“Jesus Calls Us” Mark
SCRIPTURE INTRO:
Gospel of Mark is an
invasion. It’s about Jesus Christ, Son
of God,
invading this
world, and trashing our perceptions about what God is really like.
This passage is the first
time in Mark’s Gospel that we hear Jesus speak.
See that when he calls people to follow him,
his call comes
with life-changing
power.
INTRO: Have you ever sent one of your children to call the
other kids to supper?
It usually doesn’t work too well, does
it?
They hear the call but since
it is coming from the mouth of a sibling—
they don’t move
toward the table very fast.
But when you call them—“Come
on, kids. It’s supper time.”
They respond to the call. That’s because your call comes with more
authority.
It’s the parent—it’s the mom
or dad doing the calling.
I was talking to a friend
recently who told me that his son’s army reserve unit
had been “called
up.” His commanding officer said,
“Come!”
His son and all of the others
in the unit responded to the call by reporting for duty.
The call came with authority.
This passage records the famous
call of Jesus, “Come, follow me,”
which he spoke to Simon,
Andrew, James and John.
One of the big points that Mark
obviously wanted to make to everyone
who reads his
gospel is that when Jesus calls a person,
that call comes
with sovereign authority.
When the Son of God says,
“Come, follow me”,
there is an irresistible authority in his call.
These four men drop
everything and follow Him.
His call comes as an irresistible command.
When other people call you,
those calls come with limited authority and power.
When a sister calls her brother to supper, and away from basketball in driveway—
that call doesn’t
have much pull. But when mother calls, its stronger.
When
commanding officer calls up your reserve unit, that’s stronger still.
But when the Son of God calls a person,
there is no stronger call.
The authority of Jesus’ call
is clearly one of the points Mark wanted to make.
But there is something else about Jesus’
call that is just as big.
It leaves marks. When Jesus calls a person, there are always
particular effects.
These marks never
change.
We see them in Simon, Andrew, James and
John—
and we see them in
the lives of every person since,
for past 2,000
years, who has been truly called by Christ.
Jesus continues to call
people today.
He is no longer physically present.
He doesn’t call through his physical
presence and voice.
How does he call? Through the Word, the
Bible, and the Holy Spirit.
But his call is just as real—just as authoritative
as it was to them.
And it also has the same
effects, it leaves the same marks.
It is those marks of Jesus’
call on the lives of Christians that I want
us to focus on this
morning.
What effects did Jesus’ call have
on these four men?
Then I want to ask you a
personal question:
Do you see these marks in your own
life?
Is there evidence, real biblical evidence,
that you have been called by Jesus?
Has Jesus called out to you,
“Come, follow me!” through his Word and Spirit?
I hope you can say, “Yes! I see the evidence of his call in my life.”
“I see the marks.”
When you see them you should
want to grow in them.
Do all you can to respond to his call to you.
What are the marks, or
effects of Jesus’ call on a person?
There are two. His call brings about a separation and a
transformation.
Let’s look at each.
MP#1
First we see that Jesus’ call brings about a separation.
Jesus called these four men
to follow him—
Simon and Andrew immediately left their
nets,
James and John immediately left their
father.
This is perplexing.
Jesus had been preaching,
“Repent, for kingdom is near.”
It wouldn’t surprise us at all if Mark said
that when Jesus called,
they immediately
left their sins and followed Jesus.
Because
that is the separation that we usually think of concerning Jesus’ call.
When he calls a person, that person
separates himself or herself
from their former,
sinful life. Sometimes particular sins
turn away from.
But there is nothing sinful
about nets and fathers—in fact, those are good things.
Furthermore, we know that there were many
times during their years with Jesus
when they went back
to their nets to fish for a time to make money,
back to
Jesus did not condemn them
for that.
And yet some kind of very
significant separation happened when he called them.
What was going on? What was the significance of them leaving
nets and father?
Want us to consider some
other words of Jesus that shed light on this.
Luke 14:26.
If anyone
comes to me and does not hate his father and mother, his wife and children,
his brothers and sisters—yes, even his own life—he cannot be
my disciple.
Jesus is not telling us to
literally hate other people—
you know that
elsewhere he even tells us to love our enemies.
Jesus is saying: Follow me so fully, so intently, so
enduringly—
that all other
attachments look like hate in comparison.
Now, let’s go back to Mark.
Simon and Andrew left their nets.
James and John left their father.
Don’t these two things
represent the two great attachments of life: work and family?
Aren’t these the two things that people hold
on to most dearly?
They are good things. See them in the Garden of Eden itself before
fall.
Work and family.
The call of Jesus means a
separation from these two great attachments of life
so that they are no
longer your master, but take a second place to Christ.
The disciples fished again,
they spent time with parents again—
but the call of
Jesus brought a great separation.
He called them to give him
priority even over these good things.
