Naylor Community
Christian Church
I. Introduction
-- turn in Bibles to Matthew 4:18-22
Matthew
4:18-22
New
International Version
Matthew
4:18 As Jesus was walking beside the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon
called Peter and his brother Andrew. They were casting a net into the lake, for
they were fishermen. 19 “Come, follow me,” Jesus said, “and I will send you out
to fish for people.” 20 At once they left their nets and followed him.
21
Going on from there, he saw two other brothers, James son of Zebedee and his
brother John. They were in a boat with their father Zebedee, preparing their
nets. Jesus called them, 22 and immediately they left the boat and their father
and followed him.
-- thanks to James Cameron’s blockbuster
film, “Titanic,” everyone is familiar with the story of the great ship hitting
an iceberg and sinking in the Atlantic, with 1500 of the 2200 passengers and
crew dying as a result of the catastrophe -- many stories have been told about
the people who survived and about the selfless acts of heroism that were
displayed by so many on the ship that day -- but one story has remained seldom
told in the annals of Titanic lore -- I want to share that story with you today
-- John Harper was a Scottish pastor and a
passenger on the Titanic when it sank in 1912 -- He had been a follower of
Jesus for a long time -- when he was about thirteen years old, he heard the
voice of Jesus calling, “Come, follow Me” -- and Harper dropped everything to
become a disciple of Christ -- even though he never attended seminary, Harper
spent all his free time preaching in his home village -- eventually, he went to
London to work with the Baptist Pioneer Mission and founded Paisley Road
Baptist Church in London -- which started with twenty-five people but grew to
over five hundred under his dedicated leadership and evangelistic outreach
-- news of the gifted evangelist spread to
America, and Harper was invited to speak at the famous Moody Church in Chicago,
where he led a series of impressive meetings -- a few years later, he was
invited back to Chicago to speak at Moody Church again, which is how Harper
wound up on the Titanic on that fateful day, along with his six-year old
daughter and his female cousin, who helped look after his daughter following
the passing of his wife
-- the last day of the Titanic found the
Harper family going about their normal routines -- there were morning prayers
and then a Sunday morning church service on board -- they went about their day,
enjoying their time on the ship, and headed to bed shortly after sunset
-- at 11:40 pm that night -- 14 April 1912
-- the Titanic struck the giant iceberg and began to take on water -- the
command was given to abandon ship -- and lifeboats were released from the ship
into the icy Atlantic ocean -- learning of the danger, Harper hurried to put
his daughter and cousin onto a lifeboat, but he stayed on board
-- as the water began filling the Titanic,
John directed people towards safety -- he shouted for “women, children, and the
unsaved” to be put into the remaining lifeboats -- eighteen lifeboats were filled
and lowered onto the ocean, but they could only hold about half the passengers
on board -- Harper was among the remaining 1,528 passengers left on the ship
who were either thrown into the icy waters or forced to jump to save themselves
-- even in the icy waters of the
Atlantic -- even knowing that his own death was likely near -- Harper still
heard the words of his Lord echoing in his ears, “Come, follow Me, and I will
make you fishers of men”
-- For over an hour Harper swam urgently
from one person to another who were floating in the ocean or clinging to pieces
of wreckage, urging them to receive Jesus as their Lord and Savior -- in
response to one man saying he was not a believer, Harper took off his own life
jacket and threw it to him and said, “Take this, then. You need it more than I.”
-- “One young man was clinging to some
debris from the ship, and John asked him if he was saved. The man replied,
‘No.’ As the man drifted away, [Harper] shouted to him, ‘Believe on the Lord
Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved.’ A few minutes later the current brought
the two men together and once again [Harper] urged him to trust in Christ for
salvation. Then and there the man believed; but [Harper], aged 39, who had
given his lifejacket to another man, slipped under the water never to be seen
again. At 2:20 AM on 15 April, the Titanic broke apart and sank deep into the
ocean.”
