Part 18, Calling the Disciples

...along the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon, who is called Peter, and his brother Andrew. They were casting a net into the sea, for they were fishermen.

“Follow me,” he told them, “and I will make you fish for people.”

Immediately they left their nets and followed him.

Going on from there, he saw two other brothers, James, the son of Zebedee, and his brother John. They were in a boat with Zebedee, their father, preparing their nets, and he called them.

Immediately they left the boat and their father and followed him.

May God add his blessing to the reading, the preaching, and your hearing to understand his holy word. May our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ forever be praised. And all of God’s people say, “Amen.”

Amen. You may be seated as we continue part 18 this morning in our sermon series, Great Stories, Eternal Truths.

This is one of my favorites this morning.

The calling of the disciples, the assembling of the team.

You know, that’s one of the favorite themes in Hollywood, and it makes for great movies. Think about some of them. Before the mission begins, before the great battle is fought, before the plan, however kooky or serious it is in the Hollywood movie, the team has to be assembled.

Think about some of the examples. The Lord of the Rings, it doesn’t start at Mount Doom. It starts with what? And I love that series of movies. The gathering of the fellowship.

Going up to the modern era, Ocean’s Eleven doesn’t begin in the basement in the vault, does it? It begins with finding the right people to carry out the mission.

I’m going through some of my favorite movies. The Dirty Dozen is all about what? Taking misfits, taking outcasts, and molding them into a team, into a unit.

Even another one of my favorites, Moneyball. It isn’t about just assembling a team like every other AD, athletic director, would do or general manager would do. It’s not about a team that’s going to look impressive on paper. It’s about a team that nobody else would think about.

Hollywood understands something here, something deep in the human story: that great missions require the right people, even if those are not the people that you would have initially thought of.

But none of those teams in the movies, fictional or real, none of them compare to the team that Jesus assembled.

No director, no interview, no resumes, no credentialing committee.

Just—this ought to bless your heart—just ordinary people.

Fishermen, tax collector, men with rough hands, men with sharp tempers, men with unremarkable reputations, or if they had a reputation, it wasn’t a good one.

And those are the people Jesus called to follow him.

And from those 12 men, Jesus would change the world.

This morning’s great story is about that moment. That moment when Jesus began calling his disciples, not just to socialize with them, not just to talk with them, but calling those disciples to leave everything, to surrender their plan, to serve his mission, and to find a greater purpose in life than they ever imagined.

And here’s the part we must not miss.

Jesus is still assembling his team.

The transfer portal for college football may be shutting down this week, but Jesus is still assembling his team this morning. Amen.

The call to “follow me” did not end on the shores of Galilee. It echoes even in this room this morning.

So, as we look at this great story, don’t just ask, “Who were the disciples?” Ask the more important question:

What does it mean to be a disciple today?

What does it mean to follow Jesus?

Now, I mentioned this in opening assembly this morning. I’ve retold the story in each one of these sets of scriptures, now part 18, in lots of different ways.

And I tried something this week of retelling the story like a newspaper reporter who was there on the ground in 33 AD and the Wailing Wall Street Journal of Jerusalem. And I got taken away, and the news story turned out to be too long, and so I had to cut out about 12 minutes of it.

But if you would like the full story, it’s copies of it right down here. I would love for you to get some. But I’m going to do the USA Today edition of it instead of the Wall Street Journal edition of it.

Okay, number one, retelling the story. Here we go.

Galilee, 33 AD.

It began like any other workday along the shore. Fishermen were cleaning nets. Boats were pulled up on the sand. The lake was busy. Ordinary, familiar work.

Work that paid the bills. Work that shaped their lives.

Then Jesus walked by.

Simon Peter and his brother Andrew were casting nets when Jesus stopped and spoke just two words to them:

“Follow me.”

No speech, no explanation, just a call and a promise.

“I will make you fishers of men.”

What he was asking sounded simple, but it wasn’t small. To follow him would mean leaving something behind to become something new.

According to eyewitness reports, they left their nets immediately and followed him, walking away from the tools that had defined their lives up to that moment.

A little farther down the shore, James and John were repairing their family fishing business with their father, Zebedee. The boats, the nets, the work—it was more than a job. It was a future already planned.

Jesus called them too.

They left the boat. They left their father. And they followed without a vote, without a delay, without negotiating the terms, without even a contract.

Later, Jesus walks near the tax booths. He stops again. This time in front of a man most people avoided: Matthew, a tax collector. A man with money but little respect.

