always tugging at his mother and asking questions, and she was weary with it. And he was looking at this great stained glass window, and there was images of people on it. And he said to his mother, who are those people? She said, shh. But he kept on. He said, mommy, who are those people in the window? And just to inquire at the boy, she said, son, those are saints. Oh, he said. And it was a bright day, and the sun was beaming through. Dad's stained glass window went through those people and hitting him in the face. So when he went home, his daddy said, son, what did you learn in church today? Well, he said, I learned nothing from the minister, but I learned something from my mummy. He said, what did you learn, son? He says, I learned what a saint was. And his dad said, and what's a saint, son? He says, it's somebody that lets the light shine through. And you see, Andrew let the light of the gospel shine through his life. And now, it's focused upon his brother, Peter. The moment he was saved, he began to witness, and that's very important, folk, because the Bible tells us, first of all, about the time of his witness. It says, one of the two, in verse 40, which heard John speak and followed him was Andrew. Then the very next statement, it says, he first findeth his own brother. He began to witness immediately after his own conversion. And folks, when you switch on a light, it shines the moment it's switched on. And that is the purpose of our salvation. Oh, the privilege of our salvation is sins forgiven, peace with God, and the assurance of heaven. That is the privilege of salvation. But the purpose of salvation is to be a witness unto the Lord. And Andrew's immediately witnessing the time of his witness. immediately after his conversion. Then there's a territory of his witness because it says he first finded his own brother. In other words, where he began to witness was immediately after his conversion. Where he began to witness obviously was in the home. And folks, that's not easy at times. Not easy. But he went to his brother. And I'll tell you this, I don't think Peter would have been an easy individual. And Bethesda was noted as a very hard place. But you know, often the person destined to do anything for God will start at home. In Acts 1, verse 8, we read those all-important words where it says, We may find it hard to knock a stranger's door. Maybe he'd find it hard to walk into the street and hand out Christian literature. But there is a territory of witness. Sometimes it doesn't have to be always done with words. We're to let our light shine, live the life, but there's always that territory of witness in our own home. But then there was not only the time of his witness, but also the testimony of his witness. How did he witness? You see, he didn't have to become A master of the Scriptures, that's it, because he was just saved. But what did he do? Listen, read it carefully, folks. In verse 41, he first findeth his own brother Simon, and saith unto him, We have found the Messiah. What's he doing? He's giving his testimony, how he was saved. We found the Messiah. We found the Saviour. Isn't that what we say when we're giving testimony? We've found the Saviour. And he's telling them, or Peter, how he came to know the Lord Jesus Christ. We can all be soul winners, giving our testimony, living our life, showing Christ to the people around us. Even that priest when he said to me, you're different, choose the importance of guarding your testimony. Then there was Andrew and the boy. You see, the Bible tells us in John 6, verses 8 and 9, that one of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter's brother, saith unto him, that is unto the Lord Jesus Christ, there is a lad here which has five barley loaves, two small fish, but what are they among so many? Now, here's what happens, folks. Andrew is just sealed. He brings his brother to Christ. Now he brings the boy to Christ. And of course, that was a day that boy would never forget. The day that Andrew introduced him to Jesus. Folks, we need to bring the boys and girls of Ulster to Christ. For God help Ulster in its future if we don't. A generation growing up that have never stood in a church building, that used not to be in Ulster. Andrew brings his boy to Christ. Notice what happens here, folks. in his work and witness for the Lord. First of all, he was friendly in his words. In verse 9, he says, there's a lad here. Now, that's a term of friendliness. And the Bible tells us about speaking the truth. And folks, he must always speak the truth. But that's not just what all the Bible says. The Bible says he must speak the truth in love. That's what Andrew's doing here. There's a lot here. That's a term of friendliness. And of course in Proverbs 18-24 it says this, a man that has friends must show himself friendly. As Christians, we should be friendly people in our effort to win others to Christ. Not only was he friendly in his words, he was faithful in his witness, because he must have told the boy about the Lord Jesus Christ, and about the needs of the great multitude of people. And of course, as the hymn writer says, speak just a word for Jesus. Tell what He's done for you. And folks, if they can see what the Lord has done for us, then the Lord can open their heart. And he was fruitful in his work. You see, by introducing the boy and bringing him to the Lord, the needs of the great multitude were met. We'll never know the potential of one young life that is one for the Savior. Friend, if you're here without Christ, you don't know the potential of your life. It was D.L. Moody, the great American evangelist, who said, give your life to God, for he can do far more with it than you ever can. And Andrew, he may have always had to live in Peter's shadow, but Andrew was a soul winner. And you know, he was recognized as that. Because the Bible tells us in John 12, and you have there the certain Greeks, and they came up to worship at the feast. And the Bible says in John 12, 20-22, The same came, therefore, to Philip, which was of Bethsaida of Galilee, and desired him, saying, Sir, we would see Jesus. They wanted to meet Christ, they wanted to see Christ, and so they come to Philip. What does Philip do? The Bible says, Philip cometh and telleth Andrew. And again, Andrew and Philip tell Jesus. See, Philip recognized that Andrew had a way of bringing people to the Saviour. Why did Andrew gain that respect? I believe it was because, well, he had lived in his brother's shadow, he never drew any attention to himself, happy to be referred as Simon Peter's brother, but still used his talent for the Lord. No errors and graces, didn't want to be noticed. I remember booking a singer to sing at the service one night. It was none of these men, by the way. And she said, Mr. Moore, I'd gladly come, gladly come. Will you be putting it in the paper? I said, yeah, we will. She says, you remember to put my degree in. Well, I didn't bother after that, folks. Andrew lived in the shadows of Peter, his brother, but did what he could for the Lord. You know, folks, let me just conclude with this. As many a soldier went to war, He served his country well, only to die in conflict on a foreign battlefield. He never came home to receive any recognition or reward. His breast was never decorated with any medal. The only recognition he ever received was written on his tombstone to the Unknown Soldier. Andrew was the Unknown Soldier, but Peter will be in heaven and three thousand other people that were saved at Pentecost because Andrew brought Peter to Jesus. We have to do what we can for the Lord. As the Lord said of Mary, she had done what? But here's the challenge, folks. Are we doing what we can? Friend, if you do not know the Lord tonight, then I say this to you, you do not know what you're missing. Jesus said, I didn't come to condemn the world, but that the world through me might be saved. He says, I've come that you might have life, that you might have it more abundantly. And it'll put a whole new dimension into your life. Yeah, the very reason for life itself, if you would but trust Him. May the Lord help us this night to be good soldiers for Christ. No, we receive no recognition. The Apostle Paul said this on his deathbed. He said, I've fought a good fight. I have kept the faith. I've finished the course. Henceforth it is led up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me that day. And not to me only. but unto all them that love his appearing. Reward is in heaven, because God is no man's debtor, and he will reward. The importance of bringing people together in prayer.