Joy in Following Jesus

Matthew 4:18–20 “Now as Jesus was walking by the Sea of Galilee, He saw two brothers, Simon who was 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.” Immediately they left their nets and followed Him.”

My brothers and sister, often times we exchange the Joy that we receive from God, with the joy that we receive from Him. As we enter this 3rd Sunday of Advent we give God we recall that we have spent time reflecting on the Hope and Faith we have in our Savior Jesus. It has been a time of repentance and humility. We acknowledge that we are not worthy of the Gifts of God, yet we wait in humble expectation of the Coming of our Savior, Jesus Christ! On this Sunday we pivot our focus from repentance to expectation. From Suffering to Joy and Victory. We wait in anticipation of the that not only promotes God’s desired presence in our lives, but it sustains us even when life’s journey becomes difficult.

Focus on God's Word: Listening to and understanding God's Word.

Worship & Prayer: Daily communication and praise.

Repentance: A responsive, repentant heart.

Fixing Eyes on Jesus: Keeping focus on Him, the source of this lasting joy. 

Joy That Follows the Call

Joy is not the same as happiness. Happiness depends on what’s happening, but joy is rooted in who’s calling.

Some folk think joy comes after everything lines up— after the bills are paid, after the diagnosis clears, after the breakthrough shows up.

But this text teaches us something different: Joy shows up when Jesus calls, even before conditions change.

In Matthew 4, Jesus hears about John’s imprisonment. He removed Himself from Galilee so the he could fulfill the Scriptures of the Prophets. Once He did this, His public ministry began. From that time Jesus began to preach and say, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”

Capernaum was a small town so this Gospel that Jesus was preaching did not take long to reach the people. I could argue that Peter and Andrew had already heard of Jesus yet did not encounter Him.

Jesus does not step into a palace or synagogue, He does not open a Mega Church and starting collecting tithes — He simply walks by the Sea of Galilee, where working men are doing what they do best: FISHING And right there, in the middle of routine, joy steps into their lives.

We cannot appreciate WHAT joy is until we recall WHERE joy COMES FROM! The Word of the tells us that the Fruit of the Spirit is Love, joy, peace, longsuffering.” So if the Holy Ghost is God, and a product of His Spirit is Joy, then Joy comes from God!

Joy Begins When Jesus Gets Close to Us (v. 18)

We must remember that In His presence there is fullness of joy; at His right hand are pleasures forevermore

“And Jesus, walking by the Sea of Galilee, saw two brothers…”

Before they saw Him, He saw them.

They were not praying. They were not preaching. They were not asking for a miracle. They were just working.

And yet—Jesus saw them.

That’s joy right there:

Joy is knowing that In the midst of sowing and not seeing results, that it’s going to pay off after while.

Joy is knowing that God sees you where you are, and knows where you’re going

Joy is knowing that your labor hasn’t gone unnoticed

Joy is knowing that Jesus walks into ordinary places

Somebody needs to hear this: You don’t have to clean yourself up for Jesus to call you. You don’t have to change locations for Him to notice you. Joy comes when you realize God already sees you.

II. Joy Is Found in the Invitation, Not the Details (v. 19)

“Then He said to them, ‘Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men.’”

Notice what Jesus does not explain:

He doesn’t give them a timeline

He does not give them a business model or a plan

He doesn’t give them a map

All He gives them is an invitation.

We make ourselves miserable trying to find all the answers, but Joy doesn’t come from us knowing everything— Joy comes from knowing who you’re following.

Jesus says, “Follow Me”— not “figure it out,” not “fix yourself,” not “qualify first.”

And here’s the joy:

“I will make you fishers of men…”

Jesus says I’m changing who you are! You’ve been bringing in Fish from the Sea, but I’m going to cause you to bring in People into my Kingdom!

That means the pressure is not on YOU— the power is in You.

Joy is knowing:

God will shape you

God will grow you

God will develop you

If Jesus calls you, He commits Himself to your becoming.

III. Joy Requires Letting Go of the Nets (v. 20)

“They immediately left their nets and followed Him.”

The nets represent:

Security

Familiarity

Comfort

Control

And yet, they dropped them immediately.

Not because fishing was bad— but because following Jesus was better.

Joy often requires release. You cannot grab hold of joy while clutching old nets.

Some nets are good things that have become limiting things. Some nets kept you alive, but they can’t take you where God is going.

And yet— when they let go, they didn’t lose joy— they gained it.

Because joy is not found in what you hold onto— joy is found in who you walk with.

IV. Joy Moves You From Catching Fish to Changing Lives

Jesus says,

“I will make you fishers of men.”

He gives them greater purpose.

They move from:

Making a living → making a difference

Catching fish → reaching people

Surviving → serving

Joy grows when your life becomes bigger than just you.

When you realize:

My pain has purpose

My story has power

My obedience blesses others

That’s joy that can’t be stolen.

Conclusion: Joy Is Found in Following

This text never says they smiled. It never says they laughed. It never says they celebrated.

But joy is all over the passage.

Because joy is not noise— joy is direction.

They walked away from nets and walked into destiny.

And the same Jesus who called fishermen is still calling today.

Calling tired people. Calling overlooked people. Calling ordinary people.

And when you answer the call, even when the road is unclear, even when the sacrifice is real—

The joy of the Lord becomes your strength.

Closing Declaration

Certainly. Here is a traditional Black Baptist whooping close you can move into after the conclusion—written with cadence, rise, and musicality, ready for the organ swell and congregational response.

Yes, Lord… The joy of the Lord… is my strength.

I hear Jesus… walking by the Sea of Galilee… still calling men and women… still calling the broken… still calling the tired… still calling the overlooked…

And He’s still saying… Follow Me…

And when I follow Him… I don’t walk alone… When I follow Him… I’m not without help… When I follow Him… I’m not without joy…

Joy when the bills are due… Joy when the body is weak… Joy when friends walk away… Joy when the nets fall out my hands…

Because I found out… that joy didn’t come from the fish… joy didn’t come from the boat… joy didn’t come from the nets…

But joy came… when I heard His voice… Joy came… when I answered the call… Joy came… when I left what was… for what God said could be…

And I kept on walking… yes I did… I kept on following… through storms and trials… through hills and valleys…

And one Friday… they followed Him up Calvary’s hill… Joy looked like it was gone… when they nailed Him to a cross… Joy looked like it was buried… when they laid Him in a borrowed tomb…

But early… Sunday morning… I said EARLY… Sunday morning…

Joy got up! Joy stepped out! Joy rolled the stone away! Joy said death can’t hold Me… Joy said the grave is defeated… Joy said all power is in My hand…

And because He lives… I’ve got joy in my soul… Joy in my walk… Joy in my praise… Joy in my following…

Is there anybody here… that knows the joy of the Lord? Anybody dropped some nets? Anybody still following Jesus?

Then give Him praise… give Him glory… give Him honor…

Because the joy of the Lord… yeah… the joy of the Lord… is my strength!

Amen.

I don’t know what nets you’re holding, but if Jesus is calling—

Drop them.

Because joy is not behind you and joy is not around you Joy is ahead of you—following Jesus.

Amen.