Cast your nets on the other side.
Today is the fourth and last Sunday of Advent.
Next time that we meet it will be Christmas.
One of the things that we realize about Christmas is that it is something that totally changes the world.
We celebrate the birth of Jesus because his birth literally changed the world.
It changed our position with God and it changed how we think about the world.
The world can often be a very cruel and harsh place. Jesus was born into a harsh world and even his birth caused such Jealousy and hatred in the heart of King Herod that he took steps to wipe out the innocent boys in Bethlehem the tragic irony of course is that despite such terrible bloodshed he missed his mark.
But something was happening in the birth of Jesus that WAS GOING TO RELEASE into the planet a new phenomenon of salvation that had never been seen or experienced before.
LK 5:4 When he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, "Put out into deep water, and let down the nets for a catch."
LK 5:5 Simon answered, "Master, we’ve worked hard all night and haven’t caught anything. But because you say so, I will let down the nets."
LK 5:6 When they had done so, they caught such a large number of fish that their nets began to break. 7 So 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.
LK 5:8 When Simon Peter saw this, he fell at Jesus’ knees and said, "Go away from me, Lord; I am a sinful man!" 9 For he and all his companions were astonished at the catch of fish they had taken, 10 and so were James and John, the sons of Zebedee, Simon’s partners.
Then Jesus said to Simon, "Don’t be afraid; from now on you will catch men." 11 So they pulled their boats up on shore, left everything and followed him.
I want to cross subjects for a moment to the subject of forgiveness.
The thing that God has won for us on the cross is forgiveness.
The ushering in of the infant Jesus at Christmas is the beginning of the end for sin and death. A JOURNEY BEGINS.
Now, in Jesus Christ our sins are forgiven.
The bible makes much of this and it can only be a result of obtuseness, stubbornness or spiritual blindness that the thinking person can deny this spiritual reality.
This gift of forgiveness is the first step towards reconciliation or friendship with God.
Of friendship with God – Jesus once said.
13 Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends. 14 You are my friends if you do what I command. 15 I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master’s business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you. 16 You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit--fruit that will last. Then the Father will give you whatever you ask in my name. 17 This is my command: Love each other.
What Christmas opens up for us is the possibilility of being restored to God’s family.
But you need to decide whether you are in or out.
It is possible to be in and it is possible to be out.
A couple of days ago our national rugby team chose a new coach – John Mitchell is definitely out and Graham Henry is in.
Of course the Christian family is not like a rugby team – anyone can be in –
John 3 – 16 says whosoever believes in Jesus shall not perish but shall have everlasting life.
But once you are in – the Christmas takes on new meaning – it becomes a celebration of something that is both deeply personal and of incredible importance to the Church.
You are a member of the Kingdom of God and membership carries it’s responsibilities.
In the passage we just read Jesus not only calls us his friends but he follows it up with the instruction that we are to be friends to one another.
Imagine if you will finding yourself in a lifeboat on the Titanic – all around you are people in the water – doomed to drown – yet you are all alone in the safety of the boat.
What are you going to do.
Wrap up warm in the bottem of the boat and await rescue????
Of course not!!!
You are going to help others into the boat.
You call out to some people in the water!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
You recognize them they are the first class passengers from a party that was going on when the boat sunk.
“There’s room in my boat come aboard.”
To your horror the people in the water cry back. “No thanks!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!”
“Why not???? “ you ask.
You get a variety of answers – I’;m trusting myself – I don’t believe in life boats – I can’t it would mean letting go of my bag of money – I don’t trust you and so on. Where ever you look people just won’t accept your rescue.
The thing is they have been abiding in a wrong spirit just as in this age people have been abiding in the spirit of this age.
You don’t stop trying – At last one fellow agrees to coming on board – he gets on the life boat and flails around - he causes a lot of trouble and stops you actually trying to get anyone else on board – eventually he starts to climb out of the boat and you grab him and he begins to pull you in too eventually he slips from your grasp and backslides into the water.
Disappointed you watch some of the first class passengers disappear beneath the waves.
Suddenly you hear – from the other side of the boat a cry for help.
You look over and it is a man with a child.
He looks at you desparately – you recognize him as one of the lower deck passengers – You pull him on board and soon there are cries from all over – you and your passenger are soon very busy pulling people on board – soon the boat is full and you begin tying bits of debris together and placing people on these –
These people are extremely grateful to be rescued.
What a difference!!!!!
On one side are people who are under the influence of Spirits – on the other are people desparate for life.
Jesus once told a story:-
LK 14:16 Jesus replied: "A certain man was preparing a great banquet and invited many guests. 17 At the time of the banquet he sent his servant to tell those who had been invited, `Come, for everything is now ready.’
LK 14:18 "But they all alike began to make excuses. The first said, `I have just bought a field, and I must go and see it. Please excuse me.’
LK 14:19 "Another said, `I have just bought five yoke of oxen, and I’m on my way to try them out. Please excuse me.’
LK 14:20 "Still another said, `I just got married, so I can’t come.’
LK 14:21 "The servant came back and reported this to his master. Then the owner of the house became angry and ordered his servant, `Go out quickly into the streets and alleys of the town and bring in the poor, the crippled, the blind and the lame.’