I’m sure you understand that
this does not mean that Christians don’t care
about work and
family—care very deeply—
but what it means
is that these things are no longer your master,
your purpose, the
things you follow through life—Jesus is.
And you begin to view
everything in your life—even most precious things—
through this new
perspective. That Jesus is more
important than anything.
In this story we see this
taking place in an instant—
Jesus calls and they leave work and
family.
Mark is making point about the authority of
Jesus call, separation it brings.
But the way this works out in
our lives is usually gradual.
The call of Jesus, the desire to follow him,
vision of Jesus as
the great good in life—slowly takes control.
So that one day you are able
to say:
Work and family and many other things are
precious gifts to me—
but Jesus is the
greatest of all. If I follow him, he
will sustain me.
Article in World magazine
about couple named Scott and Janet Willis.
Were driving on the interstate and piece of
metal fell off truck ahead of them—
they ran over it
and it punctured the gas tank on their minivan which exploded.
All six of their children with
them died, Scott and Janet survived.
“The depth of pain is
indescribable,” Scott later said. “We’re
ordinary people. But what’s the point of
learning all the things about living the Christian life if when the need arises
we don’t live it?” Their church had been
memorizing Psalm 34. Janet said that as
she saw her children’s charred bodies moved to an ambulance she recited part of
it, even thought he righteous face many afflictions, I will bless the Lord at
all times.”
That accident happened 12
years ago.
Article about the incredible ways the Lord
has sustained them during that time.
How it was God’s sovereignty, Lord’s control
over all they held on to.
Ends with Willises
words of what they have learned through the years:
“We live with a God-promised hope in Jesus
Christ.”
That is the mark of Jesus’
calling on the life of a man and a woman.
Most precious thing in the world taken, but
even in the depth of incredible pain,
being able to
follow and rely on Jesus Christ.
Now, let me ask you some
questions:
Has Jesus called you? Have you heard “Come, follow me”?
And has his call brought about this
separation—
so that even though
things life like work and family remain precious to you—
Jesus is your greatest treasure?
Why do you follow Jesus?
Some people say: Jesus, I’ll follow you if.
If my career goes right,
if my business goes right, if my family, marriage right.
But when you say: Jesus, I’ll follow you if—
whatever is on the
other side of that if is your real master and treasure.
That is the thing that you are really
following through life.
You haven’t heard the call of Jesus, come,
follow me.
Because
those who really hear his call leave their nets and fathers.
Jesus will not be used.
If you follow him because you want him to
fulfill your agenda for happiness,
that will never
work. But if you follow him because he
is your sovereign King,
and because he
himself is all good—then he will bless in ways never imagined.
You may say,
it’s scary to even think about what Lord might do or demand.
I don’t know what I would do if I went
through something like the Willises.
Don’t let
speculation of how you would
handle something like that distract you.
God will take care of you, even if you fall
to pieces.
But what do you want?
Do you want Jesus Christ to
truly be first place in your life—
to such a degree that
you can leave your nets and still have purpose in life.
Does that appeal to you? Is it what you strive for?
Do you see it as great good to put Jesus
first?
That’s the mark of being
truly called by him.
Now take confidence in that, aim for
it.
Look to Jesus in all his goodness and
promises.
If it is God’s will for you
to go through valleys and losses—
in the midst of
that pain you will have your heart set on someone
who will never
leave you.
MP#2
Second, we see that Jesus’ call brings about a transformation.
“Come, follow me, and I will make you
fishers of men.”
Or, if you have a more
literal translation:
“and I will make you to become fishers of men.”
People called by Jesus are
transformed into something he calls fishers of men.
This phrase “fishers of men”
is quite profound.
Jesus was not simply making a connection
with the disciples work
as fishermen and
then tying that to their new calling.
He was tapping into something
deeper.
Fishing for men was an image
used by the Old Testament prophets—
Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Amos,
and Habakkuk to describe God’s judgment.
For the Israelite the sea or
the waters was a symbol of a dark and chaotic
way of life caused
by self-centered rebellion against God.
Deep waters
was a way of describing life apart
from God.
So the prophets carried that
image one step further.
Said to people—you’re just swimming along in
your life,
thinking that you
are doing fine without God, living how you want to live,
in self-centered
rebellion and idolatry.
Well, one day you’re going to
bite down on something
and it’s going to
be God’s hook. Or you’re going to feel a
net.
When you do your days are
over.
God will pull you out for judgment.
Let me just read one example
from Ezekiel 29.
Lord says to those people who have rebelled
against him:
But I will put hooks in your jaws and make the fish of
your streams stick to your scales. I will pull you out from among your streams,
with all the fish sticking to your scales. 5 I will leave you in the
desert, you and all the fish of your streams. You will fall on the open field
and not be gathered or picked up. I will give you as food to the beasts of the
earth and the birds of the air.
