Introduction
Has anyone heard of a man by the name of Dietrich Bonhoeffer? Bonhoeffer was born into a large family in Breslau, Poland in 1906. He became a German pastor, theologian, spy, anti-Nazi dissident, and key founding member of the Confessing Church, who was one of few Christian churches in Germany that openly opposed the Nazi regime. Bonhoeffer was imprisoned in 1943 for refusing to join the military and talking against Hitler’s persecution of the Jews. After the failed bomb plot of 20th July, 1944, in which many of Bonhoeffer’s friends and allies were convicted of attempting to assassinate Adolph Hitler, the Nazis decided that Bonhoeffer was too dangerous and Hitler ordered his execution. The Nazis hanged Bonhoeffer in the notorious 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). Bonhoeffer writes, “Cheap grace is grace without a price, without costs. Cheap grace is preaching forgiveness without repentance. Cheap grace is grace without discipleship.” (Bonhoeffer, p. 29-30)
Bonhoeffer goes on and contrasts cheap grace, this “grace without discipleship” with “costly grace.” Costly grace is the hidden treasure in the field, for the sake of which, people go and sell all they have. Costly grace is the pearl, for whose value is so great, that the merchant sells all that he has. It is Christ’s sovereignty, for that sake of which you tear out an eye or cut off a hand if it causes you to stumble. It is the call of Jesus Christ, which causes a disciple to leave his nets and follow him. (Bonhoeffer, p. 30-31)
Text
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 says, “Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.”
Let us pray…
Jesus called the first disciples near the beginning of His ministry in a region called Galilee. Galilee is where Jesus began preaching repentance and the good news. The majority of first three gospels happened in Galilee. There were about 204 cities and villages in Galilee, with an estimated population of between 2 million & 3 million. Galilee is a place of great natural fertility. The soil in the region rejects no plant and the air suits nearly every variety. The fruits grown there are remarkable. The Galilean commerce was heavily dependent on both agriculture and fishing industries.
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.
How does God make disciples?
Jesus said, “Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.”
In this one command, Jesus gives us four ways in which God made Christian disciples.
I. Jesus calls disciples—disciples leave their past
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.
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 Mathew, “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’s, 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 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 disciples.
Jesus called these first disciples to leave their past life and follow him, transforming these men into disciple makers.
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 go encourage me to go. I went to the altar and met a man who led me in a sinners 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 yout 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 behind.
II. Jesus leads disciples—disciples follow Jesus.
Vs. 19 says, “Follow me…”
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, 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?
We’ve established that Jesus leads disciples and disciples follow, let’s move on to the third point.
III. Jesus transforms disciples—disciples become like Jesus
Vs. 19 says, “…and I will make you…”
Jesus’ goal is to transform 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 minds and hearts 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.
Does anyone remember what happened on May 19, 2013? That afternoon a tornado touched down in Edmond, damaging homes and businesses. Another touched down just East of Edmond off Post Road. Another touched down just north of Luther. The debris circulation was ½ mile wide. A fourth large tornado touched down east of Norman, turning into a waterspout on Lake Thunderbird, eventually damaging several homes in the area. Little Axe was devastated by that tornado. One 76-year-old man lost his life. A fifth EF4 tornado ravaged through a little trailer part in Bethel called Steelman Estates, totally wiping it out. A 79 year-old man lost his life in Steelman Estates. That same tornado eventually crossed I-40 & highway 177, eventually taking out several homes in Dale, including Doug and Toby’s home.
You might say, “How does that horrible tragedy have anything to do with advancing the Gospel?”
Let me tell you about Doug and Toby. They lost everything they owned that day. It was a difficult circumstance in their life, but God came through. All they lost God restored. Their testimony has touched countless people. Through this difficult situation they will both tell you they came out with stronger faith and a story about how God, and God’s people, came through for them. God is able to use Doug and Toby’s difficult circumstance to advance the Gospel.
This tragedy fundamentally changed the way Cross Connection Church sees ministry. The months after the tornado, our church was one of many disaster relief areas. We gave out truckloads of supplies, food, and water to countless people. God used this difficult circumstance to advance the Gospel through our church.
This tragedy changed me. God impressed upon me to do something for Steelman Estates. I saw them as forgotten, due to the overshadowing of the Moore tornado. I took a large group from Tinker AFB to help at Steelman Estates. As a result of highlighting this need, the 2-star General from Tinker came to Steelman Estates himself. What I saw those days following the tragedy fundamentally changed my life too. I did not lose a house or have any property damage, but my faith in God was increased. God is able to use this difficult circumstance to advance the Gospel.
God wants to transform your life to be like Jesus. Many times, God allows you to go through difficult circumstances to mold you and change your behavior to be Christ like.
How many of you are in a difficult circumstance right now? Jesus knows what you are going through and will “Never leave you or forsake you.”
When the apostle Paul was in chains (Philippians 1:12-14), he said, “What has happened to me has actually served to advance the gospel. As a result, it has become clear throughout the whole palace guard and to everyone else that I am in chains for Christ.” He goes on to say that, because of his imprisonment, it has built the confidence of “brothers and sisters” to advance the Gospel.
We’ve established that Jesus transforms disciples to become like Him, lets move to the final point.
IV. Jesus commissions disciples—disciples go make more disciples.
Vs. 19 says, “…fishers of men.”
In Chapter 28, Versus 19, Matthew pens the Jesus’ last words before he left this earth. Jesus said, “Therefore, go and make disciples of all nations.”
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.
George Harrison’s (Beatles) last words to his family were, “Love one another.”
Jack Daniel’s last words were, “One last drink, please”
Steve Irwin’s last words were, “Don’t worry, stingrays don’t usually swim backwards”
After the priest told Charlie Chapman, “May the Lord have mercy on your soul,” his last words were, “Why not, after all, it belongs to him,”
Harriet Tubman’s last words were, “Swing low, sweet chariot.”
Murderer James W. Rodgers, as he was put in front of a firing squad in Utah asked if he had a last request. He replied, “Bring me a bullet-proof vest.”
Not all these famous people made their last words count. Some did and some didn’t.
Jesus made his last words count when he said, “Go and make disciples!”
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?