LK 14:22 " `Sir,’ the servant said, `what you ordered has been done, but there is still room.’
LK 14:23 "Then the master told his servant, `Go out to the roads and country lanes and make them come in, so that my house will be full. 24 I tell you, not one of those men who were invited will get a taste of my banquet.’ "
If we go back to the scripture that we began with….
LK 5:4 When he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, "Put out into deep water, and let down the nets for a catch."
LK 5:5 Simon answered, "Master, we’ve worked hard all night and haven’t caught anything. But because you say so, I will let down the nets."
LK 5:6 When they had done so, they caught such a large number of fish that their nets began to break. 7 So 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.
LK 5:8 When Simon Peter saw this, he fell at Jesus’ knees and said, "Go away from me, Lord; I am a sinful man!" 9 For he and all his companions were astonished at the catch of fish they had taken, 10 and so were James and John, the sons of Zebedee, Simon’s partners.
Then Jesus said to Simon, "Don’t be afraid; from now on you will catch men." 11 So they pulled their boats up on shore, left everything and followed him.
At the end of this incident Jesus ties the picture of the disciples catching the fish in with the call of the disciples to catch people.
He is in fact drawing out the importance there is for the follower of Jesus to be involved in the grand enterprise of rescuing people for the Kingdom of god.
God wants us to be used in helping people to follow him.
Not because it is something interesting or amusing to do but because it is absolutely vital for people to be rescued for the Kingdom of God.
There is no doubt that the church does this best when it is operating as a team in love.
Because this passage is connected by Jesus to the need to be fishers of men I have been giving it some serious thought.
I find it interesting that the disciples had been fishing all night but had caught nothing.
It is only when they put their nets out the other side of the boat that they begin to catch fish.
That strikes me as an enormous challenge for us as a Church.
As a Christian church we are challenged.
Our church celebrated it’s centennial in 1984 – next year is 2004 which means our church will be one hundred and twenty years old.
There is no doubt that we have been fishing many years but could it be that God is calling us to put our nets out the other side of the boat.
Can I read you a story.
One night, when Rees Howells and his friends were returning from the village, they passed a group of women who never came to the meetings. They could tell by their voices that they had been drinking. One of the party exclaimed, “Where is the power to change these people?” it was a challenge, and Rees Howells took it. There and then the Spirit gave it to him that he was to pick out the ringleader of those women, who was a notorious character and a confirmed drunkard, and pray her into the Kingdom by Christmas day!
This was something new! He had seen many drunkards converted, but the lord had worked through his personal contacts with them; in this case, however, he had no connection with the woman and the Lord told him that he was to use no personal influence, but to reach her by way of the throne. It would be a real test of strength. Could the holy Spirit through him use the power of the atonement to break the devil’s dominion in her life and fulfill the saviour’s word in matthew 12:29, about binding the strong man and stealing his goods? He saw that if he couled get this one visible proof of the devil’s defeat, the holy Ghost coulde apply the victory through him on a large scale.
To do this, the spirit gave him John 15:7 “If you abide in Me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will and it shall be done unto you.” It would depend on his abiding.
This “Abiding” was to take such a central place in his future life of intercession.
During the first week of his abiding, the Lord spoke to him nightly on many things. “He began to deal withy my nature.” He said, “and show me things I never dreamed were there, getting deep down in my motives. It was a daily dying. Over and over again I thought; Is it possible to retreat?”
After six weeks of wonderful fellowship with God Rees Howellls was assured that the victory was assured. He was now encouraged to walk in the position, and the Lord told him he could now expect to see the woman make a move.
That very night, with a thrill in his sould, Rees saw her in the open air meeting for the first time, and he told the devil, “Now I know that the Holy ghost is stroinger that you; you habe been brought to nought at Calvery.”
The woman soon began to come to the cottage meetings.
In the remaining weeks before Christmas the Holy Spirit did not allow him to pray for her. “It was a conflict with not praying” he said, “As the adversary pressed on us the need of prayer; but it would have been a prayer of doubt,” During that time there was no outward sign of repentance in the woman.
Christmas morning came, and the word he had was, Go up and possess it. “ I had a chance of experiencing what men like Moses went through in telling a thing beforehand,” he said. “Not a single doubt came to my mind that day, and how strong I was ! I was praising the Lord all day. I would not look at my Christmas cards or presents, for this was my Christmas gift!”
When the time for the meeting came, the woman was there, but a lot of people had brought there children; there was plenty of noise, and in no sense the kind of atmosphere which would influence a person to repent. But in the middle of the meeting “down she went on her knees and cried to God for mercy. It was a victory beyond value, and she is standing today.”
This is an unusual story but it demonstrates the phenomenon of casting your nets on the other side.
Friends today I want to encourage you that if you are serious about celebrating Christmas you may well need to cast your net on the other side.
You might have to move from your comfort zone.
To pray for a person in a different life sphere to yourself like you have never prayed before.
To share the gospel in a way that you have never shared it before.
I believe god is wanting us to move from our comfort zone.
If we are to fulfill our vision we need to change our minds about how we share the gospel and who we share it with.
We may need a radical change of heart and we need to do it together.
God bless you as you live in this new way.
