Okay, I'm going to read the textual passage again, Matthew chapter 4. And I'll start at verse 12. Now, when Jesus had heard that John was cast into prison, he departed into Galilee. Leaving Nazareth, he came and dwelt in Capernaum. which is upon the sea coast in the borders of Zebulun and Nephilim, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Isaiah, the prophet, saying, the land of Zebulun and the land of Nephilim by the way of the sea beyond Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles. And now a textual passage. The people which sat in darkness saw great light. To them which sat in the region and shadow of death, light has sprung up. From that time, Jesus began to preach and to say, repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand. And Jesus, walking by the sea of Galilee, saw two brethren, Simon Peter and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea, for they were fishers. And he saith unto them, follow me, and I will make you fishers of men. They straightway left their nets and followed him. And going on from thence, he saw other two brethren, James, the son of Zebedee, and John, his brother, in a ship with Zebedee, their father, mending their nets. And he called them. And they immediately left the ship and their father and followed him. And Jesus went about all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues and preaching the gospel of the kingdom and healing all manner of sickness and all manner of disease among the people. And his fame went throughout all Syria. They brought unto him all sick people that were taken with diverse diseases, torments, those which were possessed with devils, those which were lunatic, and those that had the palsy. And he healed them, and there followed him great multitudes of people from Galilee, and from Decapolis, and from Jerusalem, and from Judea, and from beyond Jordan. Bless us now, our Father, this afternoon and this remaining hour. In Christ's name, Amen. We've come to our third head. Though there's little to indicate it in this place, a call from Christ is a call to separateness. to holiness. He is holy, that is, He is separated from sin, and He calls us to be holy, to separate from sin and to separate unto God. And the two things don't go together, but the one is a great help to the other. Being separated unto God always increases our desire to be separated from sin. I said in our second point that all sanctification, all holiness has its spring in the Holy Spirit whom Christ sent, sends to dwell in His people. I want you to read John 14. 15 through 27. John 14, beginning at verse 15. If you love Me, keep My commandments. And I will pray the Father, and He shall give you another Comforter that He may abide with you forever. Even the Spirit of truth, and the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him. But ye know him, for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you. I will not leave you comfortless, I will come to you. Let a little while, and the world seeth me no more. But ye see me, because I live, ye shall live also. At that day ye shall know that I am in my Father, and ye in me, and I in you. He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me. And he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself to him. In chapter 15, 1-8, I am the true vine, my father is the husbandman. Every branch in me that beareth not fruit, he taketh away. Every branch that beareth fruit, he purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit. Now you are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you. Abide in me and I in you as the branch cannot bear fruit of itself except it abide in the vine. No more can ye except ye abide in me. I am the vine, ye are the branches. He that abideth in me and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit. For without me ye can do nothing. If a man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered, and men gather them, and they are burned. If you abide in me, my words abide in you. You shall ask what you will, and it shall be done unto you. Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit. So shall ye be, my disciples. As the Father hath loved me, so have I loved you. Continue ye in my love. I pointed out before the hour was up, that though there is little to indicate a call from Christ's call, to indicate in this text directly a call from Christ is a call to separateness, to holiness. Holiness is not something that makes you act disorganized and out of your mind and think that you're talking foreign languages when they're blabbering some kind of gibberish. Quite a few of these people have taken the trouble to memorize passages in Spanish or some other language so that when they talk in tongues in church they're really talking in language. Because the first and great error in their talking in tongues. They were saying that the Lord was giving it to them and it was an unknown language. That is, it was not a language until now. And they weren't speaking in any language. They were just jabbering and they trained themselves how to just keep jabbering. Holiness is Separatism, that is