Apr. 12, 2026

Saints & Sinners

The First Disciples

Primary Text: Matthew 4:18-20        

1) The Lamb of God

John 1:35-40, 44: The next day John was there again with two of his disciples. When he saw Jesus passing by, he said, “Look, the Lamb of God!” When the two disciples heard him say this, they followed Jesus. Turning around, Jesus saw them following and asked, “What do you want?” They said, “Rabbi” (which means Teacher), “where are you staying?” “Come,” he replied, “and you will see.” So they went and saw where he was staying and spent that day with him. It was about the tenth hour. Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, was one of the two who heard what John had said and who had followed Jesus…. Philip, like Andrew and Peter, was from the town of Bethsaida.

DQ 1) Why is Jesus the “Lamb of God”?

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2) My Brother’s Keeper

John 1:41-42: The first thing Andrew did was to find his brother Simon and tell him, “We have found the Messiah” (that is, the Christ). And he brought him to Jesus.

Genesis 4:9: Then the Lord said to Cain, “Where is your brother Abel?” “I don’t know,” he replied. “Am I my brother’s keeper?”

John 1:42: Jesus looked at him and said, “You are Simon son of John. You will be called Cephas” (which, when translated, is Peter).

DQ 2) What does it mean to be our brother’s keeper?

DQ 3) What is the meaning of the name Cephas?

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3) Come, Follow Me

Matthew 4:18-20: As Jesus was walking beside the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon called Peter and his brother Andrew. They were casting a net into the lake, for they were fishermen. “Come, follow me,” Jesus said, “and I will make you fishers of men.” At once they left their nets and followed him. (Mark 1:16-18)

DQ 4) What does it really mean to ‘come and follow’ Jesus? 

DQ 5) What are the costs of following Jesus? What are the blessings?

DQ 6) What is a “fisher of men”?

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4) Without Delay

Matthew 4:21-22: Going on from there, he saw two other brothers, James son of Zebedee and his brother John. They were in a boat with their father Zebedee, preparing their nets. Jesus called them, and immediately they left the boat and their father and followed him. (Mark 1:19-20)

Luke 9:59-62: He [Jesus] said to another man, “Follow me.” But the man replied, “Lord, first let me go and bury my father.” Jesus said to him, “Let the dead bury their own dead, but you go and proclaim the kingdom of God.” Still another said, “I will follow you, Lord; but first let me go back and say good-by to my family.” Jesus replied, “No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for service in the kingdom of God.”

DQ 7) Why is it important to obey Jesus without hesitancy and excuses?

DQ 8) Are you making excuses for not fully following Jesus?

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