"MINISTRY RE-IMAGINED: God is the One to help you get the Job Done"

TEXT: LUKE 5:1-11

INTRODUCTION

I am not a fisherman, don’t misunderstand me, I like to eat fish, I just don’t like going out there to try to fish. I do all my fishing with a fork. They tell me that every fisherman has a fishing story, (tell story of fishing with dynamite). I think that might be the word God has for us as the people of God at North G. Are we going to fish or are we going to talk and complain all day?

Today I want to talk to you about a fishing story. Not the kind of story some of you fisherman tell, this story actually happened. I come to this incident in the life of our Lord as He calls Simon Peter to a greater commitment to ministry. This incident gives us a clear challenge to properly respond to the call and claim of Jesus on our lives.

Jesus is in Galilee doing what no one else in the history of the planet can do nearly as well. He is teaching. Crowds are pressing and pushing trying to get as close to Jesus as they could. Christ is teaching by the Sea of Galilee, or the lake of Gennesaret, as it is called here, sometimes called the Sea of Tiberias, in the Old Testament the name was Chinneroth.

So, there He is on the shore with this mass of people coming out of towns and villages and cities, crowding around and eventually pushing Him. It tells us in verse 1, the crowd of people were listening to the Word of God. They were listening to the word of God. Let me take you to school for a moment, now please don’t shut down, don’t tune me out, and don’t worry we will be sure to go to church before we finish. In the Greek text this is what is called a subjective genitive, hang with me a minute, and let me tell you what that means. An accurate translation is they were listening to the word that comes from God. They were listening to the word that comes from God. This is a clear indicator that Jesus is God, the 2nd person of the Godhead.

The press of the crowd threatened to push Jesus right into the sea. The priority of Jesus is to get the word out. In order to do so He had to be creative. He had to re-imagine how to do ministry. That is the concept I wish to explore in this message.

As we unpack the passage to uncover the principles there are three truths threaded into the tapestry of the text. They form the substance of the sermon and offers the homiletical hinges on which the message swings. Notice, LAUNCH OUT INTO THE DEEP WITH COMMITTED FAITH, LET DOWN YOUR NETS WITH CONSISTENT TRUST, and LOAD UP YOU BOAT WITH CONTINUAL BLESSINGS.

I. LAUNCH OUT INTO THE DEEP WITH COMMITTED FAITH

After teaching the word Jesus challenges Simon Peter’s faith. In so doing, He also challenges ours.

A. THE VESSAL- Notice that Jesus is seeking to get the word out, but the crowd is making it difficult if not impossible. So, in act of creativity Jesus commandeers Peter’s boat. Now boats are not traditionally used as pulpits but that’s exactly what Jesus did. Jesus used the resources available because the important thing was to get the word out.

I declare my beloved North G. family that’s what we have to do during this difficult period. We need to reimagine how we use our resources to get the word out:

· To those stumbling around in spiritual darkness that Christ is the Light of the world

· To those hungering for something that will satisfy and sustain them, that Christ is the Bread of Life

· To those who are lost and can’t find their way that Christ is the Good Shepherd who leads to still waters and green pasture

· To those who are critically ill with the deadly disease of sin that Christ is the Great Physician

· To those stained by sin that Jesus came into the world to save sinners

What I also want you to see is that Peter made his boat available to Jesus to accomplish His purpose. When Jesus asked to use the boat Peter didn’t resist, he didn’t reject. Peter made his boat available to Jesus.

Some people who claim to love the Lord get upset when asked to use their resources for Christ. It is ridiculous for you to get upset when someone ask to use what belongs to them. A lady was at the mall doing some retail therapy, she was shopping. Before heading home she stopped and bought a bag of cookies. She sat down and started to eat them. All of sudden to her surprise a guy who was sitting next to her reached into the bag grabbed a cookie smiled at her and started eating. She was upset, but tried her best to play it off. Then the man reached back into the bag and got another cookie, smiled at her and ate it. At that she was incensed, she jumped up left the cookies and stormed off to her car. She gets to her car, reaches into her purse and to her shock and surprise there was her bag of cookies. This lady had gotten upset at the man for eating the cookies and the cookies wasn’t even hers.

