Matthew 4:18-25: Follow Me
Notes
Transcript
Intro
If you have your bibles turn to Matthew 4:18-25
Last week, we saw Jesus fulfilling the prophecy of Isaiah 9:1-2 by moving to the region of Naphtali and Zebulun and bringing light to a dark place. We talked a little about how Jesus continued preaching the same message of John the Baptist and called people to “Repent, for the kingdom of Heaven is at hand.”
This morning we are going to be completing the introduction section of the Gospel according to Matthew by studying when Jesus calls his disciples to follow him, forsaking all to be disciples of Jesus. It is a call and response that we must take seriously and consider the ramifications for our own lives.
In a world full of comforts will we forsake everything to answer Jesus’s call to follow him?
18 While walking by the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon (who is called Peter) and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea, for they were fishermen. 19 And he said to them, “Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.” 20 Immediately they left their nets and followed him. 21 And 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. 22 Immediately they left the boat and their father and followed him. 23 And he went throughout all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom and healing every disease and every affliction among the people. 24 So his fame spread throughout all Syria, and they brought him all the sick, those afflicted with various diseases and pains, those oppressed by demons, those having seizures, and paralytics, and he healed them. 25 And great crowds followed him from Galilee and the Decapolis, and from Jerusalem and Judea, and from beyond the Jordan.
Let’s pray.
Matthew 4:18-22
Matthew 4:18-22
There have been some major themes in the book of Matthew
God is sovereign over all of history
Jesus is the promised Messiah
Jesus is the King, not just of the Jews, but of the whole world
Evil is rampant in the world, but the Messiah is mighty to overcome it
And in our passage this morning he is introducing the theme of Radical Discipleship
Matthew 4:18–22 (ESV)
18 While walking by the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon (who is called Peter) and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea, for they were fishermen. 19 And he said to them, “Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.” 20 Immediately they left their nets and followed him. 21 And 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. 22 Immediately they left the boat and their father and followed him.
The Calling of the first disciples
Peter, James, and John - Jesus’s closest disciples
What do we see to be the response of both sets of brothers?
Immediate obedience
Leaving behind family and livelihood to follow Jesus
How many times do we refuse to do the same?
Also notice the call from Jesus, “Follow me and I will make you...”
Matthew 4:23-25
Matthew 4:23-25
Matthew 4:23 (ESV)
23 And he went throughout all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom and healing every disease and every affliction among the people.
the three major points of Jesus’s Ministry: Teaching, Preaching, and Healing
What does the word Gospel mean? Good News
What is the Gospel that Jesus proclaims? The Gospel of the Kingdom of God
Matthew 4:24 (ESV)
24 So his fame spread throughout all Syria, and they brought him all the sick, those afflicted with various diseases and pains, those oppressed by demons, those having seizures, and paralytics, and he healed them.
Matthew 4:25 (ESV)
25 And great crowds followed him from Galilee and the Decapolis, and from Jerusalem and Judea, and from beyond the Jordan.
Questions for Reflection
What has been my response to Jesus's call to follow him? Immediate obedience, reluctant submission, or an outright rejection of him?
Could I be described as a "radical disciple"?
Am I being shaped by Jesus and his teachings? Or am I shaping Jesus into what I want him to be?
In what ways has Jesus remade me and my desires?
Am I holding onto anything that Christ has called me to let go of? These don’t have to be bad things! I can’t
Is my life different in light of the reality of the Good News of the Kingdom and the power and work of Christ?
7. How does, and how should, Jesus's care and compassion for those who are hurting affect me?