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Please turn in your Bible to Matthew 4:18-22
18While walking by the Sea of Galilee, he [Jesus] saw two brothers, Simon (who is called Peter) and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea, for they were fishermen. 19And he said to them, “Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.” 20Immediately they left their nets and followed him. 21And going on from there he saw two other brothers, James the son of Zebedee and John his brother, in the boat with Zebedee their father, mending their nets, and he called them. 22Immediately they left the boat and their father and followed him.
Matthew 9:9
9As Jesus passed on from there, he saw a man called Matthew sitting at the tax booth, and he said to him, “Follow me.” And he rose and followed him.
Our focus tonight is verse 19, when Jesus calls, “Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.”
Let us pray…
Introduction
A. Bietrich Bonhoeffer
Dietrich Bonhoeffer
- A German pastor and theologian--a spy and anti-Nazi dissident
- Founding member of the Confessing Church—one of just a few Christian churches in Germany that openly opposed the Nazi regime.
- Imprisoned in 1943 for refusing to join the military and talking against Hitler’s persecution of the Jews—Hitler eventually ordered his execution--Nazis hanged Bonhoeffer in the Flossenburg concentration camp on April 9, 1945, just two weeks before the end of WWII.
This great Christian martyr and theologian wrote several books, the most famous, The Cost of Discipleship. In this book, he coined the term “cheap grace” and called it, “The mortal enemy of our church” (Bonhoeffer, The Cost of Discipleship, p. 43).
Cheap grace is…
- Grace without a price
- Grace without costs
- Preaching forgiveness without repentance
- Cheap grace is grace without discipleship (Bonhoeffer, p. 29-30)
Bonhoeffer goes on and contrasts cheap grace with “costly grace.”
Costly grace is…
- A hidden treasure--people go and sell all they have to purchase the land where the treasure is hidden
- The pearl of great price--the merchant sells all that he has to purchase that pearl
- The kingdom of God is that great treasure…the kingdom of God is that great treasure
- Grace to cause a man to tear out an eye or cut off a hand if it causes you to stumble
- The call of Jesus Christ, which causes a disciple to leave his nets and follow Jesus (Bonhoeffer, p. 30-31)
B. Disciples from All Backgrounds
Jesus calls disciples from all lifestyles and occupations. Regardless of where you grew up, how you live your life, how much money you have, or what terrible sins you committed, Jesus calls you to become one of his disciples. It doesn’t matter if you have slept with hundreds of people, lived a homosexual life, taken drugs, or even killed someone…Jesus calls you to become one of his disciples.
No matter what our past, Jesus calls us to leave our old life, follow him as our Lord, become transformed to be like him, and go make more disciples.
C. How does Jesus make disciples?
Jesus said, “Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.”
In this one command, Jesus gives us four steps in which God makes Christian disciples.
First, Jesus calls and new disciples respond
I. Jesus calls—disciples drop their nets
A. Jesus Calls Disciples
Vs 21 says, “Jesus called them…” These fishermen didn’t go looking for Jesus. Jesus came to them. He came to where they lived and called them to be his disciples. We walked by the shore of the Sea of Galilee to find these fishermen and to Matthew’s tax booth to find this tax collector.
B. Disciples Believe in Jesus
1. We must be born again
Jesus answered him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.” (John 3:3)
2. How to we become born again?
-- We must repent – make a turn
From that time Jesus began to preach, saying, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” (Matthew 4:17)
--We must “drink the water” - believe
Jesus said to her, “Everyone who drinks of this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him will never be thirsty again. The water that I will give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.” (John 4:13-14)
C. Disciples Leave Their Past
What did these fishermen do? The scripture says Peter and Andrew, “At once…left their nets...” It says James and John, “Immediately…left the boat and their father…” It says Matthew, “Got up and followed him.”
What did the disciples give up?
Simon Peter and his brother Andrew dropped their fishing nets to follow Jesus.
James son of Zebedee and his brother John left their boat and father to follow Jesus. Bartholomew, likely a farmer, left his family farming business to follow Jesus.
