HOOKED
week 5
“Fishermen Are…”
Pastor Tim Porter
Text: Luke 5:6
<video of fishing competition>
Introduction:
There’s nothing like competition, is there? We live in a very competitive culture. I love competition.
Football is right around the corner and around here it's Clemson or Carolina, Falcons or the Panthers, Pickens or Easley, Dale jr. or Jimmy Johnson we love to compete! Competition is a good thing, whether you’re playing cards, whether you’re playing tennis, whether you’re playing golf, we love competition.
We’re competitive in the business world. We’re competitive in the world of our physiques. We’re competitive on social media. It seems that everybody is competitive.Have you ever thought about why? I’m a why guy. Why are we competitive?
I believe this drive for competition has been given to us by God. I really believe that. It’s great to be competitive, but I would say based on Scripture, based on studying God’s word, the Bible teaches us not to waste our competitive edge. So let's Be competitive. Be competitive but don’t waste your competition.
Habakkuk 1:15 (ESV) 15 He brings all of them up with a hook; he drags them out with his net; he gathers them in his dragnet; so he rejoices and is glad.
*STAND * READ * PRAY*
Today I’m going to talk to you about entering a serious competition. That competition is simply this.
Competing for the souls of people. Some of you here have been here for this series, called Hooked.
We have been learning that the hook is the gospel. The gospel is the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus.
We discovered the bait, the lure, is Jesus. We discovered that life is a big honkin fishing trip. Life is a big fishing trip. The Bible says that God has caught you and me. The Bible says that God fishes for you and me.
Just for a second think about that person, that fished, for you. Because those of us here who have been caught by the love of God and exp. the grace of God with conviction, we were souls just swimming around. Those of us who have been caught, who have been hooked, someone loved you enough to cast to you. Who was that person, just for a second, put a name with a face behind the pole. Who is that person? Maybe it was a Sunday school teacher, maybe it was a parent. Maybe it was a youth leader. Maybe it was a children’s pastor. Maybe it was someone you met in college, or someone you met in jail or prison. Who was that person that led you to Jesus?
For me it was my Dad and I’m thankful for that today as I think about it. Well, Dad obviously loves me, but he loved me enough to fish for me.
Jesus is the master caster. So whenever you have Jesus doing something that’s supernatural, you have Satan doing something in the natural. Satan is not the master caster, he’s the caster of disaster. [ ILL.] he does not want you and me to get hooked to heaven. He wants to hook us to Hell, and you know a lot of people, who have not been hooked by Jesus. You know a lot of people who have not received the gospel. They’re just souls aimlessly swimming around.
Well, for us to be competitive, I want you to understand what competition is all about, I’m going to challenge you, because the Bible challenges us, to get involved in the ultimate fishing contest. I want us to jump in (pun intended) and face the ultimate competitor. I want us to face the devil himself.
On one hand he’s trying to move people from life to death. Yet we’re trying to move people by God’s power , Grace and conviction from death to life. That’s the ultimate competition. So don’t waste your competitive edge, don’t waste that drive to compete because I believe God has given it to us to really, compete. And again.I’m all about competitiveness but The main competition, needs to be against the devil.
Some of you are like, “Wait a minute, wait a minute, Tim. Are you saying you believe in the devil?” Well duh, yes. It doesn’t take someone with a doctorate in human behavior or biology to understand there is a dark, powerful, sinister force wreaking havoc in our world today.
<Use the Ill. of the lures> How do you explain child pornography? millions killed in wars? racism? Violence, pride, lust, envy? How do you explain our government, the corrupt calling the corrupt, corrupt. The FBI, the IRS, everywhere you turn corruption, corruption. I’ve never seen as much lying as there is in the world today. How do you explain that? How do you explain that? A damaged chromosome? Your diapers put on too tight? Your nursery painted the wrong color? Your mom didn’t sing enough nursery rhymes to you? No it's the devil!
Jesus said the devil comes to kill, to steal, and destroy. He does not want someone, or asoul to be caught by the gospel of Jesus. Yet, as Christians we have the competitive edge. <I will start the clap>. We have the competitive edge. We have the advantage.
Because here’s what Jesus said, If you look at the bookends of his ministry, when he started his ministry publically he was 30 years old, and when he ended his public ministry he ascended to the Father. In those 36 months he did something. He met one-on-one 132 times with people in the four gospels. One-on-one casting.
