Sermons

Who watched the first presidential debate? 

 

• An absolute heavyweight fight.
  • “Why so much emotion between two candidates?”
  • It is personal.

 

People get emotional when they feel their identity is being attacked.

 

• What is the Christian’s identity?
  • Obviously, it is “Christ.”
  • Christ should define life and mission.
  • Bringing people to Christ.

 

• How should you act during turbulent debates and personal attacks?
  • You are supposed to be Christ to others.
  • You are supposed to be about your Father’s business, winning others to Christ.

 

• Your highest passions should zero in here – almost singularly so.

 

 

Jesus’ call to follow him, begs for two considerations.

 1. Consider the mission (vv. 18-20)

 

Jesus was in “Galilee” specifically “Capernaum by the sea” (vv. 12, 13) known for its Gentle population (cf. v. 15). 

 

• A place slightly larger than “Nazareth” (v. 13).
• He was preaching repentance.

 

Now, this itinerant preacher shifts modes to become a recruiter. 

• So far, Jesus has ministered solo, preaching, and baptizing but now gathers a team.
• A circle to influence and to be influencers.
• From preacher to recruiter.

 

Matthew portrays Jesus “…walking by the Sea of Galilee” (v. 18). 

 

• The Sea of Galilee also referenced as the Sea of Gennesaret was 682 feet below sea level (a basin) subject to violent squalls.
• Jesus is walking through fishing towns (there were nine of them) in the Northwest region where he was.
• “…walking” represents the real-life dynamics of Christian mission.
• Jesus models making disciples “as we are going” (Mt. 28:19).
  • There is spontaneity here.
  • Isaiah’s prophesy predicted Jesus would be “a great light [that] has dawned” (cf. v. 16).

 

• Jesus made this region of fishermen his base camp to make his occupation fishing for souls.
  • Jesus moving toward fisherman as his fist disciples is not coincidental.
  • Making disciples, like fishing takes patience.
  • Someone casts his net into the water and leaves the outcome to God.

 

The stigma that fishermen were unlearned is overkill. 

 

• Having a studied trade does not mean you are unlearned in Scripture.
  • It is true these men were not counted among the intellectually elite nor religious.
  • And fishermen are known laborers.

 

• These were the one’s Jesus sought.
  • Sometimes the best ability is availability!
  • Still, by no means were these men illiterate, stupid, nor destitute.

 

Jesus comes across two brothers indicating two who are part of the family business. 

 

• The first being Simon Peter is no accident.
  • Always first in the list of the Apostles.
  • A leader, first by design.
  • Jesus chose Peter to be a leader among leaders.

 

• Leadership meant Peter put himself out front.
  • Speaking before thinking, known for his “foot-shaped mouth.”
  • Often cast as a weakness it was also a strength!
  • Peter was willing to take risks.

 

• At one point commended, identifying Jesus as the “Christ, the son of the living God” – while in his next breath rebuked for trying to prevent him from going to the Cross. “Get behind me Satan!” 
  • Boldness blessed and Boldness rebuked!
  • Believers walk this path of boldness, fighting for truth.
  • Still, not an excuse to be caviler or reckless.

 

Jesus “saw two brothers” reveals the spontaneous nature of his decision.  “…walking…he saw two brothers” (v. 18). 

 

• There is providential beauty in Jesus selecting family members, co-laborers to be family members, and co-laborers in the Gospel.

 

My older brother is also a pastor which gives us uncommon comradery and partnership that is powerful. 

• We share like mission and passions and calling and cause.

 

These two were working in concert, literally “casting a net into the sea” [why?] “because they were fishermen” (v. 18). 

 

• We do not know much about Andrew.
  • Not one of the intimate three (Peter, James, and John).
  • Still, he received the same call as his brother.

 

• Equal privilege to follow Jesus with differing roles as active helpers in the mission of “fishing for men!” (cf. v. 19).

 

Their method of fishing when Jesus issued this call! 

 

• The “net” was specifically a circular net.
  • Fishermen would cast this wide circular swath with weights sewn into its parameter.
  • The net would land on the face of the water as a circle and descend to the dark to the floor capturing fish to be scooped back to the surface and seashore.

 

• Fishing for men cast out the gospel net to draw hurting and confused people up from the dark abyss of their sin and death. To surface not for death but life! 

 

Scripture also uses the net imagery for judgment.

 

^ESV  Jeremiah 16:16 “Behold, ^aI am sending for many fishers, declares the LORD, and they shall catch them. And afterward, I will send for many hunters, and they shall hunt them from every mountain and every hill, and out ^bof the clefts of the rocks.

 

^ESV  Matthew 13:47-50 “Again, the kingdom of heaven is ^alike a net that was thrown into the sea and ^bgathered fish of every kind. ⁴⁸ When it was full, ^amen drew it ashore and sat down and sorted the good into containers but threw away the bad.⁴⁹ So it will be at ^athe close of the age. The angels will come out and ^bseparate the evil from the righteous^{50 a}and throw them into the fiery furnace. In that place ^athere will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

 

HERE: Jesus calls disciples to what is unprecedented – to make disciples (cf. Matthew 28:18-20). 

