The King's Invitation |The Book of Matthew: The King and His Kingdom | Matthew 4:18-25 | John Lee

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John Lee

Mission Church

The Book of Matthew: The King and His Kingdom • Sermon • Submitted a year ago • Presented a year ago • 42:46

Matthew 4:18–25

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Good morning! Please grab your Bible and turn with me to Matthew 4:18-25. This morning we are continuing our journey through the Gospel according to Matthew....a journey that we have entitled “The King and His Kingdom.” And this morning..... what we will find in our text is an invitation from the King.

Now....If you are able to…I would like to invite you to stand for the reading of God’s Word.

Hear the Word of the Lord from

Matthew 4:18–25 (CSB)

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.

23 Now Jesus began to go all over Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the good news of the kingdom, and healing every disease and sickness among the people. 24 Then the news about him spread throughout Syria. So they brought to him all those who were afflicted, those suffering from various diseases and intense pains, the demon-possessed, the epileptics, and the paralytics. And he healed them. 25 Large crowds followed him from Galilee, the Decapolis, Jerusalem, Judea, and beyond the Jordan.

This is the Word of the Lord. May these words be written on our hearts this morning.

Let’s pray.

Picture with me.... a dangerous coastline that's notorious for shipwrecks. In response, a humble life-saving station was established. It was a simple hut with just one boat, manned by a devoted crew who kept an unwavering watch over the tumultuous sea. These selfless individuals would venture out day or night, tirelessly searching for anyone in need of rescue. Their heroic efforts saved countless lives, and soon, their station gained a reputation for its noble work.

As time passed, some of those who were saved and others from the surrounding area were inspired to join the cause. They generously contributed their time and resources to support the station. New boats were acquired, and more crews were trained. The station expanded. But with growth came change.

Some members began to feel that the modest building needed some upgrades. So they replaced emergency cots with hospital beds and upgraded the furnishings. The station gradually transformed into a comfortable gathering place for members to discuss their work and socialize. Renovations continued, and the station started to resemble a club more than a life-saving outpost.

Fewer members were interested in venturing out on dangerous life-saving missions, so they hired professionals to handle the rescues. Despite this shift, the emblem and stationery still bore the insignia of life-saving, and there was even a ceremonial lifeboat displayed during club initiations.

Then, one fateful day, a massive shipwreck occurred off the coast. The hired crews brought in boatloads of cold, battered, and sick survivors. The beautiful club was turned into a mess. In response, a shower house was quickly built outside to clean up the shipwreck victims before they could enter into the club's pristine interior.

During the next club meeting, a division emerged among the members. Most wanted to cease life-saving activities altogether…they felt that the victims were unpleasant and disruptive to their social gatherings. A small group fought back and insisted saving lives was their primary mission…they reminded everyone that the club was, in essence, a life-saving station. But sadly.....the lifesaving advocates were outvoted.....and they were told to establish their own station down the coast if they wanted to continue their mission.

As years passed..... the new station experienced the same fate as the first. It, too, became a club, and the urgency of life-saving faded. The few remaining dedicated members decided to start yet another station, but the pattern repeated itself. Today....if you visit the dangerous coastline......you'll find several exclusive clubs along the shore....and you will hear all about the tragic shipwrecks and the many people who continue to drown.

Friends…this illustration is a picture of the history of the Church. This is unfortunate .....especially considering how the work of fishing men and women out of the sea of sin ....and the work of rescuing people from the crashing waves of death is the great work that God has called the church to do.

In fact....rescuing men and women from sin is God’s great concern....so much so that God sent His Son to a sin stained earth…to live, to preach, to die, and to be raised from the dead for the very purpose of saving His people from sin and death. In fact....…The Father......so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son so that everyone who believes in Him will not die but have Life.

Jesus Himself said that He came to seek and to save the lost…and the Holy Spirit washes and renews those who believe.....you see....The whole Trinity is at work in the ministry of saving mankind from sin and as a result..... evangelism is the great concern of the Father, the Son, and of the Spirit.

However...... many today have responded to Jesus in a very nonchalant and casual way. Many claim to know God and to be following Him.....but not only do their lives fail to reflect that of Christ’s but there headed in directions that Jesus is not leading. Is it possible to know God and yet…show no proof that you belong to Him or are becoming like Him? Is it possible to follow Jesus without going where He tells you? Is it possible to be a Christian without buying into the mission of Christ?

