(Luke 5:1-11)

On one occasion, while the crowd was pressing in on him to hear the Word of God, Jesus was standing by the lake of Gennesaret,

(Note: The Lake of Gennesaret was most often called the Sea of Galilee and sometimes called the Sea od Tiberias. So, if you see any of those in your studies, it is referring to the same freshwater fishing lake it’s about 13 miles long by 8 miles wide.)  

So, Jesus was standing there, and he saw two boats by the lake, but the fishermen had gone out of them and were washing their nets.

 Getting into one of the boats, which was Simon’s, Jesus asked him to put out a little from the land.  (He did this so He could get relief or some elbow room from the crowd because he then taught from just a little off shore)

And Jesus sat down and taught the people from the boat.  And when He had finished speaking, He said to Simon, “Put out into the deep and let down your nets for a catch.” 

And Simon answered, “Master, we worked all night and caught nothing! But at   your   word    I will let down the nets.” 

And when they had done this, they caught a large number of fish, and their nets were breaking.

They signaled to their partners in the other boat to come and help them.  And they came and filled both the boats, so that they began to sink.  But when Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus’ knees, saying, “Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord.” For he and all who were with him were astonished at the catch of fish that they had taken, and so also were James and John, sons of Zebedee, who were partners with Simon. And Jesus said to Simon, “Do not be afraid; from now on you will be catching men.”  And when they had brought their boats to land, they left everything and followed him.

(Note: These partners mentioned are two sets of brothers, Simon who is Peter and Andrew who were originally from Bethsaida.

 And James and John the Sons of Zebedee were likely born right near the shores of the Galilee into their fathers fishing business.) It probably didn’t make much sense to Peter when Jesus told him to “Put out into the deep and let down your nets for a catch.” It was daytime, the sun was up, these experienced fisherman worked at night and near the shore.  Peter and the others were sure they the best time and location for fishing by now. Jesus’s instructions seemed to be all wrong. The crew had already done their best, and they were already washing their nets.

It would be a while before they could resume fishing with any hope of success. Why should they obey Christs unreasonable command?

God’s ways are not like the ways of the world, they are often opposed to our ways and they often, quite frankly don’t make that much sense to us.

It’s very clear in the Bible that God wants us to worship Him in a congregation of His people,  to hear His Word and encourage one another in faith, and in life. (Hebrews 10:25) says we should not be “neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the day drawing near.”

Yet it wouldn’t be surprising at all,  if even some of us who are reading this can’t see much sense,  reason,  or even purpose in this time that we spend in church. We are all inclined to have doubts about God’s ways, His wisdom, and His will.

Our natural tendency is to “go with the crowd” and there is certainly a feeling of safety, and security in seeing many people in agreement over something.

Especially among teenagers, “peer pressure” is a strong and sometimes overwhelming force.

For adults, what is often called “conventional wisdom” influences the way they speak,  think,  and do.

 “Everyone is doing it” seems to give many activities the stamp of approval,  whether they be good,   or not so good.

Yet Christ said, in (Matthew 7:13-14) “Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide,   and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many.  For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few.

But something immediately attracted Peter to Jesus.

He was one of the first of those called, and who heard and accepted the invitation to follow the Lord. Peters interest in Jesus, and his early faith in Him, was strong enough already to overcome some doubts about the wisdom of the Lord’s fishing advise.

As we heard in verse 5, Peter Said “Master, we fished all night and caught nothing! But at your Word, I will let down the nets.”

This is a great example of how it looks when we obey God’s Word.

We don’t understand why we should believe some things and why we should do others. We can’t join in some of the things that the world considers good, enjoyable, or fun.  Or march in celebration or be prideful in our sinfulness.

It sometimes seems hard to walk along the path of obedience to God. Most if not all of you here this morning could give examples from your own life that are examples of the cost or difficulty of following Jesus.

I know I have lost friends and sacrificed relationships with my own family members. Peter simply relied on the wisdom of God’s Word as it came to him through Christ.

 And guess what! Peter and the others were not disappointed!

