Intimacy with God -- The Spirit's Work -- 7/29/12

Sunday, July 29, 2012

INTIMACY WITH GOD, THE SPIRIT’S WORK

            We have been looking at the Holy Spirit.  Now I have to ask you -- is the Lord teaching you anything?  Have you been thinking and praying?  What is the Lord doing in you?  One of fears is that after taking all this time to examine the Holy Spirit, we will move on with our lives.  The only change will be that we have more knowledge, and that knowledge will make us more accountable to God.  But greater than that fear is the steadfast hope that the Spirit is going to work in my life and your life, that He is going to control our lives more and more, as we are conformed to the image of Christ.

            Two weeks ago we looked at three passages from John -- 10:10; 3:1-8; and 7:37-39.  Jesus gave us the promise of life, when He said, “I have come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.”  Then in John 3 we looked at regeneration, which is the beginning of this spiritual life, and it is the work of the Spirit.  In John 7 we find the multiplication of life, as the Spirit causes rivers of living water to flow out of the one who keeps on drinking from Jesus and keeps on trusting Him.

            This morning we are going to deal with that basic question:  How do we get from regeneration, the beginning of real life, to rivers of living water flowing out of us, the multiplication of real life?  If we who have been born again have real life in us, why do we not see a greater flow of that life to those around us?  Where are the rivers of living water?  In answering that question, I believe we will be looking at the primary ministry of the Spirit in our lives.  In other words, how could anything be more vital, more important, than this?

I.  A Look at the Apostles -- Before/After

            Let’s begin by looking at Jesus’ apostles.  This is that little group of men that spent every day with Jesus for some three years.  Jesus poured His life into these men.  Even though one of them turned out to be a traitor, it was no surprise to Jesus.  Long before Judas’ betrayal, Jesus said to His apostles, “Did I not choose you, the twelve, and one of you is a devil?” (John 6:70).  Then John adds, “He spoke of Judas Iscariot…for it was he who would betray Him, being one of the twelve” (6:71).  Yes, Jesus knew all of these men inside and out.

            Having spent so much time with Jesus, surely the rivers of living water would flow out of the hearts of these men.   After all, they had opportunity to learn from the Master.  Jesus was the fount of living water.  Do you remember how the living water flowed through Jesus to the woman at the well?  He drew her attention by simply asking her for a drink of water, but shortly after Jesus said to her, "If you knew the gift of God, and who it is who says to you, 'Give Me a drink,' you would have asked Him, and He would have given you living water" (John 4:7-10).  We know that Jesus did indeed give her living water, because the story concludes with these words…  (John 4:39-42)

And many of the Samaritans of that city believed in Him because of the word of the woman who testified, "He told me all that I ever did." 40 So when the Samaritans had come to Him, they urged Him to stay with them; and He stayed there two days. 41 And many more believed because of His own word. 42 Then they said to the woman, "Now we believe, not because of what you said, for we ourselves have heard Him and we know that this is indeed the Christ, the Savior of the world.

            So what part did the apostles have in dispensing the living water to these thirsty Samaritans?  While Jesus was talking to the woman at the well, they were in town buying some lunch, but the woman had departed by the time they got back.  When they offered Jesus something to eat, He said, “I have food to eat that you know nothing about.”  Though they continued to be preoccupied with the physical food, Jesus said, “My food is to do the will of Him who sent me and to finish His work” (4:34).  Jesus went on to say that the fields were ripe unto harvest.  The accuracy of his assessment is demonstrated by the fact that many of the Samaritans believed on Him as their Messiah.  But when the apostles went into that same town to get food, they saw nothing but a sandwich and a bunch of strangers.  Jesus poured forth rivers of living water; they bought lunch.

            Don’t think this is an isolated incident.  All of us know that Jesus fed over 5,000 people with a little boy’s lunch, but that was only after His apostles suggested that He send them away (Matt. 14:15).  We are also aware that Jesus welcomed the little children to come to Him, but I remind you that His apostles tried to discourage His ministry to the children (Matt. 19:13-15).  Do you remember the first recorded words of Jesus from the cross?  “Father, forgive them, for they don’t know what they are doing” (Luke 23:34).  But when some of the Samaritans wouldn’t receive Jesus, James and John wanted to call down fire from heaven (Luke 9:54).  No wonder they were called “the sons of thunder.”  What came forth from Jesus’ apostles was a far cry from rivers of living water.  It was more like “an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth,” as demonstrated by the fact that when the mob came out to arrest Jesus, Peter resorted to the sword.

            Now as we bear those things in mind, please turn to John 20.  This is after Jesus has risen from the grave.  Mary Magdalene has come to the empty tomb and been greeted by two angels.  It was there that Jesus Himself spoke to her.  Now let’s read from John 20:16-17, “Jesus said to her, ‘Mary!’ She turned and said to Him, ‘Rabboni!’ (which is to say, Teacher).  17 Jesus said to her, ‘Do not cling to Me, for I have not yet ascended to My Father; but go to My brethren and say to them, 'I am ascending to My Father and your Father, and to My God and your God.’"  Notice the words, “Go to my brothers.”  Of whom is He speaking?  He is talking about His apostles.  While Jesus had used the word “brothers,” He had not spoken of them as “my brothers.”  Let’s go back and read John 15:15, “No longer do I call you servants, for a servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all things that I heard from My Father I have made known to you.”  At that point Jesus called them friends, but He did not address them as brothers.  But now, after He has risen from the grave, He freely refers to His apostles as “my brothers.”
            I want to call your attention not only to the phrase “my brothers,” but also to the rest of John 20:17, “… and say to them, ‘I am ascending to My Father and your Father, and to My God and your God.’”  I count at least 45 times that Jesus either refers to God as “My Father” or addresses Him as “My Father.”  He had absolutely no trouble calling God His Father.  But now notice how Jesus links together “My Father” and “your Father.”  Yes, there have been instances in which He has spoken to His followers and used the term “your Father,” but it in those references it is as if He is speaking more of possibility.  Now He speaks in a much more direct and powerful way.  It’s like He is saying, “As God is My Father, so He is your Father.”  Something changed when Jesus rose from the dead.

