JESUS' CALL TO FOLLOW HIM
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. Jesus, if you meet Him, is the answer to all your searching. In Him you’ll find fulfillment, purpose, and the love of God. Real men/women will follow Christ when they meet Him.
2. Mt. 20:16 says, “Many are called, but few are chosen.” From our standpoint, this means, “Many are called, but few really respond to that call.”
3. AN EXAMPLE: RICH YOUNG RULER - He was called by Christ to follow Him. But he was reluctant to give up his comfortable lifestyle. He would not respond to the Master’s Call.
4. We’re going to look at the nature, purpose & authority of Jesus’ call. The title of this message is “Jesus' Call to Follow Him.”
I. THE NATURE OF THE CALL
A. MADE TO ORDINARY PEOPLE
1. Jesus found Peter, Andrew, James & John.
2. WERE ORDINARY PEOPLE:
a. NOT TRAINED – Scribes, Levites, Priests
b. NOT RABBIS – not even Pharisees, Sadducees
c. But people like you & me.
d. Jesus wasn’t looking for the elite, the educated, the brilliant, the Barbie & Ken’s of this world. Listen…
3. 1 Cor. 1:26; “For you see your calling, brethren, that not many wise according to the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called.”
B. HE CALLS BUSY PEOPLE
1. WHAT JESUS CALLED:
a. Fishermen, busy running their business, planning their future, setting goals…
b. Yet Christ called them in the midst of their busy-ness!
c. James & John had their father Zebedee & hired servants – and were partners with Peter & Andrew. They had a booming business corporation going!
2. CHRIST CALLS MANY BUSY PEOPLE TODAY
a. Some follow Him;
b. Others do not respond, like the Rich Young Ruler.
c. Others become Christians, but later let busyness engulf their lives & quit following.
3. ILLUS.
a. A minister was approached by a man who wanted to join the church.
b. “But,” the man said, “I have a very busy schedule. I can’t be called on for any service, such as committee work, teaching, or singing in the choir. I just won’t be available for special projects or to help with setting up chairs, or things like that. And I’m afraid I’ll never be able to go on visitation, as my evenings are all tied up.”
c. The minister thought for a moment, then replied, “I believe you’re at the wrong church. The church you’re looking for is three blocks down the street, on the right.”
d. The man followed the preacher’s directions and soon came to an abandoned, boarded up, closed church building. It was a dead church – gone out of business!
4. Have we let “good” things crowd out our faithfulness to Jesus? What happened to our VISION?... our BURNING HEARTS? Our LOVE for God? Jesus calls us to come back to Him.
C. IT IS A POSITIVE CALL
1. NOT A CALL TO ESCAPE HELL, TO A BORING LIFE, just to get blessed, But a CALL TO FOLLOW JESUS, a POSITIVE CALL.
2. NOT A CALL OF OUR OWN CHOOSING – “I’ll be a good business man.”
3. Jesus said, “Follow Me and I will make you…” We’re supposed to be like Jesus.
D. A CALL TO BE TRANSFORMED BY HIS POWER
1. It’s HIS POWER that transforms us. “But to as many as received Him…to them gave He power to BECOME THE SONS OF GOD!” John 1:12. We’re supposed to be ‘becoming’ some-thing new!
2. Some of you are facing mountains. We don’t look at the mountain, but at the One who can move it. It’s not ‘what’ you know, but ‘who’ you know. Give Him time; pray. Read the Word, church!
3. WHAT EACH BECOMES MAY BE DIFFERENT
a. Vs. 16, Simon & Andrew “casting their nets.” Jesus told them, “I will make you fishers of men.”
b. Vs. 19, James & John, “mending their nets.” ‘Mending’ is the same Greek word (katarti-) used in Eph. 4:12, of the Apostles “equipping the saints”
c. Jesus called Peter to “catch fish” and He called John/James to “equip the saints.” Both were called, but to different goals. WE NEED TO GROW!
4. ILLUS.: SIX INCH CHRISTIANS
a. A young man worked for a company which supplied live fish for home aquariums. He explained that one of the most popular fish for aquariums is the shark.
b. If you catch a small shark and confine it, it will stay a size proportional to the aquarium. Sharks can be six inches long, yet fully mature.
c. But if you turn them loose in the ocean, they grow to their normal length of eight feet.
d. That also happens to some Christians. If they adapt themselves to the worldly people around them, they may remain six inch tall Christians. Pygmies in faith.
e. But if they catch a larger vision – looking to the spiritual stature of N.T. believers & the Lord Jesus Himself – they may rise to their rightful place as giants of faith and power!
