GOING FISHING WITH THE LORD

Luke 5:1 -11 (NKJV) So it was, as the multitude pressed about Him to hear the word of God, that He stood by the Lake of Gennesaret, 2 and saw two boats standing by the lake; but the fishermen had gone from them and were washing their nets. 3 Then He got into one of the boats, which was Simon’s, and asked him to put out a little from the land. And He sat down and taught the multitudes from the boat. 4 When He had stopped speaking, He said to Simon, “Launch out into the deep and let down your nets for a catch.” 5 But Simon answered and said to Him, “Master, we have toiled all night and caught nothing; nevertheless at Your word I will let down the net.” 6 And when they had done this, they caught a great number of fish, and their net was breaking. 7 So 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. 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 and all who were with him were astonished at the catch of fish which they had taken; 10 and so also were James and John, the sons of Zebedee, who were partners with Simon. And Jesus said to Simon, “Do not be afraid. From now on you will catch men.” 11 So when they had brought their boats to land, they forsook all and followed Him.

INTRODUCTION...

This miracle of Jesus comes at a time when Jesus is still calling the disciples to follow Him. In fact, this miracle happens before Matthew is even called to join the 12 disciples (he is called in Luke 5:27-32). So the disciples are just beginning their walks with Him. The disciples are just beginning to learn all about Jesus. As usual for Jesus, verse 1 tells us that a crowd had gathered around Him, and they were “listening to the Word of God.”

Just as you were listening to the Word of God this morning.

GOING FISHING WITH THE LORD

These verses of our text in Luke 5 tell us that Jesus was at the Lake of Gennesaret. We know that He was teaching the people while He was there. Jesus sees a boat that belongs to a friend and sets out in the boat so that He can address the people, and they can hear Him. After Jesus teaches the people, the real exciting things begin to happen.

Jesus meets the friend as He returns with his boat. The man is Simon, we know him better as Simon Peter or Peter. Peter was a fisherman and his fishing time was over. I can imagine that he was quite tired as were the other fishermen that he worked with. In fact, verse 2 of the Bible tells us that the fisherman had cleaned their nets and so we know that more fishing was not in the plan.

Jesus speaks to Simon Peter in verse 4, “Put out into deep water, and let down the nets for a catch.” Here we have the beginning of the miracle. Jesus tells Simon Peter to fish. Simon Peter tells Jesus something very significant.

#1 = he and the other fishermen had already worked hard all night

#2 = he and the other fishermen had caught nothing

Why are these things significant? Well, the first thing that Simon Peter tells Jesus is that he and his companions had already spent a great deal of energy trying to catch fish. They had already worked hard all night, and they knew what they were doing. The second thing that Simon Peter tells Jesus is that they did not catch any fish. It just isn’t a good day for fishing. These men were professional fishermen and it was not the day to catch fish.

These two things, though, are not the only things that Simon Peter said to Jesus. Simon Peter also said, “But because you say so, I will let down the nets.” Was Jesus a fisherman? No, of course not, we know that Jesus was a carpenter by trade. So why listen to Jesus?

Anyway, Simon Peter and his buddies, whom we later find out are James and John the sons of Zebedee and probably his own brother Andrew, set out in their boat. I am thinking that it took a while because Jesus told the men to set out for “deep water” and cast out their nets. I can imagine that Simon Peter and the others thought that they were having Déjà vu, as though they had just done this, and they had! So why listen to Jesus?

Verse 6 tells us that when they let down their nets they caught so many fish that the nets began to break. Now that is a lot of fish! At the end of the ordeal of getting the net into the boat, two boats were absolutely so full that the boats began to sink. Lots and lots of fish. They could make all kinds of fish: fish steaks, fish kabobs, fried fish, baked fish, any kind of fish they wanted. I do not think that Simon or Andrew or James or John had ever seen a catch like this (verse 9). It was amazing! It was a miracle!

I pose this question to you… it is the same question I have been asking all along actually… So why listen to Jesus? What is it about Jesus that prompted crowds of people to gather and listen to Him? What is it about Jesus that prompted Simon Peter and the others to set out in their boats at His word?

The answer comes in verses 5 and 8 with how Peter addresses Jesus. In verse 5, Peter addresses Jesus as “Master” and in verse 8 Peter addresses Jesus as “Lord.” The answer to why Peter listened to Jesus was because Jesus was the Master and Lord of His life.

