Intro: Tonight Lord willing I would like to talk to you about receiving your blessing. From the text I see three ways in which we may rob ourselves of the blessings of God in our life. Many of you here tonight have been toiling day after day and to a veil came up empty. You are ready to give it up and pack it in and live with defeat. But I’m here tonight to tell you not to give up; don’t go to the shore of complacency and defeat right yet but in Jesus name go out a little deeper and there you’ll receive what you’ve been looking for in the shallow. Turn to your neighbor and tell them “Lets go fishing”.
I. In verse 2 of the text we are given our first point of missing our BLESSING and that is Defeat and complacency.
A. As we see they are standing by the shores of Gennesaret or more commonly known to us as the Sea of Galilee. We find the fishermen washing their nets after a night of no luck as recorded in verse 5.
1. The washing of the nets here show a sign of defeat for these fishermen, they had fished all night and came up empty.
2. For many of you, you can relate to these fishermen you’ve toiled all night praying seeking God for your blessing, and for some you’ve been seeking for days, weeks, months, and for some evening years. To veil you are still empty, and ready to give it up.
3. You have tried it all you have knocked, and you’ve seeked, you prayed in tongues, you’ve wept, sought the council of your Pastor, read all the books on receiving your blessing, watched all the miracle services on TV, or evening tried to get to some and still nothing. Just as these fishermen did all they knew how to do.
B. You have come to the place where you’ve done it all and now your ready to live with defeat your ready to wash your nets and live with the fact you failed.
1. In your mind you think it was you it must a sin in your life and that God is judging me because my past. I’m not good enough and I must be a failure.
2. NO! I say that is a devils lie for in Ephesians 6:12 For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high [places]. 1 Peter 5:8 ¶ Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour: He sees you struggling and like a lion hunting a weak animal he makes his attack filling your mind with doubt and anger toward God telling you to just give up just be complacent, and Satan then begins to tell you “that when you try to seek God he pushes you off and doesn’t care about you look how he blesses others you know you are better then them and yet they get there’s while you get nothing, to tell you the truth its an impossible request He can’t do things like that.” But I want you to know that Satan is liar and that he is not a lion just as stated in 1 Peter 5:8 but like a lion that means he is not he is still that serpent in the Garden there is but one lion and that is the Lion of Judah Jesus Christ.
3. I say don’t believe those lies for it is written 1 Peter 5:7 Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you. And that in Romans 2:11 For there is no respect of persons with God. And that in Luke 18:27 The things which are impossible with men are possible with God. He does care for you and what He is doing for another He will do it for you; God doesn’t play favorites with His children.
4. Now that you know that it wasn’t you and that all efforts and attempts couldn’t change the situation God now has you in place where He wants you.
II. Cause now Jesus can get on board.
A. In verse 2 we see two ships and in verse 3 we see Jesus board one of those ships and it just happened to be Simon Peters. I don’t believe it was chance that Jesus chose Peters boat that day. I believe it was his day.
1. John 15:16 Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit, and [that] your fruit should remain: that whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in my name, he may give it you.
2. I believe if Peter would not have came back empty that day it would be a lot harder to get him back on his boat if he had already received that which he needed. But instead we see Jesus come at the right time.
B. In scripture we found many examples of Jesus appearing at the right time. This proves He’s never to late, but always on time.
1. In Luke 18 we see a blind man on the road side begging as he did ever day always the same begging for what ever he could get. But this day was different cause Jesus was on that road that way heading to Jericho, and the beggar could hear a multitude making a noise and he knew something had to be different about this noise and was toward Jesus of Nazareth was passing by. He then with all that was in him cried THOU SON OF DAVID, HAVE MERCY ON ME! The crowd tried to silence him but he cried the louder THOU SON OF DAVID, HAVE MERCY ON ME! Jesus heard and asked he be brought to him where Jesus asks, “What wilt thou that I shall do unto thee?” and he said that I may receive my sight. Jesus then said “Receive thy sight: thy faith hath saved thee.”
2. In John 8 we found Jesus in the Temple teaching when he is interrupted by the Pharisees and scribes bringing to Him a woman caught in the act of adultery. The Pharisees trying to tempt Jesus to have an accusation against Him asked that in the Law of Moses such a woman should be stoned but what do you say? He then stoops down and writes in the dirt as if He didn’t hear them, and they pursuing to ask He gets up and tells them “He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her.” He then returns to the dirt to continue writing, and the multitude convicted of there own sins leave, leaving the woman only before Jesus. He that was without sin worthy to cast the stone instead forgives her and tells her to go and sin no more.