5. Which will you be?
II. THE PURPOSE OF THE CALL
A. JESUS’ STRATEGY & OURS
1. NOT programs, slogans, methods,
2. But POURING HIMSELF/ Reproducing Himself in eleven men. Notice His stated purpose:
3. Mk. 3:14, “that they should be with Him.”
Mk. 9:30-31, “Passed through Galilee & He would not that any man should know it, for He taught His disciples.”
B. OUR GOAL ULTIMATELY
PAUL’S STATED PURPOSE: 2 Tim. 2:2 NKJ, “And the things that you have heard from me among many witnesses, commit these to faithful men who will be able to teach others also.”
1. NOT just to get lost people SAVED;
2. Nor to bring those New Babes to MATURITY;
3. Nor only that those Mature Saints should become SOUL-WINNERS;
4. WHAT REALLY COUNTS IS WHEN OUR CONVERTS GO OUT AND MAKE LEADERS OF THEIR CONVERTS!
C. REPRODUCTION
1. Before we can liberate others, we must be liberated.
2. The Law of Reproduction says, “We reproduce after our own kind.” In other words, we will reproduce the same kind of Christian/ level of commitment in those we disciple.
3. So the question is, “What kind of Christians are you producing?” DO YOU & I HAVE ENOUGH OF JESUS IN US TO REPRODUCE HIM IN SOMEONE ELSE?
III. THE AUTHORITY OF THE CALL
A. IT SUPERSEDES OUR OCCUPATION
1. They left their jobs and security to follow Jesus.
B. IT SUPERSEDES MATERIAL POSSESSIONS
1. They left their boats and nets.
2. The Rich Young Ruler was told to “Sell all that you have and give the money to the poor; then come, and follow Me.” But he loved his material possessions/ security.
C. IT SUPERSEDES FAMILY TIES
1. We’re not talking about using the Lord to neglect your family, but we must not let family ties to keep us from obeying the Lord.
2. Paul said, “Whatever condition you’re in when you get saved, remain in that condition.” But James & John left their father.
3. Wives should not let their husband’s lack of interest in spiritual things keep them from walking with God. Nor husbands use wives for an excuse for lack of commitment.
D. ILLUS.: THEY CUT OUT THAT WHICH WAS INCONSISTENT WITH THEIR PURPOSE
1. Film-maker Walt Disney was ruthless in cutting anything that got in the way of a story’s pacing.
2. Ward Kimball, one of the animators for Snow White, recalls working 240 days on a 4 ½ minute sequence in which the dwarves made soup for Snow White and almost destroyed the kitchen in the process.
3. Disney thought it was funny, but he decided the scene stopped the flow of the picture, so out it went.
4. When the film of our lives is shown, will it be as great as it might be? A lot will depend on the multitude of “good” things we need to eliminate to make way for the great things God wants to do through us!
CONCLUSION
A. ILLUSTRATION
1. It was Sunday morning, Sept. 27, 1959. Pres. Dwight Eisenhower had Nikita Khrushchev, Premier of the Soviet Union in Washington for talks.
2. Pres. Eisenhower invited Khrushchev to accompany him to worship service at the Presbyterian Church. Khrushchev declined to go. What should Eisenhower do?
3. HE WENT ON TO CHURCH WITHOUT HIM! He had many reasons NOT to go without him:
a. Out of “good manners.”
b. They only had a limited time together.
c. Heads of the 2 greatest nations.
4. But Eisenhower’s example demonstrated the importance of his Christian faith. Jesus was more important than the greatest leader in the world. Khrushchev had to see that.
5. Yet many Christians would never leave their guests at their house to go to church. What is that saying to them? What impression does that give of Christ’s place in your life?
B. THE CALL
1. Jesus said, “If any man would come after Me, he must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow Me.”
2. What areas of your life – right now – are self-denying and doing his will above your own? How are you taking up your cross?
3. The Master is calling; “Come, follow Me! Leave your old life. Walk with Me in a new life!”
4. Call for salvation.
[This is a rewrite of J. David Hoke's message The Master's Call.]
