The Call of the Kingdom

Father in heaven, We come before You this morning humbled and grateful, gathered as Your people under the reign of Your Son — our risen King, Jesus Christ.

Lord, as we open Your Word, we confess that apart from You we can do nothing.

Just as You walked along the shore of Galilee and called ordinary men to follow You, we ask that You would walk through this room today and call our hearts afresh.

May the voice that once said, “Follow Me,” pierce through our distractions and awaken our souls.

Make us ready, Lord, not just to hear but to respond.

Not to admire the call of the kingdom, but to answer it.

So now, O God, take Your Word, take Your servant, and take this moment — and use it for Your glory and our transformation.

In the mighty name of Jesus Christ we pray, Amen.

Introduction – When the King Calls

Have you ever received a call that changed your life

Or Maybe it was the doctor saying, “It’s a boy!” — or that long-awaited job offer — or maybe a phone call that brought devastating news, changing your world in an instant.

We all know what it feels like when an ordinary moment suddenly becomes sacred — when something — or rather Someone — interrupts our normal and gives us new direction.

That’s exactly what happens here in Matthew 4:18–22, in what we’ll call “The Call of the Kingdom.”

Four ordinary fishermen wake up expecting another day of throwing nets and patching holes.

But before the day is over, their entire identity and purpose are transformed — not by ambition, not by circumstance, but by the voice of the King.

Jesus has just declared in verse 17,

“Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”

And now, He shows what that kingdom looks like in real life —not with armies, crowns, or thrones, but with a simple yet sovereign summons: “Follow Me.”

This passage reveals that the King who calls changes who we are and what we live for.

His call is not a suggestion for the curious; it is a summons for the surrendered.

When Jesus speaks, lives are redefined, hearts are redirected, and eternity is rewritten.

That is The Call of the Kingdom — a soveriegn interruption that changes everything.

Backdrop – The Fishermen of Galilee

The Sea of Galilee — OT Sea of Chinnereth (Kinneret-kee-neh-RET) (Num. 34:11; Josh. 12:3) 1st century Lake Gennesaret or Sea of Tiberias— was a beautiful freshwater lake, 13 miles long and 8 miles wide, 700 feet below sea level, surrounded by rolling hills.

It supported a thriving fishing industry.

Fishermen worked from dawn to dusk, casting nets weighted with lead, hauling them in, sorting the catch, and mending tears by hand.

Simon (Peter) and Andrew were brothers from Bethsaida but lived in Capernaum (house still there), a bustling hub on the northern shore.

They weren’t poor drifters; they were small-business owners — men of grit and perseverance.

Peter was outspoken and impulsive; Andrew was quieter, relational, eager to bring others to Jesus (John 1:41-42).

Farther down the shore were James and John, sons of Zebedee.

Their father’s business was successful enough to employ hired workers (Mark 1:20).

They were young, zealous, fiery — Jesus would later call them the “sons of thunder.”

These men were strong, capable, hard-working — men who knew teamwork, endurance, and risk.

Yet as devoted as they were to their trade, Jesus saw something greater:

The raw material for kingdom transformation.

And that’s the beauty of this passage:

The King doesn’t wait for the religious or the refined.

He walks into the workplace of ordinary people and turns the mundane into ministry.

Transition to Point 1

Before these men could ever become “fishers of men,” something deeper had to happen.

Jesus wasn’t just changing their job description — He was changing their identity.

So first, we see this truth …

1. The King Who Calls Changes Who We Are (vv. 18–19)

Matthew 4:18–19 ESV

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.”

A · The Call Begins with the King’s Initiative

(Mention Jesus walking the along the way-this is discipleship. Jesus sets the stage for how discipleship happens. Provide Discipleship definition.)

Discipleship is the intentional and relational process of helping others follow Jesus by teaching them His Word and prayer, modeling a life of faith and godliness, and walking with them in the ordinary rhythms of life.

Example:

Example of set up and break down or evangelism, or freeway, or even in the ordinary rhythms of family life.

