To be a Disciple of Jesus you must…

Matthew 4:18–22; Mark 1:16–20; Luke 5:1–11

Imagine you're doing your job, whatever it is, and you have been working all night, nothing got done, and you're frustrated when all of a sudden a guy walks out of the Carpenters Local 1260 and he tells you to try again but to do it in a way that makes no sense. Would you do it? 

This is exactly what the first disciples faced before they were called to become disciples of Jesus. 

5:1 As the crowd was pressing in on Jesus to hear God’s word, He was standing by Lake Gennesaret [Sea of Galilee]. 2 He saw two boats at the edge of the lake; the fishermen had left them and were washing their nets. 3 He got into one of the boats, which belonged to Simon, and asked him to put out a little from the land. Then He sat down and was teaching the crowds from the boat. 

Lk 5:1–11

This is a bit confusing but the Sea of Galilee was also called by three different names including the Sea of Tiberias and the Lake of Gennesaret. This has to do with….

4 When He had finished speaking, He said to Simon, “Put out into deep water and let down your nets for a catch.” 5 “Master,” Simon replied, “we’ve worked hard all night long and caught nothing! But at Your word, I’ll let down the nets.” 

Lk 5:1–11

This is important: fishing was very dangerous. They didn’t cast a bobber, crack open a beer, and wait for fish to show up. Professional fishing was one of the most dangerous non-military occupations in ancient Rome. The Sea of Galilee is below sea level, surrounded by hills, and when sudden winds come in, it creates almost instant violent waves capable of capsizing these tiny boats without any warning. 

This is even more dangerous when you realize that night fishing was the standard in Israel for the very practical reason that fish will spoil in the intense daytime heat. 116 degrees. Add to this a lack of life preservers and a fall overboard becomes fatal. So the point is they are tired,

6 When they did this, they caught a great number of fish, and their nets began to tear. 7 So they signaled to their partners in the other boat to come and help them; they came and filled both boats so full that they began to sink. 

Lk 5:1–11

8 When Simon Peter saw this, he fell at Jesus’ knees and said, “Go away from me, because I’m a sinful man, Lord!” 9 For he and all those with him were amazed at the catch of fish they took, 10 and so were James and John, Zebedee’s sons, who were Simon’s partners. “Don’t be afraid” …

Lk 5:1–11

19 “Follow Me,” He told them, “and I will make you fish for people!” 20 Immediately they left their nets and followed Him. 21 Going on from there, He saw two other brothers, James the son of Zebedee, and his brother John. They were in a boat with Zebedee their father, mending their nets, and He called them. 

Mt 4:18–22

Jesus had already met these guys but now Jesus was calling them to discipleship which meant leaving behind their past, abandoning what they’ve always known, and following Jesus alone.

20 Immediately He called them, and they left their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired men…

Mk 1:16–20

11 Then they brought the boats to land, left everything, and followed Him.

Lk 5:1–11

Being a follower of Jesus is an all-encompassing and life-long journey and it begins with you…

1. Surrender your body: What you do

Jesus met people where they were, in what they were doing, and he spoke in terms they were familiar with. Ex: for the woman at the well Jesus spoke of living water, to farmers he talked about soil and seed, to hungry people He called himself the bread of life, and to fishermen He told them he would use their skills to make them fishers of men.

Jesus expects you to use the skills you’ve acquired through working to grow the kingdom. This is because, even before the fall, we were created to work.

"The Lord God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to work it and keep it."

Genesis 2:15

As we read throughout scripture, work is foundational to who we are as people made in the image of God. God works so you should work: this is why there are warnings against being lazy.

"The hand of the diligent will rule, while the slothful will be put to forced labor." 

Proverbs 12:24

We see that Jesus had 12 disciples and he chose a disproportionate number of fishermen. Why? Probably because fishermen don’t make excuses or waste time. If they weren’t fishing, they were sorting their catch or mending their nets. There is no time for complaining.

Also, fishing is dangerous, so you have to be courageous; fishing is time consuming, so you have to be patient; fishing requires humility because you have to be willing to be wrong so that you can hone your skills and be successful. God wants people who are not afraid to learn and work.

These men had a strong work ethic and they understood the importance of teamwork, but fishing also demands faith: fishermen can’t see the fish, they have to trust, be alert, and be ready.