Jude and his younger brother, James, pushed aside their intense and violent Nationalist views to follow Jesus.
Matthew left his lucrative life as a tax collector to follow Jesus.
Philip, likely another fisherman, dropped his nets and left his fishing boat to follow Jesus.
Simon the Zealot, left his Zealot views and hatred for everything Roman to follow Jesus. Thomas had to give over his pessimistic views to follow Jesus.
We do not know much about Mathias, other than he was already a follower when he was chosen so had to give up his life to replace Judas and follow Jesus.
The most notorious of the apostles, Paul, gave up his life as a Pharisee to follow Christ.
This rag-tag group 5 fishermen, one farmer, one tax collector, two Nationalists, one Zealot, one pessimist, one late-comer, and one Pharisee made up the group of men Jesus called to be his first disciples. Jesus spent almost four years calling, transforming, and sending them out—a discipleship making process.
D. My Conversion Testimony
I remember when God first called me to be a disciple. I was in tenth grade and my football coach invited us to his church. I don’t remember much about the message, but I remember the speaker saying we need to “come on home.” My best guess is it must have been a sermon on the prodigal son. At the end of the service, something was pulling me to go down to the altar, confess my sins, and give my life to Christ that night. I was holding on to the pew, fighting whatever was pulling me when some of the others started heading down. That was just enough to encourage me to go. I went to the altar and met a man who led me in a sinner’s prayer. That night I was called by Jesus to be His disciple. That night I asked Jesus into my life. That night I began my journey as His disciple.
How do you know you are called to be a disciple? Each one of us is called to be a disciple when we hear the gospel message and the Holy Spirit draws us. If the Holy Spirit has drawn you by the gospel message, you confessed and repented of your sins, and made Jesus your Lord, then you were called to be a disciple.
If you’ve not yet accepted Jesus as Savior and Lord, you can do that tonight.
We’ve determined that all disciples are first called and take the first step by leaving their past lives call Jesus their Savior.
Let’s move to the second step, Jesus leads and disciples follow.
II. Jesus leads disciples—disciples follow Jesus.
Vs. 19 says, “Follow me…”
A. Followers Vs. Fans
I have a passion for football, especially Oklahoma college football. I am a huge Oklahoma Sooner fan. I’ve had season tickets for over 27 years, seldom miss a home game, and usually watch the away games on TV or listen to them on the radio. I keep track of the best players, even where they go in the NFL draft. I know and keep track of their stats. I even watch their competition in the Big 12. If someone is dogging on my team, I defend them and have even been known to dog on the Longhorns and the Cowboys from time to time. I have a closet full of crimson and cream Oklahoma t-shirts that I wear year round. I even have a signed Bob Stoops football. I am a huge Oklahoma football fan.
However, I don’t have any sort of relationship with the players or the coaches. I graduated from Oklahoma, but I never played football on the team. I don’t’ work out in their gym, train on their field, or study their playbook. I don’t live with the team, eat with the team, or practice with the team. I don’t even have any relatives or close friends that are on the team. Lincoln Riley, the new head football coach, doesn’t even know my name. I’m not on the team and never will be on the team because I am “just a fan.”
In contrast, the true “followers” of Sooner football are on the team. They were selected by the recruiters and coaches to be on that team. They put on the pads and strap on the helmet. They come in as freshman and learn the Oklahoma way by starting off on the practice squad. They work side-by-side with the starters. They train hard in the off-season, learn the playbook, and are ready to step in if a starter goes down. As they mature as a player and grow over the 4-years, they may even become a starter. Regardless, they have a specific position and role on the team. They can be called an Oklahoma Sooner football player. They are the true followers of the Sooners.
Do you have a personal relationship or just know about Jesus? Do you talk to Him daily or admire Him on Sunday? Are you part of His body or do you just attend church? Do you put on the full armor of God or just wear the T-shirt? Are you learning God’s playbook, the Bible, or do you just analyze the plays and stats of other Christ followers?
How a person answers the follower vs. fan question is how I define a disciple (e.g. follower) of Jesus Christ. Which are you?
