A New Life

Introduction – Seeing Yourself in the Story

There truly is nothing quite like a compelling story. And one of the fantastic things about stories is that they can take many different genres and mediums. They can come in the form of an “unputdownable” book, or an engrossing film, or a shared memory.

They can range from great tales of conflict, to gripping journeys of learning and transformation, to epic mysteries full of surprise twists and turns, to heartwarming stories of love and romance.

And one of the reasons why we engage so much with stories is because we can often see elements of ourselves in the characters. Their traits mirror our traits. Their struggles echo our struggles. Their hopes and ambitions run parallel to ours.

SLIDE 2 – Book Week

Book Week, which FYI parents and teachers, is just around the corner, is a great example of this. During this week, children and teachers across the nation dress-up as their favourite literary characters, showcasing the characters they have connected with and perhaps even who they aspire to be like.

And while we may do away with the dress-ups, here in church we too often see ourselves in the characters of the stories of the Bible. And this is because with the exception of God, who is both the central character and the grand storyteller of the whole narrative, all the characters in the Bible are human.

They are humans with both inner and external battles, and they are humans who experience both failures and triumphs. And so, very often we can personally relate to the characters in the Bible.

Simon Peter is one such example. He has splendid moments of wisdom and insight, and yet at other times, he speaks and acts well before he thinks. In one moment, he can demonstrate tremendous bravery and then not long afterwards, shrink away with mouse-like fear. He is intensely loyal and committed… until he isn’t. Sounds like the guy I know who lives in the mirror.

SLIDE 3 – Series Title

So over the next three weeks in this series titled “Follow Me”, we are going to engage with three stories involving Simon Peter. And like any good story, our journey over the next few weeks will take us through the highs and lows, from Simon Peter beginning his new life as a follower of Jesus, to being restored by the resurrected Jesus following his greatest failure, to living courageously for Jesus in the face of opposition.

SLIDE 4 – A New Life

So let’s begin this journey with Simon’s New Life, as is described in today’s Bible passage from Luke chapter 5. And in this passage, Simon has three responses to Jesus; he obeys Jesus, he bows before Jesus, and he leaves everything to follow Jesus. First up then, Simon obeys Jesus.

First Teaching Point – Simon Obeys Jesus

SLIDE 5 – Simon Obeys Jesus

The opening verses of Luke chapter 5 set the scene for the story that follows. Jesus is in the early stages of his public ministry. He’s been in the town of Capernaum but has departed to preach the good news of the kingdom of God throughout the region of Galilee.

Yet he hasn’t travelled far before he comes across a body of water which goes by many names; here the author Luke calls it the Lake of Gennesaret, but elsewhere it’s called the Sea of Galilee.

And so as Jesus is by the shores of the lake, he’s surrounded by a large crowd who have come out to hear his teaching. And in their eagerness to hear from him, the crowd encroaches and surrounds Jesus to the point that his teaching is being impeded. He needs some calm and some space.

And he looks around and behold, a couple of vacant fishing boats. One of those will do nicely. He jumps in one and asks one of the fishermen to put him out just far enough so that everyone back on the shore can still hear him. And he sits down, as was customary for teachers in those days, and teaches the people from the boat.

And you imagine that the crowd who had gathered there that day were eagerly and attentively hanging on his every word. This is exactly why they have come. This is what they were hoping for. But in contrast to the enthusiastic crowd, and likely off to the side somewhere, are these fishermen.

They’re not here to listen to Jesus. Rather, they’ve been toiling out on the open water all night without a skerrick of success, and now they’re back on the shore. They are tired and frustratedly untangling and cleaning the weeds out of their nets. Jesus teaching the crowds is likely just some background noise to them as they hurriedly try to complete the final part of their day’s work.

Perhaps you can see yourself in the story at this point… either as someone who's come today eager and attentive to hear the word of God, or as someone whose mind is preoccupied by something else.

Well, if Jesus’ teaching had been background noise to Simon, he makes sure to grab his full attention at the conclusion of his teaching. Jesus says to Simon, “Put out into deep water, and let down the nets for a catch.”

What an unusual and even audacious thing to say! Here we have a carpenter’s son and itinerant preacher telling a professional fisherman when it is a good time to go fishing!

You could just about forgive Simon for losing his cool at this point. It’s really irritating when someone else tells us how to do our jobs! It’s one thing for a boss or a co-worker in the same field to critique your work. It’s a totally different thing when someone from outside your field thinks they could do your job better than you!

As a professional fisherman, Simon knows that night is the optimal time for fishing. If he’s just been out working hard all night and returned with nothing, there’s no logical reason why the daytime will yield better results.

Yet as weary and irritated as he likely was, something in Simon stirs him to go against his better judgment and listen to Jesus. Simon obeys Jesus’ peculiar instruction and lets down the nets once again.

And it’s not unusual for Jesus to ask his people to do the unusual. Sometimes he asks us to do surprising things in surprising places to stretch us and force us to rely upon his wisdom rather than our own.

A few weeks ago we had Mark Peterson from CMS here, and we heard an update from our partner missionary K. Spending years learning another language and building cross-cultural relationships is unusual; it’s resource-draining, it could even be considered foolish. But for K and other CMS missionaries, they choose to obey Jesus so that others in gospel-poor parts of the world may come to know and have life in him.

And so it may be a good opportunity for us all to take a moment now to stop and reflect… has Jesus given me an instruction that I am yet to obey because it was unusual, or surprising, or against my own better judgment? (p) Is there an area of my life where he is calling me to trust in his wisdom rather than my own?

(p) If he has placed something on your heart in this moment, make a note of it. It would be wise to listen and obey. Because as we see in the next part of the passage, obedience brings results.

Second Teaching Point – Simon Bows Before Jesus

SLIDE 6 – Simon Bows Before Jesus

And those results are both immediate and immense! Having let down the nets into the water, in an instant, the nets fill with a tremendous number of fish. So substantial is this catch that the nets are now straining and almost at breaking point. The weight of this great haul is causing their boat to tip over and take on water.

And they quickly realise that this catch is more than one boat can handle, so they call out to their colleagues to come and help them. But that does little to help the situation. Now two full boats are overflowing and at risk of sinking!

And in the frantic rush, something profound dawns upon Simon. Rather than taking action to save his livelihood by collecting the fish and preventing his boat from sinking, he needs to take action to save his life. His professional expertise tells him that only a representative of God could have produced a miraculous catch like this in the middle of the day.

There is a holy man on board the boat with him whose presence is like fire; beautiful and warm and inviting, but also dangerous if not approached carefully. And so Simon bows before Jesus and says, “Go away from me, Lord; I am a sinful man!”

The premise behind Simon’s actions and words is that a man of God surely would want nothing to do with an everyday sinner. He assumes that God works with and uses only extraordinary people: the pious, the educated, the elite.

As an ordinary, uneducated fisherman, he does not feel worthy of being in Jesus’ presence and of receiving this blessing. More than that, as a sinful man, it is actually dangerous for him to be in the presence of a holy God. And so in words full of respect and awe, he falls to his knees and asks Jesus to get away from him.

But if the miraculous catch of fish astonished Simon and his colleagues, what happens next is even more amazing. Rather than being repelled by Simon’s sinfulness, Jesus draws Simon in closer to him.

Because rather than looking for the pious, the educated, or the elite, Jesus is actually looking for people who can humbly confess that they need his help. For it is one thing to be a sinner and deny it. It is another to know who you are before God and humbly bow before him.

And so is a shocking twist: Simon’s confession actually becomes his resume for service. Admitting his own brokenness and coming to Jesus empty-handed means that Simon must entirely depend upon Jesus, and that’s exactly the type of person Jesus can use the most.

Because as well as Jesus asking people to do “unusual” things, he also delights in using “unusual” people. Not unusual in the sense of quirky or strange, but unusual in running counter to our expectations.

Like Simon, we often see our limitations and the reasons why we would not be useful to God and his plans. It can be tempting for each of us to look at our past and see the reasons why Jesus would be better off choosing someone else rather than choosing me.

It’s not uncommon for people in the Bible to do this. Moses tells God he talks no good and to please send someone else. Gideon doubts that he can be God’s mighty warrior because he is a nobody; the smallest and weakest family member in the smallest and weakest Israelite tribe. And Simon is a sinful man who tells Jesus to go away.

But extraordinarily, God can and does use each of these people to achieve his purposes. Do you truly, wholeheartedly, believe that God could similarly use you? Or can you not get past your limitations, the reasons why not you?

(P) Can I encourage you that Jesus doesn’t just see who you are right now… he sees who you can become by following him. He doesn’t just see who you are right now… he sees who you can become by following him.

Third Teaching Point – Simon Leaves Everything to Follow Jesus

SLIDE 7 – Simon Leaves Everything to Follow Jesus

And so for Simon, and for us too, a turning point has been reached. In response to Simon, Jesus first assures him that he is in no danger; he need not be afraid. Having reassured him, Jesus then calls Simon to a new life. From now on, things will be different for Simon.

The nature of his new life is revealed in the final words, “you will fish for people.” The words used here take a typically negative image and reverse it. Unlike fish, which are caught to be filleted and devoured, Simon is to catch people alive, or to catch people for life.

And so with these words, Jesus is calling Simon to join him in his mission of rescuing people from the dangers of sin, death, and hell, and bringing them into eternal life in his kingdom.

And while this call is issued to Simon individually, did you notice the response? “So they pulled their boats up on shore, left everything and followed him.”

The response is collective. Simon, along with his brother Andrew and James and John, the sons of Zebedee, they all respond to the invitation of a new life with Jesus.

They leave behind the tools of their livelihood, their nets and boats. And they leave behind the greatest catch they had seen in all their lives. Why? Because that catch was not nearly as important as what it showed them about Jesus. He is God’s chosen One, the Christ, who has come to bring life in abundance. So they left everything and followed him.

Application – 3 Categories of People

For us here today, I think that each of us will potentially fall into one of three categories. And each category has a question to consider. The first category is those who have never followed Jesus before today.

SLIDE 8 – Category 1

If that’s you, I hope you resonate with and see something of yourself in the character of Simon. Have you been out striving and toiling to build a better life for yourself, only to come up short? Or do you think that there’s no way that God could be interested in and even forgive and love someone like you? (p) If so, be assured that you are exactly the kind of person Jesus is looking for.

SLIDE 9 – Question 1

So your question is: Will you begin your new life with Jesus today? Let today be the day you bow before Jesus and admit your brokenness before him. And let today be the day you leave behind your old life to follow him and begin your new, abundant, overflowing life.

If you want to begin your new life with Jesus, please do reach out to a family member, a friend, or even me… we’d love to help you begin following Jesus.

SLIDE 10 – Category 2

(p) The second category of people is those of us who would call ourselves followers of Jesus, but we’ve become a bit complacent, a bit half-hearted, a bit lukewarm.

We love Jesus as our Saviour. We’re less keen on Jesus as our Lord because that challenges our character and our comforts. And so we water down the hard call to fully let go of our own ambitions, wants, and desires.

If that’s you, I hope that you can take inspiration from the collective response of the fishermen. They leave everything to follow Jesus. They’re 100% all-in.

Now there was a huge cost associated with this choice. The miraculous catch of fish would have been a significant payday, the biggest payday of their lives. To leave behind this catch, as well as the tools of their trade, is a substantial cost. Moreover, their new vocation as fishers of men will be far less financially rewarding.

So why do they do it? (p) Because the catch was not as important as what it taught them about Jesus: he is the Christ, God’s chosen One. So they left everything and followed him.

SLIDE 11 – Question 2

And their response challenges us to consider this question… Am I prepared to count the cost… or am I still attached to my old life? Is following Jesus my first and greatest priority? Am I ‘all-in’?

Do I have one foot still in the boat or one hand still holding onto the nets, and it’s weighing me down and holding me back from fully realising my new life with Jesus? Today is a great day to let go, to leave the old life behind so that we might be ‘all-in’ followers of Jesus.

SLIDE 12 – Category 3

(P) Finally, the third category of people here today are those Jesus is calling to a vocational change, to be fishers of people.

As part of the good design of his creation, God ordains people to work. We are the caretakers and the custodians of his world and the people within it.

Alongside doing this good work which honours God, Jesus commands his followers to share in his missional work of going and making disciples, baptising them, and teaching them to follow his commands. And so, the particular places and life circumstances in which God has placed us are our own little fishing ponds.

All followers of Jesus have this ministry, and all are equal before him. Yet some are also given particular gifts, characteristics, and the work of serving him vocationally. So, have you ever taken the time to consider if Jesus is calling you to a vocational change?

If you’re in the medical or allied health fields, could Jesus be saying to you, ‘from now on, you will bring healing to people’s spiritual lives’? If you’re a tradesperson or an engineer, could Jesus be saying to you, ‘from now on, you will help build my kingdom’? If you’re an educator, could Jesus be saying to you, ‘from now on, you will teach people to follow me’?

(P) Some of you would know that my former vocation was an engineer in the Air Force. And when people find that out, they often say something like “that’s a big change… why did you decide to do that?”

And the truth is, there are lots of little reasons that all contributed to the one big decision… but at least part of my thinking was reflecting on this question: what does it look like for me to be an ‘all-in’ follower of Jesus?

Does it look like being an engineer in the Air Force? Or does it look like being an engineer somewhere else? Ultimately, I decided that with my particular characteristics and life circumstances, vocational ministry is the best way for me to follow Jesus with everything that I have.

Now this is not to toot my own horn and say that I am an exceptional follower of Jesus, because I’m not. I’m just like Simon and like you, a sinner needing to humbly bow before Jesus.

Neither am I saying this because vocational ministry is the best and only way for everyone to follow Jesus; it’s not. But I share this story because I think it’s worth each of us thoughtfully considering that same question…

SLIDE 13 – Question 3

What does it look like for me to be an ‘all-in’ follower of Jesus? How can I give him my best?

And while he isn’t always an example of getting it right, as we’ll see next week, let us learn from Simon’s three responses to Jesus. Let us be obedient followers of Jesus who rely on his wisdom rather than our own. Let us be humble followers of Jesus who come to him empty-handed, entirely dependent upon him. And let us be all-in followers of Jesus who are willing to count the cost of following him and go wherever he leads us.

Friends, let’s each respond to Jesus' call to follow me, because ordinary folks like you and me are exactly the kind of people Jesus delights in using to build his kingdom.

PRAY

My One Thing

(P) Well as we do each week, let me invite you to now take one minute to open your phone or your notebook and write down your One Thing. One thing that struck you, challenged, or encouraged you today. Take 60 seconds to write it down. Then share it over morning tea. After the 60 seconds, Shannon will continue leading us in a time of prayer.