The Best Fishing Trip Ever Series

A Fishing Trip to Remember

Series "HOOKED"

with Pastor Timothy Porter

Luke 5:1-11

Introduction:

Tell a fishing story and about fishing as a kid.

"You talk to anyone who has ever fished, and I mean anybody and they will have a fishing story."

Today I want to talk to you about the ultimate fishing story [we are begining a new series "HOOKED"]. I would argue that your life, my life, is a fishing trip, and because it’s a fishing trip we should have fishing stories.

If you have your Bibles turn to the book of Luke, the gospel of Luke. Luke chapter 5, and we’re going to look at verses 1-11.

Context: Jesus was preaching to a bunch of people on the shores of the Sea of Galilee. The Sea of Galilee was 13 miles long, 8 miles wide, 30 towns were on the Sea of Galilee. Jesus is talking to people. So many people were there, so many people are pressing in, he thinks to himself, well, I need to improvise. So Jesus improvises. Jesus does something very, very interesting.

STAND : READ : PRAY

I see something here Jesus said that is very intersting - It's in vs.1 He NOTICED (let’s say it together 1-2-3) noticed…” Jesus noticed. He just noticed. “…two empty boats at the water’s edge, for the fisherman had left them and were washing their nets

? Why were they "Washing their nets." They had bagel'd. They had been skunked. They had fished all night and hadn’t caught jack.

How many times have you fished, how many times have we fished, and we haven’t caught a thing? we’ve donated blood to mosquitoes, we’ve gotten sunburned, we’ve gotten seasick, but you did'nt caught a fish.

These guys were upset. They were mad as a mop, hadn’t caught a fish. They were mending their nets.

If you study ancient fisherman they spent alot of their time mending these nets. These nets were large, they had weights around the edges. You would throw the nets over fish, the weights would sink around the fish, they would pull the rope, and you would catch the fish. When they fished at the Sea of Galilee they fished at night b/c of the day time heat. The fish would swim in the shallows at night, they were dumb at night. They would catch them at night. No one would even think about it, no great fisherman would even entertain the thought of fishing during the day. During the day the fish are deep. The nets won't reach that deep. No one would fish in the middle of the day. Oh really?

The first thing I want you nto notice is the

I] Boat or craft

? So he noticed (he being Jesus) a couple of boats on the banks, for the fisherman had left them and were washing their nets. Stepping into one of the boats Jesus asked Simon, its owner (Simon Peter owned this thriving fishing business), ‘Simon, push it out into the water.’ So he sat in the boat and taught the crowds from there.”

Why did Jesus do this? He was trying to preach, he was trying to speak on the beach. That didn’t work. The people couldn’t hear him. So he saw a boat, owned by Simon Peter, got into the boat, pushed the boat, Simon Peter pushed it away from the shore.

Jesus used technology. Technology, the definition, the application of scientific knowledge for practical purposes.

He used the acoustics of the ocean, the natural acoustics of the mountains and the hills behind him, which formed a megaphone so Jesus could talk in a normal voice and thousands and thousands of people could hear him.

I like it, too, that he noticed something common. He noticed a boat. And that boat became his pulpit.

What, in your life, is ordinary that Jesus wants to turn into something extraordinary?

What in your life is common, is dry, that Jesus wants to turn into a pulpit?

What interest do you have? What slant do you have? What hobby do you have? What platform do you have that Jesus wants to turn into a pulpit?

It’s time that we noticed like Jesus did

because there are three groups of people here.

The first group will be those who are not believers. We have many people at the bridge who come each and every weekend, who have never stepped over the line, you’re not a follower of Christ. You’re welcome. And this is a great series for you to listen to, a great message for you to listen to, a great weekend for you to attend. Because you’re going to see #1, how much you matter to God. #2, how much you matter to us. Because you were on our minds when we planned this experience.