Healthy Church 3

Culture of Obedience

Opening:

- Key Thought: *We will only experience the move of God in our church to the level of our obedience.*

- **Big Idea:** Obedience determines our opportunities.

- Obedience demonstrates trustworthiness before God.

- Disobedience places a lid on advancing God’s Kingdom work.

- Supporting Truth: *God will not provide further revelation until we have fully acted upon what He has already commanded.*

[Luk 5:1-11 NIV] 1 “One day as Jesus was standing by the Lake of Gennesaret, the people were crowding around him and listening to the word of God. 2 He saw at the water's edge two boats, left there by the fishermen, who were washing their nets. 3 He got into one of the boats, the one belonging to Simon, and asked him to put out a little from shore. Then he sat down and taught the people from the boat. 4 When he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, "Put out into deep water, and let down the nets for a catch." 5 Simon answered, "Master, we've worked hard all night and haven't caught anything. But because you say so, I will let down the nets." 6 When they had done so, they caught such a large number of fish that their nets began to break. 7 So they signaled their partners in the other boat to come and help them, and they came and filled both boats so full that they began to sink. 8 When Simon Peter saw this, he fell at Jesus' knees and said, "Go away from me, Lord; I am a sinful man!" 9 For he and all his companions were astonished at the catch of fish they had taken, 10 and so were James and John, the sons of Zebedee, Simon's partners. Then Jesus said to Simon, "Don't be afraid; from now on you will fish for people." 11 So they pulled their boats up on shore, left everything and followed him.”

(Vs.4 ) "Put out into deep water, and let down the nets for a catch."

Jesus instructed Peter to go out into deeper water.

In order to do so, Peter had to be willing to leave the shore.

The shore represents our comfort zone.

It is what we are used to.

The shore is the place that is familiar and it is what we have grown accustomed to.

The fish were out in the deeper water.

As long as Peter and the others stayed close to the shore, they would miss the benefit of catching fish.

The biggest challenge at times comes from our experience of previous success.

Peter was an accomplished fisherman. He knew how to find fish, but would he be willing to listen to the instruction of Jesus?

Would Peter allow his experience to overshadow and determine his level of obedience?

In order to catch fish, Peter had to drop the nets.

The nets represent our methods of catching fish for Jesus.

In order to catch the fish Jesus has for us we must be willing to use the tools in our boat.

These tools are not the focus.

The focus is catching the fish.

The tools only serve to accomplish the goal.

When the “nets” become the focus, then we have lost sight of why we are in the boat in the first place.

(Vs. 5) "Master, we've worked hard all night and haven't caught anything. But because you say so, I will let down the nets."

The greatest risk to further obedience is not a stubborn spirit but tired hands.

Peter had worked all night long handling the fishing nets.

His hands were weary through the repeated action of throwing the nets, but Jesus asked for another time of the same activity.

A second risk to obedience is the lack of results.

When we have fished all night long and caught nothing, it becomes extremely difficult to even think about going back to where we just came from and re-engaging the same activity, but it must be done when Jesus asks.

Peter acknowledges that his willings to re-engage was simply because Jesus asked him to do so.

If anyone else had asked, I’m sure his response would have been a firm “no.”

But when Jesus asked, there is only one answer.

“Because You say so, I will.” Peter determined to follow the command of Jesus even in the face of weariness and no results.

Jesus told Peter that if he would go back out into deeper water and let down his nets that he would receive a catch.

Jesus didn’t specify how big the catch would be, He simply asked Peter to go again, and Peter said, “yes.”

(Vs. 6) “When they had done so, they caught such a large number of fish that their nets began to break.”

Obedience always results in receiving the outpouring of God’s provision.

It would seem that when Peter first heard the command of Jesus, he lacked expectation. His initial response was “we are tired, we’ve worked all night long, and we have nothing to show for our efforts.”

He simply did what Jesus asked, but he did so with little to no expectation of anything different happening than what they had already experienced.

Once they rowed out to deeper water and let down the nets, God did the rest.

They had to obey, and God made the provision.

But then came the provision, and as is always the case with God, the provision was above and beyond what they thought possible.

It was a supernatural supply in direct response to their obedience.

As a result, their nets began to break with the weight of God’s favor.

There were so many fish that they had to call other boats to come over and help them bring the fish into the boat.

When God supplies, He does so in a way that we can’t do it all on our own.

God provides even when we least expect it, but it is contingent upon our obedience.

My good friend Don Ross says it this way, “my situations always have more to do with me and Jesus than me and my situation.”

We tend to become focused on empty boats and tired hands when in reality the situation is always will I obey what Jesus is asking me to do for His Kingdom?

Building a culture of obedience . . .

How do we grow as a church in our obedience?

What is Jesus asking us to do?

Are we willing to say “yes” no matter the situation?

(Vs. 10) "Don't be afraid; from now on you will fish for people."

The greatest limit to building a culture of obedience is fear of failure.

Jesus told Peter: “don’t be afraid.”

We always know we are afraid when we want to stay close to the shore.

We know we are afraid when we’ve given it our best, come up empty handed, and quite fishing.

We know we are afraid when our expectations run low and we believe that it is a waist of time to try again.

The only way Peter could have failed is if he had chosen to disobey Jesus.

He could have said “no” because he was afraid of what others would think.

He could have said “no” if he was embarrassed to throw out the nets again.

He could have said “no” if he allowed his expectations to determine his obedience.

Jesus wanted to adjust Peter’s catch.

Peter was focused on catching fish, but Jesus had a different catch in mind.

Jesus started where Peter was but He adjusted his catch by saying, “from now on you will catch men.”

The point of sending Peter back out into deeper water wasn’t to catch fish, it was to adjust his catch to pulling men into God’s Kingdom.

The catch of fish was just an added benefit, but the goal was always people.

(Vs. 11) “So they pulled their boats up on shore, left everything and followed him.”

If you want to learn how to catch people for the Kingdom, follow the One who has said the biggest “yes” to God’s call.

Jesus left everything to catch people for the Kingdom.

For Peter to learn how to catch men, he would need to follow the One who could provide the best example.

In order for us to develop a culture of obedience, we will need to “pull our boats up on shore, leave everything, and follow Jesus.”

There is no other way.