2_4_2024 - Mark 1:16-20 - "Fishers of Men”

(Opening Prayer)

(Sermon Introduction)

Today we continue the gospel of Mark. We are planning to spend almost 2 years in the gospel of Mark. We are going to have mini-series to help break up our time in Mark and help us focus on the journey on both a macro and micro level. We want to understand what it truly means to “Build the Kingdom One Disciple at a Time.”

Today we begin our “Follow” series in the gospel of Mark.

(The Gospel of Mark Context)

Matthew, Mark, and Luke, make up what is referred to as the Synoptic Gospels.

The word Synoptic means “together they see.”

The Synoptic Gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke are referred to in this manner because of their likeness, and similar content.

They record many of the same teachings, stories, and accounts from different perspectives.

Some have said that because of this these writings are unreliable.

Quite the opposite is true.

A difference of perspective is not a negative but rather a positive.

If each gospel recorded everything the exact same way we would question its accuracy and integrity in the same way that an investigator would question stories that record verbatim what happened at a crime scene.

The gospel of John is not considered a Synoptic Gospel primarily because it was written years later and recorded things that the other writers did not include.

The gospel of Mark is understood to have been written between 54-60 A. D. prior to the writing of Matthew, Luke, and John.

Scholars believe that Matthew and Luke used Mark as a guide as they wrote their gospels.

This is called the Priority of Mark.

The gospel of Mark was written by John Mark who was not one of the twelve disciples of Jesus.

However, it is believed that the Apostle Peter is the source for the material for the gospel of Mark as Peter discipled John Mark.

(Sermon Title)

Today we have entitled the sermon “Fishers of Men.”

We are in Mark 1:16-20.

Mark 1:16–20 (NLT)

16 One day as Jesus was walking along the shore of the Sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and his brother Andrew throwing a net into the water, for they fished for a living.

17 Jesus called out to them, “Come, follow me, and I will show you how to fish for people!”

18 And they left their nets at once and followed him.

19 A little farther up the shore Jesus saw Zebedee’s sons, James and John, in a boat repairing their nets.

20 He called them at once, and they also followed him, leaving their father, Zebedee, in the boat with the hired men.

(Synoptic Perspective)

Matthew’s account of the calling of Peter, Andrew, James, and John is very similar to that of Mark’s account.

However, the gospel of Luke records some valuable perspective on what may have spurred on the “immediate” nature of the response of the disciples to the call of Jesus to “follow.”

Luke 5:1–11 (NLT)

1 One day as Jesus was preaching on the shore of the Sea of Galilee, great crowds pressed in on him to listen to the word of God.

2 He noticed two empty boats at the water’s edge, for the fishermen had left them and were washing their nets.

3 Stepping into one of the boats, Jesus asked Simon, its owner, to push it out into the water. So he sat in the boat and taught the crowds from there.

4 When he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, “Now go out where it is deeper, and let down your nets to catch some fish.”

5 “Master,” Simon replied, “we worked hard all last night and didn’t catch a thing. But if you say so, I’ll let the nets down again.”

6 And this time their nets were so full of fish they began to tear!

7 A shout for help brought their partners in the other boat, and soon both boats were filled with fish and on the verge of sinking.

8 When Simon Peter realized what had happened, he fell to his knees before Jesus and said, “Oh, Lord, please leave me—I’m such a sinful man.”

9 For he was awestruck by the number of fish they had caught, as were the others with him.

10 His partners, James and John, the sons of Zebedee, were also amazed. Jesus replied to Simon, “Don’t be afraid! From now on you’ll be fishing for people!”

11 And as soon as they landed, they left everything and followed Jesus.

1. Jesus Calls Imperfect People To Follow

(Synoptic Perspective)

Luke 5:8 (NLT)

8 When Simon Peter realized what had happened, he fell to his knees before Jesus and said, “Oh, Lord, please leave me—I’m such a sinful man.”

(Disciple Definition)

The word disciple refers to a learner, a pupil, or a student.

3101. μαθητής mathētēs, math-ay-tes´; from 3129; a learner, i.e. pupil:— disciple.

James Strong, The New Strong’s Dictionary of Hebrew and Greek Words (Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 1996).

(Tension — Who Jesus Choses To Follow)

First, as we see Jesus calling people to follow Him I am challenged in a few ways:

These people don’t know all the answers.

They are sinful and messed up.

They are not qualified.

They are not the sought after people of society.

They don’t know anything about Him.

2. Jesus Gives Imperfect People A Perfect Purpose

(Synoptic Perspective)

Luke 5:9–10 (NLT)

9 For he was awestruck by the number of fish they had caught, as were the others with him.

10 His partners, James and John, the sons of Zebedee, were also amazed. Jesus replied to Simon, “Don’t be afraid! From now on you’ll be fishing for people!”

