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,
• Because only the ones in front could hear him.
• So he looked around for a way to address the whole crowd.
• And as he looked he saw a group of fishermen washing their nets.
Ill:
• Nets had to be washed and stretched out to dry,
• Otherwise they would rot and break.
Verse 2:
“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.”
• Jesus knew that it was impractical to talk to all the people in this big crowd,
• Because only the ones in front could hear him.
• So he looked around for a way to address the whole crowd.
• The solution was simple.
• A floating pulpit, so that all could see him,
• And he could use the acoustics of the water for amplification.
Notice:
• Jesus asked Peter to do a very mundane thing,
• “Jesus asked him to put out a little from shore”.
• Had Peter not obeyed this small insignificant request,
• He would have missed out and not participated in an incredible miracle!
I think there is an obvious simple application here:
• How many of us miss on the big things God wants for us,
• Because we do not obey him in the smaller details of our lives?
• Perhaps when we are more faithful in the small things,
• We will experience more of the bigger things God has for us.
(2) The Catch:
(1). An object lesson (verse 4):
• When Jesus asked Simon to turn his boat into a floating pulpit,
• Simon and his fishing partners consented.
• In doing so, they became a captive audience,
• They had no choice, but to listen to the word of God.
• Before Peter would catch the fish,
• Jesus would first catch him, and Peter was hooked by the words of Jesus!
We do not know what Jesus preached from his floating pulpit:
• But it not only gripped the crowds,
• But it touched the hearts of these fishermen.
• The Bible (Rom 10:17) teaches that: “Faith comes by hearing, and hearing the word of God”
• The word preached by Jesus this day, was about to produce faith in the heart of Peter.
At the conclusion of His sermon:
• Jesus planned an object lesson that was so vivid,
• These fishermen would never forget its significance.
A confused fisherman (vs 4-5):
4When he had finished speaking, he said to Simon,
“Put out into deep water, and let down the nets for a catch.”
• Jesus asks Peter to;
• With the help of the other fishermen, let down the nets to catch some fish.
• This was tough pill for Peter to swallow,
• And a battle must have gone on inside him, whether or not to obey Jesus.
Three reasons why Peter could have reused to obey:
(1). He was tired.
• Peter informs Jesus that he had just had a long hard night on the Sea of Galilee,
• The kind of night that would make a fisherman wished he practised another trade.
• He was physically tired,
• That’s why he said; “We’ve worked hard all night”
• He could have quit, but he wasn’t a quitter, he stuck at it, all night!
• The last thing he needed was to waste his time trying again.
(2). It did not make sense.
• Simon Peter must have thought Jesus was venturing into waters over His head.
• After all, fishing was Peter’s business, his life; he was the expert!
• And Jesus was………….
• Well………a carpenter…………a preacher.
Peter was an experienced fisherman:
• He knew the best fishing spots and the most favourable conditions for making a catch,
• And that was not now!
• Every fisherman knew that, in the Sea of Galilee,
• You caught fish at night in the shallow water, not in the daytime in deep water.
• What Jesus was asking Peter to do;
• Ran contrary to all of his training and human experience,
(3). His own reputation.
• Remember there was a great crowd on the shore watching these strange proceedings,
• Even worse than that, other fishermen would have been looking on.
• And trying to figure out why Peter would fish in these dire circumstances.
• It did not make sense!
(3). An act of faith (verse 5):
Two things reveal Peters faith:
(1). Verse 5 notice what Peter calls Jesus “Master”
• The Greek word for master means: “Overseer, director, Captain”,
• Implying authority - and used here of one who has the right to give orders.
• Peter recognised the authority of Jesus,
• And although he did not understand why, he submitted.
(2). Peter backs up that title with the words (vs 5):
But because you say so, I will let down the nets.”
• “Faith comes by hearing, and hearing the word of God”
• The word spoken by Jesus, were about to produce faith in the heart of Peter.
• On the authority of Jesus’ words,
• Peter let down the nets.
