FAITHFUL FISHERMEN
LUKE 5:1-11
Many of you may but (name here) is an avid ice fishermen. The story I am about to tell happened a couple years age. (Names) decided to do a little ice fishing. The lake was frozen nicely. They stopped just before they got to the lake at a little bait shop and got all their tackle.
One of them said, "We’re going to need an ice pick." So they got that, and they took off. In about two hours, one of them was back at the shop and said, "We’re going to need another dozen ice picks." Well, the fellow in the shop wanted to ask some questions, but he didn’t. He sold him the picks, and the old boy left. In about an hour, he was back. Said, "We’re going to need all the ice picks you’ve got." The bait man couldn’t stand it any longer. "By the way," he asked, "how are you fellows doing?" "Not very well at all, we haven’t even got the boat in the water yet”
I always like to tell a little joke before my sermon to “break the ice”. Get it? “Break the ice”. It’s getting more painful as we go along.
Anyway, I really do like to fish. I find it relaxing to go out on the lake and just fish for a few hours. Of course what makes fishing better is if you catch something. Now there have been times when I have been disappointed having to return home with no fish.
Today I want us to look at a story about a group of disappointed fishermen, disappointed fishermen who became faithful fishermen.
Please turn with me to Luke chapter 5 verse 1-11. By the way I will remind you if you or someone you know does not have a Bible and would like one, there are some on the back table just for that purpose so please feel free to take what you need.
Luke 5:1-11; “ So it was, as the multitude pressed about Him to hear the word of God, that He stood by the Lake of Gennesaret, “gi-nes’uh-ret” and saw two boats standing by the lake; but the fishermen had gone from them and were washing their nets. Then He got into one of the boats, which was Simon’s, and asked him to put out a little from the land. And He sat down and taught the multitudes from the boat. When He had stopped speaking, He said to Simon, "Launch out into the deep and let down your nets for a catch." But Simon answered and said to Him, "Master, we have toiled all night and caught nothing; nevertheless at Your word I will let down the net." And when they had done this, they caught a great number of fish, and their net was breaking. So they signaled to their partners in the other boat to come and help them. And they came and filled both the boats, so that they began to sink. When Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus’ knees, saying, "Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord!"
For he and all who were with him were astonished at the catch of fish which they had taken; and so also were James and John, the sons of Zebedee, who were partners with Simon. And Jesus said to Simon, "Do not be afraid. From now on you will catch men." So when they had brought their boats to land, they forsook all and followed Him.”
This is the story of the call of Peter, John and James, three of Jesus’ closes disciples. As we can see they were simple fishermen. They were not men of great learning, they were not men of wealth and power, not men of any particular importance as far as the world was concerned, but just three simple fishermen.
Now there are five things I want to point out to you from this wonderful passage. The first is that we see “Anticipation” on the part of the fisherman, Peter, James and John. Like any fishermen they expected to catch something.
Keep in mind that these guys were not fishing for fun, this was there livelihood. This is what they did for a living. This was how they fed their families. Their lifestyle depended on what they caught.
They had every right to expect a catch of fish. These guys were seasoned fishermen. They had the right equipment, they knew what time was best to make a good catch. And accounting to the account, in verse 5 Peter states that they had been at it all time. Surly they had expected to catch something.
I know when I fish I go expected something. And any of you who fish expect the same thing. We look and make sure we have all the right stuff to catch that 6 or 7 pound bass then off we go full of expectation.
You know we all have expectation in life. Some of those expectations are unrealistic. Some are them are even fanciful, some are selfish, while still others are quite noble. But we all have some expectations of what we want from live.
Some expect their marriages to be like they are in fairy tales, or on the Brady Bunch. Everyone living in peaceful bless, with no problems or struggles. Where you and your spouse get along all the time. Where any problem the pops up is solved with no problems.
Some expect the world to provide free living for them. They expect to be taking care of without having to work. Some expect people to cater to their every whim. That everyone else needs to place them first on their lists, their needs are what matters and everybody else can go melt.
Some expect to sail through life with not struggles. No problems, no pain, no disappointments.
Some expect to earn their salvation, through being good, doing good things or going to or belonging to a certain church. They believe that these things will get them into heaven.