separation from sins and separation unto God. We're called to be holy, to separate from sin and separate unto God. I'm trying to find exactly where I left off. We don't see a social gospel here. We don't see a special call needed to get men to take or give food and housing and money. But the calling here is strictly concerning our salvation and our relationship to God. Christ had called them to himself before, and I read that earlier. Probably, perhaps, they were Old Testament saints already. It's certain that Andrew was one of John Baptist's disciples, and we see that in John 1.35. And John is not mentioned there, though it was mentioned that there was two. Perhaps John was the other mentioned there. Since nothing is said of their conversion, we really don't know when that was. Then, at a later time maybe, maybe as much as a year later, Jesus calls them to follow Him. in our textual passage. And you see that again in Mark 1 14 through 20. Chapter 1 14 through 20. Mark 1, 14 through 20 is pretty much a parallel of the Matthew 18 through 22. I am going to read from Luke chapter 5, 1 through 11. And it came to pass that as a people pressed upon him to hear the word of God, he stood by the lake of Gennesaret and saw two ships standing by the lake. But the fishermen were gone out of them and were washing their nets. And he entered into one of the ships, which was Simon's, and prayed to him, or asked him, that he would thrust out a little from the land. And he sat down and taught the people out of the ship. Now when he had left speaking, he said unto Simon, launch out into the deep and let down your nets for a draft. And Simon answering said unto him, Master, we have toiled all night and have taken nothing. Nevertheless, at thy word, I will let down the net. And when they had done this, they enclosed a great multitude of fishes and their net break, and they beckoned unto their partners, which were in the other ship, that they should come and help them They came and filled both ships so that they began to sink. And Simon and Peter saw it. He fell down at Jesus' knees, saying, Depart from me, for I am a sinful man. He was astonished, and all that were with him at the draft of the fishes which they had taken. And so was also James and John, the sons of Zebedee, which were partners with Simon. And Jesus said unto Simon, Fear not, from henceforth thou shalt catch men. And when they had brought their ships to land, they forsook all and followed Him. Chapter 5, 1 through 11 seems to be another call the call to leave their worldly business. None were fishing at this particular time, but they were in one place washing their nets and here mending, so they were taking care of their fishing equipment. All were washing the nets, and some were mending the nets, too. One thing we note here, Peter, Andrew, and John, and James were in close association, perhaps in business together. It doesn't say it that way, but they were in close association and worked together with their ships. The word in verse 7 is from the same root as koinonia. They beckoned unto their partners another ship, they should come and help them. They came and filled both ships so that they began to sink. The koinonia is a word related to the church. That is what causes my mind to think that they were working together. This time they leave all. It seems to become Jesus' constant companions and disciples. Verses 11, When they had brought their ships to land, they forsook all and followed Him. Now if we read the first three Gospels, Matthew 9, 9-13, Mark 2, 13-17, and Luke 5, 27-32, all relate to the call of Levi who was Matthew. This probably occurred shortly after the call of the fisherman in chapter 5 verses 1-11 that we just read. Again, when he was regenerate, we do not know. Matthew forsakes all. apparently to follow the Lord constantly from then on. This call is a call ultimately to apostleship. Because these men that we're naming are the apostles. In Matthew 10, 1-5a, And when he had called unto him his twelve disciples, he gave them power against unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal all manner of sickness and all manner of disease. Note, when he had called, our subject is called and calling. Now the names of the twelve apostles are these. The first, Simon, who is called Peter. Andrew, his brother. the son of Zebedee and John his brother, Philip and Bartholomew, Thomas and Matthew the Publican, James the son of Alphaeus, and Lebeus, whose surname is Thaddeus, Simon the Canaanite, and Judas Iscariot, who also betrayed him. Now though they list 12 names each time, several of the names are different. It would be like one would say John Thomas, one talks about him once, he calls him John, the next time he called him Thomas. Mark 13, 3.13-19, Luke 6.12-16. Each one of these passages reveals the call to the actual, not just discipleship, but apostleship by the Lord Jesus Christ. From these calls, we may well suppose that there are several calls of God to believers. Regeneration, in John 3, John 3, verse 6. I'll go ahead and read from verse 1. There was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews. The same came to Jesus by night and said unto him, Rabbi, we know that thou art a teacher come from God. No man can do these miracles that thou doest except God be with him. Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, a man be born again, or from above, he cannot see the kingdom of God. Nicodemus saith to him, How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter the second time into his mother's womb and be born? Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God, cannot enter into the Kingdom of God. Here we see that in the call, the power of God went forth with the call, calling them in regeneration and also conversion. Also, faith and repentance. This has an initial and a lifelong aspect. The call of God attended God's power to accomplish His conversion. You remember conversion was where you began to feel miserable. You began to know that you are a sinner. That is the early stage. of conversion. In its conclusion, you have joy in rejoicing because you have been converted, you have been changed. The call of God attended with God's power to accomplish our conversion. Now discipleship, the call is to discipleship, to learn, to follow, to fellowship, as in Matthew 4. There's a call to service, steadfastness, worship, witnessing, being liberal in giving. There's a call to ministry, to preaching and teaching, and to try to teach others so that they can go on and teach others. There's a call to devotion. In our day, today labors. That is, all devoted to Christ. Husband, wife, servant, ruler, job, and so forth. And a call to repentance. And all of these are not separate calls, I don't believe, but they are all included in the one main call. The whole of the Christian life may be summed up as the Lord Jesus calling and saying, come, follow me. Because that's what it is all about. There is no cessation of the spirits calling us after Christ. That is, the Spirit was sent to us, the Spirit dwells in us, who are believers, and the believer doesn't want to get away from thinking about Christ and worshiping God. And the Spirit of God encourages that. The Spirit of God helps him to realize trials that he's created for himself with bad habits and bad words and so forth and so on. And He keeps working in us to draw us more and more into a closer association with Christ. There is no cessation of the Spirit's calling after Christ. Where those backslidden Christians of 45 years find their case in Scripture, I don't know. Because Jesus gave the Spirit to every believer, and the Spirit is not silent. He doesn't just dwell in you asleep. He's the one who continues to call you. after righteousness and holiness and after living according to the Word of God. Fifthly, the Gospel is specifically designed to bring men to Christ out of the darkness of Satan's empire, the darkness of sin, being in that darkness and loving it. You are called out of that to the light and immortality, immortality in the Lord Jesus Christ. If you don't know something of this, after you profess to be a believer, if you just stayed the same as far as your habits, as far as your permitting yourself to graze in all of the unclean things that the world has to offer, and so forth, I greatly fear for you. I urge you to seek the Lord Jesus Christ. and salvation. The fishermen would catch men, though following and preaching Christ. And that's what we desire to do. That's what I desire to do. And if you are really a Christian, you want to be able to tell people how that God has saved you, how that He's granted you a way through Christ to have an easy conscience to have a clear conscience, a clean conscience. And though we continue to sin, the blood of Christ has already paid for that sin. It's already paid for every sin of every believer. Therefore, though we despise our sin nature and are angry with ourselves many times because of how weak and frail we are as a believer in Christ, yet the Spirit of God in us, when we get really down on ourselves, reminds us that Christ has paid for the sin. Christ has borne God's wrath in your place as a believer. And that's what I hope you young men and women will take hold of, for that is salvation. Christ is the Savior. And we may never grow very strong or get very big or get super holy because of our sin nature. But we will always be, if we are a Christian, we will always be knowing that that call is alive and well in us because the Spirit of God continues to call us after the Lord Jesus Christ and away from our sin. These fishermen would now catch men through following and preaching Christ. And hopefully some of us can say that we have caught men a few during our lifetime as a Christian by spreading the gospel, which is the net that the Holy Spirit uses to save men. We who love and follow Christ have experienced God's saving, eternally loving call. It is a supernatural net. It won't miss one of God's fish. There is an election. Most people who think they are Christians hate that idea and hate that thought. But we who are believers and continually in the warfare, knowing how sorry and weak we are, are very happy that there was an election. It was God's