On Earth, as It Is in Heaven
Who’s Your One? • Sermon • Submitted
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Matthew 4:18-22
INTRODUCTION:
Consider what comes to mind when you think about a politician, a CrossFit fanatic or a millennial. Odds are you have certain mental associations with each. Now, what comes to mind when you hear the word Christian? Odds are you associate that word with certain characteristics as well. The broader culture also forms impressions of what a Christian is and whether or not they are one.
The first followers of Jesus didn’t call themselves Christians. It was a derogatory term used by people outside of the faith. In Acts 11:26, we see that the first Christians were known as disciples. The word Christian is used three times in the whole Bible; the word disciple is used 281 times. Disciple is a far more accurate and compelling description of what it means to follow Jesus. And, as we will see, the concept of a disciple exposes the fact that many who claim to be Christians are not actually disciples of Jesus.
MAIN TEXT:
Matthew 4:18-22
18 One day as Jesus was walking along the shore of the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers—Simon, also called Peter, and Andrew—throwing a net into the water, for they fished for a living.
19 Jesus called out to them, “Come, follow me, and I will show you how to fish for people!”
20 And they left their nets at once and followed him.
21 A little farther up the shore he saw two other brothers, James and John, sitting in a boat with their father, Zebedee, repairing their nets. And he called them to come, too.
22 They immediately followed him, leaving the boat and their father behind.
HISTORICAL BACKGROUND:
All Hebrew boys went to Torah school starting at age 5.
By age 10, all young boys knew the Torah and the best students went on to study the remainder of the Old Testament. The rest returned home to work in their families’ businesses.
At about age 17, if you wanted to go on and make a career out of religious studies, your next step was to find a rabbi you admired and apply to become one of his disciples (Heb. talmidim).
When you found one, you would go and sit at his feet. That was your request to learn. And the rabbi would examine you with questions and put you through a series of tests to see if you were worthy to be his disciple.
The rabbis could choose the smartest, most talented boys to be their disciples.
Another reason the rabbis were so picky is that when they chose a disciple, they were choosing someone whom they believed could become just like them—to not just know what they knew, but to do what they did.
For several years, these young disciples (Heb. talmidim) would follow their rabbis, imitating them in every way. The goal of a disciple was to be like the rabbi.
I. JESUS DOESN’T CALL THE BEST, HE CALLS THE WILLING. (Matthew 4:18)
I. JESUS DOESN’T CALL THE BEST, HE CALLS THE WILLING. (Matthew 4:18)
18 One day as Jesus was walking along the shore of the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers—Simon, also called Peter, and Andrew—throwing a net into the water, for they fished for a living.
A- Jesus called those who were willing.
A- Jesus called those who were willing.
1- By men’s standards, Jesus chose the “W” Team. (Matthew 10:1-4)
1 Jesus called his twelve disciples together and gave them authority to cast out evil spirits and to heal every kind of disease and illness.
2 Here are the names of the twelve apostles: first, Simon (also called Peter), then Andrew (Peter’s brother), James (son of Zebedee), John (James’s brother),
3 Philip, Bartholomew, Thomas, Matthew (the tax collector), James (son of Alphaeus), Thaddaeus,
4 Simon (the zealot), Judas Iscariot (who later betrayed him).
a. Jesus, called Peter, Andrew, James and John who were fishermen.
b. Jesus also called Philip, Bartholomew, Thomas, Matthew (the tax collector), James (son of Alphaeus), Thaddaeus,* Simon (the zealot*) and Judas Iscariot (who later betrayed him).
(1) They weren’t the best of the best. They were not the kind of disciples that a normal rabbi would choose.
(2) John MacArthur: “God skipped all the wise of the day! The great scholars were in Egypt; the great library was in Alexandria; the great philosophers were in Athens; the powerful were in Rome. He passed over Herodotus the historian and Socrates the great thinker and Julius Caesar. He chose men so ordinary it was comical. No Rabbis, no teachers, no religious experts...”
(3) These were guys without much potential or personal power—to follow Him and to become like Him, to know God like He knew God, to know what He knew, to do what He did and be filled with His power!
(4) Jesus chose the B-team because His work in the world wouldn’t come from their abilities for Him, but from what He would do through them.
People with a lot of talent and ability would only get in the way because they would never learn to lean on His power. Jesus taught that His power in the weakest vessel was infinitely greater than the greatest talent without Him.
God wants to use you in your family, at your workplace. Stop making excuses that you are not able. He doesn’t need your ability; He requires only your availability. As we often say, He doesn’t call the equipped, He equips the called. Have you made yourself available?
(5) Note what the Apostle Paul says about this:
(1 Corinthians 1:26-29)
26 Remember, dear brothers and sisters, that few of you were wise in the world’s eyes or powerful or wealthy when God called you.
27 Instead, God chose things the world considers foolish in order to shame those who think they are wise. And he chose things that are powerless to shame those who are powerful.
28 God chose things despised by the world, things counted as nothing at all, and used them to bring to nothing what the world considers important.
29 As a result, no one can ever boast in the presence of God.
II. JESUS CALLED US FOR A PURPOSE. (Matthew 4:19)
II. JESUS CALLED US FOR A PURPOSE. (Matthew 4:19)
19 Jesus called out to them, “Come, follow me, and I will show you how to fish for people!”
A- Jesus called us to follow Him.
A- Jesus called us to follow Him.
