THE
UNCHANGING PURPOSE OF GOD
Introduction: "There is an
old story about a lighthouse keeper who worked on a rocky stretch of coastline.
Once a month, he would receive a new supply of oil to keep the light burning so
that ships could safely sail near the rocky coast. One night, though, a woman
from a nearby village came and begged him for some oil to keep her family warm.
Another time a father asked for some to use in his lamp. Another man needed to
lubricate a wheel. Since all the requests seemed legitimate, the lighthouse
keeper tried to please everyone and grant the demands of all.
Toward
the end of the month, he noticed his supply of oil was dangerously low. Soon it
was gone, and one night the light on the lighthouse went out. As a result, that
evening, several ships were wrecked and countless lives were lost. When the
authorities investigated, the man was very apologetic. He told them he was
trying to be helpful with the oil. Their reply to his excuses, however, was
simple and to the point: "You were given oil for one purpose, and one
purpose only - to keep that light burning!" A church faces a similar
commission. There is no end to the demands placed on a church’s time and
resources. As a result, the foundational purposes of a church must remain
supreme."[1]
Two
weeks ago, we learned about the Unchanging nature of our God. His love for his
people is steadfast and unchanging, and his mercy is unlimited. On a personal
level, we are grateful that God’s love never changes and His mercies are new
every morning. Because of his unchanging nature, we can trust Him and rely upon
Him for our lives. Did you know that God has a supreme purpose for all of us
together as Hope Church, for that matter for his Church in general? Today we
will look at the unchanging purpose of God for his Church and wherein which we
might find our mission. Matthew 4:18-22
If
we want to understand the teachings and stories of Jesus, we cannot neglect to
understand the fishing culture of first-century Galilee. What happened on the
beaches of Galilee explains God’s Supreme purpose for His Church. In our
passage, we will look at three things. The Call, The Purpose, and The Remaining
Task. Let me unpack them for us
I. THE CALL
In Matthew 4:13, we see Jesus made a
strategic move from Nazareth to Capernaum. What do we know about Capernaum? It
was on the main highway through Galilee. Both Roman and temple taxes were
collected there, likely because it was the eastern outpost of Galilee. The population
may have been around 15,000 and may have been larger than Nazareth. It was also
a fishing village. The culture of lakeside Galilee shaped much of Jesus'
ministry and teaching.[2]
The
Gospel writers record several miracles and stories that happened in this region
that has to do with fish and fishermen. To name a few, the parable of the
Fishing Net (Matt 13:47). The multiplication of the fish to feed
thousands of people (Matt14,15). The payment of the temple tax (Matt 17). Here
in our passage, we read about the calling of the first disciples.
It
must have been the early morning hours; Jesus was walking along the shore of
the Sea of Galilee, and he saw two brothers named Peter and Andrew throwing a
net into the water. Jesus called out to
them. And walking a little farther up the shore, he saw two other brothers
named James and John sitting in a boat with their father Zebedee, repairing
their nets.
And
he called them to come, too. What was the purpose of the call for these two
sets of brothers? It was to follow Him so that He will show them how to fish
for people.
What
was their response? Immediately they left their nets, including their father in
the boat and followed Jesus. What a powerful call from Jesus and what an
instant response that was from the disciples?
How
does the call of the First Disciples impact our lives today? Though this call
was given to the early disciples at that time, it is a continuation of the
appeal of God to Abraham and his subsequent descendants. By faith, all those
who follow Christ have become the children of Abraham. Therefore, this call
applies to all believers in the 21st century as well.
What
was the call of God to Abraham? Genesis
12: 1-3, “The Lord had said to Abram, “Leave your native country, your
relatives, and your father’s family, and go to the land that I will show you. I
will make you into a great nation. I will bless you and make you famous, and
you will be a blessing to others. I will bless those who bless you and curse
those who treat you with contempt. All the families on earth will be blessed
through you.”