That’s what we see happening here with Jesus.

He is walking by the “Sea of Galilee”.

Matthew states it simply yet profoundly:

“He saw two brothers.”

Isn’t it amazing that He sees us?

That Christ sees us?

I don’t know what you’re walking through today — maybe it’s something heavy, something hidden, something no one else seems to notice.

But He does.

He sees you.

He doesn’t just see where you are — He sees what you’re going through.

He understands.

He can sympathize with your weakness, your pain, your questions.

And not only does He see you, He sees what He can do through you.

Yes, you.

Even now.

Even in this season.

He sees how He can use you for His glory and your good.

Do you know the first name ever given to God in the Bible was El Roi — “the God who sees me”?

It was given by a woman named Hagar in Genesis 16:13. She was abandoned, overlooked, mistreated — yet in the wilderness, she discovered something: God hadn’t lost sight of her.

He met her there and she said,

“You are the God who sees me.”

And He still is.

Later, in Exodus 3:7, God says, “I have surely seen the affliction of My people who are in Egypt.”

He sees.

He hears.

He knows.

So whatever you’re facing today — whatever feels unseen — take heart:

The God who saw Hagar, the God who saw Israel, the God who saw Simone, Andrew, James and John, sees you!

And when God sees you, it’s not to shame you… it’s to save you.

It’s not to pass by you… it’s to call you.

It’s not to overlook you… it’s to use you — for His glory.

But notice carefully and theologically:

They didn’t see Him first.

They weren’t searching for God or praying for direction.

He saw them first.

This is the initiating grace of the King.

The call of Christ always begins with sovereign initiative, not human effort.

Jesus doesn’t wait to be sought — He seeks.

He doesn’t wait to be found — He finds.

He doesn't wait to be loved- He loves first.

He doesn’t ask for volunteers — He commands followers.

Just as He once said, “Let there be light,” and there was light — He now speaks, “Follow Me,” and spiritual life and new purpose begins.

Theological Reflection –

In Reformed theology, this is effectual calling — the inward work of the Spirit accompanying the outward call of the gospel.

1689 LBC Chapter 10 article 1 & 2 (Reference as Needed)

In God’s appointed and acceptable time, he is pleased to call effectually,1 by his Word and Spirit, those he has predestined to life. He calls them out of their natural state of sin and death to grace and salvation by Jesus Christ.2 He enlightens their minds spiritually and savingly to understand the things of God.3 He takes away their heart of stone and gives them a heart of flesh.4 He renews their wills and by his almighty power turns them to good and effectually draws them to Jesus Christ.5 Yet he does all this in such a way that they come completely freely, since they are made willing by his grace.

2. This effectual call flows from God’s free and special grace alone, not from anything at all foreseen in those called. Neither does the call arise from any power or action on their part;7 they are totally passive in it. They are dead in sins and trespasses until they are made alive and renewed by the Holy Spirit.8 By this they are enabled to answer this call and to embrace the grace offered and conveyed in it. This response is enabled by a power that is no less than that which raised Christ from the dead.

The same voice, friends, that said, “Lazarus, come forth,” awakens dead hearts to follow Him.

Peter and Andrew didn’t choose Him; He chose them (John 15:16).

They didn’t know who He was — but He knew them completely.

Application –

Beloved, that’s our story.

You didn’t stumble into grace; grace came for you.

The King saw you before you saw Him.

He called your name when you were tangled in your nets — striving for meaning, weary from empty toil.

And His Word — “Follow Me” — created faith in your heart.

You are not a self-made Christian; you are a Spirit-made disciple.

B · The Call Redefines Our Allegiance

In Jewish culture, disciples applied to rabbis.

But here, the pattern reverses — the King calls His own.

This displays His sovereign authority.

Following Jesus is not a hobby; it is total allegiance to His Lordship.

The phrase “Follow Me” literally means “Come behind Me.”

It’s a call to abandon autonomy and walk where He walks.

To follow Jesus is to surrender the right to lead yourself.

