1 00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:16,160 Matthew chapter 4, we'll look at verses 18 through 25 this morning. 2 00:00:16,160 --> 00:00:22,280 And Jesus, walking by the Sea of Galilee, saw two brothers, Simon called Peter and Andrew 3 00:00:22,280 --> 00:00:27,160 his brother, casting a net into the sea, for they were fishermen. 4 00:00:27,160 --> 00:00:32,840 Then he said to them, follow me and I will make you fishers of men. 5 00:00:32,840 --> 00:00:36,000 They immediately left their nets and followed him. 6 00:00:36,000 --> 00:00:41,280 Going on from there, he saw two other brothers, James the son of Zebedee and John his brother. 7 00:00:41,280 --> 00:00:44,880 In the boat was Zebedee, their father, mending their nets. 8 00:00:44,880 --> 00:00:51,280 He called them and immediately they left the boat and their father and followed him. 9 00:00:51,280 --> 00:00:56,400 And Jesus went about all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the gospel, 10 00:00:56,400 --> 00:01:01,520 the kingdom, and healing all kinds of sicknesses, or sickness and all kinds of disease among 11 00:01:01,520 --> 00:01:02,520 the people. 12 00:01:02,520 --> 00:01:07,720 Then his fame went throughout all Syria and they brought to him all sick people who were 13 00:01:07,720 --> 00:01:12,840 afflicted with various diseases and torments and those who were demon possessed and epileptics 14 00:01:12,840 --> 00:01:16,240 and paralytics and he healed them. 15 00:01:16,240 --> 00:01:22,920 Great multitudes followed him from Galilee and from Decapolis, Jerusalem, Judea, and 16 00:01:22,920 --> 00:01:24,480 beyond the Jordan. 17 00:01:24,480 --> 00:01:26,480 Let's pray. 18 00:01:26,480 --> 00:01:32,800 Oh heavenly father, Lord, this morning, God, would you let us see the glory and majesty, 19 00:01:32,800 --> 00:01:35,880 the esteem and the preeminence of your son. 20 00:01:35,880 --> 00:01:38,120 He's the Lord of the church. 21 00:01:38,120 --> 00:01:40,920 He's the only one begotten of the father. 22 00:01:40,920 --> 00:01:42,680 He's the one full of grace and truth. 23 00:01:42,680 --> 00:01:48,520 Lord, God, as we start to see the Lord picking the disciples and the in breaking of the kingdom, 24 00:01:48,520 --> 00:01:50,480 Lord, this is an exciting passage. 25 00:01:50,480 --> 00:01:55,240 But father, Lord, would you open us, open our minds to the truth. 26 00:01:55,240 --> 00:01:59,120 Lord, God, help us to see the reality of this sacred text. 27 00:01:59,120 --> 00:02:05,080 Lord, I beg of you, father, Lord, I beg of you for your spirit to be upon me that you 28 00:02:05,080 --> 00:02:11,000 allow me to preach with the aid and power and might of your spirit. 29 00:02:11,000 --> 00:02:13,600 Oh father, it's not by man. 30 00:02:13,600 --> 00:02:17,240 It's nothing we can do because you must work. 31 00:02:17,240 --> 00:02:22,280 Lord, we look to you now, we lift our eyes and we ask, Lord, for the help of your spirit, 32 00:02:22,280 --> 00:02:25,160 Lord, as we look to see Christ. 33 00:02:25,160 --> 00:02:27,560 And it's in the name of the risen one we pray. 34 00:02:27,560 --> 00:02:28,560 Amen. 35 00:02:28,560 --> 00:02:32,880 You may be seated. 36 00:02:32,880 --> 00:02:38,680 In our text this morning, we see our Lord begin to call his first disciples. 37 00:02:38,680 --> 00:02:45,040 Now, you and I, usually we are accustomed to thinking primarily in terms of the 12 who 38 00:02:45,040 --> 00:02:50,880 were called to be the first disciples of Christ, later became the apostles of Christ. 39 00:02:50,880 --> 00:02:53,280 But what is a disciple? 40 00:02:53,280 --> 00:02:55,840 I mean, what does that even mean? 41 00:02:55,840 --> 00:02:59,920 Well, let me ask this question to you as you think about our text this morning. 42 00:02:59,920 --> 00:03:04,760 Are all Christians called to be disciples? 43 00:03:04,760 --> 00:03:09,980 In Matthew 28 and 19, which we know is the Great Commission, Jesus there giving instructions 44 00:03:09,980 --> 00:03:17,000 to his apostles, he says, go therefore and make disciples of all the nations. 45 00:03:17,000 --> 00:03:20,720 I want you to notice what that passage does not say. 46 00:03:20,720 --> 00:03:26,880 It does not say, go therefore and make converts of all the nations. 47 00:03:26,880 --> 00:03:33,520 The church is commissioned, she is called to make disciples, not merely converts. 48 00:03:33,520 --> 00:03:38,060 Now since that is our calling, that's the commission given to us by Christ, is to go 49 00:03:38,060 --> 00:03:42,840 out and make disciples among all the nations, then it really does behoove us to know what 50 00:03:42,840 --> 00:03:45,280 constitutes a disciple. 51 00:03:45,280 --> 00:03:47,320 I mean, what does discipleship entail? 52 00:03:47,320 --> 00:03:51,520 Well, first of all, just look at the etymology, the root word. 53 00:03:51,520 --> 00:03:55,600 In English, we get our word disciple from the Latin word discupulus. 54 00:03:55,600 --> 00:04:01,000 Discupulus means a student or a learner or a follower. 55 00:04:01,000 --> 00:04:03,320 It was used in ancient literature as well. 56 00:04:03,320 --> 00:04:10,320 You could be a disciple of Socrates or Plato or Aristotle, but if you were a disciple, 57 00:04:10,320 --> 00:04:15,840 this meant that you were students of these men and you learned from them. 58 00:04:15,840 --> 00:04:20,960 But here's the kick, to be a disciple is more than simply learning about the teachings of 59 00:04:20,960 --> 00:04:25,520 a man, it actually means to follow that man. 60 00:04:25,520 --> 00:04:26,520 R.C. 61 00:04:26,520 --> 00:04:30,720 Sproul gave this, he said, disciples are people who have committed in their hearts and minds 62 00:04:30,720 --> 00:04:35,680 to follow the thinking and conduct of the master forever. 63 00:04:35,680 --> 00:04:39,920 So as we look at the Great Commission, so when we're called to make disciples, what 64 00:04:39,920 --> 00:04:44,560 our Lord is calling us to do is to make followers of him. 65 00:04:44,560 --> 00:04:50,160 So that means our job is not merely that people know Christ or that people are converted to 66 00:04:50,160 --> 00:04:57,080 Christ, but rather our job is to see that they begin to follow Christ in obedience. 67 00:04:57,080 --> 00:05:01,800 Now many today simply focus on conversions. 68 00:05:01,800 --> 00:05:04,520 Let's just evangelize the nations. 69 00:05:04,520 --> 00:05:06,840 But that wasn't the commission. 70 00:05:06,840 --> 00:05:10,360 Yes, we do bring them to faith in Christ. 