However when our primary focus is on our own expectations there is a tendency for live to be full of disappointments went those expectation fail to materialize. When our expectations are to far fetched, when they are too self-centered, we are in for a live full of disappointments and hurt.
When our primary focus is on our own expectations, we tend to forget about our own obligations and responsibilities. While we spent our time expecting so much from others, we lose the reality of what may be rightfully expected from on.
When our primary focus is on our own expectations we become self-centered, self-absorbed, and self-seeking. And many times we become full of self-pity when those expectation do no materialize.
Now the fisherman expected a catch that night. There was nothing unrealistic or unholy about their expectation, but it was, for that day anyway, out of reach.
The second point of this story is the disappointment. They extracted empty nets. Look at verse 5 “But Simon answered and said to Him, "Master, we have toiled all night and caught nothing.” These guys had been fishing all night long. Dropping their nets in the water and lifting them out, only to be disappointed every time the net came up empty. It was a very disappointing night for Peter and his friends.
Sometimes our greatest expectations take the deepest plunge. In life many times the things we thing we are certain of do not work out and our realities fall short of our expectations. Our nets come up empty.
Maybe we have humbled ourselves and sincerely tried to reconcile with someone we are having problems with. Only to have them reject our offer of peace.
Maybe we have worked our hardest to please our spouse, our parents, or our boss, only to have our efforts go totally unappreciated.
Maybe if you are in school you study hard, working hours studying for test, only to do not as well as you had expected.
Maybe you are struggling to break a bad habit, striving to overcome a sin that has taken hold of you, something which can be any number of things. Only to find yourself doing it over and over.
Just like those fishermen in our story sometime we fish all night long, trying and trying only to pull up empty nets. We suffer disappointments, disillusionment, distress, depression. All because what we expected to happen did not. And now we are at a lose as to what we should do.
But just like the fishermen in our story disappointments, disillusionment, distress, depression does not have to be the end of the story for us.
Let us look at the next point I want to make from our story. After exception, and then disappointment, we have the call of Jesus!
Look at verses 4 and 5, When He had stopped speaking, He said to Simon, "Launch out into the deep and let down your nets for a catch." But Simon answered and said to Him, "Master, we have toiled all night and caught nothing; nevertheless at Your word I will let down the net."
Here we see the call of Jesus to Peter. He tells Peter to let down his nets one more time.
Now Peter’s response at first is the same as our many times. He does not want to go back out and let down his nets. He was tired from being up all night fishing. I am sure he was frustrated at not catching anything. He was disappointed by his lack of catch. And I would make the guess that he did not want to cast his nets again, because he did not want to be disappointed again.
But as we see in the story Peter set aside his own feelings, set aside his own disappointment, and he obeyed God. He did what the Lord Jesus told him to do. Peter stated, “nevertheless at Your word I will let down the net”. I will do what you say, I will obey.
The same can be true with us. Sometimes we are tried of trying. Sometimes we are frustrated at having failed, or having been let down.
Sometime we are just to disappointed to bother trying again. Afraid that if we do try we will only be disappointed again, that our expectations will not be meant.
But you know we need to be obedient we need to answer the call of Jesus Christ just as Peter did. We need to place what God would have us to do over and above what we feel like doing.
Peter did not feel like casting them nets again but he did. You may not feeling like praying to God, you may not feel like reading His Word. You may not feel like going to church, but you need to put aside what you are feeling, and obey the call of God, the call of Jesus Christ in your life.
The fourth point I want to make from this passage the provision we see. Jesus executed a miracle. Just when the fishermen in our story thought the night was for nothing, and Peter felt that letting down the nets again was a useless endeavor, Jesus steps in a provides a miracle and makes the difference.
Look at verse 6, “And when they had done this, they caught a great number of fish, and their net was breaking.”
Where there were no fish before, now there are fish, and over abundance of fish. While some may say this is no more the a coincidence, it should be plain to us that what we have in this case is divine intervention.
Jesus was not only providing for the these men in financial sense, remember this was their livelihood, he had a larger mission for them, a greater purpose for their lives then just fishermen, but they were to become fishers of men. Jesus provides them with the sign, that they would follow him and become His disciples.
