Mending The Nets

MENDING THE NETS

Mk. 1:14-20

INTRODUCTION

A. HUMOR: Career planning

1. One Sunday morning, as the Bubba Rathbone family were driving home from First Assembly after a great service where their Pastor really preached a great message, 9 year old Sam said to his father Bubba, "When I grow up, dad, I've decided to be a Preacher."

2. "Well Sam," said Bubba, "I have no problem with that. But tell me, why have you now decided to be a Pastor? You were going to be a football player last week."

3. "I know I was," replied Sam, "but during the church service I realized that I’m going to be going to church every Sunday for the rest of my life - and that's a long time. So I decided that it would be funner to be standing and shouting than just sitting and listening!"

4. That’s not the ideal way to get a ‘call.’ Here’s a better way…

B. TEXT

14 Now after John was put in prison, Jesus came to Galilee, preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God, 15 and saying, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand. Repent, and believe in the gospel.” 16 And as He walked by the Sea of Galilee, He saw Simon and Andrew his brother casting a net into the sea; for they were fishermen. 17 Then Jesus said to them, “Follow Me, and I will make you become fishers of men.” 18 They immediately left their nets and followed Him. 19 When He had gone a little farther from there, He saw James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother, who also were in the boat mending their nets. 20 And immediately He called them, and they left their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired servants, and went after Him.

C. THESIS

1. The phrase “mending their nets” was used in Mt. 4:21 & Mk. 1:19 (KJV) of the disciples repairing their nets. Both are the Greek word katartidzo, which means to “repair, mend, prepare, or restore.”

2. The NIV translates it as “prepared their nets” – like drying or folding, but since the word has the connotation of “perfect that which is lacking,” 1 Thess. 3:10, it seems more likely there was actual repairs being made.

3. So what kinds of nets do we need to be repairing or mending? I can think of three: a. Our relationship with God, b. our relationship between us and other people, and c. To repair the relationships between others and God.

I. MENDING OUR RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD

A. JESUS’ MISSION IN COMING

1. The mission of Jesus was to mend the relationship between people and God. The Bible says…

2. “Jesus came to Galilee, preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God, and saying, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand. Repent, and believe in the gospel.” Mk. 1:14-15.

3. Jesus first started with His disciples. “And as He walked by the Sea of Galilee, He saw Simon and Andrew his brother casting a net into the sea; for they were fishermen. 17 Then Jesus said to them, “Follow Me, and I will make you become fishers of men.” 18 They immediately left their nets and followed Him.” Mk. 1:16-18.

4. Just like James and John – further down the beach – were repairing their nets, so the Lord Jesus was calling people to repair/ mend their relationship with God.

B. WHAT KIND OF MENDING DOES IT NEED?

1. Gal. 6:1 translates the same word “mending” here as “restore,” and in context, indicates we need to be restored from a state of sin/deadness to be alive again!

2. As Eph. 2:1,5; “And you has he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins….Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved).”

3. So this “mending” between us and God is from death to life, from being a sinner to becoming a righteous person.

4. Wow! That’s quite a fix. Only God could restore us to Himself that way!

5. But He does it when we come to Him and surrender our lives into His hands. Then He can do the repairing! Will you do that today?

6. Another type of mending that needs to happen is…

II. MENDING OUR RELATIONSHIP WITH OTHERS

A. “MENDING OUR FENCES”

1. Merriam-Webster defines “mending fences” as:

2. Definition: “to improve or repair a relationship that has been damaged by an argument or disagreement.”

3. EXAMPLES:

a. “She and her father are trying to mend their fences.”

b. “After the election, he spent a lot of time mending political fences.”

4. Basically, “mending fences” is about FORGIVENESS!

B. WHY MUST WE FORGIVE?

1. WE’RE COMMANDED TO IN SCRIPTURE