I thought we were just fishing

Catch of the day

Summary: 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 Christian.

Miracles of Jesus: Fishin’ With The Lord

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 ). 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.”

Let’s listen to the Word of God this morning.

READ

These verses of tell us that Jesus was at the Lake of Galilee. We do not know what He was doing exactly, but we know He ended up teaching people while 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 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 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:

: "Why do you call me, ’Lord Lord’ and do not do what I say? I will show you what he is like who comes to me and hears my words and puts them into practice. He is like a man building a house, who dug down deep and laid the foundation on rock. When a flood came, the torrent struck that house but could not shake it, because it was well built. But the one who hears my words and does not put them into practice is like a man who built a house on the ground without a foundation. The moment the torrent struck that house, it collapsed and its destruction was complete.”

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 Christian.

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 Christians. 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 .

* 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?

ILLUSTRATION… “The Venetian Blind” (http://www.bible.org/illus.asp?topic_id=609)

A fellow in our office told us recently of a household incident of which he had been an innocent but perplexed spectator. Our friend had called a Venetian-blind repairman to come pick up a faulty blind, and the next morning, while the family was seated at the breakfast table, the doorbell rang. Our friend’s wife went to the door, and the man outside said, “I’m here for the Venetian blind.” Excusing herself in a preoccupied way, the wife went to the kitchen, fished a dollar from the food money, pressed it into the repairman’s hand, then gently closed the door and returned to the table. “Somebody collecting,” she explained, pouring the coffee.

* 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.

ILLUSTRATION… “I’m sure she had it coming” (http://www.sermons.org/illustrations.html)

The story is told of Franklin Roosevelt, who often endured long receiving lines at the White House. He complained that no one really paid any attention to what was said. One day, during a reception, he decided to try an experiment. To each person who passed down the line and shook his hand, he murmured, "I murdered my grandmother this morning." The guests responded with phrases like, "Marvelous! Keep up the good work. We are proud of you. God bless you, sir." It was not till the end of the line, while greeting the ambassador from Bolivia, that his words were actually heard. Nonplussed, the ambassador leaned over and whispered, "I’m sure she had it coming."

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 Christians 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 and 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 (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 Lord’s Prayer () 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.

ILLUSTRATION… Total Obedience (http://elbourne.org/sermons/index.mv?illustration+1532)

The will of God never has been and never will be accomplished by those who are not totally obedient to Him. During the Civil War, it is said that there was a man who was sympathetic to both sides. He lived, you see, in a border line state. Finally, he decided that he would effect a compromise. He put on a mixed uniform, wearing the Confederate gray coat, and the Union blue trousers. All went well, it seems, until he became engaged in a hard fought battle, when the Federals shot him in the coat, and the Confederates shot him in the seat of the pants! Now, there’s a moral to this highly improbably story. If you are going to serve in an army you must wear it’s uniform. If you are going to march in the parade, you must keep in step.

* Lastly, the Lordship of Jesus Christ means…

IV. We are absolutely God’s absolutely (verses 9-11): 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 (). 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 CHRISTIANS?

#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