Transcript

Go to Mark 1 with me this evening and I want to challenge all of us with some basic and simple truths as we look at the Lord calling those who will lead the founding of his church. Now, think about that for a moment. The infinite God of glory has chosen for the glory of his own name to save for himself a people out of depraved, lost, God-hating humanity and that’s everyone, and the way he chose to go about this is just so fantastic, it’s startling, it brings you to silence if you think about it. You and I would not have done it this way. He comes down from glory; he is born of the Virgin Mary, stepfather Joseph; he grows up, a carpenter’s son in a lowly just really nowhere place called Nazareth. He’s in a culture that highly esteems the great dignities of the leading class or the royal class and certainly the religious elite, all centered around Jerusalem but he’s from nowhere Nazareth and God brings him to that point in time where he’s ready to begin the assembling of his key leaders who will be the human instruments in the building of his church and he begins to call these men to be his apostles.

Let’s look at that together and hopefully, hopefully, marvel again over these things we probably just read over and think, “Oh yeah, we know that story,” but has it really sunk into us like it ought? Mark 1, beginning in verse 16,

16 As He was going along by the Sea of Galilee, He saw Simon and Andrew, the brother of Simon, casting a net in the sea; for they were fishermen. 17 And Jesus said to them, “Follow Me, and I will make you become fishers of men.” 18 Immediately they left their nets and followed Him. 19 Going on a little farther, He saw James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother, who were also in the boat mending the nets. 20 Immediately He called them; and they left their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired servants, and went away to follow Him.

Now, just a brief overview. First of all, we have Simon and Andrew. Of course, Simon was later named Peter, the rock, by the Lord Jesus himself, he became the leader of the apostolic band. It’s very clear. There is no question about that. Now, he was an equal apostle but God has always had a chain of structure and command in his leadership team and we see that with the Jewish leadership of the Old Testament whether it’s the order of the priests, the Levites, or whether it’s the New Testament ordering of his churches, but this man Simon who became Peter became the leader and he’s one of these driven impetuous types. We teasingly talk about Peter sticking his foot in his mouth, about overreacting and being too impulsive, but it’s amazing how God can take those weaknesses in us, get us under the Spirit of God and use us for the glory of God. It was almost like being born again again, that’s not true but it was a help to me as a pastor when somebody said, “You know, you’re obsessive compulsive in some ways.” I thought, “You’re kidding me.” And they said, “Yeah, but if you’ll walk in the Spirit, you’ll get a lot done for the glory of God. God will use what could be a negative and use it for the good of God’s kingdom.” Well, Peter’s kind of like that. Then Andrew, his brother, we see Andrew, he’s the guy that’s usually bringing others to Christ.

Now, we do know from John 1, this wasn’t the first time they had met Jesus and we read these narratives and we think, “Oh, it happened just exactly like this.” No, you’re getting little tidbits and narrative sketches out of the whole novel, if you will, and so they probably had spent many hours, many days, weeks and months off and on talking with Jesus, him unfolded to them perhaps who he is, what the Father has called him to do. They are being drawn to him, certainly the Spirit of God is involved in that so they’re coming to this point and then the Lord is going to come obviously and say, “All right, it’s time. Follow me.”

Now, I want to divide this statement in verse 17 into three parts: follow me, I will make you become fishers of men. First of all, follow me. Now, I believe they were already a part of Jesus’ team, if you will, several months earlier but so far God’s will was that they stay in their secular employments, take care of their families, whatever they did, until this particular point, now it’s forsake all that you have and follow Christ. It’s an amazing thing that this common guy, at least from an earthly perspective, from lowly Nazareth, walks up to two fishermen and says to them, “Drop everything. Follow me.”

Now, the principles app