Title: The Power Of Two Boats
Text: Luke 5:1-7
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Introduction:
- Picture it if you will, a beautiful morning, with the sun shining, not to hot and not to cold.
- The day is just perfect for the teaching of God’s Word.
- Jesus is teaching right by the Sea of Galilee, and the crowd is so big that Jesus has to get into a boat and teach from the water.
- Now there was fishermen there who had just come back from fishing and were washing there nets.
- The name of one of them was Simon Peter.
- The Lord climbed into his boat and asked to be pushed out a little from land.
- After Jesus is done speaking, He tells the occupants of the boat to let down there nets.
- Simon Peter is reluctant, but lets down his net.
- When he lets down his net, the Lord gives them a miracle.
- It’s a massive amount of fish, that is so big that two boats was barely enough to bring them in.
- Peter and his workmen were amazed and are later found to pull up there boats and follow Jesus.
Transition:
- Sometimes life can be hard and other times life can bring us extreme blessing.
- In both cases, we need the assistance of other people.
- This story shows me many things, for example:
1. The importance of the Word being preached.
2. The importance of salvation
3. The importance of miracles
- But the one thing that stands out the most is the importance of two.
- Here we see the power of two boats, side by side that were used to aid one another.
- The Bible talks about the power of two in Matt 18:19 which says, “Again, I tell you that if two of you on earth agree about anything you ask for, it will be done for you by my Father in heaven. For where two or three come together in my name, there am I with them.”
- There is great authority in corporate and agreeing prayer.
- When husbands and wives stand together in prayer, it is a power thing.
- It changes the situation and the home.
- The devil is out attacking the home and destroying the Christian home, why?
- So that this scripture will not be fulfilled.
- When two or three gather together in faith and commitment to Christ, He is in the midst. - His presence will impart faith, strength, direction, grace and comfort.
Isa 12:6 says, “Shout aloud and sing for joy, people of Zion, for great is the Holy One of Israel among you.”
- I am so glad God is among us when we pray together.
- Now we also see an answer to prayer for Simon Peter and his men.
- They worked all night and caught nothing. They had no results from there labor and were just finishing up when Jesus walked into the situation.
- Have you ever felt like your prayers that are offered have had no effect?
- We can pray in the midnight hour for any particular situation, only to see it grow worse and worse before us. We feel that all our prayers were for nothing.
- Well I am sure Peter felt all his work was for nothing, and he was not expecting Jesus to tell him to let down his net.
- When Jesus did, Peter became indignant, but then relented and did as the Lord commanded.
- And we no the rest of the story, they caught a great amount of fish that day because God supplies.
- The point is when God begins to bless, we need others to share it with.
- Blessing not only fills your life, but also touches the lives around you.
- As did with the second boat. Both boats were so blessed by the Lord, that they barely made it back to shore.
- Now I see 4 areas of interest that I would like to share with you as we go through our trial times and blessing times.
- You maybe here tonight and you are praying and seeking the Lord.
- You have prayed what it seems to be all night, and you feel maybe you haven’t hit heaven, God wants all of us to keep the faith just one more time and believe Him.
- Here’s why:
Point 1: Remember Jesus Is Watching (vs 1-2)
- Your life and what you do, catches the Lord’s attention.
- Meaning God is concerned for your situation and life.
- He watches us when we go to work, when we are at home, in the car or at a meeting.
- Our life and what we do is important to the Lord and He is watching your every move.
- That can bring great blessing to the believer or great stress to the unbeliever.
In a lifetime the average American will spend:
Six months sitting at stoplights
Eight months opening junk mail
One year looking for misplaced objects
2 years unsuccessfully returning phone calls
4 years doing housework
5 years waiting in line
6 years eatingIn the course of a lifetime, the average American will spend the equivalent of 13 solid years watching television
On average, young people said they spent nearly 17 hours online each week, not including time used to read and send electronic mail, compared with almost 14 hours spent watching television and 12 hours listening to the radio, the study said.
The segment of the
U.S. population between the ages of 10 and 17, will spend close to a third of
Their lives on the Internet.
- God is watching us and wants us to be using our time and energy wisely.
- I am not opposed to internet, T.V. or any other extra curricular activities, neither is God as long as He is first.
- God was watching Peter and workers clean there nets, because I believe God is interested in what they were doing, and desires to bless them and also us.
Point 2: Remember To Think Of Others (Vs 3)
- Peter was considerate of others.
- He could have told the Lord, I am busy, I don’t have time, or I am tired, like a lot of Christians do today.