            Please turn with me to Romans 8.  Let’s read again the familiar words of Rom. 8:28-29, “And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose. ²⁹For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren.”  Paul speaks of Jesus as the firstborn among many brothers.  Jesus, the Son of God has been raised from the dead, but He is not the last.  This is the promise that Jesus will have many younger brothers and sisters. 

            This concept of God being Father is no small thing.  It is not an old covenant concept; it is reserved for new covenant believers.  That is not to say that the Old Testament saints were not children of God, and God is referred to as “Father” a couple of times, but they didn’t consciously live in that relationship.  As we study the New Testament, we begin to understand why.

II.  A Look at the Term “Abba”

            Now I want us to consider a very unique New Testament term; it is the word “Abba.”  Would anyone like to take a stab at how many times this word is used in the Bible.  It is found three times.  You will find that word used by Jesus, as He cried out to the Father in the Garden of Gethsemane.  Mark 14:35-36, “He went a little farther, and fell on the ground, and prayed that if it were possible, the hour might pass from Him. ³⁶And He said, ‘Abba, Father, all things are possible for You. Take this cup away from Me; nevertheless, not what I will, but what You will.’”  Jesus addressed His God as, “Abba, Father.”  We understand something of the word “Father,” but what about that term “Abba”?  What does it mean?  As someone has put it:  “In English, there is no other way to translate it than ‘Daddy.’”  It is an informal word of affection.  It is how a young child addresses his or her dad.  If you use the term, “Papa,” then translate it “Papa.”  It is not the formal, “Father,” but the affectionate “Daddy.”  This is not the picture of a son standing at a distance and asking his father for something; this is the picture of a kid sitting on his dad’s lap and naturally starting the conversation with, “Daddy.” 

            We can understand Jesus using that word, can’t we?  Why shouldn’t He?  He knew His Father in a way that no one else in the universe knows Him.  He had been with Him forever and ever.  They had shared everything together.  He had never once disappointed His Father, and His Father had never disappointed Him.  They lived in perfect fellowship.  And now Jesus was facing the cross, the most difficult trial in His life, much more severe than anything we will ever face.  In that crisis, Jesus bared His heart and cried out, “Daddy, Father…, if there is any way possible, take this cup from me.  Let me bypass the cross and the taking of man’s sins upon myself.” 

            Now let’s turn back to Romans 8 again and read Rom. 8:14-16, “For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God. ¹⁵For you did not receive the spirit of bondage again to fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption by whom we cry out, “Abba, Father.” ¹⁶The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God.”  This is the second occurrence of “Abba” in the New Testament, but who is using that name now?  The use of this term is now the privilege of everyone who has been adopted into the family of God. 

            Notice that the Holy Spirit is here referred to as “the Spirit of adoption.”  Why?  Because it is through His work that we have been adopted into the family of God.  Two weeks ago we saw that it is the Spirit who gives us life; we are born of the Spirit.  Now in another biblical picture, He is the Spirit of adoption.  The Spirit of the unique, one-and-only Son of God, is able to make us sons and daughters of His Father. 

            At first, we might think that adopted sons and daughters are second class.  “We aren’t really His children; we are just adopted.”  No, that isn’t true.  We were born into the family by the Spirit, but we have also been adopted into the family by the Spirit.  Adoption is a great privilege.  God the Father sent His Son to the cross so that He might adopt us as His children.  Is that not amazing! 

            Now let’s look at the third occurrence of the term “Abba.”  Gal. 4:4-7…

But when the fullness of the time had come, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the law, ⁵to redeem those who were under the law, that we might receive the adoption as sons.  ⁶And because you are sons, God has sent forth the Spirit of His Son into your hearts, crying out, “Abba, Father!” ⁷Therefore you are no longer a slave but a son, and if a son, then an heir of God through Christ.

            It is the Spirit within us who cries out, “Abba, Father.”  Brothers and sisters, this is the work of the Spirit.  Don’t miss this.  When we talk about the ministry of the Holy Spirit, there is no more important work than putting us into a Daddy-son relationship with God the Father.  This is one of the distinctive features of the new covenant relationship.  Where Moses had a ministry greater than most anything we can imagine, he didn’t come to God and cry out, “Abba, Father.”  Recently we read the prayer of Elijah, when he was involved in the contest with the prophets of Baal.  It was a great prayer, but He didn’t lift his voice and say, “Abba, Father.”  But if you are a child of God, you can come to Almighty God like that.

