Matthew 4:18-20…Ready

Matthew 4:18-20…Ready

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,(i.e. Standing on the shoreline or boat while tossing a circular weighted net into the sea.) for they were fishermen. (i.e. Their occupation and trade) 19 “Come, follow me,” (190-To be in union, to be in the same way with. To join as or become a disciple.) Jesus said, “and I will make you fishers of men.” (Metph-Ministers/Preachers of the Gospel, Soul winners for Christ.) 20 At once they left their nets and followed him.

Continued From Book

Jesus is calling Peter & Andrew in becoming disciples and preachers of the Gospel.

Displays the loving invitation of Jesus in using ordinary and unqualified people to share in the Gospel work.  ⇔ For those who have doubt and say; “I am not qualified”; ”I do not have the skill to talk about Jesus”; “I am not educated enough”; ”I haven’t gone to Bible College”; ”I am afraid that I will make mistakes”; “I may not be politically correct” and so on. Let us remember that it is not our qualification that makes us worthy to be a follower of Jesus, but it is His calling.

Teaches how Jesus wants to raise us to a greater purpose and better future, providing something far more rewarding and satisfying then what we can now see.  ⇔ Their ordinary lives suddenly become extraordinary. Whatever Jesus is calling you to walk away from, know that it will always be for something better and more fulfilling! Just as with Peter & Andrew their ordinary lives suddenly become extraordinary.

Teaches how God does not force us, threatens us, or beat us over the head with a club into doing something. He merely presents us the option. It all comes down to a decision of whether or not we will obey and follow.  ⇔ What God expects from us is simple, but leaving our old way of living and detaching from the world around us isn’t always that easy. Leaving our nets and disentangling ourselves from worldly pursuits in order to follow Jesus is not a one-off decision. it’s an on-going battle and the challenge of a lifetime. We have to constantly re-assess our priorities, attention, behavior in the light of the Gospel call and, if need be, make the necessary changes. There are no half measures in following Christ, no gloating over prosperous careers, earthly possessions, or a hankering after material rewards.

Teaches how our greatest priority and mission in life is to catch men & women up out of the waters of sin and death, bringing them into a Saving relationship with Christ Jesus. ⇔ Will you share the Gospel to those in your family, school, workplace, and community. Will you share your faith with all types of people. Just as fishing is hard, dirty and messy work, so are people.

Gives encouragement for those that the world has passed by and said, “You’ll never amount to anything”, Jesus steps in and says  “I choose you”. Or those who have doubt and say, “I haven’t got what it takes”, Jesus steps in and says, “I can still use you”.

Even toady we should not allow our past history, education, upbringing, talent keep us from the work God has called us too.

More Notes & Applications

Teaches how God can use flawed and imperfect people in spreading the Gospel message. (No matter how poor, uneducated, or unqualified you feel you are God can still use you.)

Teaches how we can come just as we are, that we don’t have to get our act together first, read a couple of books, do some push-ups, but can follow Jesus as we are. (Though Jesus doesn’t expect perfection overnight, He does expect us to respond by giving our self’s fully too Him.)

Teaches how Christ often makes use of our natural talents and skills for His glory. (God knows what kind of work were cut out for!) 

Teaches how following the Lord requires a prompt and immediate response, one without hesitation or reservation! Following Jesus is not something for the future or when the time and place is right and when we’re ready for it. Nor should we give into the temptation of claiming that we have certain deficiencies, that were physically challenged, emotionally challenged, financially challenged, or just too busy with other things to take on such a task. Join the club. We all have commitments and disabilities, but we shouldn’t allow it to stop us!

Calls for laying aside our own personal goals and pursuits in favor of Christ’s higher claim and calling on our lives.

Teaches how when Jesus called his first disciples He didn’t call them to a certain place, a specific situation, or a static condition. He said to them, “Follow me, and I will make you fish for people.” He called them to a new and different experience.