right to make as many people as He wanted. and to save the ones he wanted out of them. I would be sad if you thought I'm saying God saved us because there was something special in us. No, no, no. The only thing that is so special in us is how many kinds of stupid, sinful things we can think about I won't have to say anymore, would like to do. Yes, it is a supernatural net. As I said, it won't miss one of God's elect. Thank God and all we can do about that election. is thank our great and glorious God that we were made part of it. Because the election was from eternity. Your actual salvation is in time. That's when you're changed and begin to believe God and believe on the Lord Jesus Christ. But you were appointed to that from eternity. God didn't save you in eternity. He saved you in time when you believe on the Lord Jesus Christ. But He had appointed you to that salvation and that Spirit of God. The Lord Jesus Christ, the Heavenly Father, the Deity, our God, in due time, at His appointed time, saved you. I said that the It is a supernatural act, the call of God that saves you, and it won't miss one of God's fish. He knows where they are. He knows how and when to close them in the net. Years ago, I bought a soul winner's book entitled, Drawing the Net, to help me learn to be a better soul fisherman. that it was light on the gospel and strong on friendly persuasion. I think I read all of it, I may not have, but I don't know where it is anymore. I still greatly desire to tell people the gospel and to see them believe. But now I know that the Lord Jesus is the man Fisher's assurance of success. You just keep giving people the gospel. Don't get dispirited. Don't get unhappy. Don't think you're doing something wrong and so forth. But gently and meekly and mildly And sometimes at the first, I got in loud arguments with people over the gospel. It took a few years to learn that that wasn't helping anything. It was making an enemy out of people instead of just giving them the gospel. I don't have to worry. God makes the man. He is the bait. He's the net. He's the hook. He always catches His men. He's going to catch His elect people. And what we are, as the agents that are putting the gospel before them, so that when He opens His heart, they will know something. of what's going on and know who to look to, to look to the Lord Jesus Christ. He always catches His men. I'm here at John Handy, John 6, 37-44. All that the Father giveth me shall come to me. Or it would work to say, all that the Father has given me shall come to me. And him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out. He's not going to get mad enough at us for our stupidity and the sins that we commit to say, you're just not any prophet to me. He bought and paid for everyone that He saves in the blood of His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. Him that cometh to Me, I will in no wise cast out. Young people, please hear that. When you believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, you are saved. The proof that you look for in yourself is a change of attitudes, a change of affections. Before you loved all kinds of things that you shouldn't have. Now you love Christ and you're wishing that you could get all the other stuff out of your mind. And I can tell you that being 82 years old, you'll forget some of your foolishness and wickedness, but you'll never forget it all. For I came down from heaven, not to do mine own will, but the will of Him that sent me. And this is the Father's will which hath sent me. Note that of all which He hath given me, I should lose nothing, but should raise it up again at the last day. And this is the will of Him that sent me, that every one which seeth the Son, and believeth on Him, may have everlasting Life, and I will raise Him up at the last day. He's not going to cast them out. They're not going to run away. They're not going to quit believing. And though they will always feel like they're not nearly what they would like to be as a Christian. They're not nearly as holy. They're not nearly as strong against sin as they would like to be. Still, it is Christ's righteousness that God has on their record and they will be judged in that respect with Christ's righteousness on their record and not their sins on their record. Because Christ bore all the wrath of God for those sins that they deserved. We have then God's personal guarantee of success. If you envisioned yourself as being a great soul winner, don't worry about that. God is the only soul winner. You are taking the pre-manufactured program, and you're reciting that to people. That God sent His Son to become the Savior of the elect world. And you're reciting that truth about Christ. And you tell people of the wonders, of the miracles that He worked, and the wonders of His grace and forgiveness. And you tell them that, over and over and over. It may be that you're in a place where there's not very many elect, and there are quite a few fishers. But, on the other hand, and I like to think about this, God doesn't work directly when we say something. You may work directly in your emotions if there's