Ready, Willing, and Able

Introduction

The church (whole church, not just FBCAB) in a position where what we do in the short term will determine whether the church thrives or merely exists in the long term.

The church always needs its members to be winning souls for Christ, but we are currently facing additional challenges as we work to recover from COVID in an ever-changing world.

Today, I want to look at what we need to do as Christians to be able to complete the works that will be set before us in the coming months and years.

To be able to complete your works, we must MAKE OURSELVES READY, WILLING, AND ABLE to be used by God. That’s what I want to look at today.

Luke Chapter 5 context:

Luke 5 takes place a the lake of Gennesaret, which is the Sea of Galilee (notice the lowercase lake… Gennesaret is a city of the Sea of Galilee)

We are very early in Jesus’ earthly ministry and He had no disciples at this point.

He had just undergone his temptation in the wilderness and was traveling and preaching in the synagogues.

He had just been rejected in Nazareth (there is a whole another sermon about being rejected at home, but that’s for another day), healed many, and cast out demons so his earthly ministry is growing but still in its infancy.

This is a very popular verse, taught to everyone from children to adults, and I believe is as pertinent as ever to the current state of our church. In this time of replanting, we must be ready, willing, and able to complete the work set before us. And it says:

Luke 5:1-11

Luke 5:1–11 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. 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.

Let’s look at how these verses can lead us, the church, today.

POINT 1: WE MUST BE READY = PREPARED v2

First: We must be ready to complete our mission.

We do this by preparing for our mission WHICH IS THIS: WE ARE CALLED TO SPREAD THE GOSPEL

GREAT COMMISSION MATTHEW 28:19

Matthew 28:19 ESV

19 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,

Mark 16:15 (ESV)

15 And he said to them, “Go into all the world and proclaim the gospel to the whole creation.

To do this, we must be prepared to minister to others, be it formally (as part of our church ministry) or informally (ministering to others in everyday life). Most people view this and think “when the situation presents itself, I’ll be ready” but that’s not how it works. The scripture from Luke uses fishing as an analogy for winning souls, and it’s very apt as most of the work in regard to fishing, hunting, etc… is in the preparation.

We think of a relaxing day on the water or in a tree stand, without thinking of the hours spent maintaining the boat, cleaning the equipment, purchasing supplies, and transporting the boat. Currently, Pastor Greg is in a tree stand, but he is only able to do that because he spent time clearing underbrush, raising tree stands, and maintaining his artillery. [JAGS PRACTICE SO HARD THAT GAMES ARE EASY]

When people think of working for God, we think of leading someone to the Lord, working with kids, ministering to seniors, or working as a preacher or missionary. Those who are successful in these roles spend hours reading their bible, praying over their ministry, cleaning the church, and making connections in the community. We must be willing to sow these seeds if we are hoping to reap the benefits of our efforts.

Sometimes though, our sowing does not reap the rewards that we hoped, and it’s even harder when sometimes our preparation doesn’t provide the return we hoped for, and we have to be okay with that. Don’t miss what happened in verse 2:

Luke 5:2 ESV

and he saw two boats by the lake, but the fishermen had gone out of them and were washing their nets.

Remember, these fisherman had just had a long night of fishing and had caught nothing! Now, if you haven’t thrown a net fishing, let me tell you… it’s tough! [TELL YOUR KINGFISH TOURNEY BAIT STORY - KNEES!!]

Despite this frustration, they were mending their nets SO THAT THEY COULD BE READY TO FISH AGAIN THE NEXT DAY!

How many times have we not seen a result from our efforts? The bible is full of stories of people who never saw a return for their efforts, many of whom are pillars of the faith. Jeremiah preached for 40 years with little to no success. Moses freed his people and led them for 40 years and never got to see the promised land. [TELL STORY ABOUT BIBLE STUDIES AT FUGE] Do you have a story like that, when you’ve put your all into something and got nothing in return? How do you react?

It’s normal to get frustrated, but you have to keep your nets mended and clean so that when a situation arises in which you are able to fish you’ll be prepared.

I’ve had the privilege to be part of a few salvation experiences and they are all different. But you know the one thing that is the same for all of them? They didn’t come with pre-notification or warning!

2 Timothy 4:2 (CSB)

Preach the word; be ready in season and out of season (meaning when it’s convenient and inconvenient); correct, rebuke, and encourage with great patience and teaching.

If you have a chance to fish, but your nets aren’t ready, you may have missed your opportunity and what a shame that would be. Let our willingness to prepare to spread the good news be relentless...

POINT 2: WE MUST BE WILLING = MUST GO FISHING!

Even if we have completed our preparations we have to be willing to GO FISHING!! [Y’ALL: I HAVE A CONFESSION. I’VE HAD A GYM BAG PACKED FOR WEEKS NOW, AND HAVE YET TO MAKE IT TO THE GYM! STORY ABOUT TAKING PHOTOS OF SUNRISES BUT NOT GOING, or PACKING A GYM BAG BUT NOT GOING!] We fall victim to our human nature and elect comfort, and even if we are ready, we are not willing when it comes down to it.

Luke 5:4-5 Simon Peter is an example for us of how to follow Christ. Throughout the scripture, he is instructed by Jesus and does as he is instructed without hesitation. [HE DOES DISPLAY DOUBT, BUT NEVER FAILS TO COMPLETE HIS TASK]

Luke 5:4–5 ESV

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.”

[HE HAD QUESTIONS BUT COMPLETED HIS TASK. QUESTIONS ARE NORMAL BUT WE’LL GET BACK TO THAT.]

