NLT Romans 8:32 Since he did not spare even his own Son but gave him up for us all, won’t he also give us everything else?
I have an uncle who is an avid fisherman. He knows where to fish, when to fish, what kind of bait to use in all different situations…and he catches a lot of fish. If uncle isn’t catching fish…no one is.
We all know about fish stories…how the stories are stretched…manufactured…how fisherman tend to be creative as they recount their exciting experiences as fisherman.
Do you know what the difference between an average fisherman and a good fisherman is?
- A good fisherman never quits…he fishes for a longer time than the others…and he knows what he is fishing for.
- Successful people are people who never quit.
Today we will look at one of the best fish stories ever told! It will teach us a few things we need to know if we want to live meaningful, healthy lives in Christ.
- NLT Luke 5:1 One day as Jesus was preaching on the shore of the Sea of Galilee, great crowds pressed in on him to listen to the word of God. 2 He noticed two empty boats at the water’s edge, for the fishermen had left them and were washing their nets. 3 Stepping into one of the boats, Jesus asked Simon, its owner, to push it out into the water. So he sat in the boat and taught the crowds from there. 4 When he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, “Now go out where it is deeper, and let down your nets to catch some fish.” 5 “Master,” Simon replied, “we worked hard all last night and didn’t catch a thing. But if you say so, I’ll let the nets down again.” 6 And this time their nets were so full of fish they began to tear! 7 A shout for help brought their partners in the other boat, and soon both boats were filled with fish and on the verge of sinking. 8 When Simon Peter realized what had happened, he fell to his knees before Jesus and said, “Oh, Lord, please leave me– I’m too much of a sinner to be around you.” 9 For he was awestruck by the number of fish they had caught, as were the others with him. 10 His partners, James and John, the sons of Zebedee, were also amazed.Jesus replied to Simon, “Don’t be afraid! From now on you’ll be fishing for people!” 11 And as soon as they landed, they left everything and followed Jesus.
Let’s take a closer look at this marvelous story!
NLT Luke 5:1 One day as Jesus was preaching on the shore of the Sea of Galilee, great crowds pressed in on him to listen to the word of God.
- Pressing in on him to listen to the word of God. (Wow!)
- NOTE: the desire, excitement, enthusiasm…like waiting in line for Black Friday sales, a popular rock star, etc.
- Little did they know, they were zealous for “listening to the Word of God,” the Bible!
- Would you ever stand in line and wait hours to read the Bible?
2 He noticed two empty boats at the water’s edge, for the fishermen had left them and were washing their nets. 3 Stepping into one of the boats, Jesus asked Simon, its owner, to push it out into the water. So he sat in the boat and taught the crowds from there. 4 When he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, “Now go out where it is deeper, and let down your nets to catch some fish.” 5 “Master,” Simon replied, “we worked hard all last night and didn’t catch a thing. But if you say so, I’ll let the nets down again.”
- These guys were professional businessmen. They knew how to fish. They knew where to fish. They made their living from fishing.
- They worked all night but came up empty. Have you ever done the best you can in something but come up empty?
- We often work hard in life…do the best we can, but don’t get the results we were aiming for. We all are fishing for something in life and it happens that many times we come up empty:
- Job to retire from: a friend of mine—they let him go after 19 years of working
- Career you love: Do you work to live or live to work? Come up empty…
- Studying for a test: Work hard for an A and you don’t quite cut it…you come up empty
- Marriage – you committed to death do us part…but times are tough…commit to counseling…read books…but you come up empty.
- Talking with sweet older woman at work who admitted she left her husband because the “grass was greener on the other side.”
- Some people are fishing for excitement –buying new things like home, camper, Harley Davidson, vacations, etc.
- Respect: some people are fishing for self-esteem…they value themselves more than others do
- Love: some people are fishing for love…lonely
- Wealth: to be financially independent, but it seems like something always comes up that prevents you from accomplishing your goals….
- Some of us just want to have basic essentials…just enough to pay our bills and we find that that is always a struggle…always seem to be a day late and a dollar short. We always seem to come up short.
OBSERVATION: Jesus is aware of our felt needs…our inadequacies…He knows when we come up short…
- 2 He noticed two empty boats at the water’s edge,
OBSERVATION:
Jesus knows when we come up empty, and He moves toward us and asks to get into our boat.
- 3 Stepping into one of the boats, Jesus asked Simon, its owner, to push it out into the water.
- Jesus is in the boat with Peter
OBSERVATION:
He gets done speaking/teaching gives Peter some instructions
- Jesus tells him to go out and fish some more…Peter kind of cries out respectfully … we’ve been out there all night and caught nothing…we’ve come up empty.
