The Master's Men Part 1: Andrew, James the son of Zebedee, and John

Here is the picture of all those who labor quietly and horrible place, not with eye services men pleasers, but as servants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart. Andrew is not like Peter, James and John is a humbler spoon command large crowds as the jet from city to city and enjoy the spotlight of center stage. Christ pitches his tent with the weekend, the unknown, the suffering shot in the anonymous pastor and missionary the godly quiet servants in the home and in the marketplace. Jesus 12 disciples certainly could affirm those words. He love those men and use them to build his kingdom. And yet, each one of them had serious flaws, and as John MacArthur will show you today on grace to you.

God can use YouTube no matter how ordinary you think you are. Stay here now as John continues his study the masters. Men let's turn to Matthew chapter 10. Now we've been focusing then, as we have begun to look at chapter 10 on the training of the 12 the Lord's methods, techniques, principles, as he calls trains, develops, sends out his apostles. This in chapter 10 is really their first sending their final and official sending comes after the resurrection and the ascension. This is a preliminary sending which basically is an internship for them. They go out, but not very far and not alone, but rather to buy to.

They go out a little while and they come back to him and they learned in the process of field experience later to be sent individually after he is already gone and they asked the right questions when they come back and their training becomes more intense in the months that followed this there internship now as we look at the sending out that occurs in chapter 10, as we see if we can't develop the principles of discipleship which our Lord gives us, we first of all are introduced to the individuals involved. And if you look at verses two through four. You find the names of the 12 apostles Peter, Andrew, James, John, Philip, Bartholomew Thomas Matthew James the son of Althea's and lobbyists.

It was also noticed Thaddeus Simon the zealot and Judas Iscariot verse five says these 12 Jesus sent forth verse six says he told him to go to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. Verse seven says that as you go, preach the kingdom. So these were the workers.

The associates the ambassadors of the King himself their leader was Peter. That is why it says in verse two.

The first, Simon who is called Peter is not the first one called the first one called was John and associated with him. Andrew and that initial encounter in John one Peter was not the first one called. He is first in this sense is the same word used in this statement by Paul I am the chief of sinners. It means the foremost one the primary one. The chief one Peter was the leader. He was the outfront upfront man is the last time we studied Peter and his leadership ability and how the Lord refined and developed Peter into a leader that was useful.

Remember I told you there are always three groups in every list of the apostles therefore lists Matthew Mark Luke and acts, and always in all four lists there. The same three groups with the same four names in each group and so were looking at group one and it is the most intimate group. Group 2 is the next most intimate and group 3 is the least intimate of the 12. The Lord himself could not get close to even 12 man but he couldn't get close to foreign out of the four, particularly three and so were looking at this most intimate group all came from the same town all at the same profession and all were in the first group called the Christ, and we ask ourselves this question and I want you to keep asking. As we look at these three names.

What kind of people can God use that's the issue. What kind of people can God use in his ministry. What kind of people can change the world.

What kind of people can preach the gospel of the kingdom so that souls are saved. What kind of people does God ordained for his purposes. Now usually when we think about Peter, Andrew, James and John, we have that view of stained glass saints people who are on a completely different plane than we are. We name cities after the St. Peter's or St. Petersburg or St. Andrews, which is a city in Scotland or St. James, which is a common name for cities and you know there are more people in the United States named John than any other name. So wonderful name and Peter and James and Andrew we name people after those names with great respect because these are respected individuals.

Cathedrals are named after these individuals we think of these particular, for as something other than ourselves in a different dimension of time and space in another world have an aura about them. Frankly, that's really not the way it ought to be there very common men with a very uncommon calling but there very much like we are, and they demonstrate to us the kind of people God uses, see if you find yourself among them last time we learned that God uses people like Simon impulsive, dynamic, impetuous, strong initiators bold very often talk a better game than they play the dynamic time or uses those Let's meet the second in the list Andrew his brother Andrew, Peter's brother, by the way his name means manly. He too was a native of Bethsaida that little village in Galilee and he like his brother was a fisherman. In fact, in Matthew four he was down at the seat when Jesus came along he already met Jesus. He had already believed in Jesus had already affirmed them as the Messiah, but after going back to his fishing. Now the Lord appears again to him at the shore and calls him permanently to follow and he will make him a fisher of men. Prior to coming to follow Jesus Christ.

He had been a pious Jew.

