The Lord Calling, Teaching, Preaching, Healing

Q: What does the Bible say about the gospel?

The Bible describes the gospel as the power of God unto salvation, focusing on God’s glory and the work of Jesus Christ. The Bible presents the gospel as the good news of God, centering on Jesus Christ as the Son of God who was sent to redeem His people. It emphasizes that the gospel begins with God, illustrating His holiness, righteousness, and purpose. According to Romans 1:1-4, Paul articulates that the gospel was promised long ago through the prophets and is fundamentally concerned with Christ, detailing His life, death, and resurrection. It's crucial that the gospel brings glory to God alone, revealing that any message centered on human ability or will is a distortion of the true gospel.

Q: How do we know that God calls individuals to salvation?

God's call to salvation is evident through the preaching of the gospel, which is confirmed by the power of the Holy Spirit in the believer's heart. The certainty of God's call can be found in the Holy Scriptures, especially in passages like 2 Thessalonians 2:13-14, which states that God chose us for salvation through sanctification of the Spirit and belief in the truth. This divine calling is not merely a call to believe but is transformative, awakening spiritual life in those who were once deaf to the gospel. When the true gospel is preached, it comes in power and with assurance, enabling individuals to hear Christ’s voice and respond in faith, thus affirming their status as the elect of God.

Q: Why is preaching important for Christians?

Preaching is vital as it conveys the gospel, which brings about faith and salvation in believers' hearts. Preaching holds a crucial role in adhering to the faithful proclamation of the gospel. As seen in Matthew 4, Jesus Himself was a preacher who went about proclaiming the good news and calling disciples to follow Him. Romans 10:14 reinforces this by stating that faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ. Thus, preaching is God’s ordained means to call His people, inviting them to repentance and faith. Wherever this gospel is preached, Christ's sheep recognize His voice and respond, establishing the transformative impact of preaching within the life of believers.

Q: What does it mean to follow Jesus?

To follow Jesus means to become His disciple, leaving behind worldly pursuits to align one's life according to His teachings. Following Jesus entails a radical commitment to Him above all else. In Matthew 4:19, Jesus calls His disciples to 'Follow me,' which signifies a call to a way of life grounded in learning from Him and living in obedience to His commands. This follows the initial call where individuals must leave their previous pursuits, such as fishing, to pursue Christ as their ultimate purpose. As believers, they are called to a continuous relationship with Him, relying on His guidance, growing in grace, and becoming witnesses of His truth. Ultimately, it is a call to discipleship characterized by dependence on Christ and a desire to share the gospel with others.

Q: Why is it significant that Jesus chose fishermen as His disciples?

Jesus choosing fishermen highlights God's preference for the humble and lowly over the wise and powerful in this world. The selection of fishermen as disciples demonstrates God’s sovereign choice to call the weak and insignificant to fulfill His purpose. As depicted in Matthew 4:18-22, Jesus called Simon Peter, Andrew, James, and John from their daily labor of fishing. This intentional choice reflects 1 Corinthians 1:26-29, where Paul writes that God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise, underscoring that it is not worldly credentials but the hearts of men that God values. It serves as a reminder that the gospel is for everyone, and God often calls those the world deems unimportant to be His vessels of grace.