            We say, “But what about the fear of God?”  Yes, we fear God, but not in the same way that the unbeliever   should fear God.  The unbeliever must fear God because God is his enemy, because he is under the wrath of God, because coming judgment is hanging over his head 24 hours a day.  But we who know God fear Him in a different sense.  Yes, we have a certain fear because of His greatness, because of His power and might, but we also have a deep reverence for Him.  In the book of Revelation, the apostle John did not fall down at the feet of Jesus because He was deathly afraid, but because He worshiped Him who is worthy.  We fear Him in a sense that we didn’t before, because now we look up to Him, we honor Him and worship His holy name.  We are still aware that He is high above all nations and His glory above the heavens (Ps. 113:4), but at the same time we cry out, “Abba (Daddy).”  Notice back in Rom. 8:15, “For you did not receive the spirit of bondage again to fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption by whom we cry out, ‘Abba, Father.’”  We are no longer in slavery, which leads to fear, but now as His adopted children we call Him “Abba.”

            What we are saying about our freedom to call God our Father, even our Dad, is perfectly consistently with what Jesus taught, when He gave His formal introduction to the Holy Spirit in John 14.  Let’s read that passage again in John 14:16-18, “And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever—¹⁷the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; but you know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you. ¹⁸I will not leave you orphans; I will come to you.”  In connection with His promise to send the Spirit, Jesus said that He would not leave them as orphans.  He will not leave any of His children as orphans.  That is what those apostles were afraid of.  Jesus was speaking of going away.  He had been like father and mother to them, but now He was leaving.  So how would they not be left as orphans?  The end of verse 18, “I will come to you.”  Jesus would come to them through His Spirit, and that is the way He comes to us who have repented and put our trust in Him.

            Having lived in India most of his life and having seen many, many orphanages, Zac Poonen speaks of what he calls the “orphan syndrome.”  When a person is raised without father and mother, it has a certain effect upon him.  He is often insecure, easily threatened, possessive, and jealous.  It is possible for us to respond to the world around us as orphans, but what peace and security there is when we rest in the embrace of our Father, with whom we are so intimate that He is our Dad. 

            Now let’s just pause for a moment.  All that I am saying means nothing unless we let it sink it, unless we drink deep from this glorious truth.  Child of God, the Almighty is your Father.  The God of the universe is your Dad.  When the Bible speaks of meditation, is not this one of the truths upon which we should meditate?  Is it not worthy of our deepest thoughts? 

            All of us have had an earthly father.  Even if you have never met your father, it is certain that a father and mother collaborated to bring you into this world.  Let’s face it -- some men are better fathers than others.  I often hear people say, “He can’t have a proper concept of God, because he didn’t have a good earthly father.”  I understand that statement, but we need to qualify it.  Having a poor earthly father may make it more difficult to understand God, but we must also recognize that compared to God, every man is a poor earthly father.  We see that illustrated by Jesus’ words in Luke 11:13, “If you, then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask Him?”  Jesus was not speaking of particularly bad fathers; He was talking about all fathers.  I can compare myself to some other fathers and conclude that I am a fine dad, but when I compare myself to God Himself, I can only see myself as an evil father.  We don’t discover the greatness of God as a father by looking at any earthly father.  Instead, we measure earthly fathers by comparing them to the ultimate standard, God Himself.  We learn about His wonderful Fatherhood by looking at what the Word says, not by looking at earthly fathers, and the Word tells us that He is an absolutely perfect Father.  Though He is ruler of the universe, He encourages His children to call Him “Daddy.”

            Come back to our disturbing questions:  “How do we get from regeneration to rivers of living water, from the beginning of spiritual life to the multiplication of spiritual life.  How do we find the answer to the question, ‘Where are the rivers of living water?’”  Brothers and sisters, is not the missing link this intimacy with God about which we have been talking this morning?  Is it not when we walk closely with our Father moment by moment that the rivers of living water will flow? 

III.  The Example of the Early Christians

            Let’s look at it from a different angle?  Just before He ascended to heaven, Jesus said to His followers, “But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth” (Acts 1:8).  According to Jesus, this power for witnessing would become a reality when the Holy Spirit had come upon them.  That coincides perfectly with what we read in John 7:37-39, where John tells us that these rivers of living water are the work of the Holy Spirit.  Just as the Holy Spirit gives us life, and just as it is the Holy Spirit who pours these living waters out of it, it is also the Holy Spirit who is the link in between the two, for we have received the Spirit of adoption, by which Spirit we cry out, “Abba, Father” (Rom. 8:15).  Do you see it?  It is the Spirit who draws us into this close relationship with the Father and it is the Spirit who sustains that continual fellowship, and out of that relationship come rivers of living water.

            Look at it in the lives of the early Christians.  Without doubt, we see the evidence of these rivers of living water.  Our first look is in chapter two, where we have the 120 followers of Jesus waiting obediently in that upper room for the promise of the Spirit.  And when the Spirit came, the rivers flowed, as Peter stood up and preached the gospel with great power.  Three thousand were saved that day.  But that isn’t the end of the story.  Acts 1:8 is not exhausted with that great demonstration of power on the day of Pentecost.  Come to chapter 4.  The story actually begins in chapter 3, where we find Peter and John going up to the temple to pray and being confronted by the lame man who was looking for a handout.  Opposition from the highest Jewish council was stirred, as a result of the Lord healing that man through the ministry of Peter and John.  Concerning the timing of the incident in chapter 3, Curtis Vaughan makes this suggestion:  “The tone of the passage suggests that several months, perhaps as much as  year, intervened between Pentecost and this miracle” (Acts:  A Study Guide, Curtis Vaughan, p. 34).  

