Sermon: Following Jesus
17th October, 2021
Text: Matthew 4:18-22
Preacher: Enoch Awuku Anti
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. And he said to them, “Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.” Immediately they left their nets and followed him. 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. Immediately they left the boat and their father and followed him (matthew 4:18-22)
This text is part of a whole chapter that recounts the beginning of Jesus’ ministry. And this symbolically is an appropriate text for us this morning. It is appropriate in the sense that this is the beginning of a new ministry that we are all witnesses of.
If you look at the text, you will see a certain pattern or divisions
vv.1-11 The temptation of Jesus and his victory over Satan by the word of God. This tells us something important about the necessity and sufficiency of the word of God. If the word of God was crucial in Jesus’ life, then we must also take the word seriously.
vv. 12-17 Jesus begins his ministry
Vv. 18-22 which is our text for this morning is where Jesus chose his first disciples and there are lessons for us to learn as we go through the sermon. For a title, I want to title this sermon Following Jesus. The title is from Jesus’ words in v.19 “And he said to them, follow me…”.
Now all people living in the world can be categorised into only two. Those following Jesus and those who are not following him. It is a world of the saved or unsaved. It is the world of the regenerate or unregenerate. It is a world of those who have received Christ and those who have rejected him. Hopefully, when we are done with the sermon, you should be able to clearly articulate where you stand.
In the sermon, I will attempt to answer the question “What does it mean to follow Jesus or what does following Jesus mean. We will explore this under three perspectives
(i) A Call
(ii) A Commissioning
(iii) A Commitment
A Call
“Follow me”
The words follow me as spoken by Jesus was a summon to those he called to follow him and become his disciples. If your Bible has a heading in the verses we read, you will see a heading that says Jesus Calls The First Disciples. It might not be the same words, but it will be something close. So this call is first and foremost, a call to become disciples. It is a summon to follow Jesus and learn from him. The Greek word translated as disciple simply means “learner, or pupil” You will notice that after he called them, he began to teach them.
Seeing the crowds, he went up on the mountain, and when he sat down, his disciples came to him. And he opened his mouth and taught them (Matthew 5:1-2)
A Call from Sin
So a call to follow Jesus is a call to learn from Jesus. Of course, for us who have not encountered him directly, it is a call to learn from him in the Scriptures. Now one of the very first things we get to learn from Jesus or become his disciple is our sinfulness and the need for repentance.
From that time Jesus began to preach, saying, Repent, for the Kingdom of heaven is at hand (v.17).
Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God (John 3:3)
So a call to become a disciple or follow Jesus is basically a call from sin. No one can follow Jesus or become his disciple who has not turned away from their sin. Jesus’ first message he preached was repentance and repentance is simply a turning away from sin. Also, the main purpose of Jesus’ ministry, the main reason he came on earth was to die to pay for the sins of his people and bring light into their darkness. Darkness here signifies sin and light salvation. So where this has not been understood, one cannot become a disciple of Christ.
She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins (Matthew 1:21).
The land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, the way of the sea, beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles
The people dwelling in darkness have seen a great light, and for those dwelling in the region and shadow of death, on them, a light has dawned (Matthew 4:15-16). There is an interesting detail we need to pay attention to. Look at how Matthew records the calling of the disciples: “While walking by the sea of Galilee…” Compare this with v.15: “the way of the sea, beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles”
The picture Matthew is painting is that this very prophecy is being fulfilled in the calling of Jesus’ first disciples (v.14) Peter, Andrew, James and John were in the region described in v.15-16. We can safely say they were dwelling in darkness and saw a great light. They were sinners who were called out of sin. Now this event, the calling of the disciples is recorded in all the gospels but from a different perspective of the author. There are two ways by which scholars have proposed the reading of the gospels: read them vertically or horizontally
Reading the Gospels vertically means reading every gospel as independent from beginning to end with the understanding that each gospel is independent.
Reading horizontally means considering the gospels as complementary and comparing them as you read
This morning we will read the events of the calling of Jesus’ disciples horizontally and compare to draw some truths. I want us to consider Luke’s account of the calling of the disciples’ event (Luke 5:1-11). This is the same event but Luke gives us further information. He was a historian so understandable that he gave further details. I am very interested in v.8.
When Peter encountered Christ, his sinfulness was made manifest to him. And it was at this point Christ called him. The point here is that the calling of the disciples was a calling away from sin. It was a call for repentance. This holds true for all of us. Everyone who will ever follow Christ will have to turn away from their sins. And we do this by believing in the Lord Jesus Christ as our Saviour. The scriptures indeed condemn all of us under sin until we have come to faith in Christ.