And we get a blessing out of it,
don't we? Alright, Matthew 4. The Lord was a preacher. Verse 17, it says, From that
time, Jesus began to preach. Verse 23, it says, He went about
all of Galilee teaching in their synagogues and preaching the
gospel of the kingdom. If there's a difference between
teaching and preaching, it would be this. Teaching is always instructing
or opening scriptures to our understanding, given the meaning
of the passage. Preaching is simply and boldly
declaring, pronouncing, thus saith the Lord. But you do both,
any man who is a true preacher is also a teacher, and vice versa. What did the Lord Jesus Christ
teach and preach? Well, we read it there. It says
he preached the gospel of the kingdom. He preached repentance
for the kingdom of heaven is at hand. He preached the gospel.
Paul once wrote, he said, Though I preach the gospel, I have nothing
to glory in. Because we don't make ourselves
gospel preachers. The Lord does. And he says, Necessity
is laid upon me. Woe is unto me if I preach not
the gospel, he said. If I'm going to preach, if I'm
sent to preach, it must be, it will be the gospel. The gospel. What is the gospel? Go with me to Romans 1, Romans
chapter 1. Shall I declare it again? Absolutely. I must. I just quoted that. Woe is unto me if I preach not
the gospel. Woe is unto me if this morning
I just talked about the gospel, about our Lord preaching the
gospel, and didn't preach that gospel. Why? Because there's
somebody in here who has not yet heard the gospel. And the
gospel is the power of God unto salvation. That's what the Lord
uses, not music, not emotion, not things like that in the gospel. All right, here in Romans 1,
I believe, is one of the clearest, shortest and clearest declarations
of the gospel in all of God's Word. Romans 1, Paul said, I'm
a servant of Jesus Christ called to be an apostle. Called, that
is. chosen and sent to be a messenger, separated unto the gospel of
God. What is the gospel? It's the
gospel of God. It begins with God. There's a
tract back there that Brother Rupert Reibenbach had went to
a great deal of trouble and money cost to have printed out thousands
of copies. a sermon, a message by Brother
Henry Mahan. What is it to preach the gospel?
Get it. Read it. If you don't, listen. But this is the gospel. It's
wonderful. I read it myself again. It is
the gospel of God. When you preach the gospel, you
begin with God. Everything begins with God. The
gospel begins with God. The world began with God. When
you preach the gospel, you must begin with God, who He is. God
doesn't want to be, doesn't try to be, you don't let Him be.
He is God. In the beginning, God. Who He
is. Holy. Righteous. And this gospel
is His gospel. It's the gospel of God. It's
the gospel that God purposed. It's the gospel that God designed.
He's the author and finisher of this gospel of the faith. It's His gospel. It was created
by Him and for Him, for His glory. That's how you know the true
gospel. Does it give God all the glory? Would it leave people
glorifying God? It's His gospel. It's of His
will. It's His purpose. Any so-called
gospel that talks about man's will is not the gospel. It's His will, it's His purpose,
who God is. And verse 2 says it's what He
promised before, a long time ago, by His prophets in the Holy
Scriptures. It's the old, old gospel. The
gospel is not new. It's good news when you first
hear it, but it's as old as God. It's the old, old story. The
gospel. Tell me the old, old story, okay? It's an old gospel. It's a gospel
according to God's Word, not according to what man said, but
according to what God has written. What is the sum and substance
of the gospel? Verse 3, it's concerning His
Son, Jesus Christ our Lord. God hath made Him Lord over all. God hath given all things into
His hand. And God hath given Him a people.
In a covenant before the world began, God the Father, God the
Son, Holy Spirit, came up with this gospel, this glorious story
of how they would save man. God thought it, Jesus Christ
bought it, and the Holy Spirit brought it. It's of God. It's God's gospel. It's concerning
God's Son. It's concerning Him, what He
did, who He is, what He did. Did He do it? It's not gospel
if He didn't. Did He do it? What did He come
to do? He came to put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself.
He came to die for all that the Father gave Him. He came to bring
in an everlasting righteousness. He came to seek and to save that
which was lost. Did He do it? It's not gospel
if He didn't. All this talk about God trying
and wanting to and trying and failing, that's another gospel,
Paul said. It's not the gospel. It's a perversion.
If I don't leave Romans 1, it will be all right. It's the gospel
of God, the gospel concerning his son. It's the old, old gospel.
Verse 3, concerning his son, which was made of the seed of
David according to the flesh. Made flesh to dwell amongst us,