He had been a godly Jew had been a God fearing Jew he had also been a disciple of John the Baptist. In fact, it was one day at the message of John the Baptist that his life was changed for John the Baptist saw Jesus in John one and said, behold the Lamb of God, and Andrew was there that day along with John, who was also a fisherman and surely an acquaintance as well as was James and he and John heard John the Baptist say that and they followed after Jesus immediately and Jesus turned and said to them, what seek ye and they replied, where do you dwell and they went where Jesus dwelled and they spent the entire day with him and those hours were the crisis in their spiritual history and when they came out of that day spent with the Lamb of God immediately. It says that Andrew opened his mouth and said these first words we have found the Messiah. No sooner did Andrew discover the reality of Jesus Christ for himself and that he announced to his brother Peter that very phrase we have found the Messiah, Peter and Andrew lived together. It says in Mark 129. No doubt they shared everything and especially did Andrew want to share with him the Messiah and so from this very beginning.

He becomes a part of that intimate for. In fact, if you study through the New Testament it's James and Peter and John and Peter, James and John and John, Peter and James there always the inner circle and nobody is ever led into that inner circle, except when Andrew gets in its Peter, James, John and Andrew. He was in the most intimate form, but he never quite cracked that inside three but he was greatly respected. In fact, Philip, who was in group to a little less intimate with the Lord one time had some Greeks come to him and say we want to see Jesus in you know where Philip took them betook them to Andrew why because I guess Philip thought that if you want to get to Jesus all you gotta do is get the Andrew.

Andrew was intimate with Jesus, and Andrew was respected and even yet he still isn't in the inner three but all of a sudden the fourth Gospel, the gospel of John Andrew begins to emerge from the background and we see Andrew three times in the Gospel of John, and all three times. Andrew is doing the same thing easy to characterize the first time is in John chapter 1 verse 40 which I just reported to you. It says in John 141 of the two who heard John the Baptist speak and that would be John and Andrew followed him and he was Andrew, Simon Peter's brother.

By the way, Andrew is always called Simon Peter's brother with.

I think one or two exceptions, maybe just one that's always always identified and he first find of his own brother Simon, and said the name we have found the Messiah, which is being interpreted to Christ, the anointed one, and he brought him to Jesus. Now if you want to know how to characterize the life of Andrew. It's very simple. He is the one who was always bringing people to Jesus.

The second time we see him is in the sixth chapter of John and the eighth and ninth verse, a vast multitude of people are gathered. Jesus is teaching. It's late in the day. The crowd is hungry.

There's not enough food, and Andrew brings to Jesus. This time a little boy and little boy is five loaves and two fish doesn't mean five big loaves of bread means five little flat, barley, crackers, and two fish and they would take those fish and they would pickle them. They would eat them with the crackers so he brought a little fellow with five barley crackers into pickled fish brought in the Jesus I guess Andrew must've thought that the Lord could make a whole lot out of a very little third time we meet him is in John 12 and I've already alluded to that incident in John chapter 12 and verse 20. Philip is approached by the Greeks or the Gentiles, and they want to see Jesus and Philip tells Andrew and together they went to Jesus. The assumption being that they took the folks there to. So whenever you see Andrew he's involved in finding Jesus, so the Jesus can meet someone bringing people to Jesus. I guess maybe he didn't think there was anybody that Jesus didn't want to see or there was anything Jesus couldn't respond to what was any problem. Jesus couldn't solve because he's characterize as the one who brought men to Christ knowing these three incidents. If I can just sort of draw some pictures for you in these three incidents.

Several things become clear. First of all we see Andrew's openness. He knew that they were to go to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. He knew that primarily was the Jew first and then to the Gentile. And yet he also got the spirit of our Lord because the Lord originally had revealed his Messiah ship to a halfbreed Samaritan woman so Andrew was never choked via hyper Judaism mean he'd have any problem at all with bringing some Gentiles to Jesus.

We sense a little of the openness of his heart, there just wasn't anybody outside there wasn't anybody that he didn't think Jesus would not want to see. We also see his faith in simple faith. I don't know what he was thinking when he brought those five crackers into fish with such a huge crowd.

I don't know what he was trying to do run around looking for whoever had a lunch but he must've had some kind of faith to believe that the Lord could do something with that. After all, he had seen Jesus make wine.

Why couldn't he make food 1/3 thing we see is not only his openness and his faith. But we see is humility, and he spent his whole life being known as Simon Peter's brother you can believe it, and now when he found the Messiah. There might've been a temptation is a boy right now I'm not telling Peter, this is my chance to be somebody, but no way runs to get Peter knowing full well that is soon as Peter enters the group he will run the group because that's Peter and Andrew will be right back where he's always been as Simon Peter's brother, but he thought more of the work to be done, then who was in charge thought more of the cause of the eternal virtue of the kingdom than he did of his personal and petty problems. Sad to say but there are some people won't play in the band unless they can beat the big drum James and John had that problem then but not Andrew. I don't find Andrew fighting about who's going to get the glory in the kingdom. You see, Andrew is the picture of all those who labor quietly and humble place, not with eye services men pleasers, but as servants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart.