            The healing of the lame man in chapter 3 caused quite a commotion, as people came to see how he was now able to walk.  As you might expect, Peter and John used it as an occasion to proclaim the good news of Jesus.  Now let’s pick it up in chapter 4 and read Acts 4:1-12…

Now as they spoke to the people, the priests, the captain of the temple, and the Sadducees came upon them, 2 being greatly disturbed that they taught the people and preached in Jesus the resurrection from the dead. 3 And they laid hands on them, and put them in custody until the next day, for it was already evening. 4 However, many of those who heard the word believed; and the number of the men came to be about five thousand. 5 And it came to pass, on the next day, that their rulers, elders, and scribes, 6 as well as Annas the high priest, Caiaphas, John, and Alexander, and as many as were of the family of the high priest, were gathered together at Jerusalem. 7 And when they had set them in the midst, they asked, "By what power or by what name have you done this?" 8 Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them, "Rulers of the people and elders of Israel: 9 If we this day are judged for a good deed done to a helpless man, by what means he has been made well, 10 let it be known to you all, and to all the people of Israel, that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead, by Him this man stands here before you whole. 11 This is the 'stone which was rejected by you builders, which has become the chief cornerstone.'  12 Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.

            Do you get a sense of those rivers of living water flowing on that occasion?  Peter and John were supposed to be the ones on trial, but the Spirit so filled Peter that the Jewish religious leaders were having to face the truth of their own scriptures, and it was very uncomfortable for them.  By the power of the Spirit, Peter was accusing them of crucifying this Jesus, whom God Himself had appointed as the chief cornerstone.  According to Peter, they had killed the only One in whom salvation could be found. 

            But that isn’t the end of the story.  If you read on in this chapter, you will find that these leaders did not respond favorably to the powerful gospel message that Peter proclaimed.  Rather, they commanded them not to speak any more in the name of Jesus, threatened them, and then let them go.  But don’t miss verse 13 and the light it sheds on this entire incident.  Acts 4:13, “Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were uneducated and untrained men, they marveled.  And they realized that they had been with Jesus.”  These dignified and cultured religious leaders were stunned at the way Peter and John spoke, because they had not been trained in the schools of the rabbis.  They did not have the religious training of these men to whom they spoke.  In our day, we would say, “Peter and John had not been to Bible college or seminary.”  So how were they able to proclaim such deep spiritual truth?  Though the men on the council did not favorably receive their message, they recognized that it was a message that carried an unusual spiritual authority.  Where did they get such authority?  The answer is in the last part of verse 13:  “And they realized that they had been with Jesus.”  At first we might conclude:  “Well, yes, they certainly had been with Jesus.  They had walked with Him day in and day out for some three years.”  No, that isn’t it.  That may have been what the religious leaders meant, but that isn’t the truth of what they said.  How do we know?  Because after being with Jesus in that sense for three years, how did they respond when the crisis came?  Though Peter had boasted that he would never deny Jesus, he forsook Him and then denied Him on three separate occasions.  Though they had walked with Jesus, they did not have the power to follow Him through the valley of the shadow of death.  But now Peter and John are able to stand up to these powerful men who had engineered the death of Jesus, boldly stating in no uncertain terms that they had crucified their only means of salvation?

            Do you see it?  Is it becoming clear?  Peter and John had been with Jesus, but the truth of that statement is not in the fact that they had walked with Him for three years.  They had been with Him that very day.  When they woke, they were with Jesus.  As they walked into the presence of these 70 powerful council members, they were with Jesus.  How could it be?  Jesus did not leave them as orphans; He came to them through His Spirit, and He continued to be with them through His Spirit.  Those religious leaders spoke far more truth than they knew.  They recognized that these men spoke with the same authority that Jesus had spoken.  They couldn’t miss it.  They didn’t understand how the Spirit carried them through the day in the presence of Jesus and the Father, but we can understand it.  We are reading the fulfillment of what Jesus had said, as He met with them in those hours before the cross. 

            Brothers and sisters, O that people would realize that we had been with Jesus.  They can.  This is the reality of being born of the Spirit.  When this life gets short-circuited, the rivers of living water don’t flow, but there is no reason why the situation can’t be remedied.  The answer isn’t in programs or formulas; the answer is in Him who gave His life on the cross and rose from the dead that He might live in and through us.  This is the work of the Spirit. 

            Sometimes we get the idea that the Holy Spirit is the weird Spirit who does strange things.  Brothers and Sisters, the Holy Spirit is the Spirit who ministers to us the presence of Jesus and the Father.  This is the root of His ministry.  This is the sum and substance of what He does.  Whatever else the Spirit does flows out of this “Father-Daddy relationship” that He sustains in us.

Conclusion

            So how do we view this truth?  Do we say, “Well, here is something else I have to deal with?  More sin that I have to confess, or feel guilty about if I don’t confess it.  More burdens to bear in my life.”  It is the enemy who makes us think like that.  Brothers and sisters, this is the truth that sets us free.  We were re-created in Christ Jesus that we might live in His presence moment by moment, that we might sense the eternal life that is within us.  This is the source of love, joy, and peace.  This is the abundant life, the life of purpose, which Jesus promised.  Let’s not settle for anything else.  If the great majority of those who call themselves Christians do not seem concerned about living this life, so be it.  But this is the life to which God has called His people, and there is nothing like it. 

            Let me pause and ask you an honest question.  Do you believe that Jesus died and rose so that He may live this life through you?  In other words, is this possible for you, or is it just a fairy tale?  If you don’t believe it is possible, then realize that it will never be a reality.  It’s more than possible.  This is life.  This is the goal of our Father, and surely we long to please Him.  And what pleases Him is what brings joy and fulfillment to us, because He is a loving Father who wants nothing but the best for each of His children.

