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Fishers of Men

Sermon by  Thomas Thornhill Jr

Passage: Luke 5:1-10

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CLOSER TO GOD (54)

Disciples of Jesus (11)

As we continue our 2022-23 theme, “Closer to God”, we now bring our subtheme of discipleship to its conclusion.   We have addressed what a disciple is, noted various passages associated with being a disciple including the cost.  The past several lessons we have focused on what being a disciple looks like as it relates to life lessons.  We have discussed how disciples are like an athlete (disciplined), a soldier (devoted), clay in the hand of a potter (God molding us), parts of the body of Christ (functioning together), a brother’s keeper (our concern for “one another”), and servants (why and how we serve God, one another and others).  In our lesson today, we want to conclude this sub-theme by addressing how we are to be fishers of men.

 

1. Jesus and fishermen
   1. He called fishermen – at least 4 of them (Peter, Andrew, James and John). In John 21 there were 7 (21:1-2).  They synoptic gospels all tell the account of Jesus calling the 4 fishermen at first.  Luke 5:1-11 gives the most detail.  Jesus finds them with 2 boats mending their nets.  Jesus gets into one boat and asks Peter to put out a little so he can teach the multitudes on the seashore.  Then He tells Peter to “launch out into the deep” and cast their nets.  Peter notes they had been fishing all night with no success.  But Peter concedes to the Lord’s request and they catch a large number of fish so that their nets were breaking.  When the 4 of them (Peter signals to his partners) reach the shore, Peter declares his unworthiness as a sinful man.  But Jesus responds, “Do not be afraid.  From now on you will catch men.”
      1. NOTE: As an aside, Matthew’s account notes that they were mending their nets (Matt. 5:21).  Because of Luke’s account, we know why.  This is called an “undesigned coincidence” which verifies the independence of the gospel accounts.
         NOTE 2: When Jesus was calling them to be fishers of men, it was as disciples.  They would be called to be apostles later.
      2. It is the declaration of Jesus we are focusing on.  What does it mean to “catch men”?  It is certainly not about entrapping or imprisoning them.  Jesus is declaring that they were about to do a greater work than fishing.  They were going to find souls and bring them to Christ.  This is about evangelism and declares our task!
   2. Luke 19:10 “for the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost.” This was what Jesus focused on.  In fact, it was His primary goal.  We even saw that last week as we noted He came to serve and to give His life a ransom for many (to die so that we could be forgiven) – Matthew 20:28.
   3. The great commission – Matthew 28:19-20. Jesus commissioned them to “go and make disciples”.  NOTE: While the primary office was primarily His apostles, it is a command that applies to all of us.  As you study the growth of the church, you find it involved many more than just the apostles, cf. Acts 8:4 – they went everywhere preaching the word; 1 Thess. 1:7-8 – Paul commended them because of their efforts in proclaiming the word.
   4. While Jesus was with His apostles – He was teaching and training them to carry out the work. In Matthew 10 we find His commission to the 12; In Luke 10 He sends out 70:1-2 other disciples in the same way.  Continually He tried to prepare them for this work.  Much of His final admonition in John 13-16 was directed toward preparing them.  Acts 1:8 – the “theme” of that book describes what they were being commissioned to do with the gospel.  Jesus came to provide the needed sacrifice, but ultimately that message needed to be carried on after He went back to heaven.  It BEGAN with our opening text.  The rest of His interaction was training them about how to “fish for men.”
   5. The book of Acts illustrates this – with a beginning on Pentecost where 3000 souls obeyed the gospel (Acts 2:37-41), we find the number gradually increasing and the gospel spreading throughout the known world of that day. Acts 8:4 they took the gospel with them wherever they went.  Thus in about 30 years, we read in Colossians 1:23 that the gospel had been preached “to every creature under heaven.”
2. We are fishers of men
   1. We are called to not only live godly lives, but we ought to be seeking others as well.
      1. That is the foundation of this illustration. The great commission needs our help!
      2. 1 Peter 3:15 – we are called upon to give a defense for the hope that is in us.
      3. 2 Timothy 2:2 – generations.
      4. The book of Acts – EVERY example of conversion involved a man teaching someone what they needed to do.  With this we are reminded that the Lord did not lay the task of reaching the lost upon machinery or gimmicks.  He gave it to
   2. Why should I seek the lost?
      1. Because I am a disciple of Jesus. We have emphasized throughout this study how we follow His example.  What was His primary purpose for coming? To seek and save the lost!  1 John 2:6 – we strive to walk as He walked.  Above we have noted how Jesus was VERY interested in reaching the lost.  It is why He came, what and who He taught to carry out this work.   As I learn about Jesus, I ought to want to reach others as well.
      2. I want to please my Lord. 2 Corinthians 5:9, Therefore we make it our aim, whether present or absent, to be well pleasing to Him.  NOTICE what Paul says after that!  While certainly not easy, can anyone deny that Jesus wants us to tell others about Him?
         1. John 15:1-8 – every branch that does not produce fruit… – we have noted that fruit can mean many different things, but none can honestly deny that reaching others is fruit, and CRUCIAL to the survival of the church for future generations.
         2. 1 Timothy 2:3-4 – what is God’s will? That all men be saved. How is that going to happen?
         3. If I truly desire to please my Lord, I am not going to keep it to myself. 2 Timtohy 2:4 reminds us that the soldier enlisted does not entangle himself in the affairs of this world so that he can please him who enlisted him as a soldier.
      3. Because it is needed –
