INTRO. Two weeks ago we were challenged by individuals in our lives that have touched us by their character, their wisdom, their compassion, and their sensitivity to us. I introduced you to “Boss Man” Bro James M. Roberts, my parents, the character of Billy Graham. I also shared with you about another friend of ours that is very much like you and me. He was nick named ROCK by our Lord. Again we know that he was a very strong man, was the leader of the disciples, and was kind of crazy. We know that he spoke many times before he thought- (hoof and mouth disease) Many of us like Rock get ourselves into some very precarious situations
ILLUSTRATION: “MOOD RING, SQUIRT GUN, BOSS”
THE MOOD RING:
my husband bought me a mood ring the other day. When I’m in a good mood it turns green. When I’m in a bad mood, it leaves a red mark on his forehead.
THE WATER PISTOL:
When My Three-Year-Old Son Opened The Birthday Gift From His Grandmother, He Discovered A Water Pistol... He Squealed With Delight and Headed For the Nearest Sink. I Was Not So Pleased. I Turned To Mom and Said, "I’m Surprised At you. Don’t You Remember How We Used To Drive You Crazy With Water Guns?"
Mom Smiled and Then Replied..... "I Remember."
LIFE AFTER DEATH:
"Do You Believe In Life After Death?" The Boss Asked One Of His Employees.
"Yes, Sir," The New Employee Replied.
"Well, Then, That Makes Everything Just Fine," The Boss Went On. "After You Left Early Yesterday To Go To Your Grandmother’s Funeral, She Stopped In To See You!
Scriptures show us that Jesus cared very much for Rock. This was indeed obvious when he said Peter I’m going to build my church with people just like you. He liked Rock for at least He did something. He did a lot of wrong in an effort to do right.
With this reminder about Rock let’s look at the passage we read earlier.
-We see Jesus coming up and requests to use Rock’s boat for a pulpit, Jesus wanted to use his boat, his vessel for his purposes and work.
-Jesus gives Rock some fishing lessons.
-Jesus tells Rock to throw his net on the other side of the boat
-Verse 5 Rock says "Master, we’ve worked hard all night and haven’t caught anything. But because you say so, I will let down the nets." In essence he was saying Hey we have worked hard all night, I’m tired and want to go home but I’ll do what you say Jesus.
-Then we see Rock calling the others over to help him bring the fish in. He wasn’t selfish with God’s blessings.
-Then Jesus calls Rock to come and be a fisher of men.
You know, we are so much like Rock in our lives for we tell the Lord the same thing Rock told him in Verse 5. We say Lord I have worked hard all day, night and I’m tired. We say we have worked at this job, worked trying to save my family, saved this relationship. We say I’m tired of trying to save my child, teenager, adult child from him or herself. You may be saying this morning I’m tired of trying to save my marriage. It is when we get to this point that we find ourselves broken and it is at this point God can and will do a might work in and through us if we will only let him.
The Lord says to us as he did Rock hey, try listening and following my commands. So what must we do in our brokenness so that God can truly use us to do something miraculous with our families, our jobs, our children, our marriage, our church and yes especially with our individual lives.
I. WE MUST KNOW OUR SINFULNESS.
A. As Rock saw Jesus as He really was he, in turn saw himself for who he really was.
1. In Luke 5:8 Rock says "Go away from me, Lord; I am a sinful man!"
2. Here Rock took the first important step to brokenness which was humility.
3. Imagine Rock doing this in a boat and in front of all his fishing buddies.
B. The toughest thing for you and me to do is to be humble.
1. ILLUSTRATION: “Others taking advantage of us” $$$
2. This world in which we live, calls us to be everything but humble.
C. We must really see ourselves as the way we really are.
D. No matter how good we think we may be we are still filthy sinners.
1. Isaiah 64:6 KJV says “But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away.
2, We will be humbled when we realize the state we are in.
3. We must be like the apostle Paul as he honestly assesses his true condition.
a. For in Romans 7:24 the apostle Paul says “What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death?”
b. ILLUSTRATION: “EXECUTATION USING DEAD BODIES”
4. We are able to put things in perspective when we ALL realize we are just one beggar telling another beggar where to get food and water.