That’s a vivid image of
judgment.
Yesterday Eliza had a soccer game in
Guntersville.
Will and I walked down to the
water, I saw the stinking remains of big carp.
Someone had probably hooked, then thrown up
on bank to die.
That’s fishing for men according to the
prophets. It’s death for rebels.
Jesus took this Old Testament
picture of judgment and filled it with grace.
He’s saying, I’ve come to
pull people out of darkness and rebellion—
but not for their
damnation, for their salvation.
By Jesus going to death on
the cross, the guilt of sin is paid.
So when Jesus catches you, he draws you out
of dark waters of old life,
not to destroy you,
but to give you a brand new life.
And then—this is where it
comes full circle—he makes you into a person
who hooks other
people, and draws them out of darkness into light.
You get fished by Jesus, and
then you are transformed into a fisher.
Jesus refines you. He dismantles your self-centered heart.
He gives you a heart for spiritual needs of other
people.
I knew a businessman in
He and his wife had been active in their
church for years, love for Lord.
He mentioned once that he had
become a Christian as an adult—
I asked him how it happened.
Said that
there was a salesman who called on him often.
Had known this man for
some time. Liked
him. Honest and friendly.
One day, after they had
talked about business—
this salesman said,
can I talk for a few minutes about something personal.
Yes, what is it. Want to tell you about the hope I have in
Jesus Christ.
Businessman said, he had no
idea that my life was in chaos—
personally,
martially, and professionally.
Clung to what he told me like
a drowning man and never looked back.
Have you ever heard stories
like that?
Of course you have, if any time around
Christians.
How do those stories make you
feel? Make me feel amazed and convicted.
I’m amazed at Christians like that
salesman—such compassion and confidence.
Just cast the net and fish
for men, just like Jesus said.
I’m
also deeply convicted because I’m not one tenth the fisher of men should be.
What about you? Do you want to be a fisher of men?
If you’ve been truly called by Jesus, the
desire must be there.
It would be impossible to be
called by Him and so utterly unconcerned
for the spiritual
welfare of people you know who are still in darkness and chaos.
But how do you become a
fisher of men? How does this
transformation happen?
When I was little, there was
a song we sang in Sunday school:
“I will make you fishers of men, fishers of
men, fishers of men . . .”
There were motions. We could cast and reel.
I also remember that as boys
we totally missed the profound theology of song.
There was a joke we would always make, when
we sang it.
Would act like we were
struggling with rod and say: “I’ve
hooked a fat man!”
But that’s the answer: “I will make you fishers of men, if you
follow me.”
Jesus performs this transformation.
He does so for those who follow him.
So your call is to follow
Jesus. To obey him. Not to turn to right or left.
As you do that, he will make you into
fishers of men.
And I think we can be even
more specific.
Jesus makes you into a fisher
of men when you particularly follow him
through the
valleys, through the nasty parts of life.
Where does this passage in
Mark start?
Haven’t paid much attention to that—but
starts with the arrest of John Baptist.
You know where that led. He was put to death by Herod.
This is just a foreshadowing
of what will happen to Jesus,
and what will
happen to his disciples. Way will be
hard.
It’s following Jesus in the
hard times—
that your lasting
selfishness and pride are scrubbed away—
those things that
keep you from being an effective fisher of men.
On the positive side, you
learn from experience just how great he is.
If we could go back for a
moment to that couple I mentioned—the Willises.
Certainly hard to imagine
a deeper valley.
Article I mentioned said that
they fought deep depression and thoughts of suicide.
They refused to hate God—but followed Jesus
through that valley.
Do not doubt that they have
come out as two people who are truly fishers of men.
Deeply concerned for
spiritual welfare of others, desiring to bring them in.
Has Jesus called you? Is this transformation happening in your
life?
More or less concerned for spiritual
condition of people God brings into life?
Follow Jesus, especially in hard times,
wonderful transformation will occur.
CONC: When I was in college, fire department for
was a volunteer
department, made up mostly of college students.
They carried their radios at
all times.
Whenever they would get the call—they would
drop everything,
and race to the
fire station.
If they were in class, in
middle of a lecture or an exam—
leap up and go
tearing off, or in the middle of meal, or in bed.
The call would come, and with
it a separation and transformation—
separation from
life as student to calling as firefighter.
Have you been called by
Jesus?
Are the effects evident in your life?
Probably not to the degree
you wish they were—but are they there?
Have you left your nets?
Come to a point where you have said, Jesus
is my master now.
If I loose all else, I have him.
And is he making you into a
fisher of men?
Are you following him, especially in hard
times—
so that he scrapes
away your selfishness and pride—
give you a heart
for spiritual welfare of others?
Listen to his call. Cooperate with his Spirit.
Seek to be the person he has called you to
be.