THE GREATEST FISHERMAN

Text: Luke 5:1-11

INTRO-

MIT: Jesus went fishing for men and led them to follow Him

MIS: If you know Jesus, He calls you to be a fisher of men like Him

How are we to fish for men like Jesus?

1) TEACH THE WORD OF GOD (Luke 5:1-3)

Context: In Luke 4, it tells us that Jesus has been preaching the gospel in the surrounding areas, casting out demons, healing people with sicknesses and diseases. He was becoming so widely known that even when He tried to find a deserted place to be alone for a little while, crowds came searching for Him. They did not want Him to ever leave their place, but then Jesus told them in Luke 4:43, “It is necessary for me to proclaim the good news about the kingdom of God to the other towns also, because I was sent for this purpose.” This was His central focus and mission. And this story in Luke 5 is taking place during this time where people are coming from everywhere to hear the Word of God from Jesus.

Explanation:

Verse 1- the crowd was “pressing in” on Jesus. That word for “pressing in” suggests that people were forcing their way forward to hear Jesus, back to back, with no room. They just wanted to hear the Word of God from Jesus and see Him. This would have been rather difficult to listen to Jesus preaching.

Verses 2-3- Jesus saw 2 boats, one belonging to Simon Peter and his brother Andrew (Luke doesn’t mention Andrew, but the Gospel of Matthew and Mark both mention him). The other boat belonged to James and John, who also were brothers. Perhaps the reason why Luke did not mention Andrew is because we know from the rest of Luke and the book of Acts, which was also written by Luke, that Peter, James, and John became the inner disciples of the 12. Jesus was beginning to pick His 12 disciples who would be Apostles. Peter, James, and John were going to be the leaders later on. Jesus used Peter’s boat though to teach from so that the crowd could hear Him better.

Illustration: Think of teaching the Word of God like putting bait on a hook and casting it in the water. I love taking Luke and Joel to the Conservation Center right down the road to go fishing. I have found that using bread as bait works wonderfully to lure the fish, specifically some blue gill or brim. You almost just cast the line in and catch one.

However here is the difficulty for fishing for people. The Bible describes the human condition of every human heart as one that is sinful and spiritually sick, even spiritually dead. 1 Corinthians 1:18 says, “For the word of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing.” So when we share the Word of God with people, sometime it is like using a bait that fish do not want. But, some do. Why? Ultimately when we teach God’s Word, He is at work in sinful human hearts, and as He does He overcomes our sinful and rebellious obstinance by His grace and power. The next part of 1 Corinthians 1:18 says, “...but it is the power of God to us who are being saved.”

Application: So what is our role? Romans 10:17 says, “So faith comes from what is heard, and what is heard comes through the message about Christ.” Our role then, and everyone’s role, is to teach the Word of God, the good news of Jesus. What would it be like if everyone of us had the same sense of purpose and mission that Jesus did? The fact of the matter is that, if you are a Christian, you are called to have the same purpose and mission in mind as He did, and that is to teach the Word of God to the people in your life. You might be thinking, “I’m no teacher. I’ll just leave the teaching part to others.” I’m not necessarily talking about being a LifeGroup leader or a large group teacher. I’m just talking about ordinary Christians having ordinary conversations with ordinary people that point people to our extraordinary God. There was a famous gospel preacher in the 1700’s named George Whitefield who said, “Other men may preach the gospel better than I, but no man can preach a better gospel.”

It is important to remember though that the task of fishing for men is not a task that we are given by ourselves. In fact, God just simply wants to use us. Therefore, in addition to us “teaching the Word of God,” we need to also realize that we need to...

2) BE A TOOL OF GOD (Luke 5:4-7)

Explanation:

Verse 4- We know that Jesus loved object lessons and illustrations to give people a visual representation of what He was talking about. Here He is about to give one of the greatest object lessons ever in the history of teaching. Jesus knew that Peter, Andrew, James, and John all had a terrible time fishing all night but caught nothing. After Jesus was done teaching the crowds, He told Peter to try fishing one more time.