-- only a handful of the people who
were cast into the icy waters of the Atlantic survived that night -- among them
was a young Scotsman, who testified four years later at an evangelistic meeting
in Canada that he was the last person to have spoken to Harper that fateful
night -- with tears in his eyes, he exclaimed, “I was Harper’s last convert”1,2
-- what makes a man like John
Harper? -- what makes a man give up all -- including his very life -- to share
with someone the good news of salvation and eternal life? -- that is what we
are going to talk about this morning as we continue our survey of the life of
Jesus
-- last week, we looked at the
beginning of Jesus’ earthly ministry -- at how, after his baptism and
temptation in the wilderness, Jesus returned to preach and teach throughout
Galilee -- sharing the good news of eternal life and the coming of the kingdom
of God throughout that region -- preaching, as Matthew notes in Matthew 4:17,
“Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near”
-- this morning, we are going to
look at the next significant event that followed Jesus’ preaching in the
synagogue in Nazareth and the start of His Galilean Ministry -- the calling of
His first disciples
-- so, if you would, join me here in
Matthew 4 and let’s look at this passage together
II. The Call to Discipleship (Matthew 4:18-22)
-- verse 18
Matthew
4:18 As Jesus was walking beside the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon
called Peter and his brother Andrew. They were casting a net into the lake, for
they were fishermen. 19 “Come, follow me,” Jesus said, “and I will send you out
to fish for people.” 20 At once they left their nets and followed him.
21
Going on from there, he saw two other brothers, James son of Zebedee and his
brother John. They were in a boat with their father Zebedee, preparing their
nets. Jesus called them, 22 and immediately they left the boat and their father
and followed him.
-- this is one of those stories in
the Bible that is so familiar to us that it has lost its luster and its wonder
-- it’s a passage that we read and just gloss over, because we all know it by
heart -- we’ve seen it countless times in movies and TV -- we’ve read it
ourselves or heard it taught until it is just such a familiar scene to us
-- as Matthew gives us his account
here, one day, Jesus was walking beside the Sea of Galilee and he saw two
fishermen there, casting their nets into the water -- they were, of course, the
brothers Simon and Andrew -- Jesus walked by and said, “Come, follow Me, and I
will make you fishers of men” -- and at once, they left their nets and followed
Him
-- going on a little further along
the shore, he sees two other men -- the brothers James and John -- in the boat
with their father Zebedee -- they are sitting there, mending and preparing
their nets for their next night of fishing -- Jesus calls out to them the same
way he had Simon and Andrew -- “Come, follow Me” -- and immediately they left
the boat and their father and followed Him
-- this is the story that we all
know -- that we all have heard -- that we’re all familiar with -- but let me
ask you this -- Why? -- why would Simon and Andrew drop their nets on the shore
and immediately begin following this man that they did not know? -- why would
James and John do the same -- dropping everything and leaving their father in
the boat and getting up to follow this man who happens by and calls out, “Come,
follow Me?” -- what would cause these sane men to do such an insane act?
-- think about it from your
perspective -- one day, you’re at work -- you’re sitting there, doing your job
-- when someone enters your business and walks up to you and says, “Come,
follow Me” -- and turns around and leaves, expecting you to follow them
-- and let’s say you know them, at
least peripherally -- you know they’re a hotshot preacher in town -- you’ve
heard about their sermons in church -- you’ve heard rumor that when they pray
for people, people get healed -- you’re vaguely aware of them
-- and here they are, standing in
front of you -- at the counter -- or at your desk -- and they simply say,
“Come, follow Me” -- and walk back out the door
-- what do they expect you to do? --
just get up and leave your job? -- just get up from your desk without a word to
your boss and walk out the door, leaving all your work just sitting there
undone? -- or, if you’re Kim, leaving a dripping wet dog standing on the
grooming table while you just go off and follow this guy with no explanation to
anyone?
-- what do you think your boss would
do if you did that? -- what do you think your coworkers would do if you just
got up and left? -- what do you think your customers would do if you walked off
and left them standing there?
-- you’d be featured on Lowndes Word
of Mouth faster than you could imagine -- people would talk about how rude you
were -- how you just left them standing there -- how you just walked off and
followed this guy without another word
-- I know that if I got up without any
explanation and just walked out of my office and drove out of Moody following
some preacher I just heard about but didn’t really know, I probably would have
a reprimand waiting for me when I got back -- and if I didn’t come back, I’d
have a pink slip in the mail
-- I imagine it would be the same
for you, too
-- but that’s exactly what these
fishermen did here in this passage -- and I want you to see that -- I want you
to feel the impact of that -- and, consider this, we know that Simon was
married and that his mother-in-law lived with them -- and here he is, just
getting up and leaving the only job he had -- the only source of income his
family had -- with no plan but to follow this itinerant preacher down the beach
-- this sounds like insanity,
doesn’t it? -- so, what is going on here? -- why would Simon and Andrew and
James and John do something so extraordinary? -- and why does Jesus expect us
to do the same?
