I Will Make You
Mark 1:16-18
Now as he walked by the sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and Andrew, his brother, casting a net into the sea: For they were fishers. And Jesus said unto them, "Come ye after me and I will make you fishers of men."
The part of this scripture that I want us to give our attention to today is in verse 17, and it is one line.
Come after me, and I will make you fishers of men. And I want to concentrate on one part of this that Jesus said. Come after me and I will make you.
I have talked to people and have heard them say, "I don’t think I can live a Christian life." "I don’t think I can do it." "I don’t know if I can be what I ought to be."
Friend, Jesus said, "I will make you."
But I am getting ahead of myself, but it excites me to see that as Jesus begins his ministry and is gathering disciples, where does he go? Did he go to the local synagogue? Did he look for the brightest young prospects at the local Jewish schools? Did he search for the most pious and religious; the ones most doctrinally correct?
NO! He went down to the boat docks. He went to the people with calloused hands and dirt under their fingernails. People who knew something about hard labor, who knew about being faithful. People who understood that some days the nets return to the ship full, but some days the wind blows and the waves rock the boat and the nets are empty, but we must try again.
If a man succeeds at fishing for a living, he must fish every day, in good conditions and in bad.
Paul said think of where you were when you were called. Not many were wise, by human standards, not many of us were rich or influential. Not many were of a nobel birth, but Jesus said, "Follow me and I will make you."
Many times in my own ministry I have even turned to my wife and said, "I can’t do this thing. I don’t even know how to start. I have went to the Lord and said, "Lord this is way over my head. I don’t think I can do it, but the answer is:
Jesus said, "Follow after me, I will make you."
Discipleship is not about our potential or power, but it is about the promise and the presence of Jesus Christ in our life. (Read Hebrews 13:20-21)
God is not looking for people with great ability, but he is looking for obedience and willingness. He has all the ability.
Some people hold back from following Jesus because there is an element of the unknown when we follow Christ.
Where will he lead me? He may lead you to a rest home somewhere or to the sick and the lonely. He may lead you to your neighbor’s kitchen table to comfort one whose marriage has been torn by the sins of the world. He may lead you to the lunch room at work where a fellow worker will lay their heart in your hands. He may lead you to the hospital where life and death hang in the balance.
Follow me, Jesus cries. Follow me by faith. Follow me and as we walk through the uncertainty of this world, I will make you.
What will he make you?
He may make you a friend to the friendless. He will make you a light in darkness. He may make you a comforter to the lonely. He will make you powerful in prayer. He may make you a talented teacher and spiritual counciler.
Follow me Jesus cries, and I will make you what you need to be.
Where will Jesus lead us?
He will lead us in the paths of righteousness. He will lead us into all truth. He will lead us through every storm. He will lead us to Heaven. Amen.
You may be saying, I would like to be a Christian, but I don’t think I can.
Jesus says, "Follow me. I will make you."
God told Jeremiah in chapter 1 verse 5: "Before I formed thee in the belly, I knew thee. And before thou camest forth out of the womb, I sanctified thee and I ordained thee a prophet unto the nations. And Jeremiah said, "I can’t speak, I am a child." And the Lord told him "Don’t say that. I will send thee and I’ll command your speech."
Friend, our ability is not in ourselves, but in Christ.
II Corinthians 5:17 - Therefore if any man be in Christ he is a new creature. Old things are passed away. Behold all things are become new.
The message I bring is from the Lord Jesus, and he says "Come ye after me and I will make you what you need to be.
Jesus is speaking to someone who may be saying in their heart, "I can’t", and Jesus is saying "I can".
Turn to Jeremiah 18:1-6. The Word which came to Jeremiah from the Lord, saying, Arise, and go down to the potter’s house, and there I will cause thee to hear my words. Then I went down to the potter’s house, and, behold, he wrought a work on the wheels.
And the vessel that he made of clay was marred in the hand of the potter: so he made it again another vessel, as seemed good to the potter to make it. Then the word of the Lord came to me, saying, O house of Israel, cannot I do with you as this potter? saith the Lord. Behold, as the clay is in the potter’s
If you feel like your life has been marred. Maybe you feel like you have failed in the past, and the devil has said, "No use to try again". He is a liar!
Jesus has said, "Just follow me. I’ll make all things new again."
