“The Call to Discipleship”
(Matthew 4:18-22)
Series: Who’s Your One? [on screen]
Rev. Matthew C. McCraw, EdD
First Baptist Church, Bartow, Florida
March 15, 2020
The Passage
Matthew 4:18-22
18 As he was walking along the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon (who is called Peter), and his brother Andrew. They were casting a net into the sea—for they were fishermen. 19 “Follow me,” he told them, “and I will make you fish for people.” 20 Immediately they left their nets and followed him.
21 Going on from there, he saw two other brothers, James the son of Zebedee, and his brother John. They were in a boat with Zebedee their father, preparing their nets, and he called them. 22 Immediately they left the boat and their father and followed him.
Introductory Comments:
Sometimes we lose our focus on what’s most important in our lives. Just yesterday I was hauling a load of stuff to my house in my old truck and my truck overheated. I stopped at a gas station to let it cool down, fill up the radiator, and check the oil. Well, I got back on the road only to blow a tire on Highway 98 coming into Bartow. Life was throwing me some circumstances yesterday that could have easily sidetracked me from what’s most important.
You know that happens to a lot of us at times. Sometimes we lose focus on what is most important in life.
I believe we sometimes lose focus on what our task is in the church as well. Churches exist to make disciples. At First Baptist Church Bartow, we exist to develop disciples who love God, love the church, and love others.
This week we’re starting a new series called “Who’s Your One?” We want to see everyone who is a part of our church praying for and looking for opportunities to develop at least one disciple in 2020.
This morning we’re going to talk about that basic foundational call of what it means to be a disciple.
I said last week that we’d be taking a break from the Gospel of Matthew. Well, I should have said that we’re taking a break from our series in Matthew because actually, we are in Matthew this morning. I’m thankful for the North American Mission Board for providing outlines for this sermon series. I’ve borrowed some thoughts from those outlines but these sermons are very much tailored to First Baptist Church Bartow and our context.
Before we get into this sermon, let’s pray to God to ask Him to guide us along the way.
(prayer)
Have you ever played the game where you say a word and you consider what comes to mind? Let’s play. Just answer these in your head. What comes to mind when you hear the word politician? What comes to mind when you hear the words movie star? What comes to mind when you hear the word athlete? What comes to mind when you hear the word hero? What comes to mind when you hear the word Christian?
You see a lot of different impressions come to people’s minds when they hear the word Christian. However, the early followers of Jesus weren’t really referred to as much as Christians. Rather, they were referred to as disciples.
Did you know the word Christian is used three times in the whole Bible, whereas the word disciple is used 281 times?
In fact, I’ve stopped asking people as much if they’re Christians. I’ve started asking if they are followers of Jesus.
This morning, we’re going to learn some truths from when Jesus first called some of His disciples and we’re going to learn how those truths apply to us today.
Let’s look at Matthew 4:18-22 as we begin:
18 As he was walking along the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon (who is called Peter), and his brother Andrew. They were casting a net into the sea—for they were fishermen. 19 “Follow me,” he told them, “and I will make you fish for people.” 20 Immediately they left their nets and followed him.
21 Going on from there, he saw two other brothers, James the son of Zebedee, and his brother John. They were in a boat with Zebedee their father, preparing their nets, and he called them. 22 Immediately they left the boat and their father and followed him.
We see two sets of brothers whom Jesus calls to follow Him in this passage. Well, Jesus is calling us as well. Let’s see these five truths that we can discover from this passage.
First, . . .
I. Jesus calls the willing. [on screen]
Jesus didn’t necessarily call the greatest, the smartest, the best-looking, the strongest, or anything else. He called the willing.
Recently, my son completed his season of Junior Jackets basketball. They were desperate for coaches so I reluctantly signed up to be a coach. The problem was, I was so late in the process that I missed the draft day. I wasn’t able to pick any of my players. Basically, if my players were willing to play for me, they could be on my team. Well, this wasn’t exactly how Jesus got His team of disciples, but the point is to say that Jesus didn’t have a draft where He looked for the most talented disciples He could find. He used the willing.
Commercial fishermen are not known for being the sharpest tools in the shed or the cultural elite of the day. Have you ever watched Deadliest Catch on the Discovery Channel? No offense, if you’re a commercial fisherman.
The power for what Jesus and His disciples would do would come through Jesus. In the same panner, the power for what Jesus will do through you and First Baptist Church Bartow will come through Jesus!
The question is: are we willing to follow Him?
In fact, we hear this about the apostles, later, in the book of Acts: Acts 4:13 says, “When they observed the boldness of Peter and John and realized that they were uneducated and untrained men, they were amazed and recognized that they had been with Jesus.” [on screen]
If you’re super talented and you think God is going to use you because of that, get that out of your mind. If you’re untalented and you think that God can’t use you, get that out of your head.
It’s not about us; it’s all about Jesus. If we are willing to follow Jesus He can do something supernatural through us to change the world!
Jesus used the willing. Peter, Andrew, James, and John were willing to follow Jesus. Are we willing to follow Him?
Second, . . .
II. Jesus is the one who calls. [on screen]
Jesus is the one who initiates the discipleship process. He calls us.
Did you notice that the disciples did not go seeking Jesus? They were in the middle of working their jobs.
Jesus sought them and Jesus said to them, “Follow me.”