Teaches if Jesus/God who created you says; “I will make you” you can be assured it will occur, that if we will respond and step out in faith the Lord will take the initiative and do the rest! (It has been said that; “Jesus does not call the qualified, but He qualifies the called”!)

Teaches how our greatest priority and mission in life is to catch men & women up out of the waters of sin, bringing them into a Saving relationship with Christ Jesus. (Will you share your faith with all types of people. Just as fishing is hard, dirty, and messy work so are people.)

Displays the amazing faith of Peter & Andrew who followed Jesus even though they didn’t know all the details, risks, or how it would all turn out? (Are you willing to follow Jesus even if it means leaving all that is familiar, comfortable, and stable? Will you follow Jesus into the unknown, even if it means no guarantees or rewards? “We may not know what the future holds, but we know who holds the future”! [Homer]) (V. 20)

Even today following Jesus eclipses EVERYTHING else in our lives. Nothing should be more important than following the Lord. No job, business, career, partnership, security, possession, relationship, etc. should keep us from serving the Lord. Until you abandon all for Jesus, you have no part in Jesus.

This is not saying we must leave our careers and stop working at our current jobs and go into fulltime ministry. But the Lord does expect us to serve and witness for Him when and where we can. We still work to bring home a paycheck, but at a deeper level we also work to serve people and the Lord through acts of love, justice, truth, kindness, and compassion.

Note: While it is not physically possible to follow Jesus now. But we can still learn from Jesus by following His teachings, life, and examples. We can ask ourselves what would Jesus want me to do if He was here. That if Jesus had my family, my job, my home, my illness, my struggles, etc. how would He have me responds and act?

Note: Many people have grown up with the idea that when Jesus called the disciples, this was the first time they had met Him. But we know from the Gospel of John that they were already familiar with Jesus having been introduced to Him by John the Baptist as the “Lamb of God”-(John 1:35-42) nd they had already spent a year with Jesu—apparently on a part-time basis. Others propose that they had met Jesus earlier that morning after performing a miracle in helping them catch a huge amount of fish.-(cf. Luke 5:1-11) We also know that even though they left their boat and father to follow Christ, we learn later in the Gospels they still have a boat to use. And in John’s Gospel we learn they are still clearly fishermen after the resurrection of Christ-so they aren’t abandoning the fishing business altogether, but only for the time being-(cf. John 21:1-14)

Note: Some question whether or not the disciples were making any real sacrifices in giving up their fishing business, seeing how it was a stinky and labor intensive job anyway. But many fail to understand that in that culture and time the fishing business was a lucrative job and a good living by the standards of their culture. Far better off were those who were involved in the fishing industry than the numbers of peasants who worked the fields throughout the Roman empire. Therefor we should make no mistake that Jesus was asking them to give up a lot! To turn their backs on a stable and financially secure future and become arrant preachers of the Gospel.

   WHAT FOLLOWING JESUS ISN’T……….

• Following Jesus doesn’t mean just going to Church

• Following Jesus doesn’t mean believing Jesus is real

• Following Jesus is not about religious observances or adopting Christian belief’s

• Following Jesus is not a to-do-list of rules & works to be kept

• Following Jesus is not about memorizing verses and knowing a bunch of facts

• Following Jesus is not about prosperity or living your best life now

• Following Jesus doesn’t mean we are without hardships or trials

   WHAT FOLLOWING JESUS IS……….

• • Following Jesus means to continually repent and believe on Him

  • Following Jesus means making Him the Lord & King over your life

  • Following Jesus means believing He is who He says He is, that He is Lord & God

  • Following Jesus means leaving the old way of living and start a new way of living

  • Following Jesus means obeying and submitting to His word and teachings

  • Following Jesus means walking with Him daily and seeking His direction in life

  • Following Jesus means striving to be more and more like Him

  • Following Jesus means living a life of faith and trust

  • Following Jesus means spending time with Him in prayer and worship

  • Following Jesus means to endure trials and hardships for Him

  • Following Jesus means loving, serving, ministering, and witnessing to others

    (For more Applications get the whole Book) 

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