Well…our text this morning not only provides answers to these questions but it clearly …and simply lays out for us that…in light of who Jesus is .....we should wonder at the One who has invited us to join Him on a world changing mission…and feel the weight of His command to “Follow Him”....so much so that we renounce everything for His glory......joyfully depend on His grace…and live with urgent obedience to His mission.

The greatest and most profound invitation ever made consists of two simple words.... “Follow Me.” A simple and clear invitation.....yet…despite the uncomplicated nature of Christ’s command..... These two simple words have been misunderstood and misapplied for centuries. What does it actually mean to follow Jesus?

Well....let’s pursue an understanding of The King’s Invitation by studying it in three parts:

The King

The Invitation

The Promise

But first ....lets look back at verses 18-22

Matthew 4:18–22 (CSB)

I have read and studied this text for years and every time I read it I am blown away by this remarkable scene. Jesus....God in the flesh … He calls His first disciples…and He chooses.... not the religious or intellectually elite …but rather He chooses a few ....hardworking....blue collar fishermen. And at the sound of Jesus’s invitation these guys immediately leave their livelihood and walk away from an identity that has been passed down to them for generations as fishermen …and…in the case of James and John …they leave their family…as their Dad is left in the boat wondering what in the world just happened.

Now.....read in isolation.......this call of Peter, Andrew, James, and John seems abrupt…as if Jesus spots 4 random fishermen and calls them to follow Him without logic or preparation....but.....this is not at all what happened..... you see.... If we were to compare our text with the other Gospel narratives ....we would see that approximately a year and a half had passed between John the Baptist’s arrest and Jesus’s invitation ........so......not only had these four men met Jesus before but they had already witnessed Jesus’s teaching and miraculous powers. In other words.... these four men....they left everything…livelihood and family… not on a whim....it wasn’t a brash decision but an informed decision. Jesus was no stranger.....you see..... they knew exactly who it was that was calling them.

This leads us now to our first consideration:

1. The King

Just as Peter, Andrew, James, and John made an informed decision before they left everything to follow Jesus……we too …have everything we need in God’s Word to make the same informed decision. In fact.....in our short time in Matthew’s gospel.... we have already received enough evidence of who Jesus to inform our decision....... Lets walk through these truths together.

In Matthew 1 we studied the historical record of Jesus…and we learned that He is the Son of David…the Son of Abraham…which speaks to the truth that Jesus is the long awaited.....promised Messiah who has come to rescue and save His people from sin and death.

Jesus is the savior....He is the Christ....He is both fully human and fully divine.....born of the Spirit of God through a woman....Jesus Christ is Immanuel....He is God with us.

In Matthew 2 we learned that Jesus is Sovereign over the wise and a Shepherd to the weak. Wise men came looking for a King and they bowed down and worshipped Jesus. The events that followed fulfilled several Old Testament prophecies and proved that Jesus was inaugurating a new exodus and that He would end the mournful exile by bringing hope to the despised and joy to the destitute.

In Matthew 3 ......John the Baptist proclaimed that Jesus was the Savior King and Righteous Judge. “Repent,” John said, “because the kingdom of heaven has come near!” In other words....... the King is here and the King is coming to save all who will trust in Him and to judge all who don’t.

We also witnessed Jesus’s baptism where the Spirit of God descended upon Him and the voice of God declared, “This is My beloved Son with whom I am well pleased!”

Then in chapter 4 we saw that Jesus is our victorious King .....that Jesus is the new Adam and the true Israel......you see....the first Adam gave into the temptation in the garden, but Jesus did what no one else in history has ever done or will ever do—He resisted temptation fully and completely.......never once did He give in into sin.

Then last week Matthew pointed to Jesus and proclaimed good news for all of us who are dwelling among the despised.....for those of us living in the midst of darkness and enveloped in the shadowland of death.....that Jesus is the light of the world and the hope for all people!

Finally…look back at our text this morning …look at verse Matthew 4:23-25

Matthew 4:23–25 (CSB)

Brothers and Sisters …The King of the universe and the righteous judge of all nations has come! God in the Flesh is saying to you, “Follow Me!” …and in light of everything we know about Him ...we should wonder at the truth that He is inviting us to follow Him at all …and we should feel the weight of His command ...so much so that we renounce everything for His glory......joyfully depend on His grace…and live with urgent obedience to His mission. For......Jesus is worthy of far more than casual church attendance.....He is worth far more than a nonchalant association..... Jesus is not some puny savior who is begging for you to accept Him …as if Jesus needs to be accepted by us....... Jesus doesn't need your acceptance…for He is infinitely worthy of all of the glory of the entire universe! And if you have truly encountered Him …everything in your life would be radically changed.