            I leave with you two verses for meditation.  The first is John 7:23,  “I in them, and You in Me; that they may be made perfect in one, and that the world may know that You have sent Me, and have loved them as You have loved Me.”  The “them” is not speaking of the people of the world.  No, the context makes it clear that “them” refers to Jesus’ apostles, and also to all of us who believe (see 17:20).  Our Father loves us as He loves Jesus.  Think about that. 

            Then let’s read Rom. 8:32, “He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things?”  When God set out to redeem us, He didn’t spare even His own Son.  Now that we are redeemed, will He spare anything to give us all things?  Now that we are indeed His sons and daughters, can we not trust Him to provide everything we need?

            May we rest in the love of our Father and our Dad!

Fishers of Men -- 7/22/12

Sunday, July 22, 2012

FISHERS OF MEN

Mark 1:16-20

            When we meet someone new, if we want to get better acquainted, asking questions is a great way to do it.  So what kind of questions might we ask?  Do you have a family?  How old are your children?  Were you raised in this area?  Those are not very threatening questions, and as the person answers, you begin to learn something about him.  Another common question goes something like this:  What kind of work do you do?  Or if the person is older, “What kind of work did you do before you retired?”  Most people are open to share with you what kind of work they do.

            Let’s pursue that theme for just a moment.  Work is honorable, is it not?  Whether a person labors in highway construction, works as a computer programmer, or manages the home, his work is honorable before God and man.  We are familiar with phrases such as, “Give them a good day’s work for a good day’s pay.”  Most of us agree that we ought to give our employer our best effort.  When God put Adam in the garden, He gave him something to do.  Yes, he was blessed to be able to enjoy the beautiful Garden of Eden, but he was also given the responsibility to care for it.  Work goes hand in hand with responsibility.  We teach our kids to work in order that they may learn responsibility.

            But what about Christians?  Maybe we don’t need to work, since God has promised to take care of us.  Did Jesus not say, “Seek ye first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added unto you” (Matt. 6:33)?  He didn’t say, “Work;” He told us to seek God and His righteousness.  Again, we must put the words of scripture into their context.  Jesus was telling the crowd (and us) that we are not to be uptight about securing the basic needs of life, because that is the way the pagan world lives.  Instead, we trust that God will provide those things.  However, Jesus is not saying in any way that we should not work, sitting back and expecting Him to provide.  Listen to Paul’s words in II Thes. 3:10, “For even when we were with you, we gave you this rule:  If a man will not work, he shall not eat.”  Christians are to work.  As a matter of fact, believers should be examples of how a person puts his whole self into his work.  We read in Col. 3:23, “Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men.”  When a person works like that, his job becomes a noble labor, regardless of what it is.  A school teacher can teach with all her heart for the glory of her God.  A mother can raise her kids day by day, giving it her all for God’s glory.

            This morning I want us to read about some men who were doing noble work.  Let’s read Mark 1:14-20…

Now after John was put in prison, Jesus came to Galilee, preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God, 15 and saying, "The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand. Repent, and believe in the gospel." 16 And as He walked by the Sea of Galilee, He saw Simon and Andrew his brother casting a net into the sea; for they were fishermen. 17Then Jesus said to them, "Follow Me, and I will make you become fishers of men." 18 They immediately left their nets and followed Him. 19 When He had gone a little farther from there, He saw James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother, who also were in the boat mending their nets. 20 And immediately He called them, and they left their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired servants, and went after Him.

            As Jesus was walking by the Sea of Galilee, He confronted four men whose names are very familiar to most of us -- Simon (better known to us as Peter), Andrew, James, and John.  I want you to notice immediately that these men were doing noble work.  And what kind of work were they doing?  They were fishermen.  Most of us are not very familiar with fishing.  Let’s face it, fishing is not a major industry in this part of the world.  In case you are not aware of it, fish require water in which to live, and in order to find much water we have to drive a few miles.  Don’t get the idea that these four men were pursuing the hobby of fishing.  No, they weren’t entering bass tournaments on the weekends.  They made their living by catching fish from the Sea of Galilee and selling them for profit.  Fishing was their occupation, and there is no reason to believe that they were not good at what they did.  The fact that James and John were fishing with their dad indicates that fishing was their family business.  No doubt, they had been fishing all of their lives.

I.  Jesus’ Early Encounters with the Four Fishermen

            Now before we go any further, I think it will be helpful to compare a couple of other passages with this one.  We might ask, “Is this incident recorded in any of the other gospel accounts?  In other words, can we find the same story in Matthew, Luke, or John?  Yes, we can.   Sometimes people comment, “Isn’t it amazing that these men would follow a man on the spur of the moment, a man whom they had never before been acquainted.  First of all, turn to Matthew 4 to find a parallel account of this same incident.  As you scan down through Matt. 4:18-22, you will find that it is almost identical to Mark 1:16-20, down to the very wording that is used.  John also speaks of Jesus’ encounter with three of these men, but the story is not the same.  Let’s read it in its broader context in John 1:29-42…

The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, "Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world! 30 This is He of whom I said, 'After me comes a Man who is preferred before me, for He was before me.' 31 I did not know Him; but that He should be revealed to Israel, therefore I came baptizing with water." 32 And John bore witness, saying, "I saw the Spirit descending from heaven like a dove, and He remained upon Him. 33 I did not know Him, but He who sent me to baptize with water said to me, 'Upon whom you see the Spirit descending, and remaining on Him, this is He who baptizes with the Holy Spirit.' 34 And I have seen and testified that this is the Son of God." 35 Again, the next day, John stood with two of his disciples. 36 And looking at Jesus as He walked, he said, "Behold the Lamb of God!" 37 The two disciples heard him speak, and they followed Jesus. 38 Then Jesus turned, and seeing them following, said to them, "What do you seek?" They said to Him, "Rabbi" (which is to say, when translated, Teacher), "where are You staying?" 39 He said to them, "Come and see." They came and saw where He was staying, and remained with Him that day (now it was about the tenth hour). 40 One of the two who heard John speak, and followed Him, was Andrew, Simon Peter's brother. 41 He first found his own brother Simon, and said to him, "We have found the Messiah" (which is translated, the Christ).42 And he brought him to Jesus. Now when Jesus looked at him, He said, "You are Simon the son of Jonah. You shall be called Cephas" (which is translated, A Stone).

