church

INI
Second Sunday After Epiphany
January 20, 2013
Ascension Lutheran Church
Paul Naumann, Pastor

JESUS CALLS YOU TO GO FISHING
Matthew 4:18-23

Grace to you and peace, from God our Father, and from our Lord and Savior
Jesus Christ, Amen.

And Jesus, walking by the Sea of Galilee, saw two brothers, Simon called Peter,
and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea; for they were fishermen. 19
Then He said to them, "Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men." 20
They immediately left their nets and followed Him. 21 Going on from there, He
saw two other brothers, James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother, in the
boat with Zebedee their father, mending their nets. He called them, 22 and
immediately they left the boat and their father, and followed Him. 23 And Jesus
went about all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the gospel of the
kingdom, and healing all kinds of sickness and all kinds of disease among the
people. Thus far our text.

In Christ Jesus, Dear Fellow Redeemed,

I read, not long ago, a rather disturbing allegory called, "The Parable of the
Fishless Fishermen." It went something like this: "There was once a group who
called themselves fishermen. And lo, there were many fish in the waters all
around, In fact, the whole area was surrounded by streams and lakes filled with
fish. And the fish were hungry.

"Year after year these who called themselves fishermen met in meetings and
talked about their call to fish. They talked about the abundance of fish, and
how they might go about fishing. Continually they searched for new and better
definitions of fishing. They sponsored costly nationwide meetings to discuss
fishing and promote fishing and hear about all the ways of fishing.

"These fishermen built large, beautiful buildings called 'Fishing Headquarters.'
The plea was that everyone should be a fisherman and every fisherman should
fish. One thing they didn't do, however. They didn't fish. They never actually
went fishing themselves!"

The point of that parable isn't very difficult to glean. Every true follower of
Christ is also a fisherman. That includes you and me, too, so it's a good idea for
us to find out exactly what's involved in this "fishing for men." And it's also
essential for us not just to talk about it, but to put that knowledge to practical
use in our daily lives. Today's text will help us. In the words of our theme -

Jesus Calls You to Go Fishing
I. It's a universal call
II. It's a demanding call
III. It's a rewarding call

This Epiphany season is a time of beginnings. It's the beginning of a new
calendar year. It's a time when we traditionally focus on the beginning of Jesus'
public ministry. And it's a time when Jesus once again calls each of us to follow
Him and be His disciple. It's no accident that our text for today is the calling of
the first disciples.

Jesus called these disciples to go fishing. It's interesting, because fishing was
what their profession had been in the first place Jesus, walking by the Sea of
Galilee, saw two brothers, Simon called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting
a net into the sea; for they were fishermen. 19 Then He said to them, "Follow
Me, and I will make you fishers of men." Jesus wasn't offering them a similar
job. Their new job would be completely different. Instead of using boats and
nets to catch fish, from now on they would use the Gospel – the Good News of
salvation in Christ - to catch the souls of sinners for the kingdom of God. Peter
and Andrew responded to the call, left their nets, and followed Him. Jesus
moved down the shoreline, and the scene was repeated: the call was extended
to two other fishermen, James and John. "Come," Jesus said, "follow me and be
fishers of men."

About now, you might be thinking, "What's all this got to do with me? After
all, I'm certainly no Apostle Peter, or Apostle John. Fishing for men isn't my job
- that's what we've got pastors for!" But if that's what you think about
evangelism, though, then God has some news for you – it's your job, too!

Do you know what "universal conscription" is? It means that everybody gets
drafted into the army. The United States has never had universal conscription. I
know of one country that does, though: Israel. In modern Israel, every adult
citizen - man or woman - is required to do a certain amount of military service.
And there’s one other exception, too: the kingdom of God! In the kingdom of
God, too, there is universal conscription, for Jesus' call to be fishers of men is a
universal call. It applies to every single Christian, without exception. And that
includes you!

Do you believe that Jesus Christ is your only Savior from sin? If so, then you
are God's fisherman. Because faith is the only prerequisite of the job. You don't
have to go to school to study theology. You don't have to spend four years in
college and three years in the seminary. If you have faith in Jesus, you've already
got what it takes to go fishing for men.

You Christians sitting in the congregation - don't underestimate yourselves!
You're a very special people, simply by virtue of the faith God has given you.
Peter is speaking to all believers when he says, "You are a chosen generation, a
royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, [and what is your
purpose in life?] that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out
of darkness into His marvelous light." I Pt 2:9. We preachers haven't got any
monopoly on the Gospel. You can talk about Jesus just as well (or better!) over
your neighbor's fence than I can from this pulpit. You can proclaim forgiveness
of sins in Christ just as well (or better!) sitting over a cup of coffee in a friend's
kitchen, as I can standing in front of this altar. Not only is it something you can
do - it's something you are called to do. Jesus' call to be "fishers of men" is a
universal call that applies to all Christians, including you. I hope you're not too
shocked when I tell you that spreading the Gospel is just as much your job as it
is mine!

Today Jesus is calling you to be His "fisherman." And make no mistake about
it - it's a very DEMANDING call!

Maybe I've convinced you that this call to discipleship includes you, too; that
you, too, need to be a fisher of men. That's fine. But don't think it's a job you
can easily slough off, or something you can do in your spare time. It's not.
Following Christ and being His fisherman is far more demanding than any other
job you'll ever do!

