Good morning. As the weather continues to get better and better, I am just itching to get out and do some fishing. However, with class schedules and deadlines to meet, I have not gotten the opportunity to get out in the boat and do any fishing lately. So, since I cannot get out and do some fishing, I thought that we would spend a few weeks looking at some fishermen from the Bible.
For the next few weeks we will be in a series called, GONE FISHIN’. As we take a journey with several fishing situations, we will explore several passages from the Gospel of Matthew. So we are gone fishin’ with Matthew few a few weeks. Hopefully you will all enjoy our journey.
Now today, we are going to look at possibly the most important fishing story every told. This morning we are going to look at the fishing trip that is recorded in Matthew 4:18-22.
Before we begin, let’s open with a word of prayer
Matthew 4:18-22 says, “1”
(Now, as you can see, Nellie took this passage a little too serious on one of our fishing trips.)
Several years ago, in London, England the city was attacked with complaints about London’s mass transit system. It seems that the city’s buses tended to drive right past bus stops even though there were customers standing in line waiting to be picked up. Called upon to explain their actions, the London Transit Authorities released the following statement which has become infamous with public relations departments everywhere. It read: “It is impossible for us to maintain our schedules if we are always having to stop and pick up passengers.”
So what is wrong with that statement? The answer is that they have their priorities confused. They thought their job was to keep a schedule, when in reality, their job was to pick up passengers and deliver them to their destinations. Because they got their priorities confused, they failed to do what they were created for in the first place.
In his book In the Eye of the Storm, Max Lucado tells about something that happened to him while he was in high school. Every year, he and his family used to go fishing during spring break. But one year, his brother and his mom couldn’t go, so his dad let him invite a friend.
They looked forward to this vacation with great anticipation. They pictured the sun shining down on them as they sat in the boat in the middle of the lake. The yank of the rod and the spin of the reel as they wrestled the bass into the boat. The smell of fish frying in a skillet over an open fire. They could hardly wait. Finally spring break arrived and they loaded the camper and set out for the lake.
They arrived at night, set up the camper and went to bed anxious to get up the next morning and go fishing. But that night, a storm blew through. The wind was so strong they could barely open the door of the camper the next morning. The sky was gray. The lake was choppy. There was no way they could fish in that weather.
“No problem,” they said. They could spend the day in the camper. They had brought Monopoly and Reader’s Digest. They knew a few jokes. It wasn’t what they came to do, but they would make the best of it and fish the next day. So they passed the day indoors.
The hours passed slowly but they did pass. Night finally came and they crawled into their sleeping bags dreaming of fishing.
The next morning it wasn’t the wind that made the door hard to open, it was the ice! They tried to be cheerful. “No problem,” they said. “We can play Monopoly...again. We can reread the stories in Reader’s Digest. And surely we know another joke or 2.” But they weren’t nearly as cheerful about it all this time.
And as the day went on, they began to get more and more irritable and edgy. It was a long day and a long night. The next morning, when they awoke to the sound of sleet hitting the roof, they didn’t even pretend to be cheerful. They were flat-out grumpy. They sat in misery the whole day, their fishing equipment still packed.
The next day was even colder and they finally headed home. But Max says that he learned an important lesson that week. Not about fishing, but about people. He writes, “When those who are called to fish don’t fish, they fight. When energy intended to be used outside is used inside, the result is explosive. Instead of casting nets, we cast stones...Instead of being fishers of the lost, we become critics of the saved.”
So today I am here with all of my fishing stuff. I have my life jacket, my fishing poles and tackle box, and I look like I am ready to fish, but am I? Am I really ready to begin fishing or is there still something missing? Well let’s find that out this morning.
The sad reality is that most Christians are not concerned with fishing anymore and neither are the Churches they attend. More often than not our churches give lip service to seeing the lost come to Jesus. Most churches gave up fishing long ago. Some churches are much like a commercial that I remember watching. They’re willing to accept a fish, but only if it leaps into the boat by itself. You see, many churches today are not willing to cast their nets out and work to pull the fish in. But when fishermen don’t fish problems arise, and that is what we are going to look at briefly this morning.
So, When Fishermen Don’t Fish, They Fight
In Luke 9:46 it says, “An argument started among the disciples as to which one of them would be the greatest.”
I can always remember growing up and going on family vacations to Canada. We would have a great time there and spend about 2 weeks enjoying the fishing, and the beaches. But on days that we were stuck inside the camper because of rain, those were the days that me and my brothers and cousins would really get into the fighting mood. We would fight over who was the best fisherman, who was the best swimmer, and who knows what all else we would find to fight about. But when we got away from the reason we were there in the first place, we would begin to fight.
Well here, we find that the Disciples had forgotten all about Fishing for men. They had already started struggling with who was the greatest among them.
Now I am sure that we can all quote the great commission to go out and to seek and save the lost. But I believe it breaks God’s heart when the church fights against itself about things, while a lost and dying world slips into Hell before our very eyes! I believe we’ll be held accountable for Fighting instead of Fishing! So, when fishermen don’t fish, they fight.
The next thing that I find is that When Fishermen Don’t Fish, they Run Away
Max Lucado said that after a couple of bad days, instead of fishing, they left and headed back home. They ran away from what they were there to do. Home was probably a safer place for them. There was probably no adversity, no bad weather, surely they would be safer at home.
In Luke 22:54-62 says, “2”
In this story we see Peter running away when things got bad and the sad thing is, the church does the same thing! When we lose sight of our call to fish for men we run away from every little problem that comes our way! But in our running away we lose all of the good things that God has in store for us. When we obey God by working to save others, we can’t help but have some positive effects in our own lives. Here are just a few of the results:
We’ll spend more time studying the word of God.
