Text: Jesus said to them, “Come follow me, and I will make you fish for people” (Mark 1:17).
These words were first spoken to Peter and his brother Andrew. Jesus spoke with authority each time He spoke. When He said to Peter and Andrew, “Come follow Me,” He expected them to follow through. He did not say, “Men, if you want to really accomplish something worthwhile, come and follow me.”
Peter and his brother had a mind of their own. They could have thought about Jesus’ words before responding, they could have immediately refused or they could have immediately obeyed. It appears they immediately made the decision to follow Jesus.
Jesus is speaking to people this day. Some respond to Jesus in a positive manner and follow Him. Others hear what Jesus says through preachers, teachers, the written Word, or other Christians, but for whatever reason choose to live life according to the standards of the world.
What does it mean “Jesus is Lord of all”? We know Jesus is the Son of God the Father. We also know Jesus and the Father are one in the same. Jesus was God incarnate or God in human flesh. If God created everything and everyone, then He is far superior to everything and everyone.
Genesis tells us “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters” (Genesis 1:1, 2). God created something out of nothing. God came to earth in the person of Jesus Christ. God is God of all or God of everything.
God is Lord of all, so if this is true and Jesus is God in the flesh, then Jesus is Lord of all. What is all? All is everything that is. For example, Jesus is Lord of light, sky, water, land, seas, sun, moon, stars, fish, birds, animals and all humans.
Jesus is Lord of our life. If He is Lord of our life, then we will live our life in accordance to what He relates to us in His Word. When Jesus said to Peter, “Come, follow Me” Peter did not hesitate. He and his brother Andrew “Immediately left their nets and followed Him” (Mark 1:18). The life of Peter and the life of Andrew were never again the same.
When Jesus knocks at the door of your heart, He is actually asking you to follow Him. He knows you are a sinner because of the disobedience of Adam and Eve. He created you and therefore, He knows your heart from the inside out.
Jesus is asking you to confess your sins because He has already paid the price for your sinful nature. He wants you to follow Him by opening the door of your heart just as Peter did.
Jesus will not force Himself upon you. He waits for your invitation. When you confess your sins with your mouth and thank Him for dying on the Cross, you are opening the door for Him to come into your heart.
You no longer want to live for yourself, but you want to live for Him. You no longer concentrate on worldly things, but you concentrate on heavenly things.
You want Jesus to occupy first place in your life.
You want Him to be in control of your life. You know this earthly life is only a journey and when you leave this life you want to spend eternity with Him in His kingdom.
Many times Jesus knocks on the door of the heart of an individual, but that person doesn’t answer the door for whatever reason. Perhaps the individual thinks they are so sinful they are afraid Jesus will not accept them. Maybe the individual believes they have to work to gain His acceptance.
The offer has been made, the opportunity is at hand, but the opportunities of the world appear to be more inviting. This is because the Devil is hard at work, working on the mind of that person. Satan wants to pull a person away from the outstretched arms and hands of Jesus. He is working against our Lord and Savior.
Jesus is Lord of all, but He never pressures anyone to accept His offer of salvation and the chance to spend eternity with Him. After an individual accepts Jesus, sin will probably still occur in that person’s life, but the important thing to remember is that as soon as that sin surfaces, the voice of the Holy Spirit will prompt one to repent of their sin.
What do you suppose Jesus saw in Peter? Why did He call Peter to follow Him? I believe Jesus was looking for common ordinary people with whom He could form a relationship. Peter was a fisherman. He wasn’t a college graduate. He wasn’t superior in any way. He had an elementary school education. Peter was a real person in whom Jesus saw potential.
Jesus sees potential in each of us. We don’t have to be someone special to come to Jesus. He can see deep inside our heart and this is where He wants to be. Our physical appearance makes no difference to Jesus. Our education or our status or position in life does not matter to Him. The potential Jesus sees in our heart is what is important.
Peter was a real person, but at times had a difficult time saying or doing the right thing. As you recall, Peter denied knowing Jesus three different times during Jesus’ trial. Peter was a Jew who was prejudice against the Gentiles. In other words, he found it difficult to treat Gentiles on the same level as he did the Jews.
Peter’s eyes were opened one day as he was thinking about a vision he just had concerning certain forbidden foods according to Jewish law. “While Peter was wondering about the meaning of the vision, the men sent by Cornelius found out where Simon’s house was and stopped at the gate. They called out, asking if Simon who was known as Peter was staying there” (Acts 10:17, 18).
Peter was a Jew and he followed the Jewish laws and customs. Cornelius was a Godly man and placed his faith and trust in Almighty God. He was a Roman army officer. The Romans were hated because they were out to conquer other nations. He was respected by the Jews, but he was not a Jew.