- But rather He took time from cleaning his net, got in the boat with Jesus and rowed a little from shore so Jesus could teach a number of people.
- Never be to busy for the Lord and be wrapped up in your own world, that you are too busy to do the small things.
- Remember Jesus is watching your life and knows what you need before you ask Him.
- If we take care of the Lord’s business to the best of our ability, He will take care of our business, more then we could do it ourselves.
- Peter thought of the people Jesus was teaching instead of the night before, his tiredness and nets. Listen to this story that describes many people today:
Isn’t it strange how a 20 dollar bill seems like such a large amount when you donate it to church, but such a small amount when you go shopping?
Isn’t it strange how endless an hour seems when we are serving God, but how short it is when we watch a basketball game for 60 minutes?
Isn’t it strange how 2 hours seem so long when you’re at church, and how short they seem when you’re watching a good movie?
Isn’t it strange that you can’t find a word to say when you’re praying, but you have no trouble thinking what to talk about with a friend?
Isn’t it strange how difficult and boring it is to read one chapter of the Bible, but how easy it is to read 100 pages of a popular novel?
Isn’t it strange how everyone wants front-row-tickets to concerts or games, but they do whatever is possible to sit at the last row in Church?
Isn’t it strange how we need to know about an event for Church 2-3 weeks before the day so we can include it in our agenda, but we can adjust it for other events in the last minute?
Isn’t it strange how difficult it is to learn a fact about God to share it with others, but how easy it is to learn, understand, extend and repeat gossip? Isn’t it strange how we believe everything that magazines and newspapers but we question the words in the Bible?
Isn’t it strange how everyone wants a place in heaven, but they don’t want to believe, do, or say anything to get there?
- Lets learn a simple lesson from Peter and learn to take time for others and most importantly Jesus Himself from our busy lives.
Point 3: Remember To Go The Extra Mile (vs 4-5)
- After Peter was concentrating on the Lord and His work for a few moments, God took care of His business.
- And I like I mentioned before, when God takes care of our business, it’s more then we could ever imagine or think.
- But it will require going the extra mile with God.
- We say that we believe God, but when we are going through a great battle, and are fighting tiredness and discouragement, it’s hard to do what the Lord is telling us.
- Peter went the extra mile, prayed that one more prayer, was patient one more hour and it pays off.
- Sometimes we do things out of routine and there is nothing wrong with doing things out of routine, because God says so.
- This is what Peter said, because you say so Lord I will do it.
- Some things in life we do for the Lord, will at times be done, because He says so
- We may not feel like it, but because God said so, we do it and God responds with blessing.
Point 4: Remember The Power Of Two (Vs 6-7)
- Whether it’s two boats, or two people, there is power in agreement.
- When two things agree, there is power.
- When low pressure meets high pressure in our atmosphere there’s power
Have you ever wondered what makes the difference between a spotlight and a laser beam?
How can a medium-powered laser burn through steel in a matter of seconds, while the most powerful spotlight can only make it warm?
Both may have the same electrical power requirements.
The difference is unity.
A laser can be simply described as a medium of excited molecules with mirrors at each end.
Some of the excited molecules naturally decay into a less excited state.
In the decay process they release a photon, a particle of light.
It is here that the unique process of the laser begins.
The photon moves along and “tickles” another molecule, inviting another photon to join him on his journey.
Then these two photons “tickle” two more molecules and invite two more photons to join the parade.
Soon there is a huge army of photons marching in step with each other.
It is this unity that gives the laser its power.
A spotlight may have just as many photons, but each is going its own independent way, occasionally interfering with other photons.As a result, much of its power is wasted and cannot be focused to do any useful work.
However, the laser, because of its unity, is like an army marching in tight formation and is able to focus all its power on its objective.
- We all know the power of unity, but if that boat in our text did not come by, the blessing would have been lost.
- The boat might of sank, they might have had to let the fish go or they would have had to reduce there amount.
- Our God is the God of abundance, God just doesn’t want to give you enough, He wants to give you more then you can handle and that will require you to come along side others.
- That goes with every area of our lives, and in the church.
Closing:
- Learn a lesson from the power of two boats, they will be used in the midnight hour with nothing is getting down, and they will be used in great blessing when they are almost sinking.
- The same goes for us, we should have prayer partners with our spouses first and then with trusted people.
- We will pray in the midnight hour when nothing is going right, but we will also share in the blessings when God begins to bless.
- We need each other, and to deny each other this privilege is to give into the enemy.\
Lets Pray!!!
