Come & Follow

Matthew 4:12 – 23

When reading this scripture we can take from this 3 calls that if we truly wish to be faithful in our walk we need to answer. There's the call to faith, the call to discipleship and the call to ministry.

For Matthew, this is the beginning of Jesus’ ministry. He’s been baptized by John and led into the wilderness to be tempted for forty days by Satan. He gets the news that John the Baptist has been arrested, so he heads back to civilization to begin his ministry. It’s there we find the first calling on people’s lives—the call to faith.

The call to faith is the call to change our mind, and it is the call that all of us, at some point, must answer. Literally, Jesus’ first word in ministry in verse 17 is “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.” In other words, “Turn from your sin and turn to God.” That is the translator’s interpretation of the meaning of repent.

It’s not popular to talk about sin, and we try to steer clear of it because we don't want to come across as pointing the finger. We don't want people to think that we're judging them, and we definitely don't want to cast the spotlight on our own issues and sin.

Then there's some of us who don’t think we’re sinners. In today's world we think, "Hey, as long as other people are alright with what I'm doing and it's not effecting them then it's alright." Even thinking, "What I'm doing is not even close to being as bad as what they are doing." Taking the my sin is less then your sin approach.

When we think about sin, we think about the big ones or the really bad things. You know murder, stealing, adultery, rape, abuse, etc. These things are easy to point out as being wrong and sinful, but what does the Bible say? The bible defines sin as anything that misses the mark

We miss the mark in so many areas of our everyday life. All the "bigger sins" aside look at the sins we face daily. The Catholic church lists the seven deadly sins, and it is the belief that at the heart of all sin lies one of these. Looking at my own life I can find numerous ways these sins have crept in and taken a hold. These are things that I need to repent and ask forgiveness for.

Repentance opens us to grace that God desires to pour into our lives. Repentance is our acknowledgement that something is wrong, that something needs to change. Who can argue with the brokenness we see in our world today that something needs to change?

The call that everyone must answer is the call of Jesus to turn from our selfish, sinful ways, to consider the claims that Christ makes, and determine whether we will believe, or continue to go down a path that is ultimately destructive to us and those around us. It’s a call everyone must answer. Even refusing to answer is an answer.

There is another call that goes beyond the call to faith, and it is the call that Jesus gave to Simon, Andrew, James and John in verse 19. There, Jesus tells them, “Come, follow me,…” This is the call to discipleship. There are a lot of people who answer the call to faith. They consider the claims of Jesus and find them valid, but then just sort of leave the information there and never go deeper in the life of faith.

Jesus’ call to these fishermen was a call to a deeper life, a changed life. We might say that if the call to faith is the call to change our minds, then the call to discipleship is the call to change our lives. This was Jesus’ call for these men to change their lives.

The call to be a disciple is a more challenging call than the call of faith. Jesus said, “Follow me.” Discipleship is costly. Discipleship is about making the kingdom of God the priority of our lives. It is a leaving the old life and beginning a new life of faith, hope and love. There are a lot of people who hear, and even answer, the call to faith, but fewer are the people who hear and answer the call to discipleship, though the call goes out to everyone who answers the call to faith. You may be asking everyone?

You see Jesus called ordinary, common, hard-working fishermen. These guys made their living on the Sea of Galilee as commercial fishermen. I’m reminded of a show and some of you may have even watched it yourself. Ever watch The Deadliest Catch on the Discovery Channel?

That show chronicles the hard crazy life of commercial crab fishermen off the coast of Alaska. It portrays the life of a commercial fisherman as brutal. That’s the same kind of life these first century fishermen endured, too. It was hard, dangerous work, and the men who did it were simple, not highly educated, they were hard-working men who only sought to make a living for their families.

I’m pointing this out because Jesus isn’t necessarily looking for highly-educated, well-qualified people to be disciples. Jesus is looking for willing people, people who are willing to hear the call to faith and the claims of Jesus, and then be willing to join him in transforming the world. That’s the call to discipleship, and he’s calling all of us to be his disciples. He will meet you in your current place and your current situation.

But, there is a call that flows out of answering the call to discipleship, and that is the call to ministry. You may hear that word and think of a Pastor or clergy, and for some that may be. What we're seeing here is ministering to others. Sharing your faith and God's word.

Everyone who answers the call to be a disciple is called to ministry. Jesus, after inviting these men to “follow” him, adds that he will “show them how to fish for people.” The job he gave them was to work with him in transforming the world.

If the call to faith is a call to change our minds, and the call to discipleship is the call to change our lives, then the call to ministry is the call to change the world. Jesus is calling us to work with him in transforming the world. Don’t you think if Jesus could call a few common fishermen to change the world, he could call you and me, as common, ordinary and unprepared as we are? Jesus doesn’t call the qualified. He qualifies the called. We are called by God. The question is Will we answer the call?

Jesus needs Christian business men and women who can reach non-Christian businessmen and women. Jesus needs Christian retired individuals who can reach non-Christian retired individuals. Jesus needs students, and grocery clerks and doctors and nurses and teachers who will go into the places of their lives and witness to His saving grace. Jesus called these hard working fishermen to reach their community. He’s calling us to reach our community.

Some of you may be afraid that Jesus’ call means you’ll have to pack up and leave your job and family, so you resist. It may mean that for some of us, but more than likely he’ll use us right where we are. If we look at the later life of these fishermen, we find after the crucifixion and resurrection they are back mending their nets and fishing. Most of them never ventured far from home, nor gave up their trades. They did, however, make a difference in the Kingdom because the Kingdom became their priority. Telling others, serving others, sharing the Good News became their priority.

Jesus is calling us to faith... to discipleship... and to ministry. He’s calling us to change our minds, to change our lives, and to change the world. It’s likely if you’re here this morning, you’ve already answered the call to faith. But, just in case you haven’t, Jesus is calling you to faith today.

Don’t miss your calling! There may be others here who haven’t answered the call to discipleship. You know he wants you to go deeper, but you’ve been afraid of the cost of going deeper so you’ve resisted. Don’t miss your calling! There may be others may be here who have gone deeper and feel in love following Jesus, but have resisted serving because you felt you weren’t capable. Don’t miss your calling!