Simon says, Master, . . . and so should you.

Many of us have played the kid’s game called “Simon Says.” The game that has you obey or mimic the leader, but only if they say,

“Simon Says . . .”

Simon says, “Touch your nose.”

Simon says, “Touch your toes.” Now we know why it’s a children’s game, because some of us, more mature people, don’t find it that easy to touch our toes.

Well, I would like to suggest that we have more to learn from Simon, than a silly little kid’s game. The lesson that I am referring to is found in Luke 5

Luke 5:1–7 ESV

1 On one occasion, while the crowd was pressing in on him to hear the word of God, he was standing by the lake of Gennesaret, 2 and he saw two boats by the lake, but the fishermen had gone out of them and were washing their nets. 3 Getting into one of the boats, which was Simon’s, he asked him to put out a little from the land. And he sat down and taught the people from the boat. 4 And when he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, “Put out into the deep and let down your nets for a catch.” 5 And Simon answered, “Master, we toiled all night and took nothing! But at your word I will let down the nets.” 6 And when they had done this, they enclosed a large number of fish, and their nets were breaking. 7 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.

Master . . . At Your Word!

Simon has an attitude of Submission toward Jesus and he was faithfully obedient to the Lord, even when it didn’t make sense.

Even when he was being asked to do something that would have seemed to be inefficient, a wast of energy and down right foolish from a human’s point of view.

Think about it, in the miraculous event, which we’ve just read about. Jesus (a carpenter’s son, turned religious teacher) is telling a fisherman, how to fish. He tells a man who has likely been fishing all his life, and has just fished through the night, that they should go out into the deep and cast their nets. Christ’s statement (command, suggestion, or polite request) would not have made any sense to them, as we see from the middled portion of verse 5, “we toiled all night and took nothing!

It would be like telling the Captain of the Northwestern on the reality TV Show “deadliest catch” to turn around and go back and pull the same string of crab pods that they had just fished, even though all the pods were empty earlier that day.

Now I know that men like to tell fish tales, but we can assume Simon wasn’t making this up. He was speaking with the one whom He called “Master.”

What is Simon’s response? What action does he take? What is his response to Christ’s statement?

He says . . .

Master . . . At your word I will let down the nets.

And what happens, when he obeys the Lord’s instruction/request/suggestion?

Luke 5:6 ESV

6 And when they had done this, they enclosed a large number of fish, and their nets were breaking.

Their nets are filled to overflowing, so much that they are unable to pull the nets into the boat and have to call for help, to handle the amount of fish they caught.

Necessary qualities of a disciple of Christ

Faith-filled and Obedient

Persevering in Faithful submission

Luke 5:5 ESV

5 And Simon answered, “Master, we toiled all night and took nothing! But at your word I will let down the nets.”

What are the results that happen, when the Word of God, Christ’s words are obeyed and engaged? There is blessing, but that isn’t the end of the story.

The message of this passage is what? Do what God wants you to do and you will be blessed beyond your wildest dreams. What a wonderful thought. We might be tempted to think that way. It is not uncommon for us to read a section of scripture like we’ve just read and get the impression that following, submitting to and obeying Jesus will insure that we have incredible material, financial and physical blessings.

We call that way of thinking or that message the prosperity gospel. But that is not the end of the story. That is not the end of the event that we have read about in Luke 5. Look back at Luke 5 again. This time we are going to read a few extra verses.

Luke 5:5–11 ESV

5 And Simon answered, “Master, we toiled all night and took nothing! But at your word I will let down the nets.” 6 And when they had done this, they enclosed a large number of fish, and their nets were breaking. 7 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 But 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 that they had taken, 10 and so also were James and John, sons of Zebedee, who were partners with Simon. And Jesus said to Simon, “Do not be afraid; from now on you will be catching men.” 11 And when they had brought their boats to land, they left everything and followed him.

Did you hear what Simon said. Simon says, Master, at your word I will let down our nets in verse 5 which communicates to us, that Simon was submissive and obedient to Jesus, but did you pick up on the other part of what “Simon says”.

