Good morning, and welcome to the Panhandle. Thanks for dropping by, why don't you pull out your Bible and sit a spell.
C. S. Lewis once likened looking at the portrait of Jesus in the New Testament to viewing a work of art. He wrote: We must look, and go on looking, till we have certainly seen exactly what is there. We sit down before the picture in order to have something done to us, not that we may do things with it. The first demand any work of art makes upon us is surrender. Look. Listen. Receive. Get yourself out of the way. - C. S. Lewis, An Experiment in Criticism
Last week we started looking at the last half of Matthew, Chapter 4. I told y'all that we were going to see three areas of growth over the next few weeks as Christ Jesus began His earthly ministry. The first area of growth we looked at was the “Growth of Christ Jesus' Ministry.” In looking at how Christ Jesus' ministry started we read about Him leaving the area of Jerusalem and going to Capernaum, vs.12-13. Matthew in verses 13-16 shows us that it was no accident and once again he turns to the Old Testament book of Isaiah, specifically Isaiah 9:1-2. In verse 17 Matthew tells us that Christ Jesus began to preach and what did He preach? “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”
Today we are going to look at the start of the Disciples' spiritual growth as they were called to follow Christ Jesus and get their selves out of the way.
Matthew 4:18-22
18 As Jesus was walking beside the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon called Peter and his brother Andrew. They were casting a net into the lake, for they were fishermen. 19 "Come, follow me," Jesus said, "and I will make you fishers of men." 20 At once they left their nets and followed him.
21 Going on from there, he saw two other brothers, James son of Zebedee and his brother John. They were in a boat with their father Zebedee, preparing their nets. Jesus called them, 22 and immediately they left the boat and their father and followed him.
1. It Started With Four (vs. 18-22)
Imagine you are watching a play.
The background is made to look like a the Sea of Galilee with the sun just high to cast enough light to see by. On the stage you see boats pulled up on the shore, fishing nets hung to dry and mend on racks scattered about. You see all the things you would expect to see along the shore of a 1st century fishing town or village. In the center of the stage you notice four men working at their nets and boats.
And then you hear them speak and soon you realize that these four men, are two sets of brothers. The first two brothers that you hear clearly are Simon Peter and Andrew. They are talking about the nights catch, about family matters, and Andrew who was once a follower of John the Baptizer is telling Simon Peter about that new prophet named Jesus. Simon Peter is not really paying attention, after all it seems Andrew is always talking about this teacher or that teacher or some new prophet. The other two men are James and John. We learn that they are the sons of a man named Zebedee. James and John have just recently taken over the fishing business from their father, they are also good friends of Simon Peter and Andrew.
Entering stage right is the lone figure of a man of medium height and built like he is use to hard work and lots of walking. The man walks out of the shadows and you recognize Him, He is the teacher, and prophet Jesus of Nazareth. The four Fishermen visit with Jesus as they go about their work.
Matthew leaves us with the impression that this was Christ Jesus' first meeting with these four men. But if you look at the Gospel of John you will see that some of the 12 had had some contact with Christ Jesus before He called them. For example we know that Simon Peter and Andrew had heard of Christ Jesus previously because Andrew was the disciple of John the Baptizer, who along with another of John's disciples had followed Christ Jesus to visit with Him.
Stuart K. Weber writes in the Holman Commentary on Matthew; Jesus had known his disciples fore some time and had even seen them in ministry situations. Thus their decision to follow him was not hastily made.
Christ Jesus, do you know Him as your Lord and Saviour? I know that some of you might be holding off inviting Christ Jesus into your life for some reason or another. What I don't understand is why? Why would you not want to invite the one who created all things, who came to earth as one of us, who lived live as one of us, who suffered pain and humiliation, even death on a cross so that you could be made right in the sight of God. All of this because He loves you and wants you to be with Him in His heavenly kingdom for ever and ever. Why would you not want to invite Christ Jesus into your life?
2. Fishers of Men (vs. 19)
The term “fishers of men” was not new. For centuries, Greek and Roman philosophers had used it to describe the work of the a man who seeks to “catch” others by teaching and persuasion.
“Fishing for men” is just one of many pictures of evangelism in the Bible. Christ Jesus also talked about the shepherd seeking the lost sheep (Luke 15:1–7), and the workers in the harvest-field (John 4:34–38). Since these four men were involved in the fishing business, it only made since for Christ Jesus to talk about fishing with them. That's one of the cool things about Christ Jesus – He reaches out to you where your at and in terms you can relate to.
Christ Jesus had four and possibly seven men in the band of disciples who were professional fishermen (see John 21:1–3). Did you know that fishing and evangelism have a lot in common?
Fishermen either sorted their catch, prepared for a catch, or mended their equipment.
The Lord needs people who are not afraid to work.
Fishermen have to be courageous and patient people.
It certainly takes patience and courage to win others to Christ.
Fishermen must have skill; they must learn from others where to find the fish and how to catch them.
Soul-winning demands some skill too. And the skills are best learned from other Christians.
These men had to work together, and the work of the Lord demands cooperation.