1- The call is to be Christ’s disciple.
a- The normal way this all went down is that if you were among the best of your class, you applied to a rabbi, and if he liked what he saw, he’d choose you back. Now, his selection gave them a great deal of confidence. If they were struggling, they could say, “Ah, but my rabbi believed in me! He chose me.”
Illustration: Saul of Tarsus learned from Gamaliel.
(Acts 22:3)
3 Then Paul said, “I am a Jew, born in Tarsus, a city in Cilicia, and I was brought up and educated here in Jerusalem under Gamaliel. As his student, I was carefully trained in our Jewish laws and customs. I became very zealous to honor God in everything I did, just like all of you today.
b- Jesus started the process back even further. They didn’t even come to sit at His feet. He came seeking them when they weren’t even looking for Him.
c- Jesus calls us without effort on our part to seek him.
(John 15:16)
16 You didn’t choose me. I chose you. I appointed you to go and produce lasting fruit, so that the Father will give you whatever you ask for, using my name.
B- Following Him means being with Him.
B- Following Him means being with Him.
(John 12:26)
26 Anyone who wants to serve me must follow me, because my servants must be where I am. And the Father will honor anyone who serves me.
1- The disciple’s role was follow their rabbi, imitating him in every way. The goal of a disciple was to be like the rabbi.
2- He didn’t tell them where they were going or what assignment He had for them. His primary call is not to do something; it is to become like Him.
3 -For you and I, our goal is to become like Jesus.
To become like Jesus, you have to know Him.
To know Him, you have to know His Word.
Get His Word inside of you until it dominates all your thinking and all your behavior. Until you think it and talk it and quote it.
(2 Timothy 2:15)
15 Work hard so you can present yourself to God and receive his approval. Be a good worker, one who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly explains the word of truth.
III. TO FOLLOW JESUS, WE HAVE TO LEAVE ALL. (Matthew 4:20-22)
III. TO FOLLOW JESUS, WE HAVE TO LEAVE ALL. (Matthew 4:20-22)
20 And they left their nets at once and followed him.
21 A little farther up the shore he saw two other brothers, James and John, sitting in a boat with their father, Zebedee, repairing their nets. And he called them to come, too.
22 They immediately followed him, leaving the boat and their father behind.
A- Following Jesus means that we must choose Jesus and His desires above all else.
A- Following Jesus means that we must choose Jesus and His desires above all else.
1- Why identify these two things? Because these are usually the two most significant things in our lives:
• Boat: Our careers (the way we take care of ourselves)
• Father: Our most significant human relationships
2- To follow Jesus, He has to take precedence over both.
Most of you won’t literally lose your father and mother over Jesus ... Some might. For some, God may tell you to change careers. Maybe God will tell you transfer your job to be part of a church plant. Or leave your job and carry the gospel overseas. For many of you, it probably won’t be that dramatic. But you’ll have moments where you decide which holds greater sway over your life.
Acts 1:8 becomes your life challenge.
8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you. And you will be my witnesses, telling people about me everywhere—in Jerusalem, throughout Judea, in Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”
IV. HE COMMANDS US TO SPIRITUALLY REPRODUCE. (Matthew 4:19)
IV. HE COMMANDS US TO SPIRITUALLY REPRODUCE. (Matthew 4:19)
19 Jesus called out to them, “Come, follow me, and I will show you how to fish for people!”
A- Following Jesus results in disciples becoming disciplers.
A- Following Jesus results in disciples becoming disciplers.
1- Following Jesus means you subject everything in your life to His lordship.
You forsake all that He has forbidden and pursue all that He has prescribed.
Just like He was a fisher of men, His followers would become fishers of men.
This is an essential part of being a disciple. It’s not something that only a few of us do; it’s something that each of us does.
There is no such thing as a non-reproducing Christian.
How do you prove you are a disciple? By bearing fruit. And if you are not bearing fruit, you have reason to question whether you are a disciple at all.
(John 15:8)
8 When you produce much fruit, you are my true disciples. This brings great glory to my Father.
Jesus tells His disciples how to bear fruit in His famous Great Commission:
(Matthew 28:19-20)
19 Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit.
20 Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you. And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”
In Greek, the words go, baptize and teach are all participles that derive their force from the one controlling verb, make disciples. Which means that everything we do grows out of the call to make disciples. Jesus summarized His ministry, in Luke 19:10.
10 For the Son of Man came to seek and save those who are lost.”
If we are His disciples, that’s how we’ll summarize our lives, too.
In his book, The Master Plan of Evangelism, Robert Coleman said:
“When will the church learn this lesson? Preaching to the masses, although necessary, will never suffice in the work of preparing leaders for evangelism. Nor can occasional prayer meetings and training classes for Christian workers do this job... Individual women and men are God’s method. God’s plan for discipleship is not something, but someone.”
CONCLUSION:
You are God’s method. We want to see you become this, this year. We want you to commit to it. And don’t let it intimidate you. Disciple-making is simply teaching someone to follow Jesus as you follow Jesus with the help of the Holy Spirit. And Jesus has promised to help you. So, identify one person. Ask God to help you identify one person you can, with the help of the Holy Spirit, bring to faith in Christ this year.
Can you imagine what would it look like if every one of the people here this weekend did this, and asked God, “God, give me one person I could bring to Jesus”? If every one of our small groups made it their goal to reach one person for Jesus? If each one committed to reach one?
INVITATION:
Are you a disciple? If not, maybe you are the one today.