January 21-22, 2006, Mark 1:9-20, Selected

GO FISH!
WE WERE ALL FISH ONCE!

HIS AGENDA FOR THEM AS FOLLOWERS
IS HIS AGENDA FOR US AS FOLLOWERS!

*** Mark 1:9-15 "At that time Jesus came from Nazareth in Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan. [10]As Jesus was coming up out of the water, he saw heaven being torn open and the Spirit descending on him like a dove. [11]And a voice came from heaven: "You are my Son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased."
[12]At once the Spirit sent him out into the desert, [13] and he was in the desert forty days, being tempted by Satan. He was with the wild animals, and angels attended him.
[14]After John was put in prison, Jesus went into Galilee, proclaiming the good news of God. [15] "The time has come," he said. "The kingdom of God is near. Repent and believe the good news!" [New International Version]

- REPENT!

- BELIEVE!

*** Mark 1:16-17 "As Jesus walked beside the Sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and his brother Andrew casting a net into the lake, for they were fishermen. [17] "Come, follow me," Jesus said, "and I will make you fishers of men." [NIV]

*** Luke 5:10b "Then Jesus said..., "Don't be afraid; from now on you will catch men." [NIV]

*** Mark 1:18-20 "At once they left their nets and followed him. [19]When he had gone a little farther, he saw James son of Zebedee and his brother John in a boat, preparing their nets. [20]Without delay he called them, and they left their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired men and followed him." [NIV]

FOLLOWERS OF THE MASTER ARE FISHERS OF MEN!

*** Luke 5:1-11 "One day as Jesus was preaching on the shore of the Sea of Galilee, great crowds pressed in on him to listen to the word of God. He noticed two empty boats at the water's edge, for the fishermen had left them and were washing their nets. Stepping into one of the boats, Jesus asked Simon, its owner, to push it out into the water. So he sat in the boat and taught the crowds from there.
When he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, "Now go out where it is deeper and let down your nets, and you will catch many fish."
"Master," Simon replied, "we worked hard all last night and didn't catch a thing. But if you say so, we'll try again." And this time their nets were so full they began to tear! A shout for help brought their partners in the other boat, and soon both boats were filled with fish and on the verge of sinking.
When Simon Peter realized what had happened, he fell to his knees before Jesus and said, "Oh, Lord, please leave me - I'm too much of a sinner to be around you." For he was awestruck by the size of their catch, as were the others with him. His partners, James and John, the sons of Zebedee, were also amazed.
Jesus replied to Simon, "Don't be afraid! From now on you'll be fishing for people!" And as soon as they landed, they left everything and followed Jesus." [New Living Translation]

*** Mark 1:17 "And Jesus said to them, "Follow Me, and I will make you become fishers of men." [New American Standard]

*** 1 Cor. 9:22 "When I am with those who are oppressed, I share their oppression so that I might bring them to Christ. Yes, I try to find common ground with everyone so that I might bring them to Christ." [NLT]

BY YOUR LIFE EXPERIENCES, YOU'VE EARNED THE RIGHT TO BE HEARD!

AS A FOLLOWER YOU WILL FISH, BECAUSE FOLLOWERS FISH!

"Heavenly Father, here are my successes and my failures. Here are my needs and my unanswered prayers. Here are my heartbreaks and my lucky-breaks. If you can use any of these to impact another person's faith, then use me to GO FISH! I'm going to be on the lookout, I'm going to have my line in the water, I'm going to be watching the "bobber" for that unique, divinely appointed opportunity to GO FISH for men! I want to be a follower who fishes!"

LET'S NOT JUST FOLLOW, LET'S FOLLOW AND FISH!

Thanks to Andy Stanley and North Point Community Church, Alpharetta, GA for the concept of GO FISH!