Our missions/outreach pastor preached this week. We are blessed to have not just a good lead pastor, but also other pastors who do a great job when he is unavailable. 

 

Matthew 4:18-22

 

When Lewis and Clark and their crew left on their journey to the west, they didn’t know what they would encounter. They didn’t know how long the journey would take. They had hoped to find a nice river to follow, but instead, ran into the Rocky Mountains. It was a difficult journey, but also one in which they would find purpose, even the crew, the followers of Lewis and Clark. Followers of Christ also have a difficult journey that brings purpose. 

 

Big Idea: The call of Jesus is a call to follow. … In today’s age of social media, we follow popular, high status people online. In the first century, the difference was that the followers had to actually walk and follow them. 

 

  1. The call meets us where we are (v. 18). … Jesus calls us on His timing. He doesn’t text us first and ask if we have time to answer a call. He calls and interrupts our lives. He calls us during our everyday lives. 
  2. The call takes us from ordinary to extraordinary (v. 19). … Jesus gave the Disciples a new identity. He takes fishermen and makes them fishers of men. Jesus asks us to follow Him and do what He does. We are to take what we are doing and do it for the Kingdom of God. Take what you are good at and do it for God. 
  3. The call demands a response (v. 20). … The Disciples had an immediate response. 
    1. They knew the call was: 
      1. Imperial … They somehow already knew He was the Messiah
      2. Appropriate … He had the authority to call them and the only thing that would have been inappropriate was to decline it. 
      3. Effectual … The call reached their heart. It didn’t stop at the ears or in the brain, it made it all the way down to the heart. 
  4. The call is costly (vv. 21-22). … Jesus doesn’t have boundaries with the call. These Disciples had to leave everything. Their job. Their family. But also, their families had to lose them while they followed Jesus. The call was costly to the disciples and their families. It can also be costly for us today, even today. We lay down all things to live for one thing. 

 

This call that meets us where we are and takes us from ordinary to extraordinary demands a response. Responding to the call is costly and will lead us into difficult tasks. We are called to follow Jesus and become like Him, to do what He does, to use our talents for the Kingdom of God. 

 

Resources Used by the Pastor to Prepare This Message & for Further Study 

  • Exalting Jesus in Matthew by David Platt
  • Preach the Word by Kent Hughes
  • ESV Expository Commentary
  • Matthew for You Commentary
  • The Story of God Commentary