They were richly rewarded! Remember (Luke 5:6)  “And when they had done this, they caught a large number of fish, and their nets were breaking.”

Now if you see the cup as half empty most of the time, the reward wasn’t the breaking nets, but the many fish!

So many fish that they had to call their partners in the other boat to come and help them, and they came and filled both the boats, so they began to sink!

The people of the world are always ready to give advice and suggestions. Buy this brand and you will be more healthy or more beautiful. Buy that car and you’ll save money on gas or maintenance.  Invest in this and you will be rich! So much of this “help” surrounds us, that it becomes an inescapable part of life. And yes, many of our worldly decisions and purchases are a necessary part of life…. for now.

Human worldly advise however, will never lead us to complete or eternal satisfaction. The Gospel of life in Jesus Christ is above all else, God’s greatest Word and wisdom for us. (Romans 1:16) tells us the Gospel    “is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.”  When he says this incredible statement “The Gospel is the power of God for salvation” That should be very comforting for all believers.

The Gospel is not simply words; The Holy Spirit works faith and brings our very salvation through it! This is the Holy Spirit of God, of Jesus Christ Working in us. Without Christ, there is no one, and nothing that can fully help and satisfy us.

He is the one we need.

In John 6:68 Peter said it well when he said to Jesus “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life,

The huge catch of fish was a visual display of Christ’s power and Godliness. It was a miracle just like the feeding of the 4,000 and the 5,000. It was one of the early signs given to plant seeds of faith in the only one who can give us complete satisfaction and fulfillment.

The One who gives forgiveness and eternal life.

It was a gift of faith from the One who is the greatest gift. Yet it was not yet seen as a gift, Peter was not happy, was he? He was overcome with a sense of fear, unworthiness and even weakness.

He was terrified.

In vs 8 we heard that “When Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus’ knees saying. “Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord.” Peter wasn’t necessarily more sinful, or worse than the other disciples, but Peter was the one who trusted enough to put down the nets again and he was the one that openly expressed his emotions as he realized what it meant to be in the presence of the Lord. And in vs 9-10 we hear, “For he and all who were with him were astonished at the catch of fish that they had taken, and so also were James and John, the sons of Zebedee, who were partners with Simon.  When Peter said “Depart from me”  Did Jesus depart? No.

Jesus didn’t depart.  And not only that, but Jesus did not leave him in his fearful state. The Lord’s plan wasn’t to leave Peter frozen in his tracks in fear and wondering about his fate. The Lord had a bigger plan.     He used this miracle to give the first of those twelve He was calling more specific call to serve in ministry. He told Peter he had a greater task for him.

In vs 10-11  Jesus said to Simon, “Do not be afraid; from now on you will be catching men.”  And when they had brought their boats to land, they left everything and followed him.

Imagine being a fisherman, working incredibly hard to make a decent living and wondering if you will even survive in the coming months and years.  After all, for you to survive, there must be fish in the water. It’s not all in your control is it? But then Jesus comes along and you all of a sudden have the biggest catch of your entire career! A life changing catch.. You are going to be rich! But then Jesus says follow me, and you trust Him enough to leave everything and follow him.

Fishing was and mostly, still is an honest and honorable profession. The fish Peter and his partners caught were good and necessary.

God made them for a purpose.

They were caught, prepared, and eaten for food. God even today uses fishing professionals to catch, and businesses that prepare, and truckers who distribute this good food to provide for our daily bread.

But now, Peter was enlisted to catch men! Those hearts he would win with God’s Word would be satisfied, fulfilled, and nourished in the very best way. The way it was originally intended in the Garden of Eden. Their heart, that circulates the life blood would be again connected to Jesus by faith.

Go with God!  Go out into the deep!

This doesn’t mean we should be reckless fools, jumping on every impulse and idea of the moment. We cannot take off in every direction every day. We shouldn’t do everything that enters our minds or that others push us to do. We must make every effort to be sure we have taken God’s Word into account so that we know what He would have us say and do. Through His Word we can have the most certainty of what His will for us is.

