Let’s read Luke 5: 1-11
Pray
Ill. Jake and the rain.
I. Background
A. This is the description of the first disciples being chosen by Jesus by the Lake of Gennesaret—Christians commonly refer to this lake as the Sea of Galilee.
B. Some believe that this may have been a first encounter of Jesus and Simon Peter
1. I do not
a. One reason because there were crowds, Jesus was already drawing crowds.
b. Too this was Jesus’ second year of ministry (referred to by some scholars as the “year of popularity”). Surely a hometown guy like Simon knew of Jesus.
c. Simon Peter calls Jesus “Master” in the passage before Simon Peter placed the nets back in the water. To me that definitely suggests previous relationship.
II. So let’s look at the specific circumstances of Simon Peter that day?
A. You can tell that Simon Peter was at least a little perturbed because Peter said: “Master, we’ve worked hard all night and we haven’t caught anything. But because you say so, I will let down the nets” (Luke 5: 5b NIV)
1. Definitely a little reluctance here
B. Peter was perturbed too because of his situation. He had not caught anything!
1. They had cast the nets over and over again and returned with nothing
2. Nothing-- just lake trash and dirt
3. He had been fishing all night
4. He and his crew were finishing up—they were cleaning their nets and getting ready to pack it in
a. Cleaning nets is very tedious boring work.
b. The nets have to be very clean or they will not last.
c. The have to be cleaned right away or the job is harder if it is allowed to dry
d. If the nets are not clean then the fish see them
C. Then Jesus took him away from his task to let him use his boat as a pulpit
D. Jesus sat down to teach which was common in that day.
1. But can you imaging Peter when Jesus sat down?
2. Jesus was taking up more of Peter’s time
3. He was cutting into Peter’s sleep time—possibly his time off or family time
E. . So then the topper
1. Jesus asks peter to throw some clean nets back out in the fishless lake!
2. It is as if Jesus where saying to Simon, “Come on Simon let’s go fishing”! (Coffman Commentary)
3. Jesus did this even though He saw them when they were already using the nets before they were clean(Matt 4:18)
4. Where was Jesus in our passage
F. Some people though are hard on Simon Peter for responding to Jesus by saying, “Master, we’ve worked hard all night and we haven’t caught anything….” But I think that most people would have done much worse.
G. If I would have been Simon Peter I would have thought one thing, “Momma told me there would be days like this.”
III. Am I alone? How would the average Christian respond to such a request today?
A. Jesus you just asked me to take you out here, and I have waited patiently for you to finish speaking to the crowd, isn’t that enough?
B. My guys have been cleaning the nets without me, and I am sure the are very mad at me now
C. You are a carpenter turned public speaker
D. I am the fisherman
1. My grandpapy was a fisherman
2. My great grandpapy was a fisherman
E. Because I am 15th generation fisherman, I surely know that the heat of the day is not when to fish
IV. But Jesus understood these circumstances just like he understands your circumstances too.
A. Why does God work like this a lot? Why does God let us get tired and then do some of His best work? Why does He wait until we are exhausted sometimes?
1. One reason He wants to build our perseverance
2. Sometimes we have to get to a point where we can’t do it to see the great things of God.
3. Let me explain what I mean…When we finally have exhausted all of our effort, all of our knowledge, and all of our power to do the things God wants from us…that is when—and only when—we will not take the credit for something God has done in our lives
4. Peter didn’t expect to catch anything except more trash from the lake, but when he reluctantly obeyed and persevered by casting the nets, he caught so many fish it almost sank his and his partners’ boats
B. A big point here in the passage…The Lord cannot test our perseverance when we are in ideal circumstances.
1. Just think if Jesus would have come up in the early morning
2. Would not have had the same effect
V. The biggest point to me in the passage is that, the Lord has to test and prove our perseverance just like is tests and proves our faith (James 1:2-4)
A. . Peter may not have become a disciple if he did not cast the net down.
B. Think about this…Look at vs8 and 9. It definitely looks like the event of “the catch” that prepared him to follow Jesus.
1. Because “WHEN Simon Peter saw this, he fell at Jesus’ knees…[and was] astonished…”
a. The Greek word translated astonished in NIV and it is translated “amazement” in NASB.
b. NASB “For amazement had seized him”
c. The original means “to render immovable” (studylight.org)
d. You need to know that they were “render immovable” look at vs.10b
e. Jesus told them not to be afraid!
C. It is WHEN Simon Peter saw the catch and knew he had nothing to do with it that he was amazed and became afraid.
D. It was this event of the catch that drove Simon Peter to his knees before the Lord
E. I think the most important thing to take away from this passage this morning is this…That the goal of Simon Peter when Jesus came upon them that day in the summer of 27 AD was to catch fish
1. But by listening to Jesus they met their goal of catching fish in a big way for that day but THAT GOAL NOW BECAME TRIVIAL!
2. His goals had changed in an instant, by listening to the Master’s voice. He had become one of the first disciples of Jesus, and it was because he persevered—he threw in the nets when most of himself didn’t want to.
3. WHEN YOU AND I SEE GOD MOVE IN OUR LIVES IT WILL CHANGE YOU AND ME! IT IS SOMETHING OF POWER WHEN YOU KNOW THAT GOD ALMIGHTY (CREATOR GOD) IS DIRECTLY INVOLVED IN YOUR LIFE.
3a. Most people are not on fire for God because God is not working in their lives because perseverance is absent from their lives.
4. Their goals of catching fish had turned into the first disciples of Jesus, that Jesus would use to reach the billions that would follow throughout world history.
5. One cast of the clean nets decided ALL OF THAT for Peter! ONE MOMENT OF SIMON PETER DOING SOMETHING THAT GOD TOLD HIM CHANGED HIS LIFE
6. Just like Peter, your today is effecting the rest of your life!
7. Perseverance is also making us mature Christians (Romans 5: 3-4).
--Carry on in the things the Lord has commanded
--God wants us to go deeper with Him by persevering in life and the things He has called us to—maybe the things we run from.
He wants you and me to put our nets of perseverance and faith into deeper, living water
Always Persevere
Jesus knows your circumstances
Always Persevere
Jesus knows the facts
Always Persevere