Look at verse 8.

Luke 5:8 ESV

8 But when Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus’ knees, saying, “Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord.”

Just after they realize the incredible catch of fish, so vast that they almost sink two boats trying to bring the catch back to shore

Simon Peter, says . . .

Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord

Now we have the benefit of looking back on the life of Simon Peter. We have a bit more information about his life, than he did at this moment.

We are able to learn a lot about the rest of Simon Peter’s life throughout the pages of the New Testament, but try to put yourself in Peter’s shoes/sandals, for a minute. What is happening here in his life?

He catches a miraculously huge amount of fish, and what is his response?

Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, o LORD!

Simon has come to a place where he recognizes that he is a sinful wretch. He is dead in his tresspasses and sin. Yet he considers Christ to be clean and pure and righteous, and he warns Jesus. Get away, I am unclean. Depart from me, for I am a sinful man.

So we see yet another facet of what it takes to be a disciple of Christ.

Necessary qualities of a disciple of Christ

Faith-filled and Obedient

Persevering in Faithful submission

Humble and Empty- Admission of guilt before God.

Meek and Teachable

We see this time and time again in the Bible.

Genesis 18:27 ESV

27 Abraham answered and said, “Behold, I have undertaken to speak to the Lord, I who am but dust and ashes.

Job 42:5–6 ESV

5 I had heard of you by the hearing of the ear, but now my eye sees you; 6 therefore I despise myself, and repent in dust and ashes.”

This is just after God begins to question Job, and Job is finally able to see and comprehend, what God has been doing in his life.

Isaiah 6:5 ESV

5 And I said: “Woe is me! For I am lost; for I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts!”

Necessary qualities of a disciple of Christ

Faith-filled and Obedient

Persevering in Faithful submission

Humble and Empty- Admission of guilt before God.

Meek and Teachable

Now one last thing, I want to point out here. There is one final point that I want to make this morning, based on the Lord Jesus’ response to Simon Peter, once Simon recognizes is sinful and wretched state.

Luke 5:8–11 ESV

8 But 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 that they had taken, 10 and so also were James and John, sons of Zebedee, who were partners with Simon. And Jesus said to Simon, “Do not be afraid; from now on you will be catching men.” 11 And when they had brought their boats to land, they left everything and followed him.

In this section we see a few more of Jesus’ words. Those red letter words, that we need to pay close attention to.

Jesus said to Simon, “Do not be afraid; from now on you will be catching men.”

Oh what marvelous words these are. What hopeful words these are.

Simon says, Master, I will obey you but I’m a sinful man and Jesus’ reply is, “Do not be afraid; from now on you will be catching men.”

Do not be afraid! There is nothing to fear, in recognizing your sinfulness. Instead, it is when we come to this realization, that we are able to be a disciple of Christ. Anyone who is a child of God, a man of God or a woman of God, has come to that understanding.

To be a disciple of Christ, one must first admit, “I am sinful!”

It is then we are able to accept His gift of Grace and Mercy and are then given the privilege to become fishers of men, along with the disciples, mentioned in Luke 5.

Simon says, Master…and so should you!

In so doing, we are able to join in the wondrous Kingdom building work that God is doing in our midst. We are able to be fishers of men. We are able to bring others to know God and to enter into His Kingdom.

Jeremiah 16:16 ESV

16 “Behold, I am sending for many fishers, declares the Lord, and they shall catch them. And afterward I will send for many hunters, and they shall hunt them from every mountain and every hill, and out of the clefts of the rocks.

Jeremiah 16:21 ESV

21 “Therefore, behold, I will make them know, this once I will make them know my power and my might, and they shall know that my name is the Lord.”

Without Christ’s command and will behind the fishing of men, there will not be a soul caught.

Simon says, Master…and so should you!

Seek to know the Master’s will, Strive to Obey the Master’s Word, and He will make you a fisher of men!