Jesus tackles this issue elsewhere in Scripture:

Luke 6:46-49: And why call ye me, Lord, Lord, and do not the things which I say? 47 Whosoever cometh to me, and heareth my sayings, and doeth them, I will shew you to whom he is like: 48  He is like a man which built an house, and digged deep, and laid the foundation on a rock: and when the flood arose, the stream beat vehemently upon that house, and could not shake it: for it was founded upon a rock. 49 But he that heareth, and doeth not, is like a man that without a foundation built an house upon the earth; against which the stream did beat vehemently, and immediately it fell; and the ruin of that house was great. NKJV

You see, for those of us to desire to follow Jesus, similar to Simon Peter and the other disciples, it means that Jesus is the Lord of our lives. The Lordship of Jesus Christ is an important issue and doctrine in the life of each and every Believer.

I ask you today a very simple question: Is Jesus the Lord of your life? Now I am not asking you if Jesus is the Savior of your life. That is a whole other issue entirely. This message is for all of us who have already confessed Jesus and been buried with Him in the waters of baptism. This is for those of us who already call ourselves Believers. Is Jesus the Lord of your life? How are you doing in this area?

In case you are not entirely sure what the Lordship of Jesus Christ should look like in our lives, let’s look again in Luke 5:1-11.

* The Lordship of Jesus Christ means…

I. We Give Jesus What We Have (verses 1-3): Jesus needed a boat to teach the people and Jesus was able to use one of Simon Peter’s. I hope you see that in the first few verses here there is no asking of permission, but only Simon Peter giving. Simon Peter gave what he had to Jesus for His use.

APPLICATION: Do you give what you have for God’s use? Do you tithe of your money for the building of God’s Kingdom? Tithing is certainly a Lordship issue… do you do what you want with your money or does God, your Lord and Master, have a say in how your money is spent. Do you give enough of your time to God? How much time do you spend in the Bible, praying, coming to Bible studies, attending worship, and serving others in our community? Use of our time is certainly a Lordship issue… do you do what you want with your time and energy or does God, your Lord and Master, have any say?

* The Lordship of Jesus Christ means…

II. We Listen When God Speaks (verse 4): Now, I understand that Simon Peter’s situation was a little bit different in that he had Jesus standing right in front of him, but when Jesus spoke, Peter was listening.

APPLICATION: God still speaks to us today. God speaks to us through His Word. God speaks to us through prayer. God speaks to us through sermons, lessons, and articles we may hear and read. God speaks to us through our fellow Believers around us. Are you listening? You see, part of Lordship to Jesus Christ is listening to Him. This means that we have to actually get into God’s Word to find out what He wants us to do with our lives and how He wants us to live. I hope you know that the Bible gives an answer for every aspect of life and how we should live. Those under the Lordship of Jesus seek out God and listen to what He says.

* The Lordship of Jesus Christ means…

III. We obey the commands of God (verses 5-8): Simon Peter not only heard what Jesus said, but he also obeyed. The key phrase is in verse 5. Simon Peter did not want to go back out fishing. He had already done all that and was done. But because Jesus said so, he obeyed, and he was blessed so much that he was absolutely astonished. Lordship means we obey. Jesus questions us about this in Luke 6:46 (which we read before), “Why do you call me, ’Lord Lord’ and do not do what I say?”

APPLICATION: There are a lot of commands in the Bible for God’s people. If you took the Sermon on the Mount alone, you would spend an entire life trying to live the holy way that Jesus described. And that is exactly the point… are you pursuing in obedience the commands of God? Are you living out the life with your actions and emotions and relationships that you profess with your mouth? I hope you see that having Jesus as Lord of your life means that we do things HIS WAY and not our way. That is why the Disciple’s Prayer (Matthew 6:10) in which Jesus teaches His disciples to pray includes the thought that God’s Will is done in our lives rather than our own. Lordship means we do things HIS WAY… period… all the time in all situations. There is no situation in your life where Jesus does not lay claim. Business dealings. Family Relationships. Politics. Raising kids and grand kids. Money. Time. Entertainment. We must obey Jesus Christ in all areas of our lives.

* Lastly, the Lordship of Jesus Christ means…

IV. We are absolutely God’s absolutely (verses 9-11): Luke 5:11 tells us that the men saw this miracle and they “left everything and followed Him.” They were absolutely God’s and followed with their whole hearts and whole souls and whole minds (Matthew 22:37). That is what the Lordship of Jesus Christ means. It means we follow Him no matter what and no matter the circumstances. It means we follow Him no matter the questions or doubts that we have. We follow God absolutely.

ILLUSTRATION… Augustine Quote

“Jesus Christ is not valued at all until He is valued above all.”

WHAT DOES LORDSHIP MEAN FOR Believers?

#1 We give Jesus what we have and allow Him to use it and us

#2 We listen to Him

#3 We listen to Him and obey in all things

#4 We give ourselves to Him absolutely

CONCLUSION