Sunday Sermon | The Gospel of Mark: Immediately They Followed Him

In this expository sermon from Mark 1:16–20, Pastor Jason Smith unpacks one of the most countercultural moments in all of Scripture: Jesus doesn't wait to be sought out. He walks along the shore of Galilee and calls fishermen — the ones already passed over by the system — and says simply, Follow Me.
What makes this passage so striking is what it says about who Jesus chooses, how He chooses them, and what He promises to do with them. He doesn't call finished people. He calls ordinary ones and says, I will make you.
In this sermon:

Why Jesus calling fishermen was culturally and historically shocking
The difference between following rules and following a Person
What discipleship actually costs — and why the disciples' immediate response still challenges us today
A call to believers baptism as an act of obedience

Whether you've followed Jesus for decades or you're still figuring out what any of this means — this message is worth your time.

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Transcript

Welcome And Lord’s Supper Preparation

SPEAKER_00 0:01

Good morning, church family. Turn with me in your Bibles to Mark chapter one. Mark chapter one. If you're a guest with us this morning, uh let me introduce myself. My name is Jason Smith. I'm the pastor here of First Baptist Bernie, and uh you are welcome. We are very glad that you are here this morning. If you do not have a Bible, there's a Bible in the Purec in front of you. Please uh take that as a gift from us to you. You can keep that uh Bible. We want you to have a copy of God's word. Church family, we have the awesome privilege this morning of taking the Lord's Supper together. Okay, so if you are a born-again baptized believer, you are welcome to take the Lord's Supper with us. If you happen to not grab the elements on your way in, if you lift your hand, there are some deacons around right now who are gonna pop up and make sure that you get those elements. But believer, the scripture reminds us, it uh tells us to uh never take the elements in an unworthy manner. So even now, begin to prepare your heart as we move the entire service towards the Lord's Supper. Okay? Uh pray that the Spirit would search you. Keep your hand up, they're coming around, okay. Elisha was the anointed prophet of Yahweh, but he was discouraged and tired. He had seen God move in incredible ways. He prayed and it didn't rain for three and a half years. He called down fire on Mount Carmel against the prophets of Baal. But he runs for his life from Queen Jezebel, and he feels utterly alone. Now many of you know this account. He will flee to Mount Horeb, where God speaks to him, not in the fire, but in the quiet, gentle breeze. And there God tells Elijah to commission Elisha as his successor, the next prophet of Israel. When Elijah finds Elisha, he's plowing his field. And he calls him, and he leaves everything, leaves everything, only stops to kiss his father and mother goodbye. And then he will follow as close as Elijah's shadow. In our account today in the Gospel of Mark, we are going to see something similar, but far greater. Not a prophet is calling a successor, but the king. The king is calling his disciples, and they too will leave everything in order to follow him. Because the kingdom of God is at hand. Listen as I read Mark chapter 1, I'm gonna begin in verse 14 through 20. Now, after John had been taken into custody, Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of God, and saying, The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand. Repent and believe in the gospel. As he was going along by the Sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and Andrew, the brother of Simon, casting a net into the sea, for they were fishermen. And Jesus said to them, Follow me, and I will make you become fishers of men. And immediately they left their nets and followed him. Going on a little further, he saw James, the son of Zebedee, and John his brother, who were also in the boat mending the nets. Immediately he called them. And they left their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired servants and went away to follow him. Will you pray with me? Heavenly Father, as we gather around your word this morning, as we hear this incredible call, that you, King Jesus, not only call uh the disciples back then, you are calling disciples now. And as we see the response of disciples to immediately surrender and to follow you, to immediately obey. Father, as scary as that is for us to read, we say to you this morning, Spirit, speak to us, teach us, show us in our lives where we need to obey. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen. Wake up! The kingdom of God is here. All that Israel longed for and waited for, that time is now. It is finally come, and the king has been announced, coronated by God. Not in the way that we would actually expect it, and yet a voice from heaven, and something like a dove descended upon him. He is here. And he moves with immediate action and authority. The king does not sit and wait for others to come to him and to bow down to him. No, this king is different and he is on the move. As he was going along by the Sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and Andrew, the brother of Simon, casting a net into the sea, for they were fishermen. Now this isn't what we would expect. Why is the king walking along the shore of the Sea of Galilee, far from Jerusalem, far from power, and he approaches fishermen. And Jesus said to them, follow me. Now none of you fell out of your seats when I said that. So let me explain how uniquely rare this scene is and how it pushes against all the cultural norms. See, at the time, the common educational system was that good little Jewish boys attended the local synagogue for a school. From the ages of five to ten, right, they learned and memorized the Torah, right? The first five books of the Old Testament. But after the age of ten, only the best students got to continue. You see, many were sent home and would simply learn the trade of the family. Okay? This was the first cut at age 10. Those that were the best students moved on. And from age 10 to 14, then they would learn the rest of the Hebrew scriptures. They would learn how to dialogue and ask questions