Andrew is not the pillar. Like Peter, James and John. He is a humbler stone could've anticipated the sentiment of the poet Christina Rossetti who wrote give me the lowest place. Not that I dare ask for that lowest place but thou hast died that I might live and share thy glory, by thy side. Give me the lowest place order for me the lowest places to hide and make one more low where I may sit and see my God and love them so that's an mean after all, he was one of the original to call and yet he wasn't in the inner three, but it didn't seem to bother. It was always Peter's brother is one of those rare people who's willing to take second place one of those rare people who wants to be in support one of those rare people who doesn't mind being hidden as long as the work is done is the kind of man that all leaders depend on is the kind of person that everyone knows is the backbone of every ministry.

The cause of Christ is dependent beloved on self forgetting souls who are content to occupy a small sphere and an obscure place free from self seeking ambition and yet he will sit on the throne judging the tribes of Israel Daniel McLean Scotsman who has a special affection for Andrew who has become the patron saint of Scotland writes about his beloved apostle. These words gathering together the traces of character found in Scripture about Andrew we find neither the writer of an epistle nor the founder of the church, nor a leading figure in the apostolic age, but simply an intimate disciple of Jesus Christ, ever anxious that others should know the spring of spiritual joy and share the blessing he so highly prized man a very moderate endowment to scarcely redeemed his early promise, simpleminded and sympathetic without either dramatic power or heroic spirit, yet he had that cleaning confidence in Christ that brought him into that inner circle of the 12 man of deep religious feeling with little power of expression. He was more magnetic than he was electric better suited for the quiet walks of life than the stirring thoroughfares.

Yes, Andrew is the apostle of the private life. God uses people like that and only God can calculate their value because sometimes it takes and Andrew to reach a Peter God needs Andrew's people who quietly obscurely bring others to Jesus as 1/3 name in the first group, James the son of Zebedee into lists out of the four list of the 12. He is next to Peter. Yet we know very little about them.

In fact, note this, he never appears alive in the Gospels, apart from John his brother. In any incident there inseparable in the Gospels.

Now, I believe that it's important to note that is always mentioned before John and it probably not only indicates that he was older, but that he was the leader of this rather dynamic dual key is the strength he is the zeal he has the passion now these brothers, James and John were also fishermen and their father was Zebedee and Zebedee was a fairly well-to-do man because he employed hired servants in his business so that a pretty good fishing business going up there on the north shore of the Sea of Galilee, and James fits into this first group because he was in the early calling John and Andrew were the first to and certainly James would be so close to John that he worked his way into that intimacy. As you look at the Bible in terms of incidents. James appears more as a silhouette than a photograph and so you have to kinda get an imagery just without all of the fullness of what might've happened, but I think the best way to look at James is to is to consider what the Lord named him and his brother John and Mark 317 Jesus gave them the name we call them bowl and urges which means Sons of thunder, Sons of thunder.

If James is the leader and that that is indicated by the fact that he appears first.

Then he was a son of thunder not. He must've been a passionate, zealous, fervent while I an ambitious, aggressive guy to give you a classic reason why, in acts Herod decided to vex the church and the first guy he went after was James and he chopped off his head and they took Peter and put them in jail which indicates that Peter was not as big a problem as J me when you capture James and Peter until James and let Peter live. That's a some, but kinda managing must've been strong man zealous man he was. Perhaps the New Testament counterpart of Jaiku who said come see my zeal for the Lord and then uprooted the house of Ahab and swept all the bail worshipers out of the land. This guy made enemies fast 14 years. He was dead and he was the first disciple to be martyred. They got rid of him quick. He was a real problem, thunderous individual and he must've had his zeal fed daily by the one who said the zeal of thine house has eaten me up.

I mean, I can just see them when the Lord takes out a whip, you know what Lord do give it to just zealous zeal is a great virtue you love someone is aggressive and whose whose charged up but who wants to get the job done. But very often coming along. Zeal comes a lack of wisdom and sometimes your shoot not your mouth, and guns blazing before you really thought things through you say can guide you somewhere like that.