71 00:05:10,360 --> 00:05:14,200 That's a worthy effort, but it's not the end of our calling. 72 00:05:14,200 --> 00:05:16,020 It's not what the text says. 73 00:05:16,020 --> 00:05:20,160 He gave a commission to his church, go make disciples. 74 00:05:20,160 --> 00:05:21,160 Who are they? 75 00:05:21,160 --> 00:05:24,840 They are those who follow the Lord Jesus Christ in obedience. 76 00:05:24,840 --> 00:05:29,360 In fact, that's the rest of the commission teaching them to observe whatsoever things 77 00:05:29,360 --> 00:05:31,480 I have commanded you. 78 00:05:31,480 --> 00:05:33,320 That's what we do. 79 00:05:33,320 --> 00:05:39,600 In John 10, Jesus said, my sheep hear my voice and they follow me. 80 00:05:39,600 --> 00:05:40,600 His sheep hear him. 81 00:05:40,600 --> 00:05:47,180 So those who belong to Christ, they hear the voice of their shepherd and they follow him 82 00:05:47,180 --> 00:05:49,680 in obedience. 83 00:05:49,680 --> 00:05:53,960 Now there has been some debate within some Christian circles whether one could be a Christian 84 00:05:53,960 --> 00:05:56,600 and yet not be a disciple. 85 00:05:56,600 --> 00:05:59,440 I think it's a foolish debate. 86 00:05:59,440 --> 00:06:06,240 Some erroneously teach and say it is possible to be a Christian and not to be a disciple 87 00:06:06,240 --> 00:06:09,920 as though discipleship were merely an option. 88 00:06:09,920 --> 00:06:11,280 Here's how they do it. 89 00:06:11,280 --> 00:06:16,360 Some churches today would say a disciple is a more devoted follower of Christ than just 90 00:06:16,360 --> 00:06:20,160 the average run of the mill Christian. 91 00:06:20,160 --> 00:06:23,660 They see it as sort of like some second level devotion. 92 00:06:23,660 --> 00:06:29,600 So it's basically you enter, you're a Christian, and then you graduate to disciple. 93 00:06:29,600 --> 00:06:33,560 The problem is I don't see anywhere in the New Testament or the entire canon for that 94 00:06:33,560 --> 00:06:37,240 matter where that is given as a viable alternative. 95 00:06:37,240 --> 00:06:38,520 It's just not. 96 00:06:38,520 --> 00:06:41,920 To be a Christian is to be a disciple of Christ. 97 00:06:41,920 --> 00:06:46,460 That means you learn of Christ, you study Christ, and you follow Christ. 98 00:06:46,460 --> 00:06:50,480 If you are not a disciple of Christ, you are not a Christian. 99 00:06:50,480 --> 00:06:52,240 You are not. 100 00:06:52,240 --> 00:06:53,800 Christians follow the Lord. 101 00:06:53,800 --> 00:06:54,800 Why? 102 00:06:54,800 --> 00:06:57,080 Because the Holy Spirit of God has been given to them. 103 00:06:57,080 --> 00:07:02,320 He is within us, causing us, changing our desires that we follow him in truth and we 104 00:07:02,320 --> 00:07:05,320 follow him in obedience. 105 00:07:05,320 --> 00:07:07,520 Now look at our text this morning, verses 18 through 22. 106 00:07:07,520 --> 00:07:10,240 I'm not going to reread it. 107 00:07:10,240 --> 00:07:11,240 We know the background. 108 00:07:11,240 --> 00:07:14,380 John the Baptist had been imprisoned. 109 00:07:14,380 --> 00:07:19,680 So the Lord who had been in Judea, South Israel, he leaves that area and he heads north into 110 00:07:19,680 --> 00:07:22,480 more remote areas of Galilee. 111 00:07:22,480 --> 00:07:29,520 Now Christ deliberately shunned the seed of power and he set his sights on Galilee, Galilee 112 00:07:29,520 --> 00:07:32,120 of the Gentiles we are told. 113 00:07:32,120 --> 00:07:37,640 And this would be the place from which he would operate his, or use as his base of ministry, 114 00:07:37,640 --> 00:07:39,860 there in northern Israel, Galilee. 115 00:07:39,860 --> 00:07:44,260 Now Matthew tells us that one day as our Lord was walking by the Sea of Galilee, he saw 116 00:07:44,260 --> 00:07:51,020 two fishermen, Peter, Simon, who we know as Peter, and Andrew, his brother. 117 00:07:51,020 --> 00:07:54,520 And the text says he called them to follow him. 118 00:07:54,520 --> 00:07:58,080 Now if you're just reading Matthew's gospel, that seems a little strange. 119 00:07:58,080 --> 00:08:02,520 It would appear as though this is the first meeting or encounter that Jesus ever had with 120 00:08:02,520 --> 00:08:03,520 these men. 121 00:08:03,520 --> 00:08:09,560 But we know from John's gospel that both Peter and Andrew had been disciples of John the 122 00:08:09,560 --> 00:08:11,040 Baptist. 123 00:08:11,040 --> 00:08:13,520 They had been with him in Judea, where our Lord was. 124 00:08:13,520 --> 00:08:15,520 Do you remember John the Baptist? 125 00:08:15,520 --> 00:08:16,760 He was the forerunner. 126 00:08:16,760 --> 00:08:23,600 He was the one who announced that Jesus is the Lamb of God and the Messiah of Israel, 127 00:08:23,600 --> 00:08:28,440 and he directed all people away from himself to follow Christ. 128 00:08:28,440 --> 00:08:32,360 So both Peter and Andrew would have heard that message from their master, their rabbi 129 00:08:32,360 --> 00:08:34,600 at that time, John the Baptist. 130 00:08:34,600 --> 00:08:39,880 So we understand that both Peter and Andrew are very familiar with Jesus before this encounter 131 00:08:39,880 --> 00:08:41,800 in Matthew 4. 132 00:08:41,800 --> 00:08:47,480 In fact, the most likely reason that Peter and Andrew are back in Galilee is because 133 00:08:47,480 --> 00:08:53,280 John the Baptist had been arrested, he had been imprisoned, so they just returned home. 134 00:08:53,280 --> 00:08:56,400 They had no more reason to stay in Judea. 135 00:08:56,400 --> 00:08:59,640 Now Matthew omits this prehistory. 136 00:08:59,640 --> 00:09:04,280 Instead he wants to focus on the final encounter where the Lord called them to himself as his 137 00:09:04,280 --> 00:09:06,340 own disciples. 138 00:09:06,340 --> 00:09:09,600 So here's what we find in Matthew 4, since they're casting a net, if you have another 139 00:09:09,600 --> 00:09:13,320 translation it'll say a circle net, because that's what it is. 140 00:09:13,320 --> 00:09:19,080 They're casting the circle net into the shallow waters hoping for some fish. 141 00:09:19,080 --> 00:09:20,080 Well why? 142 00:09:20,080 --> 00:09:24,800 Well we really need to look at Luke chapter 5, which is the parallel passage. 143 00:09:24,800 --> 00:09:29,640 Luke chapter 5 tells us that Peter and Andrew had spent the entire night fishing and had 144 00:09:29,640 --> 00:09:31,440 caught nothing. 145 00:09:31,440 --> 00:09:35,480 So in the morning they're hoping to catch a few fish in the shallow waters and really 146 00:09:35,480 --> 00:09:38,420 make the best of a bad situation. 