and not just of any seed, but the seed of David, the lion of
the tribe of Judah according to Scripture. He was made flesh
and dwelt among us. The Christ, the Son of the living
God, verse 4, declared to be the Son of God with power. How much power? He said all power,
all authority is given unto me in heaven and earth, that I should
give eternal life to as many as God gave me. That's Scripture.
According to the Spirit of holiness, He is declared to be the Son
of God. by a holy life. There's never been a man lived
on this earth who was a truly holy man except one. That's how
you know who he is. And he came to give that to God's
people, impute it. And by the resurrection of the
dead, proved himself to be the Son of God by rising from the
grave. And by whom, read on, we have
received grace and apostleship It's all by whom, in whom, for
whom, through whom, to whom. See, by whom, by Him. For obedience
to the faith, that is to preach the faith among all nations. Verse 6, among whom also are
ye also the called of Jesus Christ. All that be in Rome, beloved
of God, foreloved of God. We love Him because He first
loved us. Called to be saints. Yes, grace
to you, peace from God our Father. the gospel of the Lord Jesus
Christ. That's the gospel in a nutshell,
in those few verses, isn't it? So the Lord was a preacher of
the gospel. He came to preach. And wherever
this gospel is preached, His people are called by that gospel. Wherever that gospel is, there's
sheep. They're called. That's the shepherd's
voice, the gospel call. Go back to our text in Matthew
4. Our Lord came preaching, and
the next thing it says that he went calling. Upon preaching, he went out and
called his sheep. Look at verse 18. Walking by
the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brethren, Simon called Peter,
Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea, They were fishers,
and he saith unto them, Follow me. He called them. Verse 21. He saw two other brethren mending
their nets, and he called them. He called them. There's a... I love the passage in Mark 3
that says, He went up into a mountain and calleth unto him whom he
would. The Lord calls whom he would,
whom he wills. It's his will, according to his
will. And it's he, him, that calleth. And in 2 Thessalonians 2, it
says this. You know these verses. We're
bound to give thanks always to God for you, brethren, beloved
of the Lord, because God hath from the beginning chosen you,
chosen to save you, through sanctification of the Spirit, belief of the
truth, whereunto he called you by our gospel." Not just any
gospel. Our gospel. The gospel of Romans
1. So that's what the Lord did. He came preaching. And that's
what he's still doing. Though it's not his actual voice,
he preaches through men. Through men. And he calls whom
he will. He calls them when he will. But he calls one way. And they came to him. It says
that he called whom he would, and they came to him. Whoever
the Lord calls, they come to him. That's how you know that
they, who they are. Who are the elect? Can you know
who the elect are? Yes, you can. Paul said that
in 1 Thessalonians, didn't he? Knowing that brethren, beloved
of the Lord, your election. Knowing your election. How, Paul?
How do we know we're elect? We can't see in the Lamb's book
of life. We can't see our name. Well,
he said this. Our gospel came unto you. There it is again.
The gospel. Not just any gospel. Our gospel. And it came unto you not in word
only, that is, not in letter, not in doctrine only, but in
power, life-giving, eye-opening. We sang that hymn, Open My Eyes,
Open My Ears, Open My Mouth. That's what the Lord does when
the gospel comes. That's what it means to be born
from above, a new creature that didn't exist before. Someone
that hears God's voice that was deaf before. Someone who sees
their need of Christ, never saw that before. Someone who loves
the gospel, didn't love that before. A new creature. And he does this by his Word,
being born again, not of corruptible seed, but incorruptible by the
Word of God which liveth and abideth forever. This gospel, he said, We know
your election because it came unto you, not in word only, but
in power and in the Holy Spirit, in the Holy Ghost. What does
the Holy Ghost do? You know what the Holy Ghost
does. The Holy Ghost takes the things of Christ and shows them
unto you. He said He'll take the things
of mine and show them unto you. He'll glorify me, and you will
too. And he says, and in much assurance.
That's how you know the elect. The gospel comes. And they hear
it. And they see Christ. They see
His glory. Everyone is seeing the Son. And they hear His voice. It's
the gospel, but it's His voice. And it comes in power and it
comes with much assurance. What are we assured of? Luke wrote in his Gospel, began
the Gospel by saying, things which are most surely believed
among us. What things? What does he assure