Which leads us to our second consideration this morning:

2. The Invitation to Follow

Matthew 4:18–19 (CSB)

Now…it’s important to understand that following Jesus will not only change your life but it will completely disrupt your life. Consider how the Sea of Galilee was the center of community and commerce…and was specifically known for its fishing..... fishermen would fish throughout the night and sell their catch in the morning. And Andrew and Peter…James and John…this is all they knew…this was all their family knew…fishing was their identity. And here comes Jesus with an invitation to something new.....an invitation to a change in identity.... no longer were they going to be known as fisherman but as followers.

And friends…this is what it means to follow Jesus....following Him becomes the core of your identity…following Jesus becomes the most important thing about who you are...in fact.....let’s unpack this a little bit and consider 4 identifiers of a follower of Jesus. The first one being that a follower of Jesus lives with Jesus.

A. Live with Jesus

Now this may sound super obvious…but friends…...you can’t follow Jesus without being with Jesus.

I am reminded of a similar invitation that Jesus makes in Matthew 11:28. He says,

Matthew 11:28–30 (CSB)

28 “Come to me......which in the Greek is the exact invitation translated in Matthew 4 as “Follow Me”........ (Follow Me) all of you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, because I am lowly and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”

In other words…Jesus’s invitation to “Follow Him” …is an invitation to walk with Him…to work with Him…to watch How HE loves..How HE lives…and How He leads others to Himself. And for those who accept His invitation....for those who believe in Him ......those who seek forgiveness from their sins…not only will they find eternal rest for their souls …but the work that He invites us into..the work of soul winning...... is easy.... for it is Him that works in us and through us to accomplish His Kingdom plans and purposes.

Friend…you are being invited to live with Jesus…to follow Jesus…and to lead others to Jesus …and it all begins by living in fellowship with Jesus......and as a result of living with Him...there will be something different about you…there will be a manner as one who has been with Jesus.....as one who has been made in heart and in mind ....a wise…brave…and compassionate soul winner..

B Complete Surrender to Jesus

Following Jesus also requires a complete surrender......a surrender that begins with repentance. Remember Jesus's first sermon from verse 17

Matthew 4:17 (CSB)

17 ...“Repent, because the kingdom of heaven has come near.”

Repentance requires admitting that you are a sinner…expressing sorrow over your sin…and an intentional turning from your sin…and repentance is most profoundly and beautifully illustrated in baptism…you see.....as the person is dunked below the surface of the water it symbolizes the renouncing of self dependence....it’s a picture of dying to sin and self and as they emerge from the water…it symbolizes the newness of life they have in Christ Jesus.

You see......Repentance…is the basic level…it’s the core of what it means to follow Jesus. As disciples ....we are to admit our sin and then run from it! And friends…this is extremely countercultural .........especially as we live in a world that revolves around self..…and promotes the message..... “protect yourself, promote yourself, you do you, preserve yourself, treat yo” self” ..... Jesus speaks into our selfish culture and says, “to follow me…you must die to yourself. “

Consider Matthew 16:24

Matthew 16:24 (CSB)

24 Then Jesus said to his disciples, “If anyone wants to follow after me, let him deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me.

A complete surrender requires the renouncing of self…..consider how these first disciples left behind their livelihood, financial security, family, and comfort .....they left behind everything that was familiar and natural to them....why? What would lead these men to trade comfort for uncertainty? Well…they knew who it was that invited them to leave everything behind......they may not have known where they were going but they knew who they were going with..... and brothers and sisters we too are called to such a profound trust in the person of Jesus that we would respond with the same radical abandonment.

Friends…following Jesus requires a complete surrender..we are to lay down everything to live for one thing…The King and His Kingdom....no longer are we to grip so tightly to the concerns and the comforts that we once found so important to us… instead…we grip tightly to and cling closely to the person of Jesus and the mission of His Kingdom.

In order to follow Jesus....these first disciples left their pursuits.......they left their friends.....their family…...they quit their entire world so that their one focus might be Christ and His mission of fishing for people. Now...…you may not be called to leave your job or to leave your family……if you did you might be leaving the very place God has placed you to fish....but you are called to pursue a life that looks differently than how you once lived before you met Jesus....you see ....as we follow Jesus we are to reject sin…we are to loathe the very thought of the evil joys of our culture…and we are to pursue a life of holiness and imitation of Jesus. In other words …following Jesus requires an intentional pursuit of Christlikeness. We are to live with an...... unwavering devotion to Jesus.

