Date: 19/10/97
Speaker: David Meiklejohn
Text: Matthew 4v18-20

Fishers of Men

Matthew 4v18-20

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.
And he saith unto them, Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.
And they straightway left their nets, and followed him.

In this sermon I want to look at one of the church's main purposes: evangelism. We'll look at:

the message God has for a lost World
God's means of spreading that message
Your part in the plan

Parable

Once upon a time the world was divided into water and land, but the land was empty. The sea was full of fish, who were quite happy where they were, not knowing what it was like to live on the land.

One day, God sent a fisherman down to the earth. He walked on the land and was close to God. He cast his line into the sea and started catching fish. An amazing thing happened to the fish when they were brought up onto the land: they transformed into men, each with their own fishing rod. The First Fisherman taught these novices how to fish and sent them all over the coast to cast their lines out and bring in new fish, which would themselves be transformed into fishermen. This First Fishermen said he would leave them, but as long as they kept fishing his way, he would be near, helping them.

Years later the First Fisherman came back. He fully expected the land to be covered with people, with hardly a fish in the sea. He found to his amazement that there were only a few fishermen on the land and the sea was teeming with fish: even more than when he had left. He talked to the fishermen to find out what had happened.

The first two fishermen were sitting talking together. One said that he was quite happy being a fisherman, but didn't feel the need to go out fishing. He didn't really care for the fish. The second said he was worried about the fish and wanted them to have the life he has, but he was scared of being pulled into the water. The First Fisherman said "Didn't I say I would be with you and you wouldn't have to fear anything?"

Next he came upon a man swimming about in the sea. He was trying to swim with the fish but he wasn't any good at it any more. He seemed determined that he didn't want to be on the dry land, the water was much better. But he kept swallowing mouthfuls of water and looked in a bit of trouble.

There was another group of fishermen in the water. They were trying to attract the fish by swimming about and generally acting like them. They told the First Fisherman they had loads of fish coming to join their activities, but when he asked how many had become fishermen, they looked blankly at him.

The next group were well inliand, away from the water. They were standing in a circle, casting their lines into the middle. The fisherman scratched his head and asked them why they weren't out at the shore. They said that their door was open if any fish wanted to find their way in. He shook his head in disappointment.

The First fisherman did find one or two fishers on the shore, casting their lines into the sea. They were happy to see him, but sorry that there weren't more of them to bring in more fish. One determined group had built a boat and were pushing out to sea, where there were lots of fish. They knew it would be dangerous, but trusted the First Fisherman to help them.

Explanation

All of us were like the fish, lost in a sea of sin. Jesus, the First Fisherman, came and showed the way to redemption. Some of us took it, and with it the responsibility of catching more fish. Many are failing, for varying reasons:

Lazy fisherman - some of us are happy being Christians and don't care much for the lost souls.
Hesitant fisherman - some are scared of reaching out, and won't trust God to help them.
Forgetful fisherman - some have turned back to the way they were, living as part of the world, not remembering they are new creations. They don't even remmeber their own salvation, never mind think about others.
Dry land fisherman - some churches have meetings where the gospel is proclaimed, but they do nothing to bring people in to hear it. They say their doors are open but people aren't actively encouraged to come.
Fishy fisherman - some churches go to the other extreme and do everything to get people in the door. Often this results in the church becoming more worldly than Godly: they get a lot of people in, but these people come to enjoy themselves rather than hear God's word.
Good fisherman - there are some who dilligently do God's work and witness to people. We must endeavour to be like that. The workers may be few, but each of us that joins makes a difference.
Boat full - Sometimes great rewards can be gained by going to where the sin is at its greatest. We must rely on God to keep us from danger, but a heart bold for the Lord can do a great deal.

We need to use the right equipment:

Steady base - our feet need to be firmly planted in the doctrines of our faith. We need to know what we believe and why we believe it.
Protection from water - there is always a danger from sin, and we need to be protected from it. The wellies of the Christian life is prayer. We should be going into every situation praying for God's help and protection.
Lure - fishermen often use a lure to catch the fish. This is something that attracts the fish and makes them want to investigate. The Bible makes it clear that our love for each other should be the thing that attracts others to the Christian church.

Some fishermen take the ultimate risk and cast out in a boat. This is a dangerous thing to do, but to really get the biggest catch, you need to go to where the fish are.

God's message is:

a warning
For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God; (Romans 3:23)
For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. (Romans 6:23)
People ignore the warnings sometimes. We need to be clever.
a revelation
For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. (John 3:16)
For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him. (2 Corinthians 5:21)
After telling them they are doomed, tell them there is hope.
a pathway
If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. (1 John 1:9)
And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house. (Acts 16:31)

God's means of spreading the message:

How would you make a message last a million years? Carve it in stone? Make a cavern for the message to stay safely? Someone has suggested starting a religion with the message as its focus. It is our duty to pass on the message that we have to the rest of the world, to those that haven't heard.
and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth. (Acts 1:8)
Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: (Matthew 28:19)
The Bible:
And if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the book of life, and out of the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book. (Rev 22:19)

Your part in the plan:

How many people do you meet each day?
How many are non-Christians?
What do you say to them?

We must:

Pray for them
Let them know
Live holy lifes as examples

Next - Christmas