Verse 5- Notice that Peter calls Jesus “Master.” In the Gospel of Luke when people who did not really know Jesus very, they called Jesus “teacher.” He certainly was a teacher, but He was more. Peter calls Him Master because He already recognized that Jesus was unique and had authority and power from God. This was not the first time Peter encountered Jesus. If you go back to Luke 4:38-39, you will see that Jesus actually went to Peter’s house and healed his mother in law who had a high fever. That made Peter be aware that Jesus was worth listening to and obeying even if it did not make any sense to him. At first, Peter was expressing his exhaustion and frustration from spending all that time fishing but catching nothing, but then complied to obey Jesus, the Master.

Verses 6-7- When Peter listened to Jesus and cast the net, the text says they caught a “great number” of fish, so much so that their nets were ripping. Peter and Andrew asked James and John the other fishermen to help. They had so much fish in both boats that both boats began to sink.

This miracle performed by Jesus was intended to show Peter and the disciples the kind of impact they would have later on a “great number” of people. Luke, being the author of both the Gospel of Luke and Acts seems to be making an intentional comparison. If you read the book of Acts, it is incredible and deeply encouraging. After Jesus sacrificed His life on the cross for the sins of the world and rose victoriously from the tomb, He ascended into heaven, from where He promised to send the Holy Spirit upon every individual follower of Jesus the moment of conversion, when they put their trust in Him. The coming of the Holy Spirit was for the purpose of powerful evangelism. God empowers us with the gospel message so that when we teach others what Jesus did for them on the cross and through His resurrection, God will be the one to fishing for people through us. He will save many if we just obey Him like Peter did. Peter, in Acts 2 went fishing again. This time it wasn’t going to be with fish he would catch in the Sea of Galilee. This time it would be people. After receiving God’s Holy Spirit, and taught the people about Jesus, Acts 2 says that 3,000 people came to faith in Jesus in a single day. Then, everyday, Peter, along with the other disciples, and new followers of Christ went fishing for men everyday. Acts 2:47 says, “Every day the Lord added to their number those who were being saved.”

Illustration: Using the analogy of fishing, we need to remember our role in fishing for men. Notice Acts 2:47 says, “the Lord added to their number those who were being saved.” It did not say Peter added to their number, or James or John or Paul. Just Jesus. Just as Peter and the rest were powerless that night to catch a single fish, until Jesus was with them, so also we all are powerless to lead a single person to Jesus without Jesus. In fact, we could say that in a sense, Jesus does all the fishing through us. He adds the number. He catches the fish. He just expects us to be like Peter and yield ourselves completely to Him. We are just like a fishing net or a fishing pole. Our role is to be used by the Greatest Fisherman as a tool. As you obey Jesus as your Master and follow Him even when it is hard, you will see God work through you.

Application: Recognize Jesus as your Master, like Peter did. Jesus asked him to fish once more even though he felt like it would be pointless and frustrating. We know that it is the will of God for us to regularly be speaking to others about Him, but sometimes like Peter we get discouraged. I do. Maybe you have a lost family member, a lost friend, a lost coworker, a lost neighbor. Maybe you are hesitant to talk to them about what they believe. We can have a million excuses, but all we need is to remember what Jesus told Peter, “Let down your nets for a catch.” Make it your aim every week to tell at least one lost person about Jesus. Imagine the catch of fish we would see! Since I’m the kids pastor here, I’m going to pitch this to you all. Did you know that statistics show that 2/3 people who are believers are saved before the age of 18? And that out of that number 43% of them typically are before age 12? I’m just saying…the harvest is plentiful!

Of course, if we are honest, the thought of telling someone about Jesus every week seems daunting. I know for me, I have to push myself sometimes. I have fears regarding what people might think of me. Ultimately it is my pride that gets in the way, rather than the love of Christ through me, which is why, if you are going to fish for men, you must...

