Luke 5:1-11 - Be Ready
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Introduction:
So many people live their entire lives asleep. No, they don’t close their eyes and nod off as they walk around. But they are clueless about what is truly going on around them. They do not see God working in this world. They are oblivious to the spiritual warfare going on around them. They just live moment by moment with nearsighted vision - only seeing what is right in front of them and missing out on everything going on around them.
Today we are going to see the Christ come and call His first disciples in the midst of their own nearsightedness. As we will see later in the sermon, these disciples had encountered Christ in the past, but had gone back to their same daily routine. But today, they are about to see Christ move in a mighty way.
And in light of today’s Scripture, people everywhere need to be ready for Christ to move in their own lives and be prepared to respond to that moving.
Join me as we read today’s Scripture.
Read Full Scripture:
On one occasion, while the crowd was pressing in on him to hear the word of God, he was standing by the lake of Gennesaret,
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, he asked him to put out a little from the land. And he 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 toiled all night and took nothing! But at your word I will let down the nets.”
And when they had done this, they enclosed 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.
Prayer
Today we will discuss three ways that we need to be ready for Christ to move. The first is…
I. You Need to Be Ready for Christ to Come (1-3)
I. You Need to Be Ready for Christ to Come (1-3)
On one occasion, while the crowd was pressing in on him to hear the word of God, he was standing by the lake of Gennesaret,
The crowd is pressing in on Christ because they are hanging on His every word. Why is this? Because He is speaking the very words of God-made-flesh! We have already seen Luke allude to the fact that His teaching carried authority. And if you can recall, we mentioned Mark’s Gospel statement:
And they were astonished at his teaching, for he taught them as one who had authority, and not as the scribes.
As you can see in this map, Jesus has moved from Capernaum to Gennesaret. The Lake of Gennesaret was actually a shore on the Sea of Galilee and was a few miles southwest of Capernaum.
It also must be noted that we have seen Jesus only preaching in Synagogues up until this point. But here we see Jesus open air preaching on the shore. Moving into verses 2 and 3…
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, he asked him to put out a little from the land. And he sat down and taught the people from the boat.
Jesus sees that the crowd continues to grow and continues to get closer and closer. And as He preaches, He sees two boats by the lake. The men were washing their nets after what was likely a long night of fishing.
First we need to see the humility of these men who had been out fishing all night. We all need to respond to Christ with humility when He comes. Simon Peter and his other crew members were cleaning these dragnets which were likely full of plant material and rocks and dirt. And as we will see in a moment, they had no luck fishing that entire night. But we see the respect for these men for Christ. They obviously know that He is something special - although as we will also see, they don’t fully understand just how special He is. They also resist the fleshly urge to have a bad attitude due to their rough night fishing and instead they respond to Him coming and obey his command to put out the boat from the shore.
As we have already mentioned, the boat that Jesus gets into is none other than Simon Peter’s. Obviously we see God sovereignly working here to teach Simon a lesson about the Son of God. Simon Peter knew Christ and had encountered him before as we see in John’s Gospel:
He first found his own brother Simon and said to him, “We have found the Messiah” (which means Christ). He brought him to Jesus. Jesus looked at him and said, “You are Simon the son of John. You shall be called Cephas” (which means Peter).
The He in verse 41 is Peter’s brother Andrew. Andrew led Peter to Jesus. At this initial encounter, Jesus prophesied that Peter would be the rock. He would eventually be the rock in which Christ would build His church. But obviously, Peter had gone back to his work after a while. It is likely that he would hear Jesus preach at times, but he continued living life as normal. Today would change Peter’s life forever though. Because today, Christ was coming in a mighty way.
Getting back to our Scripture:
Getting into one of the boats, which was Simon’s, he asked him to put out a little from the land. And he sat down and taught the people from the boat.
Jesus asks Simon to push them out a bit from the land. This way it would give Him some room to be able to speak and provide better acoustics so people could hear. Imagine this scene - Christ standing in a boat and preaching to a large crowd on the shore. People are hanging on the words He is speaking. And this is where we leave off in verse 3.
With this imagery, I am reminded of what the late Bible teacher J. Vernon McGee once said about preaching…
“Every pulpit is a fishing boat… a place to give out the Word of God and attempt to catch fish.”
J. Vernon McGee
This is how Christ is using the boat right now. He is using it as a fishing boat - a fishing boat to catch men with the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
I pray that our pulpit at CrossPointe is always used that way as well.
I pray that we are always ready for Christ to come and show up and move by saving souls. That we are a church that is fishing for men and women and children for the Gospel.
Next we see that…
Scripture References: Mark 1:22, John 1:41-42
II. You Need to Be Ready for Christ to Charge (4-7)
II. You Need to Be Ready for Christ to Charge (4-7)
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 toiled all night and took nothing! But at your word I will let down the nets.”
After Christ has preached to the crowds the words of God, He turns to Simon and charges him to do something that seems ridiculous at first glance.