-- it all starts with that first
command -- Come
-- when Simon and Andrew were
standing there at the shore casting their nets and they heard Jesus call,
“Come,” -- they felt it in their hearts -- it was the word they had been
waiting for their whole lives, without even knowing it
-- the same with James and John -- sitting
there, mending their nets with their father -- it was the word spoken from The
Word -- “Come” -- that stirred their hearts and set their feet in motion
-- it is the same with us
-- you see, we are all primed for
that command -- we are all born ready to respond to the word when it comes -- it
resonates in our hearts -- it touches our spirits -- and we are expected to move
when we hear it because that’s what we were made to do
-- let me give you an example of
what this anxious longing to hear the word of God in our lives looks like
-- every year our kennel club has an
agility trial out at Reed Bingham, and at some point, I usually go out there
and watch the dogs as they run through the course and compete for the ribbons
and trophies that go to the fastest and best among them as they jump hurdles,
go over A-frames and see-saws, and wave through sets of standing poles
-- but what I really enjoy is
watching how the dogs react the moment before they start -- and I see this most
evident with breeds like the border collies, who are just more intent and more
focused than some of the other breeds
-- their owner places them at the start of
the course, in front of the first obstacle, which is usually a jump -- the
owner tells them to stay and wait and then they walk farther out along the
course to be ready to direct the dog after it begins
-- while the owner is walking out,
their dogs are literally shaking in anticipation -- they are trembling in
anticipation of going and starting their run through the course -- they are
anxious and ready to begin -- their whole being is nothing more than pent-up
energy just waiting for that one word from their owner -- just waiting to hear
that one command from the lips of their owner to start the run -- whether
that’s “Come” or “Go” or “Jump” -- and when that dog hears the word that it’s
been longing for and anticipating, it leaps with excitement and rushes on,
leaving everything behind to follow its owner’s directions as they lead it
through the course
-- that’s what happened in this
passage to Andrew and Simon -- to James and John -- whether they realized it or
not -- their souls were quivering in anticipation of the word they were created
to respond to -- and when they heard it, they couldn’t help but move
-- some have said that we are all born
with a God-shaped hole in our hearts that yearns to be filled with the very
presence of God -- and when Jesus calls, “Come,” that is the moment that the
hole becomes filled -- and we become complete -- and we leap into action to
follow the One who spoke
-- we are born with ears attuned to the
call of Christ -- we are born with hearts ready to respond -- with feet ready
to leap into action at the command -- and when we hear our Savior call, “Come,”
-- we go -- we can’t help ourselves -- it is who we are -- it is part of our
nature -- it is who God has called us to be
-- Andrew and Simon and James and John
heard the call and responded, leaving everything behind in obedience to the
word of Jesus -- they had to -- it was who they were -- it was who God called
them to be
-- Jesus expects the same from us, as well
-- the problem is that we sometimes dull our ears and block out the call from
God through sin or by allowing Satan and this world to deafen us to His voice
-- Jesus calls, but we don’t hear and so we don’t respond
-- or we choose not to respond -- there’s
a reason younger people are able to respond to Jesus in a way that older people
cannot -- their ears are sharper -- their hearts are purer -- their souls more
innocent and responsive -- they have not been hardened by life and the siren
call of materialism and responsibility and earthly pleasure
-- these can cause us to hear the call,
but choose not to follow, like the rich young ruler who walked away from Jesus
because he chose riches over obedience to the call to “Come” and follow Him --
just like Zebedee, who staying in the boat watching his sons walk off following
Jesus
-- our response hinges on one of three
options:
-- first, we can choose to respond in
obedience -- to drop everything and respond in total and complete obedience to
the call of God when we hear the command, “Come”
-- or,
second, we can choose to just superficially obey to the call by pretending to
follow without true obedience and selfless abandon -- this happens when we just
go through the motions and give lip-service to God without truly giving our
hearts and all that we are to Him
-- finally, we can just choose to ignore the
call and do nothing -- this can happen for any number of reasons, such as a
lack of faith or trust in Jesus or the siren call of this world or fear of what
might happen if we did follow Him
-- Jesus wants us to follow Him and
respond like Andrew and Simon -- like James and John -- when He calls -- and He
does call us all -- the call to “Come” is given to everyone
-- and when He calls, He calls us just as
He called His disciples here -- He calls us without explanation -- without
expounding on why He is calling or what He wants us to do or where He wants us
to go -- His call is one that requires complete and total obedience and trust
and faith -- it demands an immediate response -- anything else detracts from
the call and leads us into cheap grace, religious bondage, or immoral lives
lived apart from Him
-- in verse 20, we read that Andrew and
Simon left their nets “at once” when they heard the call -- and in verse 22, we