Jesus said the same words:

“Follow me.”

Matthew stood up, left the booth behind, and walked away from a life that had given him wealth and security, but not satisfaction.

Meanwhile, others had already encountered Jesus. John the Baptist had pointed him out.

“Behold the Lamb of God that taketh away the sins of the world,” John the Baptist said.

Then two of John’s own disciples followed Jesus that day, including Andrew, who immediately went and found his brother Peter.

As if this calling was never meant to be kept private.

Soon after, Jesus found Philip. And then Philip found Nathanael.

Nathanael questioned whether or not this was all real. He was wondering if anything good could come from Nazareth. The famous quote is.

But within moments, Jesus said, “I saw you while you were still sitting under the fig tree.”

And his skepticism gave way to confession.

“You are the Son of God. You are the King of Israel.”

Later still, Jesus went up on a mountainside and officially named the 12 men to be with him. And he sent them out.

Not scholars, not political leaders, not protesters, not religious elites.

Ordinary people called not just to walk with him, but to share his work.

They did not yet understand how much would be required. They didn’t know how costly obedience would become. They couldn’t see how deeply this calling would shape their lives.

But they knew this much.

Following Jesus would mean sacrifice.

They knew this much.

Following Jesus would require surrender.

Following Jesus would involve service.

And somehow, though they couldn’t yet explain it, they saw that following Jesus would provide a promised satisfaction far greater than anything they had left behind.

The workday ended not with full nets, but with full lives that were just beginning to follow Jesus. Amen.

Retelling the story.

Number two, remembering the truths.

When the dust had settled along the shoreline of Galilee, one fact was undeniable.

Jesus was not merely gathering followers. Jesus was redefining lives.

What happened to these men was not accidental. What happened to these men was not sentimental. It was not symbolic.

No, it was costly.

It was decisive.

And it changed everything.

Truth number one that we are to remember. Number one, folks, following Jesus requires sacrifice.

They left their nets behind.

The reports in all four Gospels are consistent. Peter and Andrew left their nets. James and John left their boats. Matthew left his tax booth.

These weren’t their hobbies. These were their livelihoods. These were their identities. These were the sources of their security.

It represented income. It represented inheritance. Tax booths represented stability and status.

And yet, when Jesus called, they left.

They left.

Not because fishing was sinful.

Some of y’all need to say amen. Praise the Lord for that, that fishing wasn’t sinful.

No, fishing wasn’t sinful.

Not because their work was unimportant. No, their work was important.

But they left because anything that they held on to tighter than Christ could become a hindrance to following him.

Folks, here’s the thing.

Jesus did not ask them to add him to their lives.

And that’s where people get this mistake today. Jesus is not asking you to add him to your life.

He asked you to reorder your life around him.

Following Jesus requires sacrifice.

Number two, following Jesus demands surrender.

Hey, Americans, news flash here.

This wasn’t a democracy.

Still not.

The Kingdom of God is not a democracy.

Jesus did not hold a meeting. Jesus did not ask for volunteers. He did not negotiate the terms of a contract.

He walked up to them and said, “You follow me.”

It was not a partnership of equals.

That’s the hurdle that’s really hard for we Americans to get over in following Jesus, isn’t it?

It was a call to surrender.

These men were not invited to vote on the mission. They were called to submit to the mission.

Jesus chose them. Jesus defined the mission. Jesus set the agenda.

And when he called, their plans yielded to his purpose.

And that’s still how discipleship works today, folks.

Jesus is not your advisor. Amen.

Jesus is not a consultant to improve the efficiency of your life.

He’s the Lord.

Proverbs 3:5 says, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him and he will make your path straight.”

Amen.

Following Jesus demands surrender.

Number three, following Jesus means service.

They were called to get their hands dirty in the mission.

These men were not called to be spectators. And we’re not called to be spectators today.

Jesus didn’t say, “Watch me.”

He said, “Follow me.”

He didn’t say, “Watch me.”

He said, “Follow me.”

Say it with me.

He didn’t say, “Watch me.”

He said, “Follow me.”

From the beginning, the calling to follow Jesus included participation in the mission of Jesus.

What would these 12 men be doing?

They would be healing the sick. They would be preaching the kingdom. They would be casting out demons. They would be serving the crowds. They would be carrying the burdens.

Discipleship was not a passive observation.

Discipleship was active obedience.

They were being trained by doing. They were learning the mission by living the mission.