            John, the writer, is telling us about the ministry of John the Baptist, who was the one who pointed the way to Jesus.  Twice we see him point to Jesus and say, “Behold!  The Lamb of God.”  Two of the disciples of John the Baptist take to heart what he said go after Jesus.  One of the “two disciples” (35) is identified as Andrew.  The name of the other is not mentioned.  Down through the years most students of the Bible have believed the other to be John.  As we have seen in Matthew and Mark, James and John were closely associated with Peter and Andrew.  But if it is John, why isn’t he identified by name?  Simply because John, who is the writer of this gospel account, never once mentions himself by name.  It is interesting that this same John is mentioned by name ten times in Mark’s much briefer account of the gospel.  It seems clear that John’s name does not appear in his own writing because of his deep humility.  When he does find it necessary to refer to himself very specifically, he simply speaks of “the disciple whom Jesus loved” (John 19:26; 20:2; 21:17,20).  After speaking of Andrew and this other disciple, the writer then tells us that Andrew brought his brother Simon Peter to Jesus.  If we read on through the rest of this chapter, we would see that Jesus then calls Philip, who brings Nathanael to Him.  Many believe that shortly after this John brought his brother James to Jesus.

            It is obvious that this is not the same story that we read in Mark 1 and Matthew 4.  The obvious question is this:  Which one came first?  Just from reading the two we would certainly conclude that John 1 is prior to Jesus calling them in Mark 1 and Matthew 4.  Otherwise, Andrew introducing his brother to Jesus would make no sense.  And when we study the larger context and how these gospel accounts fit together, we discover that there is a rather large gap between verses 13 and 14 in Mark 1.  The events of John 1:19-4:45 fit nicely into that gap.  The incident at which we are looking in Mark 1 takes place about a year after Jesus first met Peter and Andrew and John.  So we see that these men did not begin that day to follow a stranger named Jesus.  They had already been associated with Him for some time.

            The other passage we need to examine briefly is Luke 5:1-11…

So it was, as the multitude pressed about Him to hear the word of God, that He stood by the Lake of Gennesaret, 2 and saw two boats standing by the lake; but the fishermen had gone from them and were washing their nets. 3 Then He got into one of the boats, which was Simon's, and asked him to put out a little from the land. And He sat down and taught the multitudes from the boat. 4 When He had stopped speaking, He said to Simon, "Launch out into the deep and let down your nets for a catch." 5 But Simon answered and said to Him, "Master, we have toiled all night and caught nothing; nevertheless at Your word I will let down the net." 6 And when they had done this, they caught a great number of fish, and their net was breaking. 7 So they signaled to their partners in the other boat to come and help them. And they came and filled both the boats, so that they began to sink. 8 When Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus' knees, saying, "Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord!" 9 For he and all who were with him were astonished at the catch of fish which they had taken; 10 and so also were James and John, the sons of Zebedee, who were partners with Simon. And Jesus said to Simon, "Do not be afraid. From now on you will catch men." 11 So when they had brought their boats to land, they forsook all and followed Him.

            Is this the same incident that is recorded in Mark?  There is definitely a difference of opinion.  The classic harmony of the gospels authored by A. T. Robinson view it as the same incident, but others do not.  I believe there are too many differences to identify them as the same.  The differences go much deeper than Luke simply telling more.  Furthermore, though the gospel accounts are not always in chronological order, Luke 5:1-11 has to be jerked abruptly from its order for it to be identified with the event of Mark 1 and Matthew 4.  It seems better to take Luke 5 as occurring a little bit later than what we are looking at here in Mark 1.  (But it is a debatable issue).

II.  Jesus’ Invitation to Become Fishers of Men

            Now let’s come directly to this passage in Mark 1 and think about what Jesus was saying to these men.  Notice that Peter and Andrew were busy fishing, when Jesus saw them.  On the one hand, that isn’t surprising because that’s what fishermen do, and they were indeed fishermen, as our text reminds us in verse 16.  But I thought they began to follow Jesus a year earlier, as we read a little bit ago.  While they developed a rather close association with Jesus, it seems clear from what we read here that they were still in the fishing business.  They likely accompanied Jesus on short trips and spent time with Him when He was in the area, but best we can tell, they were still making a living fishing.  No one should find fault with them for that.  Jesus did not rebuke them because they were fishing; He simply called them to something else.

            Listen to Jesus words, as He called out to them, “Follow me, and I will make you (to) become fishers of men.”  Peter and Andrew wasted no time laying their nets aside and going after Jesus.  A little farther down the shoreline Jesus found James and John and He gave them the same invitation.  These brothers left their father and his hired hands in the boat and also followed Jesus. 

