Forsaking The Fishing Nets

WHAT ARE THESE THREE LIFE CHANGING DECISIONS?

(1) WHEN YOU CHOOSE TO GET MARRIED. Ask any married people if their lives have changed since they got married, and I am confident they will tell you that life has changed drastically.

Illus: Daniel proposes to his girlfriend Rachel.

? "Will you marry me darling?"

? With tears in her eyes, she replies, "Oh yes, yes, Daniel. Of course I will!”

? Rachel says, “And I want you to know that when we get married, I’ll be there to share all your worries and troubles and help lighten your burdens."

? "I’m so glad you want to be my wife," says Daniel smiling, "but as for your offer to share all my worries and troubles, you won’t have to because I just don't have any."

? "Well," says Rachel, "that's because we aren't married yet."

Life is never again the same once we get married. It is a life-changing decision that we make. But also life is never again the same-

(2) WHEN YOU HAVE CHILDREN.

This is a life-changing decision also.

For example, when a couple chooses to make the life changing decision to have a baby, that little baby will determine:

• If there is going to be quietness in the home and

• When everyone in the home can sleep or not sleep.

This is a life changing decision!

There is no doubt about it when we choose to have a child our life will never again be the same…NEVER!!! But the biggest life-changing decision in life is-

(3) WHEN YOU ACCEPT JESUS CHRIST AS YOUR LORD AND SAVIOR

This is the biggest and best life-changing decision we can make.

Once we make it, we will never again be the same. NEVER!!!

Now I am pretty sure that some of you know of people who claimed to have made this life changing decision, and shortly after that they went back to their sinful living. That is, you couldn’t see any difference in the way they lived after they claimed they got saved from the way they lived before they claimed they got saved.

WHAT HAPPENED TO THESE PEOPLE? THESE PEOPLE NEVER GOT SAVED!

HOW DO WE KNOW THAT? Because II Cor. 5:17 says, “Therefore IF any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.”

That little word “If” is a conjunction. That means everything hinges on IF they were new creatures:

? Old things are passed away

? Behold, all things are become new.

Many do not know the difference between:

? PROFESSION

? POSSESSION!

WE CAN PROFESS ANYTHING WE WANT TO PROFESS, BUT PROFESSING SOMETHING DOES NOT MAKE IT REAL!

Illus: One pastor had a young couple start attending his church. After several weeks, they came to him and expressed a desire to get married. He counseled with them, and performed the wedding. It was a beautiful wedding and all seemed to go well. Soon the couple stopped coming to church. One day the young lady came to the pastor’s office and told him that her marriage was over. She said that shortly after the wedding, she caught her husband in a compromising situation with another woman.

That young man had deceived this beautiful young girl into thinking he loved her. HE TRICKED HER!

But folks cannot fool the Lord, and make Him believe they love Him when they do not. HE IS OMNISCIENT - HE KNOWS EVERYTHING!

Look at Matt. 7: 22-23, “Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.”

According to the Word of God, Hell is going to be full of church members who SAID:

• They loved the Lord.

• They accepted Him as their Savior.

But it was - NOTHING BUT WORDS!

When people receive Christ, their lives WILL CHANGE!

If a person really gets saved, THERE WILL BE A CHANGE IN HIS LIFE!!

Notice, in our text the Lord Jesus Christ came up on some rugged fishermen. Now we do not know what kind of sins they may have been involved in but we know this, most fishermen are devoted to fishing even when that is how they earn a living.

Illus: Someone said that you might be a fishermen if:

? You have a worm dangling from your rear view mirror because you think it makes a good air freshener.

? Your wedding party had to tie tin cans to the back of your bass boat.

? You name your dog "Mercury" and your cat "Evinrude.”