Luke 5:1-11 Matthew 4:18-22 Mark 1:16-20

The Gospels in Harmony Sermon #81

1 And it came to pass, that, as the people pressed upon him to hear the word of God, he stood by the lake of Gennesaret,

2 And saw two ships standing by the lake: but the fishermen were gone out of them, and were washing their nets.

3 And he entered into one of the ships, which was Simon's, and prayed him that he would thrust out a little from the land. And he sat down, and taught the people out of the ship.

4 Now when he had left speaking, he said unto Simon, Launch out into the deep, and let down your nets for a draught.

5 And Simon answering said unto him, Master, we have toiled all the night, and have taken nothing: nevertheless at thy word I will let down the net.

6 And when they had this done, they inclosed a great multitude of fishes: and their net brake.

7 And they beckoned unto their partners, which were in the other ship, that they should come and help them. And they came, and filled both the ships, 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 was astonished, and all that were with him, at the draught of the fishes which they had taken:

10 And so was also James, and John, the sons of Zebedee, which were partners with Simon. And Jesus said unto Simon, Fear not; from henceforth thou shalt catch men.

11 And when they had brought their ships to land, they forsook all, and followed him.

Luke 5:1-11

18 And Jesus, walking by the sea of Galilee, saw two brethren, Simon called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea: for they were fishers.

19 And he saith unto them, Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.

20 And they straightway left their nets, and followed him.

21 And going on from thence, he saw other two brethren, James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother, in a ship with Zebedee their father, mending their nets; and he called them.

22 And they immediately left the ship and their father, and followed him. Matthew 4:18-22

16 Now as he walked by the sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and Andrew his brother casting a net into the sea: for they were fishers.

17 And Jesus said unto them, Come ye after me, and I will make you to become fishers of men.

18 And straightway they forsook their nets, and followed him.

19 And when he had gone a little further thence, he saw James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother, who also were in the ship mending their nets.

20 And straightway he called them: and they left their father Zebedee in the ship with the hired servants, and went after him.

Mark 1:16-20

We leave the Gospel of John for the time being to gather in the rest of the narratives from our beloved Saints and obedient Gospel writers.

Today we begin with the calling of the disciples by Jesus at the Sea of Galilee.

Now, to some it may seem like this has already been done.

Weren't these men already followers of Jesus?

Yes, they were followers of Jesus but not disciples!

They had chosen to follow Jesus but they had not as yet been called to be Followers.

Here my beloved brethren, is where we are taught the truth about discipleship.

So many people today are satisfied with following a religion or a doctrine of some type but they are not disciples of Jesus.

First, we must clear up a misnomer. When a person answers the call to salvation through faith in Jesus Christ, he becomes a follower. True followers and disciples are the same.

The words follower and disciple are interchangeable. They are synonymous in meaning and purpose. So if you claim to be a follower of the Word then you are claiming to be a disciple.

Yes, a disciple; you are just as called as the first twelve disciples in Jesus' ministry.

They were called to follow Jesus and that calling never stopped. There was one who followed for his own glory and received his reward and judgment before leaving this world. Judas was called but only followed in action and not in spirit. Judas was a follower for his own personal gain and notoriety. He was following along and called a disciple because of the group he accompanied, but in truth He was following without being a follower.

Today, there seems to be a great emphasis on the following of a particular doctrine and then becoming a disciple at some point later on. Like being a disciple is when you decide to join a monastery or take classes to be a monk or some other religious zealot.

It's like being a follower is enough or all that is asked for of most religious practitioners, without getting too serious or involved. Being a disciple therefore, must mean there is much more involvement and serious time spent apart from everyday living and family and friends and whatever else consumes a person’s worldly life style. So in modern terms being a follower is as good as being a dedicated disciple serving in the ministry of the Gospel and doing the work of an evangelist. Certainly followers are in the accompaniment of such persons who put forth more in their lives for the Lord, so they must be just as saved.

In truth these people are horribly deceived. Following anything only means you are present without being involved. A follower is an actual part of the body.

However, the word follower in our modern usage has come to mean the same thing. Just being a participant or a listener of some religious practice or teaching of one type or another; a preference or choice of teachings and leadership, counted among the number of people in a group.

Discipleship has a much stronger meaning as in being totally committed and actively involved in and with a particular teaching and leadership.

Oh but we are not studying the Word of God by the worlds modern definitions. The Word follower is synonymous with discipleship.

When you are called by the Holy Spirit to the foot of the cross to repent and confess unto salvation, you are completely called. You are called all the way.

You are called to be a child of God through faith and obedience to His Word, Jesus Christ.

Let's look at two words found in these scriptures.

Follow and followed.

Now some would think the only difference is the tenses.

Follow as present and future tense and Followed as past tense.

But they are actually two different words bringing about a full description of an action called for, the action expected and the outcome.

The word follow in the Greek form is "deute".

It means to come hither, come here, or come now.

The word followed in the Greek form is "akoloutheo".

It means to follow one who precedes, join him as his attendant, to join one as a disciple, become or be his disciple.

So by definition Jesus called these men to follow Him as His disciples. Followers are disciples!

Matthew and Mark give the abridged version of the calling of the first disciples.

However, Saint Luke chose to give a fuller account; not disputing anything said by Matthew and Mark, but giving a fuller account according to His knowledge and practice. Luke being a doctor was considerably more thorough in his presentation of the facts. But for now let's look at Matthew and Marks accounts before we examine Luke's for a fuller view of what was going on at this time and place.

18 And Jesus, walking by the sea of Galilee, saw two brethren, Simon called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea: for they were fishers.

Matthew 4:18

16 Now as he walked by the sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and Andrew his brother casting a net into the sea: for they were fishers.