Folks, the call to follow Jesus is, was, and always will be a calling to serve alongside of him. Amen.

Truth number four, following Jesus leads to satisfaction.

His mission gave their lives meaning.

Peter would always know how to fish. Matthew would always understand numbers.

But Jesus gave them something fishing and finances never could.

He gave them purpose.

He gave them meaning.

He gave them eternal significance.

And he’s still doing it today. Amen.

They were no longer just fishermen. They were no longer just tax collectors. No longer just carpenters. They were no longer just anything.

They were still those things, but now they were those things who were followers of Jesus.

They became witnesses of the kingdom. They became the messengers of the gospel. They became the foundation of the church.

And when Jesus’s mission became their mission, their lives became larger than their occupations. Amen.

They found what every human heart is searching for:

A life that matters.

And maybe that’s you this morning. In all the things that you do, all the ways you define yourself, you have not yet found a life that matters beyond yourself.

These men left their nets, but they gained a calling.

They surrendered their plans, but they received a purpose.

They served alongside Jesus and found a satisfaction that the world could never offer, that the nets being full could never offer, that the money bags being full could never offer.

And the same call still stands today.

“Follow me,” Jesus says.

Not to observe, not to negotiate, but to be changed forever.

Retelling the story. Remembering the truths.

Number three, responding with faith.

Folks, the calling of disciples is not just a story. It’s not a story to look at and admire.

It is a calling to all of us today to answer.

Jesus did not only say, “Follow me,” to fishermen and a tax collector. He is still calling ordinary people like me and ordinary people like you to do extraordinary things for his kingdom.

The question is not whether Jesus is calling.

Remember what I told the boys and girls:

God is not silent.

We’re just not listening.

The question is not whether Jesus is calling. The question is:

How will you answer?

How do we answer?

We respond with the same things that are the truths we remember.

We respond with sacrifice.

What nets are you still holding on to?

What boat will you not get out of?

For Peter, it was just fishing nets. For Matthew, it was the tax booth.

But for us, the nets may look different.

Can I step on your toes a little bit?

The things that we just will not sacrifice.

We know the Lord wants us to follow him.

I’m not talking about necessarily being a missionary or a pastor or a minister—and maybe that is, and if it is, answer.

I’m talking about every Christian, every believer.

The things that we just will not sacrifice, though we know he’s calling us to follow him.

We won’t sacrifice our comfort.

Because, folks, I’ll tell you this. Here’s a promise.

We like the song “Standing on the Promises of God.” Y’all like that song? Standing on the promises, standing on the promises.

Here’s a promise that Jesus gives:

“In this world, you will have trouble, but take heart, for I’ve overcome the world.”

We don’t want to give up our comfort.

We don’t want to give up our control because truly following Jesus means you’re no longer the one in the driver’s seat.

He is.

The old bumper sticker that used to be on the back of people’s car said, “Jesus is my co-pilot.”

And then somebody came along and said, “Well, if Jesus is your co-pilot, you need to change seats.”

We don’t want to give up control of our lives to really follow Jesus.

We don’t want to give up our reputation.

Come on now, be honest.

In your workplace, on your team, in your own home, with your own family members.

Do you want to be known as somebody who truly follows Jesus?

Do you want to be known on that team as a follower, a real follower of Jesus?

Do you want to be known in that workplace as a real follower of Jesus?

Do you want to be known maybe even as the only one in your home who is really a follower of Jesus?

Do you?

Why not?

Why wouldn’t you want to be known as that?

We don’t want to sacrifice comforts and control and reputation, security.

Maybe we’re finding our security in things of this world, in money of this world, in property of this world, in degrees and education of this world.

Maybe we’re finding our security in all of these other things, and we like the security that provides. And we’re afraid of surrendering that security by really following Jesus.

Maybe maybe the reason we don’t really follow Jesus is because we won’t sacrifice a relationship.

Maybe there’s a relationship that is holding you back in really following Jesus, and you’re not willing to sacrifice that relationship.

Friends, if that relationship is not making you a stronger follower of Jesus, you don’t need it.

Maybe it’s a habit, and you know that that habit you have does not line up with really being a follower of Jesus, and you’re not willing to sacrifice a habit.

You’re letting a habit control your life.

Let’s just say it what it is.

An addiction control your life instead of Jesus controlling your life.

Maybe you won’t sacrifice a plan.

Maybe there’s a plan that you have been working on and evaluating and modifying.