Well yes he did. As a matter fact, several incidents stand out and I'll show you where James is mentioned in the way he acts nine Luke nine verse 51 came to pass from the time is come that Jesus should be received up time to move toward the passion week set his face to go to Jerusalem sent messengers before his face. Messages are going down to Samaria to prepare the way and entered into a village of Samaria to make ready for new on the Samaritans to hear the message Christ was coming Messiah was coming and they didn't receive him, because his face was as though it would go to Jerusalem. Listen Samaritans just hated the Jews, and Jerusalem. They had their own place of worship meant terrorism. They probably chase these messengers out with curses and stones. They probably threw stones at and so the messages come back and say they're not going to receive you in such a such a village, and in verse 54 we meet the Sons of thunder, and when his disciples James and John saw that they said the Lord will now that we command fire to come down from heaven and consuming them even as Elijah did. Well… Burn them up, burn them up, great missionary heart is good only on save and consume Lord just like Elijah did you see you can identify with who James heroes were so Jesus turned and rebuked them, and said you don't know what manner of spirit you have. This is not the spirit.

For now, Elijah's spirit does not apply. Now this is not a time for judgment on an ungodly heretical nation. This is time for the proclamation of the new covenant your sink guys mere basic character is leaking through burn about that isn't the idea for the Son of Man is come to destroy men's lives but to save them so they just went to another village. Jesus rebuked them strongly that they were hateful. They were intolerant. James had so much zeal and so little sensitivity will kind of events as we make and yet I have to admit there's a touch of nobility unit. I'm glad that he got mad when the Lord was dishonored. I would hate to have seen him pass without a reaction at all. He was zealous he was explosive he was fervent he was passionate but he didn't just sit and watch it happen.

This is grace to you with John MacArthur. Thanks for being with us. John's current series looks at Christ's closest followers. His 12 disciples. It's titled the Masters men and John.

I can imagine a lot of believers feeling a bit jealous of Andrew and James and the other disciples because after all they enjoyed ongoing face-to-face interaction with Jesus and the second had a spiritual question they could just ask him no, of course, we can't do that today.

So for Christians in 2022. If they really need an answer. Where should they turn when the disciples didn't understand something. They had asked Jesus to explain it to them and admittedly that would be the most perfect setting you could ever hope for.

Right right you don't quite understand what he said or what he meant by what he said so you ask him, and he explains it, the need to understand is still around. And when people read their Bible. For the most part, they struggle with how to way understand this. Where do I go for an explanation of this. It's as if they were like the disciples and Jesus was saying these things, but we didn't understand what they meant. So through the centuries really there developed a study Bible, which would be the text of the Bible and then at the bottom of every page.

There would be notes explaining the text. It's kind of like Philip explained that Isaiah 53 passage to the Ethiopian eunuch and the eunuch said, how can I understand if somebody doesn't guide me. So Philip guided him and so it's wonderfully helpful to have a guide and that we've done that with the MacArthur study Bible. It takes the Bible and it adds 25,000 footnotes from my study of Scripture through the years right on the page below the text itself.

These notes explain all the pertinent information background, culture, geography, language, cross-references they deal with the hard to understand passages and give you good solid sound answers. They explain context which has a lot to do with getting to the right interpretation. Really, when you read the Bible you want to understand what you read.

And that's what the study Bible notes are designed to do. Now I've been teaching for decades now from the new American Standard Bible, we have the MacArthur study Bible in that translation also available in the new King James version and the English standard version. There are hardbound additions leather additions something for everybody. Every budget you can order a MacArthur study Bible from Grace to you today. That's right, friend. The MacArthur study Bible is an ideal gift for any student of Scripture from pastors to new believers to maximize your time in God's word order a copy of the MacArthur study Bible today. You can call our toll-free number 855 Grace or go to our website TTY.org with detailed introductions to each book and dozens of maps and charts in the 25,000 footnotes. The MacArthur study Bible has all the tools you need to understand Scripture grow spiritually begin to order, call 855 Grace for review all of the choices at our website TTY.and when you visit the website TTY.org take advantage of all the free Bible study tools developed with you in mind, you can listen to or download nearly 3500 of John's sermons, all free of charge.

You can read for daily devotionals written by John or download our free study Bible.

That's all available@tty.org is our website. Again one more time. TTY.org L4 John MacArthur in the entire Grace to you staff Chaim Phil Johnson reminding you to watch Grace to you television the sun go to our website to find out when it airs in your area be here Monday, when John shows you how to walk in love and truth to be looking at. The apostle did that the best the apostle John. When another half hour of unleashing God's truth one verse at a time comes your way on wasting