Theological Reflection –

Regeneration doesn’t just improve us; it dethrones us.

The King’s call forgives sin and reorders authority.

“You are not your own,” Paul writes, “for you were bought with a price.” (1 Cor. 6:19-20)

Illustration – Picture a compass with its magnet removed — the needle spins wildly, directionless.

When the magnet returns, the needle locks to true north.

That’s what the call of Christ does: it fixes the soul back on God.

Application – Maybe you’ve tried to fit Jesus into your life — your plans, your pace, your priorities.

But the King doesn’t fit into your story; He writes a new one.

His call is not an addition — it’s a transformation.

To follow Jesus means saying, “You lead; I follow. You speak; I obey.”

C · The Call Restores Our Identity

Jesus adds, “I will make you…”

He doesn’t tell them to make themselves something.

This is grace again.

Discipleship isn’t self-improvement; it’s sovereign transformation.

The One who calls also forms.

Peter — the impulsive fisherman — will become the rock of the early church.

Andrew — the quiet inviter — will bring others to Christ.

James — passionate and bold — will die for his Lord.

John — tender and faithful — will live to proclaim His glory.

Theological Reflection –

When Jesus calls, He not only saves us from something; He remakes us for something.

“If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation.” (2 Cor. 5:17)

A true disciple is born again — the call to follow and the work of new birth are inseparable.

Application –

Maybe you feel too ordinary, too unqualified.

So were these men.

Christ delights to use ordinary people for extraordinary purposes.

The question is not, “Am I enough?”

The question is, “Will I follow?”

Transition to Point 2

So we’ve seen that the King who calls changes who we are — He initiates, redefines, and restores.

But the call doesn’t stop there.

The King not only changes who we are; He also changes what we live for.

2. The King Who Calls Changes What We Live For (vv. 19–22)

Matthew 4:19–20 ESV

And he said to them, “Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.” Immediately they left their nets and followed him.

A · The Call Gives Us a New Mission

Jesus takes their trade and gives it eternal meaning. “I will make you fishers of men.”

Fishermen once caught living things that would die; now they will catch dying souls that may live.

OT Metaphor for Judgment - (Jer. 16:16; Ezek. 29:4–5; Ezek. 32:3; Amos 4:2; Hab. 1:14–17)

Exegesis –

The verb poieō (“make”) means creative formation.

Jesus is fashioning something new.

Their mission is not human achievement but Soveriegn workmanship.

That’s why directly after the passage on salvation in Ephesians 2:4-8, Paul writes,

Ephesians 2:10 ESV

For we are his workmanship, CREATED in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.

What are those works?

Fundamentally, they all revolve around one thing:

Fishing for men!

Evangelism!

This is precisely why Matthew ends this book with the mission of the kingdom for all the subject of His kingdom- Matthew 28:19 “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,”

Whatever it is that you do for a living—when Christ calls you to follow Him, He redeems that career with the purpose of snatching people out of death and hell and bringing them into abundant and everlasting life with Christ!

Our goal—whether we are parents, welders, salesmen, teachers, or students—is to implore all people everywhere to be reconciled to God through Christ.

To be an ambassador of the Kingdom is to be a fisher of men.

We are saved to be sent.

Sadly, I heard a preacher say recently that 90% of christians have never lead anyone to the Lord. 90%!!

This week I was reading something John MacArthur once shared in a sermon.

He said he’d come across an old book from 1877—written by an anonymous preacher making a passionate plea for evangelism.

The writer imagined that if just one Christian led two others to Christ in a year, and each of those did the same, the entire world—1.6 billion people at that time—could be reached in just over thirty years.

He added, if 20 million believers each reached one soul a year, the world could be evangelized within a single generation.

Now, think about that today.

Our world’s population is over 8 billion.

Yet the principle hasn’t changed—if every believer simply reached one person for Christ each year, the impact would be staggering.

Within a generation, the gospel could reach every corner of the globe.

MacArthur said, “They didn’t do it.”

And neither have we.