 

• A completely new path for the Jew! Reach out to Jews and Gentiles!
  • Jesus commands them to “Follow me” which literally means “Come behind me” to walk behind.
  • Rabbis would only adopt students who they counted worthy.
  • Who pursued them and Jesus works in reverse manner.

 

• Jesus calls them to believe in him and to follow him.
  • Discipleship or becoming a follower is what it means to be saved but this calling is also the call to fish!
  • Calling them to both join him and join in mission.

 

• Salvation is a call to Christ while at the same time a call to a mission.

 

Becoming a disciple of Christ becomes your identity. 

 

• What Jesus meant when he said, “I will make you fishers of men” (v. 19).
  • There is a greater priority than earning money and it is “fishing for the souls of men.”

 

cultivating a heart for souls as priority is synonymous with following Jesus.  Adam Tyson: Praying for/with the waiter at Hook Burger!

 

• Not an exclusive call to the twelve Apostles, hand-selected by the seashore.
  • When saved, you are under the same commission, to this same trade or occupation.
  • Our purpose and identity is “fishing” for souls.

 

• A selfless mission, the best cause in the world.

 

Verse 20 says, Peter and Andrew “Immediately…left their nets and followed him” (v. 20). 

 

• They “abruptly left their nets.”
  • This is euthus, the same word used in Mark’s gospel for immediacy, acting without hesitation.
  • Jesus answered who they were and what they were supposed to do with their lives in an instant.

 

• “How did they decide to leave their life’s occupation immediately?” 
  • You might assume they would seek counsel on something of this magnitude.
  • There was no probation period or trial run.
• They were committed.
  • Had they heard him teach?
  • Perform a miracle?

 

Interestingly, John 1 expands our timeline with an earlier exposure to Jesus. 

 

^ESV  John 1:35-42 The next day again John was standing with two of his disciples, ³⁶ and he looked at Jesus as he walked by and said, “Behold, ^athe Lamb of God!”³⁷ The two disciples heard him say this, and they followed Jesus.³⁸ Jesus turned and saw them following and said to them, ^a“What are you seeking?” And they said to him, ^b“Rabbi” (which means Teacher), “where are you staying?”³⁹ 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.^{140 a}One of the two who heard John speak and followed Jesus¹ was Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother.⁴¹ He first found his own brother Simon and said to him, “We have found ^athe Messiah” (which means Christ).⁴² He brought him to Jesus. Jesus looked at him and said, “So you are Simon the son of ^aJohn? You shall be called ^bCephas” (which means ^cPeter¹).

 

Jesus had already been identified by these fishermen. 

 

• After encountering Jesus, they returned to their trade.
  • What they did after Jesus was crucified (and rose).
  • Jesus found them fishing (cf. John 21).
  • [Point] By now set to make a life commitment!

 

When someone follows Christ, they see Jesus unlike how the world sees Jesus.

• The Holy Spirit is involved.
• Trained in Scripture so when Jesus walks up and “saw two brothers” these same “two brothers” saw him! (v. 18).

 

John points to the illuminating work of the Spirit when Jesus calls Philip and Nathanael in John 1:43-51.

 

^ESV  John 1:43-51 ^aThe next day Jesus decided ^bto go to Galilee. He found Philip and said to him, “Follow me.” ⁴⁴ Now ^aPhilip was from Bethsaida, the city of Andrew and Peter.⁴⁵ Philip found ^aNathanael and said to him, “We have found him of whom ^bMoses in the Law and also the prophets wrote, Jesus ^cof Nazareth, ^dthe son of Joseph.”⁴⁶ Nathanael said to him, ^a“Can anything good come out of Nazareth?” Philip said to him, “Come and see.”⁴⁷ Jesus saw Nathanael coming toward him and said of him, “Behold, ^aan Israelite indeed, ^bin whom there is no deceit!”⁴⁸ Nathanael said to him, “How ^ado you know me?” Jesus answered him, “Before Philip called you, when you were under the fig tree, I saw you.”⁴⁹ Nathanael answered him, ^a“Rabbi, ^byou are the Son of God! You are the ^cKing of Israel!”⁵⁰ 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.”⁵¹ And he said to him, “Truly, truly, I say to you,¹ you will see ^aheaven opened, and ^bthe angels of God ascending and descending on ^cthe Son of Man.”

 

 

This leads us to Jesus’ second encounter. 

 2. Consider the cost (vv. 21-22)

 

Jesus was “going on from there” (v. 21) meaning a little farther down the beach. 

 

• There is every reason to believe that these brothers knew those brothers as fellow fishermen families.
  • Now in the company of Peter and Andrew, Jesus calls two more.
  • James called “the son of Zebedee” identities he and his brother John as both sons of their father.

 

• This brings up the concept of cost or leaving someone you love for the sake of Christ.

 

The cost of discipleship not only causes someone to rethink their line of work to include life priorities, money, testimony, and personal integrity but also personal relationships. 

