A Country Church was having their annual revival meeting. On the first night the preacher preached a message about repentance and the need to return to the Lord. At the altar call, a man came down the aisle saying “Fill me Lord, Fill Me”.
The next night the preacher challenged the congregation with the need to totally surrender their lives to Christ in complete obedience. Again the altar call was extended; like the night before the same man came down the aisle saying “Fill me Lord, Fill Me”.
The third night of the revival preacher warned his congregation of the evils of sin and urged the congregation to live lives of holiness. Again at the invitation was made to give one’s life to Christ, the same man came up the aisle saying “Fill me Lord, Fill Me”.
To which someone in the back of the church yelled; “Don’t do it Lord, He leaks”
The truth of the matter is we all leak from time to time. We all lose our way, we tend to lose our first love or we wade in the pool of the lukewarm.
We are in a series of messages called Red Letters; the life of Christ. Our goal of this series is for us to reexamine the Life of Jesus to remind us we are to be distinctive in this world. To remind us how different we are to be we are to follow the instructions of the Hebrew writer; Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.
Last time we looked at this passage we wanted to remember who we are as God’s people. Understanding our identity is crucial to fulfilling our destiny.
Our identity is tied to Jesus Christ as the Son of God; Jesus is not simply the latest and greatest savior. He is not simply another choice on the spiritual buffet; you can’t say, I will take a little bit of Jesus, a little bit of astrology, a little slice of Buddhism and a sampling of New Age Philosophy and that will get me to God. No Jesus is the only way to God. Jesus would later tell his disciples "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. John 14:6
The disciples would carry on the same thought in the book of Acts when they told the religious leaders, Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved. Acts 4:12
While it is important to remember who we are; it just as important to remember what we are to do. Jesus does not just call us to recognize him or to know him intellectually. Jesus expects us to do something with the knowledge of him.
In Mark’s gospel we quickly discover what he expects us to do…
Mark 1:14-15
14After John was put in prison, Jesus went into Galilee, proclaiming the good news of God.
15"The time has come," he said. "The kingdom of God is near. Repent and believe the good news!"
Last week we focused on the Distinctive Messiah this week we focus on…
The Distinctive Mission
Mark begins our narrative with the arrest of John the Baptist. The work of the forerunner is now complete; he has pointed people to Jesus. Now it is time for the mission of Jesus to begin. The mission of Christ begins with an announcement – The time has come. This is what we have been waiting for! Remember, for 450 years God had been silent no prophecies, no visions, and no miracles and seemingly no hope. But hope is rekindled with Jesus. 15"The time has come, The kingdom of God is near. Repent and believe the good news!"
The coming of the God’s kingdom is approaching, God’s influence and God’s agenda is near. As Jesus announces the God’s kingdom is about to be revealed he tells his audience they must respond to the kingdom…
IN REPENTANCE
Repentance –was not a popular word in the NT and it is not a popular word for us as well. When was the last time you heard someone tell you, YOU NEED TO REPENT
You do something wrong – You may be tempted to apologize, blame others, or let it slide – BUT Repent, not so much?
Webster defines repentance as; to feel sorry or contrite for past conduct or to be conscience stricken about a past action or attitude. Biblical repentance is more than just feeling sorry for something. To repent means to change your mind and your actions – Literally means to turn in the opposite direction.
Reasons we do not like to hear people tell us to repent…
We do not like for people to tell us we need to change.
It is amazing how easy it is to see the fault in others and have blind spots regarding our own person sin. We compare our life to others and think we are living better than them thus we do not need to repent or anything. When someone calls us to repent we ask ourselves who made them the judge of what is right and wrong.
We have a shallow view of sin
Many people have no sense that they have rebelled against God. Some would even argue there is no such thing as sin and are shocked that people would call their behavior sin. In November of last year Tiger Wood’s life unraveled. It was revealed he lived a double life of promiscuity and adultery. Over time he apologized to his family, his fans and the public, while those actions are good what is really important is the need to repent of his sin – not simply say he is sorry but to turn from those sins. However in a culture that denies sin exist it is difficult for him or others to see the need to repent.
We have a shallow view of repentance
We have failed to understand that repentance is a call to turn our lives back to God. Many people are sorry for their sin, yet the allure of sin is too tempting to repent of it completely. Thus we do not repent, we simply justify our sins. We begin to think as King Herod once said; I like committing crimes; God likes forgiving them, thus the world is admirable arranged.
While we may not like the idea of repentance – Jesus announces the first step into kingdom living is the act of repentance. Why repentance – Why do we need to turn to God? Because human beings do not usher in God’s reign; God does. Human actions to not transform God, God’s actions transform humans. When we repent, when we turn to God, God transforms us by his grace. Because God gives us free will he allows us to choose to repent and if we choose to turn to him, then and only then do we find spiritual transformation. If there is no repentance there is no transformation.
Having heard the distinctive mission of a call to repentance, Mark now gives us a picture of what it means to repent and turn to God by looking at the actions of Jesus and the four men. Note the…
The Distinctive Call
16As Jesus walked beside the Sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and his brother Andrew casting a net into the lake, for they were fishermen.
17"Come, follow me," Jesus said, "and I will make you fishers of men."
18At once they left their nets and followed him.
19When he had gone a little farther, he saw James son of Zebedee and his brother John in a boat, preparing their nets.
20Without delay he called them, and they left their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired men and followed him.
Unlike John the Baptist, Jesus does not wait for people to come to him. Jesus takes the initiative by seeking out followers to come and follow.
Jesus did not put up a sign up sheet in the carpenter’s shop that said Interested in following me sign up here
Jesus did not ask for volunteers to be a part of the kingdom expansion.
He simply asked people to follow him.