us of? Well, I don't know much, but
I know this, God is God. I know that. I don't know much,
but I know this, I am nothing at all. Just an old sinner and
nothing at all. I know that. In my flesh there
is no good thing. I can do nothing. I can know
nothing. I cannot believe. I can't repent. I can't do anything. I am just
flesh. I don't know much, but I know
this. If I am saved, it will be 100% by Jesus Christ alone. He assures us of that. You look
to Me, Christ said. You come unto Me. I will give
you rest. You come unto Me. You look to
Me. I will save you. You see Me? You see who I am?
I'll raise you up at the last day. That's what He said. Everyone
that seeth the Son will raise Him up. Now that's the gospel. And he calls, and where am I? Right back in Matthew 4. So that's
how we know who they are. That's how we know if we are.
Are we one of his elect? Am I one of his elect? That's
how you know. And they hear it. He said, my
sheep hear my voice. And they hear it. And they hear
it. And they hear it. And they hear
it. If they ever quit hearing it,
they're not His sheep. My sheep hear, not heard. My sheep hear, my Lord. And they follow me. When the
one I did years ago, I gave everything up to follow the Lord and keep
following. It's a continual thing. It's
here and here and here. Whoever quit hearing it, some
do. Some do. Proves they were not
of us. Because the sheep are here and
here and here and come and come. To whom coming? To whom coming? To whom coming? My dog Abner,
as long as he was alive, I thought I was through talking about it.
I still think about that old guy. But as long as he was alive,
he lived to hear my voice. He lived for it. He would lay
waiting at the door just for me. My appearance to him was
glorious. And for me to say, come on. He
lived for that. And he never quit coming. He
never quit coming. Until the day I put him to sleep. Well, let's look at this calling
out of His disciples. Let's look at where they were,
where the Lord found these disciples, who they were, what they were
doing, and what they were called to do. Okay? Where they were,
who they were, what they were doing, and what they were called
to do. Where were they? Look at verse
18. The Lord walked by the Sea of Galilee and saw these two
brethren. And down in verse 21, James and
John were also at that Sea of Galilee. There were many seas. There are many seas all over
the world today. They're not just seven. I don't
know who came up with that. Sinbad, I think it was. But there
are more than seven seas. There are many seas. I began
to look at the map and counted numerous seas. But there are
many seas in the world. The Lord chose this one. I meant to look this up. I think
it's one of the very smallest, if not the smallest sea on earth. You look at a little speck, you
look at the map. Look at Israel. You have to look hard to find
Israel. Bethlehem. That's a good reason
why the Lord chose them. He chose this little sea of Galilee,
of all places of Israel, that little nation to appear to, and
this little sea of Galilee to find these insignificant men
who were just fishermen. Well, you see your calling, don't
you? Things that are nothing, despised.
The Lord didn't go into Jerusalem. He didn't go to the temple and
begin to choose doctors and lawyers, did he? Scribes and Pharisees? No, sir. In fact, he saved very
few scribes and Pharisees. Not many wise men of the flesh,
not many mighty are called, but God has chosen the weak things
and so forth. He didn't go into Jerusalem to
the temple. He went to the banks of the Galilee. He didn't go to Herod's court,
but he went to the seashore. That's where the Lord found them.
Where were you when the Lord called you? Where are you from? Where are you from? And notice this. It says, the
Lord saw them. Who saw who first? Who came to
whom? Who came to whom? The Lord came
to them. The Lord saw them first. The
Lord called them first, didn't He? That's where it begins. Man's got this thing all backwards,
doesn't he? Got this thing all backwards.
I know it says, Whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord
shall be saved. Who will? Who will? Don't get the cart
before the horde. Don't get man before God. Don't get man's will
confused with God's will. It says, as many as the Lord
our God shall call. That's who we'll call. He calls
us first. He loves us first. And after
this, after He came to them, they're going to be coming to
Him for the rest of their lives. When He called them and He brought
them out of what they were doing to follow Him, from that day
forward, what are they doing? They just keep coming to Him.
They just keep coming to Him. You send them out, they're going
to come back. He came to them first, and from then on, they
come to Him. He called them first, but from
then on, they're calling on Him, aren't they? He called them. How do you know you're called?
You're called. How do you know you're one of
God's called? Saul of Tarsus. The Lord said