147 00:09:38,420 --> 00:09:44,380 It was at that moment when they were fishing in the shallow waters that our Lord came near 148 00:09:44,380 --> 00:09:47,160 to them and he asked them, can I borrow your boat? 149 00:09:47,160 --> 00:09:48,160 Why? 150 00:09:48,160 --> 00:09:52,880 Well he's going to use their boat as a place to teach from because all the crowds were 151 00:09:52,880 --> 00:09:55,520 pressing in upon him. 152 00:09:55,520 --> 00:09:57,280 So now let's look at the text in Luke 5. 153 00:09:57,280 --> 00:10:01,220 This is the parallel passage, the same situation of Matthew 4. 154 00:10:01,220 --> 00:10:06,160 So it was as the multitude pressed about him, that is Christ, to hear the word of God that 155 00:10:06,160 --> 00:10:09,800 he stood by the lake of Genesret, that's the Sea of Galilee. 156 00:10:09,800 --> 00:10:13,440 And he saw two boats standing by the lake, but the fishermen had gone from them and were 157 00:10:13,440 --> 00:10:15,520 washing their nets. 158 00:10:15,520 --> 00:10:18,840 Then he got into one of the boats, which was Simon's, and asked him to put out a little 159 00:10:18,840 --> 00:10:20,460 from the land. 160 00:10:20,460 --> 00:10:24,620 And he sat down and taught the multitudes from the boat. 161 00:10:24,620 --> 00:10:28,920 When he had stopped speaking he said to Simon, launch out into the deep and let down your 162 00:10:28,920 --> 00:10:31,240 nets for a catch. 163 00:10:31,240 --> 00:10:35,360 But Simon answered and said to him, master, basically this is Simon being a little kind 164 00:10:35,360 --> 00:10:37,240 of like we're the fishermen. 165 00:10:37,240 --> 00:10:40,720 We have toiled all night and we've caught nothing. 166 00:10:40,720 --> 00:10:42,720 Just want to make you aware of that. 167 00:10:42,720 --> 00:10:46,600 Nevertheless, hear your word, I will let down the net. 168 00:10:46,600 --> 00:10:50,760 And when they had done this, they caught a great number of fish. 169 00:10:50,760 --> 00:10:53,740 So much so the text says their net was breaking. 170 00:10:53,740 --> 00:10:57,900 So they signaled to their partners in the other boat to come and help them. 171 00:10:57,900 --> 00:11:01,980 And they came and filled both the boats so that they began to sink. 172 00:11:01,980 --> 00:11:08,160 And Simon Peter saw he fell down at Jesus' knees saying, depart from me for I am a sinful 173 00:11:08,160 --> 00:11:09,600 man, O Lord. 174 00:11:09,600 --> 00:11:14,560 For he and all who were with him were astonished at the catch of fish they had taken. 175 00:11:14,560 --> 00:11:20,520 And so were James and John the sons of Zebedee who were partners with Simon. 176 00:11:20,520 --> 00:11:24,280 And Jesus said to Simon, do not be afraid. 177 00:11:24,280 --> 00:11:26,840 From now on you will catch men. 178 00:11:26,840 --> 00:11:31,360 And so when they had brought their boats to the land, they forsook everything and they 179 00:11:31,360 --> 00:11:33,040 followed him. 180 00:11:33,040 --> 00:11:37,420 Now just as a side note, you see there the Sea of Galilee in the gospels is known as 181 00:11:37,420 --> 00:11:41,320 Lake Tiberius or Lake Genesaret or Sea of Galilee. 182 00:11:41,320 --> 00:11:43,880 Technically it's a lake, but we don't need to worry about that. 183 00:11:43,880 --> 00:11:46,800 Now Jesus had asked to borrow Peter's boat. 184 00:11:46,800 --> 00:11:50,520 He wants to create some distance because great crowds are following him because they're hanging 185 00:11:50,520 --> 00:11:51,720 on every word. 186 00:11:51,720 --> 00:11:53,000 They want to hear him. 187 00:11:53,000 --> 00:11:55,500 They want to hear what he has to say. 188 00:11:55,500 --> 00:12:00,320 So the text says he instructed them from the boat, but after he was finished, he looks 189 00:12:00,320 --> 00:12:05,800 at Peter and Andrew, trained professional fishermen who had spent their life on this 190 00:12:05,800 --> 00:12:07,240 sea. 191 00:12:07,240 --> 00:12:09,360 They had spent the whole night fishing. 192 00:12:09,360 --> 00:12:11,100 They caught nothing. 193 00:12:11,100 --> 00:12:12,640 So they're just ready to head home. 194 00:12:12,640 --> 00:12:13,680 They're washing their nets. 195 00:12:13,680 --> 00:12:14,680 They're mending their nets. 196 00:12:14,680 --> 00:12:17,020 They're casting a circle net into the water. 197 00:12:17,020 --> 00:12:19,120 And he says, let's head back out. 198 00:12:19,120 --> 00:12:23,380 Let's head back out to the deep waters and you're going to catch some fish. 199 00:12:23,380 --> 00:12:27,820 Now keep in mind Jesus was trained as a carpenter. 200 00:12:27,820 --> 00:12:28,820 That was his trade. 201 00:12:28,820 --> 00:12:33,880 A business that he had to tell these men, trained fishermen, how to fish. 202 00:12:33,880 --> 00:12:37,720 And so that Peter kind of looks at him a little incredulously and says, you realize this is 203 00:12:37,720 --> 00:12:39,400 not a good time. 204 00:12:39,400 --> 00:12:41,120 You don't want to go out there right now. 205 00:12:41,120 --> 00:12:48,920 But nevertheless, at your word, because John said that you're the Messiah, we'll go. 206 00:12:48,920 --> 00:12:49,920 So they do. 207 00:12:49,920 --> 00:12:51,480 They head for deep waters. 208 00:12:51,480 --> 00:12:57,360 They let down their nets, which ended up bringing in a huge haul of fish. 209 00:12:57,360 --> 00:13:01,880 This amount was so overwhelming, it was overwhelming their nets, their nets were beginning to break 210 00:13:01,880 --> 00:13:03,880 and they had to call for backup. 211 00:13:03,880 --> 00:13:09,280 So they called for another boat, their business partners, James and John, come on over and 212 00:13:09,280 --> 00:13:10,700 help us. 213 00:13:10,700 --> 00:13:14,400 And so James and John, the sons of Zebedee, they came to help as well. 214 00:13:14,400 --> 00:13:20,460 But it was at that moment when Simon Peter saw this huge number of fish in the nets, 215 00:13:20,460 --> 00:13:23,200 he realized this is the finger of God. 216 00:13:23,200 --> 00:13:25,840 This is the work of God. 217 00:13:25,840 --> 00:13:30,220 And instinctively he knew he was in the presence of the Holy One. 218 00:13:30,220 --> 00:13:32,720 He was justly afraid. 219 00:13:32,720 --> 00:13:36,080 Depart from me for I am a sinful man, O Lord. 220 00:13:36,080 --> 00:13:38,080 It scared him. 221 00:13:38,080 --> 00:13:44,600 Now Peter was correct in saying he was sinful, but he did draw the wrong conclusion. 