Jesus starts to meddle into an area where Simon Peter was an expert. It’s one thing for Jesus to teach about theology and righteousness. But to give Peter fishing advice, this was difficult for Peter to handle. Yes, Peter had just seen his mother-in-law healed by Jesus. But Jesus was a carpenter not a fisherman.
All fishermen knew that on the Sea of Galilee, night was the best time to fish with dragnets because the fish came in to feed at that time. During the day, this type of fishing was and even today is much more difficult and less rewarding in most cases.
We also have to remember that Peter and his crew had just finished cleaning these dragnets.
You have to imagine that Peter is exhausted at this point. He has been up all night. He has to be frustrated as well. He has toiled for nothing and has just finished the arduous duty of cleaning his nets.
And Peter starts off letting Jesus know that the fishing in the area has stunk it up and that this is probably not a good idea. But he submits to Christ anyway and responds to Christ’s charge to drop down the nets.
We see humility again with Peter and the crew. This is how we need to respond to the charge of Christ. We must respond with humility, faith, and trust. Even when things seem crazy, we know we can trust God. God is faithful and trustworthy.
There is a word in verse 5 that we need to focus on because this word will change in the coming verses. Simon Peter refers to Jesus as master. This word was the equivalent to rabbi. It is a term of respect for Christ. But it was not a term that necessarily set Christ apart from the other rabbis in Israel. Yet, Jesus Christ is not just any rabbi. He is the Christ. Listen to John the Baptist speak of Jesus:
He who comes from above is above all. He who is of the earth belongs to the earth and speaks in an earthly way. He who comes from heaven is above all.
John knows that Jesus is above all. There is no one higher than Christ. And Simon Peter is about to see this truth not just in word but in deed right in front of him.
And when they had done this, they enclosed 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.
This seemingly ridiculous charge from Christ to put the dragnets down at the worst time of the day to fish comes with a miraculous catch. One must understand that this doesn’t happen in normal fishing.
There are so many fish caught up in the nets that Simon Peter and his crew have to ask for help from the other boat’s crew. I can only imagine seeing the chaos in this scene. Peter and his crew are signaling and probably frantically yelling for the other crew and their boat to get out there as fast as possible. The nets are beginning to break. The Greek word used for breaking is actually a term of being near the breaking point. They likely do not actually break because the crews are eventually able to bring the catch to shore (see verse 11).
We are told here that there are still so many fish that both boats begin to sink! Can you imagine how many fish it would take to start sinking a fishing boat? This is an amazing miracle.
We see here that the charge from Christ comes at a cost.
No it isn’t a work you need to do or money you need to pay. Instead, it takes obedience and humility to respond to the charge of Christ. He commands us to obey His commands. We must die to our will and live for His.
Christ spells out the cost of following Him later in this Gospel.
And he said to all, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.
We must deny ourselves. We must be willing to suffer for Christ and follow Him no matter how hard it seems. Yet, we know that following Christ will always result in blessing.
No, we aren’t promised and endless supply of food, financial wealth, or comfort. But we are promised the miraculous deliverance from sin and death through Christ’s death on the cross.
We are promised eternal life with Jesus Christ in heaven. My friends, I pray that we have all responded to the charge of Christ to follow Him. And I pray that as believer, we continue to respond to His charges in our lives. When He commands us to go, may we always go - no matter how dangerous and ridiculous the call appears. We know that He will sovereignly work His plan out according to His will. We can trust Him and continually follow Him.
You need to be ready for Christ to come and charge, and finally…
Scripture References: John 3:31, Luke 9:23
III. You Need to Be Ready for Christ to Call (8-11)
III. You Need to Be Ready for Christ to Call (8-11)
But when Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus’ knees, saying, “Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord.”
Simon Peter responds in completely broken humility. He realizes that he has just doubted and severely underestimated Jesus and is now overwhelmed by seeing Jesus’ power displayed. This man is more than a carpenter. He is holy and powerful.
Peter humbles himself before Jesus and sees his own lack of holiness in the presence of the Holy One of God.
This is a common response in the Scriptures to the glory of God being revealed. See the prophet Isaiah respond to the Lord:
And the foundations of the thresholds shook at the voice of him who called, and the house was filled with smoke. And I said: “Woe is me! For I am lost; for I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts!”
Also see Ezekiel’s response:
Like the appearance of the bow that is in the cloud on the day of rain, so was the appearance of the brightness all around. Such was the appearance of the likeness of the glory of the Lord. And when I saw it, I fell on my face, and I heard the voice of one speaking.
When man sees the glory of God, he cannot help but fall down in reverence.
Note that Luke references Simon’s name given by Christ - namely Peter - for the first time in this Gospel here. This is approaching a turning point for Peter in Luke’s Gospel. From the beginning until Luke 6:14 (except for this verse) Peter is referred to strictly as Simon. But for the rest of the Gospel, we will see him referred to as Peter.
But when Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus’ knees, saying, “Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord.”
