Jesus In And Out Of The Boat Series

JESUS IN AND OUT OF THE BOAT

There once was a young man named Jimmy who had heard a family rumor that his father, his grandfather and even his great-grandfather, all "walked on water" on their 21st birthday. When the day of his 21st birthday came, he believed that if they could do it, so could he. So, off he went in a boat with his friend. When he got out in the middle of the lake, he got up and stepped out of the boat, fell in the water and almost drowned. The next day, Jimmy asked his grandmother why he wasn't given the same gift as the others in his family. She told him that his father, grandfather and great-grandfather had all been born in February, not in August, as he was.

For the next few weeks leading up to Easter we are going to be looking at events from the life of Jesus. Today we want to talk about two different events from the life of Jesus that talk about faith. The starting point for a relationship with Jesus is faith. How do you begin a relationship with Jesus? You invite Him into your boat.

Luke 5:3-11 He got into one of the boats, the one belonging to Simon, and asked him to put out a little from shore. Then he sat down and taught the people from the boat. 4 When he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, "Put out into deep water, and let down the nets for a catch." 5 Simon answered, "Master, we've worked hard all night and haven't caught anything. But because you say so, I will let down the nets." 6 When they had done so, they caught such a large number of fish that their nets began to break. 7 So they signaled their partners in the other boat to come and help them, and they came and filled both boats so full that they began to sink. 8 When Simon Peter saw this, he fell at Jesus' knees and said, "Go away from me, Lord; I am a sinful man!" 9 For he and all his companions were astonished at the catch of fish they had taken, 10 and so were James and John, the sons of Zebedee, Simon's partners. Then Jesus said to Simon, "Don't be afraid; from now on you will catch men." 11 So they pulled their boats up on shore, left everything and followed him.

To start a relationship with Jesus it begins by inviting Him into your life. We see from this story 4 things about starting a relationship with Jesus;

1. Invitation – interest

The first stage is just interest. Peter was a fisherman, so for Peter that meant he let Jesus take him fishing. Jesus came and he connected with Peter where he was. He was a fisherman. So he goes to the lake, the Sea of Galilee. He goes to where the boats are. He connects with him where he is.

That is what Jesus does. He connects with you where you are. This is not the first time Peter had met Jesus. Months before he had met him by the Jordan river.

John 1:38-42 Turning around, Jesus saw them following and asked, "What do you want?" They said, "Rabbi" (which means Teacher), "where are you staying?" 39 Come, he replied, "and you will see." So they went and saw where he was staying, and spent that day with him. It was about the tenth hour. 40 Andrew, Simon Peter's brother, was one of the two who heard what John had said and who had followed Jesus. 41 The first thing Andrew did was to find his brother Simon and tell him, "We have found the Messiah" (that is, the Christ). 42 And he brought him to Jesus. Jesus looked at him and said, "You are Simon son of John. You will be called Cephas" (which, when translated, is Peter).

This is the invitation that Jesus gives everyone, come and see. If you are interested in finding out more about Me then come and see, come and get to know Me. For some this may be just an intellectual interest. For others it is a relational interest. Maybe you have seen the difference that Jesus has made in the life of someone else and that has peaked your curiosity. Whatever the reason, Jesus invites you to come.

Maybe that is why you are here today. You have just come to find out more about Jesus. You are welcome here. Take the time you need. Read the Bible. Pray and ask Jesus to reveal himself to you. Maybe visit a small group and see how Jesus has impacted the lives of others. I have seen so often people who just came to church because a friend brought them or they just wanted to check it out. Feel free to hang around and kick the tires! Come and see.