As a disciple learns to follow, he calls Jesus Lord.
We’ve established that: (1) Jesus calls and new disciples follow and (2) Jesus leads disciples and disciples follow, let’s move on to the third point…Jesus transforms and disciples become like Jesus
III. Jesus transforms disciples—disciples become like Jesus
Vs. 19 says, “…and I will make you…”
A. Jesus transforms us into the likeness of Him.
Romans 8:29 says, “For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son”
1 Corinthians 5:17 says, “Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things pass away; behold, new things have come.”
Ephesians 4:22-24 says, “You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; to be made new in the attitude of your minds; and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.”
Jesus transforms our hearts and minds so that we can see the lost through his eyes. He transforms us so that we can become his hands and feet to this lost world. He transforms and trains us to tell our story and ultimately his story.
B. Jesus transforms us to obey His commands
What if Jesus meant the stuff he said?
If you love Me, you will keep My commandments. (John 14:15)
If you keep My commands you will remain in My love, just as I have kept My Father's commands and remain in His love. (John 15:10)
You are My friends if you do what I command you. (John 15:14)
Not everyone who says to Me, "Lord, Lord!" will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of My Father in heaven. (Matt 7:21)
Therefore, everyone who hears these words of Mine and acts on them will be like a sensible man who built his house on the rock. (Matt 7:24)
“For whoever does the will of God, he is my brother and sister and mother.” (Mark 3:34)
“Discipleship is not merely a matter of information remembered. It is about a lifestyle that is practiced. (Dave Earley, Disciple Making Is)
What would our church be like if we actually obeyed everything Jesus commanded?
What would your life be like if you obeyed everything Jesus commanded?
When was the last time someone accused you of being a radical follower of Jesus?
When the rich ruler asked Jesus what he must do to inherit eternal life, Jesus answered, “Sell everything you have and give to the poor and you will have treasure in heaven.” (Luke 18:22)
Jesus said, “If anyone comes to be and does not hate father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters—yes, even their own life—such a person cannot be my disciple.” (Luke 14:26)
With man it is impossible, but not with God. For "all things are possible with God" (Mark 10:25-27).
C. The Greatest Commandment
36 “Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?” 37And he said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. 38 This is the great and first commandment. 39And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. 40 On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets.” (Matthew 22:36-40)
We’ve established that: (1) Jesus calls and new disciples follow, (2) Jesus leads disciples and disciples follow, and (3) Jesus transforms and disciples become like Jesus. Let’s move to the final point…Jesus commissions and disciples go and multiply
IV. Jesus commissions disciples—disciples go make more disciples.
Vs. 19 says, “…fishers of men.”
A. Last words
When we leave someone, we want our last words to count. We want our last words to be important and make a lasting impression on the person in which we are speaking.
Every time I leave home, I tell Misty, “I love you.” Every time I take off on airplane I call or text Misty to tell her, “I love you!” When I leave, I want to ensure my last words express how I feel about her. I love her and I want her to know it. We never know if these will be our last words.
In Matthew 28:19 (The Great Commission) Matthew pens some of Jesus’ last words on earth. Jesus said, “Therefore, go and make disciples of all nations.”
Jesus made his last words count when he said, “Go and make disciples!”
In John Chapter 15, Jesus calls disciples to abide in him, “go and bear fruit.” (John 15:16)
Jesus says, “Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you.” (John 20:21)
Jesus tells Peter to, “Feed my sheep” and to “follow me” (John 21:15-20)
Jesus tells disciples to, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation.” (Mark 16:15)
Just before his ascension, Jesus tells disciples, “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and the ends of the earth.” (Acts 1:8)
Conclusion
Close your eyes and envision Jesus calling to you,
“Follow me and I will make you fishers of men!”
Have you answered His call? Have you left your old life to follow him? Are you a true follower or just a fan? Are you allowing him to transform your life into His likeness? Are you telling your story to others? Are you telling others the gospel message? Are you fulfilling his Great Commission by going and making disciples?