A lot of Christians are afraid to teach because they don’t know all the answers. But there’s nothing wrong with being unable to answer a Bible question. A Bible study should be just that -- a time to study and learn together. The more time you spend teaching, the more time you’ll spend studying.
A second benefit of fishing for men will be an increased prayer life.
Paul wrote in Romans 10:1, “Brothers, my heart’s desire and prayer to God for the Israelites is that they may be saved.” If we attempt to teach others, we will most assuredly pray for them. To do one without the other would be inconsistent. The more time we spend teaching the word, the more time we’ll spend on our knees in prayer.
And a third blessing of fishing for men is joy.
When the gospel is preached, joy will naturally follow. When the message was preached to Samaria, in acts 8:8 it tells us that “there was great joy in the city.” After the Ethiopian eunuch was baptized, “he went on his way rejoicing” (Acts 8:39). And following the conversion of the Philippian jailer and his family, he “rejoiced, having believed in God with all his household.” (Acts 16:34).
Next, When fishermen don’t fish, they Forget
John 21:1-3 says, “3”
After all Jesus had taught Peter! After all the miracles he’d seen he still forgot everything and he said, “I’m going out to fish.” The Fisher of Men had once again become just a plain old ordinary fisherman.
When Fishermen don’t fish, they forget the things of God! Their wants become more important than God’s will. Their desires become more important to them than God’s decrees. They forget all that is important.
When it comes to being fishers of men, we have both a tremendous responsibility and a tremendous privilege to teach the lost. I feel like we might need to remember today why the task of evangelism is so important. We are called to reach the lost, and if we don’t do that, they will perish and spend eternity in Hell. If that consequence isn’t enough to cause you to want to fish for those around you, than I don’t know what will.
If fishermen don’t fish, they forget what is really important. They become preoccupied with things that are of less value. They forget their higher calling, and they go back to being simple fishermen instead of fishers of men.
And finally this morning, we need to look at the fact that We Have Got To Start Fishing Again
We always hear that Anything worth doing is worth doing right. Well, anything worth doing is worth doing God’s way so let’s look at what we need to do, to be ready to get out and start fishing again. When you go fishing there is an order to what you do in order be ready and successful.
First you need to Plan your trip.
Now if I were planning to go fishing in the morning, I would do just that; “plan the trip”. I don’t know many people who just can drop everything and go fishing. They usually have to get their equipment and bait ready first. Likewise, if we are going to become “fishers of men” we cannot expect to catch a soul if there has been no preparation or planning in advance.
We have already discussed the benefit of prayer and studying God’s word. A daily quiet time of prayer and study is the essential planning we need in order to win others to Christ.
Next, you have to get your equipment together.
If we were all to go to my house and look in my dad’s boat, we would find 5 rods. You see, my dad hates to tie knots while he is supposed to be fishing. He stays ready so that rather than spend time tying on new baits, He is able to be fishing all the time.
In the same way, God has given us the right equipment to be “fishers of men”. In II Timothy 3:16-17 it says, “All Scripture is God breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting, and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.”
The Holy Spirit also brings into our tackle box the attitudes we need. He provides us with love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. If we have the Word of God and the Holy Spirit, we are ready to go out and to catch some fish.
Next, we need to know the place that we are going to fish.
A lake may be just filled with fish, but if you don’t know where to start looking for them it can be an unproductive day. Many fishermen today use fish finders and all kinds of gadgets and gizmos to locate fish. But a good old timer knows just where to fish, he has that feeling.
As a “fisher of men”, God has provided us with that “feeling” as well. It is called the Holy Spirit, and when we follow its prompting it will always lead us to someone to share the gospel with.
Also, the fisherman knows how to choose the right bait in order to catch the kind of fish that he’s fishing for.
You wouldn’t cast a 12-inch lure to try to catch a small fish would you? The poor little fish would either run from it or choke to death on it! You would use a smaller piece of bait to catch a small fish.
Well when you’re fishing for lost souls, don’t start by using concepts and Bible passages that they won’t understand. A lost person will either run from it or choke to death on it! Just share the simple Gospel that Jesus died to redeem us and to give us eternal life. That’s enough.
And the last thing I want you to remember is this. Expect to catch fish.
And remember, if it don’t get in the boat, it don’t count. Almost doesn’t count. I can’t count the number of times that I have been fishing and had a huge bass or muskie up to the boat, and all of a sudden he gets lose and swims away. I always try and count that fish, but really it doesn’t count until you get it into the boat.
In Acts 26:28 in the New King James Version it says, “Then Agrippa said unto Paul, Almost thou persuadest me to be a Christian.” King Agrippa is an almost. He nibbled at the bait but then turned away. Paul couldn’t count him as a convert.
Someone once said, “There is a thin line between fishing and standing on the shore like an idiot.” There are lots of idiots standing on the shore in our churches across America. If all Christians were even half the prayer warriors and soul winners that we claim to be, our churches would be full.
I can’t think of any fishermen in their right mind that would go fishing and expect to not catch something. When you go fishing, you expect to catch fish. So when you go to fish for men, expect to catch some fish. Expect to have a positive effect on the people that you witness to.
In conclusion, are you Fishing today or are you spending your time being frustrated. You see, the only way that a fisherman can be happy is when he’s fishing. As Christians we are called to a higher standard. We are to be fishers of men, and not keepers of the aquarium. That means that we need to be out fulfilling the great commission, and saving those that are lost.
So, are you fishing for men, or are you just admiring the tank of fish that someone else has caught. I make a challenge this morning and I encourage us all to get out there and keep on fishin’.
Let’s pray |
