Peter: A Fisher Of Men.

Reading:

• Mark chapter 1 verses 16-20,

• Luke chapter 5 verses 1-11.

Ill:

• A potter does not throw the clay away when it collapses on the spinning wheel!

• When the clay begins to wobble the potter will simply start again.

• The clay is unable to shape, hide or moisten itself,

• It can only yield to the potter.

• Who by adding a little here and a little there, with patience and great skill,

• Is able to take a messy lump of clay and produce a real work of beauty.

The life of Peter is very much like a lump of clay:

• At times wet & muddy, sometimes wobbly and collapsible,

• At times it even seemed doomed to failure.

• But because of the Masters patience and skill,

• It turned out to be a real work of beauty.

Ill:

• When Holman Hunt painted his famous picture “Christ the light of the world”.

• He spent three years painting in the moonlight in Surrey.

• He did this because he wanted the light in his picture to be just right,

• So that the colours would not just stand together but blend together.

Jesus spent three and half years with Peter:

• In that time he was blending everything together until a whole picture emerged,

• And this picture is framed in the New Testament for us.

• We have the opportunity over the next couple of months;

• To view his strengths and weaknesses and to identify with and learn from this great man.

Jesus called Peter to follow him in four stages:

(a). Step 1:

• John chapter 1 verse 42, seems to be the first meeting;

• When Andrew brought Peter to Jesus.

(b). Step 2: Mark chapter 1 verses 16-20:

• Jesus is walking by the Sea of Galilee,

• He sees Simon and Andrew fishing and calls them to ; follow him!

Note:

• The event we are looking at in Luke chapter 5;

• Is different to the events mentioned in Mark chapter 1 verses 16-20.

• In those two accounts, Peter and Andrew were busy fishing,

• But in Luke 5 they had fished all night & caught nothing.

In Mark chapter 1:

• Jesus had called four fishermen (Peter, Andrew, James & John) to follow him,

• And for a period of time they travelled with him in Capernaum and Galilee.

• But then they went back to their trade,

• Now in Luke 5, Jesus would call them again, this time to a life-time of commitment.

Quote Warren Wiersbe:

“It is possible that at least seven of the disciples were fishermen…………

generally fishermen have the qualities that make for success in serving the Lord. It takes courage and daring, patience and determination to work on the seas; and it also takes a great deal of faith.

Fishermen must be willing to work together (remember they used nets not hooks) and help one another. They must develop skills necessary to get the job done quickly and efficiently”.

(c). Step 3: Peter also had Jesus as a house guest.

• In Luke chapter 4 he spent time in Peter’s house,

• And while there he healed Peter’s mother in law.

(d). Step 4: The passage we are looking at – Luke chapter 5.

(1). Luke chapter 5: The Setting:

• For a number of weeks, Jesus had been preaching in this area,

• As well as preaching he has been healing the sick and casting out demons.

• Ill: Like iron filings to a magnet,

• People have been drawn to him, swamping the towns and places wherever Jesus went.

(1). The Sea of Galilee Verses 1:

“One day as Jesus was standing by the Lake of Gennesaret”

This famous sheet of water in Galilee is called by three different names:

• The Sea of Galilee,

• The Sea of Tiberias

• And the Lake of Gennesaret.

• It is thirteen miles long by eight miles wide.

• It lies in a dip in the earth’s surface, 680 feet below sea level.

Today it is not to populated:

• But in the days of Jesus it had nine townships clustered around its shores,

• Around 15,000 people lived there.

• We do not know exactly how many people came to see Jesus in Luke chapter 5,

• But it was enough to cause Jesus to act, to do something unplanned.

(2). The improvisation of Jesus (Verse 1):

“One day as Jesus was standing by the Lake of Gennesaret, with the people crowding around him and listening to the word of God”.

Jesus had been cornered by the crowd on the sandy banks of the Sea of Galilee:

• Jesus knew that it was impractical to talk to all the people,