“He and all his family were devout and God-fearing; he gave generously to those in need and prayed to God regularly. One day at about three in the afternoon he had a vision. He distinctly saw an angel of God, who came to him and said, ‘Cornelius!’” (Acts 10:2, 3)
Cornelius did not know what to do or what to say. He finally said, “What is it, Lord?” (Acts 10:4)
The angel answered, “Your prayers and gifts to the poor have come up as a memorial offering before God. Now send men to Joppa to bring back a man named Simon who is called Peter. He is staying with Simon the tanner, whose house is by the sea” (Acts 10:4-6).
Cornelius prayed for answers from God concerning salvation. He was not a believer in Christ, but he prayed earnestly and gave generously toward God’s work. God knew Cornelius was very sincere in his faith. When God knows our prayers and efforts are sincere, He will take care of our request.
In the case of Cornelius, God gave him a vision in which a devout Jew’s eyes would also be opened. Cornelius was a Gentile while Peter was a Jew. God’s plan was to demonstrate to Peter that there was no difference between the Jew and the Gentile. He would further demonstrate that Jesus is Lord of all.
When Peter entered the household of Cornelius, Cornelius had invited many other people to be present to hear Peter. When Peter entered the house he saw all these people and said to Cornelius, “You are well aware that it is against our law for a Jew to associate with a Gentile or visit him. But
God has shown me that I should not call any man impure or unclean. So when I was sent for, I came without raising any objection. May I ask why you sent for me” (Acts 10:27-29).
Cornelius answered: “Four days ago I was in my house praying at this hour, at three in the afternoon. Suddenly a man in shining clothes stood before me and said, ‘Cornelius, God has heard your prayer and remembered your gifts to the poor. Send to Joppa for Simon who is called Peter. He is a guest in the home of Simon the tanner, who lives by the sea.’ So I sent for you immediately, and it was good of you to come. Now we are all here in the presence of God to listen to everything the Lord has commanded you to tell us” (Acts 10:30-33).
God had a plan to open the eyes of Peter and at the same time provided answers to the questions Cornelius was asking. Peter was following the Jewish law of not speaking to or being in the presence of a Gentile or non-Jew. He was doing exactly as did the other Jews, but God is a God of love. Every Jew and every Gentile is a child of Almighty God.
God sent His Son into the world to die for all mankind. The Good News of His Son Jesus was for everyone. He sent His Son into the world out of love. “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life” (John 3:16).
Everything God gives us, He gives out of love. Everything we give to others must also be given out of love. At the beginning, Peter missed the boat. He did not want to give to the Gentiles because he was following man made laws. God had to show Peter that there was no difference between the Jew and the Gentile. God wants us to know there is no difference between anyone in this world of ours.
Story: “There is No Difference”
Remember, the man on Skid Row is not different in kind from the rest of us. He is merely worse in degree. On Skid Row we see fallen man at his dismal worst. In the better neighborhoods we see him at his polished best, but he is the same man for all his disguise.
In the gutter we find him chained by dope and drink and dirt. On the Avenue we find him bound by pride and greed and lust. To God there is no difference. He sees beyond appearances and he knows what is in every man. His remedy for every man is the same, a new birth and the impartation of a new kind of life.
The Gospel is the power of God operating toward the moral and spiritual transformation of man. And it works! Thousands will testify that it does. No man who wants to climb up out of his past and find a new and better life should overlook the Gospel. It is God’s way out, and there is no other.
--------------Pacific Garden Mission News
God gave His very best when He gave His only Son for the redemption of mankind. If God gave His very best, the message to Peter and to us is to give our very best to His children. Everything we think and everything we do should be done knowing that Jesus is the Lord.
Peter was to take the Gospel of Jesus Christ to the Romans who were Gentiles. He found this to be a very difficult task, but nevertheless, he followed God’s directions. The Good News of Jesus Christ is for everyone regardless of race, color, creed, language, culture, education or anything else. Nothing should prevent us from telling others about Jesus Christ, the Son of God.
When Peter realized that God has no favoritism or is not prejudice in any way, he became a better person and a greater disciple. The same is true for each of us because Jesus is Lord of all.
Conclusion:
Jesus is Lord of all because everything that is belongs to Him. He created all, including mankind. Since He created us, we are His and He is our Lord.
Regardless of our appearance, our education, where we live, our occupation or profession and so on, we all belong to Him. He sent His Son to die for all who would accept Him as their own personal Lord and Savior and spend eternity with Him in His kingdom.
God sees worth and potential in each one of us. He calls us to follow Him just as He called Peter to follow Him. He accepts us as we are with no strings attached. We don’t need to work our way into Heaven because that is not possible. There is only one way. Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me” (John 14:6).
When Jesus says, “Follow Me” we know He has a better life for us.
Jesus is Lord of all.
Amen.