see James and John responding “immediately” and leaving their nets and their
father in the boat when Jesus called them
-- the response to the call of Christ must
be immediate and decisive -- the response to the call of Christ to be His
disciple demands immediate obedience
-- it is only after we get up and drop our
nets -- after we get up and surrender our lives -- after we repent and turn
from our old way of life to embrace the new life in Him -- that He tells us
what to do next
-- “Come,” He says, “Follow Me -- and I
will make you fishers of men”
-- the call is to follow Him -- to follow
His ways -- to follow His life -- to be like Him -- to live like Him -- to live
for Him
-- a disciple is no more than someone who
follows Christ -- someone who obeys Christ -- someone who does what Christ
commands -- who takes up their cross and follows Him where He leads
-- it is related to the name by which we
call ourselves -- Christians -- “Christian” literally means “little Christ” --
it means that we are so closely identified with Him that we look like Him -- we
talk like Him -- we do what He does -- we say what He says -- we minister as He
ministers
-- so, the call to discipleship is first
obedience -- “Come” -- then imitation -- “Follow Me” -- and finally, assimilation
-- “I will make you fishers of men”
-- the final step in this call to
discipleship is mission and purpose -- assimilation into the ministry of Christ
on earth -- the call to become His partners in sharing the good news of
salvation and the forgiveness of sins with the whole world
-- notice that Christ tells us He will
“make” us fishers of men -- we are not fishers of men when we first respond to
His call -- but as we follow Him -- as we imitate Him -- as we obey Him and
live like Him and learn to love like Him and become like Him -- we begin to do
what He does -- we begin to fulfill the Great Commission with our lives and
with our lips
-- Matthew 28:19-20 -- “Go and make
disciples of all nations -- baptizing them in the name of the Father and the
Son and the Holy Spirit -- and teaching them to obey everything I have
commanded you to do”
-- that is what a “fisher of men” does --
that is what a disciple does -- that is what a Christian does -- that is the
result of the call that Andrew and Simon and James and John heard that day on
the shore of Galilee
-- that is the reason John Harper could
give up his own life vest and sacrifice his very life for another -- that is
the reason Harper followed the call of Christ to witness to the world above all
from the moment he heard it to his last moments before he slipped beneath the
waters of the Atlantic Ocean
-- this call that Jesus’ first disciples
responded to in faith and trust is the same call given to us today -- “Come,
follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men”
-- it is an invitation to follow Christ --
to be with Him -- to abide with Him -- to serve Him -- as His disciples and His
church on earth today
III. CLOSING
-- let’s bring this to a close -- I
once heard a fictional story about what happened when Jesus went back to Heaven
following His death and resurrection -- He was surrounded by all the angels and
they wanted to hear from Him about His experiences on earth
-- He told them about His ministry on
earth -- about the sermons He had preached -- the miracles He had done -- the
lives that were saved and the people that were healed -- He told them about the
cross and the resurrection and how He had won the victory over sin and death
for all humanity
-- the angels asked Him, "Now
what happens?" -- and Jesus said, "I have called others to come and
follow Me and carry on My work on earth -- I left my disciples to tell others
about Me and to show them the way to eternal life through Me"
-- the angels responded, "But, what
if they don't? -- What is the plan then?" -- Jesus said, "There is no
other plan."
-- there is no other plan -- Jesus'
plan for spreading the good news of salvation is dependent on us -- not religion
-- not political leaders -- not social influencers -- us
-- the Christians -- His disciples --
those who heard His call to “Come” -- who responded in obedience to His call to
“Come and follow Him” -- who dropped everything to be with Him -- their lives
-- their vocation -- their families -- their plans -- everything -- His
disciples who left all to follow Him and who He made into fishers of men
-- we are the ones whom He has called to
go and make disciples of all nations -- to baptize them and to teach them to
obey His word and everything He has told us to do
-- Jesus is counting on us to be His
church on earth -- His disciples -- the people who follow Him -- not in word --
but in action and in deed
-- He calls us this morning to “Come and
follow Him” by leaving all behind -- by living for Him -- and by telling others
about Him -- by sharing our testimony and telling others what Jesus has done
for us and what He can do for them
-- the call to discipleship -- the call to
“Come and follow Him” -- is not a request -- it is a command -- it is something
that Jesus expects of us, because this is who He made us to be -- this is what
we are supposed to do -- this is His will for us
-- so, as we close together in prayer, let
us ask for ears to hear His call -- for eyes to focus on Him -- for hearts to
respond in love -- and for the ability to go and do as He commands
-- this is His will for us -- this is His
call for us -- this is the Way
--
let us pray
1
https://www.christianstudylibrary.org/article/john-harper-unknown-hero-titanic
2
https://www.moodymedia.org/articles/sharing-gift-christmas-one-minute-you-die/
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