 

• Following Christ may trigger a move from your family’s influence.
  • To sacrifice your immediate connection, you have with them.
  • Not always on a spiritual basis alone, it may be practical.
  • Families who do not love Christ often put physical distance between themselves and Christ followers because of GUILT.

 

• Distance is not only a negative but often a positive.
  • Christ followers often relocate for the sake of mission.
  • Jesus sends his followers to mission posts to “fish for men.”

 

To this point, the family business occupied James and John (the sons of thunder!). 

 

• James distinguished from James, the half-brother of Jesus (or other James in NT).
  • This James always mentioned with his brother John.
  • Acts 12 tells us that James would be an early Christian martyr (executed by Herod Agrippa I).

 

^ESV  Acts 12:1-2 About that time Herod the king laid violent hands on some who belonged to the church.

² He killed ^aJames the brother of John ^bwith the sword

 

John would outlive James and the rest of the Apostles. 

 

• Only to be exiled for his faith on the island of Patmos.
• John authored the gospel of John and three epistles and Revelation.

 

1 John was used to save my soul so I am grateful for John’s response to follow Christ! 

 

The brothers were “in the boat with Zebedee their father” (v. 21). 

 

• These boats were large enough to accommodate fishing crews.
  • Mark’s account tells us several men (cf. Mk 1:20 “the hire servants”) were “mending their nets” (v. 21).
  • “Mending” [katartizw] is a word picture for putting things back together or restoration.   

 

^ESV  1 Corinthians 1:10 I appeal to you, brothers,¹ by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree, and that there be no ^adivisions among you, but that you be united ^bin the same mind and the same judgment.

 

^ESV  2 Corinthians 13:11 Finally, brothers,¹ rejoice. ^aAim for restoration, comfort one another,^{2 b}agree with one another, ^clive in peace; and the God of love and ^dpeace will be with you.

 

While they are mending nets, Jesus walks up and “called them” to mend hearts back together. 

 

• Their response? Leaving occupation and now leaving family. 

 

I want to be quick to say, Zebedee appears to have no objection. 

• He saw what is happening.
• Suddenly left with “hired servants” – not his boys – finish “mending.”

 

For Christian parents, there is no greater joy than to see their children walk in the truth. 

 

• You wonder if Zebedee is not deeply gratified as their father to see his sons going after Christ!
  • Had not Zebedee told them to look for the Messiah?
  • This was not a harsh unfeeling uncaring departure.

 

• Though the Bible commands to “take care of our parents” (1 Tim 5:8) it never limits this kind of departure.
• Here there is no contradiction.

 

“Immediately they left the boat [their jobs] and their father” (v. 22). 

 

• Again, without hesitation [euthus] they left in two categories.

 

• Jesus secured four men, four followers and now turns to his mission of preaching and healing, bringing the kingdom in Galilee.

 

 

“Why make disciples?”

 

This is what Jesus did – We do what Jesus did. 

 

• People follow people – designed to follow.
• Everyone is learning from someone – everybody learning from somebody.
• Internet/cell phones tell us that people are looking to having their curiosity thirst slaked.
• We may as well give people Christ – to follow.

 

Jesus commands you to make disciples. 

 

• To teach all he has commanded.
• To teach for full commitment – which is baptizing them in the name of One true God – The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

 

Making disciples is what changes the world.

• God’s plan and method for reaching the world.
• The secret to “growth” in a business let alone church is “by word of mouth.”
• Jesus began with the 3, then 12, then 70, then 120, then 3,000, then 20,000, then…cities, then nations.

 

We are called to win the nations and this is the only way to truly do it. 

 

• We are called to “go.”
• There is no better way to “go” than to send yourself or leave yourself through another person.
• Send your disciples who have learned from you.
• Who has been taught by you?

 

Investing in someone is worth your time and is personally rewarding.

• It is making an eternal investment.

 

A discipleship relationship is “one of a kind.” 

 

• Making a friend that sticks closer than a brother.

 

Discipleship is why you should study the Bible.

• 2 Timothy 2:2… is passing the baton from one runner to the next.

While in college, I was a beach lifeguard at top of the outer banks – Sandbridge.

Started at 16 – now 19 – crew knew I was preparing for ministry – we had a meeting every morning and at the end the chief would always say “in 17 years we have never had a drowning, let’s not have one today”

it was a yellow flag day meaning you stand and wait to rescue – the third stand from me stood a running back for the Maryland Terrapins – he was fast on land and slow in water –

a family drifted out into a rip tide – father was farthest. – I could hear on the radio – The head guard on the beach – frantically calling for the guard to go –

he had hesitated – he ran fast but swam slow –

One stroke before he reached the man – the man went under – he was dragged along the oceans floor – resurfacing a mile down the beach.

Lifeless and filled with water. 70lbs. heavier.

30 years later I still have conversations with the head lifeguard over the event.

It was not swimming speed that was the problem – the problem was – hesitation!

 

Do not hesitate – when Jesus calls – drop your nets!

Do not hesitate – to rescue someone from the abyss of their own sin.