         1. Luke 10:2 – Then He said to them, “The harvest truly is great, but the laborers are few; therefore pray the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest. This is how He began the commission to the 70.
         2. John 4:35 – Do you not say, ‘There are still four months and then comes the harvest’? Behold, I say to you, lift up your eyes and look at the fields, for they are already white for harvest!
         3. Ezekiel 3:17-21 – is a powerful message that describes the call of Ezekiel.
      4. Every person has a soul that will live eternally somewhere –
         1. Matthew 7:13-14 Jesus spoke of 2 ways from which we must choose. The easy and wide way is that traveled by the majority and leads to destruction (hell).
         2. Matthew 16:26-27 – Jesus spoke of the value of a soul.
         3. 2 Corinthians 5:10-11 warns us that we will ALL appear before God in judgment.
         4. The truth is every person we come across and interact with is going to spend eternity somewhere. Are we trying in one way or another to win some of them?
         5. Sadly, “Untold millions are dying untold”.
      5. Because it is the right thing to do
         1. We occasionally hear about some heroic act that was done by someone. And when they are asked why they did it as the risk they took, they reply, “Because it is the right thing to do.”  There is something in us as humans that indicates there is right and wrong.  Sometimes our instincts OR our conscience reminds us of that.  The question is, will we act.
         2. Jesus illustrated this in Matthew 7:9-11 where He is calling for us to trust God.  He notes that if a son is hungry, you give him bread and not a stone, or if he asks for a fish, you don’t give him a poisonous snake.
         3. We know what is right physically. What about spiritually?
         4. 2 Kings 7 gives us the account of 4 lepers as Samaria, capital of northern Israel was under siege. Surrounded by the Syrian army the city was famished.  Outside of the city was 4 lepers – who were outcasts among the Jews.  They say to one another, “Why do we sit here until we die?”  They determined to go to the Syrians in hope of finding mercy.  When they arrive in the camp, the Syrians have all fled and left everything. As they feast and begin to take of the spoils, they realize the famished state of Syria.  They reason in vs. 9, “We are not doing right.  This day is a day of good news, and we remain silent.  If we wait until morning light, some punishment will come upon us.  Now therefore, come, let us go and tell the king’s household.”   They do, and for the moment the city of Samaria is spared.  There is much more to the account, but the bottom line – they had good news that would save the people.  They knew what the right thing to do was.  And they did it.  Certainly, when we think about being “fishers of men” we can learn from this account.
      6. Because doing nothing ensures eventual decline and even death
         1. Again, I appeal to the previous illustration. At least the lepers understood this.  If we do nothing, we GUARANTEE death.  If we try, and fail, at least we tried.
         2. Where would we be if the apostles of Jesus chose to cower and do nothing after Jesus died? What if after He arose, they determined that they would keep the good news of Jesus to themselves?  What if they “let up” on the truth so that they would not have to suffer as much?
         3. As we have already noted, Jesus has given the commission to us. It is the ONLY way He has provided for the gospel to spread from generation to generation.  Consider Romans 10:14, “How shall they call on Him in whom they have not believed?… How shall they hear without a preacher?”
         4. 1 Corinthians 3:6-7 Paul noted that he planted, Apollos watered but God gave the increase. NOTICE how the increase comes AFTER the planting and watering.  It is not that God could not have chosen some other way (e.g., Calvinism which removes our free will), but He WANTS us to try and reach others.  Consider how John the Baptist said, and do not think to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father.’ For I say to you that God is able to raise up children to Abraham from these stones.
         5. We must not forget that we are always only one generation away from apostasy or even spiritual death.  ALSO, doing nothing could ensure the eternal condemnation of someone we did not take the time to try and reach.
      7. For the joy of winning others
         1. If we are convicted that we need the blood of Jesus to save us, AND that we HAVE been saved by that blood, it is not something we are going to want to keep to ourselves. We will want to share it with others.
         2. That was Paul’s desire. 1 Corinthians 9;16, 19-23 where we read that he became all things to all men that he might win some.
         3. Does our heart “burn within us”? (Luke 24:32); Consider the Samaritan women who being introduced to Jesus went and told all in the village, John 4:29, “Come, see a Man who told me all things that I ever did. Could this be the Christ?”  Do we have the conviction of Peter and John before the council? But Peter and John answered and said to them, “Whether it is right in the sight of God to listen to you more than to God, you judge. For we cannot but speak the things which we have seen and heard.”  Acts 4:19-20.
         4. As a Christian, the is no greater joy than knowing that someone whom you took the time to lead to Christ finally obeys the gospel. And it will motivate you to keep pressing on.
   3. Final point: We need to be fishers of men and NOT just keepers of the aquarium. An aquarium is a place where fish that have already been captured are kept and put on display.  But that will not save the world.  We have to go and fish.

 

We could say so much more.  We have not in this lesson addressed WHAT we ought to be doing.  We have simply reminded ourselves that as disciples we are called to be fishers of men, disciples making disciples.  It is more than a mere suggestion.  According to our ability, we need to be thinking about the souls of others.  It will have a bearing on the eternal destiny of others, the future of the church and very possibly our own salvation.  What about you?  Are you a fisherman for Jesus? Think about it!