222 00:13:44,600 --> 00:13:48,840 He thought it would be safer to move away from the Holy One. 223 00:13:48,840 --> 00:13:52,080 And what we find here is Jesus drawing him near. 224 00:13:52,080 --> 00:13:54,840 Verse 10, Jesus said, don't be afraid. 225 00:13:54,840 --> 00:13:56,520 Fear not. 226 00:13:56,520 --> 00:14:01,360 From now on, Peter, you're going to catch men. 227 00:14:01,360 --> 00:14:07,000 They had been fishermen by trade and now they would be fishers of men. 228 00:14:07,000 --> 00:14:11,200 They're not going to spend their lives anymore drawing fish into a net, but rather they would 229 00:14:11,200 --> 00:14:15,400 spend their lives leading people into a kingdom. 230 00:14:15,400 --> 00:14:18,680 Now Matthew omits this entire story. 231 00:14:18,680 --> 00:14:24,920 That it was after this huge catch of fish that Jesus then said to Simon, Peter, and 232 00:14:24,920 --> 00:14:29,720 Andrew, follow me and I will make you fishers of men. 233 00:14:29,720 --> 00:14:32,400 Their response is so very instructive. 234 00:14:32,400 --> 00:14:36,040 They immediately left their nets and they followed him. 235 00:14:36,040 --> 00:14:38,680 They left everything. 236 00:14:38,680 --> 00:14:42,640 They left everything behind to follow the Lord. 237 00:14:42,640 --> 00:14:45,680 Why would they do that? 238 00:14:45,680 --> 00:14:47,320 Why? 239 00:14:47,320 --> 00:14:54,960 Here's why, because they were convinced of the value and benefit of doing so. 240 00:14:54,960 --> 00:14:57,800 How could that be? 241 00:14:57,800 --> 00:15:03,860 Because they saw the glory and power of God in this man who was in the boat. 242 00:15:03,860 --> 00:15:06,240 They saw the glory of God in Jesus. 243 00:15:06,240 --> 00:15:08,720 They saw the work of God in Jesus. 244 00:15:08,720 --> 00:15:10,560 Peter knew this is no ordinary man. 245 00:15:10,560 --> 00:15:14,960 John the Baptist has already told us he's the lamb of God. 246 00:15:14,960 --> 00:15:20,120 But Peter now understands by experience this one in the boat, this one's the holy one of 247 00:15:20,120 --> 00:15:21,120 Israel. 248 00:15:21,120 --> 00:15:25,560 And friends, this is what I want to focus on for a moment. 249 00:15:25,560 --> 00:15:30,680 When God opens the sinner's eyes to see the glory of God in the Lord Jesus Christ, it 250 00:15:30,680 --> 00:15:32,360 changes you. 251 00:15:32,360 --> 00:15:33,360 It does. 252 00:15:33,360 --> 00:15:40,040 The work of God's spirit at work within you transforms you. 253 00:15:40,040 --> 00:15:47,920 You begin to see his worth, his holiness, his power, his glory. 254 00:15:47,920 --> 00:15:48,920 And what do you do? 255 00:15:48,920 --> 00:15:55,120 Well, because you see that and you're convinced of it, you turn from sin and you follow him. 256 00:15:55,120 --> 00:15:57,200 Because you're convinced this is he. 257 00:15:57,200 --> 00:15:58,240 This is the holy one. 258 00:15:58,240 --> 00:15:59,800 This is the Messiah. 259 00:15:59,800 --> 00:16:01,360 This indeed is the lamb of God. 260 00:16:01,360 --> 00:16:04,560 Where else do we go? 261 00:16:04,560 --> 00:16:10,200 And if you, if you are convinced that Jesus is the Christ, the one sent from heaven, then 262 00:16:10,200 --> 00:16:14,760 what I do believe is that you will surrender to his lordship and follow him in obedience. 263 00:16:14,760 --> 00:16:17,600 If you're convinced of it, you will. 264 00:16:17,600 --> 00:16:19,500 Now I want you to see something. 265 00:16:19,500 --> 00:16:24,200 We should note that they were called to leave everything behind, including their livelihood. 266 00:16:24,200 --> 00:16:28,120 Now that was specific to these men. 267 00:16:28,120 --> 00:16:33,560 When the Lord calls us, he does not automatically call you to leave behind career or family. 268 00:16:33,560 --> 00:16:36,280 He may do that, but that's not automatic. 269 00:16:36,280 --> 00:16:38,360 That's not ordinary, if you will. 270 00:16:38,360 --> 00:16:44,880 But we are called to leave behind our old lives. 271 00:16:44,880 --> 00:16:51,480 When you come to Christ, our attitudes and desires and our worldview begins to change. 272 00:16:51,480 --> 00:16:57,240 Our definition of what constitutes the good life begins to change. 273 00:16:57,240 --> 00:17:00,920 If you think about unbelievers, think about unbelievers in America today. 274 00:17:00,920 --> 00:17:02,640 What do they desire? 275 00:17:02,640 --> 00:17:04,160 An easy life. 276 00:17:04,160 --> 00:17:09,680 Give me enough money with enough leisure time and enough health to enjoy it. 277 00:17:09,680 --> 00:17:10,680 That's their goal. 278 00:17:10,680 --> 00:17:13,480 It's the American dream. 279 00:17:13,480 --> 00:17:17,380 And sadly, far too many Christians are adopting the same mindset. 280 00:17:17,380 --> 00:17:20,600 They do not have a kingdom mentality. 281 00:17:20,600 --> 00:17:22,000 It's not about your children being happy. 282 00:17:22,000 --> 00:17:24,120 It's not about primarily our own happiness. 283 00:17:24,120 --> 00:17:27,060 The disciples of Christ have new priorities. 284 00:17:27,060 --> 00:17:31,760 We no longer live for the kingdom of self, but rather we seek first the kingdom of God. 285 00:17:31,760 --> 00:17:32,760 Why? 286 00:17:32,760 --> 00:17:34,520 Because we know who that king is. 287 00:17:34,520 --> 00:17:36,560 We're convinced of it. 288 00:17:36,560 --> 00:17:42,200 The call that God has placed on your life and mine is for allegiance, fidelity, loyalty 289 00:17:42,200 --> 00:17:46,400 to Christ, and obedience to him. 290 00:17:46,400 --> 00:17:48,760 That trumps everything. 291 00:17:48,760 --> 00:17:55,060 So when Jesus said, unless you take up your cross and deny yourself, you can't be my disciple, 292 00:17:55,060 --> 00:17:57,560 he wasn't kidding. 293 00:17:57,560 --> 00:17:58,560 So what does that mean? 294 00:17:58,560 --> 00:18:00,520 It's a life of denying ourselves. 295 00:18:00,520 --> 00:18:07,000 But we live in a culture where it's enrichment of self, self-actualization, self-fulfillment, 296 00:18:07,000 --> 00:18:10,280 self and you add any other adjective you want. 297 00:18:10,280 --> 00:18:12,240 But not the Christian. 298 00:18:12,240 --> 00:18:15,680 He takes up his cross and he follows the crucified one. 299 00:18:15,680 --> 00:18:16,680 Why? 300 00:18:16,680 --> 00:18:20,880 Because you are convinced that in him is life. 301 00:18:20,880 --> 00:18:23,560 Where else are you going to go? 302 00:18:23,560 --> 00:18:26,400 See our eyes have been opened. 