³⁵ “Be ready for service and have your lamps lit…be ready, because the Son of Man is coming at an hour that you do not expect.” ”

Luke 12:35-40

Jesus called white collar professionals and blue collar skilled laborers and he showed them that God wants them to use their skills and experience for the kingdom. So, if you want your life to change, you must choose to surrender what you do to the glory of God but this is not enough. 

2. Surrender your mind: right & wrong

"Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths." 

Proverbs 3:5–6

Ultimately your real boss is Jesus and you can sanctify your work if you do your job with love, grace, and a high level of integrity because that reflects the character of God. This means dedicating your work and reorienting all of your priorities to make God #1 and this includes surrendering your thoughts of right and wrong.

Nothing will offend someone quicker than telling them they are wrong. This is why people say, “That’s not fair!” and it sounds like that but if you honestly believe what God says is right and better, then you will submit even when it doesn’t feel right, just like Peter did. 

Peter and his partners were expert fishermen who had worked all night and they caught nothing. They were exhausted and cleaning empty nets. Then Jesus showed up and told them to do something that seemed stupid but they obeyed and that obedience proved to be a blessing and the realization of his doubt drove Peter to his knees to beg for forgiveness.

When you use your body (your time and work) and submit your mind (your skills and beliefs) to God’s will, God blesses you and, with every blessing you acknowledge, gratitude grows and it is this thankfulness that drives you to try and work harder. If you’re not thankful, you won’t work.

For though they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God or show gratitude. Instead, their thinking became nonsense, and their senseless minds were darkened. 

Romans 1:21

Gratitude is essential to the proper function of your mind and Peter showed his gratitude by submitting to the authority of Jesus and, even though he did not understand, he trusted Jesus' judgment above his own. This is difficult but to get to this place in your faith you have to trust God with the direction of your life which means you must,

3. Surrender your spirit: hope & security

"Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the Lord our God."

Psalm 20:7

Today people don't put their trust in chariots and horses but we definitely put our faith in what these things represent, which is money and power. We all have this natural tendency to trust in things rather than have faith in Jesus. It’s easier to trust a bank account or 401K or your government, rather than Jesus. Notice this: Jesus didn’t just tell Peter to row out and to try again.

What did Jesus ask them to leave behind? The fish. They had just reeled in the catch of their lives and this is when Jesus commanded them to leave it and follow him. Through this sacrifice, they proved that their security and hope was not in money or possession but in Jesus alone.

That’s because God’s kingdom and glory have nothing to do with money: it has to do with you fulfilling your purpose of bringing  about God’s will. We pray for his will to be done but we must also live in obedience so that we can understand and bring about God's will. That is our security.

"Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also." 

Matthew 6:19–21

So, if you want to get to the point where you can lay aside this world and actually put your hope in heaven; you must live the life you are called to live. You must trust God enough to step out of your comfort zone and sacrifice even though you don’t agree or feel like it. 

Ask yourself: what did Peter sacrifice? He was tired and yet he sacrificed his time, strength, and sleep. He doubted but he sacrificed his ego and his idea of right and wrong by obeying. Finally, he was not rich and yet he sacrificed the biggest payout of his life to follow Jesus. 

Jesus calls us out of our comfort, challenges our priorities, and he asks us to put our money where our mouth is. And for all this, he doesn’t promise us riches, he promises joy, contentment, and a peace that surpasses understanding.

The challenge we all receive today comes with some self-reflection: would you leave all your stuff and follow him? If you can’t say, “Yes” with 100% certainty, the answer is to practice your faith every day by sacrificing little things in order to grow stronger in your trust and reliance on God himself. 

³³ In the same way, therefore, every one of you who does not say good-bye to all his possessions cannot be My disciple. 

Luke 14:33

Do you want to be his disciple? In the end, we must understand that your work is for God, your skills are for God, even your job is designed to glorify God and, if you do it right, and you are obedient, you will even come to enjoy the process and the sacrifice. 

¹² I know that there is nothing better for them than to rejoice and enjoy the good life. ¹³ It is also the gift of God whenever anyone eats, drinks, and enjoys all his efforts. 

Ecclesiastes 3:12–13

Apart from work, rest means nothing and, apart from Christ, all of your work, thoughts, and life are nothing. Allow the HS to flow through you. Put your life into perspective and find the peace that everyone wishes they had but, again, not just for you, but so you can share it and build a community and eventually a world of people who are loving, patient, kind, and peaceful. 

In other words, this is how we become a part of God’s will for this world.

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