• He was about to discover that true faith always involves risk,
• Often it runs contrary to human reason or it involves taking a chance
(4). A great reward (Verse 6 and 7):
6When they had done so, they caught such a large number of fish that their nets began to break. 7So 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.
Peter has just experienced the greatest catch of his life!
• He spent all night getting no where fast,
• Yet in a few minutes with Jesus, the biggest catch ever on the Sea of Galilee.
Ill:
The exchange rate of God is ever so generous:
• An act of obedience,
• In exchange for a miraculous catch.
Ill:
We also see that demonstrated elsewhere in the Bible:
• That God’s exchange rate is ever so generous:
• Ill: One mite was valued as more than all other gifts.
• Ill: For a cup of water was exchanged for living water.
• Ill: 2 fish & 5 loaves feed 5,000 men plus women & children with baskets to spare.
Worth Noting:
• Peter and Andrew did not try to claim this valuable catch all for themselves,
• They called to the other boats to join in the blessings.
Simple application:
• We are not reservoirs but channels of blessings,
• To share with others what God has freely given to us.
(3). The awareness (Verse 8 to 10a):
8When Simon Peter saw this, he fell at Jesus’ knees and said, “Go away from me, Lord; I am a sinful man!” 9For he and all his companions were astonished at the catch of fish they had taken, 10and so were James and John, the sons of Zebedee, Simon’s partners.
(1). An appreciation of deity (verse 8):
• Peter suddenly realized that he stood in the presence of deity.
• This Jesus was not simply a preacher with the power to heal;
• He was Lord of the sea and the fish,
• The Lord of every realm, of the entire universe!
Ill:
Remember that this was Peter’s domain:
• He had experienced God each day in the winds and the waves, in the storms of the sea,
• Peter knew God as the creator, the all-powerful God.
• And suddenly in his boat is one who is able to control nature!
• One who can command and control a shoal of fish.
(2). An consciousness of sin (Verse 8):
8When Simon Peter saw this, he fell at Jesus’ knees and said,
“Go away from me, Lord; I am a sinful man!”
Obviously Peter did not really want him to go away from him.
• This experience was the greatest thing that had ever happened to him.
• But he felt unworthy to be a follower of Jesus.
Ill:
• The words that Peter used, are reminiscent of the expressions of Abraham, Job, & Isaiah:
• When they, too, stood before the awesome presence of God,
• (see Gen chapter 18 verse 27; Job chapter 42 verse 5-6; Isaiah chapter 6 verse 5).
Worth Noting:
• Jesus does not say;
• That Simon was wrong in his assessment of both himself or of Jesus.
• In fact he is so right that that;
• He is now in a position where he can really be helpful to Jesus in his mission.
The Objective (verses 10b-11):
• As the boats filled with fish,
• The fishermen’s hearts filled with awe.
• Speechless,
• They were now primed for what was to prove a life-changing announcement.
(1). A new calling (verse 10b):
Then Jesus said to Simon, “Don’t be afraid; from now on you will catch men.”
• Jesus’ purpose with this catch of fish,
• Was not to give these rough, seasoned fishermen a lesson in fishing;
• His objective was to change their profession by changing their lives.
• And change their lives he did.
(2). A new direction (verse 11):
“So they pulled their boats up on shore, left everything and followed him”.
Note – they left everything!
• This is the biggest catch these fishermen had ever made!
• Yet they left it behind, along with their boats! Their nets! And their livelihood!
Don’t forget:
• Peter’s family depended on his income,
• There was no welfare system in operation.
• For Peter fishing had been the centre of his life,
• And now Jesus was asking him to walk away from it!
No wonder Jesus said to Peter in verse 10: “Don’t be afraid”
• Then last time they had followed Jesus,
• It was a temporal thing, and after a while they returned to family and fishing.
• This time it was to be a permanent thing.
• Without any guarantees of what the future will or will not hold!
• This was an incredible challenge Jesus was giving Peter,
• Forget about catching fish, its time to catch men!
Yet remember:
• Jesus showed Peter that he could provide in a few minutes,
• What Peter had failed to deliver from working flat out all night!