Maybe you’ve got a goal in life of a place that you want to be, the type of house you want to have one day, or the job you want to have one day, or the degree hanging on your wall one day.

Maybe there’s a dream. Maybe there’s a plan.

Maybe there’s something that you have been obsessing about for years or decades, and you know it does not line up with following, really following Jesus, and you won’t sacrifice it.

The call to follow Jesus always confronts what we hold on to most tightly.

Folks, following Jesus is not about giving up everything immediately, but it’s about being willing to.

It’s about being willing to give up anything that keeps you from fully following him.

Responding in faith means loosening your grip on things of the world and trusting Jesus enough to let go.

Responding not only with sacrifice, but responding with surrender.

Whose plan is really leading your life?

Jesus did not ask the disciples what they wanted to do with their lives.

This is something I’ve asked so many young people, and it’s a good question:

“What do you want to do with your life?”

Jesus did not walk up to Peter:

“Hey, Peter, is this fishing thing working out for you? Is that what you want to do? Would you like to increase the size of your fish by 15% and your profit margins by 30%? Peter, what do you want to do with your life?”

Jesus never asked them, “What do you want to do with your life?”

He told them that what he was doing was better than what their life was.

“Come follow me.”

Many believers struggle here because we want Jesus to bless our plans.

We want Jesus to approve our goals.

We want Jesus to support and do miracles to make our agenda work.

But folks, surrender means allowing his mission to shape our decisions.

Responding with faith means saying, “Lord, not my will but your will be done.”

That means a change of direction, a change of priorities, maybe a change of pace.

Folks, faith, responding with faith, is when you stop negotiating with God and start obeying God.

Responding with service.

Where is Jesus calling you to get involved?

The disciples were not called to simply walk behind Jesus and watch him. They were called to join him in the work.

Responding in faith is asking:

Where can I serve?

Who needs my help?

How can I use what God has given me to help others and glorify him?

Service, folks, is not reserved for the spiritually elite.

Service is not reserved for the pastors and missionaries and deacons.

It is the natural overflow of following Jesus.

Listen, you may not ever preach. You may not ever teach a class. You may not ever lead a team.

But you can serve.

And Jesus uses willing servants in powerful ways.

Responding in faith does not wait to be perfect before serving. It steps in and learns along the way.

It’s like Isaiah said, “Here I am. Send me.”

Responding number four with satisfaction.

Responding in satisfaction means finding your identity in Christ.

Not in your title, not in your degree, not in your family name, not in your bank account.

The disciples were no longer defined by what they did for a living. They weren’t defined by what they did for an occupation.

They were defined by who they followed.

Our culture tells us you are what you produce. You are what you earn. You are what you achieve.

That’s what the world says.

But Jesus says you are mine, and you are called, and you are loved, and you are forgiven, and you are sent, and you are heavenbound.

Amen.

True satisfaction.

True satisfaction comes when our lives are aligned with his mission.

If you’ve been chasing fulfillment and still feel empty, the issue may not be you not having enough effort. It may be the direction.

Faith responds by anchoring our identity in Christ, not success or the approval of others.

Here’s how we conclude.

Come to Jesus.

Follow Jesus.

Jesus’s call was simple then, and it’s still simple now:

“Follow me.”

Not someday. Not when it becomes convenient. Not when you’ve got everything figured out. Not when you’re fully secure.

No, now.

Some need to follow him for the first time by trusting him for salvation and professing your faith in him with believer’s baptism.

Some need to follow him more fully by surrendering something they’ve been holding back.

Some need to follow him more faithfully by serving where he placed them. Serving where they’ve said they would, but more faithfully. Serving not halfheartedly, but serving the Lord with all you’ve got, being committed to serving him.

Folks, whatever the response, responding in faith still begins the same way.

Leaving the nets behind, trusting the call, and taking the first step to follow Jesus.

Follow me.

Heavenly Father, I pray this morning that your people have heard this word and that, by the power of your Holy Spirit, that you have opened the hearts and minds of men, women, boys, and girls, that during this invitation, they’ll respond.

Maybe they need to come and kneel at this altar in prayer.

Maybe they need to come forward and say, “This is the place God—this church is the place God is calling me to worship and serve.”

And they need to come forward and join this church by moving their letter or membership or statement.

Maybe they need to come forward, and they know the thing that’s been missing is believer’s baptism. They love Jesus and are ready to follow him in that first step, as what Connor did this morning: believer’s baptism.

Whatever decision it is, let people come forward in this invitation.