Don’t Sit on Your Grace Mark 1:14-22, Galatians 2:17-21
Story has it that Mark Twain loved to go fishing, but he hated to catch fish. The problem was he went fishing to relax. In turn catching any fish would ruin his relaxation. He would have to take off the fish and bait the hook. When he would do nothing people would call him lazy, but if people saw him fishing they would leave him alone. “Don’t bother him he’s fishing.” So Mark came up with the perfect plan. He would literally put his line in the water without a hook. People saw him what looked to be fishing and leave him alone. Of course he would not have to mess with any fish cause there was no bait. He would cast a line and bobber in the water and lie back on the bank and relax. He wouldn’t be bothered by fish or man.
Twain is a lot like some Christians I know. They have their pole in the water, but there is no hook on the end. They are not fishing, they are just relaxing. Do you think that is what Jesus had in mind for us? We say we are fishing but we are just sitting on our grace. To many Christians today are just sitting around on our grace and not sharing it. Wonder why we don’t have a lot of visitors or new Christians, maybe we are just sitting’ on grace. This text we will look at is about God’s call for us to be fishers of men.
(read mark 1:14-22)
At one point in our lives Jesus came by and called us to follow him. We did not plan for it nor did we expect it. But he went out to see and touch our lives. What a wonderful day that was, when we accepted him to be our Lord and Savior. Jesus has a plan for you and I just like he did for those fishermen. Every Christian who is called to follow the Lord is also called to be fishers of men. There’s no exception, no excuse, and no alternative.
When the Master said, “Come follow me and I will make you fishers of men” they left everything to follow him. They dropped their nets. It seems so easy and effortless. But look at the reality of it. They left everything behind. Their lives, family, jobs, and the person they once were. They left their comfort and security. Now look at them they have left everything to become fishers of men. They are instruments of God. There is nothing better than being used for God. They were not promising people, but when they gave up everything to follow Jesus they became so much more. Paul Harvey once said “ Too many Christians are no longer fishers of men, instead they have become keepers of the aquarium. While Harvey’s statement is true, we need to ask why? We all know of the Great Commission in Mark 16. No where in the Bible does it say to just hang up a sign that says come here. “GO” The word means for us to go to the people. Seek them, reach out to them, and tell them. Interrupt the lives to tell them about Jesus.
Jesus comes into our lives, interrupting our sinful ways. Remember these interruptions are always points of opportunity. If you have salvation, then you are his disciple, and you can expect to be interrupted. Do you really seek to talk to lost people? Do you pray for the opportunity to share the grace that God has given you? Most of you will say no. Because you know God will grant that opportunity to you. We don’t want out of our comfort zone. We are either ashamed or scared to share with others. We are scared he will interrupt our lives.
There was once a lawyer sitting at his desk. He received a brochure in the mail that was supposed to go to another person. He sat at his desk looking at it, which by the way was about missions in Africa. Right then and there he decided that he was going to Africa to become a missionary and that was exactly what he did. God had interrupted his life. God placed a turning point in his life. Now God may not be calling you to the foreign mission field but he is calling you to home missions. He may not be calling you to the ministry but he is calling each and every one of us to share his gift. He wants all of us to be FISHERS OF MEN. I think that one thing the Bible is clear about that one call is as important than the other. If he is telling to share with a neighbor or a family member it is just as important as a missionary in a far away country. You should take it just as seriously. If God called you to Africa I am sure you would do it with all of your heart. But for some reason when he tells us to talk to our family, friends, neighbors, and co-workers we think it is not as important. IT IS JUST AS IMPORTANT. The Great Commission tells us to GO!
We need to understand that God calls us when we are saved. Someone once said “Witnessing is that deep seated conviction that the greatest favor I can do for others is to introduce them to Jesus Christ.” We are to tell what God has done for us. How he changed our lives. Remember the woman at the well. She went into the village after receiving the living water and told everyone “Come see a man who told me everything I have ever done” (Jn 4). The blind man in John chapter 9 proclaimed, “ I once was blind but now I see and Jesus is the reason.” Evangelism is started when first accept Jesus. Remember that feeling. The fire that was set in our souls. Our fires have been burning real low lately, haven’t they?
A mom and her daughter were driving home after church one Sunday when the little girl began to ask her mom some questions about the morning service. “Mom there is something about the pastor’s sermon this morning that I don’t understand. He said that God is bigger than we are. He is so big that he can hold the whole world in his hands.” The mother said, “Of course dear that is true.” The little girl replied “But Mom he also said that God lived inside of us when we believe in Jesus, is that true too?” “Yes” the mother replied. Then with a puzzled look on her face the little girl asked, “If God is bigger than we are and He lives inside of us, wouldn’t he show through?”
Fishermen have talents God can use. First of all fishermen have patience. In seminary I didn’t see a class called Patience 101. As a fisherman, you will have a love for your task. You will have a love for the increase. Do you have a love for the increase of the Kingdom of God? Are you overjoyed at the thought of bringing one to Christ?
Fishermen know a few will get away. Fishermen know that they will still rejoice over what they catch. Fishermen know that sometimes they need to go to different locations to catch fish. They know they need to mend their nets, or even go about things differently. Sometimes just to toss the net on the other side of the boat. Remember life will open a lot of doors and close some too. If you heed his call you need to expect wonder and astonishment.
Dr. Doren Edwards, a surgeon and a Gideon in Erin, Tennessee tells of a patient whose alcoholic husband had died. Her two children were giving her problems, money was tight and her life was very hard. One day she came to see him wit physical problems. He diagnosed her with cancer in multiple organs. No treatment was available. She became very bitter about it all. Dr. Edwards wanted to talk to her about the Lord. But she would have none of it. She did however accept a small Gideon Bible. A few weeks later he read in the paper about her passing. He sent a letter to the family explaining he donated Bibles in her memory to the Gideon’s. The woman’s daughter called him. “Could you please send a Bible like the ones you donated in her memory of our mother?” she asked. “We don’t have a Bible in our home. The last six days she was alive, her whole life changed. She was no longer bitter, she wasn’t afraid of dying, and she said something about knowing Jesus. But she asked to bury with her Bible in her hands. Would you please send us a Bible so that we can find what Momma found in that book?” Dr. Edwards did just that, and to this day her daughter, son, and a sister have found Jesus as the Lord and Savior. All of this as a result of one man’s doing what God has called us to do.
Are you doing what God has called us to do? Are you being the fisherman that he expects us to be? There was this group who called themselves fishermen. There was many fish around in the waters. In fact the whole area was full of fish begging to be caught. Day after day, week after week, month after month, and sadly year after year those who called themselves fishermen gathered and talked about fishing and how they might go about it. They declared that their primary task was to be fishing. They built nice big buildings they called fishing stations. They declared everyone should be a fisherman and every fisherman should fish. One thing they didn’t do was fish. Folks that is our churches today. We say we are going to go fishing but we never do. Are you like Mark Twain with your pole in the water with no hook so people will leave you alone, with no intentions of ever catching anything? Are you just sitting around on your grace? You don’t sit in grace. You love it, live it and you share it. Are you fishing?