That’s how some people treat the Lord, the get upset when God wants to use their resources and the cookies are not even theirs. You do know the “earth is the Lords…”

Don't misunderstand! This is not about money, this is about motive. This is not dollars, this is about devotion. This is not about what's in your hand, but what's in your heart. Before it can ever be about money, it has to be about the sacrificial giving of ourselves to the Lord Jesus Christ. Paul wrote of the church at Macedonia that, long before they gave their offering, "First gave their own selves to the Lord." (2 Cor. 8: 5)

Let me ask you what’s your boat? What are you willing to give to Jesus so that ministry can be accomplished in fresh, new and creative ways? What are you willing to give so that we can re-imagine ministry?

B. THE VOYAGE- Notice that Peter was asked to demonstrate his faith commitment by launching out into the deep water. The problem with many Christians is they never move beyond the shallow water. They don’t want to be stretched, they don’t want to be challenged, they don’t want to be moved beyond their comfort zone. The Lord is challenging us to act in faith and launch out into the deep.

I think I ought to tell somebody when it comes to discipleship, we must be willing to go deep. Go deep:

· Don’t let fear keep you from being fruitful

· Don’t let doubt keep you from being devoted

· Don’t let past failures keep you from present faithfulness

· Serve like you have never served before

· Give like you have never given before

· Work like you have never worked before

· Witness like you have never witness before

There are so many who want heaven without hearing and heeding the word.

They want peace without price

. They want blessing without behaving.

They want salvation without sacrifice.

They want rewards without righteousness.

They want unity without humility.

They want praise without precept.

They want singing without soul saving.

They want Christ without the Church.

They want deliverance without dedication.

They want edification without endurance.

They want favor without faithfulness.

They want glory without godliness.

They want joy without judgment.

They want knowledge without study.

· They want to overcome without obedience. “be ye steadfast unmovable always abounding in the work of the Lord…” (1 Corinth 15:58).

II. LET DOWN YOUR NETS WITH CONSISTENT TRUST

Notice how this is to become a serious test of trust for Peter. Peter is told to “let down the nets.”

A. THE CONDITION- Luke 5:5 (ESV) 5 And Simon answered, “Master, we toiled all night and took nothing!”

When Jesus challenges Peter to let down the nets, it is important to understand the condition Peter is in. Peter was dealing with fatigue. The word that is translated “toiled” is the Greek word Kopiao, and means to “work to the point of exhaustion.”

I think I ought to remind somebody that just trying to handle the things you have to deal with, especially during this period of the pandemic, man it can wear you out. I think I might be talking to someone who knows something about being sick and tired of being sick and tired.

Worse than just dealing with fatigue, Peter was also dealing with failure. Did you hear him? Peter said we worked hard all night and we didn’t catch a thing. Oh my, they worked to the point of exhaustion and at the end of the night they couldn’t even catch a cold, failure.

Am I talking to someone who knows something about failure? Do you know what it feels like to:

· Try and fail in your trying

· To do your best only to discover your best is not good enough

· Fall flat on your face

· Make of mess of things

· Come up short

· Fail to live up to who you want to be

· Do just exactly what you promised yourself and the Lord you wouldn’t do anymore

Peter has to deal with the condition of his past failure. He is being asked to get past what was past. Look like I ought to tell you that just because you have failed doesn’t mean you are a failure. Hear me when I tell you mistakes don’t have to become permanent markers. Failures don’t have to be fatal or final.

Ok Brother Preacher that’s helpful, that’s encouraging. Now tell us how do we get past our past mistakes? How do we overcome our past failures? The answer is we have to respond like Peter did.

B. THE COMMITMENT- Luke 5:5 (ESV) 5 “… But at your word I will let down the nets.”

If you or I was in Peter’s position when Jesus makes this challenge to try again and let down the nets, I can hear the conversation. Now Jesus I don’t mean any disrespect but you know carpentry, I know fishing. Every professional fisherman knows the best fishing is done at night. To avoid the heat of the sun the fish swim deep during the day. Here we are out here in the heat of the day and you want me to let down the nets. Man, we worked hard last night with optimal conditions and we didn’t catch a thing. Now you want me to try fishing at the worst time to try.