303 00:18:26,400 --> 00:18:28,540 If you know Christ, they've been opened. 304 00:18:28,540 --> 00:18:32,660 And you see in that one the glory of God. 305 00:18:32,660 --> 00:18:38,020 And it causes us to believe and we confess, we confess that Jesus is the Christ, the son 306 00:18:38,020 --> 00:18:40,320 of the living God. 307 00:18:40,320 --> 00:18:42,520 We agree with Peter. 308 00:18:42,520 --> 00:18:43,520 We're like Abraham. 309 00:18:43,520 --> 00:18:44,520 Do you remember Abraham? 310 00:18:44,520 --> 00:18:51,480 He leaves his hometown and he goes looking for the city whose builder and maker is God. 311 00:18:51,480 --> 00:18:57,020 He was convinced there is a kingdom, a city, a place where God dwells and Abraham was looking 312 00:18:57,020 --> 00:18:59,440 for that place. 313 00:18:59,440 --> 00:19:02,280 What about our spiritual forefathers in Hebrews 11? 314 00:19:02,280 --> 00:19:05,800 It says they desired a better, that is a heavenly country. 315 00:19:05,800 --> 00:19:10,000 But I'm so convinced that so many who name the name of Christ don't look forward to 316 00:19:10,000 --> 00:19:14,480 heavenly country because they believe they have heaven right here. 317 00:19:14,480 --> 00:19:16,160 Peter and Andrew left everything behind. 318 00:19:16,160 --> 00:19:17,160 Why? 319 00:19:17,160 --> 00:19:22,800 They were convinced of the necessity and the wisdom and the worth of doing it. 320 00:19:22,800 --> 00:19:25,280 It would pay off in the end. 321 00:19:25,280 --> 00:19:28,080 Now look at verses 21 and 22. 322 00:19:28,080 --> 00:19:34,000 Going on from there, there's two other brothers, Jesus all, James and John, the sons of Zebedee. 323 00:19:34,000 --> 00:19:38,280 They're there with Zebedee in the boat mending their nets after a night of fishing. 324 00:19:38,280 --> 00:19:40,480 And he called them. 325 00:19:40,480 --> 00:19:47,760 Verse 22, immediately they left their boat, their father, and followed him. 326 00:19:47,760 --> 00:19:51,960 Again, we really need to look at Luke 5 again if you're going to understand this passage. 327 00:19:51,960 --> 00:19:56,480 Do you remember James and John, their two brothers, their sons of Zebedee, their business 328 00:19:56,480 --> 00:19:58,400 partners with whom? 329 00:19:58,400 --> 00:20:00,400 Andrew and Peter. 330 00:20:00,400 --> 00:20:06,320 John, this one of the brothers, like Andrew, was a follower of John the Baptist. 331 00:20:06,320 --> 00:20:08,840 You can go back and read the Gospel, John, and see that. 332 00:20:08,840 --> 00:20:12,760 So again, this was not the first encounter that these two brothers, James and John, would 333 00:20:12,760 --> 00:20:15,280 have had with Christ either. 334 00:20:15,280 --> 00:20:20,200 But moreover, these two brothers were present on the day when that great hall fish was taken 335 00:20:20,200 --> 00:20:21,200 in. 336 00:20:21,200 --> 00:20:22,640 The nets began to break. 337 00:20:22,640 --> 00:20:23,920 And so what happened? 338 00:20:23,920 --> 00:20:27,840 They too had seen the miracle firsthand. 339 00:20:27,840 --> 00:20:31,960 And after all that is over, Jesus had just called Peter and Andrew, and now he looks 340 00:20:31,960 --> 00:20:36,000 at James and John on that same day when they're in the boat with Zebedee, and he says, come, 341 00:20:36,000 --> 00:20:37,440 follow me. 342 00:20:37,440 --> 00:20:43,280 Their response, verse 22, immediately they left the boat and their father and followed 343 00:20:43,280 --> 00:20:44,280 him. 344 00:20:44,280 --> 00:20:51,080 They had seen the Lord and the miraculous, and they were convinced of the worth to follow 345 00:20:51,080 --> 00:20:54,120 him, of the value of following him. 346 00:20:54,120 --> 00:20:55,920 And notice they left their boat. 347 00:20:55,920 --> 00:20:56,920 That's their livelihood. 348 00:20:56,920 --> 00:21:03,240 And they left their father, and his family, to follow Christ. 349 00:21:03,240 --> 00:21:04,560 Why? 350 00:21:04,560 --> 00:21:09,760 Because Christ far surpasses everything that can be compared to him. 351 00:21:09,760 --> 00:21:11,520 Everything. 352 00:21:11,520 --> 00:21:17,240 Jesus in Matthew 10 says, he who loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me. 353 00:21:17,240 --> 00:21:21,600 And he who loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. 354 00:21:21,600 --> 00:21:24,000 Friends, those are strong statements. 355 00:21:24,000 --> 00:21:28,800 That would sound ridiculous from anyone else except the son of God. 356 00:21:28,800 --> 00:21:33,200 He's the one that's worth all love, all adoration. 357 00:21:33,200 --> 00:21:36,360 That Peter and Andrew and James and John for them was a no-brainer. 358 00:21:36,360 --> 00:21:39,280 Of course they would leave everything and follow him. 359 00:21:39,280 --> 00:21:43,960 And if you truly, through the eyes of faith, see Christ in his kingdom, nothing will seem 360 00:21:43,960 --> 00:21:44,960 too demanding. 361 00:21:44,960 --> 00:21:50,200 I want you to think about some of the parables that our Lord gave concerning his kingdom. 362 00:21:50,200 --> 00:21:56,560 In Matthew 13, verses 44, we read this, Jesus speaking, again, the kingdom of heaven, it's 363 00:21:56,560 --> 00:22:01,800 like a treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and he hid and for joy over it, 364 00:22:01,800 --> 00:22:05,680 he goes and sells all that he has and he buys that field. 365 00:22:05,680 --> 00:22:06,680 Verse 45. 366 00:22:06,680 --> 00:22:11,160 Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant seeking beautiful pearls, who when he found 367 00:22:11,160 --> 00:22:16,640 one pearl of great price went and sold all that he had and bought it. 368 00:22:16,640 --> 00:22:22,360 Now, these are parables, they're instructing us, they're object lessons, if you will. 369 00:22:22,360 --> 00:22:23,360 What's Jesus trying to say? 370 00:22:23,360 --> 00:22:24,680 What's the takeaway here? 371 00:22:24,680 --> 00:22:25,680 Here it is. 372 00:22:25,680 --> 00:22:27,880 The kingdom of God has infinite worth. 373 00:22:27,880 --> 00:22:29,520 Nothing's to be compared to it. 374 00:22:29,520 --> 00:22:34,480 It is so valuable that if you really understand it, you would be willing to sell all your 375 00:22:34,480 --> 00:22:36,640 earthly goods just to attain it. 376 00:22:36,640 --> 00:22:38,800 Now, that's not how you enter it, by the way. 377 00:22:38,800 --> 00:22:39,800 That's not the point. 378 00:22:39,800 --> 00:22:44,200 But why is this kingdom so valuable? 