            So what did Jesus mean, when He said, “Follow me, and I will make you to become fishers of men?”  Often there is a great deal of stress laid on the way we need to go after people the way the fisherman goes after the fish.  That’s okay, but that isn’t what I want to stress this morning.  The main reason Jesus spoke of being “fishers of men” is because these men were fishers.  Jesus is calling them to something bigger than catching fish.  Rather than dealing with fish, as they follow Jesus, their lives will be wrapped up in going after the souls of men.

            We can’t ignore the question that will inevitably come up:  “If they left their nets and followed Jesus at this point, why do we find them fishing again in Luke 5?”  This is one of the reasons why many believe that Luke 5 speaks of the same incident.  If not, then how can we explain these four men back at their nets?  I don’t have all the answers to that question, but if the incident in Luke 5 comes shortly after this, then it isn’t hard to explain.  (The only things that happened in between these incidents occurred right there in Capernaum, close to where they were fishing).  Here in Mark 1, Jesus does not tell them that they are never to fish again on the Sea of Galilee.  While we read here that they left their nets, it may have been a temporary thing, so that they could spend some concentrated training time with Jesus.  But in Luke 5:11, the language is stronger.  There the record says, “So when they had brought their boats to land, they forsook all and followed Him” (Luke 5:11).  That sounds like a more permanent arrangement, and after that we see them continually with Jesus.

III.  What About Us?

            That brings up a more practical question:  “Can we apply these words of Jesus to us?  Or was this a unique message for those fishermen?”  What do you think?  We talk about following Jesus, but is that accurate?  If we have not been called to follow Jesus, then it is not likely that we have been called to become fishers of men.  We must acknowledge that shortly after this incident, these men began to literally follow Jesus wherever He went.  They would continue following Him until He was arrested in the garden. 

            Please turn to the 16^th chapter of Matthew.  Speaking to His disciples, Jesus spoke these words in Matt. 16:24-26…

Then Jesus said to His disciples, "If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me. 25 For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it. 26 For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul? 

            Notice the word “anyone” in verse 24, the word “whoever” in verse 25, and “a man” in verse 26.  “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.”  Jesus says that anyone who is willing to come to Him, deny himself, and take up his cross can follow Him.  So some of us here this morning are true followers of Jesus.

            So has Jesus also called us to be fishers of men?  To put it in terms we can understand, has Jesus called us to focus on something greater than our particular job?  If you are retired, has Jesus called you to something higher than the typical pursuits of retirement?  If you are a housewife, does God want you to give yourself to something even more noble than caring for your home?  In short, is pursuing the souls of other people something even more important than what we typically refer to as our vocation?

            I realize I am asking many questions this morning, but now I have a couple more.  But what about our current jobs, our present situations?  Doesn’t a man have to work to support his family?  Doesn’t a mother have to devote herself in taking care of her kids day by day?  And besides, who says that all Christians must make it their life’s calling to try to persuade others to come to Jesus? 

            Let’s deal with the last question first.  The Word of God makes it clear that all believers are to zealously long for those around them to know God through Christ.  As surely as Jesus calls us to follow Him, He calls us to pursue the salvation of others.  We have established before from Matthew 28:18-20 that the command to make disciples of all peoples applies to us, just as it applied to those apostles.  Why is that?  Because Jesus told them to teach those new disciples to obey everything that He had commanded.  Since Jesus commanded them to make disciples of all peoples, they were to teach new disciples to make other disciples.  That principle filters down to every believer.  To come at it from another angle, when the early Christians were scattered because of persecution, they “went everywhere preaching the word” (Acts 8:4).  The context makes it clear that these were not the apostles, but what you might call the “everyday, common Christians.”  They were consumed with proclaiming the good news of Jesus.  Those early Christians were on board with Paul’s proclamation in II Cor. 5:17-21…

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new. 18 Now all things are of God, who has reconciled us to Himself through Jesus Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation, 19 that is, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not imputing their trespasses to them, and has committed to us the word of reconciliation. 20 Now then, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were pleading through us: we implore you on Christ's behalf, be reconciled to God. 21 For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.

We are sometimes inclined to stop after the part about being new creations in Christ, but what we must understand is that those who have been reconciled to God through Christ have the responsibility and privilege of joining in on this ministry of reconciliation, as we proclaim the message of reconciliation.  That message is stated concisely in that last verse, “For God made Christ who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.”  Every Christian is an ambassador, representing Christ to a lost world.

            Look at it from a very practical standpoint.  Suppose you are surrounded by a hundred people who are starving to death.  If they don’t get food, they will die.  But you have plenty of food.  Would you not eagerly get food to them so that they could live?  Brothers and sisters, we have the bread of life, and hundreds around us are starving for that spiritual food.  If they don’t give it, they will not only die, but they will experience the second death and be cast into everlasting punishment.

            Jesus said, “Follow me, and I will make you to become fishers of men.”  In other words, “Follow me, and I will teach you to invest your lives in far more than your everyday vocation.  I will show you that have a calling that is far greater than your job and other earthly pursuits.”  Jesus is not saying that what we do for a living is not important, but He is saying that there is something that is far more important.  Fishing for a living was noble indeed, but fishing for men was a far greater calling.  Laboring to make a living or to perform a necessary task is noble.  It produces necessary results for a limited amount of time, but functioning as an ambassador for Christ yields eternal dividends. 

            But how can give ourselves to caring for the souls of men, when we have to invest so much of ourselves into our earthly responsibilities?  Do we need to quit our jobs?  Surely the Lord is reminding us of our focus.  Brothers and sisters, there are people all around us who work to make a living, but their real focus is on having fun in life.  They put in their 40 or how many ever hours a week, but their real passion is to have fun.  They may be faithful workers, but if you talk to them about what really keeps them going, it isn’t the job; it is that upcoming vacation they are constantly thinking about.  Students get their work done so they can play video games or participate in a sport or get together with their friends.  That is their focus.  Where is your focus?