of the text, how to interpret. But by the age of 14, almost all were done with schooling. But if you were elite, if you were the very brightest, there was one more step. These students were allowed to seek out a rabbi, to apply for a rabbi, to ask of the rabbi, may I follow you? Hoping that the rabbi would accept them and be able to be their disciple, and they would leave everything to follow underneath his instruction. But here with Jesus, don't you see? He's the reverse rabbi. Everything is the opposite. He is not pretentious or proud. He is humble. He is accessible. He is joyful. And he is walking along the Sea of Galilee of all places. And he is looking. He is pursuing. And he sees fishermen of all people. Those who were told long ago that they weren't good enough to make the cut. And with a smile, he says to them, follow me. Just as they were, no grueling acceptance process, simply follow me. Friend, let me say this to you as plainly as I can. Jesus sees you where you are, as you are. And in fact, he joyfully seeks you. And the rabbi of the entire universe says to you, follow me. Don't miss the simplicity or the personal nature of that call. You see, Christianity is not following a set of rules or pattern. I had a Muslim friend when I was in college who one day said to me, essentially this, you know, Jason, we're we're all just kind of doing the same thing here. Okay? We're all just following a set of rules. Look, yeah, the Muslims they worship on Friday, and the Jews they worship on Saturday, and the Christians they worship on Sunday. But listen, we basically have the same set of rules, but just slight differences, and we're all trying to be good people. Is that true? Is Christianity just a slightly different version of rules? Absolutely not. Friend, genuine Christianity is not following rules, it's following a person. It's following Jesus, who said, follow me. Not following a system, not following a tradition, follow me. But you say the disciples physically followed him from town to town. What do you mean to say, Pastor, that you follow him? Listen, I love and follow a living risen Savior. Okay, who rules in heaven right now. I know him, and he is my shepherd. And that call is very personal. Friend, he's given us his word and his spirit. And his spirit. Yes, the disciples follow Jesus beside them, but we follow Jesus inside of us. Jesus himself actually said, It was better that I go and give you my spirit. So do not miss this. For everything that I will say here in a moment about the cost of discipleship, do not miss that Jesus is calling you to himself because he wants to teach you and he wants to shape you. In fact, listen to what he says next. And Jesus said to them, Follow me, and I will make you. This is such good news. Such good news. I hope you had a giant sigh of relief. You see, Peter and Andrew and James and John, they weren't the finished product. They were ordinary, uneducated fishermen. You probably already know Peter is going to mess up and embarrass himself in the most erroneous ways. Okay? Jesus met them as they were and said, Come on a journey with me. I'm going to mold you. Okay? And although you may feel like a clumsy lump of clay, I'm going to shape you. This is such relief. Beloved, this is such good news. Because Jesus knew what he was getting into when he saved you. Okay? When he signed up to chisel you, he knew. And guess what? He's not discouraged. He's not discouraged. He's not throwing up his hand saying, I can't work with them anymore. That is it. No. He's patiently molding you even now. I will make you. And Jesus said to them, Follow me, and I will make you become fishers of men. Now I want you to watch this short video because a film crew came and they filmed a short segment of a man whose prized possession was a massive collection of ceramic mugs. And you can see the joy on his face when he exclaims that he has spent thirty-five years of his life collecting thousands of mugs. And then this happened. Because in a moment, everything that he had spent his life collecting was gone. Friend, don't miss this. That same thing is coming for every one of us. The stuff we build our lives upon, the things we cling to, the things that we think define us. They don't last. That's why this moment in Mark is so important. Jesus doesn't call these men away from their nets. He calls them into something greater. Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men. Not things that break, not things that fade. People, souls, eternity. And here's what's so powerful. Forgotten fishermen whose only plot in life is to meagerly survive, die, and then be forgotten, have now been called into the king's work, into his mission of the highest order. People, souls, eternity. And he calls each one of us into the same. You say, Who am I for such a task? Exactly. That's what makes it so magnificent. And now I want you to see their response. Because someone greater than Elijah is here. Immediately they left their nets and followed him. Going on a little further, he saw James, the son of Zebedee, and John his brother, who were also in the boat mending their nets. Immediately he called them, and they left their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired servants and went away to follow him. You see, the king has found them. Forgotten, uneducated, overlooked fishermen. And he calls them to himself into a life and into a mission that they never imagined. A life full of eternal purpose. And in that moment, the only fitting response to a king like this is to follow. Immediately. And yes, of course, there is much cost. They leave their nets, their livelihood, their father, their family, all their regular rhythms, their small, controllable world. They leave it. And they step out to that which is uncertain. Because now the king is in charge. No longer them. But don't miss this. This isn't just loss. It's actually a gift. Believer, it is a gift for you to take your will and to say yes to following Jesus. To say yes to the cost. To say yes, I will choose him over comfort. I will choose him over control. I will choose him over my own plans. Why? Because he is worth it. And friend, there is no less a call for us today. He is a good king. But he is king. To follow Jesus is to completely reorder your life for him. Does following Jesus mean