Fishing

Matthew 4:12-23 Fishing

2013, a German angler named Marco Liebenow caught something extraordinary off the coast of Norway: a 513-pound Atlantic halibut. It was so enormous — nearly 9 feet long — that he and his three fishing buddies couldn’t bring it into the boat. They had to tow it to shore. The struggle to land it took over an hour and a half. When it finally came to land, the fish was a contender for the world record.

Most fish wranglers would be happy with an 8-pound rainbow trout. But 513 pounds?

The story is more than just an angler’s dream. It is a picture of the unexpected, exhausting and awe-inspiring nature of fishing. And it sets the stage for understanding a curious and powerful thought fishing for men.

1. We might say Jesus is fishing for disciples.

• In Matthew 4, Jesus begins his public ministry. He calls his first disciples — Simon Peter and Andrew, then James and John —

• Jesus says “Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.”

• Jesus calls these disciples to become fishers of men.

2. When one goes Fishing, fishing Requires Patience

• Fishing demands waiting, watching and wanting — wanting to believe there is something unseen just beneath the surface.

• We need to keep casting

• We need to Keep praying.

• We need to Keep trusting.

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3. Fishing Requires Knowledge of the Waters

• We need to understand the context from where people are in their life.

• We need to learn their stories, their fears, their doubts and their cultures.

• When Paul preached in Athens (Acts 17), he didn’t begin with Hebrew Scripture. He began with the Greek poets and the altar to the unknown god.

4. Fishing Requires Strength and Endurance

• Remember That 513-pound halibut mentioned above was no easy lift. Marco Liebenow couldn’t do it alone. It took a team. It took an hour and a half. And even then, they didn’t haul it into the boat — they had to tow it to shore.

• Evangelism, discipleship It takes spiritual strength, emotional endurance and

• People are not always eager to be “caught” by grace. They resist. They drift. Some seem so far off course that you wonder if your prayers reaching

• The apostle Paul said, “I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth” (1 Corinthians 3:6). Paul knew that as part of the church, engaged on behalf of Christ’s mission on earth, we’re part of a much larger effort than anything we might do as individuals.

• The late President Jimmy Carter continued volunteering with Habitat for Humanity, When asked why he still worked on building houses, he said simply, “My faith demands that I do whatever I can, wherever I can, whenever I can, for as long as I can.” This is fishing with strength and endurance.

5. Fishing Requires Faith

• You throw a line in the waters and You trust that something is down there to take a bite.

• When Jesus says, “I will make you fish for people,” he’s also saying, “Trust me.”

• Trust that Jesus knows what he’s doing even when results are slow. Trust that he knows where to cast the net. Trust that your obedience matters, even when you don’t feel successful.

• Faith means throwing the line one more time, even when the last cast came up empty.

6. Fishing Requires Letting Go

• When Jesus calls the disciples, he’s also asking them to leave something behind.

• Peter and Andrew leave their nets.

• James and John leave their boat and their father.

• If we will let go and let God yes we will have fear but remember what Isaiah says “When you pass through the waters, I will be with you, and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you; when you walk through fire you shall not be burned, and the flame shall not consume you” (Isaiah 43:2).

7. Fishing for men requires to Follow Jesus says follow me

• Then Jesus promises to make something of us(“I will make you …”).

• Jesus is saying: “I want to take your life and make something of it. But you need to do something for me. I need you to follow me, and if you do, I will take your life with all the broken dreams and tattered remnants of failure and good intentions, and mold, shape and fashion something impressive!”

• Jesus doesn’t say, “Get to work.” He says, “Follow me.”And he will make you

• .He’ll give you patience.

• He’ll give you understanding.

• He’ll give you strength and faith and companions along the way.

• He will give you what you need to love people well, and to draw them toward the shore of grace.