Preparation for Worship: 1 Corinthians 1:26-29

Call to worship: Psalm 135:1-7

Reading of the Law: Proverbs 10:23-25

AOPG: Psalm 34:17-22

Old Covenant Reading (read first):  Jeremiah 16:14-21

New Covenant Reading: Matthew 4:11-17

(This is the inspired and holy word of God.)

Sermon – Walking By the Sea

Introduction –

Shortly after Jesus begins His public ministry, preaching “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand,” He is walking about and comes across a couple of fishermen.

The two men, were not the wise of the world. The world would consider them foolish, and weak, and base. Why? Because they were fishermen. They were not powerful. They didn’t have a lot of knowledge. You would not find these four men in the halls of Herod, making great speeches for this cause or that.

They got up every day, went down to the sea, and fished for a living. On the Sabbath day, they went to the synagogue for worship. They were married, had families, … they were quite normal.

Yet, as Jesus is walking, He approaches them and gives them the irresistible call to follow Him.

And in calling these men, Jesus then begins to fulfill the prophecy made by John the Baptist before Jesus was baptized. What did he say about Jesus?

“His winnowing fan is in His hand, and He will thoroughly clean out His threshing floor, and gather His wheat into the barn; but He will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire.”

Notice how John informs His audience. He makes it clear that Jesus is the One who will be doing the work of the Kingdom. He will have a winnowing fan in His hand. For us, that may not mean much. But the winnowing fan was used to separate the wheat from the chaff.

Here, John is using it as an illustration showing that Jesus will separate His righteous ones from the wicked of the world. Jesus will divide His followers out from the chaff. Jesus will bring those who belong to Him, into His barn. Jesus will take the chaff and burn it up in the unquenchable fire.