            Brothers and sisters, Jesus came to bring good news, and this is good news.  If a man considers his job his calling, what kind of future does that have?  Trey lays block.  That is a noble profession.  People need that work done.  Trey is fulfilling a purpose.  Praise God that it puts food on the table for his family.  But the results are only for a temporary purpose.  Every wall, every chimney, every gate that Trey builds is going to be destroyed, and there are no exceptions.  Even the living he provides for his family is temporal, because every member of his family is going to spend eternity in a place where there is no need for physical food.  That is why Jesus said, “Do not labor for the food which perishes, but for the food which endures to everlasting life…”  (John 6:27).  Though Trey’s work is noble, he has a much higher calling in Christ.  Trey is called to be an ambassador for Christ, whether he is on the job or off the job.  His job requires around 40 hours a week, but his real calling is 24/7.           

            You might say, “But that is so demanding.  I don’t want to be on call 24/7.”  But we don’t say that, do we?  The good news is that Jesus has given Himself to us by His Spirit 24/7.  And because He is constantly with us, we have the privilege of being His ambassador in everything we do.  This isn’t a demand for a child of God; this is life. 

            Consider an illustration.  Bill has a job that he does not enjoy.  He works from 8 to 5 Monday through Friday.  He is there on time every day and does his job in a satisfactory manner.  The work he does provides a necessary service for people and it provides a living for his family.  But Bill does not enjoy what he does.  He endures it as a necessary evil.  Now what if we could find Bill a job that he really enjoys?  What if he could do something that he really believes in?  Would Bill take such a job?  In a heartbeat.  With this new job, Bill can not only provide for his family, but he can do something he likes.  Brothers and sisters, that is the calling we have.  Whatever life brings, our calling is the same; we are called to represent Jesus, to share the good news of his salvation.  A believer may have a 40-hour a week job that he does not particularly enjoy, but it’s okay because that is just a small portion of his life.  If he works 40 hours a week and sleeps seven hours a night, that means that he spends only ¼ of his waking hours on the job.  And even when he is at the not-so-exciting job, he still has the privilege of being an ambassador for Christ even there.  Even on the job, he can be concerned about the souls of men.

            When we talk about “calling,” we are talking about something much bigger than jobs and careers.  Your job is not your calling.  However you want to refer to your job and other pursuits in this world, biblically speaking, your calling is spelled out in Eph. 4:1-3, “ I, therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you to walk worthy of the calling with which you were called, 2 with all lowliness and gentleness, with longsuffering, bearing with one another in love, 3 endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.”  The context of Ephesians makes it clear that this calling doesn’t have anything to do with occupation and the like.  Rather, it is living the life of Jesus in this world.  It is knowing Him and making Him known, bringing glory to God, as we are continually molded into the image of His Son.

            Some of you know Terry Green.  When he lived here, he was a volunteer with the Navigators and invited us to go to conferences with him, etc.  When Terry was asked what he did for a living, he would respond something like this:  “I sell insurance to put food on the table, but my real work is to be an ambassador for Jesus Christ.”  That is a an appropriate response to Jesus’ invitation:  “Follow me and I will make you to become fishers of men.”

            But is everyone called to speak the message of Christ with his or her lips?  Yes, that is the calling of every child of God.  If we read the scriptures and ignore what we see around us, we can come to no other conclusion.  If we simply examine our situation and use common sense, we will reach the same conclusion.  No one who has the eternal riches of Christ can be comfortable keeping them to himself.  If we walk in the Spirit, we will recall the words of Jesus, “ But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth” (Acts 1:8). 

Conclusion

            Someone might say, “But our job isn’t just to tell people about Jesus, because Jesus Himself told us to make disciples of all peoples, and that includes teaching them to obey all the commands of Jesus.”  That is absolutely true, but we can’t teach them to obey Jesus commands until we introduce them to Jesus.  Like the early Christians, we can go everywhere preaching the Word, as we are empowered by the Spirit, even as they were.  Praise God that He has given us a high calling in Christ!

            Tuesday evening we are engaging in Neighborhood Evangelism.  Rhonda asked me some pointed questions, as she sensed the lack of a definite plan.  I have come to the conclusion that I might as well be as honest with you as I can.  I don’t really know what we’re doing.  It is kind of difficult to plan when the group we attract could range from 0 to who knows how many.  What exactly are we going to do?  What exactly are we going to say?  The truth is:  I don’t exactly know.   

            This is what I do know – we have Jesus and there are people all around us who need Him.  Therefore, it is important that those two groups of people come together.  I am fully aware that evangelism cannot consist of staged events like this; it must be much bigger.  Each of Jesus’ followers must reach out to people every day wherever we are.  However, we need the encouragement of one another.  We need a sense of working together.  I am impressed that the early Christians had that sense.  Together they were sharing the good news of Jesus.

            My great fear is that if we wait until we have the perfect plan, we will do nothing.  Far better that we jump in and get our feet wet.  After we do this, we will have a better idea of what we should have done, and we will be better prepared for the next opportunity. 

            Brothers and sisters, I want to encourage us.  The New Testament Christians who went everywhere preaching the Word were no different than we are.  They were simply ruled by the Holy Spirit and followed His leading.  May the Lord give us grace to do the same.