JESUS MAKES FISHERS OF MEN

Matt. 4:18-22; Luke 5:1-11

By David J. Riggs



Intro.
   A. From Matt. 4:18-22, we see Jesus walking by Himself along the
      seashore and He calls two sets of brothers who were fishermen.
   B. From Luke 5:1-11, we see that there was a crowd pressing about
      Him - thus, a crowd had gathered - and He gets into a boat,
      moves out a little from land, and teaches the people from the
      boat.
      1. After He teaches for a while, He worked the miracle of "the
         great catch of fish."
         a. Peter, being a seasoned fisherman, realized that fishing
            was better during the night, and if they hadn't caught
            anything all night, they certainly wouldn't during the
            day.
         b. Notice Peter's humble obedience in verses 5.
         c. Also, after seeing the miracle, Peter realized his
            unworthiness to be in the presence of the Lord. (Vs. 8)
   C. In this lesson, let us consider Jesus' calling of these men.

I. A SOUL-SAVING WORK.
   A. Jesus said, "Follow Me, I make you fishers of men" (Matt.      
      4:19); and, "Do not be afraid. From now on you will catch men" 
      (Luke 5:10).
      1. Actually, Jesus was catching men when He called these four
         men.
   B. Jesus' work is directed toward souls (people, persons,
      individuals) and not things.
      1. He came to seek and save that which is lost. Matt. 18:11-14
      2. As Matthew continued, he showed that this also includes a
         brother who might be lost. Matt. 18:15-18; James 5:19-20
   C. We need more zeal in this endeavor. Gal. 4:18
      1. Sometimes the zeal of denominational people puts us to
         shame. Just the other day, two well dressed-ladies          
         (Jehovah's Witnesses) stood at my door on a very cool       
         morning, trying to present what they understood what they   
         thought was important for others.
         a. I admired their zeal, and thought to myself, how many
            of us are out doing the same?
      2. Consider the zeal of Phinehas. Num. 25:6-13
   D. Notice that Jesus chose those who were busy. They were busy in
      their profession.
      1. There is an old saying, "If you want to get something done,
         give it to the busiest person you can find."
      2. The busy person will re-schedule so as to make time to do
         important jobs.
      3. The idle will never find the time to get anything done.

II. JESUS' PROMISE.
   A. Jesus said, "Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men."
      Thus, Jesus Himself said He would do this for them.
   B. Jesus gave them "hands-on" training.
      1. They saw and heard Him teach. Thus, they were hearing
         what was taught and seeing how to teach it.
      2. They saw the great faith-building miracles.
         a. Those same mighty demonstrations of power do for us
            what it did for them. John 20:30-31
         b. Jesus sent them on limited missions. (Matt. 10 & Luke
            10).
         c. Jesus demonstrated how to deal with people who
            disagree, and how to handle false charges. For example,
            He answered questions by counter questions. Matt.
            21:23-27
            (1) We, too, are to be wise as serpents an harmless a
                doves. Matt. 10:16
         d. He had plainly told them that He would be crucified and
            would arise the third day.  Matt. 20:18-19
         e. He gave them ample proof that He was raised. Acts 1:3
         f. When Jesus appeared to the two disciples on the road to
            Emmaus and unfolded the Scriptures to them, they
            spoke of how their hearts burned within them. Luke
            24:32
         g. If only the great story of the resurrected Christ would
            burn in our hearts as it did in those early disciples!
         h. No doubt, God will take into account that we are not
            eye-witnesses. John 20:29
            (1) However, let us do our best that we might be as
                zealous as they were.
            (2) Often we are distracted by too many things of
                lesser importance.
            (3) A man bought a new hunting dog. Eager to see
                how he would perform, he took him out to track a
                bear. No sooner had they gotten into the woods
                than the dog picked up the trail. Suddenly he
                stopped, sniffed the ground, and headed in a new
                direction. He had caught the scent of a deer that
                had crossed the bear's path. A few moments later
                he halted again, this time smelling a racoon that
                had crossed the path of the deer. Then a turkey, a
                rabbit, and so on, until finally the breathless      
                hunter caught up with his dog, only to find him      
                barking triumphantly down the hole of a field mouse. 
            (4) Often we start out with high resolve, putting the
                kingdom of God first in our lives, but our attention
                is soon diverted to things of lesser worth.
            (5) One pursuit leads to another until we've strayed
                far from our original purpose. Let us do our best
                to put first things first.
   C. Jesus did a great job in the training of those disciples to be 
      fishers of men; thus, He fulfilled His promise. Acts 4:13
      1. Those rulers saw that the disciples were just like Jesus.   
         They thought: "We thought we got rid of the man Jesus, but  
         now there are many more just like Him who are ready to take 
         His place!"