Mark 1:16

This was not a circumstantial meeting, nor was it the first time Jesus had spoken to these men.

35 Again the next day after John stood, and two of his disciples;

36 And looking upon Jesus as he walked, he saith, Behold the Lamb of God!

37 And the two disciples heard him speak, and they followed Jesus.

38 Then Jesus turned, and saw them following, and saith unto them, What seek ye? They said unto him, Rabbi, (which is to say, being interpreted, Master,) where dwellest thou?

39 He saith unto them, Come and see. They came and saw where he dwelt, and abode with him that day: for it was about the tenth hour.

40 One of the two which heard John speak, and followed him, was Andrew, Simon Peter's brother.

41 He first findeth his own brother Simon, and saith unto him, We have found the Messias, which is, being interpreted, the Christ.

42 And he brought him to Jesus. And when Jesus beheld him, he said, Thou art Simon the son of Jona: thou shalt be called Cephas, which is by interpretation, A stone. John 1:35-42

In Matthews account he states that Simon was also called Peter. The name Jesus Himself had given to Simon. So here is Jesus walking by the Sea of Galilee looking to find the men who had already been prepared by the Holy Spirit in and with the

Living Word of God. They believed Jesus was the Messiah but still did not understand just what kind of Messiah.

They were followers and already evangelists of the coming of the Kingdom of God. Having been with Christ to hear and see Him perform miracles they were followers of His teaching but had not come to know Jesus as the Son of God.

Before we are saved we are called by the Holy Spirit to come to be near Christ, to see and hear and become knowledgeable of who He really is. Then when the time is right we get a full view of who we are in His presence and with a soul crushing fear of our sin being exposed to our Lord and Savior we repent unto faith in Him.

Can you tell me of anyone who is saved without hearing and knowing the truth of the Word of God? Saved without hearing the Gospel of Jesus Christ? Saved without repentance unto faith?

17 So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.

Romans 10:17

Hearing by the Word of God!

Jesus Christ is the Word of God, so here we have the first disciples being called by the Word of God Himself. We are no less called by the Word, in the Word and through the Word. The

Word of God is alive and active and every bit as present for us by the Spirit of God in the Word.

Simon Peter and Andrew had been near Jesus. They had broken bread and spoken with Him. They had traveled with Him and had witnessed His miraculous works and powerful ministry. They themselves had become evangelists, speaking with confidence about who Jesus was. But it was not until Jesus came in person to call them that they responded as true followers.

19 And he saith unto them, Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men. Matthew 4:19

17 And Jesus said unto them, Come ye after me, and I will make you to become fishers of men.

Mark 1:17

Jesus was using a simple metaphor that these simple men would grasp without question. Simon Peter and Andrew had been raised as fishermen. They knew all the ways and techniques for catching fish. They knew the work involved and the time it took to be proficient. They also knew the rewards for diligence and patience and steadfastness. Jesus had simply implied they would remain as fishermen but the catch would be men. He was telling them they were not as other men, but they were to gather in others to be like them.

20 And they straightway left their nets, and followed him. Matthew 4:20

18 And straightway they forsook their nets, and followed him. Mark 1:18

Straightway means immediately.

They were called and knew it was a calling that was for life; a change of life and a new life.

Sometimes a change in our life can add or subtract from our life style but this is not what we see here. They were starting new, with nothing, and would walk in faith for everything. They walked away from everything they owned and everything they did, with what they owned. They left their nets, boats, families and businesses and walked in faith with the one who called them. The old passed away and all things became new.

21 And going on from thence, he saw other two brethren, James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother, in a ship with Zebedee their father, mending their nets; and he called them. Matthew 4:21

19 And when he had gone a little further thence, he saw James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother, who also were in the ship mending their nets. Mark 1:19

Now here we have the introduction of John and James the sons of Zebedee.

They were partners and certainly friends in the fishing business and probably had grown up together. They had been blessed to hear all Simon Peter and Andrew had to tell about Jesus and about their confidence in Him. So it stands to reason, because of the evangelistic work done by the first two brothers, the second two brothers were ready to answer the call when they heard the words spoken to them. "Follow Me"

21 And going on from thence, he saw other two brethren, James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother, in a ship with Zebedee their father, mending their nets; and he called them. Matthew 4:21

20 And straightway he called them: and they left their father Zebedee in the ship with the hired servants, and went after him. Mark 1:20

One does not answer the call to leave everything you have and know to follow a complete stranger. Think about this. Jesus was not a stranger to them even if they had never seen Him before. Why; because, they believed the words of Simon Peter and Andrew. They believed the words of others who had seen and heard Jesus. They themselves may have seen and heard Jesus as He taught and healed the people in the area. They did not just know of Jesus. By faith in what they had heard and by

faith in seeing Simon Peter and Andrew with Jesus they straightway left the lives they knew, to walk in faith with Christ.

22 And they immediately left the ship and their father, and followed him. Matthew 4:22

20 And straightway he called them: and they left their father Zebedee in the ship with the hired servants, and went after him. Mark 1:20

Here is the physical example of what a follower is and does when he answers the call of Christ by His Word of promise for a new life in and with Him.

A follower is one who answers the call to come and be a disciple.

A follower is one who straightway leaves the world he has always known to start a new life in the Kingdom of Heaven.

A follower walks in the Spirit with Christ.

A follower is a disciple of Jesus, a minister to Jesus and an evangelist for Jesus.

We will continue with the teaching in our next Sermon. Saint Luke has much more to say concerning the subject of being called to follow as a disciple of Jesus Christ.

Pastor Steven Freede

Cornerstone Independent Church

11/1/17