If even one believer trained two others to share Christ, and that multiplied every six months, our own city could be reached in just a few years.

The point isn’t about math—it’s about mission.

The Great Commission hasn’t changed.

It has to start somewhere.

It must start with us.

It’s got to start right where you are — not just up here in the pulpit.

John MacArthur also said in that same sermon that”

“A stationary foghorn has its value (referring to me the preacher!), but nobody ever got rescued out of the sea by a stationary foghorn.”

I could come in here Sunday after Sunday and preach my heart out — honk the horn, blow the whistle — but sermons alone don’t rescue people.

It takes well-trained, gospel-driven rescuers (followers of jesus) who go out into the sea, reaching people right where they are — We need fishers of men, not just hearers of sermons!

Henry Ward Beecher, another great preacher, once said, “The longer I live, the more confidence I have in those sermons preached when one man is the minister and one man is the congregation — when there’s no question who’s being spoken to when the preacher says, ‘Thou art the man.’”

It’s not just for the preacher in the pulpit; it’s for every believer in the pew.

I love the story Moody used to tell.

He said he was visiting a Chicago art gallery, and he stood before a painting entitled what Ruth has played for us tonight, “Rock of Ages.”

The picture showed a person with both hands clinging to a cross that was embedded in a rock. While a stormy sea smashed against the rock, he hung to the cross.

Moody said, “I thought it was the most beautiful picture that I had ever seen. Years later,” he said, “I saw a similar picture.

This one showed a person in a storm holding a cross, but with one hand while he was reaching to a drowning man with the other.”

Moody said, “That was lovelier yet.”

We’re rich at RCS.

I hope and pray we’re not forgetful of those that desperately need what we possess.

Beloved, it all began right there in Matthew 4:18–22 — when Jesus called ordinary fishermen to follow Him and become fishers of men.

That same call still echoes today.

Theological Reflection –

Friend, The Jesus who justifies us and snatched us out of death, sends us fishing.

The Point: Discipleship is not a classroom; it’s a commission.

We are all commissioned to make disciples.

And notice carefully — mission flows from relationship.

“Follow Me, and I will make you.”

You can’t fish for men unless you’re following the Master.

This is the how! How do I evangelize?

Friend, you can’t give people what you do not have.

You can’t talk about someone you do not know.

*Abiding before Working.

*Knowing before doing.

*Following before fishing.

*Explain real life experiences of this.

*Once a person gets the order right, oh, boy does it make the fishing sweat.

*Fishing is renewed when following is pursued.

*When you really experience Jesus and the grace he gives, you can help but to tell others about it!

Illustration –

A river that’s dammed becomes stagnant.

But when it flows freely, it brings life downstream.

The Christian life was never meant to stagnate; the King calls us not to store grace but to spread it.

Application –

Do you know Jesus?

Really know Him?

Have you decided to follow Jesus?

If so, my next question is: Are you fishing?

Who are you fishing for?

Who in your family, your neighborhood, your workplace still drifts in the sea of sin?

(Right now, pause, open your phones, and put names in there. I would love to see them in church next week.)

Challenge to be praying for the one.

(1 a month=12 salvation a year. 12 per person (90 in attendance+1,080 salvation a year.)

Again: The point isn’t about math—it’s about mission.

Who’s your one (this is the starting place)?

The gospel net is in your hands.

The Spirit gives the strength, the Word gives the message, and the King gives the catch.

If Jesus has changed who you are, He will change what you do.

Every believer is an ambassador, because every believer has the message of reconciliation.

B · The Call Demands Costly Obedience

“Immediately they left their nets(V.20)… Immediately they left the boat and their father. (V.22)”

Twice Matthew says “immediately.”

That’s not filler; that’s faith in motion.

No hesitation.

No excuses.

When the King calls, delay is disobedience.

The nets symbolized livelihood, stability, identity.

The boat represented comfort and familiarity.

The father represented family loyalty and social reputation.

They left it all because they had found Someone greater.