to Ananias, he said, you go, I've got a chosen vessel named
Saul of Tarsus. Ananias said, oh, he hates the
truth. He hates it. The Lord said, no, he loves it
now. And he said, you go. He's praying. He's calling on me. Used to,
he liked to stand on the street corner just to be heard. Now
he's actually calling on the name of the Lord for himself.
So whoever the Lord calls first, they begin to call on Him from
that day forward. They begin to call, and that's
why we pray to the Lord. We pray to the Lord to do something
for men. We don't beg men to do something
for God. We don't stand up and tell people,
now, if you'll only do this, if you'll only do that. We pray
like John did to our Lord and say, if you'll only do this,
if you'll only do that, if you'll only call them, then they'll
call. Lord, I have a child, I have a son, I have a daughter that
doesn't know you, doesn't see you, doesn't care about you.
Would you please call them by your grace? Would you please
call them by your power? I can't do it. I've tried it
all my life, and they won't listen to me. My voice is not powerful,
but you make the hinds to calve. You make the seas to part. Call on them, would you? And
bless God, if He does. He doesn't have to, but He does. Call on them. Who saw who first? Who saw who first? It was Hagar. that said, Thou, Lord, seest
me. And all was merciful to Hagar,
an insignificant woman, a sinful woman, a cast out woman, he said,
a banished woman, he said, you go bring her back. He said, Thou, Lord, seest me. Who
saw who first? I saw you, Nathaniel, when you
were sitting under the fig tree. And now Nathaniel sees him and
sees who he is. That's how you know who they
are. Who were these fellows? That's where they were. Who were
they? Look at verse 18 again. It says, He saw two brethren,
Simon and Andrew, his brother, and on down James, son of Zebedee,
and John, his brother. They were brothers. They were
brothers. Now, to have brothers and sisters.
is a great blessing of the Lord. I had three siblings in my family. I had two brothers. And what
a blessing that is. We were only given one child,
an only child, and you wish you'd had brothers or sisters growing
up, didn't you? I was glad that I did. And what
a blessing it was, in spite of the fact that my brothers abused
me to no end. I mean, they did. And I did nothing
to deserve that. They just think they're right
there. Well, Mom, I'm the baby. Where's
Mom? I couldn't do nothing wrong, but these older brothers of mine
were brutal to me. And my sister. Oh, my, I antagonize
her. Poor sisters of the world that
have little brothers. At any rate. What a blessing
it is to have siblings, to have brothers or sisters. My, but
a greater blessing. See, in heaven there's not going
to be any relationships, earthly relationships. None. No marriage, given and married.
No fathers, children, husbands, wives, sisters, brothers. We're
all going to be brethren in the Lord. What a great double blessing,
a great blessing, if the Lord will make your fleshly brother
or sister a brother or sister in Christ. My, my. And I believe
my older brother was, and I believe I'll see him again. And my sister
certainly was. And we had fellowship. There's
a fellowship that's unsurpassed between brothers in the Lord. And yet, if the Lord makes two
siblings to be brothers or sisters in the Lord, or what about your
son or daughter makes them your brother? Oh, my, my, my. How many in here have brothers
or sisters who don't know the Lord? And he's put a difference between
them. There's a separation. And that's
exactly as our Lord said it would be, didn't he? He said, I've
come to set a man at variance. There's going to be separations.
There's got to be. And yet, you would love to see
them Know the Lord with you. There's nothing you'd love more
than to see them know the Lord. I know I've heard you talk about
them. But it's the Lord's prerogative. It's the Lord's will. Jacob have
I loved. I have another brother whom I
love. I used to be pretty calloused when
I was a young preacher. But there's nothing I'd love
more than to see him. If the Lord made him a preacher,
he'd be ten times a better preacher than I am. But it's the Lord's
providence. It's completely His will. And
if He does, oh man, we're not as close right now as I'd love
for us to be. There have been some deaths in
the family that bring us together. My oldest brother died, and so
my brother and I became close. And my sister died, and we became
close. And his son died, and we became a little closer. But
you know what would join us together forever? The death of the Lord Jesus Christ.
But it's up to Him. It's completely up to Him. I
can't do it. It takes the same call. And He
and I grew up together under this same gospel like Jacob and
Esau, like Cain and Abel. We grew up under this same gospel.
Who makes thee to differ? Who gave ears to hear? There's a family in Lexington. All three of them
