Fishers of Men

February 7th, 2021
Speaker: David Fritz
Text: Mark 1:16-20 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.
​
Big Idea:
God's Calling vs. Vocation:  Our world can fixate greatly on our education/vocation for our lives and for the lives of those we love.  However, the embracing of God's calling on our lives may not always be our focus.  When we embrace God's calling on our lives our vocation, as well as all areas of our lives, falls into place.  But for areas of our lives to fall into place we need to first here from God 'Where are you calling me?'

Cross References:
Matthew 16:24 - Then Jesus said to His disciples, “If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross and follow Me.

John 15:16-17 - 16 You did not choose Me but I chose you, and appointed you that you would go and bear fruit, and that your fruit would remain, so that whatever you ask of the Father in My name He may give to you. 17 This I command you, that you love one another.

Matthew 6:33 - But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.

Apologetics/Theology:
Jesus calls his disciples to be 'fishers of men,'  This is the call of God upon their lives, the beginning of their journey with Jesus.   We watch as the fulfillment of their assignment come as they fellowship with Jesus and carry out the mission that he gives them (John 3:14).  This is not the Simon and Andrew 'finding themselves' as much as it their first step towards a God given plan.  Their faith is an example to us as they 'immediately' are obedient to Jesus' call.  Several of Jesus’ first disciples were not poor but were self-employed fishermen or, as in this case (James and John), were part of a family business. Levi (Mark 2:14) was a fairly well-to-do tax collector.

• Are there times when we are not immediately obedient to God's voice?  What are some of the causes of a delayed reaction to God's call on our life?
• What does the world offer us that appears so much more attractive to us than giving our lives over completely to Christ and his call on our lives?  

Jesus’ words recall Jeremiah 16:15–17, where “fishers” and “hunters” of men will call people back from idols to God after judgment has occurred. This call happens in a context of purification (Jeremiah 16:17) and will include Gentiles (Jeremiah 16:19).  Therefore God's plan for saving the world includes an active part we play.  Here is Charles Spurgeon's commentary on this subject and scripture:
The gospel minister is like the fisherman with a net. I have sometimes heard the comparison drawn as though the gospel fisherman had a hook and a line, which he has not. His business is not to entice a fish to swallow his bait but to cast the net all round him, and lift him, by his grace, out of the element in which he lies in sin, into the boat where Christ still sits, as he sat, in the olden days, in the boat on the sea of Galilee. To shut the sinner up to faith in Jesus Christ, — that is the main work of the true gospel fisherman.