Remind Me Who I am - Jan. 2012

January 22, 2012

“Jesus said to them follow me and I will make you fish for people.”

I want you all to close your eyes and imagine for a minute what it must have been like to be on your boat doing your job and a Rabbi walks by and says, “Come follow me.” What did that look like, how did that feel?

Are you having a hard time seeing exactly what that looked like? I’m going to paint you a little Jewish history picture.

Around the age of six Jewish children went to school to learn the Torah. They had to memorize the Torah that is the first five books of our Bible; they memorized Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy. Around the age of 10 the students were separated. The best of the best continued on in school, the rest went home to learn the family trade. The best of the best continued on to learn the rest of the Hebrew Scriptures. That would be the entire Old Testament.  Around age fourteen or fifteen, another cut takes place these young people would apply to be disciples of a rabbi. The rabbi would quiz them and decide if they were worthy of following him. More often than not he would send that young boy home to learn his father’s trade. Only the best of the best became disciples.

So let’s go back now to the Sea of Galilee, Peter and Andrew are fishing. They are fishing, that means they are not the best of the best. They did not make the cut. Jesus walks up and says Come follow me! When a Rabbi said this he meant I believe that you can do what I do. Jesus said Come follow me. They dropped their nets and followed Jesus.

I used to always wonder how could they just drop everything and leave. Now it makes much more sense. Rabbis were the best of the best, they were the most revered and trusted people. Imagine being rejected at a young age, being told that you were not good enough to ever be a Rabbi and then a few years later a Rabbi walks up to you and says Come follow me.

Jesus said these words to Peter, Andrew, James, John, Thomas, Matthew, Philip, Bartholomew, James, Thaddeus, Simon, and Judas. Twelve young men’s lives were changed by the words come follow me.

We hear come follow me as leave your money, your family, your job, your bed, your home, your comfort. They heard come follow me as, you’re good enough, and you can do what I do.

Talk about a change of perspective. How often do we hear the words you’re good enough? Really, think about it, are you ever good enough for this world?

Are you pretty enough?

Are you thin enough?

Are you strong enough?

Are you rich enough?

The answer is of course not, no, never. We always fail, we are never good enough.

We are a lot like Peter and Andrew out there fishing on the boat, we are going about our days knowing that we will never be good enough and somewhere along the that has become ok with us. We can’ t change it so why not just embrace it.

God doesn’t want us to be ok with not being good enough, he walks by in our darkest hours and says come follow me you are good enough and I need you to fish for men and help me tell others that they are good enough as well.

I have video to show you today. I always have song when I preach and this one’s video was too good not to share. So please humor me and watch this video.

***insert video here*****

When I lose My way,
And I forget my name,
Remind me who I am.
In the mirror all I see,
Is who I don't wanna be,
Remind me who I am.
In the loneliest places,
When I can't remember what grace is.

Chorus:
Tell me once again who I am to you.
Who I am to you.
Tell me lest I forget who I am to you.
That I belong to you.
To you.

Verse 2:
When my heart is like a stone,
And I'm running far from home,
Remind me who I am.
When I can't recieve your love,
Afraid I'll never be enough,
Remind me who I am.
If I'm your beloved,
Can you help me believe it.

Chorus:
Tell me once again who I am to you.
Who I am to you, Woh.
Tell me lest I forget who I am to you.
That I belong to you.
To you.

Bridge:
I'm the one you love,
I'm the one you love,
That will be enough,
I'm the one you love.

Chorus:2x
Tell me once again who I am to you.
Who I am to you.
Tell me lest I forget who I am to you.
That I belong to you, Woh.
To you.3x 

God is constantly reminding us who we are, we are beloved, we are chosen, we made the team, we are good enough. So let’s be fishers of men and go and tell the world they don’t have to settle for failure they can be good enough too.