are there. You know, there's one of them,
Todd Nybridge's sister, Lynn. Todd Nybridge's wife, Lynn Moore
is her maiden name. She has a brother and a sister,
Lynn. Certainly Leanne and Chuck Moore. They're siblings, brothers and
sisters. Do you know that the Lord saved all three of them? All three of them. But not the parents. Neither
one of them. Their mother died years ago.
A fine woman. But as far as I know, she didn't
know the Lord. And their father? He doesn't know the Lord. But
amazingly, and they all three left, and their father lived
in Ashland, and their mother, and they all three left. And
went and moved where the gospel lived. Left their parents. And they all three know the Lord.
What a blessing. What a blessing. But it's the
Lord's will, isn't it? It's the Lord's prerogative.
But what great mercy if the Lord calls you, if He just calls you.
Why should He call you? But if He called you and your
brother, Stephen, Sam, my, my, what mercy. What mercy. Well, look at verse 18. What were they? They were brothers.
What were they? They were fishermen. Verse 18. They were fishers.
Fishermen. James and John were too. Simon
and Andrew. They were fishermen. They didn't
do this for recreation. They weren't doing this for fun. It was for livelihood. And if they were fishermen by
trade, if that was their trade, I know this for a fact, they
were poor. They were poor. They had no money. Like farming. You know, you just
make ends meet because it's so seasonal. It's so subject to
the Lord's will. They would fish all night and
not catch a thing. Go without a paycheck. But I
know they were poor. Well, didn't James later write,
James, Hath not God chosen the poor of this world? The poor,
our Lord said, have the gospel preached unto them. I know poor
in spirit, yes. Blessed are the poor in spirit,
for theirs is the kingdom of God. But literally poor. You
see, the rich and increased with goods have need of nothing. We were in Florida recently,
and I remarked to Mindy, it was a Sunday morning, and we were
driving to a popcorn an hour away to attend the services.
And we had to drive that far to find one that preached the
gospel. We had to go that far. We've looked, believe me. Had
to go an hour to find one. But we remarked, all the people,
you know, going about their business in their boats and yachts and
this and that and the other, you know. And I remarked to her,
I said, people that have so much, they don't need God. I don't
need God. Why would they need God? Until
they get sick. Or until they lose something.
Until the bottom drops out of their stocks. Huh? But the literal
poor, those who live from hand to mouth, they have the gospel
preached to them. They're literally poor. They
have the gospel preached to them. Well, they were poor. Simon,
Andrew, James, and John, if they would look around at what they
had, you think about it. I don't know
how old they were in their thirties perhaps, forties maybe, but if
they were to look around at what they had, what did they have?
I know Simon had a little house, he was married, and it was probably
a little house, but he had a boat, wooden, If you have a wooden
boat, man, it's not going to last long. And he had some nets,
and a little house, and food. That's not much. What have you
got to show for a life's work, Simon? Well, look at this. There really isn't much. I've
got these nets, a boat, a wooden boat. If we would look around
and see what we work for and what we have here on earth, what
people of the world strive for to get a lot of, wood, hay, and
stubble. Things that mobs corrupt, the
finest clothing. Things that rust corrupt, the
finest car. And thieves will break through
and steal. It's all going to be taken from us. Our Lord's
coming as a thief in the night and everything taken from us. Then what? Then what do you have?
If our riches are in the things of this world, oh, we're poor,
truly poor and don't know it. But if our riches, if our Lord
has provided us bags that wax not old, Treasures in heaven. We are rich beyond our imagination. Well, what were they doing? Verse
18, they were casting a net. See that? They were casting this
net. They had a net and they cast
it. And every day, that's what they would do. Every day, cast
that net. What are you going to do today?
Cast the net. The next day, cast the net. What
are you going to do? Cast the net. What are you going
to do tomorrow? Cast the net. What are you doing? What are you doing? Every day,
get up. Get up and go to work. Every day. Day in, day out. Day
in, day out. Day in, day out. Same old, same
old. Young people want to get out of school quick as they can
so they can cast the net. We laugh at that, don't we? But
that's all human beings do. That's all we do. All our life. Cast the net. Is that it? Is that what life's about? Is that all there is? We cast
a net for 40 or 50 years, same old, same old, same old, same