379 00:22:44,200 --> 00:22:46,960 Because of who the king is. 380 00:22:46,960 --> 00:22:48,640 The king is God himself. 381 00:22:48,640 --> 00:22:56,080 See, what those men, those two sets of brothers, saw on that day, Christ is the true treasure. 382 00:22:56,080 --> 00:22:59,580 Peter got it, Andrew, James, and John got it. 383 00:22:59,580 --> 00:23:03,600 They all understood that this man, this is the treasure, this is a sent one from heaven 384 00:23:03,600 --> 00:23:06,120 and they're willing to leave everything else behind. 385 00:23:06,120 --> 00:23:11,600 Now, friends, it's noteworthy that of these two sets of brothers, four men, three of them 386 00:23:11,600 --> 00:23:16,120 would give their lives for their faith in Christ Jesus. 387 00:23:16,120 --> 00:23:18,400 Peter and Andrew and James. 388 00:23:18,400 --> 00:23:21,400 James was the first. 389 00:23:21,400 --> 00:23:26,280 Only John, the apostle, would live to die a natural death only after he had suffered 390 00:23:26,280 --> 00:23:27,380 much as well. 391 00:23:27,380 --> 00:23:30,800 He had been dipped in a vat of burning oil, by the way, and survived. 392 00:23:30,800 --> 00:23:35,760 He was exiled to the island of Patmos from which he wrote the book of the Revelation. 393 00:23:35,760 --> 00:23:38,720 Discipleship has always been costly. 394 00:23:38,720 --> 00:23:39,800 These men understood that. 395 00:23:39,800 --> 00:23:42,860 Jesus was not promising them an easy road. 396 00:23:42,860 --> 00:23:44,760 After all, he would be crucified as well. 397 00:23:44,760 --> 00:23:51,160 But it was worth it because the Lord Jesus is worth it. 398 00:23:51,160 --> 00:23:56,080 Far too many today want an easy road. 399 00:23:56,080 --> 00:24:01,520 I will follow Jesus as long as he makes my life better or easier. 400 00:24:01,520 --> 00:24:05,640 I love what Dietrich Bonhoeffer said. 401 00:24:05,640 --> 00:24:12,560 He said, when Christ calls a man, he bids him come and die. 402 00:24:12,560 --> 00:24:17,960 As I look through just the pages of church history and the martyrs and the saints, friends, 403 00:24:17,960 --> 00:24:22,360 you don't find too many that had easy lives. 404 00:24:22,360 --> 00:24:26,280 And yet, for some reason, we've been sold this bill of goods that if we follow Jesus, 405 00:24:26,280 --> 00:24:27,360 everything's going to get better. 406 00:24:27,360 --> 00:24:29,680 And I just don't find that. 407 00:24:29,680 --> 00:24:32,640 But there's a kingdom where everything will be better. 408 00:24:32,640 --> 00:24:34,720 No sickness will enter that one. 409 00:24:34,720 --> 00:24:35,720 No more goodbyes. 410 00:24:35,720 --> 00:24:36,960 No more death. 411 00:24:36,960 --> 00:24:39,000 That kingdom's coming, but it's not right now. 412 00:24:39,000 --> 00:24:44,960 See, before you will ever wear the crown, you must bear the cross. 413 00:24:44,960 --> 00:24:50,760 The weight of glory serves the avenue of suffering. 414 00:24:50,760 --> 00:24:52,920 And our forefathers understood it. 415 00:24:52,920 --> 00:24:57,840 Now, these men were called by our Lord to himself. 416 00:24:57,840 --> 00:25:02,720 And then our Lord begins to travel and to show what his kingdom really looked like, 417 00:25:02,720 --> 00:25:04,840 verses 23 and 24. 418 00:25:04,840 --> 00:25:07,000 It says he went about all that region of Galilee. 419 00:25:07,000 --> 00:25:10,480 He was teaching, preaching, and healing, basically. 420 00:25:10,480 --> 00:25:12,080 So he calls his disciples. 421 00:25:12,080 --> 00:25:13,880 We've read of four of them. 422 00:25:13,880 --> 00:25:17,320 And it goes on this itinerant ministry. 423 00:25:17,320 --> 00:25:18,760 He begins to travel through Galilee. 424 00:25:18,760 --> 00:25:21,280 And you find him teaching and preaching and healing. 425 00:25:21,280 --> 00:25:22,280 That's the things he was doing. 426 00:25:22,280 --> 00:25:23,280 Where would he teach? 427 00:25:23,280 --> 00:25:25,600 First, in the synagogues. 428 00:25:25,600 --> 00:25:30,360 At that time, if a traveling Jewish man would enter into a synagogue, he would often be 429 00:25:30,360 --> 00:25:31,360 asked to teach. 430 00:25:31,360 --> 00:25:33,920 The synagogue is a part of their worship liturgy. 431 00:25:33,920 --> 00:25:36,440 As if Jesus would do that. 432 00:25:36,440 --> 00:25:40,120 Since he was traveling from place to place and town to town, his message was more than 433 00:25:40,120 --> 00:25:42,640 likely the same each time. 434 00:25:42,640 --> 00:25:43,640 What was he preaching? 435 00:25:43,640 --> 00:25:44,640 We're told. 436 00:25:44,640 --> 00:25:50,080 The gospel, the good news of this kingdom of God. 437 00:25:50,080 --> 00:25:51,980 There's good news coming. 438 00:25:51,980 --> 00:25:54,440 And he would also preach that the kingdom was at hand. 439 00:25:54,440 --> 00:25:56,440 It was near. 440 00:25:56,440 --> 00:25:58,120 How? 441 00:25:58,120 --> 00:26:00,280 Because the king was in their midst. 442 00:26:00,280 --> 00:26:02,440 The king was present. 443 00:26:02,440 --> 00:26:06,520 And he had come to bind the strongman. 444 00:26:06,520 --> 00:26:10,040 Now, the strongman Satan, now you're saying, what are you talking about here? 445 00:26:10,040 --> 00:26:15,240 Do you remember in Mark chapter three, Jesus is casting out demons. 446 00:26:15,240 --> 00:26:19,000 And some Jewish leaders accused him and said, well, the reason you're able to cast out demons 447 00:26:19,000 --> 00:26:22,920 is you're doing so by the power of Beelzebub, Satan himself. 448 00:26:22,920 --> 00:26:24,440 So basically, they said this. 449 00:26:24,440 --> 00:26:25,640 This was their charge. 450 00:26:25,640 --> 00:26:30,400 These demons are listening to you, Jesus, because you're in league with them. 451 00:26:30,400 --> 00:26:34,160 And our Lord just looks at them and no doubt he's shaking his head and is like, come on 452 00:26:34,160 --> 00:26:35,680 guys, you can do better than that. 453 00:26:35,680 --> 00:26:39,480 And he shows them the foolishness of their argument in Mark three. 454 00:26:39,480 --> 00:26:43,200 If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand. 455 00:26:43,200 --> 00:26:46,340 If a house is divided against itself, that house cannot stand. 456 00:26:46,340 --> 00:26:51,180 And if Satan has risen up against himself and is divided, he cannot stand, but rather 457 00:26:51,180 --> 00:26:53,040 has an end. 458 00:26:53,040 --> 00:26:59,320 And then he told them, verse 27, no one can enter a strongman's house and plunder his 459 00:26:59,320 --> 00:27:06,840 goods unless he first binds the strongman and then he will plunder the house. 