Made to be Fishers of Men

(Intro) What is the Shape of the Kingdom of God?

King

People

Law or Commission

When Jesus arrives and says the time has been fulfilled, and the Kingdom of God is at hand, what warrant do we have to say that Jesus is embodying the role of “king” in this text?

Isaiah 9:1-7 and Matthew 4:11-17

Mark leaves us with faint echoes of the Isaiah text, but Matthew makes this connection plain. When Jesus arrives on the scene, he is the fulfillment of this Isaiah 9 text which speaks of the coming Son of David who is the “Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.” The government of this kingdom as verse 6 says will be upon His shoulders.

We unpacked the reality that Jesus was the coming King and knew that He was the King of the Kingdom.

Today: We will look at who God calls as His people, what response ought to look like, and the nature of Christ’s calling.

Who Were God’s People and What Was God’s Commission/Law Originally?

Adam and Eve

Gen. 1:28 - Be fruitful and multiply, rule the earth and subdue it

Gen. 2:17 - I’ve made you every good tree, but don’t eat this...

God made men to image Him in creation (or reflect His glory) by multiplying on the earth, exercising dominion, ruling against sin and evil, and delighting in the things that God delights in.

Poss. to Unpack

Dominion/Rule - Kingly/Judicial Word - Connected with the word “tread” (Radah) - Joel 3:13 - Adam and Eve fail to do what the Messiah was called to do which is “tread” upon the head of the serpent which is what believers are promised in Christ according to Romans 16:20

Glory - The glory of God is the composite reality of all that God is which demonstrates His infinite beauty, power, awesomeness, righteousness, etc. This reality could be compared with light insomuch that God’s glory is reflected in Creation both by the sheer awesomeness of the cosmos, but also by believers who live as Jesus. Glory is not something which God is lacking in and therefore needs more of. Thus, when Christians are called to “glorify God” in their lives, it is not to be what God is not, but rather to attest to what God is. So, “glorifying” is paired with worship and right affections, but it is also doing what God would do so that those who have never laid eyes on the Lord would see Him for the first time, and be floored by the reality of God.

Psalm 24:7-10 (God is the King of Glory)

Psalm 19:1 (Creation Declares the Glory of God)

Rev. 21:23 (The end of times will be lit by the Glory of God)

Heb. 1:3 (Christ is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of His nature)

1 Peter 4:11 (Look like Jesus and live by His strength for the glory of God)

Col. 1:27 - The riches of the glory of God is made known among the Gentiles, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.

2 Co. 4:6 (God’s glory shone into the hearts of believers through the Light of the knowledge of the glory of God)

Rightly ordered affections

(1) Who are the people that King Jesus Calls? & (2) What is His Law or Commission?

V. 16-20

Jesus goes to the sea and recruits fishermen

Simon (Peter, Matt. 4:18-20) and Andrew

Jesus says to them: “Follow me, and I will make you become fishers of men.”

(Immediately) they left their nets and followed him

Jesus repeats

James son of Zebedee and John his brother

Called them

(Immediately) they left their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired servants and followed him.

Jesus calls fishermen and wants them to become fishers of men. (People & Commission)

What Significance are we to draw from these verses? *Stress verse 17*

Fishermen

I will make you fishers of men.

I. Simple Principle - God takes normal people and transforms them into Kingdom builders. These kingdom builders are called to follow and fish for the king.

Mapping the Principle - When King Jesus calls you to himself, a couple of things will happen:

(1) You will realize that just as Jesus called on normal people with a common vocation from a non-notable place, so too can he do that with you.

(2) You will note that Jesus will call you, teach you, equip you, and transform you.

John tells us that after Jesus revealed himself to the disciples after His resurrection, Peter and the disciples were still fishing (John 21:1-7), however, Jesus taught these men to be bold men of faith who could be more than they were when He called them. Exemplified by Peter in Acts 2:14-41.

II. Implicit in Jesus’s calling: “I will make you...” is the idea of imaging and discipleship. Specifically, Jesus is committed to transforming His disciples into people who reflect His goals within the world.

