Being Fishers Of Men

This morning beloved I will say that God’s will for all men, all women, all of whom will profess Christ is Lord are souls. It is the passion for souls that Christ wants to birth in our hearts and this desire should be to please God through the redemption act of one to another, of redemption towards the offender, redemption toward those that might not have the best interest for you. This morning beloved Christ is offering the invitation to follow Him.

Matthew 4:18-20

18 And Jesus, walking by the Sea of Galilee, saw two brothers, Simon called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea; for they were fishermen. 19 Then He said to them, "Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men." 20 They immediately left their nets and followed Him.

There should always be a willingness to seek after the richness of the word of God to stir the hearts and challenge lives to seek after Christ and His will for the human race. See beloved everything that Christ had in mind and everything that has to do with the church of Christ has to do with winning souls. If ever people ask what is God’s will for my life, it is simply winning souls. This is essential to the Christian experience. It’s not a mystery to the Christian but it is a mystery to the unbeliever.

In our text this is the starting point to understanding the heart of God, souls. Jesus said follow Me and I will make you fishers of men. But this can only be obtained by first following Christ. A passion for souls first means that you have a passion for Christ. Without a passion for Christ we will not have a passion for souls. It is not only impossible but it is absolutely the essence of Christianity, a passion for souls because of a passion for Christ.

See beloved a passion for souls is the consequence of a passion for Christ. Beyond that we are way off what the will of God is, because before salvation I was way too selfish, way too distracted, way too small minded to think of anyone but me. This love for souls is a reality in my life it doesn’t come from the largeness of my heart or the nobility of my character but ultimately for the love of Christ.

We are by nature incredibility selfish, beloved this love that I have has grown out of my love for Christ and ultimately that has grown out of His love for me.

1 John 4:19

19 We love Him because He first loved us.

Beloved unless that love of Christ breaks upon your hearts we would not have a passion for souls. Why? Because people are far too difficult, far too disappointing to drum up a burden for them out of outuism. When people first get saved they are burdened out of their own ability to love these lost and deprived people, but after a couple of upsets and fifty broken promises to come to church that will be enough for anyone to say within their hearts let them go to hell if they want. This is a reality that many do not understand, because they love out of their own resources and not by the love of Christ.

Jesus told these men follow me, Jesus is telling you today even this morning follow me, when I received this invitation I understood that I would have to follow Jesus into the gospels, that means I have to follow Him into the wilderness where He prayed alone with God, where He fasted for forty days to have dominion over Satan and the wickedness of man, and yet He was willing to pay the price in fasting and praying to have that dominion in His ministry.

I’m going to have to follow Him into the doors of Galilee and watch as people press in on His personal space and in that watch Him pray for every single need, these needs become so intense that Jesus gets into a boat off the shore to address every need of these poor, desperate people. I’m going to have to follow Him into the synagogue, into the market place, just about everywhere teaching and preaching the Kingdom of God.

I’m going have to absorb this compassion for souls. So much compassion that Jesus goes into a crowd of lepers and I’m going to have to see how He touches the stubs of their hands and watch as He touches their open sores as He prays for their healing. I’m going to have to follow Him to Nain, where the widow’s son is being carried out to be buried and Christ reaches out to touch the dead unclean corpse, He’s not worried about defilement, He’s not worried about repercussions he’s just worried about a widow who lost her son.