One other thing to note about verse 8 is the final word we see. If you recall, Peter called Jesus ‘master’ in verse 5 which usually referred to rabbis. But at the end of verse 8 we see that Peter has realized that Christ is much more holy than he ever thought. He falls down in a worshipful posture and calls Jesus, Lord. Peter is the first person in this Gospel to address Jesus as Lord.
We are not told just how deeply that Peter understood the deity and majesty of Christ. But it is clear that he understands that Jesus Christ is Lord. Peter’s theology would continue to develop as one of the inner three of the disciples of Christ. He would gain more and more understanding of just exactly who Christ was.
But one thing we do see here, is a right response to the glory of Christ. One must see that God is holy and that we are wicked and sinful. Only then can we truly be saved.
We should always maintain this type of reverence before God though. Even as saved believers who have the righteousness of Christ given to us, we still should see God as amazingly holy.
One other thing we need to notice from Peter’s response here is:
True repentance and following Jesus seeks the glory of God and not the glory of self.
Peter’s response to Christ isn’t one of being excited about what Christ could do for him by increasing his fishing business. He didn’t ask Jesus to be His personal fishing guide and make him rich. He didn’t see Jesus as his meal ticket.
Instead, Peter sought to glorify Christ and calls him Lord and falls down in worship.
We should take note of this response of genuine repentance.
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.”
Next, we are introduced to the response of the crew around. Two such men are called by Christ to be disciples as well here. James and John, the sons of Zebedee, who become part of the inner circle along with Peter, are called to follow Christ. Andrew is not mentioned here but the scene and the plural use of crew does open up the opportunity and even likelihood that he is present and called as well. Yet, Luke focuses in on these three disciples who make up the inner circle of Jesus’ closest disciples.
These three men were the earliest of Christ’s called disciples. And they get to witness things that others do not get to witness. They see Jesus transfigured (Mark 9:2-3), the raising of Jairus’s daughter (Luke 8:49-56), and are with Jesus as He prays in the Garden of Gethsemane (Matthew 26:36-38).
What is Christ’s call for these men in verse 10? From now on they will be catching men.
These men will no longer catch fish that would end in death. Instead, they will catch people in order to bring them life.
And when they had brought their boats to land, they left everything and followed him.
These men understood Christ’s call in verse 10 as a call of complete surrender and they respond with complete surrender. At a moment where their career has just hit the highest point that it ever could. The amount of money that these fish would bring in is astronomical. It is at this moment that they leave everything and follow Jesus Christ full time.
The disciples go all in.
They abandon all of their possessions. They abandon their boats and livelihood. They give up their own hopes and dreams of their futures and give their lives entirely and completely to Christ. This is the response of the true believer.
We as believers in Christ should be willing to give up all for Christ. We should be willing to do whatever He commands us to do.
His specific call and charge for each of us is different - but the overall point is the same. He calls us to go all in. As we go all in and take up or cross and follow, He charges us to do His will.
No matter what His charge and call for our lives, we must go all in. There is no room in the Christian life for nominal Christians. We must see that to follow Christ is greater than any worldly accolade or goal.
And as true believers, may we do so in spirit and truth.
Scripture References: Isaiah 6:4-5, Ezekiel 1:28, Luke 6:14, Mark 9:2-3, Luke 8:49-56, Matthew 26:36-38, Ephesians 2:10
Conclusion:
Today’s message has been an amazing account of a miraculous work of Christ. Jesus Christ has come, He has charged, and He has called.
My friends, that same truth is still true even today. He has come to charge and call us as well. The first charge and call is to follow Him in faith. If you have not done that yet, then any further charges will never occur because He only charges His sons and daughters to do the works He has prepared for us to do (Ephesians 2:10). So my charge to you today is to respond to His coming, charge, and call by accepting the free gift of salvation through Christ’s work on the cross. Believe in the One who died on the cross for your sins and rose three days later. Repent of your sins and acknowledge Christ as the Lord of your life. There is no more important decision for you.
For us who are believers. He is not done with us once we have come to a saving knowledge of Him. He is just beginning.
I want us to take a few moments as we close to consider what He might be calling us to do for Him today.
Is He charging you to leave something behind? Maybe it is sinful. Maybe it is like fishing and isn’t intrinsically sinful.
Is He charging you to step up in Christian leadership in the church, in your family, at your workplace, etc?
Is He calling you to teach or preach or serve in a certain area?
Is He calling you develop into a church planter or pastor?
Is He calling you to serve internationally as a missionary?
Maybe your calling might not seem so big to you (but I can guarantee that God sees it as big). Maybe it is a calling to serve behind the scenes in ministry. Maybe it is called to be a stay at home mom where no one sees the hard work you put in as you disciple your children.
Is He calling you to something I haven’t even mentioned or charging you in a way that hasn’t entered my mind? Maybe you sense the call and charge though. He is revealing something in your heart that He has prepared for you to do.
My friends, may we end this service with a quiet meditation on what God has for us individually and even corporately as a church as we close. Open up your heart and mind and be willing to follow whatever Christ commands.
Be willing to leave whatever you need to leave behind in order to go forward wherever He calls you to go.
Prayer