460 00:27:06,840 --> 00:27:13,280 Jesus is referring to Satan as a strongman and to himself as a one who's going to enter 461 00:27:13,280 --> 00:27:16,520 the house and plunder the place. 462 00:27:16,520 --> 00:27:21,440 Before Satan though will allow his domain to be plundered, he's going to fight. 463 00:27:21,440 --> 00:27:26,200 He must be overcome by a stronger one. 464 00:27:26,200 --> 00:27:30,040 In Matthew four, in doing these miracles, what's he doing? 465 00:27:30,040 --> 00:27:34,360 He's healing sick, casting out demons. 466 00:27:34,360 --> 00:27:40,520 He is here proving that he himself was the one who actually had the power to bind the 467 00:27:40,520 --> 00:27:42,860 strongman, which is Satan. 468 00:27:42,860 --> 00:27:46,920 He had come to defeat and plunder the domain of darkness. 469 00:27:46,920 --> 00:27:53,160 Do you remember after Adam sinned, after man's fall into sin, the world lay in the power 470 00:27:53,160 --> 00:27:54,680 of the evil one. 471 00:27:54,680 --> 00:27:55,680 We're told that. 472 00:27:55,680 --> 00:27:57,360 Sin entered the world. 473 00:27:57,360 --> 00:28:00,520 As a result, you have sickness, you have death, you have disease. 474 00:28:00,520 --> 00:28:03,600 All of that became a horrendous reality. 475 00:28:03,600 --> 00:28:07,420 And now in Matthew four, notice what Lord Jesus is doing. 476 00:28:07,420 --> 00:28:13,160 He is proving the in breaking and advance of the kingdom of God. 477 00:28:13,160 --> 00:28:14,800 He's healing the sick. 478 00:28:14,800 --> 00:28:16,240 He's casting out demons. 479 00:28:16,240 --> 00:28:18,720 Later on, he will raise the dead. 480 00:28:18,720 --> 00:28:23,600 See what you see here, he's beginning to make all things new. 481 00:28:23,600 --> 00:28:28,920 He had come to reverse the curse and to save his people. 482 00:28:28,920 --> 00:28:35,280 So Jesus had preached that the kingdom was near and now he's proving it. 483 00:28:35,280 --> 00:28:37,440 This is what the kingdom of God, there won't be disease in here. 484 00:28:37,440 --> 00:28:40,000 There won't be any demon possession in here. 485 00:28:40,000 --> 00:28:41,920 And he's showing what his kingdom looks like. 486 00:28:41,920 --> 00:28:44,160 The king had come and the king was there. 487 00:28:44,160 --> 00:28:50,480 And as a result of that, verse 24 and 25, we're told that his fame skyrocketed, notoriety. 488 00:28:50,480 --> 00:28:53,640 So he's teaching powerfully like no one else had ever taught. 489 00:28:53,640 --> 00:28:58,300 But there's also a demonstration of his teaching through these miracles. 490 00:28:58,300 --> 00:29:01,360 As a result, he gets famous. 491 00:29:01,360 --> 00:29:08,920 His notoriety grows, but not just in Galilee, not just in Israel. 492 00:29:08,920 --> 00:29:13,860 His fame is extending far beyond the borders of Israel, even to the area of the Gentiles. 493 00:29:13,860 --> 00:29:16,320 We're told about Syria and the Decapolis. 494 00:29:16,320 --> 00:29:19,600 Those are Gentile areas. 495 00:29:19,600 --> 00:29:20,600 What's the point? 496 00:29:20,600 --> 00:29:23,040 Why is Matthew mentioning this? 497 00:29:23,040 --> 00:29:30,200 Here we get another hint that the one sent from heaven had come to reconcile the world 498 00:29:30,200 --> 00:29:32,060 and not just Israel. 499 00:29:32,060 --> 00:29:38,440 This good news of the kingdom would not just be for the Jew, it would also be for the Gentile. 500 00:29:38,440 --> 00:29:39,800 What is it? 501 00:29:39,800 --> 00:29:48,680 The infirm, the demon possessed, we're told that epileptics, paralytics, they came to 502 00:29:48,680 --> 00:29:54,240 Jesus and they found healing. 503 00:29:54,240 --> 00:29:57,200 There was nothing too hard for our Lord. 504 00:29:57,200 --> 00:29:59,080 Isn't that beautiful? 505 00:29:59,080 --> 00:30:07,780 People seriously sick and seriously distraught find shalom in Jesus. 506 00:30:07,780 --> 00:30:14,520 Heaven had broken in right there in Galilee and it couldn't be stopped. 507 00:30:14,520 --> 00:30:15,840 Satan was powerless to stop it. 508 00:30:15,840 --> 00:30:21,600 See, Satan had the power to hold the keys of death and sin and sickness, but a stronger 509 00:30:21,600 --> 00:30:25,560 one had arrived and Satan was being bound. 510 00:30:25,560 --> 00:30:30,280 We see here the beginning of the inauguration of the kingdom of God. 511 00:30:30,280 --> 00:30:31,860 It's inaugurated. 512 00:30:31,860 --> 00:30:33,400 It's not yet consummated. 513 00:30:33,400 --> 00:30:36,920 It's not yet come in its full, glorious beauty. 514 00:30:36,920 --> 00:30:39,720 But that day is going to come. 515 00:30:39,720 --> 00:30:45,040 That day when the kingdom is consummated and all this is just a dim memory, we cannot wait. 516 00:30:45,040 --> 00:30:50,520 And so we cry out, church, you and I cry out with the saints of old, even so, come Lord 517 00:30:50,520 --> 00:30:52,060 Jesus. 518 00:30:52,060 --> 00:30:58,240 And we remember the petition of Lord's Prayer, thy kingdom come. 519 00:30:58,240 --> 00:30:59,240 Bring it Lord. 520 00:30:59,240 --> 00:31:00,600 Hasten the day. 521 00:31:00,600 --> 00:31:03,440 Come back even today. 522 00:31:03,440 --> 00:31:05,480 There are not going to be sickness. 523 00:31:05,480 --> 00:31:10,480 No one there will be possessed or distraught by a demon. 524 00:31:10,480 --> 00:31:15,800 No serious injuries, no death, no tears. 525 00:31:15,800 --> 00:31:19,120 So now what? 526 00:31:19,120 --> 00:31:20,120 What's a disciple? 527 00:31:20,120 --> 00:31:24,120 It's a follower of Christ. 528 00:31:24,120 --> 00:31:28,540 When our Lord calls us to Himself, yes, we bring nothing. 529 00:31:28,540 --> 00:31:30,800 We don't offer Him anything to be saved. 530 00:31:30,800 --> 00:31:32,560 It's all of grace. 531 00:31:32,560 --> 00:31:34,800 It's all work of grace. 532 00:31:34,800 --> 00:31:38,840 Because He does call us to a life of surrender and obedience. 533 00:31:38,840 --> 00:31:39,840 He does. 534 00:31:39,840 --> 00:31:42,880 He does call us to follow Him. 535 00:31:42,880 --> 00:31:44,360 He said, you love me? 536 00:31:44,360 --> 00:31:47,520 You'll keep my commandments. 537 00:31:47,520 --> 00:31:50,520 And He calls us to seek His kingdom first. 538 00:31:50,520 --> 00:31:53,760 Friends, this is where I think we're missing it. 539 00:31:53,760 --> 00:31:54,760 We are missing it. 540 00:31:54,760 --> 00:31:57,680 I see parents taking children out on the Lord's Day. 541 00:31:57,680 --> 00:32:01,400 You cannot do that and say you're seeking the kingdom first. 