E. We must we do to be broken?
II. WE MUST RECOGNIZE HIM AS LORD
A. We see that Rock right off recognized Jesus not as a good teacher, a magician, prophet, friend or even a good fisherman, but LORD.
1. Again in Verse 8 Rock Says: “Depart from me, O LORD.
2. Rock did this unashamedly.
B. We must see Jesus for who He really is as well.
1. He is not only our friend, our teacher, our counselor, our father but more importantly He is our Lord and Savior.
2. When we recognize Him as our Lord,then we have reached the second step of brokenness.
C. When we truly recognize Jesus as Lord, we can more plainly recognize and understand the power he possesses and the love He has for you and me.
D. We must not just call him Lord but our actions must prove that He is Lord.
1. Luke 6:46-49 says "Why do you call me, ’Lord, Lord,’ and do not do what I say? I will show you what he is like who comes to me and hears my words and puts them into practice. He is like a man building a house, who dug down deep and laid the foundation on rock. When a flood came, the torrent struck that house but could not shake it, because it was well built. But the one who hears my words and does not put them into practice is like a man who built a house on the ground without a foundation. The moment the torrent struck that house, it collapsed and its destruction was complete."
2. If we don’t recognize Him as Lord with our actions then we will collapse.
3. We cannot go through life saying one Thing and doing just the opposite.
E. What must we do to be broken??????
III. WE MUST WALK WITH HIM.
A. The evidence of Rock’s brokenness was shown as he left everything and followed Jesus.
1. Verse 11 says “And when they had brought their boats to land, they left everything and followed Him.”
2. We see that Rock, as well as James and John wasted no time in following Jesus.
3. Notice that they didn’t even take time to put up their nets and take care of all the fish they had caught.
4. We can look throughout the New Testament and see all the blessings and miracles Rock received because he walked with Jesus daily.
B. As a result of our brokenness, we too will do our best to walk with Jesus on a day by day basis.
1. This is most important because as we walk with Him, we will be blessed with His miracles and blessings.
2. We must walk not in front of Him or behind Him, rather with Him.
C. We must walk with Jesus day by day, not Sunday by Sunday, Revival by Revival, Youth camp to Youth Camp. Etc.
CONCLUSION
We must get to where Rock was to really know Jesus which is BROKEN.
The question this morning that each of us must ask is who are we? What makes us tick? For Rock it was fishing. What keeps you from coming to the feet of Jesus and letting Him use you?
What would it take for you to be Broken? For Rock it was something good. What will it take for you?
ILLUSTRATION: “SAVE ONE MORE FOR JESUS”
Rick Warren shares in his book “The Purpose Driven Life” about his dad who was a pastor for over fifty years serving mostly small rural churches. His dad was a simply preacher but was a man with a mission. He loved taking teams of volunteers overseas to build church buildings for small congregations. In his lifetime he built over 150 churches around the world.
In 1999 his dad died of Cancer. In the final week of his life the disease kept him awake in a semi-conscious state nearly twenty-four hours a day. As he dreamed, he’d talk out loud about what he was dreaming. Sitting by his bedside, Rick Warren shares that he learned a lot about his dad just listening to his dreams. He relived one building project after another.
One night near the end while Rick and his wife and niece were by his side, his dad suddenly became very active and tried to get out of the bed. Of course he was too weak and Rick’s wife insisted he lay back down. But he persisted in trying to get out of the bed so Rick’s wife asked, “Jimmy what are you trying to do?” He replied “Got to save one more for Jesus”, Got to save one more for Jesus, Got to save one more for Jesus. He repeated that phrase over and over again.
During the next hour he said that phrase over a hundred times. Got to save one more for Jesus. As Rick sat beside his dad’s bed tears roll down his cheeks, he bowed his head and thanked God for His dad’s faith. AT that moment his dad reached out and placed his frail hand on his head and said, as if commissioning him. “Save one more for Jesus.” Save one more for Jesus.”
This morning if you want to be used by God you must care about what God cares about. What He cares about it the redemption of those who he created? If you are lost today he wants you to be found in him. Child of God nothing matters more to God than his lost children being found. The cross proves that very fact. I pray that you will always be on the lookout to reach “one more for Jesus” so that when you stand before God one day you can say “mission accomplished”