III. A HIGHER CALLING.
   A. It is amazing how quickly those men left everything and        
      followed Jesus.
   B. They had a large business.
      1. We learn from the account in the gospels that the four were
         partners in the fishing business. They had several boats,
         several different kinds of nets, and hired servants. See    
         also Mark's account. Mark 1:16-20
   C. What is amazing is how these four men immediately recognized
      that the work of Christ was far superior to their earthly
      obligations.
      1. They straightway (immediately) left all and followed Jesus.
   D. Please consider the importance of our heavenly calling.
      1. God has called us out of darkness into His marvelous light.
      2. Often, it is easy to see where one's priorities are. This ad
         appeared in a newspaper in Tucumcari, New Mexico, June,
         1978: "Farmer with 160 acres wants marriage with woman
         who owns a tractor. When replying, please send picture of
         tractor."

IV. REMEMBER, WE, TOO, ARE FISHERS OF MEN.
   A. Several things are required for one to be a good fisherman:    
      desire, skill, patience.
      1. Desire.
         a. People won't catch fish unless they want to catch fish.
         b. We need to have a genuine, intense desire to save souls.
         c. If one owned all the rich oil fields, all the giant
            skyscrapers, all the large ships, all the factories, all 
            the silver and gold, all the land, all the livestock, all
            the buildings, and all the houses in the world, it would 
            not equal the value of one's soul. Matt. 16:26
         d. Winning souls is more important than feeding the
            hungry, sheltering the homeless, or providing healthcare
            for the sick.
         e. I heard of a situation where the men in a Business
            Meeting had a long discussion on "personal work." The
            preacher said to the men, "Aren't you concerned about
            people going to hell? They answered, "Why should we
            be? We're not the ones going to hell."
         f. Let us truly care about the souls of men. If we knew a
            bridge was out, would we not try to stop cars from
            plunging over into the river? Why not, then, try to keep
            souls from plunging over into eternal torment?
      2. Skill.
         a. In every worthwhile endeavor in life, it takes a certain
            amount of training. One doesn't wake up one morning
            and become a world-class golfer, stock-broker, or
            whatever.
         b. We need to develop the skills to be capable teachers.
         c. Reading books on personal work would help. There are
            some good ones on the market today.
         d. Even books on salesmanship will help. Some of the best
            personal workers are those who were former salesmen.
         e. The word of God gives instructions on how to be good
            teachers. 2 Tim. 2:24-26
            (1) Let us learn and take heed.
      3. Patience.
         a. Just because Peter and the others had not caught a
            single fish after toiling all night, would not have made
            them give up their fishing profession.
         b. Consistency is vitally important. 2 Tim. 4:2
            (1) We need to be always ready and alert to every
                opportunity. 1 Pet. 3:15
         c. We often get fired up for a time and then cool down and
            quit.
            (1) We must continue to be diligent, even when it
                seems we are having no success.
         d. We need to always be busy teaching God's word, and
            leave the results to God. 1 Cor. 3:6-8

Concl.
   A. Jesus said to those early disciples, "Follow me, and I will    
      make you fishers of men."
   B. Let us also take His words to heart, and do our best to save   
      souls. Prov. 11:30

Chart:
JESUS MAKES FISHERS OF MEN
Matt. 4:18-22; Luke 5:1-11

I.   A SOUL-SAVING WORK.

II.  JESUS' PROMISE.

III. A HIGHER CALLING.

IV.  WE, TOO, ARE FISHERS OF MEN.