There is a second item I noticed about the men Jesus called that day. They had no special preparation. Jesus did not choose the socially prominent; the best trained or even the most religiously devout. He did not find them in a synagogue or temple he simply was walking by and he called them to follow him. There is a third item I noticed about the call – The call was a call to action. Jesus did not call them to go to the temple and learn about him. He called him to follow him so that they could do something. Answering the call of Jesus does not mean you simply come to church, sing a few songs, help out around the church from time to time and give an offering. Answering the call of Jesus is a call to action. Jesus requires absolute obedience and sacrifice. Discipleship is not a part-time hobby, but a lifetime commitment. One must be prepared to leave everything behind to follow him. Verse 18 tells us that Simon and Andrew left their nets, in verse 20 James and John left their father, their boat and their business.
Not only is it a call to action but; The call of Jesus is a call to be a part of his mission. Discipleship is not about mastering the facts of his word; it is about being a part of his mission. Look at verse 17 again, "Come, follow me, and I will make you fishers of men."
Jesus was not calling his disciples to be a part of a study group he was calling them to be a part of his mission, In Luke 19:10, he told us his mission - The Son of Man came to seek and to save what was lost.
David Garland said in Mark’s gospel Jesus is calling people to be sent out as fishers of men. Just as the fisherman does not simply drop a sign in the lake and announce fish wanted, please enter net and expect results, so the fisherman for Christ cannot stay in the safe harbor to catch men, they must go out to the deep, turbulent waters and cast the net wide if they expect to be a part of our Lord’s mission.
The distinctive call led to…
The Distinctive Decision
I like how Mark states it - they left their nets and followed him
No hesitation, no reservation, the simply left what was theirs and followed him.
Or in the illustration of repentance, they turned from their old way of life (as fishermen) and turned to Christ and became his followers. Their repentance was marked with a decision – FOLLOW HIM.
The example of the disciple’s points out the truth if you want to follow Jesus it will mean you are going to have to leave something behind. For the disciples it was their nets.
However the disciples were leaving more than their nets. When they left their nets they were leaving the familiar for the unfamiliar.
A fisherman knows his nets. His nets are his livelihood. The nets were the only thing that keeps his family going. Without nets he and his family would starve. Fishermen took care of their nets. Every day the nets would be cleaned repaired and stored away with great care. The fisherman not only cared for his net, he knew how to use the net with great detail. He knew when to cast, when to draw it back in. He also knew who the best net makers were. Fishermen knew their nets and their net makers. He knew everything there was to know about nets.
So when Jesus gives the invitation to come; they knew at once he was asking them to leave the familiar (nets) and join him in the unfamiliar.
What do you need to let go of today?
What is your net?
Maybe your net is something familiar – something you have become so comfortable with that you just don’t want to give it up.
Maybe your net is your plans, your carefully designed plans for your life, your job, your family - those plans have to be surrendered to the Lord. “Yes, I want to follow you, But first I have to bury my father, I have to marry a wife, I have to tend to some business first, I have to complete my bucket list.” Jesus says, no way. Drop the net. Your plan is to follow me. I will help you with the rest, you just follow me.
Maybe your net is SOMEONE. It could be someone you like. Hanging around them brings you some sense of security and happiness, yet you know that if you are to truly follow Christ, you will be led to values and principles in your life that will set some distance between you and this person.
Maybe it is someone you don’t like, that person who gets under your skin. They arouse in you all kinds of attitudes, and thoughts, and snide remarks that are cancer to your following of Jesus. There are people we blame in life – people we feel bitter against, because we feel justified in not liking! Do you have any idea what they did to me? They used me! They walked all over me! I’ve been deeply hurt and offended. And other people may even feed your sense that you have the RIGHT to be bitter and enraged. But being swallowed up in that net that will tangle up your whole life – you’ll be caught like a fish, stuck in your past. If that’s where you are, that you’ve got to let it go.
Maybe your net is the net of fear. Something you’re afraid of about the future. Fear of what people will think, what they will say, what they will do. Or maybe fear that if you follow Jesus, he will take you where you’ve never been and then what? Where will he take me?
What net do you need to drop today?
Is there anything you would rather cling to toady that is a net you need to drop?
Are you willing to change your views on some things, no matter how cherished, if that’s what it would mean to follow Jesus?
Are you willing to kill off deeply ingrained habits, or let go of favorite hobbies, or give up some golf money, if that’s what it would take to follow Jesus?
I believe that every person hearing me today has a net in their hand that needs to be dropped in order to follow Jesus more fully.
What’s your net? Are you going to continue to hold onto it? Jesus is calling you to follow him! So drop that net and allow yourself to find a new place in your heart to embrace Jesus. Drop that net – trust Jesus enough to know that all the security and safety and comfort of that old net is no comparison to the NEW life he can give you.
The key to leaving your nets is found in Hebrews 12:1-2, Since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us.
2Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith
That word “fix” is a word meaning strong determination to see the finish. In athletic terms it means to look at the finish line. The race is never over until the runner crosses the finish line.
Unfortunately many people simply do not finish the race. They quit, or they become disqualified, some even fail to enter the race. What happened, they went back to their net.
Here is the bottom line regarding leaving your nets…
Do you trust Jesus?
Not do you trust Jesus with your salvation?
Do you trust Jesus with your life?
Fred Craddock gave the following illustration of what it would look like to completely follow Jesus. He said imagine you took out your checkbook and you cut a check for 1 million dollars. That 1 million represents everything you are and will be. You take it to God and deposit it in the bank of God – give it all to God. God says I only take deposit of a nickel a day. Every day we must choose to follow Christ. Not in one big action, but every day we choose to make a deposit into the bank of God, every day we choose to drop our nets, every day we commit ourselves to remember not only who are but what we are to do and that is follow him.