But most of all, fishing demands faith: fishermen cannot see the fish and are not sure their nets will enclose them.
Soul-winning requires faith and alertness too, or we will fail.
Matthew has presented to us the person of the King in Christ Jesus.
Every time you tell someone about Christ Jesus and what He has done in your life you affirm, “This is the Son of God, this is the King!”
As great crowds of people followed him, and wished to be taught, he went up into a Mountain and there preached to them, and gave them, from his own lips, the words of that Prayer, beginning, "Our father which art in Heaven," that you say every night. It is called The Lord's Prayer, because it was first said by Jesus Christ, and because he commanded his disciples to pray in those words. - Charles Dickens
3. The Growth of Christ Jesus’ Disciples (vs. 23-25)
Three of the first four called, Peter, James, and John would go on to make up the inner circle of Christ Jesus’ larger group of disciples. Peter would later become one of the closest disciples of Christ Jesus and do great acts in the early church.
As we see the growth of Christ Jesus’ disciples we must notice their obedience. They realized that following Christ Jesus was far more important than whatever else they were doing. That is still true today. Following Christ Jesus is far more important than whatever else you are doing! The problem, even for Christians; is that we tend to forget this and substitute our wants, our desires, our whatever for Christ Jesus. When you look at how you spend your time and your resources what does it say about your relationship with Christ Jesus?
The names of the Twelve apostles were, Simon, whom He also named Peter, and Andrew his brother; and James and John; and Philip and Bartholomew; and Matthew and Thomas; James the son of Alphaeus, and Simon who was called the Zealot; Judas the son of James, and Judas Iscariot, who became a traitor. (Luke 6:14-16). They were average men, not the bravest nor the easiest to work with. Peter was impulsive and headstrong, Andrew was homespun and supportive, James and John were ambitious and called “sons of thunder,” Matthew was a despised Tax Collector; yet they were willing to change, to identify with Christ Jesus and become heralds of the kingdom of God. Are you ready to change this morning.
On that faithful day Christ Jesus stopped, and went into Simon Peter's boat, and asked him if he had caught any fish. Peter said, “No they hadn't caught a thing.” Christ Jesus said, " Go out and let down the net again." Peter, tired and sore said no, but then recanted and did as Christ Jesus commanded. Against all odds and all logic the net came up so full of fish, that it required the strength of James and John to help lift it out of the water, and even then it was very hard to do. This was a miracle! The fish should not have been near the top of the water that time of day. Like I said a Christ given miracle!
This was part of Christ Jesus’ strategy to develop His disciple. He would call a diverse group of associates, not from the religious elite, but from regular hard working men and even from the despised of the community. Men who would be with Him and learn from Him.
A disciple is one who both identifies with and learns from his master. For teachers to have disciples was not unusual in Christ Jesus’ day. The rabbis of His day had disciples who studied and learned at their feet. But the difference between Christ Jesus’ calling of disciples and the approach of the rabbis was that Christ Jesus called them, rather than waiting for them to come and apply to study with Him.
Christ Jesus was a younger teacher in the discipling role than were the rabbis traditionally. Christ Jesus was discipling people by being with them, modeling His truth rather than simply teaching them the Law. Christ Jesus did not graduate His disciples like the rabbis did, once you are a disciple of Christ Jesus; you remain a disciple. Christ Jesus called disciples who would disciple others. He called them to be “fishers of men.” Their mission was not so much teaching and admonishing people in the Law as it was to invite others to become fellow-disciples in the kingdom of Christ.This has not changed, you as a Christ follower are still called to make disciples.
C. H. Spurgeon for his first sermon in the new Metropolitan Tabernacle, London, on March 25, 1861, deliberately chose to preach on Christ Jesus. In this sermon, he states: "I would propose that the subject of the ministry of this house, as long as this platform shall stand, and as long as this house shall be frequented by worshippers, shall be the person of Jesus Christ. I am never ashamed to avow myself a Calvinist, although I claim to be rather a Calvinist according to Calvin, than after the modern debased fashion. I do not hesitate to take the name Baptist. You have there [pointing to the baptistery] substantial evidence that I am not ashamed of that ordinance of our Lord Jesus Christ; but if I am asked to say what is my creed, I think I must reply—'It is Jesus Christ.' My venerable predecessor, Dr. Gill, has left a body of divinity, admirable and excellent in its way; but the body of divinity to which I would pin and bind myself for ever, God helping me, is not his system of divinity or any other human treatise, but Christ Jesus, who is the sum and substance of the Gospel; who is in himself all theology, the incarnation of every precious truth, the all-glorious personal embodiment of the way, the truth, and the life."
Are you like the first disciples “pinning” yourself to Christ Jesus? When you look at your life does it show that you are a good and faithful servant of the King? If not then look at what you need to do to make it so and do it!
I pray you enjoyed our time together in God's Word and that I will see you back next week. May our Lord and Saviour, Christ Jesus richly bless you.
Biblesurfer
Sources used: Matthew McCraw, Augsburger, M. S., & Ogilvie, L. J. Stuart K. Weber
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