[NOTE] Jesus in His Kingdom arrival sounds and looks a lot like the Old Testament God. God, the King of the Universe, begins by saying, “Let Us make man in our image...” and “Be fruitful and multiply, fill the earth and subdue it...” Jesus says: “Follow me, and I will make you become fishers of men.”

Built into Jesus’s call is:

Image

Command and Commission - Follow Me and Become Fishers of Men

Mapping the Principle - When King Jesus calls you, His call fits in with God’s original command to Adam and Eve. You are called to image God by reflecting His glory in creation and extend the dominion of the Kingdom of God into new spaces. Your call to follow Christ looks a lot like an old calling that existed at the beginning of time.

Is Jesus calling upon any imagery that I should be aware of in verse 17?

Jeremiah 16:14-21

Note that Jeremiah’s language ebbs between judgment and salvation.

God will be sending out fishermen and hunters who will find and judge His people yet God will also be restoring his people from the exile as well.

One of the operating questions that the people in question must ask is: have I yet repented?

If a person has repented and had his sins forgiven, then being “caught” by Christ is salvation.

If a person has not repented and had his sins forgiven, then being “caught” by Christ is a judgment.

Point on God Seeing:

The fact that God sees all things and nothing escapes him is a beautiful thing for some people and terrifying thing for others. Some people’s only hope is that in the darkness and trial, God is still able to see and find His people. Yet, for those who have not repented and live in rejection of God, the God who sees causes great unrest.

(Immediately) They left their nets and followed Him.

In some ways we could be edified by verse 18 because it reinforces the idea that Jesus is the good fisherman himself. That is, He knows where He is supposed to fish for His fishermen.

We should rightly be challenged by the words of Mark on this point as we reflect on the disciples’ willingness to leave everything for Jesus.

(Some of you might just be waiting for Jesus to call you away from your 9-5, but we don’t have any reason to thing that this is the situation for Jesus’s disciples)

The point here is that the disciples responded to Jesus in a radical way which bestowed an unusual honor on Jesus. He is worthy to be followed with this level of response.

Principle - The radical nature of your following of Jesus communicates intangible facts about the awesomeness of Jesus.

Leaving Behind Nets and Other Things

What is being left behind in this scene?

Nets - Livelihoods and lifestyle

A Father and a Servant - Relationships

Luke 14:26, 33 (Cost of Discipleship)

Cheap versus costly grace

What are the things that, if you hold on to them too tight, will actually kill your relationships and/or your relationship with God?

Deal Breaker Questions:

Would you date someone who always brought their sibling with them everywhere they went?

Would you date someone who could never part with their money under any circumstance?

Would you date someone who could never forgive even for small faults? (Note the aphimi usage)

Matt. 6:14-15

When we follow Jesus, there are lots of “nets” which have to be left behind. For some people, the hang up is really as simple as livelihood and lifestyle. For others, it is relationships. For some, the thought of letting go of old baggage is what is preventing a full life with Jesus.

Our job though, is response.

Mapping this principle:

Some of you are following Jesus and are asking questions on a weekly basis such as: “How do I raise my child to know and love the Lord?” This message is significant because you might need to ask: “How often do I model leaving my nets for Jesus?”

The Result of this principle:

Each time you step out in faith and respond to the calling of the Lord, you communicate a peculiar glory to those around you. This is why, I think, this passage is so stunning. We don’t live with these kinds of drop-everything affections!

Conclusion

The Kingdom of God is something that is graspable. If you have the desire to build things that last and desire a life of meaning, you should memorize the shape of the kingdom.

The King is Jesus - He is the King of Old who returned in power and submitted all things under His feet. He is who you serve and must serve.

You — anyone who confesses Christ as Lord and believes in Him — are the people of God. Your citizenship is in heaven, and your allegiance is to the King to see His Kingdom grow upon the earth and His glory to be known everywhere.

The Commission of King Jesus is the exercise dominion over the earth and bring others into his Kingdom.

His Command is Faith.

As you go out today, think about how you are building the Kingdom of God in your family, work, community, and nation. In case you don’t know too, that is the order that you must operate in. Don’t shirk your family responsibilities in the name of the Kingdom of God. Be men and women of integrity who have the mindset of responding to the call and commission of the King.