Theological Reflection – Bonhoeffer wrote,

“When Christ calls a man, He bids him come and die.”

But here’s the paradox:

When you die to self, you live to Christ.

The kingdom always grows from crucified obedience.

For these men, that obedience would lead to global mission and eternal joy.

Illustration – A firefighter drops everything when the alarm sounds —not because it’s easy, but because lives are at stake.

Likewise, when the King calls, urgency replaces comfort.

Application –

What nets are you still gripping?

Career?

Reputation?

Control?

Hidden sin?

The King’s call always brings a choice:

Keep your nets, or follow your Savior.

You cannot have both.

C · The Call Promises a Greater Reward

They left everything — yet they lost nothing of eternal worth.

Read (Jesus Promised) Matthew 19:27-29

Matthew 19:27–29 ESV

Then Peter said in reply, “See, we have left everything and followed you. What then will we have?” Jesus said to them, “Truly, I say to you, in the new world, when the Son of Man will sit on his glorious throne, you who have followed me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or lands, for my name’s sake, will receive a hundredfold and will inherit eternal life.

Theological Reflection –

God is no debtor.

He remembers every act of faithfulness.

Discipleship may cost much, but it pays in eternal reward.

Illustration –

Jim Elliot once said,

“He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose.”

That’s the heartbeat of this passage.

Application –

Maybe obedience has cost you relationships or opportunity.

But remember — you’re not the first to leave something behind.

Peter left his nets.

Matthew left his tax booth.

Paul left his status.

Jesus left heaven.

He took on flesh.

Dwelt among us.

He humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.

But God highly Exalted Jesus. (Resurrection reality and glory!)

He bestowed on Him the name above every name.

He sits at the right hand of the father in all blessing, and glory and power.

And those who follow Jesus, scripture tells us in Ephesians 1:

English Standard Version Chapter 2

English Standard Version Chapter 1

in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places

English Standard Version Chapter 1

In love 5 he predestined us for adoption to himself as sons through Jesus Christ,

English Standard Version Chapter 1

7 In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace

English Standard Version Chapter 1

11 In him we have obtained an inheritance

English Standard Version Chapter 1

13 In him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, 14 who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it, to the praise of his glory.

And each follower of Jesus throughout history would tell you — the King is worth it all.

Look at all he has done and given to us in Him?

And our response is world over Jesus?

Material possessions over eternal inheritance?

Worldly work (fade) of Kingdom work (last forever)?

Our response it to give Jesus the scraps of our lives over the first fruits (the best and first) of our lives?

Here is the sad reality that Grant Osborn points out,

Matthew 4. Discipleship: A Total, Radical Surrender to Christ

Mark and Matthew say the first four disciples surrendered both occupation and family, and

Transition to Conclusion

The King’s call changes who you are and what you live for.

But His voice still requires a response.

The call that once echoed across Galilee still echoes across this room today.

Conclusion – The Call Still Echoes

Jesus is still saying, “Follow Me.”

For Peter, Andrew, James, and John, that meant leaving nets, boats, and fathers.

For us, it may mean leaving sin, pride, comfort, or fear.

The King who calls changes who you are — from sinner to saint, from rebel to servant.

The King who calls changes what you live for — from self to Savior, from gain to glory.

So the question is not whether you’ve heard His voice — you have.

The question is: Have you answered it?

Will you drop your nets?

Will you step out of the boat?

Will you go “All 100%” in?!

Will you follow the King who left heaven’s throne to walk your shoreline and call your name?

“Immediately they left their nets and followed Him.” (V.20)

May that be said of us — that when the King called, we followed without hesitation.

Closing Prayer

Lord Jesus,

You are the King who calls.

You called fishermen by Galilee, and You still call sinners today.

Thank You for seeing us before we saw You, for summoning us out of darkness into Your marvelous light, and for making us fishers of men.

Give us grace to drop our nets, courage to follow wherever You lead, and joy to live for the glory of Your name.

For Your kingdom and Your glory we pray. Amen.

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