anything bothering you or anything delighting you or so forth, but you go away and you forget. even what the preacher said, and the preacher himself goes away, forgets what he said, but he knows the same gospel, and lives with that gospel, and remembering the blood sprinkling of Christ's blood for his sins, and that he has imputed to him Christ's righteousness. Let us mourn and grieve at our weaknesses, for sure. But let us keep on proclaiming Christ, because He will catch every fish that was in the sea of God's love. He has an eternally chosen people, and not one of them will be lost. He has lots of fishermen. Most will be disappointed at how we catch But, how will we catch men if we don't just push right on and ignore our weaknesses and keep telling of Christ? The figure of being Christ's sheep is a lovely figure. We're still in John. I'll turn to chapter 10. The figure of the sheep, being Christ's sheep, John 10, 1-30, or 38, I'm not sure of the number, I'll know when I get there, teaches essentially the same glorious truth. Verily, verily, I say unto you, chapter 10 of John, that he that entereth not by the door into the sheepfold, but climbeth up some other way, the same is a thief and a robber. But he that entereth in by the door is the shepherd of the sheep. To him the porter openeth, and the sheep hear his voice, and he calleth his own sheep by name, and leadeth them out. And when He put forth His own sheep, He goeth before them, and the sheep follow Him, for they know His voice. I would say some of us, my family, maybe some of the other children from the church were over at the Kimball's house one time and Brother Aubrey had taken on some sheep. I don't remember how many it was, 15 or 20 or whatever. was reciting from this verse about the sheep knowing their master's voice. And he took us outside to stand by the fence, and my children, some of them should remember, and told one or two of us to call the sheep. They were out there just nibbling and nibbling and jerking around and that kind of stuff. And they didn't pay a bit of attention when I called them. They didn't pay a bit of attention when anyone else called. But when Aubrey called them, their heads came up, their ears came up, and they came running over towards the fence. That makes this passage, the reason I'm taking a little bit of time, makes it more appealing to you. When He put forth His sheep, He goeth before them, and the sheep follow Him, for they know His voice. And the strangers, they will not follow, but will flee from Him, for they know not the voice of the strangers. This parable spake Jesus unto them, but they understood not what things they were which he spake unto them. And said Jesus unto them again, Verily, verily, I say unto you, I am the door of the sheep. All that ever came before me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not hear them. I am the door and the power of it. the only door. By me, if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture. The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly. I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep. But he that isn't hireling, and not the shepherd, whose own the sheep are not, seeth the wolf coming, and leaveth the sheep. And the wolf catcheth them, and scattereth the sheep. The hireling fleeth, because he isn't hireling, and careth not for the sheep. I am the good shepherd, and know my sheep, and am known of mine. As the Father knoweth me, even so know I the Father. And I lay down my life for the sheep, and other sheep I have, which are not of this fold. Them also, that's we Gentiles, them also I must bring, and they shall hear my voice. There shall be one foal and one shepherd. Therefore doth my Father love me, because I lay down my life, that I might take it again. No man taketh it from me, but I lay it down of myself, and have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again. This commandment have I received of my Father. There was a division there again among the Jews for these sayings. Many of them said, He hath a devil and is mad. Why hear ye him? Others said, These are not the words of him that hath a devil. Can a devil open the eyes of the blind? And it was at Jerusalem, the Feast of the Dedication, and it was winter. And Jesus walked in the temple of Solomon's porch. Then came the Jews round about him, and said unto them, How long dost thou make us to doubt? If thou be the Christ, tell us plainly. Jesus answered them, I told you, and ye believe not. The works that I do in my Father's name, they bear witness of me. But ye believe not, because ye are not of my sheep." There's some men who've got told that they were going to hell, they were not of his sheep. But perhaps we could look at it another way and think, well, his saying that meant that they were not of his sheep yet. Probably some of them did get converted, or perhaps some of them did. But you believe not, because you're not of my sheep, as I said unto you. My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me, and I give unto them eternal life, and they shall never perish. That's a double positive there. I give unto