you leave your vocation as they did? Well, yes, for some. But for most, it actually means staying with your nets and yet no longer living for yourself. You see, the call is the same. Follow the king. And the cost is still very real. Surrender to his control. Be led by his spirit. As a believer, let me ask you, is Jesus steering your life? Does he reshape your priorities? Does he correct you without you resisting his correction? Or let me ask it this way. What is the purpose or the calling on your life? Because is your work truly about just advancing your own life and comfort and stuff? Or is it actually about that which lasts? People in the kingdom of God. Now, some of you know exactly how God has been calling you. But you've been hesitant. Because you actually fear the approval of man more than you want to obey God. In fact, for some of you, that next step is baptism. The first step of obedience after salvation. And just like these disciples, the call is not delayed obedience, it's immediate obedience. So let me say this to you clearly. If you know the gospel, if you've trusted in Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, and you have not followed Him in baptism, I got you. Today's the day. We are actually ready for you right now to follow in baptism. I'm serious. Everything you need, we have t-shirts, towels, shorts, all sorts of undergarments for men and women. Okay? And if you know you need to follow in believers' baptism, okay, and be obedient. You can leave here obedient to Christ. Pastor Daniel is waiting right now in the foyer for you. Okay? All you gotta do is get up and walk to the foyer. He will hold your hand and walk you through everything. Now listen, parents, this is not for elementary school age children that need further conversation. But if you know Jesus as your Lord and Savior and you need to follow in baptism, what would be better than to get up right now and meet Pastor Daniel in the foyer? I promise you, there's plenty of time. Get up and go. Immediately he called them. Immediately. They left their father Zebedee in the boats with the hired servants, and they went away to follow him. You see, for all the grief that we give to the disciples for how slow they are to understand, there's something that they don't miss. They understood the cost of following Jesus and they embraced it. Not because suffering was the goal, but because he is worth it. I'd like to read for you a poem by uh Amy Carmichael titled, Has thou no scar? Has thou no scar? No hidden scar on foot or side or hand? I hear thee sung as mighty in the land. I hear them hail thy bright ascendant star. Has thou no scar? Has thou no wound? Yet I was wounded by the archer's spent. He leaned me against a tree to die and rent. Having ravenous beasts that encompass me, I swooned. Hast thou no wound? No wound, no scar? Yet as the master shall the servant be, and pierced are the feet that follow me, but thine are whole. Can have he followed far? Who has no wound and no scar? Friend, this poem isn't calling us to earn something from God. It's reminding us who we follow. We follow a Savior who was wounded for us and bids us take up your cross to follow me. Long before He ever asks us to bear any scar, he bore the cross. And so, yes, following Him will cost us. Our scars are never payment, they are a response. A response to a loving Savior. Because at the center of our faith, Jesus gave his body, he gave his blood. So as we move towards the Lord's Supper, I want you to prepare the elements. I want to remind you, this is not about what we've done for him. Rather, it's always a reminder of what he has done for us. We come to his table by his grace. We remember him. He was broken so that we would be made whole. I'm going to give you, believer, just a few moments to have a time of reflection as you sit there in your seat, and I want you to think about the Savior who was broken for you. I want you to confess any sins. Surrendered to your Lord and Savior. Say to him, You are my King. I surrender to you. Forgive all of my sins, King Jesus. You are my only hope. He gave it to his disciples and he said, Take, eat. This is my body. Now, believer, I want you to prepare the cup. The cup is a symbol of his blood and the new covenant that he has given to you. Friend, I want you to remember. I want you to remember the joy of King Jesus. I want you to remember the victory that he gives. The life that he calls us into. I want you to see, right, from the account of the disciples, Jesus came and sought you. He laid down his life for you. Not to condemn you, to save you, to save you, to set you free. So I'm going to give you just a few moments, and as you as you contemplate the cup, I want your heart to be filled with joy and freedom. And I want you to say thank you to your Lord and Savior. Do this in remembrance of me. Will you pray with me? King Jesus, we are in awe of you, of your mercy and your grace. We are in awe of your pursuit of us. Who are we that you would pursue us? Who are we that you would humble yourself? That you would chase after us and seek us? And then on top of that, that you would call us, the reverse rabbi who calls us. You're so humble. We thank you. You are the king of the universe. And yet you pursue me. We thank you for the good news today. We worship you. In Jesus' name we pray.

unknown 32:06

Amen.

SPEAKER_00 32:12

Okay, church family, we have uh we give a time of response here at the conclusion of service, and it is a chance for you to respond to whatever the Spirit of God has pressed upon your heart. The praise team is gonna lead us in one final song of response. We'll have ministers down here at the front who would love to pray with you. We would love to pray with you. Okay, we're not here to play church or go through emotions, right? We serve a risen Savior who's here. We carry one another's burdens. Okay, so whatever the Spirit of God has pressed upon you, today is the day to be obedient, right? To respond however he has prompted you. That could very well lead you to pull out the response uh response pad in front of you and write a few things down. Okay? That could mean you have an important phone call to make right after the service. You you've delayed for a long time immediate obedience because he is worth it. He is worthy. Would you stand and sing?