Luke 5:11 ESV

11 And when they had brought their boats to land, they left everything and followed him.

[NO MORE QUESTIONS! JUST OBEDIENCE]

THROUGH OBEDIENCE PETER USES [RABBI - MASTER - LORD - WHO DO YOU SAY I AM: THE CHRIST] TEACHER - PROPHET - GOD - SAVIOR

Opportunities to be fishers of men present themselves all the time, but you must be willing to take that first (VERY SCARY) step! Will you be able to put yourself out there?

One of the reasons that I hear most about service the Lord is that people don’t feel ready or qualified. (I’M JUST NOT GOOD WITH KIDS. I DON’T KNOW HOW TO START TALKING TO PEOPLE. ETC… TOTALLY GET THAT!) How many of you are parents? And how many of you felt completely prepared for your first child?

While we may be called to do things that we may not be ready to do, God can overcome this limitation. [THIS IS THE MOST IMPORTANT POINT, SO PLEASE DON’T MISS IT]

Jeremiah 1:6

Jeremiah 1:6 ESV

Then I said, “Ah, Lord God! Behold, I do not know how to speak, for I am only a youth.”

But Jeremiah 1:7-9

Jeremiah 1:7–9 ESV

But the Lord said to me, “Do not say, ‘I am only a youth’; for to all to whom I send you, you shall go, and whatever I command you, you shall speak. Do not be afraid of them, for I am with you to deliver you, declares the Lord.” Then the Lord put out his hand and touched my mouth. And the Lord said to me, “Behold, I have put my words in your mouth.

We are often called to do things that we are not comfortable with, or things that are “not our job”.

Look at Luke 5:3

Luke 5:3 ESV

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.

Again, these men were fishermen, so when Jesus asked them to push off of shore so he could speak, this was not something they were accustom to and was most definitely “not their job”.

By doing something they didn’t have to despite being tired, they served and spent time with Jesus, and spread the Gospel. [BUT JEFF, THEY WERE GOING TO BE HIS APOSTLES, THEY OBVIOUSLY WOULD HELP HIM OUT. YEAH, BUT AREN’T WE HIS FOLLOWERS TOO?]

Are you willing to get outside of your comfort zone to do what He calls you to do? I can testify that this is challenging.

[GIVE YOUR TESTIMONY ABOUT COVERING FOR GREG. PREACHERS SPEAK OF THEIR EARLY SERMONS, HOPING THESE ARE MINE! IT’S HARD! IT’S OUTSIDE MY COMFORT ZONE! IT’S SCARY! BUT MY FAITH AND PREPARATION HAS GROWN IMMENSELY ALREADY! TEACHING IS MY STRENGTH, PREACHING IS MY WEAKNESS]

But look what Paul says in 2 Corinthians 12:9

2 Corinthians 12:9 ESV

9 But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me.

It’s only be working on our weaknesses and outside our comfort zone that we can become more effective tools for the Lord.

In sports, they say that your greatest ability is availability, and that is true with the church as well. Give what you have to God, and he will give you the rest.

Jeremiah was called when he was only 17. Moses was a stutterer. Gideon had no army to speak of, and Esther was called to defy a king. ALL of these people were led by and blessed by God, and their ministry was successful. Of your ability to be ready, willing, and able… you willingness is the most important. If you will raise your hand and say Here Am I Lord, the rest can be provided to you.

POINT 3: ABLE = INCLUDE GOD IN PLAN

Lastly, we must be able.

The point of preparation and will is to be able to complete our task, but how do we do that. Well... look at Simon Peter in v. 4- 8.

Luke 5:4-8

Luke 5:4–8 ESV

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. 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.”

He was unsuccessful in his fishing until when? Until he took Jesus with him. There is no indication that they even came back to shore after Jesus spoke (v4). Simon Peter literally spent time with God, spent time listening and contemplating on His work, and was then immediately successful in his task.

Our ability to complete our task is only possible through Jesus Christ and His authority and yet we often separate our Lord from our work. Monday - Friday is for the boss, Saturday is mine, and Sunday is for God. How would our work look different if we brought Jesus to the office with us? How would our attitude change if we spent time in His word before we set out on our endeavors?

As Pastor Greg said last week, if God isn’t in it, we shouldn’t be about it. We have to get away from compartmentalizing God and realize that He is with us in everything we do. God is our ultimate support system and can use us despite our lack of preparation, willingness, and ability.

Matthew 6:33

Matthew 6:33 ESV

33 But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.

However, to be able to tap into this support system, we have to be able to discern what He is calling us to do and we must do it for His glory, not our own.

John 14:12

John 14:12 ESV

12 “Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever believes in me will also do the works that I do; and greater works than these will he do, because I am going to the Father.

Application

We as a church need to go fishing. We are called to reach our community and in a position that we need to rebuild programs that were negatively affected by COVID and other factors. We are in the process of developing strategies to reach youth and children, to be effective on mission, and to increase the influence of the church in the Atlantic Beach community. Despite the fact that we can’t see them, I believe that there are enough fish that need to be caught that our nets will break if we do not clean them, and I am sure that many of our fisherman are tired from their efforts, some of which have not seen the return that they hoped they would.

Luke 5:7 ESV

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.

In Luke 5:7, when the fisherman were tired and could not reel in their nets due to the number of fish, they called their partners to help them. When they did, there was enough return for both boats and God was glorified. I’m signaling for your help on behalf of the church!

If God has been speaking to you about serving, act on it. All it requires is your willingness, and God will equip you. Waiting just leads to inaction, as time does not prepare you, God does. We just need to take that first scary step.