C. Unwavering Devotion to Jesus

Following Jesus means to live with an unwavering devotion to Jesus…you see.....we are to pursue a life that faithfully loves Jesus....... lives like Jesus....and is leading others to know Jesus.

The history of the church reveals that there have always been crowds of people who were happy to hear about Jesus.....live moral lives…and even agree with Jesus…but they never truly followed Jesus. Why? Well....because following Jesus costs too much.....following Jesus is a narrow road of continual obedience.

Brothers and Sisters......following Jesus requires much more than casual church attendance…following Jesus requires much more than simply affirming belief in Jesus....friends....even the demons believe Jesus is who He says He is.........as followers of Jesus we don’t not simply listen to Christ’s words on Sunday and move on with our lives on Monday. If you are going to accept the Kings invitation to Follow Him....you must be willing to do whatever He says…whenever He says it....no matter what it costs!

Think about this......how successful would you be fishing for people if you continued to pursue the same wicked desires that world does? Fish will never be fishermen....I have never gone fishing and seen a trout standing on the bank holding a fishing rod......that sounds ridiculous but.....so many who claim to be following Jesus are still willfully pursuing a life that looks no different from that of an unbeliever.

Listen to me....the sinner will not convert the sinner…the ungodly will not convert the ungodly....and the worldly Christian will not convert the world.......friend…if you are living in the darkness then you belong to the kingdom of darkness…and if you are marching with the armies of the wicked one you will never be able to defeat them.

Perhaps …the reason why the church…at this present moment...... has so little influence over our culture.....is because the culture has so much influence over the church.

Charles Spurgeon says it like this:

The Metropolitan Tabernacle Pulpit Sermons, Vol. XXXII (How to Become Fishers of Men (No. 1,906))

Holiness is the most real power that can be possessed by men or women. We may preach orthodoxy, but we must also live orthodoxy. God forbid that we should preach anything else; but it will be all in vain, unless there is a life at the back of the testimony. Our power lies in this word, “Follow me.” Be Jesus-like. In all things endeavour to think, and speak, and act as Jesus did, and he will make you fishers of men. This will require self-denial. We must daily take up the cross. This may require willingness to give up our reputation—readiness to be thought fools, idiots, and the like, as men are apt to call those who are keeping close to their Master

Spurgeon, C. H. 1886. “How to Become Fishers of Men.” In The Metropolitan Tabernacle Pulpit Sermons, 32:343. London: Passmore & Alabaster.

Now…the fourth description of a follower of Jesus is Urgent Obedience to Christ’s Mission.

D. Urgent Obedience to Christ’s Mission

The reason why Jesus has called you is for you to live with urgent obedience to His mission. Every follower of Jesus is called to be a fisher of people.

Remember.......The disciples went from searching for fish at a lake to spreading the gospel all over the world....and the mission remains the same today.

Consider the charge given to us by Jesus in Matthew 28:18-20

Matthew 28:18–20 (CSB)

18 Jesus came near and said to them, “All authority has been given to me in heaven and on earth. 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.”

Brothers and sisters ....we cannot talk about knowing Jesus…following Jesus…and being separate from the world…unless we make Him the Master and the Lord of our entire life…and live in obedience to commands. Every disciple of Jesus is called ....commanded ....and commissioned to live on mission as a disciple maker.

Tell me....are you bought into the mission of Jesus? Are you a disciple-making disciple?

If we’re honest I think most of us need a constant reminder of the Great Commission.....we need a reminder of the command that Christ has given us.....If you are a follower of Jesus…you are called to fish for people. …this is the great privilege and responsibility of every Christian.

Brothers and sisters.....the mission to make disciples is what should define you and it should be the very purpose behind everything you do. As the pastor of this church.....I am burdened to teach you and equip you for the mission we have been called to....you see....if we aren’t making disciples we have missed the point…in fact I am burdened to see every disciple here making disciples.

And this starts with evangelism..... It begins with sharing your faith and sharing the gospel with others. And maybe you’re thinking, “But John.....I just don’t know where to start.” and friend…thats a valid concern...

This is why the fall class for Mission Academy this fall is on Evangelism......it’s also why we are launching an initiative this morning called Who’s Your One? We did this last year and we saw several people come to the Lord as a result.

When you think of someone far from God, who’s the first person that comes to mind? Is it a neighbor? Coworker? a Parent? No matter who it is....God can use you to reach them....and at the resource table we have several tools to hep you including prayer guides, reading plans, and bookmarks. In fact I want to challenge everyone of you to take a book mark ..... on the bookmark there is an area to write down the name of the person that you are going to intentionally pray for and share the gospel with. Write their name down.....and put it in the offering box and I will commit to praying for you as you urgently obey Jesus to make disciples.