This call is also a call unto holiness (but as he who called you is holy, you also be holy 1 Pete 1:15). This call is a call to a relationship with (But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God John 1:12).
A Commissioning
“I will make you fishers of men”
This answers the purpose of the call. Why did Christ call the disciples? To make them fishers of men. Using familiar language to them, he tells them the purpose for which he is calling them. He gave them a commission. “I will make you fishers of men.” Immediately Jesus started preaching about the kingdom, he recruited disciples to be engaged together in the kingdom. Disciples are called in working with the king to build his kingdom. When we are called out of the world of sin, we’re to go out there and bring others into the kingdom. We see this clearly manifested in the lives of the disciples. As they encounter Christ, they bring others to him.
Again, we will read the gospel of Matthew horizontally and go to John 1:40-46. Andrew encountered Jesus, he brought Simon Peter to Jesus. Philip also encountered Jesus, then he brought in Nathaneal. Now central to the teachings of Christianity is this one important charge of making disciples. In what is popularly called the Great Commission, Jesus charged his disciples to go out into the world to make disciples. It is the Great Commission because it is a charge from a Great King
18 And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me”.
19 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptising them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,
20 Teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the ages (Matthew 28)
Were the disciples successful in going to the nations? Yes, they wrote the New Testament and their words keep going. Just like them, everyone who is called and has come to faith in Christ is to be involved one way or the other in bringing others to Christ. Not only is the commission to bring others in. It is to be fruitful in our lives because we have been called to fruitfulness (John 15:16).
When God calls us into his family, he works through us to bring others into the kingdom. And for every believer, we must be known to be ambassadors for Christ. For every calling of God, God has others—bringing others in through those he called.
Now the LORD said to Abram “Go from your country and your kindred and your father’s house to the land that I will show you. And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse, and in you all families of the earth shall be blessed. Genesis 12:1-3).
Come, I will send you to Pharaoh that you may bring my people, the children of Israel, out of Egypt (Exodus 3:10).
A Commitment
“Immediately they left their nets and followed him” v.20
“Immediately they left the boat and their father and followed him” v.22
This is their response to the call. When Jesus called them, they responded. And their response was immediate. That tells how they responded. No delays. No procrastination. No excuses. They responded immediately and followed Christ. That’s obedience. When Christ calls us to follow him, we must obey. People do delay. People do drag their feet, but the God who is Sovereign will eventually have his way. There must be a commitment, a firm decision of faith to follow Christ.
That decision also demands some sacrifice. They left their jobs and followed him. This doesn’t mean everyone who comes to Christ must do the same. But the principle in that is that there must be some sacrifices. I work in a bank. And while preparing this, I thought to myself, “Do I have to one day leave my job and attend to this full time?” Maybe yes, maybe no. But the point is that, when we come to Christ, there must be a sacrifice and a commitment.
Being a disciple of Jesus involves a radical commitment to him and the urgent task of serving him. That is no less true today than it was for Peter and Andrew, James and John (Sinclair Ferguson)
We cannot come to Christ and love the world. We cannot come to Christ and love our sin. We cannot claim to have repented from our sins and yet love those same sins. That’s a general principle, when we come to Christ, some of the things we love must give way for us to love and follow Christ.
There is self-denial in following Christ. Fast forward to Matthew 16:24-26 we read
Then Jesus told his disciples, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it. For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfiet his soul?
What prevents people from following Christ is basically a love of the world. The world is appealing. The world is pleasurable. They want to have it all. But the Scriptures calls for a denial of the pleasures of sin. The Bible said of Moses
By faith Moses, when he was grown up, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daugther, choosing rather to be mistreated with the people of God than to enjoy the fleeting pleasures of sin. He considered the reproach of Christ greater wealth than the teasures of Egypt, for he was looking for the reward (Hebrews 11:24-26).
The Gospels are full of calls from Christ to come out of the world of sin. They are Christ’s invitation for sinners to come to him
Matthew 11:28
John 6:37
John 7:37-38
Christ calls us to rest from the burden of sin. Sin is a burden. Sin brings depression. Sin brings destruction and sin bring separation and eternal damnation from God. Are you thirsty, is there a void in your heart, is your soul restless, do you need help? Christ calls you. “Follow me” Follow him in faith. Call on him to save you
Amen
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