Fisher's of Men

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Luke 5:1–11

1 And it came to pass, that, as the people pressed upon him to hear the word of God, he stood by the lake of Gennesaret, (sea of Galilee)

2 And saw two ships standing by the lake: but the fishermen were gone out of them, and were washing their nets.

3 And he entered into one of the ships, which was Simon’s, and prayed him that he would thrust out a little from the land. And he sat down, and taught the people out of the ship.

4 Now when he had left speaking, he said unto Simon, Launch out into the deep, and let down your nets for a draught.

5 And Simon answering said unto him, Master, we have toiled all the night, and have taken nothing: nevertheless at thy word I will let down the net.

6 And when they had this done, they inclosed a great multitude of fishes: and their net brake.

7 And they beckoned unto their partners, which were in the other ship, that they should come and help them. And they came, and filled both the ships, so that they began to sink.

8 When Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus’ knees, saying, Depart from me; for I am a sinful man, O Lord.

9 For he was astonished, and all that were with him, at the draught of the fishes which they had taken:

10 And so was also James, and John, the sons of Zebedee, which were partners with Simon. And Jesus said unto Simon, Fear not; from henceforth thou shalt catch men.

11 And when they had brought their ships to land, they forsook all, and followed him.

Fishing for Men

Luke 5:1–11

INTRO: The mission of the Church is not to reform the world, but to save souls;

It is not to build great churches or to train singers and preachers (even though this is good),

But our mission is to win the lost to Christ.

And unless we reach the lost Our work is nothing, just the beating of air.

I. PREPARING AND PROPERLY USING OUR NETS

A. Washing (cleaning) their nets (Luke 5:2)

Jesus see’s two ships but the fishermen were gone out of the ships washing their nets

1. Before we catch human fish, we must cleanse our own lives so we are in harmony with the gospel. A clean net is essential to catching fish.

2. It is impossible to do effective soul winning with an unclean net.

Isaiah 52:11

Depart ye, depart ye, go ye out from thence, touch no unclean thing;

Go ye out of the midst of her;

“be ye clean, that bear the vessels of the Lord.”

( Must be a Spiritual separation and consecration)

3. 2 Corinthians 7:1

Having therefore these promises, dearly beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God.

B. Mending their nets

Mark 1:19

19 And when he had gone a little further thence, he saw James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother, who also were in the ship mending their nets.

1. Holes in the net would allow fish to escape. Tears, holes, and rips represent a spirit of division. The net must be mended before we can be effective as fishermen

John 17:18-23 Jesus praying for his disciples

18 As thou hast sent me into the world, even so have I also sent them into the world.

19 And for their sakes I sanctify myself, that they also might be sanctified through the truth.

20 Neither pray I for these alone, but for them also which shall believe on me through their word;

21 That they all may be one; as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us: that the world may believe that thou hast sent me.

22 And the glory which thou gavest me I have given them; that they may be one, even as we are one:

23 I in them, and thou in me, that they may be made perfect in one; and that the world may know that thou hast sent me, and hast loved them, as thou hast loved me

Acts 2:1

1 And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place.

2. Division’s is evidence of carnality.

1 Corinthians 3:1-7 Paul writing to the Corinthian church

1 “And I, brethren, could not speak unto you as unto spiritual, but as unto carnal, even as unto babes in Christ.

2 I have fed you with milk, and not with meat: for hitherto ye were not able to bear it, neither yet now are ye able.

3 For ye are yet carnal: for whereas there is among you envying, and strife, and divisions, are ye not carnal, and walk as men?

4 For while one saith, I am of Paul; and another, I am of Apollos; are ye not carnal?

5 Who then is Paul, and who is Apollos, but ministers by whom ye believed, even as the Lord gave to every man?

6 I have planted, Apollos watered; but God gave the increase.

7 So then neither is he that planteth any thing, neither he that watereth; but God that giveth the increase.

3. Many people are lost while a church quarrels over the preacher, or the color of the carpet etc.

It is said, “While Nero fiddled, Rome burned.”

While carnal churches argue , fuss,and fight souls are going to hell.

Let us get together. Let us mend our nets. Have one mind the mind of christ!

C. Casting their nets

Mark 1:16

Now as he walked by the sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and Andrew his brother casting a net into the sea: for they were fishers.

1. Simply casting their nets represents a working effort in soul winning .

a. There must be an effort to have a revival, a real soul winning revival.

b. Prayer is the most talked about, But the least practiced of all Christian exercises.

It has been said that “if a man can pray, he can do anything.”

c. Fasting has been forgotten in this day of feasting and fun.

d. If church members were dedicated, consistent workers, we could again turn the world upside down.

e. You see! We have the choice: to fast and pray, or to feast and play.

Some use to attend church through rain, sleet, and snow

Now a cloud the size of a man’s hand can keep them away from the house of God.

f. Psalm 107:2 says:

“Let the redeemed of the Lord say so, whom he hath redeemed from the hand of the enemy.”

2. John 21:6 speaks of

Casting their nets on the right side this reveals that there is a right way and a wrong way .

a. Proverbs 11:30 .

The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life;

And he that winneth souls is wise. Wisdom is needed in soul winning.

b. We must search for the right way to win men to Christ.

Harsh, hard words drive people away;

But compassion, love, and tenderness draw them to Jesus.

c. We must have music and singing to fit the occasion.

The musicians and singers must be ready.

Altar workers should be trained and competent.

