Walk with Christ

Text: Matthew 4:18-22 (NKJV) 18 And Jesus, walking by the Sea of Galilee, saw two brothers, Simon called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea; for they were fishermen. 19 Then He said to them, “Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men.” 20 They immediately left their nets and followed Him.

21 Going on from there, He saw two other brothers, James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother, in the boat with Zebedee their father, mending their nets. He called them, 22 and immediately they left the boat and their father, and followed Him.

Introduction: Tonight, we are going to start a new series called “Eyewitness News” that, over the next 4 weeks, will give us a look at what happens when you have an encounter with Jesus.

The church today has a problem. Many of us have grown content with saying the Sinner’s prayer and leaving it at that. We’ve grown content with getting in the door of heaven, but not doing anything with our faith.

Now, you may be thinking “Pastor, I thought the point of being a Christian was to get into heaven?” It is true that the gift of salvation and eternal life comes from God alone. It is something we cannot earn.

But as Christians we are called to so much more than just getting into heaven! We are called to be disciples!

We are called to be disciples; soldiers in the army of the Eternal God.

A disciple is not a convert! A disciple is not someone who simply said a prayer and is sitting on their hands until they die! A disciple is someone that puts action to their faith because of the great love they have been shown!

Thesis: Tonight, we are going to look at 4 young men who were called to be disciples by Jesus himself, and what changed for them.

Transition: Three things that change when we become Disciples

I. Our Identity Changes

a. Here we see the calling of Simon (Peter,) Andrew, James, and John.

b. We know at this point from John 1 that these men already know Jesus. They’ve already been told by John the Baptist that he is the Messiah. But their lives were yet to be changed.

c. These men are in the same shoes that many of you are in tonight.

i. You know that Jesus is the son of God.

ii. You know that he is the messiah.

iii. You’ve made him your personal savior.

d. Jesus takes it a step further and calls them by saying “Follow Me…”

e. Suddenly their whole identity changes. They are no longer ones waiting for the Messiah to act; they become ones that follow in his footsteps!

f. When we become disciples, our identity changes.

i. Just like these men Jesus is calling us to no longer watch from a distance, but to follow Him daily and become like Him.

ii. We are no longer ones sitting around waiting for heaven.

g. These men were never the same after they encountered Jesus.

II. Our Activity Changes

a. Jesus tells these 4 young men to “Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men.”

i. No longer will you labor for things that will die and fade away, you will labor for an eternal kingdom.

ii. You will become workers in my kingdom. You may have cast a net your entire life, but now you are going to cast a net for eternal life

b. When we become disciples, we no longer live for ourselves. We live for God and his people.

i. When we become Christians, Jesus doesn’t simply say “Oh Good now you can get into heaven.” Instead he calls us to follow after Him.

c. When we become Disciples, our activity changes.

i. Our earthly skills and talents take on new meaning, and new focus.

ii. These men were fishermen, but now they had become fishers of men. They would soon know that their identity and activity would be use their natural talents to serve the purposes of God’s kingdom

iii. 18 And Jesus, walking by the Sea of Galilee, saw two brothers, Simon called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea; for they were fishermen.

1. Simon Peter would be used by God as an evangelist, casting a wide net and bringing people unto Him.

iv. 21 Going on from there, He saw two other brothers, James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother, in the boat with Zebedee their father, mending their nets.

1. John would go on to write epistles that would mend the church and mend people.

d. Whatever your talents or abilities, when you become a disciple you no longer use your skills for your gain, but for the gain of the kingdom!

III. Our Obedience Changes

a. Notice what the bible says these men did:

i. 20 They immediately left their nets and followed Him.

ii. 22 and immediately they left the boat and their father, and followed Him.

b. I almost called this section: Our Faith Changes

c. We see in verse 20 and verse 22 that they immediately left everything behind and followed Him

d. They didn’t stop to ask questions.

e. They didn’t stop to think about their jobs or their father, or their servants.

f. They heard the call of God and they immediately went.

g. When we become disciples, we are called to serve God with obedience and faith.

h. We don’t stop to ask the question “What’s in it for me?”

i. We don’t contemplate the cost.

j. We get up and follow God

k. I liken this to a man who goes to join the military.

i. He signs his enlistment papers, collects his signing bonus, but never leaves the recruitment office. He never goes to war; he just sits there waiting to collect his monthly paycheck.

ii. Any man who goes to join the army does not ask himself the question “What can I get out this?”

iii. No, it would be a selfish and misplaced question to walk into a recruitment office with only your interest in mind.

iv. On the contrary, if you choose to enlist it’s likely because of what you want to do for your country.

v. Beloved, those who join an institution do so for what they may receive.

vi. But those who join a revolution, a movement, an army, do so for what they may give!

l. When we become disciples, we are like soldiers obediently following God’s call. Putting all of our faith in the general!

Conclusion:

We are called to be so much more than converts. We are called to be disciples, radical warriors who follow after God. It changes our identity, our activity, and our obedience.

(Close with “The Vision” by Pete Grieg)