- Interestingly, Jesus tells Peter to go out again (i.e. you didn’t go out long enough)
- And to go out deeper (i.e. you didn’t go deep enough)
OBSERVATION:
- Often, we miss out on miraculous blessings in life because we quit too earlier and don’t go out far enough, or deep enough…in other words, we don’t persevere…we don’t have enough faith for a long enough time…we don’t have patience. It’s at this point that we need to listen for instructions from Jesus and to obey Him.
Sticky Statement: When we listen to the Lord, we get what we are fishing for in life.
What is it that you are fishing for? Is it finances, career, family, friendships, ministry, job, education, marriage…whatever it is, if it is godly and supported in the Word of God, know that God doesn’t want you to quit…in fact, it’s quite the opposite…Jesus wants you to try harder, longer, and more intently than ever with Him at your side (in your boat). He wants you to be more deliberate and intentional than ever. And expect huge results!
6 And this time their nets were so full of fish they began to tear! 7 A shout for help brought their partners in the other boat, and soon both boats were filled with fish and on the verge of sinking. 8
- Now that’s a fish story! That’s the kind of praise we all are fishing for!
- When we do what the Word of the Lord tells us to do, we get what we are fishing for in life.
OBSERVATION:
- there’s power in the WORD of God.
[crowds pressed in on him to listen to the word of God]
- Out of all that Jesus preached that day, it may be what He instructed Peter to do in the boat that is best remembered…that’s because Peter received the instruction and followed Jesus’ direction.
- “The rest of the crowd pressed in on Jesus to listen to the Word of God.” If we were only so interested in hearing the Word God!
- The Word of God makes all the difference in our lives—it’s the difference between whether we receive blessings or curses. If we don’t know what God’s Word is (that is, what Jesus wants us to do) in our situation—in what we are fishing for—then we’ll never receive the miracle that God desires us to have.
NLT 2 Timothy 3:16 All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right. 17 God uses it to prepare and equip his people to do every good work.
- Whenever we go through life fishing for things without first pressing up against Jesus with a great desire to listen to the Word of God, then we will come up empty.
- When we listen to the Word of God and follow its instruction, it teaches us what is wrong in our lives, what is true, and how to fish for and catch what we are looking for.
When Simon Peter realized what had happened, he fell to his knees before Jesus and said, “Oh, Lord, please leave me– I’m too much of a sinner to be around you.” 9 For he was awestruck by the number of fish they had caught, as were the others with him. 10 His partners, James and John, the sons of Zebedee, were also amazed. Jesus replied to Simon, “Don’t be afraid! From now on you’ll be fishing for people!” 11 And as soon as they landed, they left everything and followed Jesus.
OBSERVATION:
- After they received their miracle—what they were fishing for—they left it…they left everything and followed Jesus.
- How many of us would leave the miracle behind? If you were smart you would! It’s following the miracle worker where one finds meaning and fulfillment in life, not being awestruck by the miracles He does in your life.
KJV Romans 8:32 He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things?
- NLT Isaiah 53:3-6 He was despised and rejected– a man of sorrows, acquainted with deepest grief. We turned our backs on him and looked the other way. He was despised, and we did not care. 4 Yet it was our weaknesses he carried; it was our sorrows that weighed him down. And we thought his troubles were a punishment from God, a punishment for his own sins! 5 But he was pierced for our rebellion, crushed for our sins. He was beaten so we could be whole. He was whipped so we could be healed. 6 All of us, like sheep, have strayed away. We have left God’s paths to follow our own. Yet the LORD laid on him the sins of us all.
- Therefore, “He shall freely give us all things.”
- God gives us what we are fishing for when we follow Jesus…when we listen to His Word and apply it to our lives.
ESV 1 John 5:14 And this is the confidence that we have toward him, that if we ask anything according to his will he hears us. 15 And if we know that he hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have the requests that we have asked of him.
In other words, if we are truly living our lives the best we could (according to His Word) we can ask for anything and He will give us what we ask for.
The first thing you need to do if you want to have the experience with Jesus that Peter, James and John did is to give Jesus complete access to your life…that is, if you want your life to turn from a life of emptiness to one that is overflowing with miraculous works of the Lord.
Especially if your heart’s desire is to receive the fruits of the Spirit…Living with more love, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, joy and self-control. If you want and need godly wisdom for a situation that you are facing…then follow the example of these wonderful brothers in Christ Jesus…listen to His Word…Follow Him:
- By figuring out what you are fishing for…
- By following the instructions given to you by Jesus (found in God’s Word)…
- By never quitting, but persevering…by going out a little further and deeper.
Make real and lasting change in your life!