• Peter would learn an important lesson regarding future, family, and finance;
• It was this:
• Jesus had the ability to meet and provide for all needs.
The Application
The lessons we can apply revolve around three pairs of verbs:
• Chooses and uses,
• Moves and proves,
• Conceals and reveals.
(1). Jesus chooses not to minister to others all alone.
Jesus deliberately involves others in His work.
• He could have rowed the boat and cast the net Himself,
• But instead He included the disciples.
• He didn’t want a boatload of spectators;
• He wanted workers accustomed to rolling up their sleeves and sweating side by side.
• When He recruited them, He didn’t say, “Follow Me, and watch Me catch men.”
• He announced, “You will be catching men.
The Application is obvious:
• We all have a part to play if we are to catch men & women for Christ.
• Too many Churches have too many passengers.
• Duncan Road Church will only really be productive and grow,
• When as a fellowship we are all involved playing our part in God’s work.
(2). Jesus uses the familiar to do the incredible.
• Boats, nets, fish - all quite routine for the fishermen.
• It’s in the grind of the everyday world that God reveals His glory.
Ill:
I do the work I do (full time occupation as an evangelist):
• Not because I think I am brilliant at it,
• But because the Lord uses what I give to him.
• Ill: As a boy found out once: Give him the fish & bread, and he will use it for his glory!
• He can use the ordinary, to do the extraordinary.
• We might think that we haven’t got much to offer Jesus, compared to other people,
• But give him what he asks for, and watch him use it!
(3). Jesus moves from the safety of the seen to make
us trust Him through the risks of the unseen.
Christ took the fishermen past the shallows and into the deep water to cast their nets.
• To many of us as Christians play safe,
• We settle for the shallow waters,
• The deeper waters will take us out of our comfort zones,
• It requires effort to get there and they can often be dangerous,
• But we don’t need to fear them,
• Because the Master of the wind and waves is in the boat with us.
Application is again simple:
• For us as individuals and as a church,
• Are we settling for the shallow comfortable waters,
• Or if the Lord says,
• And only if he says are we prepared to go into the deeper waters of risk!
(4). Jesus proves the potential by breaking our
nets and filling our boats.
• The catch of fish in Luke 5 perfectly illustrates God’s ability to;
• “Do exceeding abundantly beyond all that we ask or think” (Eph. 3:20).
• These fishermen had never had such a catch,
• A catch so great that their nets began to break and their boats began to sink.
Question: What did the Lord give to these fishermen.
Answer: Fish!
• But not just any fish,
• He gave them fresh fish, smelly, slimy fish,
• Fish in a raw-state, fish that needed gutting and preparing.
• In other words he did not give them battered cod or fish fingers in breadcrumbs.
Here is the point:
• If we want to catch men and women,
• We must prepare ourselves to accept all who the Lord gives us.
• People always come with their own baggage;
• They will not fit into our ideas of how things should be.
• So we must expect our boats i.e. building, homes, cars etc to be messed up.
• Because we are dealing with raw, fresh fish!
(5). Jesus conceals His surprises until we follow His leading.
• It seemed business as usual for the fishermen;
• To launch their boats and head toward the place where they would cast their nets.
• Notice the water didn’t glow.
• There wasn’t a halo around the boat
• The oars were just as heavy as ever.
The surprise didn’t come until they lowered their nets.
• That was when Peter realized Jesus was more than just a powerful preacher.
• He was the Lord.
Question:
• When was the last time God surprised you?
• When was the last time we, without understanding why, took Him at His word;
• And He almost broke our mental nets
• With a display of His lordship over this world . . . over circumstances . . . over people?
(6). Jesus reveals His objective to those who are willing to relinquish their security.
• Only after the disciples gave up the safety of the shore,
• Did Jesus finally reveal His purpose: “From now on you will be catching men”.
• Peter had been used to catching live fish,
• And allowing them to die so that they could be sold for food.
• But in future he would be catching dead men and women,
• So that they could be made alive by the power of Christ.