Since
the first call was given over 5000 years ago, it hasn’t changed much. It is
still the same. God calls His people to leave everything familiar to them and
to go all out for Him so that He will bless them and, through them, bless all
the nations of the earth. When the call came, Abraham had to leave his family,
country, and his profession of idol making and to go to a land that God showed
Him. He obeyed that call, God blessed him, and He is still blessing all
people. When
the call came to the first disciples, they left everything, immediately and
followed Jesus, and because of their obedience to that call, you and I have the
opportunity to know Jesus and become a part of God’s family. Now God is calling
you and me to follow Him.
What
do we have to leave behind, so that we may obey His call? What price are we
willing to pay so that those who never heard the gospel may listen to it and
give their lives to Jesus? Each one is accountable to that call, and as a
church, we are to answer that call. We cannot ignore it; neither can we neglect
it. In these last days, God is compelling His Church to respond to His
unchanging appeal to be a blessing to all the nations. When we respond to that
general call of God where in which we will find our purpose.
II. THE PURPOSE
Vs. 19, “Jesus
called out to them, “Come, follow me, and I will show you how to fish for
people.” Peter and Andrew, John and James, left everything and followed Jesus.
This call came with a promise, “I will show you how to fish for people.” In
other words, Jesus was saying to these experienced fishermen; You are good at
catching fish, but now you got to set your sights on fishing for people, in a
way, Jesus was laying down a purpose-filled kingdom challenge.
It
is fascinating to see how Jesus came to a group of fishermen and called them to
join him in his mission. He acknowledged their way of life, which was fishing
but stepped it up a few notches. From that point on, they will become fishers
for the kingdom.
Think
about it for a moment, does your life have such a purpose of fishing people for
Christ? Are you reaching out to others and sharing the life-altering power of
the Gospel? If you are faithful and available like the early disciples, God
could use you to fulfill his purpose! You might be asking, what is God’s
unchanging purpose, the following scriptures highlight it.
Later
in the gospel of Matthew speaking to his disciples about the end of the age,
this is what Jesus said, Matthew 24:14, “And the Good News about the Kingdom
will be preached throughout the whole world so that all nations will hear it, and
then the end will come.”
In
other words, “only when the gospel is preached to all the nations Jesus will
come back to the earth. Let’s ask ourselves a question, has the gospel been
preached in the whole world to all nations? The answer is a Yes and a No! Yes,
the gospel is reaching the world as a whole through TV, Airwaves and God’s
people are taking the gospel to different parts of the world.
But
at the same time, it has not been preached to all nations; we are not referring
here to the geopolitical countries of the world. The Greek word used for
nations is Ethnos and it means People groups. What is a people group and
how many people groups are there in the world?
III THE REMAINING
TASK
According
to the Lausanne covenant in 1982, "For evangelization purposes, a people
group is the largest group within which the Gospel can spread as a church
planting movement without encountering barriers of understanding or acceptance."
According to the Joshua Project, there are around 17,297 known people groups
among the world’s 7.67 billion people. Of those people groups, 7,367 groups are
considered unreached, representing 3.19 billion people. Many of these unreached groups reside among
the Islamic nations.
The
remaining task is enormous. No one person, or Church can do it alone. We need each other in the body of Christ to
complete the remaining task. God loves all people and He wants people
everywhere to get saved to that extent He is calling us to get involved. How?
By becoming Fishers of Men. One day I wanted to go fishing one day, so I got my
fishing license, fishing rod and went with an experienced fisherman Keith. He
showed me how to through the fishing rod and what to look for and when to reel
in etc.
After
several failed attempts and a long time of waiting, finally he helped me catch
one fish. I was elated with pride with the catch of that one fish. One wonders
what would be the effective way to reach people with the gospel? We organize
gospel events, outreaches hoping that somehow these events will draw people to
Christ. But we know they seldom achieve that intended purpose. Then what is the
best way? Jesus said he will show us how to fish for people. If we care to ask Him, and wait on Him in
prayer He will show us how to reach the broken and hurting people that are everywhere.
They are longing for true love. God wants to reach out to them through you and
me. God is looking for fishers of men and women. Would you respond today to the
call of God? Let us make a “fishing list of people “and begin to pray for them
daily, so that one day they might come to know Jesus. Let’s Go Fishing. Amen!
