Untitled Sermon (47)

Let’s Go Fishing!

Luke 5:1-11, 27-32 Let’s Go Fishing!

Have you ever been given a task that you knew was beyond your ability? Not only was it beyond your ability but it was, on first hearing, foolishness? Have you ever thought to yourself; “That is the craziest thing I have ever heard?” Tonight we will be looking at Luke 5:1-11 and 27-32. This is Luke’s version of Jesus’ call to His disciples, particularly Peter and Levi (Matthew). In the Gospels of Matthew, Mark and John Jesus’ calling of His disciples comes somewhat out of the blue. He has been baptized, tempted and tried to some degree by the Pharisees but He did not have a well established ministry. In Luke however we see that Jesus had already established a ministry in Capernaum (Luke 4). He had been run out of His home town of Nazareth where they tried to throw Him off a cliff and He went to Galilee and taught at the Synagogue of Capernaum, cast out demons, healed many including Peter’s mother-in-law, and preached the Kingdom of Heaven in the other synagogues of Galilee. Jesus had a solo ministry before what we will see in our passage this evening in Luke 5. Let’s pray then we will look into Jesus calling of Peter and Levi.

Let’s go ahead and read Luke 5:1-7 1So it was, as the multitude pressed about Him to hear the word of God, that He stood by the Lake of Gennesaret, 2and saw two boats standing by the lake; but the fishermen had gone from them and were washing their nets. 3Then 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. 4When He had stopped speaking, He said to Simon, “Launch out into the deep and let down your nets for a catch.” 5But 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.” 6And when they had done this, they caught a great number of fish, and their net was breaking. 7So 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. This is one of my favorite passages and one of the reasons is because we see a professional carpenter (Jesus) telling a professional fisherman (Peter)how to fish. How many of you know people who are experts on everything? I have been, in the past, accused of thinking myself so. But those kind of people can be worrisome. But in this case the professional carpenter owned the fish the professional fisherman couldn’t seem to catch on his own. Look at Peter’s response to Jesus telling him to go out into the deep and cast his net. Peter knew how to fish, he knew when to fish, and he knew where to fish and he hadn’t caught anything all night. Peter, his brother Andrew and James and John had been out all night doing what they knew how to do with no success. But here comes a carpenter telling them how to do their job. But remember Peter already knew that Jesus was not just any carpenter, He had already healed Peter’s mother in law. So aside from all logic, laying aside everything he knew, Peter launched out into the deep and caught so many fish that he had to call in reinforcements to get them to shore without breaking his nets and sinking his boat. We have looked at Peter’s response and I wonder how I would have responded to Jesus command to do what I knew from experience and common sense would not be fruitful? Have you ever sensed that the Lord was instructing you to do something that went against what you were familiar with? Well Peter did what Jesus required of him but let me ask another question: Did Jesus give Peter and impossible task because He knew Peter had superior fishing skills? No, no one could do what Peter did unless the Lord had been involved. Let me make this as plain as I can: Jesus will call you to do what you cannot do without His being involved in you.

Now let’s look at verses 8-11 8When Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus’ knees, saying, “Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord!” 9For he and all who were with him were astonished at the catch of fish which they had taken; 10and 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.” 11So when they had brought their boats to land, they forsook all and followed Him. Peter had seen Jesus heal people (at least his mother in law) and most likely he had seen Him cast out demons. But this time Peter recognized something in himself that cause him to see the holiness of Jesus. When Peter came to the knowledge that Jesus is Lord he recognized his own sinfulness. This is not the only time we see this in Scripture. Isaiah did the same in Isaiah 6 and Paul experience this in Acts 9. When we see God (Jesus) for Who He is we are changed and we want to lay aside not just our business, family and friends but even our own selves to follow Jesus. Peter and presumably James, John and Andrew “forsook all and followed Him.” And the course Peter and the others would follow would to become fishers of men. When we are called to Christ we are called to be fishers of men. But as we mentioned earlier Jesus did not call Peter because he was a good fisherman; because of what he brought to the table. Jesus did not call you or me to be fishers of men because of what we bring to the table. Let me be plain again: The only thing we brought to the table was our sin that required Jesus’ death to atone for us. Rewind: The only thing we brought to the table was our sin that required Jesus’ death to atone for us. He did not call you, me or Peter because of our ability to fish for men! Yet we are to be fishers of men as He works in us.

Let’s read verses 27-32 27After these things He went out and saw a tax collector named Levi, sitting at the tax office. And He said to him, “Follow Me.” 28So he left all, rose up, and followed Him. 29Then Levi gave Him a great feast in his own house. And there were a great number of tax collectors and others who sat down with them. 30£And their scribes and the Pharisees complained against His disciples, saying, “Why do You eat and drink with tax collectors and sinners?” 31Jesus answered and said to them, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. 32I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance.” I love this, look at what happened here. Jesus calls Peter, James, John and probably Andrew (Peter’s brother) along with Matthew to be fishers of men and then He takes them to a stocked pond full of hungry fish. I remember back a few years, and I don’t know if they do this anymore, the fish and game department of Texas would set up a swimming pool in a mall or convention center and stock it with bass. Then they would not feed the fish for a few days and invite kids to come, they would give them fishing poles and let the kids fish. These bass would strike at anything because they were in need and knew it. You see those who consider themselves righteous will not be caught by the Gospel because they don’t need it. But those who are sinners and know it are like those bass, they are hungry for the Gospel and that is where the fisherman must be. The Lord has placed us in a world filled with those who are lost. Some of them don’t care that they are lost but others know, because the Holy Spirit has been working on them, that they are in need, they are hungry. Believers it is incumbent upon us to make our closest friends from believers but we cannot cease to have close relationships with the lost. If we do not know lost people and have relationships with them and minister to one another then we have to some degree followed Jesus’ command in Matthew 28:18-20 (go and make disciples of all nations) but we have totally disregarded Jesus’ words in Acts 1:8 8But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be £witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” We cannot forsake evangelism for discipleship any more than we can abandon discipleship for evangelism. We have been clearly called to both.

Let me recap very quickly: First: Jesus will call you to do what you cannot do without Him being involved in you. Second: The only thing we brought to the table was our sin that required Jesus’ death to atone for us. He did not call you, me or Peter because of our ability to fish for men! Yet we are to be fishers of men as He works in us. Finally: Go to the fishing hole that the Lord has stocked for your fishing. Let’s pray.