Following Jesus: Responding to the Call to Become Fishers of Men - A Sermon on Matthew 4:18-23

Our minds are souls to take up our cross and follow you. Florida to follow you without question without.

Meditation Lord Tiffany and Grove as the disciples you have called us to be came in this morning in the one who enjoys fishing. Raise your hand if you enjoy fishing.

I haven't the patience to truly enjoy fishing. I like the quietness. I like being able to go out somewhere and not be disturbed and have everything going around me, but I've never really been a good fisherman. Now, growing up in south Louisiana, we are Sportsman's Paradise, right? You hide few fish. That is what it is to live in and I remember going to buy you the Solomons and buy you, gosh throwing up and fishing for a little nap and fishes. These little silver fish and literally you put your pull into the swap right there and you pull out a little fish and you can do that all day without any hesitation and that type of fishing I like to fish.

Fruit Fishing Station. Jesus is telling us this morning that he is going to make him Fishers of Men. We have patience. Don't we? Amen. Can we share the gospel with me and try to share our faith? We never know what the end results of that is going to be. It may be years and years. Before you see fruits, have someone coming to know Jesus, as a result of God using you to show your face and you don't get those instant results. And sometimes that can be challenging for us,

Australia. Maybe it's a family member, you've been working on for 15 years, telling them about Jesus and maybe yeah, it made a proclamation of faith. But this is a good news. If product size, is it? The Holy Spirit convicts the hearts of men.

Toronto claiming his word. If you've been at church. The last couple of this repeated theme. What is that? Repeated theme St. James have been the last couple weeks. Anybody baptism anyone else? Come on. All right. Well, that makes me feel good. You know why? Because every week I sent me, and I feel like I'm preaching the same message.

Right? And it has to do with it. I follow the lectionary text so it says pre described scriptures. That is handed down for Generations, right? If we go through the Bible, every three years. And the last several weeks have been evangelism, evangelism evangelism,

Then.

2:00 this week. I am going to make you Fishers of Men. I'm going to teach you how to evangelize right at the course and I had to where you got the Pope Francis is right, okay? This is his cross. And it's the cross of the Good Shepherd, right? It's the cross of Jesus going out and bring us into the fold. And it is kind of my soapbox, right? Because there are so many lost sheep without the Good Shepherd. In one way we eat. They don't know Christ will end up in hell, right. And I'm not going to hit here to pound Helen to you, but it is a reality of those without faith. We have to be able to take that understand that these people are going to suffer. If they don't hear. And I don't care if you been a Christian, your whole life or your brand-new to the face, right? Or maybe you're not home to evangelism per se, but we are called to be Fishers of men and women who understand the context, are we want to be able to say they understand the law? a lasting relationship with Jesus Christ to receive the sacraments

when the great mothers and fathers of our faith struggled with their faith, right? And Martin Luther struggle with his face. He Shrugged.

Mean kid. Again, with that magnifying glass Mother Teresa many times as she struggled with her personal relationship with Jesus, as she didn't know, she was saved and the list goes on and on of these great spiritual Saint struggled in their face.

Now, get it wasn't until a couple years ago. I really understood for myself to through the waters of baptism. Right? Did I have Assurance of my face in the Lamb's Book of Life that I don't have to worry? I don't have to be concerned with the fact of where I go, when I die. Amen.

Isn't that such a great relief that is but that's what makes our theology. James Lutheran Church in every Lutheran Church Archaeology is special and unique. That is grounded in the true belief of The guy has done it all.

Prices going for us on the cross, but he died for us. And when we go out to make sure to be Fishers of Men, this is is that we get their share and this world that is beaten up. And this world that struggling to find direction.

We have truth. Grounded in the Gospel of Jesus Christ that we stay here in the Book of Matthew this morning.

Starting to hear in book, 21 and 22 are working with their father, as fishermen not getting to take some good and have good careers as fishermen of the air. And Jesus says, Follow me, follow me.

Emma. Right away the follow Jesus. Now want you to imagine each of us think of your career whatever you did for a living before retirement. And I'm still working, right? You leave your job. Your boss, your family, now.

Society, as a whole has become more and more transient, right? I mean, we have our family has nowhere near Indian and I've shared this before at Council and what not? You guys are my family, right? My kids have aunts and uncles and grandparents But imagine, and follow me. Follow Jesus, follow his will.

What are the early church? Fathers wrote that we are ourselves and a live with Jesus 23 over Galilee. Preaching and Healing Springs. The good news of the kingdom of God is at hand and opens the possibility opportunity to follow.