Just as Jesus meets the need of those fishermen, Jesus will meet our needs as well. Jesus promises us healing, not so much physical healing but spiritual healing. In Isa 61 the following is written about Jesus; "The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon Me, Because the LORD has anointed Me To preach good tidings to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, To proclaim liberty to the captives, And the opening of the prison to those who are bound;
He promises us joy, Speaking in the gospel of John Jesus states, "These things I have spoken to you, that My joy may remain in you, and that your joy may be full.”
Jesus promises to give us peace. Again in the gospel of John Jesus states, "Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.”
Jesus promises us that He will meet our greatest need, and that is Salvation, to be make right with God. He tells us in John 14:6; Jesus said to him, "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.” Jesus is the way to the Father, the only way to the Father.
Jesus’ provision are right there for us, waiting to be received, waiting to be taken advantage of.
While Jesus desires to provide for out needs let us realize some things. Jesus is not the Sear catalog, where you just place your orders and expect to receive whatever you want.
He is not some cosmic vending machine, where you do something for Him so He must do something for you in return.
Jesus promises to meet our greatest needs, He has made no promise to give us everything we want in the size, shape, color and brand name we want it in.
We are given not promise if we ask in doubt, or selfishly, or with sinful desires.
Jesus wants to meet the greatest needs you have, He has the power to do it, just like He had the power to meet the needs of those fishermen almost 2,000 years ago.
The last point of this passage I would like to us to see, is the proper response to the provision of the Lord Jesus. Look at verse 8-11. “ When Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus’ knees, saying, "Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord!" For he and all who were with him were astonished at the catch of fish which they had taken;
and so also were James and John, the sons of Zebedee, who were partners with Simon. And Jesus said to Simon, "Do not be afraid. From now on you will catch men." So when they had brought their boats to land, they forsook all and followed Him.”
When Peter realize what was going on, when he perceived the miraculous nature of the event, when he recognized that this could only have come from God.
He responded with humility and repentance.
Peter becomes aware of some important things. First Jesus knew what he was talking about. While Peter first was doubtful, Jesus did indeed know where the fish were.
Peter became aware that this was indeed from God. He knew a lot more about fishing then any carpenter, yet this carpenter provided an abundance of fish. Peter realized that this could only be of God.
Because of the power that Jesus displayed, Peter heeded Jesus call, and followed him. Scepter states that Peter forsook all and followed Jesus. He placed Jesus first in His life and did what Jesus called him to do.
Let me ask you something, when Jesus provides for you, (and whether you realize it or not he does provide for you everyday), but what is your response? Do you think that it is you due, that you deserve it? That you have it coming? Do you take it for granted?
Do see it as Peter did, as a work of God, and humbly respond to God with thanksgiving and a willingness to place Him first.
That is the question that this whole story brings us to. Will I forsake all and follow Jesus? Will I place Him first in my live. Will I go before the Lord as Peter did, recognizing that we all our sinners in need of salvation.
Some may even doubt that they are sinners? Well, have you ever stole anything, ever lied about anything, ever lust after something, every wish you had what your neighbor had, ever put something, anything before God. Then guess what? You’re a sinner, in need of a Saviour and the Saviour is Jesus Christ.
Acts 4:12 states, "Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved." The name of Jesus.
We all need Jesus. My prayer this morning is that every person in this as a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. That every one here asks God for forgiveness through the blood of Jesus Christ. That each one would ask Jesus Christ to come into their lives, to forsake all and follow Jesus. Because without that commitment there is not hope of eternal life, no hope of forgiveness, no hope of heaven.
In closing may I just say that when you ask Jesus to be your personal Lord and Saviour you will witness a miracle first hand. Because Jesus will change you. I know this because He changed me. He took a young man, drank to much, and cared only about himself, into a man who loves His wife and children more them himself, a man who became a preacher of the Word, a man who loves God more then anything in His life.
That’s is what He did in my life, and I know with all my heart that that is a miracle, a mighty work of God.
And He can perform a miracle in you life as well. Trust in Jesus today.
Every head bowed, every eye closed.