No worldly, or other human traditions or opinions will give us as much assurance as an honest study of God’s will for us, through Prayer in Jesus’ name, and the guidance of our Savior and “Good Shepherd” through the given Word.

Go out into the deep!

It is a great gift, and a privilege God gives us to live in the light of His Word and the calling we receive through it.

In the Old Testament King Davig said “Your word is a lamp to my feet,    and a light to my path.” And later in the New Testament Peter said “And we have the prophetic word more fully confirmed, to which you will do well to pay attention as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts”, 

(You see, many of the writings of Old Testament Prophets are confirmation of what the Apostles later witnessed in Christ.  

Our human reason has a tendency to lean toward darkness. That is why we were given the enduring Word of God that enlightens our path for us. Whenever we begin to see ourselves drawn into darkness whether it be in hatred, refusal to forgive, or other worldly paths, we can always return to the light of the Word for guidance.

Our human reason needs that light as a leader and a guide. We participate in Bible studies and hear the Word through preachers. We may be exposed to the Word through other means.  It is good advice that in all aspects of life we do not make decisions or react harshly in our circumstances, but that we consult the guidance of God through prayer and the Word we have heard, and if it does not come through memory, we should seek further understanding in the Bible, or even ask for guidance from other mature Christians.

I am very certain that we should not, in laziness do things contrary to the guidance that the Word gives us, and unintentionally invite the devil as a guest.

Go out into the Deep!

This has been a call to full time ministry for some. There may even be some in the community who would seriously consider this call if they heard it. It is certainly a high calling to be a fisher of men! Just as it was back then, the work is difficult, and certainly can wear you out emotionally, but it is the work of leading the lost to new life! Eternal life with the perfectly Holy, and just creator God.

In Luke 10:16 Our Savior Jesus Christ said “The one who hears you hears me, and the one who rejects you rejects me, and the one who rejects me rejects him who sent me.”

Through the Word, we have a close and intimate relationship with the Lord,  and we can look forward to perfect worship and life in the fullness of the God’s Glorious Kingdom.

Go out into the deep!

I’ll ask a question to reflect on.  

Let’s be honest though. Has God ever made it very clear that He wanted you to do something you haven’t done? Through your understanding of His Word and calling, was there something that didn’t seem to make sense, or just seemed too difficult? Is there a task before you right now that you are hesitating to begin? Personally, this question most certainly speaks to me, every day!

The specific calling is different for every individual according to their talents. Christ leads all His people to His kingdom, but all our earthly callings, tasks, homes, and lives are very different. Some people should move to different places, take different jobs in faraway places, some people should stay where they were born and share the love of Christ right where they are, work there, build trusting relationships there and share the Gospel there. Some should marry, and some should never marry, some get involved with a big circle of friends and activities, and some a small group of close relationships. St Paul traveled all over;   Peter mostly stayed near Jerusalem. So we should watch closely how we make our steps.

As Ephesians 5:15-16 teaches us. “Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, making the best use of the time, because the days are evil.” When we go out into the deep in obedience to Jesus’ Word and the will of God, it doesn’t even make sense to worldly un-believers. Some will mock and some will be offended by us. We’ll even be going against our own sinful flesh and even our sensibility. But we can go forward anyway with the clear direction of the Word and the lighted path that God has led us to. Guided by the Word and the Holy Spirit of God we are in line with His plan and purpose for us, not only on earth, but for eternity.  We cling to His Word and the promises of His Gospel.

He is our Shepherd, 

He strengthens and guides us.

He leads us to His Kingdom.

Believing, trusting, and obeying, we can still today say along with the Apostle Paul

I don’t mean that I am exactly what God wants me to be, and I have not yet reached that goal. But I continue trying to reach it and make it mine. That’s what Christ Jesus wants me to do. It is the reason he made me his.  Brothers and sisters, I know that I still have a long way to go. But there is one thing I do: I forget what is in the past and try as hard as I can to reach the goal before me.  I keep running hard toward the finish line, toward the prize that is mine because God has called me through Christ Jesus to eternal life in heaven.

The grace, peace, comfort and guiding light of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you now and forever, Amen.