old, same old, same old, same old, and then we die? No, that's not what it's about. He that hath the Son hath life. He that hath not the Son, I tell
you what he hath, nests. That's all he hath. And it is
a net. It's no coincidence or very significant
that the Lord calls the things of this world a net. Catches
people in. Caught up in it like fish. Nets. Oh may the gospel net capture
up. Oh my. Net. And you know what they were doing
with these nets constantly? Verse 21 says, James and John
were mending them. They were mending them. Just
as soon as they bought this new net, it got a hole, it tore a
hole in it. We no sooner built our house
than I was mending it, repairing it. And so that's what they would
do the rest of their lives unless the Lord called them to something
much greater. And so would we. So would we. And what were they doing? Well,
they weren't looking for Christ. They were too busy with their
nets. My, my, my. You remember all
the people that made excuses about not going to the marriage
supper? The first fellow said, I bought some dirt. I bought
some land. I can't come worship God. I can't
look into eternal things. I can't be interested in the
God of glory, the Son of God. I can't be interested in the
only thing that's going to save my eternal soul. I bought some
dirt. How lame. They weren't looking
for Christ, but bless God. May every message have those
two words in it. But God sent His Son to look
for them. Well, you got there, Simon, a
net. What have you been doing? Fishing, same as always. Well,
you caught nothing. But God sent His Son to look
for us. Well, what were they called to
do? Verse 19, I've got to hurry. He said unto them, follow me. Follow me. They were called to
follow him, called to be his disciple. Follow me. Follow men, follow a denomination,
follow this or that, not follow the world. You've got to leave
the world. They had to leave the world to follow Christ. Oh,
they would be going out into the world, but they were not
of the world. They would be in the world, but
they weren't following the world. They weren't pursuing the world.
To come to Christ, you have to leave the world, and you leave
the world to be His disciple. The last thing Simon Peter said,
the very last words that he said were, grow in grace in the knowledge
of our Lord Jesus Christ. That's what we're called to be,
His disciples. Learn from Him. Learn of Him. They were called to be His sheep.
They were called to be His sheep. He said, My sheep hear My voice. I know them. And they follow
Him. A sheep is completely dependent. I used to think I was very independent. I used to want to be, as a young
man, want to be independent. I used to want to go my own way. I used to think, when I get out
from under my parent, I'm going to do what I want to do. You
know what that will lead to every time? Destruction. I literally almost destroyed
myself. But God called me to be a she. Now what do you want to do? Follow?
Just follow. I don't want to be my own man.
I want to belong to Him. I don't want to go away that
seems right to me. It's wrong. I want to go the
way path of righteousness that He puts me in. Oh, my. I want Him to order my steps.
Yes, I do. I want to follow Him to be His sheep. A sheep is a
dumb animal. A sheep is a dependent animal.
A sheep needs everything, doesn't it? A sheep needs water. A sheep
needs safety. Sheep is a helpless animal, a
subject to every predator. I want to be a sheep, don't you? I finally learned that I can't
protect myself. I can't protect my family. I
can't do anything. I want to be His sheep because
I know if I am, me and everybody I have is okay. Come, little sheep, little lamb,
follow me. I'll take care of everything,
you and yours. I want to be a sheep, don't you?
Goats have a rough road to hoe. The way of the transgressor is
hard. If you be willing and obedient, He said, you'll eat the good
of the lamb. But if you don't, you'll reap
what you sow. They're called to be followers. Followers, not leaders. Followers.
There's one leader. But there are many followers.
Many followers. A great cloud of witnesses. People
following. Followed. Called into fellowship. You know, he called Peter, Simon,
and Andrew, and James, and John, and eight other men to be his
apostles. And so there were twelve of them
and one of him. Twelve men. Twelve different
men. Simon was very different than Andrew was. And James different
than John. And John different than Bartholomew. Bartholomew different than Matthew.
Matthew different than Thaddeus. Thaddeus different than Jude.
They were all different, weren't they? They were all different.
But they all had this one thing in common. They loved Christ. So they were
together and they got along all right. All right. What the Lord calls different
every kindred. And was John better than Andrew? Was Andrew better than Bartholomew? No, they were all nothing. Christ
was everything. And the Lord was making all of