Now…it begins with sharing the gospel but it doesn’t end their…you see.....we are also called to baptize them and to teach them to observe everything God has commanded. How? well.....invite them to attend baptism class.....invite them to join you to Sunday service or to small group.....invite them to meet with you on a Saturday morning for the next 7 weeks and work through a Bible reading plan together. In fact…if you do this let me know and I will resource you with discipleship materials for you to use.

The fact of the matter is........following Jesus requires urgent obedience to His mission to make disciples....if you are a disciple and you aren’t making disciples ....then this morning is a recalibration and an invitation for you to repent and to follow Jesus as a disciple making disciple.

Now....... you might be thinking “ John....I can’t do that.” and its true.....you cant......., but that’s the point. We can’t do it. That’s why we need Jesus to make us what we cannot be in and of ourselves. This is the core of discipleship: we follow Him, and He makes us fishers of men…which leads us to our third and final consideration.....

3. The Promise

Look back at v19

Matthew 4:19 (CSB)

19 “Follow me,” he told them, “and I will make you fish for people.”

Underline…or circle …or write down in your notes these four words.... “I will make you” …Jesus said...... “follow me and I will make you fish for people.”

In other words.....God takes the initiative to choose you…think about it.....the disciples didn’t come to Jesus…He went to them. Consider John 15:16.

John 15:16 (CSB)

16 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.

Think about it.....Jesus did not choose a bunch of fisherman because of how awesome they were or because of some unique skill they brought to the table. For starters, they were uneducated Galileans…they were on the bottom rung of the social, religious, and cultural ladder....there was nothing that qualified them for the job.

Rather.....they were narrow-minded and superstitious, full of Jewish prejudices, misconceptions, and animosities. Yet.....These are the ones Jesus chose.

And just like them.... You and I have nothing in us to draw Jesus to us....there is noting special about us that would lead Jesus to invite us to follow Him and to be a part of His mission…in fact....We are sinners....we are rebels to the core.......running from God.

But....the beautiful reality of the gospel is that Jesus comes running to us. He calls our name. He chooses us. Consider Ephesians 1:4-6.

Ephesians 1:4–6 (CSB)

4 For he chose us in him, before the foundation of the world, to be holy and blameless in love before him. 5 He predestined us to be adopted as sons through Jesus Christ for himself, according to the good pleasure of his will, 6 to the praise of his glorious grace that he lavished on us in the Beloved One.

Friend....... God sent His one and only son to bear upon himself the wrath that you and I deserved on a cross....so that …by His grace that we would be drawn to Him. He chooses us and not only that but He empowers us....It is Him that makes us fishers of men.

Brothers and sisters....understand that it is Christ who makes it possible for you to follow Him..... everything we have talked about this morning…living with Jesus, abiding in Jesus…devoting yourself to Jesus....surrendering completely to Jesus…and urgently obeying Jesus …none of these things are possible apart form the Holy Spirit of God working them in you.

In other words you cant follow Jesus unless He makes you follow Him…and you cannot be a disciple making disciple unless he makes you a fisher of men. You see.....We are completely reliant on His Spirit working in us and through us!

And this promise…that it is God who saves us…it is God who makes us follow Him…and it is God who makes us fishers of people....this promise should bring us so much freedom and confidence!!! Not to mention that Jesus promises us that as we faithfully live on mission....HE will ....forever.... be present with us. In other words....you will never be closer to Jesus than when you are faithfully fishing for people

Brothers and Sisters…we have no idea of what God could do through this body of believers gathered here this morning..... if we leave here today …as committed followers of Jesus who are filled with the Holy Spirit …there is enough of us here to evangelize not only our communities, schools, and workplaces…but there is enough here to be the means of salvation to this entire city.

Mission Church .....do not feel overwhelmed…yes…it’s true....on our own ....we are not at all qualified for the task that God has called us too.....its true…we cant do it on our own.....but.....it’s also true that it is the Lord who fills us with His presence.....it is the Lord who empowers us…it is the Lord who equips us for the Mission. .....you see....it is God who is making you a disciple-making disciple........

Friends........we are by the shore of a great sea of human life swarming with the souls of men and women....we live in the midst of millions of people....but if we faithfully follow Jesus He will use us to reach the lost for His glory and our good.....and I pray that as you faithfully follow Jesus on Mission.....that the mission will draw you closer to your savior and that you will find rest and joy in Him.