Jesus was making a radical request, that required Peter to trust in Christ. This radical request required Peter to respond with a tenacious trust. He declared “at your word…”

· I failed the last time I tried but…

· This isn’t the best time to be trying this but…

· I’m frustrated and I am tired but…

· I will give it another go

· I will go at it one more time

· I will choose faith over failure

· I will refuse to let my failure have the last word

The secret to overcoming past failures is trusting the God who specializes in helping you overcome whatever has you overwhelmed. “Trust in the Lord ….”

Some people handle their failures the wrong way. Some People:

· Blow up

· Back up

· Let up

· Give up

The right way to face your failure is to Look up! Trust Him:

· “Though your sins be as scarlet they shall be white as snow, though they are red like crimson they shall be as wool

· “If we walk in the light as He is in the Light….

· “This is an faithful saying and worthy of all acceptation that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinner”

· This is the victory that overcomes the world, even our faith”

III. LOAD UP YOUR BOAT WITH CONTIUAL BLESSINGS

Luke 5:6-7 (ESV) 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.

Christ honored Peter’s act of trust and blessed him to catch so many fishes that he had to share them with other folks. I declare He will do the same for you. God will never embarrass anyone who put their trust in Him.

When God blesses He won’t trickle you out a blessing. He won’t dribble you out a blessing. No sir, God will let it rain, He will let it pour. Malachi 3:10 (ESV) 10 Bring the full tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. And thereby put me to the test, says the LORD of hosts, if I will not open the windows of heaven for you and pour down for you a blessing until there is no more need.

I declare if you do right by God, He will do more than right by you. I dare you, I just dare you to put your trust in God enough to do what He says. He will blow your mind with His blessing. “Now unto Him who is able to do…” Paul begins to morph his words together because he can’t get enough out of his words to say all that needs to be said about the amazing power of God. The phrase “exceedingly abundantly above” is one super compound word in Greek. The word HUPER, which means, “above or beyond”, EK, which intensifies the force of the verb to a level of perfection, and PERISSOU which means, “over and above, far beyond, more than sufficient”. The word HUPEREKPERISSOU, means, “to go beyond or to exceed all measure”. This heightened form of the comparative almost defies any single, simple English translation.

God’s blessings won’t just flow, they will overflow:

· With strength for your struggles

· With healing for your hurt

· With a balm for your bruises

· Heaven's Bread for earth's hunger

· Heaven's water for earth's thirst

· Heaven's light for earth's darkness

· Heaven's GRACE for earth's guilt

· Heaven's LOVE for earth's hate

· Heaven's WISDOM for earth's folly

· Heaven's FORGIVENESS for earth's sins

· Heaven's GLORY for earth's shame

· Heaven's BEAUTY for earth's ugliness

· Heaven's HEALTH for earth's sickness

· Heaven's PEACE for earth's strife

· Heaven's justification for earth's condemnation

· Heaven's SALVATION for earth's damnation

So my encouragement to us today is let’s launch out into the deep with faith, let’s let down our nets with trust. I declare we will load up our boats with blessings.

Conclusion

I return to that illustration I began with. North G. are we going to fish or are we going to talk and complain all day? I say let’s fish. The promise of Jesus is IF WE FISH, HE WILL CATCH:

· LIVES WILL BE CHANGED

· DESTINIES WILL BE ALTERED

· BURDENS WILL BE LIFTED

· THE LOST WILL BE FOUND

· THE CAPTIVE WILL BE SET FREE

· GOD WILL BE GLORIFIED

· CHRIST WILL BE MAGNIFIED

· THE CHURCH WILL BE EDIFIED

· PEOPLE’S PAST WILL BE RECTIFIED

· OUR MISSION WILL BE STATISFIED

· HEARTS WILL BE PURIFIED

IF WE FISH, CHRIST WILL CATCH!!!