3) HUMBLE YOURSELF BEFORE GOD (Luke 5:8-10)

Explanation:

Verse 8-10a- Needless to say, Peter in this story, along with everyone else, when they saw what happened were amazed. But Peter fell on his knees before the Lord with fear and humility in His heart because he recognized that he was in the presence of the Lord. Notice that Peter did not call Him Master, but Lord, a title often times that refers to God Himself. Peter was broken with the realization of his own sinfulness in light of the greatness of God in whose presence Peter was. In the Bible, both the Old and New Testaments, whenever someone encounters God, they always have a similar response. When a person sees a manifestation of God, they are then filled with fear and a sense of unworthiness on account of their sin. These God encounters are called Theophanies. People who have an Theophany usually always fall on their face before the Lord like Peter here. Here are some examples:

Exodus 34:8, “Moses immediately knelt low on the ground and worshiped.”

Isaiah 6:5, “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!

Job 42:5-6, “I had heard reports about you, but now my eyes have seen you. Therefore, I reject my words and am sorry for them; I am dust and ashes.”

Illustration: Coming closer to Jesus and knowing Him more deeply is kind of like using a magnifying glass on our sin. We see is more clearly. That is why Peter responded the way he did, along with Moses, Isaiah, and Job.

Verse 10b- Even though we have not had a theophany the way Peter, Moses, Isaiah, or Job have, all of us if we have received Christ have experienced Him and are aware of our sin, but then there is more. Jesus told Peter to not be afraid. Why? We know that if we are in Christ, we do not have to be afraid anymore because we are forgiven. Our sins are paid for before the Lord our Master at the cross of Christ. Then in connection to Jesus forgiving Peter He gives him a new assignment- to be a fisher of people. The same is true of you. Everyone Christian alive is called to the same task. Charles Spurgeon said it well when he said, “Every Christian is either a missionary or an imposter.” If we are going to be effective in catching people for Jesus, we need humility. Humility also reminds us that when we talk to people about their sin and need for Jesus, we also have sin of our own. We all need Jesus everyday.

Application: How can we grow in our humility before God? We need to experience Him. We need to encounter Him. I know of only one way to experience and encounter our Savior daily and that way is through His Word. I want to challenge you to begin reading God’s Word this year if you are not already doing so. We have a great Bible reading plan on our website under the discipleship tab. I look forward to spending time with Jesus to just be with Him every morning. If we neglect this, we cannot expect to grow in humility or in the effectiveness of our witness for Christ. Remember what Luke also wrote in Acts 4:13, “When they observed the boldness of Peter and John and realized that they were uneducated and untrained men, they were amazed and recognized that they had been with Jesus.”

4) TREASURE AND FOLLOW GOD (Luke 5:11)

Explanation:

Verse 11- When you compare the Gospel of Matthew and Mark, they say that Jesus told Peter, Andrew, James, and John to Follow Him. It says they left their nets, their boats, their dad, and followed Jesus. Luke just summarizes everything and says, “They left everything and followed Him.” Jesus became their Treasure above all. What is Jesus to you? I pray He is your Treasure who means more to you than anything else.

Have you come to that point in your life yet where you acting like Peter here?

First, he understood he was a sinner.

Next, he believed Jesus was Lord.

Finally, he trusted and followed Jesus as Lord.

How many of you have only done the first 2 without doing the last one? You know a lot about your sin and about Jesus, but you’ve never taken the next step to actually trust and follow Him. We are going to have a time of invitation. We’re just a tool in the hands of the Great Fisherman. We trust Him to bring the results. If you know you need Jesus and do not have Him, then would you come forward to express that you want to do so? Or maybe you want to specifically pray for someone you know to be saved. If you feel led, come forward and pray for them. Maybe you want to join the church or become a more committed fisher of men. However God is leading you, lets follow Him as our Treasure.