So that should tip you and me off. The church is great, the church is the body of Christ. It’s an incredible fishing boat, a tackle store, a fishing center. However, we have the opportunity to fish for people one-on-one. So when Jesus started his ministry he said, “Fish!” and when he ended his ministry on earth he said, “Fish!” [Discipleship begins and ends with EVANGILISM]
I.] FISH
F-I-S-H - Focus In our Sea of Humanity
We have a sea of humanity where we swim - God’s strategy is for us to reach those around us by fishing for them
Matthew 4:19 “Follow me and I will make you fishers of men.”
We are to fish! We are to focus on our sea of humanity, in this life. That’s the Lord’s strategy. He hasn’t changed his strategy. He didn’t say a couple of years ago, “Well, I’m going to change. It’s not about fishing any more, it’s about something else.” No, he said, “Follow me (we’ve been studying this in Matthew 4:19) and I’ll make you fishers of men. I’ll make you into something you’re not.
[I want you to focus in your sea of humanity.]
You know people, you swim with people, that I never will. I swim with people that you never will. Together what can we do? We can fish, and the beautiful thing about fishing in the Bible is, here’s what I love. All Jesus tells me to do and you to do is simply fish. He doesn’t say catch. Isn't that cool? The pressure’s off. We don’t catch. We fish. We cast. We present the bait. He does the catching and the cleaning.
So if you want to enter this competition, well, I’m going to tell you some things that should characterize your life. I call these things fisheristics.
II.] FISHERISTICS
So many people talk about discipleship. Discipleship, discipleship. You know, the word Christian is only used several times to describe those of us who are Christ-followers in the Bible. The words that are used most of the time would be a disciple, a follower. Discipleship begins and ends with evangelism. So discipleship is the sandwich, the bread would be evangelism. So you cannot become a disciple unless first of all you’re fishing. And discipleship has not really worked, you’re still a baby believer, if you’re not sharing and fishing for souls.
I mean, why would Jesus choose fisherman? Have you ever thought about that? He could have chosen attorneys. doctors. pro athletes. teachers.preachers. people in the technology industry. actors and actresses.
He chose fisherman. Why? They have the competitive edge. Fisheristics, four of them, and ask yourself, “Do I have these?”
Aren’t these fish cute? They’re beautiful, aren’t they? Goldfish in this fishbowl. This is a nice fishbowl, With the colored gravel, I just love to watch fish. It kind of reminds me of the church. A lot of people have this view of the church. Oh, the church is just a fishbowl, just a few of us. Hi! Daddy will feed you! You just say in that safe little fishbowl. Everything’s going to be OK. This stained glass fortress, that’s the church. OK. So what can happen is, we can become so focused on the fishbowl that we turn our backs on the masses, and that’s not a pretty picture, is it? Fisheristics.
What are some fisheristics?
? Be “reel” passionate
Luke 19:10 , “The Son of Man came to find lost people and save them.”
a. We have to find the lost
b.We have to become passionate about the things that Jesus is passionate about
? Be “reel” prepared
a. Be prepared to share your story
b. Be prepared to share the Gospel
1 Peter 3:15 , “Always be prepared to give and answer to everyone that asks you to give you the reason for hope that you have.”
? Be “reel” persistent
2 Timothy 4:5 , “Don’t be afraid of suffering for the Lord.”
a. Jesus didn’t catch everyone...We had a choice
b. The Gospel either compels or repels people
c. We have the competitive edge, the advantage
? Have “reel” partnership
Do whatever it takes without compromise
CONCLUSION:
The Bible says in Romans 1:16 , “I’m not ashamed of the gospel because it’s the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes.” Just make the cast. You’re fishing supernaturally. Make the cast. You’re fishing with the power of God, by the power of God make the cast. Make the cast.
ILLUS: Look at our goldfish. Wow. They’re having a good day, aren’t they? Huh. Just a second. I’m going to catch one. <Tim pulls a goldfish from the bowl> I’ve got him. Well, that goldfish is dying. Flopping, floundering around. Sorry, buddy. You were a couple of dollars but today is your last day. I don’t want to be bad, but the thing’s dying. I will rescue him. <Tim puts the goldfish back in the bowl>
Some of you were more worried about that goldfish out of water and dying than you are people in your lives dying without Jesus!
All they need is to be rescued! All they need is to be transferred from death to life! Let’s fish, bridge church Church! Let’s fish! Let’s fish
! Because I don’t know about you but I’m hooked! Are you hooked? Let’s fish! Let’s fish! Let’s fish! Let’s fish! Let’s fish! Let’s fish!
Let’s pray together.