them eternal life, and they shall never perish. Neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand. My Father which gave them me is greater than all, and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father's hand. I and my Father are one." And after hearing this glorious but brief sermon, the Jews took up stones again to stone him. Think what he's saying to them. Think what he is telling them. But that's what it's telling you right now, just what He said. If you believe on Christ, you'll have everlasting life. If you don't believe on Christ, you'll have everlasting damnation, everlasting hell, the everlasting wrath of God poured out upon you. Truly it is an exceeding Our evil time in the world of all times are bad for lost men. If possible, men are more slippery than a fish at trying to avoid God's grace. But God's nets are everywhere His fish are. Not one is going to escape being caught. God's election will finally swim right into the gospel net. And we will catch them then as men catch fish. We're certain of our net, the Lord Jesus Christ. He can't fail. The calling of God is without repentance. We will use patience, fishing all night till our Lord comes, drives the fish into the net. Oh, but we must keep letting down the net, casting the plug, baiting the hook. You've got to get to the fish before you can catch them. You may have to fish on the other side of the boat. Right now they're biting like hundred pound catfish. once in a great, great, great while. But if God has a large school of sinners hereabouts, they will begin to bite like sand bass in a schooling season. But we must right now, in particular, fish for them like for a school of crappie. Keep fishing, changing spots, doing what can to improve our message of the gospel. and trying to find the fish. He went throughout Israel preaching and doing good. He preached to multitudes who went to hell, but he never missed one of his chosen ones. He never missed one of God's election that he was sent to save. He preached continually wherever he was, patiently, fervently, trusting He knew the Father would call His own. Here's a grand task for ministers, teaching and encouraging the saints to be fishers of men. We have a command in this regard. I won't take time to read it. My time is actually gone. 2 Timothy 2.2. Many witnesses heard Paul. Some were specially commissioned as Timothy. This is a part of our task. Train more fishers of men. Faithful, energetic men to fish. We may see a precept also in Acts chapter 8, verses 1-4. I don't think I've read that yet. Acts 8, 1-4, and Saul was consenting unto his death. And at that time, there was a great persecution against the church, which was at Jerusalem. And they were all scattered abroad throughout the regions of Judea and Samaria, except the apostles. And devout men carried Stephen to his burial, made great lamentation over him. As for Saul, he made havoc of the church, entering into every house, and hailing men and women, committed them to prison. Therefore they that were scattered abroad went everywhere doing what? Preaching the Word. That's what I came here for. They went everywhere telling people the Gospel. If they lost their homes, wherever they were, they kept right on telling about the Lord Jesus Christ and telling about a salvation and eternal life. This speaks of the general mass of believers. I don't really know of a better passage to indicate when and where to fish. In all seasons, even if persecuted, in all places, wherever we are. We have a promise from the Lord also, and I'm going to quit there, back to Matthew 28. 18 through 20. And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost, teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you. And lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world. Amen. He will be with us always by His Holy Spirit, and always Himself as the omnipresent God. So it should be an easy thing for us to find places to proclaim the Gospel. I don't have time to conclude the sermon except to say finally that fishing is a smelly business. Saving men is not always done in an antiseptic environment. I think that one reason the ritualist salvation where you sprinkle a baby and it's supposed to be regenerated I think it's one reason that they came up with that, because it was too hard and probably, at their time, pretty dangerous at times to go preaching Christ, where they were not wanting them to do it. Heavenly Father, thank You for Your wonderful grace. Thank You, our God, that we have a Gospel. We have the facts that You have put in the Scripture for us to tell. And we have the prophetic words that we can look back on and tell them where Christ was prophesied and then we can come to the New Testament and show where the prophecy was fulfilled. What a wondrous thing is the Bible, and what a wondrous thing is the Spirit of God who is with us. Help us, Heavenly Fathers, stir up our hearts for our children's souls. for other relative souls, and wherever we can, get enough time where there are people around, help us to talk to someone about the Lord Jesus Christ and redemption. In Christ's name, amen.