(Tension — The Goal of Following Jesus)

If we were to describe the goal of following Jesus, what would it be?

Would it simply be to be good?

Would it be to go to heaven?

Would it be about going to church and being an upstanding member of the faith community?

Jesus lays upon the shoulders of these BRAND NEW followers His thesis statement: “I will make you fishers of men” (Mk. 1:17; Lk. 5:10; Mt. 4:19).

Jesus gave purpose to those that He called.

His purpose for those who follow Him is for them to do what He did.

Jesus called people them to follow.

Jesus promised to make disciples out of them that followed.

And Jesus asked them to do the same with others.

We can say without a shadow of a doubt that Jesus truly wants to “Build the Kingdom One Disciple At a Time!

(Character Study — Simon “Peter”)

We are introduced to Peter for the first time in the Synoptic Gospels in Mark 1:16; Matthew. 4:18; and Luke 5:3; However, John records the first time Jesus and Peter met.

This could be a possible point of confusion.

Remember, the gospel of John was written about 30 years after the gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke.

John records portions of Jesus ministry that the Synoptic Gospels did not.

To help you understand the timeline of things let me briefly share with you how scholars break up the ministry of Jesus.

There are five sections of the ministry of Jesus:

The Early Judean Ministry

The Early Galilean Ministry

The Mid-Galilean Ministry

The Later Galilean Ministry

The Later Judean Ministry.

The accounts of the Synoptic Gospel writers record the last four phases of Jesus ministry but not the Early Judean Ministry.

The gospel of John, however, records all five phases.

During the first phase of His ministry John records that as Jesus was walking past John the Baptizer some time after His baptism, “two disciples of John (the Baptizer)” left John the Batpizer to follow Jesus after John the baptizer had declared, “Behold, the lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world” (John 1:29).

The names of these two disciples? Andrew and Phillip. Andrew is the brother of Simon “Peter.”

We are told in John 1:40-42 that Andrew went and found his brother Simon and told him about Jesus.

Andrew brings Simon Peter to Jesus and Jesus makes this claim about him:

John 1:42 (NLT)

42 Then Andrew brought Simon to meet Jesus. Looking intently at Simon, Jesus said, “Your name is Simon, son of John—but you will be called Cephas” (which means “Peter”).

Peter, Andrew, Phillip, Nathanael, are all mentioned in John’s gospel before Jesus reaches the Galilee to begin His Early Galilean Ministry.

However, it appears that once they all made it to the Galilee that they took a hiatus from following Jesus.

Then Jesus shows back up and intersects into the life of Peter and Andrew again and now James and John.

There will be other times along the way that we see Peter struggling to follow Jesus, but we know that at some point Peter took hold of Jesus and engaged in the purpose that He had called him to accomplish — Building the Kingdom One Disciple at a Time.

3. Jesus Leads Imperfect People In the Perfect Way

(Instrumental Music)

(Synoptic Perspective)

Mark 1:17 (NLT)

17 Jesus called out to them, “Come, follow me, and I will show you how to fish for people!”

Mark 1:17 (GB)

17 Thẽ Jesus said unto them, Followe me, and I wil make you to be fishers of men.

Luke 5:11 (NLT)

11 And as soon as they landed, they left everything and followed Jesus.

(Encouragement — Jesus Knows What He Is Doing)

I am constantly encouraged by the language of Jesus.

He tells His new followers that “He (Jesus) will make them fishers of men,” that “He (Jesus) will show them how to fish for people,” and “He (Jesus) will make them to be fishers of men” (Mk. 1:17; Lk. 5:10; Mt. 4:19).

He knows our struggle as imperfect people to follow Him and do His perfect purpose, but He is able and faithful to lead imperfect people in His perfect way!

(Sermon Recap)

“Fishers of Men”

1. Jesus Calls Imperfect People To Follow

2. Jesus Gives Imperfect People A Perfect Purpose

3. Jesus Leads Imperfect People In the Perfect Way

(Closing Tension)

I believe Jesus is calling people to follow, is He calling you?

What is He calling you to leave behind?

How are you going to respond to His call?

What is holding you back from responding to His call?

How will you respond to His purpose for you?

How is He leading you right now?

Will you allow Him to make you into a fisher of people?

(Connection Card)

(Response)

(Invite Altar Team)

(Closing Challenge)

If you want to know more about repentance, water baptism, or the baptism in the Holy Spirit, please connect with us.

(Closing Blessing)

Numbers 6:24–26 (ESV)

24 The Lord bless you and keep you.

25 The Lord make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you.

26 The Lord lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace.