One Day...In The Boat

Introduction:

Our lives consist of a series of moments, many of them seemingly insignificant, mundane, forgettable, but when strung together, they tell tremendous stories of triumph and failure, or laughter and tears, of great blessing and great loss. But then our lives are also punctuated by days. Many of them we never even saw coming but days that mark us and shape us and define us and change us.

Turn in your Bibles to but before I start reading that, I want to set up what we are going to be talking about and why. We are going to look at a story of a man by the name of Simon. Jesus nicknamed him Peter so we know him better by that name and I will probably refer to him that way, but let me explain a little bit about who Peter was, why we should care and why his one day should make any difference in our lives.

Peter was a fisherman who lived in the town of Capernaum in the 1st Century. Obviously, his fishing business was doing pretty well because it wasn’t just him in his own little boat with one line. He actually had a whole business. We are told in Scripture that James and John were his partners. Peter was very opinionated and he was a natural leader and sometimes his attitude got him into trouble. But it was because of his strong personality that Jesus nicknamed him Peter. Peter owned a house. He was married. Obviously his house was large enough to contain his family, his mother-in-law, his brother Andrew and even Jesus because it appears from Scripture that Jesus lived with Peter from time to time when He was in Capernaum. So Peter is basically this normal guy, ordinary guy with a normal job at the period of time with a normal family. He had a little bit of an attitude but otherwise just a normal guy.

In , we learn that several days before the account we are about to read, Jesus came to his home to heal his mother-in-law. And it says that after that happened, at sunset, all the people from the town that needed healing came to Peter’s house and Jesus spent the entire night healing people. In fact, so much so, it says that at daybreak, Jesus had to go find a solitary place to hang out for a while. So Peter saw Jesus working miracles right in his own home.

Then fast forward several years later and this ordinary guy, Peter becomes the leader of the church. Peter becomes this guy who was so bold, his zeal takes him on missionary journeys and lands him in prison. He is also the guy who took the gospel, the message of Jesus, outside the walls of religious and cultural and social Judaism and out to the ends of the world. He had this vision from God that tells him to take the message of Jesus to Cornelius, a Roman officer, and all of a sudden, the message of God goes to the ends of the earth, and outside this small little circle of Jewish culture.

So I would argue today that the reason Peter’s story matters to us is that it is at least partially due to Peter, if not significantly due to Peter, that any of us are here this weekend paying any attention to the teachings of a Jewish man that lived 2,000 years ago.

So we pick up Peter’s story in . I’m just going to read through the passage and talk through it along the way and we will work through it together.

Luke 5:1 NLT

1 One day as Jesus was preaching on the shore of the Sea of Galilee, great crowds pressed in on him to listen to the word of God.

The first thing I see here is that “one days” often begin as “normal days”. We find Jesus, this new Rabbi, this new teacher has come into town telling tales and spinning stories and entertaining crowds and helping people understand who God is. This was just a normal day. I don’t think anybody woke up that morning thinking that anything life changing or history altering was going to happen. Then it says:

The first thing I see here is that one days often begin as normal days. We find Jesus, this new Rabbi, this new teacher has come into town telling tales and spinning stories and entertaining crowds and helping people understand who God is. This was just a normal day. I don’t think anybody woke up that morning thinking that anything life changing or history altering was going to happen. Then it says:

Luke 5:2–3 NLT

2 He noticed two empty boats at the water’s edge, for the fishermen had left them and were washing their nets. 3 Stepping into one of the boats, Jesus asked Simon, its owner, to push it out into the water. So he sat in the boat and taught the crowds from there.

It refers to Simon, this is the same guy that Jesus will later nickname Peter, so that’s who we are talking about, and it is fascinating to me that Jesus just gets right into Peter’s boat. We tend to think that Jesus is out there somewhere but it is interesting to me that Jesus didn’t just sit in the synagogue and wait for people to come to Him. He got right up into Peter’s business, right up into his every day, walking around, ordinary life and got into his boat. What is interesting to me about that is that Jesus is not just concerned about our religious life. He is not just concerned about this little piece of our life over here and Jesus isn’t somebody that is just out there somewhere. He wants to get into our boats! He wants to get right into the mess of our ordinary, everyday lives.

So for some of us this morning it is a matter of just saying, ‘Hey Jesus, I’m going to let You come on my boat so I can see what You have to say and so I can see who You are about and what You are about.’

Luke 5:4–5 NLT

4 When he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, “Now go out where it is deeper, and let down your nets to catch some fish.” 5 “Master,” Simon replied, “we worked hard all last night and didn’t catch a thing. But if you say so, I’ll let the nets down again.”

This scene is hilarious. Jesus does not know the first thing about fishing. Yes, He is fully God and fully man and maybe in his full divinity He knows about fishing, but as far as the crowds are concerned, He is a carpenter. In that culture, that means He is a stonemason. He built houses for people. So it is kind of like He is saying, ‘Ok Peter thanks for letting Me use your boat now you can go to work, go on out there and catch some fish.’ This is silly because Jesus doesn’t know the first thing about fishing. It is funny. Peter has been out fishing all night and Jesus tells him to go out and cast the nets. They have just finished washing the nets. They just got in from a whole night’s worth of work and they just cleaned everything and now Jesus is saying, ‘Hey, take that 1,000 pounds of fishing net and load it back up and go out and catch some fish.’ Not only that, the advice He gives is ridiculous because any fisherman worth their salt knew that to catch fish on the Sea of Galilee, you fished in the middle of the night in the shallow waters. Jesus was telling them to cast out into the deep in the middle of the day. These guys have been working all night and it is time for them to rest but Jesus is telling them to go back out and go fish. I’m honestly not sure what the bigger miracle of this story is, what is about to happen or the fact that Peter said ok! I don’t know really what caused Peter to say, ‘Guys, we worked all night and we’ve got everything washed up and put away for the day but Jesus says go so we are going to go.’ The advice was terrible and yet they obeyed it. The only reason I can think of that Peter was willing to do what Jesus said was because, remember a few days earlier Jesus had been in his house healing people. He had seen his mother-in-law get healed. He had seen people from his town, people he knew and maybe people he was very good friends with get their lives turned upside down by Jesus. He had seen that this man could do things that nobody else could do. So maybe it was for that reason that he said let’s give it a shot. There is something different about his guy.

One of the things I have discovered is that I think Christianity, faith, following Jesus, whatever label you put on it, it is simultaneously the most logical thing in the world and the most illogical thing in the world. There are things about following Jesus that make so much sense, I can’t imagine why people don’t do it. And then there are other moments when I think about following Jesus and I’m like this is crazy! And it makes no sense at all! Especially when He asks us to do crazy things like He asked Peter to do here. But one of the things I’ve learned is that in order to move from an intellectual belief in something to practical faith in who Jesus is, sometimes we have to step out and test his words just to see what happens. And that’s what Peter does.

So Peter goes back out and casts his nets into the deep and the Scripture says:

Luke 5:6–10 NLT

6 And this time their nets were so full of fish they began to tear! 7 A shout for help brought their partners in the other boat, and soon both boats were filled with fish and on the verge of sinking. 8 When Simon Peter realized what had happened, he fell to his knees before Jesus and said, “Oh, Lord, please leave me—I’m such a sinful man.” 9 For he was awestruck by the number of fish they had caught, as were the others with him. 10 His partners, James and John, the sons of Zebedee, were also amazed. Jesus replied to Simon, “Don’t be afraid! From now on you’ll be fishing for people!”

First of all, Jesus doesn’t just meet Peter’s expectations, He exceeds them significantly. Secondly, I think it is interesting that they had to call another boat over to help because the catch was so extreme and Peter couldn’t handle the blessing of Jesus all for himself. He had to call other boats, his other boats, his partners, over to help. One of the things we have to understand about this is that when Jesus really shows up in our lives, when we have a real encounter with Jesus, it is going to spill over into the lives of people around us. A lot of times we say things like I believe in having a personal relationship with Christ. Then we will try to hide behind that so that we don’t have to bother anybody else. But what this shows me is that a relationship with Jesus is always personal but it is never private. If we truly have been encountered with the life-changing power of Jesus, it is going to spill over to the people around us.

Then Peter falls on his knees, recognizing his own inadequacy. He comes face to face with Jesus and realizes that he is completely nothing. He comes to this place where he realizes that it doesn’t matter how good we are or how much we know or how talented we are. When we see ourselves in light of Jesus, we realize it is all nothing. Jesus steps into our boats and He shakes up our world. He defies our logic and He challenges every deeply held conviction we have and He changes our world view.

Then we keep reading:

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.

Peter has had an encounter with Jesus and he has to do something about it. He has encountered one of these one day moments and he has a choice to make. This is the part of the story that is the most mind-boggling to me because if I’m Peter, I’m offering Jesus a job! Jesus, You can come into my boat anytime! You tell us when to fish and where to fish, this is going to be a good partnership! But instead, Peter falls on his knees. Peter confesses who He is and I love the way Jesus responds. He says, ‘Don’t be afraid.’ One of the most powerful things we hear from Jesus over and over in the New Testament is don’t be afraid. And then He gives a very cryptic future for them, you are going to fish for people. I have no idea if they knew anything about what that meant or not. But Jesus doesn’t change Peter’s identity. He takes his identity and just reframes it. He doesn’t leave him where he is but tells him who he is going to become. And that’s what Jesus does in our lives.

Then they left it all. They just walked away from everything. They had just come into shore with the biggest catch of their entire lives. Their boats are on the verge of sinking and they just walk away to follow Jesus. It just boggles my brain because I’m thinking, ‘Peter, this is your moment to say Jesus keep being part of what I’m doing.’ Obviously being associated with Jesus has tremendous advantages. You’ve just caught the greatest number of fish you’ve ever caught in your life! Being associated with Jesus has clear benefits. And I would say that is true in our lives as well. Being associated with Jesus comes with great blessing. Jesus has served me well. My faith has served me well. Our faith serves us well all through life and growing up whether we are trying to figure out who we are, why we are here, what we are supposed to do, how we are supposed to act in difficult situations, etc. The Bible is a book that is full of truth, practical truth, principles for our lives, principles that if we apply them, we find that God has all truth and God can apply all truth and if we follow these principles we will have very fruitful and faithful and wonderful marriages and that our finances will work out the way they should. There are principles about parenting and about how to do our jobs well. So our faith has advantages and I make no apologies for that. There is nothing wrong with that. There is nothing wrong with the idea that being associated with Jesus makes our lives better.

But there is another side to it because there is a danger that if we only see it that way, that Jesus is just here to give us good lives and make our lives better, then we begin to view Him as a commodity. And we become a consumer of faith and a consumer of Jesus. We consume the promises that He gives us and we consume the principles to give us a good life. We consume the blessings and we ask Jesus to get into our boat when we are going out and we need Him. But there will always come a moment when Jesus is going to ask us to do more than just associate with Him. He is going to ask us to follow Him. And in those moments, it will not appear to be immediately beneficial for us. There is going to come a moment when Jesus will ask us to follow Him somewhere and it will not feel good. It is going to cause us to sacrifice. There is going to come a moment when Jesus asks us to leave something behind that we can never come back to. When Jesus says, ‘Follow Me,’ He is not just asking us to change our minds. He is asking us to change our direction.

Conclusion:

Here’s what we’ve got to understand, salvation is free. It will cost us absolutely nothing. But following Jesus, being his disciple will always cost us something. And sometimes following Jesus will cost us everything.

This was Peter’s “one day”. It was a day when he realized “I can’t just be around Jesus anymore, I have to follow Him. It is not just about associating with Jesus. It is about identifying with Jesus.”

Maybe you are in a place this weekend where Christianity has served you well. But on this one day, Jesus is asking you to follow Him in ways that do not seem to serve you well. Like Peter, it is a moment of decision. It is not about how well Christianity is serving you, but how are we serving Jesus.

In , it says

Matthew 16:13–16 NLT

13 When Jesus came to the region of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?” 14 “Well,” they replied, “some say John the Baptist, some say Elijah, and others say Jeremiah or one of the other prophets.” 15 Then he asked them, “But who do you say I am?” 16 Simon Peter answered, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.”

Matthew 16:13 NLT

13 When Jesus came to the region of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?”

Caesarea Philippi where they are at is the northern most region of Israel and it was known as a very pagan place. People would come to worship Greek gods and it was in this kind of this unexpected religious environment that Jesus asked his disciples to declare his identity. Who do people say I am? Some say John the Baptist or You are the One who defies the religious establishment and preaches the coming of a new kingdom. Other say You are Elijah, the man who works miracles and wonders. Some say You are Jeremiah, that You are like a prophet who wept as Jesus wept over Jerusalem, wept over God’s people as they were about to be occupied by an invading army. All good answers. He was a teacher. He was a miracle worker. He was a man of compassion. Just like today. We have public consensus about Jesus. He is a good man. He is a teacher. He is an important historical figure. But then Jesus turns the question around and makes it very personal for the disciples. But who do you say that I am? In this moment, the disciples couldn’t hide behind the polls of popular opinion. This became very personal. They had to answer the question who is Jesus. Who do you say that I am? Peter said, ‘You are the Messiah, the Son of the Living God.’ He got it right.

Who do you say Jesus is?

The Magi referred to Him as the King of the Jews. Simeon said He was the Light of Revelation and the Glory of Israel. John the Baptist called Him the Lamb of God. The Roman Centurion called Him Lord. Martha called Him the Teacher. The Samaritan woman called Him a Prophet. Blind Bartimaus called Him the Son of David. The ten lepers called Him Master and Nicodemus called Him Rabbi. All good, valid answers.

Who do you say He is?

There are a lot of good answers we can give but there is only one that really matters. He is the Christ. He is the Son of the Living God. He is the Master. He is the Savior and Lord of our lives.

Who do you say He is?

All of us will come to a day, and I believe that for many of us, today is one day, when we are being asked to declare who we believe Jesus is. You see, we can’t be satisfied by just saying He was a good man or He was a good teacher because Jesus doesn’t really us that option. This is the man who said He has the authority to forgive sins and that He had existed since before time and would exist through eternity. He said that He would be the One to judge everybody to the end of the world. Good people don’t say stuff like that unless it is true.

C.S. Lewis says it a lot more eloquently than I will ever be able to, so let me read the way he frames this. He says:

Who do you say He is? As C.S. Lewis would say it,

I think a lot of times we talk about faith as a journey. But faith also comes down to days, moments of decision, moments of declaration, moments of a decision to follow Jesus, to leave behind the things that maybe we hold most dear in order to follow the Man who means so much more.

I believe that today is a one day for many of us. Maybe the one day for you is just saying, hey, I don’t know a whole lot about this but I want to invite Jesus to get into my boat today. I want to be able to hear what He has to say and see what He is about and to see more clearly who He is. That might be where you are at. Jesus, I want you to come into my life so I can see things better.

For some of you, the one day is turning around and following Him, leaving something behind that might not feel beneficial or advantageous, but to follow Him further and to be his disciple. It means He is calling you to something deeper.

I believe for many of you, this is the day to decide that you are going to get baptized. That one day that is the marker in your spiritual journey that you are a follower of Jesus, that you are not just going to be around Jesus anymore, you are going to follow Him. You are not just going to be associated with Jesus, you are going to identify with Him.

Make that one day your one day! Make your decision. Make your declaration. Who do you say he is? What step do you need to take today? The one day that Jesus is asking you to make a decision and make a declaration.

Today is your “one day”!

-to declare Jesus is Lord of your life and Savior of your life (So for some of us this morning it is a matter of just saying, ‘Hey Jesus, I’m going to let You come on my boat so I can see what You have to say and so I can see who You are about and what You are about.’)

-to declare that you are no longer allowing your faith to serve you but you are going to serve Jesus Christ no matter the cost be it small or large (But Jesus doesn’t change Peter’s identity. He takes his identity and just reframes it. He doesn’t leave him where he is but tells him who he is going to become. And that’s what Jesus does in our lives.)

-to take the step of faith God is calling you to take whether it is in water baptism, volunteering in a ministry, tithing regularly in spite of what your checkbook says, etc. (in order to move from an intellectual belief in something to practical faith in who Jesus is, sometimes we have to step out and test his words just to see what happens)

One Day...In The Boat

“He is either a liar, lunatic or He is Lord.”

C.S. Lewis