Because You Said So

Key passage today is:

Luke 5:1-11 we’ll get there shortly.

Growing up, I spent a lot of time studying @ the school of “Because I said so”.

In fact, many of you here today, may be graduates as well as teachers in the school of “Because I said so”.

You know the school:

You ask your mom:

“Why do I need to clean my room?”

and the reply “Because I said so”.

Because YOU said so

Today’s message is titled: “Because YOU said so”.

Turn with me now to (stand with me as we honor God while reading His word) Luke 5:1–5) “So it was, as the multitude pressed about Him to hear the word of God, that He stood by the Lake of (ga-nes-a ret)Gennesaret, and saw two boats standing by the lake; but the fishermen had gone from them and were washing their nets. Then 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. When He had stopped speaking, He said to Simon, “Launch out into the deep and let down your nets for a catch.” But Simon answered and said to Him, “Master, we have toiled all night and caught nothing; (but if you say so, I’ll let the nets down again.”) And when they had done this, they caught a great number of fish, and their net was breaking.”

Please be seated.

We see what Jesus then commands in:

Matthew 4:19 “Then He said to them, “Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men.””

Discipleship

I mentioned a few months back that one goal of spiritual growth is so we can become disciples for Jesus.

Today I thought we’d look at:

Why be disciples?

Who were the first 4 disciples?

Drill down to one of the 1st four

Why be disciples?

Quickly look @ two verses:

Matthew 28:19 “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,”

Acts 1:8 “But 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.””

So, why be disciples?

“Because Jesus said so...”

Let’s look at verse 6:

Luke 5:6 “And when they had done this, they caught a great number of fish, and their net was breaking.”

Knowing what we know about Jesus and all the miracles He performed, don’t you think He could have spoke those fish right into the boat?

Let’s now go back to Matthew 4:19 “Then He said to them, “Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men.””

Jesus said “I will make you fishers of men”.

If the fish would have jumped in the boats, then those disciples would have been merely “fish cleaners” not fishermen.

And isn’t it Jesus who “cleans fish”?

We are to bring the fish to Jesus, and let Him and the Holy Spirit, clean those fish up!

Let that sink in just a minute!

And for the next 3 plus years, Jesus was making fishers of men, of the disciples.

And here we are 2000 plus years and He is still doing that!

Jesus wants to train you and me to become fishers of men.

Are we willing?

Are we “available”?

The first 4

Story of Daddy Mac.

Late Thursday afternoon, I was out at Madison Park, I was leaving and there was barely enough daylight to see there was still one boat on the water.

It brought back a precious memory as I heard the familiar words:

“10 more casts and if we don’t catch anything we’ll go in for the day”.

My grandfather was an avid fisherman.

I grew up on Lake Livingston not many years after the lake was formed.

I spent countless summer days in a boat on Lake Livingston from about the time I was 10-11, until around 15-16 years old.

Here was a typical day on the lake:

Get on the water just as it became light enough to navigate the boat safely to our fishing spot.

Fish until about lunch.

Go back to the cabin grab a quick bite to eat and a quick nap.

Little did I know that was my training for power naps that I still take to this day.

Get back on the water around 2 pm.

Fish until barely enough light to navigate the boat safely back to shore.

Some really incredible memories of those years.

Mark 1:16–20 “And as He walked by the Sea of Galilee, He saw Simon and Andrew his brother casting a net into the sea; for they were fishermen. Then Jesus said to them, “Follow Me, and I will make you become fishers of men.” They immediately left their nets and followed Him. When He had gone a little farther from there, He saw James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother, who also were in the boat mending their nets. And immediately He called them, and they left their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired servants, and went after Him.”