them to be like Him. And you know, He called them
into His fellowship, and I thought about what joys and happy times
they had together, like Adam. He needed a mate because everything
is better together. Nothing is that enjoyable by
yourself, is it? Nothing. You go out and you see
the sights and you are alone and you think, well, I wish so-and-so
was here to see that. Or you are eating something and
you think, oh, this is so good. I wish there was somebody here
to eat it with me. fellowship together around whatever
you're doing. And the Lord has called his people
into this fellowship with the saints. And oh, what joys! That's
why God has promised to be where two or three are gathered together. That's because it's more enjoyable
that way, isn't it? It's enjoyable. How often, when
you're listening to a message, do you look to someone else and
say, did you hear that? Did you hear that? Did you like
that? And everything is better together,
the fellowship. What joy is they experiencing
together, huh? Oh my! What were they joy and
rejoicing in? Him! Did you see that James? Andrew, can you believe that? Isn't it amazing? Did you hear
that? Bartholomew, did you hear what
he said? I heard it and I can't believe it. Amazing! They were all rejoicing in Him. And they all went through the
same sad times together. One of them was sad, the rest
of them were sad. John, remember when John was beheaded? Oh, man. They came to the Lord. The first
thing they did was come to the Lord. They didn't understand. The Lord took them into a desert
place. He said, you just come out here with me. Joy together. Joyous together. You can't laugh
with those that laugh. You can't sorrow with those that
sorrow. My, my. They went through it all together.
They had all things common. They were called to be fellows
in the same ship. Fellowship of his suffering.
Fellowship of his calling. They were all called to fish. Look at it. It says, I will make
you fishers of men. Fishers of men. They were called
to fish. Right? You've been pursuing fish
in the water all these years. Now I'm going to make you like
a fish out of water. cause you to go out into the
world and preach this gospel net, which will draw my people
in. Go, preach the gospel in all
the world. And you know, this is not limited
to the apostles, nor evangelists, nor pastors, or teachers, or
prophets, but every single child of God is called to be a witness
to Him. Everyone. That's why we're called. We don't live, we're not newly
created for ourselves. A candle that's lit, you don't
put it under a bushel. You set it where it's to be seen.
A city, you set it on a hill. A city of refuge. How are they
going to know? Go tell them. Go tell them. Tell them. What do you tell them?
What great things the Lord has done for you. how He called you
by His grace. Just do that. You can do that,
can't you? I can't think of many scriptures. Well, you know, the
fact of the matter is, when I come to talk to somebody, I have a
hard time, too. I really do. I do. I get tongue-tied
and all that. I get nervous. I get mad. All
those things. Just tell them. What the Lord
has done for you. Go tell Him. Tell Him. And He'll
use that. Yes, He will. Well, what did
they do? Here it is in closing. Verse 20 says, they straightway,
immediately left those nets. Just a net! What did I see in
that? Why was I so taken up with that?
Left that net. Hallelujah. And verse 22, James
and John says, left the ship. That was their life, buddy. Sailors
have a ship. They're married to it. They talk about their ships better
than they do their wives. Sailor. But they left that ship. And their father. Did the Lord
call Zebedee? It doesn't say, does it? It's
up to Him. Maybe he did, maybe he didn't.
Their mother was called Salome. James and John's mother was.
Bless God. But they left those nets. They
left their father. They left that ship. What for? Oh, my. To follow Him. And they
didn't think they were losers at all. They were gainers. Like Paul said, That's just dung. I left dung for this person. A great problem. Okay. Brother
John, you come, please, and I'll close the input. All right. I'll stand and turn to number
217. Thank you.

The Lord Calling, Teaching, Preaching, Healing

What does the Bible say about the gospel?

How do we know that God calls individuals to salvation?

Why is preaching important for Christians?

What does it mean to follow Jesus?

Why is it significant that Jesus chose fishermen as His disciples?

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The Lord Calling, Teaching, Preaching, Healing

What does the Bible say about the gospel?

How do we know that God calls individuals to salvation?

Why is preaching important for Christians?

What does it mean to follow Jesus?

Why is it significant that Jesus chose fishermen as His disciples?

Sermon Transcript

About Paul Mahan

Comments

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