Jesus shows his authority, his divinity, Healing The Sick, you know, what's so incredible. In that later on and scripture, right? He did the disciples that Authority. He says go there for making cycles of Jesus Christ baptizing them in the name of the father, Son and Holy Spirit, Healing The Sick. He goes on casting out demons. When you understand the amount of authority, he has given the church. Amen means it's true, right? He has given us in authority and can imagine people getting healed, people hearing people with Leprosy. No longer people that are laying in bed and paralyzed walking

Is that for the devil? My demon. Being here. This is Christ. Gave his church.

It was we go down in the end. Verse 23 week, we hear from our articles of faith in Augsburg confession. It says, this alone in Jesus Christ is enough to make us right with God. Alone is enough to make us right with God. Now that that almost makes it easy for us, doesn't it? That's a good. Easy but it shouldn't stop there.

We live a life of we, as Luthor said, God doesn't need our good works but our neighbor.

Who are our neighbors this morning. Are that we need to find a Klee. Alright, I'm leaving Greenfield, Indiana. Indiana. Where are the fish? Call Lisa. Now, have you ever been fishing in the pot? I could be great cuz it's been recently, stocked with tons of fish or they could be horrible when you could be out there for hours and hours and hours and catching. I want you to think in your mind. Where are the fish? We got new people. Moving into the community. We have all of these factories and other type of places people from Indianapolis driving in, where are those ponds with Fish? And then we have to think about herself. How to catch a fish right now. What's your favorite type of anybody profession. Anybody else?

Don't nobody, that's how your favorite item. You don't like to put them right to the worm.

How do you say? I like shrimp. We used to go fishing with shrimp when I was at my grandpa's phone.

Not in the sense that we're trying to wait, we have to be genuine. Why do they need a relationship with Jesus? What does it do for them? Right and give some Everlast, you wanted to get some salvation but then I believe passage Jesus gives that Authority. They're given, right? And if we have issues, we have a father who cares if you had a Earthly? Father, our heavenly father has care. Your heavenly father, hears your cry, to your heavenly. Father, loves you genuinely. What reservation does it matter what the world has done to you? And that way, our Father God, the son and God, the Holy Spirit and wants to see you live your best life for his glory. And Jesus like you did with the delete your old wives that you will make us pictures of people.

And use us to bring people into God's Kingdom.

The ambassadors of Christ for the world. Help me out this morning.

An advocate. Anyone else representative? All right, I better be careful. I don't want to say anything I should.

Rapper. Right and government and things that we do, right? We are

How do we do that? Again. Do we do that being mean to the cashier at Walmart when they miss is making something up, right?

I don't know, want to come off the road and we do it by being mean and hateful. Spiteful, we can be a mean person and be safe and one way, right? Cuz all we need is faith in Christ. I'm going to go to masseter.

Share our public witness with our neighbors in your life. And I believe for me. Joy, Jesus gives me hope. Jesus gives me Trust. She allows me to not have a life filled with anxiety because Jesus has what passed out. Your worries passed out your concern. We are not guaranteed tomorrow. I mean gone tomorrow, we don't know but we do have trust and it is our eternal life.

I think I think it was our opening him this morning. I love to tell a story. I love to tell the story and songs are not just something that brings us peace, testimony of what we believe. Can we love to tell the story of Yes or no? Can I get a? Yes. Yes. We love to tell the story of Jesus. Thank you. Love story. Ever told you're in that while we were yet? Sinners, he came down from heaven but we Proclaim that he suffered under Pontius Pilate Crucified dead rose again from the dead ascended. Into heaven. That we cannot do it on our own, amen. Send. We have a beautiful. Wonderful savior counselor almighty God.

For us. This morning as we go forth into this world. Be Fishers of Men is called you to go to people that like the fish, they go back a lot of times in the same spot, right? And I use the same pool and the same date. So what is that on? The Lord has called you to go where they're plenty of fish that need. Jesus, that need to be safe that need to hear the good news that need Redemption viewing be calling you. Where is he calling you to go? Almighty God.

Enable lots of whipped bus encouraged us to go out and be Fishers of Men. The Brooklyn, the good news to the captives.

Playing the good news.

Where to heal this broken world to give some hope in the midst of the struggles to give Clarity. I missed the confusion of this world. To be ambassadors for you and our love and kindness for our neighbors.

Albus dear Lord, help us to be the hands and feet of you. And I pray all this and the name of the father and the son and the holy spirit. Amen.