Some of us are struggling in different areas of our lives right now. Some of us have scars from our past. We may feel like we don’t have value. Perhaps you’re like me and you can never remember a single time in your life that you were the first pick on the team for a game of pick-up basketball or sandlot football. Listen, Jesus is calling you! He’s picking you! He wants you! He is one who calls!
Jesus initiates the call, empowers the call, and sustains the call.
John 15:16 says, “You did not choose me, but I chose you. I appointed you to go and produce fruit and that your fruit should remain, so that whatever you ask the Father in my name, he will give you.” [on screen]
It’s not about us; it’s all about Jesus. He calls us to follow Him. He has chosen us to be used to be His disciples.
Will we follow? That takes us to our third point:
III. Jesus calls us to follow. [on screen]
Look at verse 19 again:
19 “Follow me,” he told them, “and I will make you fish for people.”
Jesus calls us explicitly to follow Him. Did you know that the word disciple means follower? The heart of being a disciple of Jesus is being a follower of Jesus.
Jesus told the disciples to follow Him.
To follow Jesus doesn’t just mean to walk behind Him, but to go the way He is going, do the things that He does, and act the way He acts.
Did you notice that Jesus didn’t even tell them where He was going?
Jesus is going to love others; Jesus is healing, helping, and teaching others; and Jesus is going to accomplish the mission that the Father sent Him to accomplish.
When Jesus calls us, He calls us to follow Him, which includes learning from Him, imitating Him, and submitting to His plan for our lives.
Here’s a good question for us all: How am I doing when it comes to following Jesus?
It’s not about us; it’s all about Jesus. We don’t need to follow our own desires, preferences, and goals. We need to follow Jesus.
You know what? Jesus doesn’t want us to just partially follow Him. He wants us to fully follow Him. That’s our next point:
IV. Jesus calls us fully. [on screen]
Listen to what these disciples did. Look at verses 20 and 22.
20 Immediately they left their nets and followed him.
22 Immediately they left the boat and their father and followed him.
Peter and Andrew left their nets and their business behind and followed Jesus. James and John left their father and their business in order to follow Jesus.
Jesus called them to follow Him fully. Jesus wants all of us. He wants all of our devotion, all of our resources, all of our commitment, all of our hearts, all of our souls, all of our minds, and all of our strength. Jesus is calling us fully.
Are you willing to leave something behind in order to follow Jesus? Leave your aspirations behind. Leave your hurt behind. Leave your money behind. Leave your time behind. Leave your friends who are distracting you behind. Leave your stuff behind. Follow Jesus and follow Him fully!
In order for us to truly be used as disciples of Jesus, He must be the priority in our lives.
He calls us to follow Him fully. It’s not about us; it’s all about Jesus.
Finally, . . .
V. Jesus calls us to faithfulness. [on screen]
As we follow Him fully, He wants us to be faithful to the task that He has given us. What’s that main task? Well, I’m glad that you asked. Before Jesus left the earth He gave us a really clear command on what to do. We call this the Great Commission.
The Great Commission is given to us by Jesus in Matthew 28:19-20. It says:
19 Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe everything I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” [on screen]
Jesus has given us a task to do on this earth. As we follow Him, He wants us to be faithful to the task He’s given us.
Jesus said to Peter and Andrew in verse 19, “Follow me . . . and I will make you fish for people.”
To be a follower of Jesus means to be a fisher of people. To be a follower of Jesus means to be committed to the Great Commission. To be a follower of Jesus means to be developing disciples. To be a follower of Jesus means to be faithful.
It’s not about us; it’s all about Jesus.
The main task that Jesus has given for us is to follow Him and to help others follow Him. He is calling us to be disciples and to develop disciples.
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.”
Jesus is calling us to be faithful to the task of developing disciples. He is developing us and He is calling us to develop others.
That takes us to our bottom line for today:
Bottom Line: Jesus is calling disciples who will develop disciples. [on screen]
(repeat)
Jesus is calling us to follow Him. We are to follow Him fully and faithfully. Part of the calling means that we are to invite others to follow Jesus and help them follow Him.
This year, we’re really going to push each other, encourage each other, and pray for one another to really live as followers of Jesus.
As we prepare for that, consider these challenges for this week:
Weekly Challenge: [on screen]
- Contemplate your call to discipleship. [on screen]
Are you a follower of Jesus? What does that mean for you?
Take some time this week and contemplate what it means for you to follow Jesus. Compare that to what you read about in the Word of God.
- Contemplate who your one is. [on screen]
Perhaps God has already laid someone on your mind for you to develop as a disciple. Start praying for that person now.
Maybe you have no idea where to start. Ask God this week to start impressing upon your heart someone whom you can lead closer to Jesus.
Closing:
If you’re not a follower of Jesus, I want you to know how you can follow Jesus today.
(Gospel presentation)
Everyone bow their heads and close their eyes for just a moment. As you do, answer these questions quietly in your head:
Am I a follower of Jesus?
Am I fully following Jesus?
Am I faithfully following Jesus?
Am I helping others follow Jesus?
Am I willing to take the steps to really follow Jesus?
Church, could you imagine what would happen in our church, our community, and our world if we all committed to following Jesus faithfully and fully. Can you imagine if we all developed just one disciple this year?
Let’s go to God in prayer as He calls us to respond.
(closing prayer)
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