542 00:32:01,400 --> 00:32:04,560 People, all kinds of people out today. 543 00:32:04,560 --> 00:32:05,560 I'm sorry. 544 00:32:05,560 --> 00:32:06,880 I think you ought to seek the kingdom of God first. 545 00:32:06,880 --> 00:32:08,360 No, I'm not sorry. 546 00:32:08,360 --> 00:32:09,360 I didn't say it. 547 00:32:09,360 --> 00:32:10,360 Jesus did. 548 00:32:10,360 --> 00:32:14,520 Friends, we are missing what it means to be followers of Christ and we make all the 549 00:32:14,520 --> 00:32:16,880 excuses in the world for sorry living. 550 00:32:16,880 --> 00:32:19,000 It's wrong. 551 00:32:19,000 --> 00:32:22,280 We like the church and sororities, ought to repent. 552 00:32:22,280 --> 00:32:25,000 Forgive us for our lack of devotion, for our lack of zeal. 553 00:32:25,000 --> 00:32:26,000 None of that saves us. 554 00:32:26,000 --> 00:32:27,000 Of course it doesn't. 555 00:32:27,000 --> 00:32:28,360 But do you see the worth of Jesus? 556 00:32:28,360 --> 00:32:30,800 What compares to Him? 557 00:32:30,800 --> 00:32:32,740 What could possibly compare to Him? 558 00:32:32,740 --> 00:32:33,820 Today it's not for you. 559 00:32:33,820 --> 00:32:35,440 We bring worth to Jesus. 560 00:32:35,440 --> 00:32:37,600 That's what worship is. 561 00:32:37,600 --> 00:32:40,000 It's not for us, it's for Him. 562 00:32:40,000 --> 00:32:43,120 Where else would I want to be? 563 00:32:43,120 --> 00:32:48,200 Gathered with the assembly, praising our God and communing with the risen one. 564 00:32:48,200 --> 00:32:50,640 That's what it means. 565 00:32:50,640 --> 00:32:55,120 Dean and Sarah wrote a book called, and the reason I bought the book is for the title, 566 00:32:55,120 --> 00:33:03,640 The Unsaved Christian, Reaching Cultural Christianity with the Gospel. 567 00:33:03,640 --> 00:33:10,640 In it he said, self-proclaimed Christians who worship a God that requires no self-sacrifice, 568 00:33:10,640 --> 00:33:15,360 no obedience, no submission, and no surrender are not worshiping the God of the Bible no 569 00:33:15,360 --> 00:33:17,920 matter how much they claim they love Jesus. 570 00:33:17,920 --> 00:33:21,440 Many people want the good luck charm Jesus, not the sacrificial name of God whose death 571 00:33:21,440 --> 00:33:22,440 requires action. 572 00:33:22,440 --> 00:33:29,400 See friends, I just think if your eyes had been opened, you're like, I have to. 573 00:33:29,400 --> 00:33:34,440 I'm compelled to go where this, where Christ is. 574 00:33:34,440 --> 00:33:37,240 Why would anyone though come to a life of sacrifice and self-denial? 575 00:33:37,240 --> 00:33:39,640 That's a terrible sales pitch. 576 00:33:39,640 --> 00:33:40,640 Terrible. 577 00:33:40,640 --> 00:33:43,400 Hey, come deny yourself and sacrifice. 578 00:33:43,400 --> 00:33:46,000 Why would you do it? 579 00:33:46,000 --> 00:33:47,000 Have you ever seen Jesus? 580 00:33:47,000 --> 00:33:49,560 I mean, I've seen Him through the eyes of faith. 581 00:33:49,560 --> 00:33:51,400 It makes all the sense in the world. 582 00:33:51,400 --> 00:33:55,480 Because you've seen in Him the glory of God, I'm going. 583 00:33:55,480 --> 00:33:56,600 It's worth it. 584 00:33:56,600 --> 00:33:57,680 It's worth it. 585 00:33:57,680 --> 00:34:04,720 Because I am absolutely convinced that in this itinerant Galilean preacher is eternal 586 00:34:04,720 --> 00:34:05,720 life. 587 00:34:05,720 --> 00:34:07,760 So I'm willing to go. 588 00:34:07,760 --> 00:34:10,240 This is what it means to be a disciple. 589 00:34:10,240 --> 00:34:11,800 And this is our calling, church. 590 00:34:11,800 --> 00:34:18,000 We go, we share the gospel, we command people to repent, and those who have been brought 591 00:34:18,000 --> 00:34:23,440 in, they must learn to be followers of Him in obedience. 592 00:34:23,440 --> 00:34:31,240 Because our Lord is Lord, capital L, capital O, capital R, capital D. 593 00:34:31,240 --> 00:34:32,440 He's the boss. 594 00:34:32,440 --> 00:34:33,440 He's master. 595 00:34:33,440 --> 00:34:36,040 And we're the servants in His kingdom. 596 00:34:36,040 --> 00:34:39,000 Let us pray. 597 00:34:39,000 --> 00:34:42,320 Father, thank you. 598 00:34:42,320 --> 00:34:46,520 Lord, it's been so convicting in my own life. 599 00:34:46,520 --> 00:34:54,120 Father, you call us to repent, or for shallow devotion. 600 00:34:54,120 --> 00:34:57,720 Father, wake us up. 601 00:34:57,720 --> 00:34:59,400 Wake your church up. 602 00:34:59,400 --> 00:35:05,680 God, you are all glorious, altogether lovely. 603 00:35:05,680 --> 00:35:09,480 Lord, you are worthy. 604 00:35:09,480 --> 00:35:10,480 Jesus is worthy. 605 00:35:10,480 --> 00:35:12,480 He is Christ. 606 00:35:12,480 --> 00:35:17,080 Father, we confess that this morning. 607 00:35:17,080 --> 00:35:20,640 Would you forgive us, Lord? 608 00:35:20,640 --> 00:35:22,920 Forgive us for our low view of worship. 609 00:35:22,920 --> 00:35:29,680 Lord, would you forgive us for, again, our lack of obedience, our rebellion, our lack 610 00:35:29,680 --> 00:35:34,120 of devotion, our lack of zeal for you and your kingdom? 611 00:35:34,120 --> 00:35:38,280 Have mercy upon us, for we have sinned. 612 00:35:38,280 --> 00:35:43,600 And God, I know that you delight in showing mercy, and I see that primarily in that you 613 00:35:43,600 --> 00:35:49,320 sent your Son not to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved. 614 00:35:49,320 --> 00:35:50,920 Oh, Father, save. 615 00:35:50,920 --> 00:35:56,000 Lord, there may be some here, their eyes are still blinded to the glory and reality of 616 00:35:56,000 --> 00:35:57,000 Christ. 617 00:35:57,000 --> 00:35:59,160 They may admire Him, but they're not following Him. 618 00:35:59,160 --> 00:36:07,300 Lord, would you open their blinded eyes and warm their cold heart and grant them faith 619 00:36:07,300 --> 00:36:10,080 and repentance that can only come from heaven? 620 00:36:10,080 --> 00:36:12,760 Let them see in Jesus' salvation, Lord. 621 00:36:12,760 --> 00:36:15,320 Father, we thank you, Lord, for the church. 622 00:36:15,320 --> 00:36:18,480 Lord, we thank you for the precious word of God. 623 00:36:18,480 --> 00:36:24,960 Lord, instruct us and teach us in the way we ought to go and give us grace to follow 624 00:36:24,960 --> 00:36:26,440 in Jesus' name. 625 00:36:26,440 --> 00:36:27,440 Amen. 626 00:36:27,440 --> 00:36:37,920 Amen.