It is sad that there are so few competent altar workers today.

II. WE MUST HAVE THE MASTER FISHERMAN ON BOARD

A. The Holy Ghost must be at the helm. And He must have control.

B. The engine is dead without fire; a car goes nowhere without gas;

Just as Christian service is dead without the presence of Christ and the Holy Ghost!

C. We need the fire of the Holy Ghost. Jesus said, “Without me ye can do nothing” (John 15:5).

D. If we allow Him to direct us, He will lead us to the right place at the right time.

Why?

1. Because He knows how to fish.

2. Because He knows where to fish.

3. And He knows where the hungry fish are.

III. THRUSTING OUT FROM THE SHORE

A. We must get into the water. Ezekiel's vision of the Waters to swim in.

Ezekiel 47:3- 5

3 And when the man that had the line in his hand went forth eastward, he measured a thousand cubits, and he brought me through the waters; the waters were to the ancles.

(Walk with God!)

4 Again he measured a thousand, and brought me through the waters; the waters were to the knees. (prayer life in God)

Again he measured a thousand, and brought me through; the waters were to the loins.

covenant part (central part of the body connecting the lower part to the upper part of the body!)

5 Afterward he measured a thousand; and it was a river that I could not pass over: for the waters were risen, waters to swim in, a river that could not be passed over.

We must go out where the fish are.

We must leave our easy chairs and go out where the people are.

B. Amos 6:1 “Woe to them that are at ease in Zion”

Eph.5:14 “Awake thou that sleepest”

C To have revival we must lay aside our earthly pursuits. We must come out from the crowd.

D. We must rid ourselves of all hindrances.

We must have personal, spiritual connection. with Jesus

IV. NOT LETTING PAST FAILURES STOP US, HINDER US, OR DISCOURAGE US

A. We must not dwell on our failures. It does no good to reminisce over our past mistakes.

B. It is good to confess our faults, but leave them at the altar in the hands of God.

C. They said, Luke 5:5 “Master, we have toiled all the night”.

No fisherman likes to admit that he has caught nothing.

D. Those are sad words for a Christian: “I have caught nothing; I have won no one to Jesus.”

But some need to confess it. James 5:16 admonishes Christians,

16 Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.

V. OBEYING THE MASTER IN THE FACE OF A DISCOURAGING AND DARK TIMES

A. “Nevertheless at thy word … [we] will” (Luke 5:5). Obeying is the secret to success.

If we stop at circumstances, we will never catch men. Some Christian’s will not venture into the street, because Prov. 22:13 “there is a lion without ”.

The Fear of man stops some Christians

Proverbs 29:25

The fear of man bringeth a snare:

But whoso putteth his trust in the Lord shall be safe.

some fear of criticism, or for others; its just plain laziness.

B. But what Jesus has commanded. We must obey.

Matthew 28:19

Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:

Mark 16:15-18

15 And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature. 16 He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned.

17 And these signs shall follow them that believe; In my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues;

18 They shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover.

Acts 1:8

But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.

VI. LAUNCHING OUT INTO THE DEEP

A. We must go further than just prayer bounds

Luke 11:5–10;

5 And he said unto them, Which of you shall have a friend, and shall go unto him at midnight, and say unto him, Friend, lend me three loaves;

6 For a friend of mine in his journey is come to me, and I have nothing to set before him?

7 And he from within shall answer and say, Trouble me not: the door is now shut, and my children are with me in bed; I cannot rise and give thee.

8 I say unto you, Though he will not rise and give him, because he is his friend, yet because of his importunity he will rise and give him as many as he needeth.

9 And I say unto you, Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you.

10 For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened

Luke 18:1–7

1 And he spake a parable unto them to this end, that men ought always to pray, and not to faint; 2 Saying, There was in a city a judge, which feared not God, neither regarded man:

3 And there was a widow in that city; and she came unto him, saying, Avenge me of mine adversary.

4 And he would not for a while: but afterward he said within himself, Though I fear not God, nor regard man;

5 Yet because this widow troubleth me, I will avenge her, lest by her continual coming she weary me.

6 And the Lord said, Hear what the unjust judge saith. 7 And shall not God avenge his own elect, which cry day and night unto him, though he bear long with them?

B. We must go further that our former faith

Matthew 21:22

And all things, whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive.

Mark 11:24

Therefore I say unto you, What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them.

Hebrews 11:6

But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.

C. We must go further that our former effort. We must “work … while it is day” (John 9:4).

“Let us not be weary in well doing” (Galatians 6:9).

Samson “bowed himself with all his might” (Judges 16:30).

There is a depth in God that we have never yet reached.

CONCLUSION: Results? Luke 5:6 “They inclosed a great multitude of fishes: and their net brake”.

They shared their joy with their partners family and friends.

They filled both ships.

Verse 8 Peter saw the miracle and testified, “I am a sinful man”.

He was astonished and all with him at the tremendous catch.

Jesus told him, (Verse 10) “Henceforth thou shalt catch men”. This was the purpose of the miracle. When they got the fish to land, (verse 11 say’s) “they forsook all, and followed him”.

As we prepare for communion this morning. Are you doing all God has called you to do?

Are you fulfilling the great commission?

Acts 1:8

Jesus said you will receive power after the holy ghost comes upon you and you shall be witnesses to me in Jerusalem, Judea, and unto the utter most parts of the earth.

If were going to see the revival in this last day we will have to do the same thing the disciples did in this scripture!