Consider the men in our text for today. No two ways about it - following Christ
meant tremendous sacrifice for them. By obeying the call to become God's
fishermen, they left a lot behind. When Jesus said to Peter and Andrew, "Follow
Me, and I will make you fishers of men," what did they do? Our text says,
"They immediately left their nets and followed Him." They gave up a thriving
business to follow Jesus. They didn't even take the time to sell their boats and
nets. They just left them there, and followed Jesus. Immediately.

Money was not their master - Jesus was. We dare not let money become our
master, either. And that's a tall order in this day and age, because the worship of
money is a much stronger in our society than it has ever been in the past. Your
job, your income, your financial responsibilities -- important as these are, you
can't afford to let them stand between you and your service to Christ. Jesus
said, "No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love
the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. You cannot
serve God and mammon." Mt 6:24. The call to discipleship is a demanding one,
and one of the demands is this: lesser things, like money, simply have to come
second to Christ.

Some things are even harder to leave behind when you become God's
fisherman. Like loved ones. Difficult as it is, it sometimes comes down to that.
Look at James and John. They, too, said goodbye to their boats and nets - but
that's not all. Jesus saw two other brothers, James the son of Zebedee, and John
his brother, in the boat with Zebedee their father, mending their nets. He called
them, 22 and immediately they left the boat and their father, and followed Him.
Were these brothers saying goodbye to their father forever? We don't know that;
Zebedee may himself have been a believer. One thing we do know: believing
Christians have sometimes been forced to make a choice between serving God
and serving the wishes of their family. We have members of this congregation
who went through “the split” in the 1960s. They experienced firsthand how
hard it can be to separate from family and friends, when it becomes necessary to
leave a false-teaching church body. It's not pleasant, but sometimes it has to be
done. Faithfulness to our Savior and His Word must come first, for without
Him we have nothing. The Savior put it bluntly, "He who loves father or
mother more than Me is not worthy of Me. And he who loves son or daughter
more than Me is not worthy of Me." Mt 10:37.

Our call as disciples - as God's fishermen - is a demanding call. It demands
dedication, sacrifice, and plain old hard work. Frankly, none of us have lived up
to those demands. If you're like me, you can't help feeling a sense of shame over
what a poor "fisherman" you sometimes are. Fumbled words, missed
opportunities to witness about Jesus. Don't despair! There's a bright side to it as
well. Not only is Jesus' call to discipleship a universal call and a demanding call,
it is also a REWARDING call.

Jesus is calling you today. In the face of this call it's very natural for you to feel
weak and inadequate. A parallel to our text for today reveals that Peter even fell
down at Jesus' feet and begged Him, "Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O
Lord!" Lk 5:8. But Jesus didn't depart from Peter, did He? Rather, He
comforted him. "Do not be afraid," Jesus said. "From now on, you will catch
men." And that's the same thing He says to us today. "Don't be afraid of your
sin - it can't disqualify you from being my disciple, for I have already put away
your sin." In His eternal love for us weak, sinful human beings, Jesus came to
earth as our High Priest. He offered His own body as a sacrifice - the spotless
Lamb of God, slaughtered, for you and me. Isaiah hit the nail on the head: "All
we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned, every one, to his own way; and
the Lord has laid on Him the iniquity of us all." Is 53:6.

Don't be afraid! If your sins are great, be of good cheer: God's mercy is far
greater. Scripture says, "Where sin abounded, grace did much more abound."
Rm 5:20. Jesus lived a perfectly righteous life, and why? Just for the privilege of
laying that righteousness at your feet. It's His gift to you, so take it! Be happy
that through Christ you can call this perfect righteousness your own! Jesus died
a painful, drawn-out death on the cross, for crimes He never committed, and
why? It was for you, to pay the price of your sin in full. Such an overwhelming
and undeserved love for us sinners makes absolutely no logical sense, but there
it is! It's too good to be true; nevertheless, it is true. The ransom price you
needed to get loose from sin and hell forever has been paid by Jesus. It's free,
and it's for you. Paul says, "God was in Christ, reconciling the world to Himself,
not imputing their trespasses unto them."

Recently in confirmation class we were talking about how Armistice Day is a
great analogy for the Gospel. On November 11, 1918, the worst war the world
had ever seen ended in Europe. By the time Germany finally surrendered to the
Allied armies, 65 million men had fought, and 10 million had died. Finally, after
four long years of slaughter, the "Great War" was over. But the front was
hundreds of miles long, and communication was poor. So they sent runners.
What do you think it would have been like to be one of those runner? Can you
imagine how wonderful it would have been to have, as your job, the task of
carrying this message of peace to your comrades? “The war is over! You’re not
going to die! You’re free to go home in peace!” Well, guess what! That is your
job as a Christian! Your job is to carry the Good News of peace through Christ
to your fellow sinners. The war is over, Satan is defeated, and heaven is open
for all who will believe in Jesus.

We are called to be God's fishermen, and that sweet Gospel is the net that we
use to catch others for Christ's kingdom. So let's get going! Let's not just talk
about it - let's do it! From one angler to another: let's go fishing! AMEN.