3. Again in John we find a man that was blind from birth. And the disciples ask Jesus was it his sin or his parents that caused him to be born blind. Jesus tells them neither but that the works of God should be made manifest in him. Jesus then spat on the ground and made some mud to apply to his eyes and then tells him to wash in the pool of Siloam, and he comes back seeing.
4. I told you these examples not to stir you up, but to give you a Faith lift. You see in the midst of it all He hasn’t forgotten you He is going to pass bye and call you out and there the works of God can be manifest in you. Cause no man can take credit for your blessing save only Jesus. For it is written in 1 Corinthians 10:13 There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God [is] faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear [it].
C. After Jesus is your boat he has to teach you.
1. Once the Lord gets you in a place where your resource don’t help you like they use to, He gets on board to teach you how to use another set of tools. He begins to prepare you to receive what your in need of.
2. In Psalms 10:17 LORD, thou hast heard the desire of the humble: thou wilt prepare their heart, thou wilt cause thine ear to hear:
3. In the Hebrew there are several types of meanings and spelling for the word teach, but tonight I want to focus on two of these variations. They are yara (Yaw-raw), which has a root meaning to flow as water, which is to say to be instructed continually from the source. The other is lamad (law-mad), which has a root meaning to the word goad, which is a pointed rod, used to urge or guide an animal along the right path keeping them from staggering away and falling into a ditch or any other dangerous situation. Here we see that instruction keeps us safe and under subjection.
4. We must understand that we must learn from God and that we must follow Him and that we don’t have the answers to all our circumstance or know how to get out from all them. We trust in Him and as it is written in Isaiah 55:8 For my thoughts [are] not your thoughts, neither [are] your ways my ways, saith the LORD.
5. Job 6:24 Teach me, and I will hold my tongue: and cause me to understand wherein I have erred. Just as Job said we must keep silent and trust Him.
6. Proverbs 3:5 Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. Proverbs 3:6 In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.
7. When I was studying the word teach and its variations in scripture I found that in every instance where the word teach appeared an instruction followed and was going to emphasis what the Lord is trying to teach us through different scriptures. Then the Lord showed me that they all fell into one category and that was THE FEAR OF GOD!
8. Psalms 34:11 ¶ Come, ye children, hearken unto me: I will teach you the fear of the LORD. . In the Bible there are basically two types of the word fear. One is being one of reverence or honor, subjection, & obedience to God and all His ways and another being in complete terror of God and His judgments. Here the Psalmist used the word lamad in the text speaking of staying in line to the reverence of the Lord.
9. Psalms 86:11 Teach me thy way, O LORD; I will walk in thy truth: unite my heart to fear thy name. Here we see the Hebrew root for teach yara in this text, which tells us we will continually learn of His ways and that will unite our hearts to be reverent.
10. Now in Psalms 111:10 The fear of the LORD [is] the beginning of wisdom: a good understanding have all they that do [his commandments]: his praise endureth forever. Also in Proverbs 1:7 ¶ The fear of the LORD [is] the beginning of knowledge: [but] fools despise wisdom and instruction.
11. The fear of the Lord is knowledge; and also in scripture we are told that The fear of God is KEEPING & BEING OBIENT TO HIS COMMANDMENTS, WORD, WAYS AND STATUTES (In other words you seek His face through prayer and reading/studying the Word of God and applying His word to your life), LOYALITY TO HIM ALONE YOU CLEAVE TO NO OTHER, ETERNAL LIFE, TO LOVE & SERVE HIM WITH ALL SINCERITY OF YOUR HEART AND SOUL, OBEDIENCE TO TITHE, OBEDIENCE TO WITNESS, TO GLORIFY AND PRAISE HIM, STRENGTH AND PROTECTION, THAT HE IS YOUR PROVIDER, MERCY, SALVATION, LOVE OF YOUR BROTHER AND ENEMY, TO HEARKEN UNTO HIS VOICE, RESIST AND FLEE FROM EVIL, TO HATE EVIL AND SIN, HUMILITY, HONOUR, STABILITY, MEEKNESS. (In other words you seek His face and a personal relationship with God through prayer and reading and studying the Word of God and applying His word to your life)
12. Isaiah 28:9 ¶ Whom shall he teach knowledge? and whom shall he make to understand doctrine? [them that are] weaned from the milk, [and] drawn from the breasts. You need to seek Him for your self desiring the meat stop being babes and Christ and grow up!
13. In all the Fear of God is Holiness; for without it no man shall see the Lord, Hebrews 12:14. Also in 2 Corinthians 7:1 ¶ Having therefore these promises, dearly beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God.
